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Prime Minister announces six key priorities to drive economic growth
eVisa transition delayed – ‘expired’ BRP cards extended until March 2025
For holders of various UK visa categories, Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) cards were initially set to expire on 31 December 2024.
The UK Home Office had announced that all eligible individuals would need to create an account on the UKVI website to transition to the new eVisa system, confirming their immigration status and enabling information sharing with third parties like employers and landlords.
However, less than a month before the eVisa’s full rollout, the Home Office has decided to extend the use of physical BRP cards due to issues with the electronic visa system. Reports have emerged of hundreds of complaints from UK visa holders unable to access the digital system, causing problems with entering the country, securing jobs, and renting properties.
Immigration Minister Seema Malhotra stated that the government chose to delay the transition to ensure a smooth process. Airlines and other carriers have been instructed to accept “expired” BRP cards and EU Settlement Scheme BRC cards for entry into the UK.
Under the new rules, BRP cards valid until 31 December 2024, can now be used until 31 March 2025, while the transition to eVisa continues to be reviewed. The government advises all applicants to retain their BRP cards and carry them when travelling until 31 March 2025, to avoid inconvenience due to potential system issues.
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Prime Minister announces six key priorities to drive economic growth
Last week, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer outlined six priority areas to focus on before the next general election, calling them the government’s ‘six milestones’. These cover the economy, healthcare, housing, energy, policing, and education.
Economic Goals:
To raise living standards across the UK and achieve the highest economic growth rate among G7 nations. The Office for Budget Responsibility predicts real disposable income will increase by 0.5% annually during the current parliamentary term. However, to surpass the US and lead G7 growth, the UK would need an annual average growth rate of 1.9%, significantly higher than recent trends.
Healthcare Goals:
To eliminate NHS waiting lists, ensuring 92% of patients receive elective treatment within 18 weeks. This goal requires improvements in emergency care, medical staffing, and cancer treatment, all currently falling short.
Housing Goals:
To build 1.5 million homes in England and fast-track planning decisions for at least 150 major economic infrastructure projects. Achieving this will require a 36% increase in housebuilding compared to the previous government.
Energy Goals:
To have 95% of energy from clean sources by 2030. Currently, renewable energy accounts for one-third of the UK’s output. Meeting the target would require doubling wind energy capacity and tripling solar energy capacity, with estimated annual costs of £40 billion.
Policing Goals:
To assign a dedicated police officer to every community and increase the number of officers and community support personnel in England and Wales by 3,000.
Education Goals:
To prepare 75% of five-year-olds in England for school, focusing on literacy, numeracy, communication, and emotional and physical development.
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Facebook UK layoffs amid cost-cutting measures
Last year, Facebook (Meta) laid off over 700 employees based in the UK, incurring £79 million in severance costs. Simultaneously, its tax rate was reduced to just over 12% of pre-tax profits, well below the standard corporate tax rate of 25%.
As part of Meta’s global cost-cutting measures initiated in 2022, the company laid off over 11,000 employees worldwide to counteract declining revenues. In the UK, staffing dropped by 10%, primarily affecting sales support, administration, and marketing, while engineering teams were largely unaffected. Meta also paid £149 million to terminate the lease on an office building in central London.
Facebook has faced long-standing criticism for its tax practices in the UK. Despite increasing pre-tax profits from £328 million to £355 million last year, it paid only £43 million in taxes, a significant drop from £126 million in 2022.
From 1 April 2024, the UK government will implement a 2% digital services tax on tech giants like Facebook, targeting companies with global revenues of at least £500 million and UK revenues of £25 million or more.
Despite the layoffs, Meta is increasing its investment in AI, projecting capital expenditures of up to $50 billion next year. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg predicts Meta AI could become the most widely used global AI assistant, with over 500 million monthly active users.
