Iconic actor turns on very unpopular PM

An iconic actor has made a brutal call on a government that is facing a massive rebellion just months after a landslide victory.

Iconic actor Sir Michael Caine has turned on Britain’s new government — which was only elected in July — amid absolutely dire signs for the nation’s Prime Minister.

There is palpable anger in Britain over a series of decisions made by the Labour government and its leader Sir Keir Starmer.

The 62-year-old former barrister swept to a landslide victory only a few months ago as the nation of 68 million sent a clear sign at the ballot box that they were fed up after 14 years of an often-shambolic Conservative government.

There was a sense of optimism in July amid hopes that Labour could offer something new to the nation which has struggled with high inflation, a lack of direction and an unstable government that changed leadership five times.

The proverbial honeymoon period doesn’t seem to have lasted much longer than the taxi ride to the airport.

Sir Keir is now more unpopular than the dismally unpopular leader he beat in the election — Rishi Sunak — according to the latest approval ratings.

Sir Keir came out of the blocks firing, slashing a universal winter fuel payment for pensioners (many of whom are struggling amid a cost of living crisis and high power costs) and warning there was more painful choices to come.

There was fury over the decision which affects millions of pensioners – and that has seen him warned that “elderly people are literally going to die”.

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Picture: Frank Augstein – WPA Pool/Getty Images

He was then embroiled in a scandal over gifts of glasses, clothing and other freebies for him and his wife.

And now his government’s first budget has gone down like a cup of cold sick with large parts of the electorate.

It vowed to hike taxation as a percentage of gross domestic product to a record 38.2 per cent is the highest in modern British history — and will result in the government swelling to a size not seen outside an emergency or war.

The latest drama revolves around the nation’s farmers and a controversial plan to tweak inheritance tax on their properties.

From April 2026, inherited agricultural assets worth more than £1m, which were previously exempt, will be liable to the tax at 20 per cent – which is half the UK’s usual inheritance tax rate. Other allowances could mean a couple who are married or in a civil partnership could pass on a farm worth as much as £3m.

Labour and supporters of the change say this makes the system fair as well as raising revenue. They argue that there is currently a two-tier system in place for inheritance tax, whereby non-farmers follow one set of rules and farmers follow another that are more advantageous.

The issue, they claim, is that the super-rich are buying up farming land around the UK in order to avoid paying inheritance tax, and that this reform will fix the loophole.

However, farmers say the move threatens the agriculture sector and food production.

There were tense scenes in London on Tuesday last week when thousands of people protested over the changes.

Farmers gather during a demonstration on Whitehall. Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

However, Sir Keir is facing a much bigger revolt online. On the UK’s petition website, more than 2.5 million people have called for another general election immediately.

One of those joining the call is iconic actor Sir Michael Caine. He shared a link to the petition on X.

The 91-year-old British actor, whose film credits include Get Carter, Alfie and The Italian Job, linked to the petition set up by those disillusioned by Sir Keir’s first four months as Prime Minister.

The actor has often voted Conservative in the past. He was a supporter of Brexit and maintained his position despite issues surrounding the UK’s supply chain.

He said of former PM Boris Johnson: “Oh, I supported him. I thought he was great. But now I’m very disappointed in him.”

Sir Michael Caine has called for another election.

Labour has not given much airtime to the petition. It is unlikely anything will come of it given the next election is still almost five years away and the government has a huge majority.

‘This is going to put us all out of business’

However, the farmer problem does not look like it will go away quietly. The new Labour government faced a large protest outside parliament last week in a demonstration spearheaded by Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson.

Tractors with banners calling the move “the final straw” for the beleaguered sector drove around parliament Square, while farmers lobbied politicians and others called for the Labour government to think again.

“We’ve brought thousands of farmers to London to explain to the government that farmers are food producers, and this ludicrous budget is going to put us all out of business,” farmer Olly Harrison told AFP from the protests.

“Farmers just simply will pack up … it’s just too much for us — we’ve just had enough.” Although on a smaller scale, the demonstrations are reminiscent of protests when an earlier Labour government incensed rural communities in the early 2000s with a plan to ban fox hunting with dogs in England and Wales.

In 2002, countryside campaigners estimated that 400,000 people marched through London to oppose the move.

National Farmers Union president Tom Bradshaw, said the latest protests would continue for as long as it takes.

“They (the government) cannot have a policy in place which has such disastrous human impacts and think we’re going to go quiet,” he told Sky News television.

Britain’s brutal tax hikes

British business lobby group, the CBI, on Monday hit out over the Labour government’s tax hikes on businesses, saying the “heavy burden” risked cuts to hiring and investment.

The government’s maiden budget last month contained a significant tax hike for businesses, which finance minister Rachel Reeves insisted was necessary to mend UK public finances and public services following its July election win.

“Tax rises like this must never again be simply done to business,” Rain Newton-Smith, chief executive of the Confederation of British Industry, said as she addressed its annual conference.

Reeves is set to tell the conference Monday that she is unlikely to repeat the “difficult decisions” in the budget, adding she will work with businesses to deliver sustainable economic growth.

Businesses bore the brunt as Reeves increased employers’ so-called national insurance contributions — which is set to bring in £25 billion ($31 billion).

Newton-Smith said the hike caught companies “off guard”.

Sir Keir’s government committed to not raising taxes on “working people” in its first budget after 14 years of Conservative rule.

There are concerns, however, that the tax measure will impact employee salaries as companies look to claw back money.

Labour’s tax hikes have come under fire.

“The budget just made it harder for our firms to take a chance on people,” Newton-Smith said.

“Across the board, in so many sectors, margins are being squeezed, profits are being hit by a tough trading environment that just got tougher,” she said.

‘No alternatives’

According to excerpts of her speech released to media, Ms Reeves will tell delegates: “I have heard lots of responses to the government’s first budget — but I have heard no alternatives.” The chancellor of the exchequer will add that “difficult decisions had to be made” which meant asking “businesses and the wealthiest to contribute more”.

Data on Friday showed that private-sector activity contracted slightly in November, which some analysts said was a result of uncertainty ahead of the budget and decisions taken in it.

Labour is also planning major reforms to workers’ rights, pitting unions against businesses.

The bill contains key pre-election pledges, including a ban on zero-hours contracts, improvements to sick and maternity pay, and measures aimed at making it harder for employers to sack staff.

Other proposals are for increased flexibility around working hours and greater protection against sexual harassment in the workplace.

The CBI cancelled last year’s annual conference after being caught up by allegations of sexual misconduct at the lobby group.

That caused an exodus of member companies though some have since returned. Newton-Smith last year replaced Tony Danker, who departed over a separate misconduct allegation.

Originally published as Iconic actor turns on very unpopular PM