Get the stories that matter to you sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

It comes as no surprise that the super-rich exposed in the so-called Paradise Papers choose to hide their wealth in offshore tax havens, many of which are shameful British Crown dependencies

It is certainly embarrassing that Her Majesty the Queen has become a poster-girl for the practice of funnelling money away from the jurisdiction where it has been earned and placed in one where little or no tax is paid.

It is called tax avoidance and while it may be legal, Ma’am, it is far from moral. It’s an abuse.

Labour are right to call for a shake-up of the tax system, a proper land register so we know who owns Britain and a way to force ­international firms to pay tax on profits they earn here instead of spiriting them offshore.

(Image: AFP)

Brexit presents us with choice on taxes. The one that presents itself to Brexiteers is that the UK itself becomes an offshore tax haven for corporations wishing to avoid paying taxes on the European mainland.What a tawdry vision of the future that is.

The other option, which would reinforce Theresa May’s desire to show that the UK will continue in a close bond with the rest of Europe, is to work at an international level to rein in the tax avoiders.

A remedy has to be found to restore faith in taxes and in politics.

It is not an easy task but a good start would be to close down the festering sore of Britain’s own offshore tax havens, from the West Indies to the Channel Islands.

End misery now

Tories appear immune to the evidence that austerity hurts the poorest.

But ignoring all the research simply proves how ideologically driven they are.

The latest hard-hitting reality check comes from the Child Poverty Action Group, who lay bare the “cost of Cameron” – and the legacy picked up by his successor.

They warn a million more children could be plunged into poverty.

On top of it all, Universal Credit is proving to be a disaster for anyone – whether in work or not – relying on help to make ends meet.

Compare this casual disregard for ordinary families with how the Government allow the rich to keep on getting richer.

They must listen to the growing voices calling for a halt to welfare cuts and austerity.

The choice is stark – change course, or condemn a million kids to a life of misery.

The best medicine

(Image: SWNS.com)

Little Kearyn Adamson’s life has been changed by the love of his dog.

The five-year-old has a condition that means tumours can grow at his nerve endings.

But a golden Labrador called Sauce has brought laughter to Kearyn’s life and sometimes that really is the best medicine.