5 important things happening in the UK today

Here are 5 important things happening in the UK today – 13 August 2025.

US Deputy President JD Vance to meet Farage: Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is set to meet JD Vance during the US vice-president’s visit to the UK, as is would-be Tory leader Robert Jenrick — but Kemi Badenoch will not. Farage will meet the vice-president with his party riding high in the polls in the UK, and build on his long-standing relationship with US President Donald Trump. [Financial Times]

Families face a fresh Inheritance and Capital Gains tax grab by Reeves: Parents may be prevented from making unlimited tax-free gifts to their children under a proposed tightening of inheritance tax rules.
The Treasury is considering a lifetime cap on the value of gifts that someone can pass on before they die in order to reduce their eventual inheritance tax bill. Rachel Reeves is also thought to be considering potential changes to capital gains tax in another attempt to target wealth. [Telegraph]

MPs push for under-22s to be given free bus passes in the UK: Under-22s in England should be given free bus passes to help them get into work and education, according to a report by MPs. The number of bus journeys taken in England has dropped in recent years, while fares have risen faster than inflation, it said. This was a barrier to opportunity and growth in some areas, MPs found, recommending a pilot scheme of free bus travel at any time of day for under-22s. [BBC]

Farmers warn worker shortage is threatening UK food security: Dairy farmers have warned that a long-running shortage of workers, exacerbated by Brexit and the pandemic, has put the UK’s food security under pressure. Five in six farmers who have looked for workers said they have received very few or zero applications from qualified people for their job vacancies, according to a survey of dairy producers by Arla, the UK’s largest dairy cooperative and the owner of the Lurpak and Cravendale brands. [Guardian]