UK

EXCLUSIVE:
New Tory environment chief Steve Barclay is married to exec of sewage-dumping water firm

Steve Barclay, who became Environment Secretary in Rishi Sunak's Cabinet reshuffle, is married to one of the bosses of Anglian Water, which has been rapped for sewage spills

Steve Barclay is tasked with tackling the sewage crisis

By John Stevens

Political Editor

THE MIRROR

14 Nov 2023

The Tory put in charge of tackling the sewage crisis is married to the executive of a water firm shamed for polluting the sea.

Steve Barclay was appointed Environment Secretary in the reshuffle after being moved from his old job as Health Secretary.

The Cabinet minister’s wife Karen works for Anglian Water, which has been criticised for pumping sewage into the environment. Mrs Barclay, who was Head of Public Affairs for the water firm, now works as its Head of Regional Engagement.

Anglian Water has apologised for repeated sewage spillages as public anger grows over pollution in seas and rivers. In April, pleaded guilty to allowing 7.5million litres - the equivalent of three Olympic-sized swimming pools - of untreated sewage to overflow into the North Sea.

It was fined £2.7million, the largest ever penalty imposed for environmental offences in the east of England region. The judge said the scale of the fine related to the water company "finding itself in court so frequently".

In June, an advertising campaign by Anglian Water boasting how it cleans water by creating wildlife-friendly wetlands was banned for not telling customers about its record. The watchdog upheld complaints that the adverts were misleading as they omitted “significant information” on “Anglian Water’s history of releasing sewage into the environment”.

Mr Barclay disclosed his wife’s job on the most recent List of Ministers’ Interests, which was published in April. His entry stated: “The minister’s spouse/partner works for Anglian Water.” He replaces Therese Coffey who resigned as Environment Secretary at the reshuffle. In a letter to the Prime Minister, the veteran minister said that it was "now the right time to step back from government".

Paul de Zylva of Friends of the Earth said: "Steve Barclay is picking up a brief that has been neglected throughout the majority of his party's time in office - there is a lot of lost time to make up for. Given the dire state of nature in the UK, he must start by urgently addressing the poor performances of polluting water companies and the regulator Ofwat.”

Rebecca Newsom of Greenpeace UK said: "At the last election, the Conservative party was promising “the most ambitious environmental programme of any country on earth. Now the in-tray for the incoming Environment Secretary is filling up faster than a river downstream from a sewage plant."

A Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs spokesman said: “All Defra Ministers declare their interests in line with the Ministerial Code. There is an established regime in place for the declaration and management of interests held by ministers. This ensures that steps are taken to avoid or mitigate any potential or perceived conflicts of interest."

Projects to remove chemicals from rivers underway

26th November 2023, 

Lilly-Mae Messenger

BBC News

Four projects to upgrade water recycling centres and help remove chemicals from rivers have been started.

Wessex Water are spending £18m on projects in Somerset to extract household chemicals from rivers that can cause an overgrowth of algae which harms the environment.

The company is spending £7.5m in Martock, £4.5m in Crewkerne, £1m in Merriott and £5m in Somerton.

Rachel Weston, project manager for the Martock and Crewkerne sites, said the increase of chemicals into watercourses are "one of the main challenges" that the water company is facing.

She said: “The impact of nutrients on rivers and other watercourses is one of the main challenges we’re tackling within many areas of Somerset and by investing heavily in our sites, we’re fully stepping up to tackle this issue."

Chemicals like phosphorous and ammonia, which are found in household products, end up in septic tanks and farm slurries.

They can run into rivers and cause an overgrowth of algae which damages other plants and animals.

Ms Weston added: “By upgrading our water recycling centres, enhancing the processes within them, we can ensure we not only meet our water industry obligations but are also meeting the challenges resulting from an expanding population.

“These projects will help us protect the environment around the county’s many watercourses, including the River Parrett, and ensure that treated wastewater we return to the environment is of the highest quality.’’

Work at all four sites got under way this autumn and is expected to continue for around a year.

Swimmers protest sewage alerts in Cornwall

BBC
26th November 2023

A protest has taken place on Portreath Beach in Cornwall as locals say there have been sewage alerts for 26 consecutive days.

Swimmers said they had not been able to enter the water there, and that South West Water (SWW) had not given them any explanation.

Campaigning charity Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) said multiple sewage alerts had also been flagged at Porthtowan, St Agnes, Godrevy and Gwithian recently.

SWW declined to comment.

James Luxton, from SAS, said it was "appalling" sewage was being released on consecutive days.

He said: "That should only happen in exceptional circumstances when the rain is such and [sewage systems] cannot handle it.

"But, quite clearly, the system cannot handle it day-by-day right now."

Tina Dennett, from Portreath & Porthtowan Bluetits swimming group, said if it was "something really simple, like a stuck valve, then they need to take action".

He said: "If it is something more serious and we have had 26 days continuously of overspill here, then something drastic needs to be done about it.

"It's shameful - shame on you South West Water."

Alison King said people should not have to worry about sewage spills

Sea swimmer Alison King said people and animals should not be swimming in sewage.

She said: "We want to come to a local beach and be able to swim at a local beach.

"I love animals as well and birds, and I don't think they should be swimming in all our all our rubbish."

The work is in addition to projects being carried out by Wessex Water on the River Parrett and in North Petherton.

The water company has proposed a commitment of more than £900m towards stripping out chemicals from wastewater as part of around £3.5 billion of new investment between 2025 and 2030.

SCOTLAND
Public sector workforce will have to shrink - Shona Robison

26th November 2023

Shona Robison said staffing for Scotland's public services would have to be reduced

Scotland's public sector workforce will have to shrink due to funding pressure, the finance secretary has said.

Shona Robison said there was "no doubt" that staffing for services would have to be reduced due to tight budgets and inflation-driven pay deals.

But she said areas like health would be protected and ministers wanted to avoid compulsory redundancies.

Ms Robison is expected to give more detail of reforms to services in next month's Scottish budget.

Speaking on the BBC's The Sunday Show, Ms Robison said the chancellor's Autumn Statement had put more pressure on her spending plans.

Holyrood budget: A 'worst case scenario'?
How does the Autumn Statement affect Scotland?
The hidden tax rise in the Autumn Statement

UK

Universal Credit claimants must work from home or lose £5k

22nd November

By Matthew Evans@MTEvans1995Senior SEO Reporter

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has been accused of "attacking the disabled" after revealing severe benefits sanctions in today's Autumn Budget.

One controversial sanction was forcing some people on disability benefits to work from home.

Hunt previously said those sanctioned face losing their access to free NHS prescriptions and legal aid.

In the "biggest welfare reform in a decade", he added that claimants who do not find a job within 18 months will also be forced to "mandatory" work placements. Those failing to comply with the rules will have their benefits cut off.

He added: “If after 18 months of intensive support, job seekers have not found a job, we will roll out a programme requiring them to take part in mandatory work placement.

“If they choose not to engage with the work such process for six months. We will close their case and stop their benefits.”

But hundreds of thousands of people with mobility and mental health problems are set to be told their benefits will be cut, by £4,680 a year, unless they find work they can do from home.

Sarah White, from Sense, the disability charity, said the move “looks sets to punish disabled people, adding more anxiety on to disabled households that are already struggling”.

Laura Trott, chief secretary to the Treasury, said people had to do their “duty”. “If they are able to go out to work they should,” she said. “Those who can work and contribute should contribute.”

But charities condemned the plans.

James Taylor, from the disability equality charity Scope, said: “These proposals are likely to force disabled people to look for work even when they aren’t well enough.”

"Disastrous"

He added: “Threatening disabled people with more sanctions will not lead to more disabled people getting into and staying in work. Forcing disabled people into unsuitable jobs and cutting financial support in a cost of living crisis will be disastrous.”

Last week Mr Hunt told the Independent his “priority” for tax cuts would always be business tax cuts, designed to boost the economy.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall blamed Mr Sunak for the millions out of work.

She said this morning: "It's very interesting to see Rishi Sunak railing against the fact millions of people are out of work due to long-term sickness, saying it's a scandal they've been written off. Well, who's done that?.. it's happened under their watch."

Ms Kendall accused the Government of "desperately trying to wipe their hands for the last 13 years that they are responsible for".

Otherwise in his budget, there was confirmation of the new minimum wage 9.8% rise at £11.44/yr from April and it'll now apply to all over 21s. This was previously over 23s.

Another Poll Shows Labour's Lead Over The Tories Has Grown Since The Autumn Statement


Kevin Schofield
Updated Sun, 26 November 2023 

Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt during a visit to the Nissan 

production plant in Sunderland last week.

Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt during a visit to the Nissan production plant in Sunderland last week.

The Autumn Statement has done nothing to turn around the Tories’ fortunes, another opinion poll has confirmed.

According to an Opinium survey for The Observer, Labour has increased its lead over the Conservatives to 16 points.

The Tories are on 26%, one point down on last week, while support for Labour has increased by two points to 42%.

It follows a separate poll by Techne UK, carried out in the wake of the Autumn Statement last Wednesday, which put Labour 25 points ahead after Tory support dropped to just 21%.

Adam Drummond, head of policy and social research at Opinium, said: “Expecting a single fiscal event to revive the ratings of a 13-year old government may be unrealistic but, compared to the black-swan event of last year’s equivalent, it’s possible that the relative quietness of this week’s autumn statement is a measure of success.

“However, the Conservatives still trail Labour on handling the economy and only 20% of voters want tax cuts if it also means cutting spending on public services so it’s hard to see promises of future cuts appealing to those outside the Tory base”

The findings are a huge blow to Sunak, who had hoped that the Autumn Statement would begin to turn around the Tories’ fortunes.

Hunt unveiled what he described as “the biggest package of tax cuts since the 1980s” as he declared the UK economy has “turned a corner”.

The chancellor announced £20 billion-worth of cuts to National Insurance and business taxes, funded by cuts to public services.

However, within minutes it emerged that the overall tax burden is set to hit a new post-war record by the end of the decade.

The Autumn Statement has also been overshadowed by allegations that home secretary James Cleverly called a town in northern England as a “shithole” in the House of Commons.

And a fresh Tory civil war has broken out after new figures revealed the government is on course to break its manifesto pledge to cut immigration.

UK

'You're Not Bringing The Tax 

Burden  Down': 

Trevor Phillips Rejects Tory Minister's Economy Claims

By Kevin Schofield
26/11/2023 

Laura Trott was interviewed by Trevor Phillips on Sky News

A Sky News presenter clashed with a senior Tory minister after she claimed the government is cutting the tax burden.

Laura Trott made the claim on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips just days after the Autumn Statement.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said he was bringing in “the biggest package of tax cuts since the 1980s” as he reduced National Insurance and business taxes.

But it later emerged that the overall tax burden is set to hit a post-war high by the end of the 2020s.

Despite that, Trott said: “We’ve got to pay back our Covid debts and we’ve had to take difficult decisions in order to do that.

“But as a result of those decisions, inflation is now down, we have turned a corner and that is why we can take steps to bring the tax burden down.”

A clearly-exasperated Phillips said: “But you’re not bringing the tax burden down. Let’s have a look at what you’re actually doing.”

Pointing to a graph showing the tax burden continuing to rise, he said: “Look at this. You know this graph better than anybody, you’re the chief secretary to the Treasury. We are now at the highest tax burden since 1948 - that’s before I was born and dinosaurs roamed the earth then.

“I mean honestly, you are increasing taxes not cutting them.”

Trott replied: “What we did at the Autumn Statement this week is the biggest tax-cutting measures since the 1980s. They brought the burden down by 0.7 [% of GDP].

“But we know what we’ve had to pay back our Covid debts, that is something that the Labour Party opposed, but we are now taking action to bring down the tax burden.”

Tory Minister’s lies about ‘bringing down the tax burden’ exposed live on-air

A Tory Minister getting caught-out in 4k, you say? 

This exchange between Laura Trott and Trevor Phillips 

is a must-watch.

 by Tom Head
2023-11-26 

Now THIS is good journalism: Laura Trott was left reeling during her appearance on Sky News this morning, after the Chief Secretary to the Treasury was caught-out in comical fashion by Trevor Phillips.

ALSO READ: Richard Tice accused of ‘harking back to the 1940s’ during BBC appearance
How high is the UK tax burden? The numbers don’t look good for the Tories…

The Tories have claimed that their Autumn Statement will bring tax cuts for millions of British citizens. In reality, the tax burden continues to rise under their stewardship. Most people aren’t buying the spin that accompanies these figures – with no-one more skeptical than Phillips.

The esteemed news anchor and broadcaster engaged with Laura Trott on the topic of inflation. She claimed that the Tories were responsible for reducing price rises, despite inflation rates largely being determined by external factors.

Nonetheless, Trott continued in bullish fashion, and said that the government had managed to ‘turn the corner’ on the economy. It was another statement that Trevor Phillips wasn’t ready to accept – and he had the receipts ready to show.
Laura Trott left squirming during awkward Sky News appearance

A look of fear and confusion was present on Trott’s face, after Sky News brought up a graph that showed the UK’s tax burden over the last 80 years. The current figure is at its highest level since 1948 – a point that was stressed comprehensively by the host:

“You’re not bringing the tax burden down. Look at this graph, you’ll know it better than anyone… we are at the highest tax burden since 1948. That’s before I was born, and when dinosaurs ruled the earth. Honestly, you’re increasing taxes, not cutting them.” | Trevor Phillips

You can watch the full exchange here – just a warning, though: It is very awkward:

 

 

'Just Be Straight With People': Laura Kuennsberg Roasts Tory Minister Over Tax Claims
Laura Trott insisted the amount that average earners pay has come down since 2010.
By Kevin Schofield
26/11/2023 


Laura Trott was grilled on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg
BBC

A Tory minister was urged to “just be straight with people” after she claimed the government was cutting the overall tax burden.

Laura Trott was grilled on BBC 1′s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg this morning.

The chief secretary to the Treasury repeated Conservative claims that her party is reducing the amount people are being taxed - despite clear evidence to the contrary.

At last week’s Autumn Statement, chancellor Jeremy Hunt said he was bringing in “the biggest package of tax cuts since the 1980s” as he reduced National Insurance and business taxes.

But it later emerged that the overall tax burden is still set to hit a post-war high by the end of the 2020s.

Kuenssberg told Trott: “It’s very important that you are clear about the overall picture here.

″The overall picture for our viewers is that the tax burden is going up and up and up and up.”

But the minister said: “That’s actually not true. For people on average wages, their taxes would have been cut by about £1,000 on average since 2010.

“For some of the highest earners, we have asked them to take on more of the burden.”

Kuenssberg replied: “You know, and our viewers will have seen and heard on many occasions, taxes are going to reach a post-war high.

“The overall tax burden is going up. Shouldn’t you just be straight with people?”

Trott said: “I am being straight. If you are on an average income, because of the tax changes that we’ve made, your tax burden will have gone down quite significantly.”

Kuenssberg hit back: “You are going to bring some taxes down, but the overall tax burden is going up - I want people to understand that clearly

UK

Into the abyss

Simon Hewitt analyses the Chancellor’s autumn statement

Tory politics is nothing if not over-confident. When he made his autumn statement on 23rd November, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt claimed that under the Tories the British economy was “back on track.”

He at least partly had inflation in mind. The headline figure was shown earlier in the month to have slowed significantly to 4.6%. There are still reasons to worry about inflation, not least because of volatile energy costs in the light of the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. However, the real cracks in Hunt’s optimistic narrative lie elsewhere.

 It is one thing pronouncing that things are “back on track”. The reality is, for millions of working class people, living standards have fallen over the past few years of Tory rule. Rachel Reeves was quite correct when she said to the Today Programme, “This is the first Parliament ever where real disposable incomes will be lower at the end of the Parliament than they were at the beginning.”

To be precise, think-tank The Resolution Foundation predicts that UK households will be on average £1,900 poorer in January 2025, compared to December 2019. “This is the only Parliament in 70 years to oversee a decline in household living standards,” notes the Resolution Foundation’s report.

Reeves is undoubtedly right to draw attention to this. The question is whether she is prepared to apply the kind of radical policies which would make a difference to the situation. More on that below.

Some of the fall in living standards can be attributed to the Covid pandemic, of course. But even this does not let the Tories off the hook. There were, after all, political and economic decisions made about how to respond to the pandemic, and equivalent economies to the UK’s have bounced back more quickly. In any case, the whole of the fall in living standards can hardly be attributed to the pandemic. What we are looking at in the figures around living standards is a reflection on the state of British capitalism, and of its management under successive Tory front benches.

Jeremy Hunt announced a significant cut in National Insurance (NI), from 12% to 10% on the involuntary contributions paid by workers. The effect of this will be offset in many cases by the earlier-announced freezing of income tax thresholds until 2028. The poorest workers will be hit in particular.

However modest the NI change might be in its impact on working people, it is likely to not play well with key institutions of British capitalism. Numerous economists have predicted that the cuts in NI will mean that the Bank of England will not cut interest rates until summer 2024.

One worry many will have about this concerns the effect of high interest rates on growth. In the third quarter of 2023, growth flatlined, and it is quite possible that growth in the final quarter will turn out to have been negative: the economy will have shrunk. Moving into 2024 with high interest rates lasting for a good few months will not help growth in the new year.

Neither, for that matter, will public spending cuts. Ideologically driven, these amount to £19 billion in real terms. In many respects, then, Hunt’s statement sounded classical post-Thatcher Tory themes: lowering taxes, cutting back public services, effecting in the process a redistribution of wealth from the poor to the rich.

But there is more going on in this statement than pure Tory ideology. In part we see the desperate electioneering of a government facing catastrophic defeat in 2024, hence the headline-grabbing NI cut. Also, however, the statement reflected a government out of its depth on the unstable seas of contemporary capitalism, beset by inflation, struggling to secure growth.

There are limits to what governments can do about capitalism. It is a chaotic, irrational, system which evades precise control. That is why we ultimately need to replace it with socialism. That is not on the cards from Rachel Reeves. To say, though, that there are limits in governments’ ability to manage capitalism does not mean that they can do nothing. Radical measures designed to boost growth in an ecologically sustainable fashion, such as the Green New Deal promoted in Labour’s 2019 manifesto could make a real difference.

As it is, the Labour front bench are talking a lot about a future Labour government securing ‘growth’ but saying little about how that growth will be secured. Similarly absent are any proposals to regulate energy prices, a counter-inflationary measure that would help millions of people, and especially the poorest.

I began by saying that Tory politics is over-confident. In fact it has the over-confidence of someone throwing themselves knowingly into an abyss. The current Tory government will soon be over. It remains to be seen whether the Labour leadership has the radicalism to do what is needed on the economy. Things, however, are not looking hopeful.

Simon Hewitt is a member of Shipley CLP and the University and College Union.

LABOURHUB NOVEMBER 26, 2023

Jeremy Hunt  

https://www.flickr.com/photos/56675543@N08/14171731710 Creator: NHS Confederation. Licence:  CC BY 2.0 DEED Attribution 2.0 Generic

LABOUR HUB EDITORS

'Government cares more about pubs and shops': Early years organisations feel left out in autumn statement

The sector warns an increase in national living wage will contribute to the rising costs for early years providers

CHANCELLOR JEREMY HUNT GAVE HIS AUTUMN STATEMENT ON WEDNESDAY

 (STEFAN ROUSSEAU/PA)

PA WIRE

AYAN OMAR

Early years organisations have called out Jeremy Hunt for ignoring the sector in his autumn statement on Wednesday.

The National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA), a charity representing nurseries in the UK, accused the Government of caring more about “pubs and shops" than "our children’s future."

Purnima Tanuku, CEO of NDNA, said: "In his Autumn Statement , the Chancellor announced 110 growth measures to support businesses but not a single one will help the early education and care sector which is at crisis point. The Government seems to care more about pubs, shops and the technology sector than our children’s futures."

Mr Hunt announced the national living wage will increase to £11.44 per hour. Nearly three million "low-paid workers” will benefit and see an increase of 1,800 in their wages.

The national minimum wage will also rise from £8.60 an hour to £11.11 for those aged between 18 and 20.

The NDNA argued, since the national living wage was introduced, it has risen by 52-62 percent but the funding rate for early years providers has remained at 21 per cent.

According to Early Alliance, the early years education charity, 3000 nurseries were closed down by Ofsted last year due to financial pressures with many facing increased energy, food and staffing costs struggle to operate. The NDNA also reported a 50 per cent increase in nursery closures between 2022-23.

London Early Years Foundation CEO, June O'Sullivan, said while he welcomes the increase in the living wage, it will “only be effective if funding and provision are adequate as part of the Government's ambition to create the 'biggest expansion of childcare in history.”

She added: "If the sector is to survive, then Mr Hunt must keep his Spring Budget promise to parents and address the urgent workforce crises at this crucial time when every decision and every penny counts."

The Spring Budget will introduce a 30-hour free childcare scheme for parents with children aged between nine months and three years in 2025, but childcare providers are skeptical this will resolve the issue, especially at the current rate of funding.

Charlie Rosier, founder of Babbu, an early years education app for parent said: "Without any increased funding mentioned, this increase in overheads will put many more nurseries, already struggling, underwater."

The rise in the minimum wage might significantly impact providers as the staff wages account for around 75 percent of their costs.

Nadia Hewston, a retired teacher with 25 years of experience, said the increase in wages will "help the profession in terms of recruitment and retention of early years staff," but without funding, it will lead to a bigger issue.

She said: "In short the Government is seemingly responding to what school leaders are saying but school leaders are being left with an equally challenging conundrum."

"It’s not real investment. Early years leaders and staff are leaving in droves and this may be the final straw for many more."

Union Boss Accuses Reform UK Leader Of 'Harking Back To The 1940s' Over Immigration Comments

Richard Tice said large numbers moving to the UK were "changing the nature of our country".

By Kevin Schofield

HUFFPOST
26/11/2023 

UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea
DANNY LAWSON - PA IMAGES VIA GETTY IMAGES

The leader of the right-wing Reform UK party has been accused of “harking back to the 1940s” after he said high levels of immigration were “changing the nature of our country”.

Richard Tice clashed with Christine McAnea, general secretary of the Unison trade union, on BBC 1′s ‘Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg’.

The row came after official figures showed net migration - the difference between the numbers entering and leaving the UK - hit 672,000 in the year to June.

Tice said that was “changing the nature of our country, making us poorer financially and it’s making us poorer culturally”.

But McAnea said: “When I hear people saying things like ‘it will affect our country culturally’ - and I’ve heard you say it before - I don’t even know what that means because we are a country where people come from all over the world.

″I’m the grandchild of migrants from Ireland and my culture of probably very different from yours. It’s an appalling way to turn things into a culture war in this country.”

Asked what he meant, Tice replied: “That sense of Britishness, who we are, our heritage, our history, our Christian values and ethos. That is the base of our single British culture and that’s what we want people to unify under.

“We welcome sensible levels of immigration, but mass immigration - people living in silos, different cultures, is not good for our country.”

McAnea hit back: “This is like harking back to the 1940s or 1950s.”

But Tice said that was “absolute nonsense”

Richard Tice accused of ‘harking back to the 1940s’ during BBC appearance

During a grim spectacle on the BBC this morning, Richard Tice was pulled-up for saying that immigration has made the UK 'culturally poorer'.

 by Tom Head
2023-11-26 

Photo: Twitter

The leader of the Reform Party has been accused of using dangerous rhetoric, after he formed part of the panel on the BBC’s flagship political programme on Sunday. Richard Tice’s views on immigration were challenged staunchly by another guest.

Richard Tice upsets guests during contentious BBC appearance

Speaking to Laura Kuenssberg, Tice argued that mass immigration is making the UK ‘poorer economically and culturally’. The comments immediately rankled Christina McAnea, the General Secretary of Unison.

The pair argued vociferously, as Tice claimed that ‘Christian values and ethos’ form the basis of Britishness. He suggested that the country should aspire to live under one cultural identity, blasting the idea of multiculturalism.

“Immigration is changing the nature of our country. It’s making us poorer financially and culturally. We should live and operate under one British culture. Our heritage, our history, our Christian values – people should live under this identity.” | Richard Tice

Reform leader clashes with Unison leader live on-air

With Nigel Farage currently lapping-up all the delights of the Australian jungle, Mr. Tice said he’d welcome his help in making Reform a serious political choice at the next election. He even punted the idea of ‘President Farage’, seemingly forgetting how things work in the UK.

McAnea was somewhat horrified by the politician’s remarks. The union leader said that the statement ‘did not make sense’, and responded by saying that Tice was ‘harking back to the 1940s’. The exchange was certainly a tense one.

“When I hear people saying things like it’ll affect us culturally, I don’t know what that means. People come from all over the world to live here. I’m the grandchild of Irish immigrants. It’s an appalling thing to say… It’s like harking back to the 1940s.” | Christine McAnea

• You can watch the fiery discussion here: