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Defence secretary ‘furious’ as he orders review of MoD diversity and inclusivity policy | Politics News

The defence secretary is said to be “furious” after it was reported the British Army wants to relax security clearance vetting for overseas recruits to boost diversity and inclusion.

The UK’s armed forces are looking overseas to boost ethnic minority representation because they have consistently failed to hit recruitment targets, according to The Sunday Telegraph.

The paper said it had seen a document, titled The British Army’s Race Action Plan, which outlines a series of “actions” to boost representation and describes security checks as “the primary barrier to non-UK personnel gaining a commission in the army”.

The guidance reportedly vows to “challenge SC [security clearance] requirements” to increase representation in the intelligence and officer corps, roles which have “uncontrolled access to secret assets”.

Pic: PA
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps arrives in Downing Street, London, for a Cabinet meeting. Picture date: Tuesday February 6, 2024.
Image:
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps. Pic: PA

Grant Shapps was reportedly “furious” about the findings and was “ready to go to battle”.

“I am ordering a review of diversity and inclusivity policy at the MoD (Ministry of Defence),” the defence secretary told the paper.

“We want people from all backgrounds to serve in our military but some policies appear to be more about a political agenda than practically improving the lives of our dedicated soldiers and military personnel.

“There will certainly not be any lowering of security clearance requirements on my watch.

“And no one should be offended by having religion as part of remembrance services. You don’t have to be Christian to appreciate and respect the history and traditions of the United Kingdom.”

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An MoD source told the paper: “There are personnel issues that need addressing in the armed services but some of these policies are about a woke agenda and extreme critical race theories.

“These are leftist ideas that have leaked into the civil service and they are at best a distraction and at worst poisoning the wider discussion.”

Read more:
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Minister rejects claims army will shrink after danger warning
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UK ‘won’t hesitate to respond’ to Houthi attacks

‘Lunacy of pushing woke ideas’

Twelve former senior military officers lambasted the relaxed vetting policy as “dangerous madness” in an open letter to the defence secretary.

“Among the lunacy of pushing woke ideas around the use of ‘gender neutral’ pronouns, or allowing male soldiers to wear make-up or flowing locks on parades to accentuate their feminine side, we pick out the wickedness of a policy to dilute security vetting in order to boost representation of ethnic minorities,” they wrote.

“With Islamism and other extremism rampant, this is nothing short of dangerous madness.”

An MoD spokesperson said: “Our priority is protecting the national security of the United Kingdom and ensuring the operational effectiveness of our armed forces.

“We take security extremely seriously and ensure that all personnel have the appropriate security clearance, which is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.”

Home Secretary James Cleverly defends delay in plan to toughen up zombie knives ban | Politics News

Home Secretary James Cleverly has defended the government’s delay in announcing legislation to toughen up a ban on zombie knives.

The government is introducing new legislation on Thursday to “close the loophole” on the weapons, which were first banned in 2016.

However, it is still common for them to appear in knife crime cases, with actor Idris Elba one of the latest to lend his voice to the campaign to get them banned further.

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Ministers are aiming to make it harder for the weapons to be sold legally, aiming for it to be against the law to possess, sell, manufacture or transport the blades.

Zombie knives are defined in law as blades with a cutting edge, a serrated edge and “images or words that suggest that it is to be used for the purpose of violence”.

The government announced five months ago that they planned to introduce tougher regulations.

Asked why it had taken so long, Mr Cleverly said: “We have already taken action to make the carrying of zombie knives illegal.

“When I became home secretary, I made the immediate decision to go further to put forward this secondary legislation to support what we’ve already done to make the possession of zombie knives illegal and to close that loophole.

“So I’m very pleased we’re taking action now, and we’ll be determined to get these knives off the streets.”

A surrender scheme will be introduced ahead of the new regulations coming into force in September.

The government also wants tougher penalties for those who possess the knives – increasing the maximum sentence from six months to two years.

Read more:
Govt considering longer sentences
Teenagers jailed after 16-year-old killed with ninja sword

zombie knives
Image:
The government wants to close loopholes on zombie knives. Pic: PA

Labour promises ‘no more weak warnings’

As Mr Cleverly made the announcement, the Labour Party said it would launch a £100m plan to tackle knife crime if it were to enter government.

The party also promised “real consequences” for knife crime – and an end to the “empty warnings and apology letters” for those guilty of knife possession

“Too many young people are being drawn into squandering their life chances by getting involved in crime. A government that I lead won’t think we can press release away soaring youth crime,” Sir Keir Starmer said.

Reacting to the announcement from Mr Cleverly, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper added: “Six Tory home secretaries have promised these changes, and still they don’t go anywhere near far enough and don’t match Labour’s plans for a comprehensive ban.

“Dangerous weapons like ninja swords, which have been used to kill teenagers, will still be available on Britain’s streets.

“Still, law-breaking online platforms who profit from these illegal sales are being let off with a slap on the wrist instead of facing criminal sanctions. Labour would close these glaring loopholes in the government’s plans.”

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‘Not a black issue, not a London issue’

Home Office minister Chris Philp branded the Labour plans as “just another reheated pledge from the Labour Party using money they have already spent seven times”.

He added: “They cannot say what their plan actually is. Because just like their reckless £28 billion-a-year spending spree they don’t have a plan – meaning higher taxes for the British people.”

Cabinet secretary Simon Case back at work after missing COVID inquiry, reshuffle and Rwanda row | Politics News

Simon Case, the head of the civil service, has returned to work after more than two months on sick leave.

The cabinet secretary, who has not publicly disclosed his illness, has been attending meetings in the last few days, the Politics At Jack And Sam’s Podcast revealed today.

Mr Case was originally due to be off for four weeks from 23 October but this period was extended through the rest of the autumn.

Listen to the podcast below for more on Simon Case and a look ahead at the week’s political news.

He was unable to attend as a witness before the COVID inquiry, although Heather Hallett, the COVID inquiry chair, said he will still be asked to give evidence to the inquiry at a later date.

She allowed him to skip his scheduled questioning after reviewing his medical records.

Mr Case was also absent during a reshuffle and the constitutional and political turmoil of the Rwanda Bill, while the civil service received criticism for factually inaccurate social media posts over the legal immigration change.

More on Politics At Jack And Sam’s Podcast

Some senior figures in government had been unsure whether he would ever return to the critical role.

However, he attended a gathering of permanent secretaries at an away day before Christmas and has been seen in meetings in the last few days.

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At this point, he indicated that while still recovering, he expected to return at some point.

Civil servants have not been informed more widely that Mr Case is back at work, however, and there is some anger about being kept in the dark.

The job had been split between four different permanent secretaries in his absence.

NHS ‘doesn’t just belong to junior doctors’, says health secretary as strikes continue | Politics News

The NHS “doesn’t just belong” to striking junior doctors and can’t be “switched on and off on whim”, the health secretary said.

Victoria Atkins turned up the heat in the government’s row with the British Medical Association (BMA) as their record-breaking walk-out continues.

Junior doctors in England are in the middle of a six-day strike over pay and conditions, the longest industrial action in NHS history.

A number of hospitals in England have pleaded for medics to leave picket lines and get back to work due to safety concerns, also known as derogation requests.

But this has sparked a row as the BMA has suggested the requests are “politically motivated”.

Ms Atkins promised to start talks with the BMA “in 20 minutes” if the strikes were called off.

Speaking on a visit to London Ambulance Service, she told the PA news agency: “I’ve said throughout this that, please, to the junior doctors’ committee, the moment you call off the strikes, I’ll get back around the table with you within 20 minutes.”

She said the strikes have to be called off for negotiations to happen, “because the NHS belongs to us all”.

“It doesn’t just belong to the junior doctors’ committee, and for the 1.3 million people who work in the NHS, as well of course for the tens of millions of people it looks after, the NHS cannot be switched on and off on whim.”

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The longest strike in NHS history

However, the BMA hit back calling it a “political choice” for Downing Street to “stick rigidly to its dogma of not negotiating while strikes are planned”.

Professor Philip Banfield, BMA council chairman, said: “In the past, the government waived this principle for the barrister strikes, so there is no reason for them to waste time and money by refusing to talk now.

“We are clear: we are ready to talk 24/7. Get back around the table, give us a credible offer and we can end these strikes right now.”

The government gave junior doctors an 8.8% pay rise last summer, with an extra 3% offered during the last round of negotiations towards the end of the year.

 Victoria Atkins MP
Image:
Victoria Atkins MP

But the BMA rejected the 3% offer, saying it does not make up for a real-term pay cut of nearly a quarter for junior doctors since 2008.

They want full pay “restoration” to reverse real-term cuts in pay since 2008-9, a new pay mechanism to prevent any future pay decreases against inflation and the cost of living, and a reformed pay review body to “safeguard recruitment and retention of junior doctors”.

The strikes are a headache for Rishi Sunak as the UK enters an election year.

The prime minister has staked his premiership on five key pledges which include cutting NHS waiting lists.

Although the backlog was at a record high before the industrial action broke out, over one million appointments have been cancelled or rescheduled due to strike action by junior doctors and other workers in the NHS in the past year.

Read More:
Junior doctors start their longest strike in NHS history – here’s what they want

While the government has managed to resolve other disputes, with a new pay offer recently made to senior doctors, the row with junior medics is showing no signs of abating.

More than 20 derogation requests have been submitted to the BMA for this round of strikes, but so far none have been approved.

Junior doctors and members of the British Medical Association (BMA) outside St Thomas' Hospital, London, as they take to picket lines for six days during their continuing dispute over pay. Picture date: Wednesday January 3, 2024.

The union said that NHS England and some trusts are refusing to provide evidence that they have undertaken steps to show they have “exhausted” all other sources of staffing before recalling medics from the picket line.

In a letter to NHS bosses, the BMA accused health leaders of misusing the system and bowing to political pressure to undermine the strike.

NHS England said they will “continue to engage with the BMA in good faith” and they will address the process for considering patient safety mitigations.

Ms Atkins, echoing Mr Sunak’s comments earlier on Thursday, said she backed NHS leaders in making the mitigation requests but this is being done “completely independent of government”.

She said the strikes are having “very serious consequences”, with 88,000 appointments cancelled during the last set in December.

Health officials have warned that this strike will be worse because it coincides with one of the busiest weeks of the calendar year, due to a rising tide of winter bugs and people storing up problems over the Christmas break.

On the first day of the strike on Tuesday, critical incidents were declared at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth and by the NHS in Nottingham.

Meanwhile more than a dozen hospitals said that emergency services were busy, with some reporting “extreme heightened pressure”.

Home Secretary James Cleverly apologises after joking about spiking his wife’s drink | Politics News

James Cleverly has apologised after joking about putting a date rape drug in his wife’s drink in comments made at a Downing Street reception within hours of the Home Office announcing plans to crack down on spiking.

The home secretary told female guests “a little bit of Rohypnol in her drink every night” was “not really illegal if it’s only a little bit”, the Sunday Mirror reported.

Mr Cleverly also laughed that the secret to a long marriage was ensuring your spouse was “someone who is always mildly sedated so she can never realise there are better men out there”.

Read more:
Drink spiking laws to be modernised, Home Office says

The home secretary and his wife Susie have two children.

Conversations at Downing Street receptions are usually understood to be “off the record” but the Sunday Mirror decided to break the convention because of Mr Cleverly’s position and the subject matter.

A spokesperson for Mr Cleverly said: “In what was always understood as a private conversation, James, the Home Secretary, tackling spiking, made what was clearly meant to be an ironic joke – for which he apologises.”

The home secretary has previously described tackling violence against women and girls as a “personal priority” and called spiking – when someone puts drugs into another person’s drink or directly into their body without their knowledge or consent – a “perverse” crime.

Senior Labour figures criticised Mr Cleverly’s “appalling” comments, with Alex Davies-Jones, shadow minister for domestic violence and safeguarding, saying: “‘It was a joke’ is the most tired excuse in the book and no one is buying it.

“If the home secretary is serious about tackling spiking, and violence against women and girls, then that requires a full cultural change. The ‘banter’ needs to stop and it has to start at the top.”

Read more from Sky News:
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Home Office rows back on plans to hike family visa salary threshold

‘Truly unbelievable’

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Spiking is a disturbing and serious crime which is having a devastating impact on young women’s lives. It is truly unbelievable that the home secretary made such appalling jokes on the very same day the government announced new policy on spiking.

“It suggests that despite being the cabinet minister ultimately responsible for tackling violence against women and girls he doesn’t get how serious this is. Victims will understandably be questioning if they can trust him to take this vile crime seriously.”

Police receive 561 spiking reports a month

Ministers pledged to modernise the language used in legislation to make clear spiking is a crime and announced a series of other measures as part of a crackdown, but stopped short of making spiking a specific offence.

There were 6,732 reports of spiking in England and Wales – including 957 reported incidents of needle spiking – between May 2022 and April 2023.

On average police receive 561 reports of spiking a month, with the majority being made by women typically after incidents in or near bars and nightclubs, according to a Home Office report.

Home Secretary James Cleverly heads to Rwanda to sign new asylum treaty | Politics News

James Cleverly is travelling to Rwanda to sign a new treaty for the government’s asylum plan.

It is part of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s mission to make the deal to send migrants there legally watertight following the Supreme Court’s ruling against the scheme.

In the wake of the judgement on 15 November the government insisted it had been working on contingency measures and promised a treaty with Rwanda within days, along with emergency legislation in parliament.

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Mr Cleverly said Rwanda “cares deeply about the rights of refugees” and he looks forward to meeting counterparts and signing the deal.

The home secretary said: “We are clear that Rwanda is a safe country, and we are working at pace to move forward with this partnership to stop the boats and save lives.

“The Supreme Court recognised that changes may be delivered in future to address the conclusions they reached – and that is what we have set out to do together, with this new, internationally recognised treaty agreement.

“Rwanda cares deeply about the rights of refugees, and I look forward to meeting with counterparts to sign this agreement and further discuss how we work together to tackle the global challenge of illegal migration.”

There has been speculation Rwanda is pushing to get more money on top of the £140m already committed to the scheme.

The Sunday Times reported Kigali will be given a £15m top-up payment to agree fresh terms on its agreement with the UK.

Read more:
What is the government’s Rwanda plan and what will they do next?

Rwanda map

Mr Sunak met Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame on the sidelines of the COP28 climate talks in Dubai on Friday, but declined afterwards to say how much more money he would spend to make the scheme a success.

Downing Street insisted there had been no demand for extra money from Rwanda, with the prime minister’s official spokesman saying: “Certainly I don’t recognise that figure of £15m, there’s been no request for additional funding for the treaty made by Rwanda, or not offered by the UK government.”

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Cleverly announces immigration plan

It comes after Mr Cleverly laid out his five-point plan to cut immigration, which included banning care workers from bringing their families over to the UK and raising the minimum salary required for a skilled worker visa.

Under his five-point plan, Mr Cleverly said he will:

• Stop health and care workers bringing their dependants to the UK;

• Increase the skilled worker earnings threshold by a third to £38,700, in line with the median full-time wage;

• Scrap “cut-price” labour by stopping shortage occupations being able to pay 20% less than the going rate and reforming the shortage occupation list;

• Raise the minimum income for family visas to £38,700 from £26,200 from next spring; and

• Ensure the Migration Advisory Committee reviews the graduate immigration route to prevent abuse.

He said the government would also increase the health surcharge this year by 66%, from £624 to £1,035.

Read more from Sky News:
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Mr Cleverly said around 120,000 dependants accompanied 100,000 care workers in the year up to September.

“In total, this package, plus our reduction in students dependants will mean around 300,000 fewer people will come in future years than have come to the UK last year,” he told MPs.

Israel-Gaza war: ‘Highly likely’ hostages held by Hamas include Britons, says Defence Secretary Grant Shapps | Politics News

Britons are “highly likely” to be among those held by Hamas in Gaza, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has told Sky News.

The cabinet minister revealed the UK had also sent additional intelligence personnel to the region as part of efforts to release those captured or assist citizens trapped in the besieged enclave.

His comments came just before Hamas claimed Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip had killed 13 hostages, including foreigners, held by the group.

The UK is sending RAF aircraft and Royal Navy ships to the eastern Mediterranean to support Israel and “send a signal” to the wider region in the wake of the surprise attack by militants on Saturday, which has unleashed a conflict that has already claimed at least 2,700 lives.

Pressed over whether UK citizens were among those kidnapped by insurgents and held in Gaza, Mr Shapps said: “It seems very likely that there are. We don’t have exact data on that for obvious reasons.

“But within Gaza, there will also be Brits, or possibly people with dual nationalities as well.

“The prime minister has spoken to the Egyptian president about using that border to get people out.

“The situation is far from clear.

“It’s one of the reasons, as I mentioned before, we’ve sent additional personnel, intelligence personnel, in order to assist with exactly those types of operations.”

Mr Shapps added: “It is highly likely – no one will know for sure – that there are… either British nationals or people with a joint nationality involved in the hostage situation that has been reported previously.”

Read more:
Follow the latest on Israel-Hamas war

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Gaza hospitals ‘risk turning into morgues’

Shapps defends ‘substantial’ UK support

To date, at least 1,300 Israelis have died while 1,417 Palestinians, including 447 children, have been killed in retaliatory strikes in Gaza – where electricity, water and fuel have been cut off.

The Foreign Office said flights have been organised to get British nationals out of Israel, with the first plane for “vulnerable” people expected to depart today.

The military force being deployed by the UK to the region includes P8 surveillance aircraft, two Royal Navy ships – Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) vessels Lyme Bay and Argus – three Merlin helicopters and a company of Royal Marines.

Critics have highlighted the UK force will be a token gesture compared to the support provided by the US.

But Mr Shapps said: “We do in fact have warships in the region if we needed to, but we don’t want to escalate the situation.

“What we want to do is assist and by working with our friends and allies.

“That is exactly what this is intended to do.

“We are also… thickening or bolstering our intelligence gathering with people on the ground throughout the region as well.

“So our input is actually quite substantial and working in hand-in-glove with our allies and particularly the Americans in this case.”

He went on: “It’s intelligence, surveillance and really a signal to the wider region and perhaps those actors who might now try to exploit this terrorist, Hamas situation.”

Read more on this story:
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How negotiators will be working to free Hamas hostages

Gaza ground offensive will be ‘high-risk’ for Israel

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Sky News visits site of music festival massacre

‘Israel is doing all it can to warn people’

Mr Shapps also insisted Israel had the right to defend itself when questioned over the evacuation order for more than a million Palestinians to move to the south of Gaza in the next 24 hours, in the face of a possible ground offensive.

He said: “Israel, unlike Hamas – who again, and I saw this at NATO where we had a full briefing on what happened, including seeing some very distressing video of Hamas beheading people, murdering people, showing off the bodies and dragging them through the street, raping people – unlike that terrorist organisation, Israel is doing all it can to provide advance notice and warning in order that they can go after those terrorists who carried out those actions, and by the way have taken hostages as well.

“Hamas can bring all of this to an end, they can release the hostages, they can recognise not just Israel, [but also] remove from their founding charter the principle of eradicating all Jews from the Earth.”

He added: “Israel on the other hand has the perfect right to defend itself. It is doing that in a manner which is giving people warning in advance when they are going to go after areas.”

At home, the government also announced it would provide an extra £3m in funding to bolster security at Jewish schools following reports some had been forced to close over fears of the safety of pupils.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman questions whether international migration rules are ‘fit for purpose’ | Politics News

The home secretary has questioned whether international migration rules and conventions designed more than a century ago are “fit for purpose” ahead of a major speech in the United States.

Suella Braverman suggested a shake-up of international rules could be needed to tackle the migrant crisis.

She warned a failure to address the problem will undermine the “democratic legitimacy” of political institutions.

Ms Braverman has previously stated her personal view that the UK should leave the European Convention on Human Rights signed in 1950, which she has blamed for hampering efforts to introduce tough policies, such the Home Office bid to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Critics of her approach also questioned its compliance with the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention.

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‘Will you electronically tag migrants?’

Ahead of her trip, the home secretary said: “Illegal migration and the unprecedented mass movement of people across the globe is placing unsustainable pressures on America, the UK, and Europe.

“We must come together and ask whether the international conventions and legal frameworks designed 50-plus years ago are fit for purpose in an age of jet travel and smartphones.

“I’m going to Washington to discuss this crisis with our American counterparts.

“If we fail to meet these challenges, then our political institutions risk losing their democratic legitimacy.”

Ms Braverman will travel to Washington on Monday and deliver a keynote speech on Tuesday setting out her assessment of the global migration challenges.

She will present a blueprint for how other countries can combat the crisis and claim the UK has led the way in bringing forward innovative approaches to tackle the problem.

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Almost 24,000 people have been detected crossing the English Channel so far this year, despite Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s promise to “stop the boats” – though the figure is down from 2022.

The Rwanda scheme has been bogged down in legal battles, while an attempt to house people waiting for claims to be assessed on a barge in Dorset is paused after Legionella was discovered on board.

Ms Braverman is expected to also use her trip to seek closer co-operation with US authorities on tackling illegal migration and people traffickers.

Rishi Sunak watering down green pledges not a ‘cynical ploy’ but what is ‘right’, says business secretary | Politics News

Rishi Sunak’s watering down of climate pledges is not a “cynical ploy” – but is rather the prime minister doing “what is right”, Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch has said.

Last night, Mr Sunak announced a raft of changes to the UK’s climate pledges, including delaying the ban on the sale of new internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles by five years to 2035.

The prime minister explained that he was making the changes as the previous plans were unaffordable and unachievable.

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However, as Sky science and technology editor Tom Clarke explained, the decision seemed to be more about politics – and the general election expected next year – than the climate.

And Ms Badeonch told Sky News this morning: “This is not some sort of cynical ploy.”

“This is the right thing to do, and I fully support the prime minister.”

Mr Sunak defended his change of direction this morning, telling the BBC that the UK’s decarbonising ambitions are “more ambitious than pretty much any major economy in the world”.

The move has been welcomed by some Conservative MPs, who, believing it may be popular with voters, have been calling for green policies to be delayed to avoid exacerbating the cost of living crisis.

But it has been opposed by sections of the business community, opposition parties, and campaigners – including Al Gore.

One of the critics of the move was Lord Goldsmith, a Conservative former minister.

Ms Badenoch said: “I know Zac Goldsmith very well. He is a friend… I fundamentally disagree with what he has said.

“We are listening to the concerns people are raising with us. Most people in this country do not have the kind of money that he has.”

Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch speaks, at the BMW Mini plant at Cowley in Oxford, as the company announced plans to build its next-generation electric Mini in Oxford after securing a Government funding package. Picture date: Monday September 11, 2023.
Image:
Kemi Badenoch at the MINI plant in Oxford last week

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Last week, Ms Badenoch visited the BMW MINI plant in Oxford as the company announced it would build its next generation electric vehicles there, securing government funding in the process.

She was asked if yesterday’s roll-back was known about when she announced the deal.

The business secretary said: “Well, I had been making representations to the prime minister – he had not made his decision known to all of us.

“But these were conversations that we were having, So I’m quite pleased that this has happened.”

Sam Coates: Climate changes may jar with Sunak’s image as a stable leader

The car industry was one of the most vocal critics of the government’s changes, as many had planned to stop selling ICE vehicles in seven years time.

Ford was the most sceptical, saying that the new path undermined the “ambition, commitment and consistency” needed for the UK.

Ms Badenoch pointed out the US car giant made the statement “without even hearing what the announcement was”, and added that Toyota welcomed the move.

When asked about criticism from the chief executive of EON – who claimed the changes would mean people have to live in draughty homes – Ms Badenoch urged the leader of the energy giant to “actually look at what the prime minister announced”.

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UK’s new net zero plans

Daisy Powell-Chandler, the head of energy and environment at polling company Public First, explained to Sky News how the public tends to hold a dim view of parties that water down green policies.

She said: “The public aren’t very keen on that, including Conservative and Labour swing voters.

“Most people think that the government should be doing more rather than less to reach net zero.

“So about three times more people think the government should be doing more on the environment than think they should be doing less.

“And there’s an extraordinary consensus right across the age range. For example, climate change these days is amongst people’s tier one concerns.

“It’s just below things like the NHS, but it’s still up there in the top five on most trackers.”

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Sarah Jones, Labour’s shadow industry and decarbonisation minister, told Sky News that her party would return the deadline for ICE sales to 2030, but would not unpick other parts of the changes announced yesterday.

She said that on heat pumps, for example, the government “has utterly failed” to get close to the previous target, and that it was more important to focus on insulating homes first.

Education secretary under fire for opening ‘Pandora’s box’ on concrete crisis | Politics News

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has come under fire from colleagues for her “unilateral” decision to determine which school buildings need to close as part of the concrete crisis, Sky News has learned.

Ministers elsewhere in Whitehall fear she has opened a “Pandora’s box” by setting a more cautious than necessary standard that could affect a huge array of public buildings, including housing stock, local authority buildings and the military estate.

The education secretary has made clear she took the most cautious of the options presented by officials over which buildings to shut last week.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan arriving in Downing Street, London, for a Cabinet meeting. Picture date: Tuesday June 13, 2023.

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Sky News understands that the decision was signed off by the education team in Number 10 with the PM’s knowledge.

However there was no cabinet office meeting and no ministerial follow-up for days after the issue emerged.

The Department for Education “belatedly” shared the technical advice on why they shut school with others in Whitehall – some of whom disagree it shows a need to shut schools

Ministers are worried they could now face massive disruption and spiralling costs if other public buildings are now held to the same precedent set in the Department for Education.

“This is suboptimal,” said a senior Whitehall figure. “She has made a unilateral decision. It’s not been resolved, and it’s a bit of a mess.”

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Gillian Keegan denies complacency

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Sources close to the education secretary say the decision was never intended to act as a precedent since the school estate is unique. “We are being over-cautious,” said an education source.

There are tens of thousands of school buildings in disparate parts of the country and often do not have easy access to estate managers, monitors or experts who can monitor the state of buildings, and the buildings themselves are unusually crowded.

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However, there is concern elsewhere that the decision by Ms Keegan may nevertheless appear like a precedent, and if other public buildings are not held to the same standard they will have to fix them or face legal risk and political pressure.

Responsibility for the issue will now fall to the Government Property Agency, but ministers are already concerned about the implications for budgets.

“There is a big fear this is going to spiral,” said a Tory source.