UK

‘I can see no way forward for the Conservative party but a thumping loss and reset’

Candela Orobitg-Baena

TORY TELEGRAPH POLL

Tue, 24 October 2023 


Some Telegraph readers are doubting Rishi Sunak's 'Prime Ministerial qualities' - Kin Cheung/AP

After two historic by-election losses for the Conservatives in Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was warned his party is heading towards a 1997-style defeat.

A low turnout of previous Conservative voters may be to blame for Labour’s record-breaking victories; as well as growing support for the right-wing Reform party, which picked up a greater number of votes than the Labour majority in either constituency.

Following the news, Telegraph readers took to the comments section and sent in their reactions to Dominic Penna via the Telegraph’s Politics newsletter.

Read on for the best of the debate, and join the conversation in the comments section below.

‘If the Tories were a business, they would have gone bust by now’

Some Telegraph readers believe no hope is left for the Tories come the next General Election. Reader Richard Lindsay claims that the Conservative Party has “backed itself into a corner”.

“There is no room for tax cuts and, with one million open vacancies, tightening the points-based immigration system is fraught,” Mr Lindsay says.

He argues “slashing public services to pay for tax cuts might look appealing but generating the money needed to reduce tax meaningfully would mean essentially privatising huge chunks of the NHS, cutting education and gutting benefits, including pension. That’s no platform for winning a General Election next year.”

Therefore, he “can see no way forward for the party but a thumping loss and reset.”

Meanwhile, reader Stuart Priest claims that “if the Tories were a business, they would have gone bust by now,” as he argues how “they simply refuse to listen to their loyal customers and seem content with virtue signalling to people who will never buy from them.”

‘Mr Sunak will have to resign’

Others blame the Prime Minister for the Conservatives losing the faith of their voters. Reader Patricia Mattimore believes Mr Sunak is “is a nice moderate fellow” but suggests he is “weak and full of platitudes, which will certainly not win the 2024 election.”

She says: “Rather than be soundly beaten next year, Mr Sunak will have to resign. Why not take the bold step now and replace him with somebody who stands a good chance of reforming and clearing out a lot of ineffectual MPs who have been inherited from former prime ministers?

“There is a year to do this, but it must be done soon.”

Alan Bishop argues that if Mr Sunak “had Prime Ministerial qualities, he would have been able to make his own ‘good’ luck.”

He continues: “Despite a recent litany of poor political leaders over the past 40 years, Mr Sunak has plumbed to new depths. All his recent ‘presidential’ foreign visits will not make a jot of difference, other than adding to his CV for his return to a financial career.”
‘The rise of Reform is a serious threat to the Conservatives’

Other readers said that having lost all faith in the Conservatives they are now more inclined to support another party, namely Reform UK.

Richard Long shares: “There’s very little difference now between the Tories and Labour. Both are high taxation, high immigration parties. They were also both heavily supportive of the crippling and unnecessary lockdown policies.

“The only party that questioned the lockdowns and the only party with a net-zero immigration policy is Reform UK. They’ll definitely be getting my vote going forward. I’m through with this ‘pretend’ Conservative party, which is sad after being a lifelong supporter, but I cannot support this left wing shower.”

Reader Ken Worthy writes: “The rise of Reform is a serious threat to the Conservatives. Since the general move to the Left in British politics over recent years, a lot of Conservative members, including long-term Conservative activists like myself, have felt that the present government is nowhere near Conservatism and doesn’t represent them.

“There is a notable lack of enthusiasm among activists and many have dropped out. Conservative voters, too, have no enthusiasm for this government and its policies. There is not much time left.”
‘Two simple steps can get Conservative voters back’

However, there are some Telegraph readers who believe not all is lost for the Conservative Party – and still see them as contenders for the next General Election.

The Telegraph’s Political Correspondent Dominic Penna asked readers what Mr Sunak could do to “pull things back”, and many wrote in with their suggestions.

“Conservative voters are fed-up because of the shambles and self-serving drama of the Boris Johnson and Liz Truss era,” reader Tim Green says.

However, he argues “by contrast, Rishi Sunak is proving a fair-to-good PM with a clear and professional focus”

“Voters take time to forgive. If Mr Sunak hangs in for 12 more months, then the election could be close, as Tory supporters come back round.”

Mr Green suggests the Prime Minister needs to “focus again on illegal immigration; which is the Reform Party message,” as “Starmer is not Blair by any means because he has no clear moral purpose or vision and little charm.”

 

Further suggestions come from reader Alan Smith, who says “the first thing that Rishi Sunak needs to do is to shore up his own voters.”

He continues: “The Prime Minister has to take away the desire to vote Reform and trust that the soft centre vote returns once Labour’s policies become more exposed to analysis. There are many policies, such as VAT on private schools plus the threat of even higher taxes which should do that, though he must unleash some ‘attack dogs’ to frighten them!

“His personality is holding him back. He’s too keen to grovel in interviews and needs to be more robust in his responses. Say less but say it smarter and get those soundbites in. Remember ‘Labour’s not working’ and ‘Get Brexit done’? They actually work because people like simple messages.”

Telegraph reader James Fairrie presents “two simple steps that can get conservative voters back on side in this parliament.”

“First, deal with the illegal boat traffic and remove illegal migrants to Rwanda. Second, take a much-needed step back from the extremities of the net zero policies in a way that gains practical acceptability to the population.”

‘Sunak must move right and take the Cabinet with him’

Reader Jim Walton comments on the by-election results, arguing that the Tory defeat was “was more to do with the Right-wing voters not voting and protest-voting, rather than an outright switch to Labour”.

He says: “The Tories still have an opportunity to win back support. The Labour poll lead is ‘soft’ in the context of a General Election, and they don’t have the solutions to the country’s problems.

“Keir Starmer doesn’t have a direction of travel other than reaching Downing Street by attempting to agree with everyone with different messages on different days.”

David Apperley believes: “We need a proper Tory manifesto covering the areas that matter,” because “the Right will split without this, and Sunak must accept this and move accordingly.

“I would support a leadership challenge, but that will not happen, so Sunak must move right and take the Cabinet with him, and then we have a good chance.”

Sunak faces further pressure over net zero U-turn after IEA warning

Rob Davies
Mon, 23 October 2023 



Rishi Sunak faces further pressure over his U-turn on net zero targets, after the head of the world’s energy watchdog said countries that water down green policies risked worsening the climate crisis and damaging their own economies.

In its annual World Energy Outlook, the International Energy Agency (IEA) hailed the gathering pace of the worldwide transition to cleaner energy, forecasting for the first time that demand for oil, gas and coal would peak before the end of the decade.

But the report called on governments not to derail progress by weakening climate measures, warning that effects such as wildfires and flooding meant that “no country is an island”.


Sunak caused consternation among environmental campaigners and the automotive sector alike when he announced measures that included a delay to the phasing out of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. The prime minister – who has vowed to end the “war on motorists” – set a new target of 2035.

However, the UK’s 2030 target is still included in a section of the IEA report listing policies that large economies have announced and must implement if global heating is to be slowed.

The director of the IEA, Dr Fatih Birol, told the Guardian that while the U-turn would not affect his organisation’s global projects, countries that rowed back on climate promises would harm their own economies, as well as the planet.

“Governments are entitled to their policy choices,” he said. “But leaving aside … climate change and being a good citizen of the world, I believe the world is entering an era of clean energy technology manufacturing. They [governments] are competing with each other for pole position to create good jobs in modern industries.

“Countries who are slowing down in terms of pushing clean energy may well have a disadvantage in terms of their competitiveness for the next chapter of industry.”

The shadow energy secretary, Ed Miliband, said: “This report is further evidence that Rishi Sunak’s retreat from a clean energy future is wrong for Britain and will mean higher bills and less energy security.

“Shrinking from climate action will send the wrong message to the world just at the moment when the power of our example can show that clean energy means lower bills for families, energy independence for our country, more jobs, and will protect future generations.”

The IEA set out a range of scenarios affecting the projected global temperature increase by 2100.

Under the policies in place, it predicted a rise of 2.4C above pre-industrial levels, resulting in “very widespread and severe” effects.

The increase can still be kept to 1.5C, in line with the 2015 Paris agreement, through measures such as tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling investment in energy efficiency, the IEA said.

Its mid-range scenario, under which the world heats up by 1.7C, is based on policies that have been announced but not yet enacted, including the UK’s now-defunct 2030 pledge on petrol and diesel cars.

Birol echoed concerns about Sunak’s U-turn that have been expressed by senior figures in the automotive and energy sectors.

“You can’t give investors one strategic direction today and change it tomorrow, these are up-front investments,” he said. “Capital you put on the table is huge and this could lead to hesitation for investors.”

Birol highlighted weather events such as this summer’s European wildfires and UK flooding caused by Storm Babet as one justification for increasing efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

He also pointed to the escalating violence in the Middle East – as well as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “No one can convince me that oil and gas represent safe or secure energy choices … especially if you consider that we are witnessing the hottest year in history, driven by the use of fossil fuels,” Birol said.

The Paris-based IEA struck a broadly upbeat tone on the potential for a faster global energy transition, predicting for the first time that fossil fuel demand will peak this year and insisting that net zero by 2050 is still possible.

Birol said nearly one in two cars sold by 2030 would be electric, compared with one in 25 two years ago, while 70% of energy came from fossil fuels 10 years ago, compared with a projection of 40% by 2030.

But achieving net zero will require a significant increase in investment.

The IEA estimates that $2.8tn (£2.3bn) will be invested in energy this year, about $1.8tn of which will be in clean energy and infrastructure.

Investment would reach $3.2tn in 2030 under the 2.4C projection, while the mid-range scenario would require $3.8tn. It would take $4.7tn a year by 2030 to put the world on track to reach net zero emissions by 2050, it said.

A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: “The UK is a global leader in clean energy having attracted £200bn in low carbon investment since 2010, with a further £100bn expected by 2030 – powering up Britain and supporting up to 480,000 jobs.

“We also continue to back domestic oil and gas, which supports over 200,000 skilled jobs, develops supply chains and helps build the engineering expertise needed to support our energy security and end reliance on foreign regimes.

“We have cut emissions faster than any other G7 country and oil and gas will play important role in the transition to net zero supporting the development of low carbon technologies, such as carbon capture, while adding billions to the UK economy.”

Labour planning electric car cash incentive after committing to 2030 petrol ban


Szu Ping Chan
Sat, 21 October 2023 

Labour wants buying an electric car to be an ‘easy and cheap choice’, according to a party source - Darren Staples/Bloomberg

Labour will hand drivers cash to buy electric vehicles under plans being considered to help the party stick to a 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars.

Officials are examining ways to tie subsidies and interest-free loans to British jobs and manufacturing amid fears that cheap Chinese models will start flooding the market in order to help Britain meet its net zero target.

It is understood that Labour prepared a package of financial incentives designed to help motorists switch to electric vehicles to be unveiled at its party conference in Liverpool which took place earlier this month.


One proposal at an advanced stage included a universal cash subsidy worth around £1,500 to help people who want to buy an electric car to fund a deposit.

Three-year interest-free loans were also proposed for those taking out personal contract purchase agreements, which allows people to rent cars over a multi-year period, with the option of buying it at the end.

Loan guarantees for people using car finance deals were also considered, as well as extra help for people on low and middle incomes.

However, a split within the party over both the costs and approach of the scheme is understood to have delayed an official announcement.

The shadow Treasury team led by Rachel Reeves is understood to have been the most resistant to subsidies and officials are now exploring ways to link any subsidies to cars made in Britain.

Others have raised concerns that mass government subsidies or guarantees could end up boosting Chinese manufacturers.

Electric vehicles cost significantly more than equivalent petrol or diesel models. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn pledged in 2019 to provide up to £60bn over five years to fund interest-free loans on electric cars.

But soaring debt and high inflation means any subsidy scheme is likely to be on a much smaller scale as Labour focuses on planning reforms to make it easier to build battery gigafactories, as well as infrastructure to support the switch to electric and more support for buyers of second-hand EVs.

Labour has already been forced to scale back plans to borrow £28bn a year to invest in green jobs and industry in an attempt to prove its fiscal credibility.

“We need value for money,” said one Labour source. “We don’t want to end up in a situation where we’re spending taxpayers’ money to subsidise Chinese companies, so we need to make sure that the models that are available are built in Britain.”

Others have warned that Labour’s commitment to no new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 could threaten the survival of the UK car industry.

Just one in 10 of all cars purchased in the UK are currently made in Britain, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT).

More than 30pc of EVs sold in the first quarter of 2023 were manufactured in China. Only the Nissan Leaf and Mini electric are currently made in Britain.

“The only non-subsidy way to meet the target is we have a bunch of cheap Chinese EVs dumped on our shores,” said another Labour source.

The party has also been studying how other countries are encouraging the switch to electric vehicles. Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act provides a tax credit of up to $7,500 for EVs made in the US.

Officials have also looked at French incentives of up to €7,000 that were recently changed to exclude many EVs made in China.

There are also concerns that state subsidies could fall foul of international trade rules.

President Biden faced a backlash from countries including South Korea and Japan after their car exports were excluded from the generous consumer tax credits.

The UK exports 80pc of the cars it makes, mainly to Europe.

It is understood that Labour has sought legal advice to ensure that subsidies do not fall foul of World Trade Organisation rules.

Last month, Rishi Sunak announced Britain will push back a ban on new petrol and diesel cars and vans to 2035 from 2030,to protect “hard-pressed British families” from “unacceptable costs”.

Labour is understood to be waiting for any more green announcements from Jeremy Hunt in the Autumn Statement and is also watching for progress between the UK and EU on post-Brexit tariff arrangements on electric vehicles that threaten to raise prices by £3,400 next year.

“Ultimately we want to make sure that going electric is the easy and cheap choice whether you’re looking to buy a new or second-hand car ahead of the 2030 switchover,” said one figure familiar with Labour’s plans.

A Labour spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

As a global energy crisis returns, the UK push for a green economy makes even more sense


Richard Partington

THE GUARDIAN
Sun, 22 October 2023

Photograph: Gary Calton/The Observer

Earlier this year, the world economy had a lucky escape. After a mild winter in Europe, energy prices were in retreat as the continent shifted away from Russian gas supplies. Inflation was cooling, while economic growth remained resilient.

“Hello lower gas prices, bye-bye recession,” analysts at the US investment bank JP Morgan wrote in January. Less than a year later, the Israel-Hamas war serves as a stark warning that the global energy crisis has far from vanished.

European gas prices have jumped by more than a third since the start of October, before a difficult winter to come, as the conflict in the Middle East threatens to escalate. Oil prices have risen sharply, with a leap of more than $20 a barrel since June, continuing a rise that began even before the war.

Related: The planet warms, the world economy cools – the real global recession is ecological | Larry Elliott

While not underestimating the human tragedy in Israel and Gaza, most experts reckon that a serious escalation engulfing the wider region remains unlikely – limiting the impact for the world economy. Yet the outbreak of war in another of the world’s most important energy exporting regions, less than two years after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, is an all too painful reminder of economic vulnerabilities.

Mohamed El-Erian, the president of Queens’ College, Cambridge, and a former deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund, says a further rise in tensions would compound existing fragilities as policymakers navigate weak economic growth and stubborn inflation.

“If this horrific crisis is not contained then this will add to the supply constraints facing the global economy. The very first impact will be higher prices, and possibly less oil around, and that is inherently stagflationary. It’s not just inflationary, it’s stagflationary,” he says.

At a highly uncertain juncture, the extreme risk is the possibility of Iran becoming directly involved and impeding transit through the Strait of Hormuz – the supply route for about 30% of the world’s seaborne oil and one-fifth of global liquified natural gas (LNG). It’s a concern raised with alarming regularity – in these darkest of days for the Middle East, this is a danger many are considering.

For Britain and other European countries there should be particular alarm. After efforts to diversify gas supplies away from Russia, the reliance on fossil fuel imports from the Middle East has only risen – especially from Qatar, the world’s largest LNG exporter, which ships through Hormuz.

European LNG imports from the gulf state rose by 71% last year in the rush to replace Russian gas – including a 74% rise to the UK, which sources almost one-third of its imported supply from the country.

With the UK experiencing a much slower decline in inflation than almost any other advanced economy, there is potential for any renewed energy shock to trigger a fresh phase in the cost of living crisis before the last one is over.

Fossil fuels account for almost 80% of the UK’s primary energy consumption, and reliance on imports is a risk the government is all too aware of. So far, Rishi Sunak’s answer to the question of Britain’s energy security has been to redouble efforts to exploit North Sea oil and gas reserves.

The prime minister also wants to see billions of pounds invested in renewables, carbon capture and storage, and nuclear. Yet despite promising “long-term decisions for a brighter future” in his Tory party conference speech, nowhere near enough is being done to move to a low-carbon economy fit for an increasingly volatile world.

Rather than accelerate the transition, Sunak has chosen to water down net zero policies in an attempt to build a narrow electoral advantage. This is not only shortsighted, but makes little economic sense.

After the Covid pandemic, leading nations have struggled to cope with successive shocks to the supply side of the economy – not least because of the current energy crisis. All have added to inflationary pressures, fuelling the cost of living emergency.

One shock is the restructuring of global supply chains. After severe disruption in the pandemic, and in an increasingly volatile geopolitical world, businesses are putting more emphasis on resilience over efficiency. Supply chains are being reshored, nearshored and friendshored, with higher costs entailed.

Another disruption is the function of the labour market. Repatriation of workers during the pandemic, and tighter post-Brexit controls on migration in the UK, alongside an ageing population, have cut the supply of workers available to businesses.

However, the energy crisis also presents a serious economic opportunity – from the jobs, growth and future energy security that building a low-carbon economy could bring.

In the US, Joe Biden is aiming to capture this opportunity with the vast Inflation Reduction Act, ploughing billions of dollars into helping the US meet its climate goals, while creating jobs and ultimately bringing down bills for households and businesses.

It’s a plan that EU nations are responding to, and one now forming the cornerstone of Labour’s economic agenda. As free marketeers, the Conservatives are naturally sceptical, yet there is a recognition in the mainstream of economics that state activism and taxpayer funding are vital components in this transition.

“This is a case where governments need to be involved in partnership with the private sector,” says El-Erian. “These are generation-defining transitions the private sector can’t handle on its own.”

Britain has a serious opportunity to revive growth and restore economic security. Given the clear risks in the world economy, there isn’t a moment to lose.

Home Bargains billionaire backs Labour with £5,000 donation

Luke Barr
Sat, 21 October 2023 


The billionaire founder of Home Bargains has become the latest high-profile businessman to back Labour ahead of the next election.

T J Morris, which owns Home Bargains and is run by Liverpudlian Tom Morris, recently donated £5,000 to Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting.

Mr Morris, 69, joins former supermarket chairman Baron David Sainsbury and ex-Autoglass chief Gary Lubner on the growing list of business leaders to have backed Labour in recent months.

Last month, The Telegraph revealed that long-time Tory donor Lord Harris of Peckham had also donated £5,000 to Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

It follows a high-profile charm offensive of business leaders by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Ms Reeves.

T J Morris donated £5,000 to shadow health secretary Wes Streeting - Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

Through his retail empire, Mr Morris has amassed a reported personal fortune of more than £6bn, making him one of Labour’s wealthiest donors.

T J Morris donated £5,000 to Mr Streeting last month, parliamentary filings show.

A Labour spokesman said: “Wes is proud to have the support of successful business people like Tom.

“The Labour Party is winning business support with our plans to get British business booming, the economy growing, and the NHS fit for the future. Business leaders know it’s time for a change and they’re backing Labour to give Britain its future back.”

Labour is winning the support and funding of business leaders as public opinion swings behind the opposition. Last week the Tories suffered historic twin defeats in by-elections in Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire, with both formerly safe seats falling to Labour.

Mr Morris launched Home Bargains as a market stall in 1976, fuelling its early expansion through a personal overdraft.

The chain now operates almost 600 shops across the country and is Britain’s largest independent grocer. It employs 28,000 workers and had revenues of £3.42bn in 2022.

Earlier this year, Mr Morris was handed more than £20m in dividends from Home Bargains despite company profits falling 26pc to £290m.

Mr Morris previously gave £10,000 to Labour’s Steve Rotheram in 2017 as part of his successful bid to become Liverpool’s metro mayor.

He was scrutinised last year for failing to repay taxpayer support that Home Bargains received during the pandemic.

Home Bargains declined to comment.

UK
‘The Tories’ lack of support for farmers will see them pay at the polls’

Daniel Woolfson
Tue, 24 October 2023

Riverford founder Guy Singh-Watson says there is ‘a huge amount of anger’ in the countryside over the Government’s rural policies - Stuart Everitt

The Tories have squandered the farming vote, the boss of Riverford Organics has claimed.

Guy Singh-Watson, founder and chief executive of Riverford, said there was “a huge amount of anger, frustration” in the countryside over the Government’s rural policies.

Farmers have been left to cope with soaring inflation and deal with the upheaval of the transition from EU subsidies to new green incentives in England, known as the Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMs). The process has been beset by delays and confusion.

Mr Singh-Watson criticised the Government’s handling of the scheme. He said: “Let’s remember, it was only just over 12 months ago, when Liz Truss was talking about tearing [ELMs] up.

“What the hell are we meant to do? What’s the next turn going to be?”

Founded in 1987, Devon-headquartered Riverford Organics supplies 65,000 households with fruit and vegetables from its own organic farms and other producers across the UK. Sales last year were a record £110m.

The criticism from Mr Singh-Watson comes days after a historic wipeout of the Conservatives in by-elections in Tamworth and Mid-Bedfordshire.

The defeats in what were relatively safe seats have led experts to warn that the Tories can no longer rely on traditional strongholds.

Farmers and rural communities have long been seen as a bedrock of support for the Conservatives but backing has wavered in recent years as financial pressures on food producers have mounted.

A survey by Farmers Weekly at the end of last year found just 42pc of farmers would vote for the Tories in a general election. That was the lowest amount on record, down from 71pc in 2020.

Mr Singh-Watson, 63, said: “I don’t think you’ll find any farmer who would defend [their record]. There’s a huge amount of anger, frustration, probably a fair amount of it reflected in the fishing industry as well.”

Earlier this year Jeremy Clarkson summed up rural frustrations when he said farming had become “mainly about filling in forms”.

Mr Singh-Watson said he believed ministers “sold farming down the Swanny” by doing trade deals after Brexit that undermined British producers.

He said: “I remember Michael Gove from the Oxford farming conference saying categorically that farmers had no need to worry about foreign trade deals, and that the standards for imports would be the same as for UK production.

“We can now import eggs from Mexico without any restrictions on how they’re produced at all. Those are directly competitive with British eggs.”

Rural communities have long been seen as a bedrock of support for the Conservatives – but in recent years backing has wavered - Stuart Everitt

Lizzie Hacking, a Conservative councillor and chairman of the Conservative Rural Forum, said a group of MPs were pushing for rural issues to be put “front and centre” ahead of the next election to shore up support.

She said: “They’re recognising the polls haven’t necessarily been where they have been historically, and they’re trying to fix it. The rollout of ELMs has created some frustration, which is fair. I think the party recognises that it’s not been as smooth as it could have been.”

Beyond the ELMs, Mr Singh-Watson highlighted a lack of support from the Government for farmers when dealing with supermarkets.

Supermarket vegetable shortages earlier were blamed on bad weather impacting harvests. However, Mr Singh-Watson said pressure from supermarkets to keep prices low was leaving the country vulnerable to further supply issues.

He said: “Prices are being driven down and down and down... farmers are getting a smaller and smaller proportion of the end retail price.

“What typically happens in negotiations is that the supplier ends up being driven down to something only marginally above their variable costs of production – seed, labour, fertiliser, packaging – but nothing is left over or very little left over for reinvestment in the infrastructure of the farm.”

Riverford has launched a campaign called Get Fair About Farming calling on the Government to intervene by reforming the Groceries Code of Practice, which dictates how retailers treat their suppliers. Over 67,000 people have signed a petition so far.

An open letter accusing supermarkets of ‘wasteful’ practices was signed by celebrities including Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall - Jeff Gilbert

Mr Singh-Watson said: “If you go to Holland and meet growers, they have confidence in their long-term future. They will put up a greenhouse that won’t be paid off in their lifetime and possibly their children’s lifetime.

“No one’s going to do that if they don’t have confidence in the future. And that will come both through government policy and the way the [supermarket] buyers behave, so we’ve just got a double whammy in this country.”

In an open letter to the bosses of Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Aldi and Lidl, Riverford accused the supermarkets of “imbalanced, short term and wasteful” practices that have left British farmers “struggling to survive”.

It was signed by celebrities including Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Julia Bradbury and Ray Mears.

Mr Singh-Watson said: “Clearly supermarkets have been making a bloody fortune during Covid and the post-Covid period.”

Supermarkets have faced repeated accusations of profiteering during the cost of living crisis as prices rose. However, the sector was cleared of doing so by the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) in July, citing a fall in supermarkets’ margins.

Mr Singh-Watson said government support for striking a new deal between supermarkets and farmers would help to boost Britain’s food security.

He said: “In 1980 we were about 80pc self sufficiency in food, we’re now down to about 60pc depending on how you measure it.

“I would like to see us get back up to 80pc, or certainly not fall any lower. And that does require farmers being able to invest in their businesses.”

Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, which represents supermarkets, said: “Food retailers source, and will continue to source, the vast majority of their food from the UK, and work hard to pay a sustainable price to farmers.

“Retailers value their relationships with British farmers and are supporting them by paying more for their produce.

“However, retailers are also facing many additional costs and the recent CMA report shows that they are working hard to absorb these in order to limit price increases for their customers.”

A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said: “We back British farmers and are committed to realising the benefits of greater trade, opening up new markets for our world-class British produce.

“We are supporting farming by investing £2.4bn annually into the sector and at our Farm to Fork Summit this year, we announced a package of measures to protect farmers’ interests in future trade deals, boost domestic fruit and veg production and deliver new investment in technologies.”

UPDATED

British cargo ship sinks off coast of Germany - several missing after collision

Sky News
Updated Tue, 24 October 2023 



A British cargo ship has reportedly sunk off the coast of Germany following a collision, and several people are missing.

Two vessels crashed into each other in the North Sea, according to German authorities.

The ships, Polesie and Verity, collided in the early morning about 14 miles southwest of the island of Helgoland, Germany's Central Command for Maritime Emergencies said.

One of the ships, the British-flagged Verity, apparently sank.

The emergency command said one person was rescued from the water and was being given medical treatment, and rescuers were searching for several more people who were unaccounted for.

It said the ship was headed from Bremen to the English port of Immingham.

The other ship, the Bahamas-flagged Polesie, remained afloat with 22 people on board.

A number of German search and rescue vessels are in the area, according to ship tracking, along with two helicopters.

The Iona cruise ship - based out of Southampton - was headed for Rotterdam but has also paused in the vicinity of Verity's last known location, perhaps in an effort to assist with the search.

Sailor dies and four people missing after British cargo ship sinks in North Sea

Jamie Bullen
Tue, 24 October 2023

The Verity (pictured) sank after a collision in the North Sea - Andy Gibson / Alamy Stock Photo

One sailor has died and four remain missing after a British cargo ship sank in the North Sea after colliding with a larger freight vessel.

German maritime authorities say three people who were on board Verity have been rescued after it struck another ship in the German Bight on Tuesday morning.

Officials say one man was declared dead after he was pulled from the water and a search is continuing for four people who remain missing.

One person was rescued earlier.

A search and rescue operation involving a P&O cruise liner and a German Navy Sea King was launched in the early hours on Tuesday after Verity collided with another freighter, called “Polesie”, near Heligoland in the North Sea.

The cause of the collision is being investigated but German media has reported Verity may have lost radio signal around an hour before the crash amid choppy conditions.

Verity, which sails under the British flag, was journeying from Bremen to Immingham, Lincolnshire, reportedly to deliver a shipment of steel. It was believed to have eight people on board.

The Polesie was also involved in the collision

While Polesie, which is registered in the Bahamas, was travelling from Hamburg to La Coruña in Spain. It has remained afloat with 22 people on board.

Poleise is the much larger vessel measuring at 190 metres in length and 29 metres in width compared to Verity which is said to be 91 metres by 14 metres.

In a statement, the German Society for the Rescue of Shipwrecked People said it was “assumed” Verity sank as a result of the ships colliding.

It said: “A ship collision occurred in the German Bight early on Tuesday morning, October 24, 2023, around 5am. The cargo ships Polesie and Verity collided approximately 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) southwest of the island of Helgoland and 17 nautical miles (31 kilometers) northeast of the island of Langeoog.

“The emergency command took over overall operational management.

“The accident command currently assumes that the Verity sank as a result of the collision. One person was rescued from the water and is receiving medical care.

“Several other people are currently missing. The search for the shipwreck is underway.”

A P&O passenger told The Telegraph they were alerted to an incident in their cabins at around 5am following a tannoy announcement.

The man, who only gave his name as Al, said: “There was an announcement that the crew had to ‘muster rescue’ at that point.

“A little later, the crew were instructed to stand ready for a possible helicopter landing. Upper decks were cleared and I was sent packing also.

“As of right now, we’re still stationary. The mood is subdued. There have been no further instructions from the bridge.

“The ship’s company is amazing and should be mentioned here. Utterly professional.”

The Iona has been helping German rescuers at the scene

A P&O spokesman said: “P&O Cruises Iona is currently involved in a search and rescue operation off the coast of Germany.

“The incident is ongoing and Iona’s cooperation complies with international maritime law as well as being consistent with the company’s moral and legal obligations.

“Iona is scheduled to be at sea today and this event should have no impact upon tomorrow’s scheduled call to Rotterdam or the onward itinerary.”

Verity was built in 2001 at a shipyard in Kootsertille, Netherlands, and was registered in Douglas on the Isle of Man.

Owners Faversham Ships, a British-Dutch company, said it had no comment to make at this time but was in contact with German authorities.

UK
Unemployment rate unchanged but signs point to cooling jobs market

Holly Williams, PA Business Editor
Tue, 24 October 2023

The UK jobless rate remained unchanged in the latest three months amid mounting signs that Britain’s jobs market has cooled.

Estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that the unemployment rate stood at 4.2% in the three months to August, the same as in the previous three months, under a new calculation adjusted for low survey responses.

It comes after official figures last week revealed that real earnings are outstripping inflation for the first time in nearly two years.

(PA Graphics)


But there was also a mixed picture for the wider jobs market after last week’s figures showed pay growth starting to ease back for the first time since January, job vacancies falling for the 15th time in a row and an 11,000 drop in UK workers on payrolls during September.

The latest “experimental” figures had been delayed by a week due to a low response to its labour force survey, and the ONS said it has used extra data sources to estimate the figures, including more real-time payroll data.

The ONS said this provides a more “holistic view” of the labour market while the traditional survey statistics are uncertain.

Darren Morgan, ONS director of economic statistics, said: “This is part of our transformation of the way we measure the labour market where we are introducing an improved Labour Force Survey, asking more people in different ways about their employment status.”



The data showed that the inactivity rate among those aged 16-64 remained unchanged at 20.9% when compared with the three months to July.

It also revealed that 119,000 working days were lost to industrial disputes in August, with the majority of the strikes in the health and social work sector.

Junior doctors and hospital consultants have staged a series of strikes in a long-running dispute over pay and conditions in the English NHS.

Earlier figures from the ONS showed regular earnings rose by a near record 7.8% in the three months to August and were 0.7% higher with Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation taken into account.

(PA Graphics)

Revised figures from the ONS also revealed wages have been out-pacing inflation since the three months to July, with wages rising faster than prices for the first time since October 2021.

However, earnings growth eased back from 7.9% in the three months to July in a sign that firms are starting to hold back on wage hikes.

Vacancies also dropped for the 15th time in a row – down 43,000 quarter on quarter to 988,000 in the three months to September – in a further sign that Britain’s jobs market is cooling in the face of a barrage of interest rate hikes and economic worries.

Jake Finney, economist at PwC UK, said: “The UK labour market remains tight but is cooling, with unemployment rising, vacancies declining, and pay growth slowing.”

The latest data showed there were 1.4 million unemployed in the three months to August while the employment rate also remained unchanged at 75.7%, with 31.6 million in jobs.

(PA Graphics)

When compared with the three months to May, the UK jobless rate edged up to from 4% to 4.2%, with 74,000 more jobless people, the ONS said.

Martin Beck, chief economic adviser to the EY Item Club, said the newly calculated data complicates the reading for the jobs market, but suggests that the loosening in the labour market looks “slightly less significant than before”.

He said that despite this, unemployment is still rising faster than the Bank of England expected.

Mr Beck added: “The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will be mindful about the potential for revisions in the new jobs measure.

“But alongside an absence of surprises in recent pay and inflation data, the latest labour market numbers offer another reason to think that the MPC will keep Bank Rate on hold when it meets in November.”

UK real living wage increases to £12 per hour – and £13.15 in London

Pedro Goncalves
·Finance Reporter, Yahoo Finance UK
Mon, 23 October 2023 

Low-paid workers remain at the sharp end of the cost of living crisis, according to the Living Wage Foundation. Photo: PA/Alamy (Gary Hider)

More than 460,000 people across the UK will see their "real living wage" rise by 10% amid the ongoing cost of living crisis.

Rates will increase to £12 an hour outside London — a rise of £1.10. In the capital it will rise to £13.15 an hour — a £1.20 increase from this Tuesday.

The rate, which is voluntarily paid by some employers, applies to everyone over the age of 18 and compares to the statutory national living wage for over-23s of £10.42 an hour.

Over 460,000 people, employed by 14,000 employers, receive the real living wage, with the retail, care and hospitality sectors accounting for a large number of these jobs.

“As inflation eases, we cannot forget that low-paid workers remain at the sharp end of the cost of living crisis,” Living Wage Foundation director Katherine Chapman said.

Read more: The best and worst UK banks for current and savings accounts

According to the foundation, a full-time worker earning the new real living wage will earn £3,081 more per year than someone on the current government minimum, and an additional £5,323 in London

“Low-paid workers continue to struggle with stubbornly high prices because they spend a larger share of their budget on food and energy. These new rates are a lifeline for the 460,000 workers who will get a pay rise,” Chapman added.

Research by the foundation found that, despite easing inflation, the cost of living crisis is far from over for low-paid workers, with 50% worse off than a year ago.

More than two in five low-paid workers say they regularly use a food bank and almost as many report falling behind on household bills, according to the Living Wage Foundation.

The real living wage is decided by the Living Wage Foundation and the rate is set based on current living costs, such as the cost of bills. It is different from the national living wage, an "obligatory" minimum wage businesses pay workers in the UK aged 23 and over for each hour they work.

Read more: Tesco and Sainsbury's using 'dodgy tactics' on promotions, says Which?

Real living wage employers include the Royal Albert Hall, Aston University, and the Excel Centre, as well as about half of the FTSE 100 (^FTSE) companies including insurer Aviva (AV.L).

UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt has confirmed that from April next year, the national living wage will rise from the current £10.42 an hour to at least £11 an hour. The increase would see the annual earnings of a full-time worker earning this amount increase by £1,000 a year.


Real Living Wage to rise 10% amid cost-of-living crisis

Alan Jones, PA Industrial Correspondent
Tue, 24 October 2023 

The voluntary so-called Real Living Wage is to increase by 10% to reflect the ongoing cost-of-living crisis for workers, it has been announced.

More than 460,000 people working for 14,000 employers who pay the rate will receive a wage rise.

The Living Wage Foundation said its rates will increase to £12 an hour outside London – a rise of £1.10 – and to £13.15 an hour in the capital – a £1.20 increase.

The foundation said the 10% rise, coming into effect on Tuesday, reflects “persistently high costs” for low-paid workers.

(PA Graphics)

The voluntary rate, which applies to everyone over the age of 18, compares to the statutory National Living Wage for over-23s of £10.42 an hour.

A full-time worker earning the new Real Living Wage will earn £3,081 a year more than someone on the current government minimum, and an additional £5,323 in London, according to the foundation.

Its research found that, despite easing inflation, the cost-of-living crisis is far from over for low-paid workers, with 50% worse off than a year ago.

More than two in five low-paid workers say they regularly use a food bank and almost as many report falling behind on household bills, said the foundation.

Living Wage Foundation director Katherine Chapman said: “As inflation eases, we cannot forget that low-paid workers remain at the sharp end of the cost-of-living crisis.

“Low-paid workers continue to struggle with stubbornly high prices because they spend a larger share of their budget on food and energy.

“These new rates are a lifeline for the 460,000 workers who will get a pay rise.”

The foundation said record numbers of employers are signing up to pay the voluntary rates.

Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said: “This is good news for hundreds of thousands of low-paid workers whose employers do the right thing. That’s pay them a decent wage.

“But many more providing essential public services will miss out. These employees include care workers, who’re often on poverty pay, in a sector already struggling to fill record vacancies.

“Today’s increase means thousands of workers employed by the NHS on the lowest pay bands – like porters, cleaners, domestics and security staff – will be significantly short of the new rate.

“The Government must follow suit and boost the minimum wage so millions are better able to weather the cost-of-living pressures causing such deep financial pain.”

Exhausted Amazon staff fight back against retail giant at global UK summit


Jon Ungoed-Thomas and Nonyelum Anigbo
Sun, 22 October 2023

Photograph: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images

It was about 3am on a night shift in May last year when Amazon worker Christine Manno tried to retrieve a box stacked high in the warehouse in St Peters, Missouri. She was 30ft in the air, strapped to a harness and standing on the edge of the raised platform of a truck.

She was recovering from operations on her injured hands for carpal tunnel syndrome, a neurological disorder, and the weight of the box shot pains through her neck and back. “It was like an electric shock,” she said.

Manno was initially on restricted duties but has been stuck at home from her injury since last July on sick pay. A few years ago, a worker like Manno would have had scant chance of redress, but she is now part of an organising committee at the St Peters warehouse demanding action over Amazon’s working conditions.

“People are getting their parcels in one or two days, but behind the scenes it’s exhausting,” said Manno last week. “The [targets] are unsustainable. I am leaning off a truck attached by a harness lifting cases weighing 40 to 50lb. And this is over a 12-hour shift. Amazon is breaking down our bodies, young or old.”

It is not just Manno and her fellow workers calling Amazon to account. From her Missouri workplace to fulfilment centres in the UK and Europe and warehouses in India, workers are demanding union rights and an overhaul of the digital giant’s working practices. They also want a greater slice of Amazon’s global revenue, which was $514bn (£423bn) in 2022.

This week, campaigners, politicians and unions will gather at a summit in Manchester called Make Amazon Pay to call for international action over workers’ rights, market abuse and tax. It will convene at a conference centre at the Mechanics’ Institute, where the Trades Union Congress (TUC) was founded in 1868.

Protests are planned around the world on 24 November, Black Friday. The GMB union has announced four days of strikes in November, including Black Friday, of more than 1,000 workers at Amazon’s Coventry warehouse.

Amazon is also under pressure from regulators. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced last month it was suing Amazon for anti-competitive strategies, including overcharging sellers, stifling innovation and suppressing competition.

“We haven’t tried to rein in a monopoly this large for decades,” said Emily Peterson-Cassin, digital rights advocate at Public Citizen, a US advocacy organisation supporting the Make Amazon Pay summit. “This could and should be a tipping point.”

It is a potential crisis for Amazon, with growing calls for it to be broken up. Some believe it has got too big and should no longer be the “referee” and a retailer on a marketplace it controls.

The FTC, headed by Lina Khan, a prominent expert in the anti-monopoly movement, seeks a permanent injunction to “pry loose” Amazon’s monopolistic control.

In Jeff Bezos’ first letter to shareholders after Amazon went public in 1997, he said the company was vigilant and maintained a sense of urgency in its long-term pursuit of market dominance, with a relentless focus on customers. More than two decades later, Amazon has more than 200 million Prime members and dominates online retail. The customers it zealously pursued, with a typically seamless service, are now a captive market.

Critics say that service quality has slumped and its sellers are being squeezed for fees. A recent Washington Post article said the proliferation of ads on product searches meant that as a place to find items it was becoming “a tacky strip mall filled with neon signs pointing you in all the wrong directions”.

Cory Doctorow, the commentator and author of The Internet Con, describes how Amazon has gone through a digital lifecycle he calls “enshittification”. Financial surpluses, he says, are first directed to users; then, once the users are locked in, to suppliers; and finally to shareholders, at which point the platform becomes degraded, or in Doctorow’s words “a useless pile of shit”.

These digital monopolists are not geniuses. They just operate with less constraint and more powerful tools
Cory Doctorow, commentator

“Amazon boasts about its $31bn advertising business, but it’s not really advertising,” said Doctorow. “It’s ‘pay for play’ where merchants buy the right to be shown on the search result page ahead of the best match. These are often deceptive offers, similar to what you may have wanted, but lower quality or higher price.”

He added: “These digital monopolists are not smarter than people who cornered markets before. They’re not wizards or geniuses. They’re the same sharp operators we’ve always had, operating with less constraint and more powerful tools.”

Richard Allen, a campaigner for retailers against online market abuse, said he refused to sell his products on Amazon when he operated a record business. “I said: ‘You’ll get to see my sales. You’ll get to know my customers. Why would I do that?’ But people fell for this idea that Amazon was a better platform to have their goods on because it was more visible.”

As a retailer, Amazon had the upper hand over every seller on its platform, he said, because it operated the marketplace: “I don’t think you should be allowed to operate a platform and also be a retailer on it. The conflict is too great.”

A report in June by the Amsterdam-based Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations found that, between 2017 and 2022, Amazon tripled earnings from fees for independent sellers in Europe.

It’s not just small retailers who are counting the cost of doing business with Amazon. Its employees around the world complain they are suffering from inadequate pay and burnout.

Rachel Fagan, GMB organiser, said there were now about 1,000 union members at the Coventry warehouse, where the workforce last year was the first to take legally mandated strike action against Amazon in the UK. Fagan said workers were demanding better pay but also considered performance targets were unfair.

She said: “In the middle of winter, people are dressed like they are going to the gym, with T-shirts, shorts and trainers, because of the physical work. It’s really hard work and it has a toll.

“If you work in any other warehouse, you get a target on how many boxes you pack a day. But at Amazon the algorithm bases [the target] on the average picking that day. People don’t know the target, so everyone is working at full capacity, and this is the reason people get worn out.”

Workers in Amazon centres across the world are calling for a change in workplace practices. One worker in India who spoke to the Observer said she would take part in action on Black Friday to press for work targets to be achievable, for working hours to be no longer than eight hours a day and for better pay rates. She works 10-hour days, five days a week, earning about £100 a month.

Amazon said in a media briefing last week it planned to automate many repetitive tasks at warehouses with robots. It is testing Digit, a two-legged robot that can grasp and lift items. Union officials say whatever innovations are in the pipeline, the workforce needs better representation.

Christy Hoffman, general secretary of UNI Global Union, an international union for service industries, said: “Amazon’s unchecked power needs to be curbed. One step governments should take is stronger labour laws and stronger enforcement that would help stop Amazon’s union-busting.”

Related: Amazon unveils plan to deliver packages by drone in UK and Italy

Between January and August, the US Department of Labor has cited Amazon for workplace violations on six occasions, including violations at warehouses in Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, New Jersey and New York. Bernie Sanders, chair of the senate committee on health, education, labour and pensions, which is investigating Amazon’s workplace practices, says conditions in US warehouses are dangerous and illegal. Amazon has said it strongly disagrees with Sanders’s assertions.

Amazon says it is a trusted partner for millions of sellers worldwide and the FTC action was misguided. It said its platform was good for competition, consumers and sellers.

The company said working in a warehouse was a rewarding job at Amazon, with excellent pay, workforce support and comfortably paced work with breaks. A spokesperson said: “We invest, invent and innovate in safety, going above and beyond the basics right across our business. Performance metrics are regularly evaluated and built on benchmarks based on real-life and attainable performance history.”

In response to reports of the proliferation of ads on product searches, the company said: “We offer hundreds of millions of items to millions of customers, and it’s our job to bring together each individual customer with the best single product for them – all in a matter of seconds. This is no easy feat, and we work hard every day to strike the right balance between organic search results, merchandising and advertising.”