UK
Activists kick off week of climate protests with banner drop on Westminster Bridge

Over 200 protests are set to take place across more than 50 countries

Chris Jarvis

 13 September, 2024 

On the morning of September 13, a group of climate activists marked the start of a week of protests by dropping a giant banner reading “#EndFossilFuels – Fast, fair, forever” on Westminster Bridge. The week of protest is billed as a ‘global week of action for climate financ and a fossil free future’.


From 13-20 September, activists from across the UK will join people in over 50 countries for more than 200 protests. Campaigners are using the week of action to call for governments to implement a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels and to provide finance to mitigate the damage already caused by the climate crisis.

Tyrone Scott, Senior Movement Building and Activism Officer at War on Want, said: “The UK government’s reliance on oil and gas is worsening climate breakdown with the UK already the second largest oil and gas producer in Europe — whilst continuing to expand fossil fuel operations.

“Now, with a new government in place, we need to raise pressure to ensure they make adequate commitments to tackle the climate crisis. This new government might be better at saying some of the right words when it comes to climate, but their actions must speak louder. We’re taking action over the next week to stand in solidarity with our global movements and partners — some of which are facing the worst effects of climate breakdown.”

In the UK, actions are will be led by groups including the Climate Justice Coalition, War on Want, Friends of the Earth Scotland, Fossil Free London, Fossil Free Parliament and Biofuelwatch. Demonstrations are set to take place in London, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Glasgow, Bradford, Manchester and other locations across the country.

The global week of action comes as world leaders and representatives embark on a series of crucial international summits. Campaigners see the upcoming UN General Assembly, the UN Summit of the Future and the Global Renewables Summit all taking place one after the other in September as crucial opportunities for global movements to push governments, international institutions and corporations to take action on the climate crisis.

Sally Clark, Divestment Campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “With record temperatures and extreme weather around the world, it’s never been more urgent for our councils and the Government to stop funding fossil fuel companies like BP, Shell and TotalEnergies that are driving climate breakdown and injustice around the world.

“For the sake of our planet, it’s vital for our politicians to divest from fossil fuels and say no to climate-wrecking projects like the Rosebank oil field and the proposed new gas power station in Peterhead.

“By instead investing in genuine climate solutions like social housing and wind and solar power, we can protect communities and ensure a liveable future for everyone.”

Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward

Nurseries in England say new rules have reduced care to ‘crowd control’

Anna Fazackerley
Sat 14 September 2024


Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson at a nursery in Croydon.Photograph: PA Images/Alamy

The first major study into the Conservatives’ controversial shake-up of childcare has revealed that nursery staff are often doing more “crowd control” than education, because of the increased number of children they are looking after.

Since September last year, nurseries in England have been allowed to increase child-to-staff ratios, so one adult now looks after five two-year-olds rather than four. The change was intended to help deliver the party’s pledge of 15 hours’ free childcare a week from this month for working parents of children aged from nine months to three years.

But according to the study, shared with the Observer, a third of staff (32%) at nurseries that followed the new guidelines feel that quality has been hit.

The survey of 152 early-years settings by researchers at Northampton and Nottingham Trent universities, heard from staff who felt they were now “simply firefighting”, with some admitting that arrangements for two-year-olds were no longer safe.

The findings will increase pressure on Labour, which has committed to double the number of free hours a week to 30 next September. Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has promised a “sea change” in early-years education, but critics warned that the situation will get worse unless nurseries can hire more staff.

Aaron Bradbury, lecturer in early childhood studies at Nottingham Trent University, who co-authored the research, said: “We found those who increased their ratios are often experiencing real problems, with children left to cry or hurting themselves because staff are overwhelmed.”

He said that many providers had “stuck to their principles” and refused to increase the number of children per adult, but with the sector in deep crisis and many nurseries closing, others had had to take more children “just to keep the lights on”.

Calling on the Labour government to conduct an urgent review following these “damning” results, Bradbury said: “This was only ever about cost-cutting, but parents want their children to be nurtured and safe.”

One practitioner who responded to the anonymous survey said: “It makes my role impossible.

“Instead of educating, I’m simply crowd control.”

She added that older pre-schoolers were often left to their own devices.

Another said: “We often find it difficult to give children the attention they need.”

She said that if one staff member had to go and change a nappy or help an injured child, their colleague would often be left in charge of so many children that it was “unsafe”.

A nursery director with 20 years’ experience agreed.

Staff were “more obviously stressed” under the new ratio, which meant they interacted with the children differently and, as a result, “­children are less happy and less engaged in play”.

Over a quarter of respondents (27%) said the change had harmed staff wellbeing, with many nursery heads reporting staff absent with sickness or stress, and more staff leaving. One director said staff were lasting an average of four to five months.

Another nursery director said: “Why would you work in such an incredibly stressful environment when you can stack shelves for more money?”

Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, which represents 14,000 providers of care and education to under-fives in England, said: “The sector is on its knees, and we have a recruitment and retention ­crisis worse than ever before, so ministers were out of their minds to increase ratios.”

Leitch said: “The [Conservative] government made this announcement about two-year-olds being entitled to 15 hours of free childcare a week and then thought, ‘How the hell are we going to deliver this?’.

“Nurseries shouldn’t just watch over children; we should help them develop.”

David Wright, co-founder of the Paint Pots group of 13 nurseries and pre-schools in Hampshire, which hasn’t increased ratios, said: “You’ve only got one pair of arms and can only respond to one child at a time.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We hear the concerns from the sector about the balance between managing finances, staffing and offering the places parents need.”

The spokesperson added that the staff-to-child ratios “are a minimum requirement – there is no obligation to adopt them”.

UK Boxing's shameful past retold in play

Neil Prior
BBC News

Theatr na nÓg
Kev McCurdy taught boxing moves to the cast

One of boxing's most shameful chapters will be retold in a new play.

Cuthbert Taylor was born in Merthyr Tydfil in 1909 and competed for Great Britain in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics.

But he was denied the right to fight for the British title because of the colour of his skin and, because his father was of Caribbean heritage, the British Boxing Board of Control, (BBBoC) deemed him "not white enough" to be British.

Now his story and that of the boxing's colour bar is being brought to life by director Kev McCurdy in The Fight.

Under the BBBoC’s colour bar, which ran from 1911 to 1948, boxers had to have been born to two white parents.

In a 20-year professional career Cuthbert won 151 bouts, drew 22 and lost 69.

The bantamweight and lightweight sold out Liverpool’s Anfield stadium for a drawn fight against US world champion Freddy Miller in aid of the 1935 Gresford Colliery disaster.

Yet even at the Olympics a referee officiated one of Cuthbert’s fights from outside of the ring as he did not want to come into contact with a black man.

Family photo
Cuthbert fought at the 1928 Olympics and had about 250 professional bouts

Cuthbert’s grandson, Nick Taylor, said the pain of the injustice lingers to this day.

"It was bad enough that it happened then, but the fact that the BBBoC still refuse to apologise for it to this day is utterly shameful," he said.

"It shows that they just don’t get the harm their predecessors did.

"We’re not after money or compensation, all we want is an acknowledgement that the colour bar was wrong, so we can allow Cuthbert to rest in peace."

BBBoC has been asked to comment.

Boxer's family want historical colour bar apology

'The black sporting heroes who changed our lives'

The black sportswomen you should know more abou


Written by Geinor Styles and directed by McCurdy, The Fight, produced by Theatr na nÓg, will play to more than 5,000 school children across south Wales from September to November at Swansea’s Dylan Thomas Theatre and Theatr Brycheiniog in Brecon.

McCurdy, a fight choreographer, has worked on Hollywood blockbusters, Netflix programmes and the West End version of hit series Stranger Things.

Now, he is set on righting a century-old wrong with his production.

Theatr na nÓg
Kev McCurdy has choreographed fight scenes in Hollywood, for TV and on the West End

McCurdy – the only person of colour to become a qualified combat choreographer in the UK – has worked on films including Disney’s John Carter and TV series such as Doctor Who, Torchwood and Hinterland.

He hopes The Fight will "shake the dust out" of this story.

“It’s gone on far too long and it’s not just Cuthbert, it’s the same with quite a few of the other boxers of that era, such as Len Johnson," he said.

"That level of injustice because of the colour of your skin went to the very top of society. The policy was even endorsed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and Winston Churchill.

"I’m a glass half-full person but seeing as the BBBoC have failed to respond to three statements in Parliament, I’m not holding my breath."

McCurdy, who was fostered as a baby to a white family, believes Styles was wise to target her script at school-age children aged nine and above.

"Kids need to see people like them and to think critically about the effects of racism on all of us, while their minds are still open enough to entertain ideas," he said.

"We haven’t softened or dumbed down the story at all. We’re dealing with injustice, grief, love and social friendships. My kids have grown up now, but it's a fact, young people can actually handle a lot more than what we think."

Theatr na nÓg
Simeon Desvignes, who plays Cuthbert, got boxing training as part of his preparation for the role

The bouts depicted in the play have been painstakingly reconstructed from newspaper reports of Cuthbert’s style, as well as the limited remaining photos and film.

But one of the biggest challenges was making the boxing scenes as believable as possible on stage.

"It's a lot easier in cinema and TV because you have body doubles and clever edits in post-production, but on the stage there’s nowhere to hide," said McCurdy.

"Of course we’re not fighting for real, but the actors all need to know how to box and understand the key moments so if they go wrong they can get back to a point where they can pick up the sequence again."

He added that performers do not hit each other hard, but the sound of the gloves aims to add realism.

Family photo
Although injured in later life, Cuthbert remained a jolly character until his death

For Nick, there will always be a grampy behind the boxer - who died in 1977 when Nick was seven.

"I remember him as such a kind, loving grandfather," he said.

"My grandmother ran the local shop, so there’d always be plenty of sweets and even though Cuthbert had badly injured his legs in an accident at the Hoover factory, he was still a happy, uncomplaining family man."

The Fight has been developed in consultation with Show Racism the Red Card and - if successful - there has been tentative interest about turning it into a film.

‘Inhumane’ treatment of migrants rounded up in UK’s failed Rwanda plan revealed

Aaron Walawalkar and Harriet Clugston

THE GUARDIAN
Sat 14 September 2024


Home Office immigration officers carry out a detention operation of migrants in May 2024. Photograph: Home Office/PA

The “inhumane” treatment of migrants rounded up in a “futile” operation for the now scrapped Rwanda scheme, has been laid bare in testimonies from Home Office staff that reveal force was used against distressed detainees.

Internal documents disclosed to the Observer and Liberty Investigates under the Freedom of Information Act also reveal four recorded instances of migrants attempting to harm themselves after being apprehended.

Dozens of migrants facing removal to Rwanda under the previous Conservative government were detained as part of a surprise initiative, Operation Vector, launched days before the 2 May local elections in England and Wales in what critics say was an “act of political theatre”.

The arrests continued until at least a week before Rishi Sunak announced the snap general election on 22 May. He said the next day that no flights would take off until after the election on 4 July. The Labour government subsequently scrapped the scheme.

The Operation Vector reports record how Home Office immigration enforcement officers used force 60 times between 30 April and 15 May, giving a rare glimpse into the dawn raids or detention of migrants as they showed up for routine reporting centre appointments.

The documents also include testimonies from security staff at the Harmondsworth immigration removal centre in west London that detail two cases of force being used on detainees who remained locked up weeks after the Rwanda scheme was postponed by Sunak.

The new government could be hit by costly compensation claims, with the charity Bail for Immigration Detainees preparing to mount legal action, arguing the detention of about 150 migrants the government wanted to send to Rwanda was unlawful, against Home Office policy, as it could not imminently remove them, and “political theatre”.

Home Office accounts show the department paid out £56.8m in compensation for more than 2,700 wrongful detentions in the five years before the Rwanda raids.

Fran Heathcote, general secretary for the Public and Commercial Services union, whose members include immigration enforcement officers, said the union “opposed the Rwanda scheme from the start because we knew it was inhumane as well as impractical”.

She added: “What also concerns us is the likelihood Rishi Sunak knew full well the Rwanda scheme was futile and causing distress to individuals but continued to push it ahead of the general election to make a political point.”

Campaigners say further physical and mental harm could be inflicted under Labour home secretary Yvette Cooper’s plan to increase deportations to 2018 levels – with a goal to remove thousands of migrants and refused asylum seekers by the end of the year.

Measures she announced last month include redeploying hundreds of caseworkers to process their cases and moving ahead with Conservative plans to reopen two immigration removal centres. Steve Smith, chief executive of the refugee charity Care4Calais, warned that Labour’s plans “simply means more despair”.

The Operation Vector documents reveal cases of officers restraining detainees and of others being held while in clear distress.

One enforcement officer wrote of intervening to prevent a man tying his coat around his neck while “screaming and crying” in the back of a van transporting him to a detention centre. In two other cases, officers described restraining detainees who were banging their heads against the walls of transportation vans, while a third was handcuffed after reportedly headbutting a windowsill.

In one case, the wife of a man being detained was described as becoming “very erratic/hysterical”. An officer wrote:“She was shouting and screaming on and off the floor […]A few of us needed to collectively push her out of the room… We collectively blocked the doorway so she wouldn’t get back in.”

On 29 April – the first day of the roundup – an officer reported striking an asylum seeker with a palm heel martial arts technique, pinning him to the ground and putting him in a wristlock after he attempted to escape while being escorted to a cell van.

Two weeks later, another officer wrote of using a pain-inducing wristlock technique on a vulnerable man who resisted being handcuffed after he turned up at a reporting centre.

One man became severely distressed after being handcuffed inside a reporting centre and sustained a cut to his wrist as he struggled, asking repeatedly to call his brother while “dry heaving and spitting on the floor”, according to a report.

The documents also offer an insight into how frustrations mounted inside Harmondsworth, where inspectors recently said conditions are the worst they have seen.

A spokesperson for Mitie, the private security contractor that runs the centre, said it has since taken “significant action” to address inspectors’ concerns and thatimprovements had “already been made”.

Related: Home Office ‘mostly consulted Rwandan officials’ in asylum plan safety report

Custody officers employed by Mitie used force on detainees who the government planned to send to Rwanda in two incidents as recently as 11 and 12 June – nearly three weeks after the scheme was paused before the election. Many migrants held across the country before potential deportation to Rwanda have reportedly since been released.

A spokesperson for Mitie said: “Use of force is only used as a last resort, and our accredited detention custody officers [DCOs] have all undergone specialist use-of-force training in line with Home Office guidance. With this accreditation, DCOs are lawfully permitted to apply use of force when it is reasonable, necessary and proportionate.”

Smith of Care4Calais said: “There is little doubt that the last government used the survivors of war, torture and modern slavery as political pawns as their polling plummeted.

“The Rwanda plan may have been scrapped, but the anxiety it caused will live with those who were forcibly detained by politicians willing to use human suffering as an electioneering tool.”

Sunak and the Conservative party were approached for comment. The Home Office declined to comment.

Gen Z leads drive to reverse Brexit


Exclusive: New poll shows support for taking a fresh look at Britain’s decision to leave the EU. Voters believe nearly everything has got worse as a result of Brexit, from the economy and cost of living to the NHS

Simon Walters
THE INDEPENDENT

Polling shows the public thinks Brexit has harmed the country (Getty)

If another referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU was held today it would result in Brexit being reversed, according to a new poll.

A clear majority of all voters say they would opt to rejoin the EU.

Strikingly, support for overturning the UK’s decision to cut its ties with Brussels among Generation Z – who were too young to take part in the 2016 referendum – is by a two-to-one margin.

The public thinks Brexit has made almost everything worse, from the economy to immigration, cost of living, NHS, wages, exports and Britain’s standing abroad to hopes of keeping Scotland and Northern Ireland in the union.

While Brexit has slipped in the league table of public concerns, a second referendum is seen as likely at some point.

The findings of a survey by Redfield & Wilton follow moves by Sir Keir Starmer to boost Britain’s connections with the EU.

Despite having been a strong opponent of Brexit, the prime minister has made it clear he has no intention of reviewing the decision based on a 52-48 majority in the referendum eight years ago.

Speaking to reporters in Wales, two days before July’s general election, Sir Kier said: “I’ve been really clear about not rejoining the EU, the single market, or the customs union, or returning to freedom of movement.

“I’ve been equally clear that I do think we can get a better deal than the botched deal we got under Boris Johnson – on the trading front, on research and development, and on security.”

Sir Keir’s supporters say a second referendum would be divisive and a distraction from his main target of repairing public finances and public services.

Other prominent Labour figures have been more outspoken.

In an interview with The Independent editor-in-chief Geordie Greig, former prime minister Sir Tony Blair said Brexit had failed and triggered “unprecedented mass immigration”.

Former PM Tony Blair told Independent editor-in-chief Geordie Greig the UK has weakened itself with Brexit (Independent)

The Redfield & Wilton survey gives fresh ammunition to those who say Brexit has not been a success.

A total of 56 per cent say they would vote to rejoin the EU if another referendum were to be staged today.

This includes nearly one in four (23 per cent) of those who voted Leave in 2016.

A total of 44 per cent say they would vote to stay out. This includes 17 per cent who voted Remain eight years ago.

In fact, the number wishing to rejoin has been even higher in the past. It has fallen by five per cent since June, before the election took place.

Among 18- to 24-year-olds, which includes Gen Z, a total of 61 per cent would vote to rejoin. Only 28 per cent would vote to stay out.

There is similar backing for re-entering the EU among 25- to 44-year-olds. Support for staying out of the EU is most prominent among the over-55s.

More than half (52 per cent) of voters want another Brexit referendum within five years, including 73 per cent of those who backed Remain in 2016.

A total of 34 per cent are opposed to a second referendum.

Among Gen Z, 61 per cent would vote to rejoin the EU (PA Archive)

For the first time since Redfield & Wilton began conducting such polls in 2021, voters think another referendum is likely in the next 10 years.

A total of 34 per cent said they expect a second referendum within a decade; 31 per cent disagreed.

Regardless of whether people want another referendum, they overwhelmingly believe things in Britain have deteriorated as a direct consequence of Brexit – right across the board.

Asked whether the economy is stronger or weaker than it otherwise would be had Brexit not occurred, 43 per cent said it is weaker; 22 per cent said it is stronger.

When questions were couched in similar terms on a wide range of other issues, it produced the same picture of a Brexit-induced decline:
39 per cent said immigration is higher because of Brexit against 21 per cent who said it is lower
58 per cent said the cost of living is higher against 18 per cent who said it is lower
31 per cent said wages are lower against 18 per cent who said they are higher
41 per cent said it had made it harder for Britain to sell goods abroad against 17 per cent who said it had made it easier
40 per cent said Britain had less influence on the world stage against 21 per cent who said it had more

By a small margin, voters think Brexit has made it more likely that Scotland will become independent (PA Archive)

Revealingly, the survey suggests voters believe they were misled by Brexiteers like Boris Johnson, who famously toured the nation in a red bus emblazoned with a slogan stating the NHS would get an extra £350m per week once the UK left the EU.

A total of 45 per cent say the NHS has got worse thanks to Brexit against just 13 per cent who say it has improved.

Asked whether Brexit had had a negative or positive effect on the UK so far, 34 per cent said it was negative against 31 per cent who said it was positive.

By a small margin, voters think Brexit has made it more likely that Scotland will become independent at some stage and that Northern Ireland will join the Republic of Ireland.

Notwithstanding the mainly downbeat poll verdict on Brexit, 35 per cent said it had given the UK more say over its affairs against 30 per cent who said the country had less say, in line with the Brexiteers’ “take back control” mantra.

And fewer than one in four regard Brexit as an “extremely” important issue.

Furthermore, although its current impact is viewed as negative, 38 per cent said they believe Brexit would have a positive outcome for Britain in future against 33 per cent who said it would be negative.

A total of 44 per cent said they viewed the 2016 referendum as the last word on Brexit against 40 per cent who said they did not believe it settled the matter.

Philip van Scheltinga, of Redfield & Wilton, said: “The poll numbers are certainly favourable for ‘rejoin’ but they do not suggest a slam dunk.

“While voters are mostly disappointed by Brexit, they have other priorities in mind.

“It’s up to the government to judge whether seeking to change the UK’s relationship with the EU is aligned with those higher priorities.”


Mr Van Scheltinga questioned whether Sir Keir would want to use his “hard-earned political capital” on reopening the Brexit debate and running the risk of getting “seriously bogged down” by it.

Redfield & Wilton interviewed 2,000 adults in Britain online on 19 August.

THE INDEPENDENT IS ANTI BREXIT AND PRO NEW REFEREDUM TO REJOIN EU

 

37 British MPs urge govt. to stop licensing for Israeli F-35

TEHRAN, Sep. 14 (MNA) – More than three dozen British parliamentarians have called on the government to account for its failure to suspend export licenses for F-35 parts that can end up being used in Israel’s nearly year-old war on Gaza.

In a letter on Friday, a group of 37 MPs wrote to the UK foreign secretary, defense secretary and business secretary to express their concerns about the continued licensing of F-35 fighter jet parts after the British government announced the suspension of only 30 licenses for the export of arms to Israel, PressTV reported.

The lawmakers said the partial ban on arms sales “does not go far enough,” and that the sales risk “continued UK complicity in Israel’s grave violations of international law in the illegally occupied West Bank and Gaza” as London has the autonomy to remove Tel Aviv from the list of approved recipients for the F-35 parts.

“The government has admitted it cannot license the direct transfer of F-35 components to Israel because of the clear risk of serious international humanitarian law violations,” they write.

“But it has not suspended licenses to export UK-made F-35 components to Israel as an end user via third-party countries including the United States. There are serious questions that we demand answers to about the legality and practical necessity of such an exemption.”

The group of MPs underlined in their letter that, “There appears to be no legal justification for the exemption,” and called for a “fuller and proper explanation to Parliament about how this exemption is practically necessary and most importantly – regardless of the practicalities – how it is consistent with the UK’s international obligations.”

Making the announcement about the partial ban last week, Foreign Secretary David Lammy claimed at the parliament that suspending the components “would undermine the global F-35 supply chain that is vital for the security of the UK, our allies and NATO.”

The exemption of the UK-made F-35 parts, which make up 15 percent of every fighter jet, raised major concerns among arms campaigners and human rights groups, including one that described it as “a workhorse of Israel’s brutal bombing campaign.”

Last week, Danish news outlet Information revealed that the Israeli military used an F-35 stealth fighter in a July 13 attack on a designated safe zone in Gaza which killed at least 90 people.

The United States and United Kingdom as well as their European allies have provided the Israeli regime with unstinting support in the fields of finance, intelligence and logistics since the occupying entity launched its merciless war in Gaza in October last year.

Israel’s bloody war machine has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians and wounded upwards of 95,000 others since October 7, 2023. The vast majority of the fatalities are women and children.

The savage campaign was launched after Gaza-based resistance groups carried out the historic Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the usurping entity in retaliation for the regime’s intensified atrocities.

SD/

News ID 221217

37 MPs demand explanation on failure to prevent F-35 fighter jet parts reaching Israel

Chris Jarvis 

13 September, 2024
Left Foot Forward

They said the government's position risks 'continued UK complicity in Israel's grave violations of international law in the illegally occupied West Bank and Gaza'

A group of 37 MPs have written to the foreign secretary, defence secretary and business secretary expressing concern about the continued licensing of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel. Their letter follows the government’s decision to suspend a small proportion of arms licenses to Israel.

In their letter, the MPs say that the partial ban on arms sales “does not go far enough” and that this risks “continued UK complicity in Israel’s grave violations of international law in the illegally occupied West Bank and Gaza”.

The continued licensing of parts for F-35 fighter jets has been one of the most contentious aspects of the government’s decision on arms exports to Israel. F-35 jets are currently operating in Gaza, with one having been confirmed to have carried out an attack which killed 90 people and injured at least 300.

In their letter, the group of MPs said that “there appears to be no legal justification for the exemption”, and has called for a “fuller and proper explanation to Parliament about how this exemption is practically necessary and most importantly – regardless of the practicalities – how it is consistent with the UK’s international obligations.”

British made F-35 components may still reach Israel as a result of a loophole in the government’s suspension of licenses. The government has restricted the licensing of exports of the components that are sent directly to Israel. However, it has exempted those which are first sent to other countries – such as the USA – before finally reaching Israel as the end-user.

The F-35 jet is described by its manufacture Lockheed-Martin as “the most lethal, survivable and connected fighter jet in the world”.

The government is coming under increasing pressure over its decision to only suspend some arms exports licences with Israel. Earlier this week, the TUC voted at its annual Congress to call on the government for a complete ban on arms sales.

The full list of MPs to sign the letter are as follows:

• Zarah Sultana (Independent)
• Diane Abbott (Labour)
• Shockat Adam (Independent)
• Apsana Begum (Independent)
• Sian Berry (Green)
• Kirsty Blackman (SNP)
• Richard Burgon (Independent)
• Ian Byrne (Independent)
• Ellie Chowns (Green)
• Jeremy Corbyn (Independent)
• Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru)
• Carla Denyer (Green)
• Mary Kelly Foy (Labour)
• Claire Hannah (SDLP)
• Adnan Hussain (Independent)
• Imran Hussain (Independent)
• Kim Johnson (Labour)
• Ayoub Khan (Independent)
• Ben Lake (Labour)
• Peter Lamb (Labour)
• Chris Law (SNP)
• Ian Lavery (Labour)
• Graham Leadbitter (SNP)
• Clive Lewis (Labour)
• Seamus Logan (SNP)
• Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru)
• Andy McDonald (Labour)
• John McDonnell (Independent)
• Abitsam Mohamed (Labour)
• Iqbal Mohamed (Independent)
• Grahame Morris (Labour)
• Brendan O’Hara (SNP)
• Adrian Ramsay (Green)
• Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour)
• Liz Saville-Roberts (Plaid Cymru)
• Nadia Whittome (Labour)
• Steve Witherden (Labour)

Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward

Image credit: Diliff – Creative Commons

 

WALES

Exclusive:

Tata Steel closure leaves 2,800 out of work - but could net bosses millions in profit

Indian-owned Tata Steel is set to close the last blast furnace at the historic Port Talbot steelworks by the end of the month with the loss of 2,800 jobs, but could be in line for millions in payouts

The Port Talbot closure will leave the UK as the only G20 country unable to make steel from scratch

By  Nick Sommerlad

Investigations Editor

MIRROR

14 Sep 2024

The owners of the doomed Port Talbot steel plant could be in line for a windfall worth tens of millions of pounds after closing the last UK blast furnaces, experts claim.

It comes after steelmaker Tata has raked in government subsidies of more than £1billion in the last four years in a failed bid to keep them open.

Indian-owned Tata will close the last furnace at the site by the end of the month with the loss of 2,800 jobs. It has been getting the equivalent of free “pollution permits” under the UK’s Emissions Trading Scheme. These were designed to protect heavily polluting UK industries like steel from cheap imports from countries with weaker environmental rules.

But the permits, if not needed, can also be sold on to other companies with heavy carbon emissions. Tata’s free permits for this year will be based on its emissions over the last two years. Net zero research firm Veyt said this means the firm will get more than it needs. Under the current rules Tata will be able to sell the excess for a windfall profit, though the Government is reviewing the rules.

Veyt spokesman Marcus Ferdinand said based on current prices Tata would get allowances “handed out in excess of the actual emissions” and they’d be worth “around £74 million”.

But Tata said there was “no certainty” on this year’s allocation and insisted that over four years it had received fewer emissions permits than it needed for the furnaces. It comes as a Sunday Mirror investigation with the Democracy for Sale organisation reveals the full scale of the help Tata has already received under the UK’s Emissions Trading Scheme which forces big polluters to obtain a permit for each tonne of carbon they emit.


The cost of the permits is meant to discourage firms from releasing greenhouse gases but critics say some firms are given free permits even after winding down operations, which they can sell for a profit to other companies.

The biggest winner in each of the last four years has been Tata Steel UK Limited – and almost all of its free allocations were for the Port Talbot plant, the UK’s biggest carbon emitter. This year, the company’s total free allocation is 4.9m permits, 4.6m of them for Port Talbot. Each permit, at current prices, is worth around £40.

Tata’s total allocation over four years was worth around £1.4bn based on average prices at the time. But the company says it has not been enough to save the loss-making plant.

The blast furnaces earn Tata 95% of its allocations and their closure will leave the UK as the only G20 economy unable to make steel from scratch.

The Government has agreed a £500m grant for Tata under a £1.25bn green modernisation plan to produce steel from scrap. A Government spokesperson said: “The UK Emission Trading Scheme is helping us deliver our mission for clean power by 2030.

 UK

Homes for All meeting demands council house building programme after Grenfell inquiry

Homes for All is a coalition of housing campaigners and organisations, tenants and the labour and trade union movement


A protest outside Kensington and Chelsea council the day of the Grenfell inquiry

 (Photo: Guy Smallman)

By Charlie Kimber
Saturday 14 September 2024

SOCIALIST WORKER  Issue

Renters and housing campaigners came together on Saturday for a Home for All meeting in the immediate aftermath of the Grenfell inquiry report.

Several speakers rammed home that unless there is significant pressure, the Labour government is set on schemes that offer essentially “more of the same”.

Labour promises to boost the supply of “affordable homes”. But so-called affordable rents are 30 to 40 percent higher than council rents. There are no targets in the development planning strategy for mass council house building.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to introduce a ten-year social housing rent rise formula in October’s Budget. It will increase annual rents in England by the CPI measure of inflation plus an additional 1 percent.

Homes for All wants no such rises. Council housing needs to be genuinely accessible for working class people.

The 2017 Grenfell fire summed up so many of the housing problems in Britain. At the meeting speakers called for action over building control, immediate removal of flammable cladding and support for tenants who raised concerns.

Grenfell also revealed a deep power imbalance. Tenants come up against uncaring and cost-cutting landlords, with disastrous results.

As author Peter Apps wrote, “The person who spoke out against the appointment of inexperienced architects Studio E for the tower’s refurbishment was tenant Eddie Daffarn. It was not any of the expensively assembled project consultants.


‘We still need justice’—reactions to the Grenfell inquiry report
Read More

“The person who raised the issue of evacuation from the tower, given the narrow staircase and malfunctioning smoke system? Not the internationally respected fire engineering consultancy appointed to produce a fire safety strategy, but the chair of the leaseholder’s association Shah Ahmed.

“Those who raised serious concern about fire door self-closers and the new plastic windows? Tenants such as Betty Kasote, Natasha Elcock and Marcio Gomes—not the official fire risk assessor or the clerk of works.

“The trouble was that the system did not give these people power. It did not give them status in the scrutiny process.”

The Homes for All meeting backed working with others for a protest on budget day, 30 October. The group has done powerful work arguing that migrants and refugees are not to blame for the housing crisis.

The meeting called for support for the anti-racist demonstration against Tommy Robinson on 26 October. There will also be a meeting at the Labour Party conference.
Join the campaign

Homes for All is a coalition of housing campaigners and organisations, tenants and the labour and trade union movement.

Together with Defend Council Housing, it puts forward a five-point plan to solve the housing crisisGovernment investment in a mass council housing building programme, including requisitioning of empty homes and the abolition of “right to buy”
Rent controls and secure tenancies in the private rental sector. Robust regulation of housing associations
New funding to repair and refurbish existing council housing—do not demolish
Adequate funding for accessibility, fire safety, and for retrofitting and thermal insulation
Planning for the people and the planet, and not for developers’ profits

For details go to x.com/homes4alluk and axethehousingact.org.uk/

  UK

Keir Starmer still committed to votes at 16 despite leaving policy out of King's Speech

The PM said he stood by Labour's manifesto pledge to reduce the voting age in all elections - adding over a million people to the electorate

The PM said Labour were still committed to the policy 

By Ashley Cowburn

Political Correspondent

THE MIRROR

14 Sep 2024

Keir Starmer has said he's still committed to introducing votes for 16 and 17-year-olds - despite the plans being missing from the King's Speech.

The PM said he stood by Labour's manifesto pledge to reduce the voting age in all elections - adding over a million people to the electorate.

But Mr Starmer argued at the time: "If you can work, if you can pay tax, if you can serve in your armed forces, then you ought to be able to vote."

Under existing laws the voting age at general elections is 18 - but different rules apply for local and devolved elections.

In both Scotland and Wales, 16 and 17-year-olds are able to cast a ballot in both local and devolved and local elections. In England and in Northern Ireland the age remains at 18.

 UK

Labour 'planning to water down 2030 diesel car ban' as hybrids set to evade ban until 2035

14 September 2024, 22:50

Labour is planning to back away from plans to ban the sale of diesel cars in 2030 - by allowing hybrid models to be sold until 2035. Picture: Alamy

By Chay Quinn

@chayquinn

Labour is planning to back away from plans to ban the sale of diesel cars in 2030 - by allowing hybrid models to be sold until 2035

In their manifesto, Sir Keir Starmer's party had vowed to ban petrol-powered cars in the next six years - but has now appeared to backtrack.

The document said that the party would ban the sale of “new cars with internal combustion engines” by 2030 as part of efforts to reach net zero.

Read More: ‘Scrap Net Zero target to fund NHS’ and don’t ‘tweet when drunk’, say Reform UK

The language had suggested that new hybrids – which uses a petrol or diesel engine in conjunction with a battery – would be covered by the ban.

In their manifesto, Sir Keir Starmer's party had vowed to ban petrol-powered cars in the next six years - but has now appeared to backtrack. Picture: Alamy

A government spokesperson told the Telegraph: “This government’s policy has always been to revert to the original 2030 phase out date for the sale of new vehicles with pure internal combustion engines.

“The original phase out date included the provision for some hybrid vehicle sales between 2030 and 2035. We will set out further details on this in due course.”

Conservative frontbencher Helen Whately said: “This new plan is the worst of both worlds. It doesn’t do much to drive down emissions and it’s moving too fast for businesses and motorists.

“Labour spent years in opposition telling everyone they’d give businesses certainty, but they’re backsliding within months.

“This dithering creates a huge headache for manufacturers and ultimately hurts economic growth.”

UK

Nigel Farage faces accusations he is spending more time in the United States than his Clacton constituency - after speaking alongside Putin supporter at glitzy event in Chicago

By Kamal Sultan
DAILY MAIL
14 September 2024 


Nigel Farage last night faced accusations that he is spending more time in the US than his constituency after his third trip to the country in two months.

The Reform UK leader was the main speaker at an event for the Heartland Institute think-tank in Chicago on Friday, where tables cost up to £38,000.

A politician from Austria who supports Vladimir Putin was among the speakers.

Mr Farage insisted last week he was in Clacton-on-Sea at least twice a week and was buying a home in the area. But locals claim they have hardly seen him since July's election.

Nigel Farage at a boxing show in London in July. The Reform UK leader was the main speaker at an event for the Heartland Institute think-tank in Chicago on Friday, where tables cost up to £38,000


Mr Farage campaigning in Clacton for the July General Election. Mr Farage insisted last week he was in Clacton-on-Sea at least twice a week and was buying a home in the area. But locals claim they have hardly seen him since July's election

A poster put up by Led By Donkeys in Clacton displaying the amount Mr Farage has earned from other jobs

Martin Suker, 31, who campaigns for Clacton Labour, accused Mr Farage of 'swanning off over the Atlantic' rather than doing the duties he was elected for.

'I hear complaints all the time,' he said.

'There's no office or staff sorted, his emails don't get responded to.'

Carla Lewis, 43, added: 'He needs to do more than having a pint in Wetherspoons once in a while.'

Last night, a spokesman for Mr Farage said: 'Nigel told the people of Clacton that he would spend some time in America if elected. They gave him a majority of 8,405.'

Greater Anglia and West Midlands could be first nationalised trains under Labour

The operators’ core contracts end on Sunday, meaning the Government can end their deals with 12 weeks’ notice.


West Midlands Railway could be nationalised (Aaron Chown/PA)

David Hughes

Train operators Greater Anglia and West Midlands’ core contract terms expire today, potentially putting the services on course to be the first ones nationalised by the Labour government.

The ending of the core term of their contracts means Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has the power to terminate their deal with 12 weeks’ notice.

She is not expected to act until the Government’s nationalisation legislation completes its passage through Parliament.

But she said she would be “wasting no time” in bringing services back under public ownership.

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh vowed to end the ‘wasteful and fragmented’ franchise system (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

These are the first two operators to reach the end of their core terms since Labour came to power in July.

The operators’ full contracts are not due to expire until September 2026.

But Ms Haigh said: “For too long our broken railways have failed passengers day in day out with delays and cancellations.

“That’s why I am laser focused on overhauling the railways and wasting no time in bringing train operating companies back under public ownership where they belong.

“As soon as our public ownership Bill is on the statute book, we will be starting the process of public ownership by serving notice on these operators – putting an end to our wasteful and fragmented privatised railway and delivering for passengers.”

The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill has already been rushed through the House of Commons and is due to be debated in the Lords for the first time on October 7.

The legislation means the Government will take over services from private firms as their franchises expire.

UNTIL IT'S LAW 

THIS IS A GLOBAL UNION ISSUE

More than half of British women would quit their jobs tomorrow to work for a company that lets them WFH while on their period

By Meike Leonard

14 September 2024 

Over half of British women say they would quit their job tomorrow to work at a company which lets them work from home while on their period.

While 84 per cent of women said they continue to work despite feeling unwell during their period, 70 per cent had workplaces that offered no menstrual or hormonal health support, according to a new study.

Of the 2,100 women surveyed, 86 per cent said they had reduced energy and focus owing to their menstrual cycle.

More than half said their mental wellbeing and stress levels were impacted during their period, while just under half reported that their productivity also declined.

While menstrual cycle symptoms vary greatly, many women experience physical symptoms such as abdominal cramps, backache, nausea, fatigue, bloating and headaches during their period.

More than half said their mental wellbeing and stress levels were impacted during their period

They can also experience mental side-effects throughout their menstrual cycle – including mood swings, anger and anxiety.

These are often because of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or premenstrual tension (PMT) and occur before the period starts.

Read More
Step-by-step guide on how to master your hormones during your cycle by menstrual health expert DR COLLEEN FOGARTY-DRAPER

For women with menstrual conditions such as endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), these symptoms can be debilitating, causing some to have to miss work or school.

The new survey, carried out by healthy-eating platform Lifesum, found that 52 per cent of women would leave their workplace for a job that provided better menstrual health support at work.

And 72 per cent said they would like to see workplaces institute more flexible work arrangements.

‘This new data highlights why workplaces must address the unique health needs of their female employees,’ says Wesleigh Roeca, Lifesum’s workplace wellbeing director.

‘To create a more inclusive and supportive work environment, we encourage organisations to adopt a policy that offers flexible work hours, additional healthcare coverage, paid leave for conditions like menopause and endometriosis, and support for pregnancy and fertility challenges.’

How the world’s smelliest fruit is making coffee more expensive

Jake Lapham
BBC News



How much is too much for a caffeine fix?

Prices like £5 in London or $7 in New York for a cup of coffee may be unthinkable for some - but could soon be a reality thanks to a "perfect storm" of economic and environmental factors in the world's top coffee-producing regions.

The cost of unroasted beans traded in global markets is now at a "historically high level", says analyst Judy Ganes.

Experts blame a mix of troubled crops, market forces, depleted stockpiles - and the world’s smelliest fruit.

So how did we get here, and just how much will it impact your morning latte?

In 2021, a freak frost wiped out coffee crops in Brazil, the world's largest producer of Arabica beans - those commonly used in barista-made coffee.

This bean shortfall meant buyers turned to countries like Vietnam, the primary producer of Robusta beans, that are typically used in instant blends.

But farmers there faced the region’s worst drought in nearly a decade.

Climate change has been affecting the development of coffee plants, according to Will Firth, a coffee consultant based in Ho Chi Minh City, in turn impacting bean yields.

And then Vietnamese farmers pivoted to a smelly, yellow fruit - the durian.


Stocks of coffee in Vietnam are "near depleted", and a new harvest season is still two months away


The fruit - which is banned on public transport in Thailand, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong because of its odour - is proving popular in China.

And Vietnamese farmers are replacing their coffee crops with durian to cash in on this emerging market.

Vietnam's durian market share in China almost doubled between 2023 and 2024, and some estimate the crop is five times more lucrative than coffee.

"There’s a history of growers in Vietnam being fickle in response to market price fluctuations, overcommitting, and then flooding the market with quantities of their new crop," Mr Firth says.

As they flooded China with durian, Robusta coffee exports were down 50% in June compared to the previous June, and stocks were now "near depleted", according to the International Coffee Organisation.

Exporters in Colombia, Ethiopia, Peru and Uganda have stepped up, but have not produced enough to ease a tight market.

"Right at [the] time when things started to rev up for demand of Robusta, is right when the world was scrambling for more supply," explains Ms Ganes.

This means Robusta and Arabica beans are now trading at near-record highs on commodity markets.


A brewing market storm


Is the shifting global coffee economy actually impacting the price of your coffee on a high street? The short answer: potentially.

Wholesaler Paul Armstrong believes coffee drinkers may soon face the "crazy" prospect of paying more than £5 in the UK for their caffeine fix.

“It’s a perfect storm at the minute.”

Mr Armstrong, who runs Carrara Coffee Roasters based in the East Midlands, imports beans from South America and Asia, which are then roasted and sent to cafés around the UK.

He tells the BBC he recently increased his prices, hoping it would account for the higher asking prices - but says costs have “only intensified” since.

He adds that with some of his contracts ending in the coming months, cafés he serves will soon have to decide whether to pass the higher costs on to their customers.

Mr Firth says some segments of the industry will be more exposed than others, though.

"It’s really the commercial quantity coffee that will experience the most disuption. Instant coffee, supermarket coffee, stuff at the gas station - that's all going up."

Industry figures caution that a high market price for coffee may not necessarily translate into higher retail prices.

Felipe Barretto Croce, CEO of FAFCoffees in Brazil, agrees that consumers are "feeling the pinch" as consumer prices have risen.

But he argues that is "mostly due to inflationary costs in general", such as rent and labour, rather than the cost of beans. Consultancy Allegra Strategies estimates beans contribute less than 10% of the price of a cup of coffee.

Why Starbucks cannot crack coffee-loving Vietnam

Key crops face major shifts as world warms

"Coffee is still very cheap, as a luxury good, if you make it at home."

He also says that the cost of lower-quality beans rising means high-quality coffee may now be seen as better value.

"If you go into a speciality coffee shop in London and get a coffee, versus a coffee in Costa Coffee, the difference [in price] between that cup and the speciality coffee is much smaller than it used to be."

But there is hope of price relief on the horizon.

Losing future ground


The upcoming spring crop in Brazil, which produces a third of the world's coffee, is now "crucial", according to Mr Croce.

"What everyone is looking at is when the rains will return," he says.

"If they return early, the plants should be healthy enough and the flowering should be good."

But if the rains come as late as October, he adds, yield predictions for next year’s crop will fall and market stress will continue.

In the long term, climate change poses serious challenges for the global coffee industry.


Coffee crops in Sao Paolo, Brazil, were destroyed by a freak frost in 2021


A study from 2022 concluded that even if we drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the area most highly suited for growing coffee could decline by 50% by 2050.

One measure to future-proof the industry that has the support of Mr Croce is a "green premium" - a small tax levied on coffee given to farmers to invest in regenerative agricultural practices, which help protect and sustain the viability of farmlands.

So while smelly fruit is partly responsible for price rises now - a changing climate may ultimately strain the affordability of coffee in the years to come.

City recycles more than 2.3 million coffee pods

City of cafes: Shanghai’s lo