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UK chancellor drops wealthy-visa plan from next week's Budget

Published Last updated

Chancellor John Healey will not include a new visa route for wealthy overseas people in his Budget next week. Plans for the programme were well advanced under Sir Keir Starmer's administration, according to reports.

A small team is working in secrecy on the chancellor's statement. The visa route would have given wealthy people from overseas a new way to live in the UK.

Commentator Tim Harford has suggested reforms to UK taxes. He said the tax system is "riddled with loopholes that leak revenue, hurt growth and are simply unjust."

Key facts

Who
John Healey (Chancellor); Keir Starmer (former prime minister's administration head (Sir Keir Starmer's administration)); Tim Harford (commentator who suggests reforms to UK taxes)
What
Chancellor John Healey will not include a new visa route for wealthy overseas people in his Budget next week, although plans for such a programme were well advanced under Sir Keir Starmer's administration. The article also describes a small team working in secrecy on the chancellor's statement.
When
21 October 2026
Where
UK
Status
Reported

Elections Hot

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There were problems: unused ballot papers were stolen from Mnyameni Secondary School near Durban, police opened a case, and the IEC relieved the station staff of duty. Some voters in Tshwane said they were turned away for wearing party shirts, but the IEC denied this and said only mayoral candidates' entourages were barred.

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US mid-terms Heating up

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Democrats won back both the US House and Senate in the midterm elections held on 3 November, according to media projections. Exit polls showed voters were angry about high prices and the direction of the country, and rebuked President Donald Trump.

Before the vote, US forces struck targets on Qeshm Island in Iran, while Republicans struggled to defend the war against Iran on the campaign trail. Iranian officials said US voters rejected the war, and Tehran stayed on high alert for possible new US strikes.

Markets reacted, with the dollar hitting a one-month low and the rand firming to around R16.55, as analysts pointed to fears of gridlock in Washington.

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Elsewhere, reports from unnamed sources say OpenAI's latest funding round is falling short of expectations, and a judge let the NAACP pollution case against xAI proceed. In South Africa, the VAST AI investment scheme went offline on 30 October after withdrawals marked approved did not arrive, according to a news investigation.

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