Is breakfast on. Gb news. Are you boring . Sort of want are you boring . Sort of want to know is that what youre asking . Are you dull . No. Oh im asking . Are you dull . No. Oh im asking you. Well , because apparently well, because apparently bofing. Boring. Apparently its where you live. Oh, this is apparently its where you live. Oh, this is in the sun this morning. And its. I dont know why. Its a survey by an onune know why. Its a survey by an Online Casino , but apparently Online Casino, but apparently the most boring people live in lincolnshire. Second is lincolnshire. Second is lanarkshire. Third tyne and wear fourth is herefordshire , and fourth is herefordshire, and fifth is inverness. So even fifth is inverness. So even though gravity is cruel, it is it. Theyve done a survey of people asking when youve met people asking when youve met people and the most boring people and the most boring people that youve met in life were are they from and lincolnshire tops a poll with 85 of the vote. I think thats very cruel. Not everybody in lincolnshire can be boring. Least boring. West midlands. Can be boring. Least boring. West midlands. I can sort of see that. Can you . Yeah, because see that. Can you . Yeah, because brummie is a very forthright, forthright and chatty. Yeah. So they always say that about countries as well dont they. They canada is meant to be a very boring country. I like canada. I like canada. Canadas beautiful, but they say canadians are boring. I dont find them so ive got great branch of the Diamond Family living in canada and theyre not boring mind you, canadas got the reputation, the quoting Eileen Weston here from lincoln who says, we are boring. Oh well , there you go. Oh well, there you go. Oh well, there you go. Well, shes a spokesman. Well, shes a spokesman. Shes a spokesman. So i want to know where youre from. Do you think its boring where you live . I would its quite live . I would say its quite a cruel thing to say, actually. Yeah and anyway, theres no excuse, it . Cant just excuse, is it . You cant just say boring. Its what say a place is boring. Its what you make of it, isnt it . Do some things. And i some interesting things. And i want to know about coppicing. Oh, coppicing coppicing. Oh, coppicing coppicing. Thats what going to thats what theyre going to try do the because try and do to the tree because its been of sliced off in its been sort of sliced off in that terrible act of vandalism. That terrible act of vandalism. This is tree on hadrians this is the tree on hadrians wall. Robin hoods but wall. Robin hoods tree, but apparently could grow shoots apparently it could grow shoots and that is and there is a process where woodsmen do a coppicing thing. Well, coppicing is just cutting trees down, but in a way that they can grow back. Yes, in a way they can grow back. So is anyone know about coppicing . Id love to hear what what that entails and whether you think it actually work you think it actually would work for tree , because it would for that tree, because it would be lovely if could spring be lovely if it could spring back somehow. Nice back to life somehow. Nice wouldnt it . Anyway, keep your thoughts coming views coming through. Gb views gbnews. Com. Is day before gbnews. Com. It is the day before the conservative Party Conference and even before the famous faces arrive in manchester. Its already making headlines. Yes, because all eyes are on the chancellor, jeremy hunt. The chancellor, jeremy hunt. After more than 30 tory mps signed a letter to him demanding ending tax cuts to help struggling families. Well, this comes as the institute for fiscal studies found the government will have overseen the largest set of tax rises since and in fact, the highest tax burden since the Second World War. But the chancellor has already admitted that he wants to stop the vicious circle. All to stop the vicious circle. All of ever rising taxes. But how of ever rising taxes. But how likely really is he to cut taxes now . Lets talk to our economics and Business EditorLiam Halligan, whos already poised in manchester, raring to go. Morning to you, liam. I mean, all the messages weve been getting from government so far have been, well, we wont put taxes up, but neither will we bnng taxes up, but neither will we bring them down. The uk tax burden really has spiralled in the eyes of many stephen and anne out of control in recent years is there was a study by the institute for fiscal studies that came out just a couple of days ago and it really is pretty eye watering andits really is pretty eye watering and its certainly causing a lot of ructions in the conservative party even before most of the Party Faithful have turned up here in manchester for the annual Party Conference. The conference starts tomorrow, but people will start mustering today. But lets just have a look at what the row is about. I know its early, but gird your loins. Brace yourself because heres a graphic. Have a look at heres a graphic. Have a look at this graph. This shows the uk tax burden. Thats the total tax tax burden. Thats the total tax cake as a share of gdp. And youll see there after the Second World War on the left of the screen, it plummeted. But in recent years, its climbed all the way back up. And from since bofis the way back up. And from since Boris Johnson won his majority in 2019, the tax burden in the uk has risen from 33 of gdp all the way to 37. And that is the highest since the Second World War. And this is the concern. An awful lot of concern because they say we dont want more tax rises, even the lib dems at their Party Conference last weekend, they ruled out their famous policy of putting a penny on income tax to pay for Public Services because they said in a phrase guaranteed to wind up tory activists notes that under the conservatives , taxes are the conservatives, taxes are already too high even for the lib dems. So this is the lib dems. So this is the atmosphere within the conservative party as rishi sunak tries to muster his troops, the activists, the envelope stuffers for this vital Party Conference here in manchester, probably the last Party Conference the tories will have before the next general election. Yeah i mean its interesting as its going to play interesting as its going to play out in a very interesting manner because as we said, its more than 30 mps are demanding tax cuts because they know that thats what would get votes out. But jeremy hunt seems very unlikely to do so. Thats what the institute of fiscal studies was saying yesterday. Theres no was saying yesterday. Theres no way hes going to listen to that and he hasnt got much fiscal wiggle room and much room for manoeuvre. Manoeuvre. You know, government borrowing in the five months to august was 40 higher than the same time last year. So the government really is pretty cash strapped. I dont think jeremy hunt is going to unveil any tax cuts here at the Party Conference in manchester. He may start making the case for tax cuts. And were seeing that in the papers this morning. Hes been interviewed in the times saying, as you say, weve got to stop this vicious circle of tax rises. I stop this vicious circle of tax rises. I dont think hes actually going to deliver tax cuts today. Another reason he cuts today. Another reason he wont is because , as the saying wont is because, as the saying goes, politics is showbiz for ugly people. And hes going to ugly people. And hes going to want to make the tax cut when he doesit want to make the tax cut when he does it as dramatic as possible. And hes going to want it to be as near to the general election as possible. Hes got an autumn statement in november, but hes also got a budget in the spring and its far more likely, my view, that well likely, in my view, that well see those tory tax cuts with the Party Opening up as they will see clear blue water between see it, clear blue water between them and labour. Were much more likely to see those in the spnng likely to see those in the spring nearer a general election i just just a quick word then on the other parties, liam, because if theres no wiggle room for jeremy because if theres no wiggle room forjeremy hunt to cut room for jeremy hunt to cut taxes , presumably theres no taxes, presumably theres no room for anybody else to pledge to cut taxes if they got into power. I think thats right. Power. I think thats right. I think all parties are mindful that even though theres a cost of living crisis, even though tax played a big role in the squeeze that both businesses and households have felt in recent months. You know, the recent months. You know, the institute for fiscal studies calculates that by next year, average household , the average average household, the average household be paying 3500 quid more in tax per year. When you take income tax, vat , fuel duty take income tax, vat, fuel duty and so on than they were back in 2019. So theres a sense that the public wants lower taxes , the public wants lower taxes, but at the same time, all parties are mindful that if theyre irresponsible with their tax pledges, if theyre irresponsible with saying that they will spend more than the country can actually afford, then the public wont like that either. Look this is really a balancing act. Either. Look this is really a balancing act. Whether or not we balancing act. Whether or not we can afford tax cuts before the next general election, when all things are considered, the tories are more mindful to want tax cuts , not least because, as tax cuts, not least because, as you say , 30 of their mps now, you say, 30 of their mps now, including former Prime Minister liz truss, who will be here in manchester, making life difficult rishi sunak, difficult for rishi sunak, including former cabinet ministers Jacob Rees Mogg , ministers like Jacob Rees Mogg, former chairman brandon former Party Chairman brandon lewis, former minister jake berry, the minister for the before he resigned, all all of them have said publicly they will not vote for any more tax rises. So if jeremy hunt does rises. So if jeremy hunt does try and introduce tax rises in his november statement or is in spnng his november statement or is in Spring Budget next year, those conservatives will not vote for that bill. And the government may not be able to get its budget bill through parliament. And that would be that would almost be a vote of no confidence for rishi sunak. Okay, liam, thanks very much. Yeah. Liam, i want to ask you how you got to manchester. I mean, you got to manchester. I mean, you must have gone to manchester yesterday from london. Yeah yeah. I came up yesterday partly to beat the train strike and partly because today , say im visiting because today, say im visiting the fabulous Manchester University with my son ned, who is thinking of coming here. So im here for one of those fabulous University Open days at one of our great universities here, manchester. And my son doesnt know yet, but after the open day, were off to old trafford to watch united play palace. Oh, very good. Oh, lovely guarantees is not awake at this time of day. Lovely stuff, liam. Time of day. Lovely stuff, liam. Thanks very much indeed. Well transport to manchester is going to be a problem. Well, it is today. Well, it is today. Members of the Train Drivers Union aslef walking out again , union aslef walking out again, and theres a long running dispute over pay jobs and working conditions continues. Working conditions continues. Strikes are timed and these strikes are timed of course, the of course, to hit the conservative Party Conference in manchester, which sort of officially begins tomorrow. But people will want to be arriving from today. Theyre going to from today. Theyre going to have well, theyre going have to well, theyre going to have to well, theyre going to have or get helicopters have to drive or get helicopters or arent or something, arent they . Another by way, has another strike, by the way, has been for next wednesday, been planned for next wednesday, which wanting to leave. Yes, of course. Funny that isnt it. Lets talk to travel guru simon calder. Good morning , simon. Seems to be no , simon. There seems to be no end this. End in sight for this. Well, exactly as you say. And thats because there is no end in sight. Its extraordinary. I talk to mick whelan. Hes the general secretary of the aslef Train Drivers Union, and he accused the government of trying to destroy troy, the railway. He said that they are in favour of rail and road and as anne says, presumably hell copters. But they absolutely loathe the railways. The government says thats absolutely nonsense. We spent £31 billion during the covid pandemic paying for our rail workers to make sure none of them left their jobs. And of them left their jobs. And theres an argument about how much passenger numbers have recovered. But going back to liams contribution , the liams contribution, the railways, according to the government, are costing about £10 million a day. And the only £10 million a day. And the only way that they can get to balance the books and its still going to require a lot of public subsidy is if the rail workers are prepared to accept , subsidy is if the rail workers are prepared to accept, hoped that they will have to change their conditions as well as accepting just a modest wage rise. The unions are demanding a no strings pay rise and well , no strings pay rise and well, mick whelan told me they are expecting us to take a 20 pay cut at the same time as giving up all our terms and conditions. And were not going to do that. Meanwhile, poor old passenger in the middle and in large parts of england , there will be no trains england, there will be no trains at all on some operators. There will be a kind of skeleton service. But today , also on service. But today, also on wednesday and actually for pretty much the whole week due to an overtime ban, its going to an overtime ban, its going to be misery for travellers once more. More. So yes, and i presume that sort of trains end up in the wrong place as well with this mixture of an overtime ban and two strikes, you know, just a few days apart , i imagine trains few days apart, i imagine trains end up in the wrong place. So theres going to be chaos, isnt theres going to be chaos, isnt there . There . Well, theres going to be problems tomorrow morning on some operators and indeed, tuesday night before the strike. Thursday morning after the strike, then trains may be out of position to add to the misery if youre in the south east, particularly in london, theres then going to be a completely separate strike about jobs and safety on the london underground. Thats on wednesday and saturday. Thats likely to sorry, wednesday and friday, the fourth and the 6th of october. Thats likely to wipe out pretty much the whole tube network will make, which will make things very difficult indeed. And meanwhile, today, if you are going to travel, then what you can get from london to york and to newcastle and to leeds , you to newcastle and to leeds, you can get, for instance , between can get, for instance, between bristol bath, swindon and london, but they are the exceptions. Transport for wales, all good scotrail all good. And the open access operators , the open access operators, Companies Like lumo and Grand Central will be running normally , but othennise its going to be a bleak old day once again. And a bleak old day once again. And this has been going on stephen and anne since june 20, 22 and absolutely the longest sequence of strikes that anybody can remember. Yeah. Remember. Yeah. Yeah, it certainly is. Simon good to see you, as always. Yeah enjoy france. Enjoy france. And ill have to get the helicopter out of the garage. Helicopter out of the garage. You will . You will do what you got to do. It is 615. Lets remind you of our top story this morning and conservative mps are demanding that taxes be demanding that taxes should be cut before the next election. How much of a storm will this cause ahead of the tory Party Conference in manchester . And as simon was explaining, theres more misery on the railways as members of aslef walk out on strike again today. Oh, sorry, alan, were going to be to talking the transport secretary, mark harper, later this hour. This hour. Do get in touch and tell us how the train strike today may be affecting what you were planning to do today. Be affecting what you were planning to do today. Love to planning to do today. Love to hear from you, gbviews gbnews. Com. Now as a new school term begins, some students might be thinking about getting behind the wheel of a car. The Award Winning road safe roadshow is now touring schools in Northern Ireland, design to make Young Drivers think twice before driving and then showing them the consequence of making bad decisions as a driver. Well, Dougie Beattie went to Sperrin College for a closer look at the show. Look at the show. The knock on the door that is every parents nightmare. This every parents nightmare. This re enactment is part of an Award Winning show that brings together members of the Emergency Services who share their experiences of fatal road crashes with those that have now reached the age to drive of johnny himars is a paramedic that has been part of this show for more than 12 years. Fortunately , the kids are fortunately, the kids are come to see these shows, arent aware of the aftermath and consequences of being involved in a road traffic collision. In a road traffic collision. Carnage, blood twist and metal. Its just horrific. Its just its just horrific. Its just horrific to see. And its real life events in my life that i try to f