Luke Barnes

@RafterLesl47812 @SandyofSuffolk Search for "which UK benefits are taxable".

@LukeBarnes12 @SandyofSuffolk Btw, if it's a benefit why am I paying tax on it?! I thought I had paid compulsory NI all my working life, all 50+ years of it, on the understanding I would receive something back from the State when I reached a certain age.

As it appears to be pensioner bashing weekend and pensioners seem to be the ones wholly responsible for the dire economic state of the country, I thought I'd apprise you all of some facts and figures. Between April 2024 and March 2025, the cost of keeping asylum seekers in hotels was £2.1 billion. In 2023, £15.3 billion was spent on foreign aid. As of August 2025, there were 740,000 people aged between 16 and 24 years old receiving Universal Credit. The benefits bill for people aged between 16 and 64 in 2024/25 was £123 billion. In this decade (2020s), our annual net zero transition costs are estimated to be £125 billion. UK quangos cost the taxpayers between £376 - 391 billion per year (2023/4 figures). MPs' expenses (not salaries) are in the region of £130 - 150 million a year. The UK has committed to give the European Space Agency £1.84 billion for the period 2022/27. Since 2022, the UK has committed to give Ukraine £21.8 billion. The UK continues to give money to the EU under the Brexit divorce. As at March 2024, there is still £6.4 billion outstanding. 'Free breakfasts' in schools cost the UK taxpayers an estimated 1 billion per year. I'm sure I could go on. But it's just too depressing. The spending is out of all control, and rising. The interest on our national debt rises daily. And we're governed by socialists who love spending everyone's money but their own. As do all governments and councils. But, of course, it's all the fault of old age pensioners. Rolls eyes. A lot. 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

@BrathmereClare @SandyofSuffolk Amazing what posting 8 tweets today can achieve (this being the 8th), I must be a very clever bot.

@SandyofSuffolk @LukeBarnes12 My advice is not to engage with Luke Barnes 12. He has 1 follower since 2011 - makes me think he's a bot or a 77th asset etc.

@G55Pam @SandyofSuffolk Wherever would we be without the Freedom of speech in which you believe?

@LukeBarnes12 @SandyofSuffolk Says you Luke with one follower. He’s not with the grief Sandy.

@PeterNMBaker @SandyofSuffolk Because of this, I am especially wary of politicians promising to slash the benefits budget.

@PeterNMBaker @SandyofSuffolk As a pensioner myself, I find it chastening that so many are unaware that the State Pension is legally classified as a benefit (and, of course, many pensioners claim other benefits such as pension credit or attendance allowance).

@SandyofSuffolk My point is that data should not be presented in a misleading fashion, I leave political choices to politicians.

@LukeBarnes12 Oh let them starve then, is that your point?

@SandyofSuffolk *based on

@LukeBarnes12 Which could be almost covered by scrapping net zero.

@Jenny_1884 At bingo, I observe that non-winners fall into two groups: those happy for the winners and those unhappy that they themselves are not winners. I call those in the latter group Mona Lott. I think many people might be happier if they didn't worry about what others received.

Just remember whilst we are all struggling to pay our bills because of our politicians, they have given themselves a £3,300 payrise to help them with the cost of living whilst also claiming expenses & also given 6.2% for people claiming benefits. Now try telling me they care about the hardworking people of this country who have to get out of bed every morning to pay for all this whilst getting nothing back in return. You couldn’t despise this government enough.

@Bbmorg Wouldn't Reform's best policy response be to ensure that only Reform voters can vote in British elections? A bonus of such a policy is that it might guarantee a winnable seat for Matt Goodwin.

Matt didn’t win so we have to change the whole system.

@Jenny_1884 One of the best lessons I learnt from school back in the 70s is that empty vessels make the most noise.

Who believes schools & universities have a lot to do with the problems we are now dealing with in this country? So many of our teachers & our young have been brainwashed which is what Blair intended back in the 90s.

@MarkHeath45 "royal mail" should be "Royal Mail", but I forgive you.

The ‘Christmas’ royal mail stamp Spot the mistake?? 🤬

@Jenny_1884 Did you ever claim Child Benefit or its predecessor, Family Allowance?

It’s amazing the amount of people on here that appear to think pensioners had it easy. When I got married we scraped enough money to put a deposit on a 1 bedroom flat. Everything we had was second hand & clothes were a luxury & waited for Xmas & birthdays. No holidays. Never went out to restaurants as couldn’t afford it so cooked meals from scratch. We lived pay packet to pay packet. So no we didn’t have it easier we just had different priorities, saved up until we could afford to buy something & got on with life with no free handouts.

@EYBuses Thank you Stuart.

@LukeBarnes12 Hi, the fare cap will continue until the 30th June. Stuart

@EYBuses In five days time, on 1 April, will the cost of my return journey from Hedon to Hull be £5.10 or £4.00, please?

@EYBuses Thank you.

@LukeBarnes12 Good monring - Good news we will be participating in the £2 travel scheme till the end of June 😄 🚌

@EYBuses Thanks Abigail, I hope you get further information very soon.

@LukeBarnes12 Unfortunately, I can only give out the information that is given to myself and while the question has been asked we are awaiting a response. I apologize for any frustration caused, Kind regards, Abigail.

@EYBuses I suspect I will first know the answer to my question when I board my bus on Saturday!

@LukeBarnes12 we are still awaiting confirmation of this and as soon as we know we will put it out on our socials.

@HSBC_UK Same again now (7-11-2022, 20:49), when will I be able to access my account again, please?

Banking services are back up and running following an earlier service disruption. To those impacted, thanks very much for your patience and we’re really sorry for the inconvenience.