UK Politics Thread part II

[Jimbuna]

[Catfish]

So he blames most on the "conservatives". He is not really wrong, however.. who do you want to govern the country?

[Jimbuna]

PM Rishi Sunak has outlined five promises he says he wants the public to judge his premiership on.

He pledged to cut NHS waiting lists - more than 7m people are currently waiting for care in England, which is one-eighth of the population.

Sunak said he was confident things would improve within months and asked the country to hold him to account.

The PM also pledged to halve inflation this year to ease the cost of living – but projections show that it is already due to fall by more than half anyway.

And he promised to grow the economy, ensure national debt was falling and stop migrant boats crossing the Channel.

Opposition parties have hit out at his plans - Labour's shadow foreign secretary said a pledge to boost maths education "rings hollow"

The Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) expects the UK economy to shrink by 1.4% in 2023

[Skybird]

Call it Norwegian model, call it Swiss model - in 1973 the UK approached the EEC for economic reasons, and one can assume that it will be economic reasons that enforce the UK to again approach the now EU a second time, even if it does not become member again it will need to find ways to get along with the EU better. First Corona and now the Ukraine war were unforeseeable and have messed up Brexit terribly, what it would have been like without these two events can forever be object of speculation - but knowing for sure we never will. Only that it all together has turned Brexit now into a terrible mess. The Northern Ireland protocol however was a terrible mistake in itself from beginning on, and would have been so even without the war and pandemic.

This all looks not sustainable, financially and economically (which in the end is the same).

[Jimbuna]

^ I tend to agree

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

Business Secretary Grant Shapps, has announced new legislation which will require several public services to maintain a minimum level of service during industrial action.

Mr Shapps said the new measures are about protecting the public, adding that "there has to be a minimum safety level that people can expect, even on strike days."

Unions have condemned the move and threatened legal action, while Labour said it would oppose the bill in Parliament.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-64180604

[Jimbuna]

Talks to resolve strikes end with little progress, unions say

Talks with ministers aimed at resolving NHS strikes have made little progress, unions have said.

Unite said the meetings were "a missed opportunity", while the Royal College of Nursing said they were "bitterly disappointing".

Unison said there were discussions over pay but no "tangible concessions" which would enable this week's ambulance strikes to be called off.

But a government source described the talks as useful and constructive.

Ministers have also been meeting teaching and rail unions in a bid to avert further industrial action.

Unions are calling for pay rises to keep up with the rising cost of living but ministers say any offer must be "affordable".

Speaking ahead of the meetings, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "People need to get talking, that's what they're doing, hopefully we can find a way through this."

He did not deny that his government could follow Wales by offering a one-off payment to public sector workers to ease the cost of living.

Following discussions at the Department of Health, Unite negotiator Onay Kasab said the government had suggested that any one-off payments would have to be based on "productivity savings".

He said that some of his members were working 18 hour shifts and that it was "an insult" to discuss productivity.

"We are extremely angry," he added.

Other ambulance union representatives leaving the meeting were slightly more positive, with Sara Gorton from Unison saying there had been progress.

"We did actually manage to talk about pay - we didn't get the tangible concessions that we might have hoped for that would enable us to call off the [ambulance worker] strikes later this week," she said.

Rachel Harrison, from the GMB union, said the talks "fell well short of anything substantial that could stop this week's strikes".

There was "some engagement on pay" but "no concrete offer", she said.

Joanne Galbraith-Marten, from the Royal College of Nursing, said there was "no resolution to our dispute yet in sight".

This week's strikes - which include planned walkouts by ambulance drivers, bus drivers, teachers and driving examiners - are all expected to go ahead.

Nurses are also set to walk out for two days next week.

A government source said Health Secretary Steve Barclay discussed productivity and efficiency savings which would help decide what was affordable for the coming year's pay deal.

A one-off payment for health service staff was mentioned in passing, the source said.

Unions have repeatedly called for a better pay offer to be on the table before April and are said to have asked Mr Barclay to make that case to the chancellor.

The source said Mr Barclay had agreed to look at their request, without making any commitments.

Unions say current disputes are about this year's pay offer but earlier Mr Sunak did not address a question about the 2022-23 settlement and ministers have previously said the focus should be on next year's deal.

Earlier, there were also meetings between Education Secretary Gillian Keegan and teaching unions.

Following the talks, Kevin Courtney, from the National Education Union (NEU), said "no concrete progress" was made and there was no discussion of a new pay offer.

"There is nothing so far that would dissuade us from taking industrial action," he said.

Teaching unions covering England and Wales, including the NEU, the NAHT and the NASUWT, are currently balloting members on potential strike action.

In Scotland, teachers are striking for two days this week, with a week long industrial action planned for next week.

The day of talks come as a ballot opens for junior doctors in England to decide on their own industrial action, which could begin in March.

Pat Cullen, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said there was a "chink of optimism" after Mr Sunak told the BBC on Sunday that "we want to have a reasonable, two-way conversation about pay and everything else that is relevant".

However, she said this would not stop next week's planned strikes by nurses.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64207220

[Jimbuna]

Strikes bill: Unions criticise plans as unworkable

By Sam Francis & Becky Morton
BBC Politics

Unions have criticised a new bill aimed at enforcing minimum service levels for the public sector during strikes as "undemocratic, unworkable and illegal".

Under the proposals, some public sector workers would be required to work during a strike.

The business secretary said the aim was to protect lives and livelihoods.

But unions have threatened legal action if the bill is passed, while Labour says they would repeal it if they win the next election.

The head of the Trades Union Congress, Paul Nowak, said that if it became law the legislation would "prolong disputes and poison industrial relations - leading to more frequent strikes".

"This legislation would mean that when workers democratically vote to strike, they can be forced to work and sacked if they don't comply," he said.

"That's undemocratic, unworkable, and almost certainly illegal."

The new bill, published on Tuesday, comes amid a wave of industrial action across the public sector as workers seek pay increases in the face of the rising cost of living.

Laws requiring a minimum level of service during strikes had already been promised for public transport as part of the Conservative's 2019 election manifesto. A bill was introduced to Parliament in October.

The government is now seeking to extend this requirement to five other areas - the NHS, education, fire and rescue, border security, and nuclear decommissioning.

To meet minimum staffing levels - which are still to be decided - employers would be able to issue a "work notice" to unions, setting out who is required to work during a strike.

Under the legislation there would be no automatic protection from unfair dismissal for an employee who is told to work under minimum service agreements but chooses to strike.

However, Business Secretary Grant Shapps pushed back on the idea workers would be sacked.

"No one is talking about sacking nurses... nothing we are announcing today in this bill from the despatch box is about getting rid of nurses any more than any employment contract has to be followed," he told MPs.

Mr Shapps said the government "absolutely believes in the right to strike" but it is "duty bound" to protect the lives and livelihoods of the public.

"We don't want to use this legislation but we must ensure the safety of the British public," he said.

Mr Shapps said the proposed legislation was similar to existing laws in other modern European economies and it was not designed to ban strikes.

He accused unions representing ambulance workers of "a lack of timely cooperation", which he said meant employers could not reach a national agreement for minimum safety levels during recent strikes.

He said this made "contingency planning almost impossible" and put lives at risk.

But unions disputed his claims as "completely false", with Unite's Sharon Graham saying agreements had been negotiated with regional managers to take into account local circumstances.

GMB said it was an "extraordinary attack" on ambulance workers, who had left picket lines to respond to urgent calls.

During December's strikes Category 1 calls - classed as the most life-threatening situations, such as cardiac arrest - were responded to by an ambulance. This will also be the case for Wednesday's strikes.

However, no blanket agreement has been reached on responding to Category 2 calls, which include strokes or major burns, with unions agreeing locally which calls within this category will be responded to.

Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack called the bill a "shameful attack" on democratic rights and key workers.

Unite's Ms Graham described it as a "dangerous gimmick from a government that should be negotiating to resolve the current crisis they have caused".

Mick Lynch, head of the RMT transport union, said the "draconian legislation" sought to "punish workers" for demanding decent pay and working conditions.

Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said it was "utterly stupid" and "insulting" for Mr Shapps to go from thanking nurses to proposing to sack them for striking.

"How can he seriously think that sacking thousands of key workers won't just plunge our public services further into crisis?" she told the Commons.

"We all want minimum standards of safety, service and staffing. It is the ministers failing to provide it," she said, adding that the public was being put at risk every day by the crisis in the NHS and staff shortages.

MPs will get a chance to debate the bill - which applies to England, Wales and Scotland - next week.

After the bill makes it through the House of Commons, where the Conservatives have a sizeable majority, it is expected to face greater opposition in the House of Lords where the numbers are less favourable.

Any legislation would not have an impact on strikes this month, which are still set to go ahead.

Ambulance staff in England and Wales are preparing to walk out on Wednesday, while nurses in England are also set to strike next week.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64219016

[Jimbuna]

Rishi Sunak and Nicola Sturgeon to hold talks in Scotland

The prime minister is to meet Scotland's first minister on Thursday evening, the BBC understands.

The private talks between Rishi Sunak and Nicola Sturgeon will take place in Scottish Highlands.

The two leaders are to discuss a range of subjects including the NHS and the economy.

A joint announcement from the UK and Scottish governments on the creation of two green freeports in Scotland is also expected.

The Cromarty and Forth bids are thought to be the favourites to be named as the country's first green freeports, which will see tax incentives being used in a bid to boost investment and economic growth in the two areas.

Downing Street has not yet officially confirmed details of the visit, which will be Mr Sunak's first trip to Scotland as prime minister.

Mr Sunak had a telephone conversation with Ms Sturgeon shortly after becoming PM, with the two political leaders meeting at the British-Irish Council in Blackpool in November.

The first minister described that meeting as "cordial and constructive" despite the pair having "profound political disagreements".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotla...itics-64247552

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

UK to unveil superpower plan today to break from EU shackles and send 'message to Europe'

Science Minister George Freeman is today set to unveil the UK's strategy which he claims could help Britain become a science superpower outside the EU's £80billion flagship innovation scheme. The Minister told Express.co.uk that he is "sending a message to Europe" by unveiling his plan to take Britain to the forefront of global science by spending cash that was meant to go towards the bloc's programme. It will partially involve striking deals with other partners to collaborate on crucial science projects, and it comes as Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visits London today.

The UK intended to put £15billion towards Horizon Europe, the EU's flagship programme that would have let British researchers access prestigious grants and collaborate with European researchers on projects ranging from climate change to AI and quantum mechanics.

But EU negotiators told the UK cannot take part in the scheme, despite its participation being included in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, until the Northern Ireland protocol row is resolved.

However, with the furious Brexit feud still raging on, researchers have had their promised grants withheld and fear the three-year delay is causing significant harm to British science.

Researchers have also been keen to stress that global collaboration in science is vital, and fear that without Horizon participation, the UK could be in a worrying situation. This is why Mr Freeman will make clear that partnerships with other nations, such as Japan, will be crucial components of the backup plan.

James Cleverly's latest concession to the EU in Brexit negotiations over Northern Ireland sparked the fury of Brexiteers.

Former Brexit Party MEP Ben Habib has lashed out against the latest agreement reached between London and Brussels over the Northern Ireland Protocol negotiations, arguing Foreign Secretary James Cleverly's concessions to the EU will prove detrimental for British businesses.

Mr Freeman has told Express.co.uk that he is still not throwing in the towel due to the highly regarded fellowships the scheme provides. But the Science Minister said that we can't wait much longer, detailing a blueprint for a "better" option outside the programme.

Last month, the Financial Times reported that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak gave the green light to accelerate Mr Freeman's "Plan B". Today, the minister will announce the crucial pillars involved in the backup plan, which will be funded by cash that was meant to go forwards the EU scheme.

He said: "There are three pillars and one platform. Pillar one is talent and fellowships. Pillar two is innovative technology and industrial challenges.

"Pillar three is global collaborations, both strategic bilateral and multilateral projects....and then investment in world-class infrastructure to anchor global collaborations.

"We have made clear that this is what we will start to spend the money on....That is money that we have effectively been sitting on, waiting for the phone to ring. The message to Europe is, we are now going to start spending and investing that money."

While some of the cash has already gone towards funding guaranteeing to the researchers who were supposed to gain access to EU fellowships via the scheme, Mr Freeman will today make clear that the cash will also be geared towards alternative international collaborations outside of Europe.

He explained: "What Britain can do is target some specific areas around the world, some urgent global challenges where we have got real science and technology expertise and convening power.

"Science and technology are fundamental not just to UK growth but also to our geopolitical security, partly because we are in a global race, partly because we're up against China and Russia who are now clearly prepared to use science and technology for hostile reasons for us.

"There are countries all around the world that are very keen to collaborate with us. There are two bits of international collaboration that we are looking to do. Bilateral collaborations are about deepening our R +D (research and development) partnerships with powerhouse R + D economies."

The minister reeled off a list of various countries he is keen to strike deals with, including included South Korea, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Chile to name a few. And with Japan's Prime Minister in Lond, it could signal the striking of brand new science deal. It comes after Britain already struck deal with Japan for science collaboration last month.

The International Science Partnerships Fund, which the Government pumped £119million into, will support UK researchers collaborating with scientists in Japan and around the world.

But these bilateral partnerships are just one element of the global plan. He also announced the plan to form global science groups.

"As well as the individual bilateral partnerships, I am developing multilateral projects internationally, and this is very important for two reasons. The academic community will often point out that bilateral partnerships are fine as far as they go, but it is the ease of international collaboration that Horizon provides which is very valuable."

there are huge science opportunities down at either end of the globe. We are natural leaders. Down in the South Pole, the British Antarctic Survey and South Atlantic is us, Chile, Australia and New Zealand."

Mr Freeman explained that there is the potential to form a science supergroup with these nations under a multilateral deal. He added that in the North Pole, there is the opportunity to strike a joint agreement with Canada, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Greenland and Finland.

As well as setting out the alternative to Horizon Europe during his keynote speech today, the minister is also expected to announce a commitment to focus on regional innovation clusters.

This includes the Cornish coding and space cluster to the South Coast MarineTech Corridor, South Wales Semi-Conductors, and Warwick Robotics, Norfolk AgriTech to name a few as part of the Innovation Nation and levelling up agendas. This will involve properly digitally mapping the innovation clusters across the country, and branding and promoting the clusters as investable for inward investment and UK investors.

The Science Minister will also speak of the plan to use the 30 percent boost (£20billion) Government spending on public research and development (R+D) to harness three times more private investment from UK and International investors in R+D and infrastructure.

Finally, the minister will announce how Britain can better harness UK Regulatory leadership post-Brexit to make the UK a global test-bed for innovations in a range of fast emerging new sectors.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/tech...e557f54f4bef03

[Skybird]

Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial College London. Sunak may have a point there ^, at least have a reason to trust in the UK's potential.


https://roundranking.com/ranking/wor...tml#world-2022

[Jimbuna]

Nicola Sturgeon says gender reform row will go to court

The row over Scotland's gender reforms will "inevitably" end up in court, the country's first minister has said.

Nicola Sturgeon was speaking as the UK government formally moved to block the legislation that was passed by the Scottish Parliament last month.

The reforms are intended to make it easier for trans people to change their legal gender.

But the UK government says the changes could impact on equality laws that apply across Great Britain.

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack is to use a Section 35 order to prevent the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill from gaining royal assent - the first time this has been done since the Scottish Parliament was created in 1999.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotla...itics-64264063

[Jimbuna]

EU braced for trade war as VDL vows 'robust response' in veiled threat to UK

Ursula von der Leyen has signalled that the EU is ready for a trade war in a veiled threat to the UK, saying the bloc will "respond more robustly" when "trade is not fair". Speaking at the Davos Economic Forum, the European Commission President said the EU will be "making the most of existing trade agreements". While she said the bloc is keen to "sort out our difference" with the UK, she later said: "Where trade is not fair, we must respond more robustly".

Ms von der Leyen told delegates in Davos: "We need an ambitious trade agenda. Including by making the most, for example, out of the existing trade agreements for example with Canada, for example with the UK, with which we are trying hard to sort out our difficulties.

She added: "International trade is key to helping out industry cut costs, create jobs and develop new products.

"But by the same token, where trade is not fair, we must respond more robustly. "

Ms von der Leyen also hit out at Beijing, accusing it of "heavily subsidising" industry and restricting EU access to its market.

The sale of a vital Russian fuel, diesel, is set to be banned in weeks as Europe and its allies attempt to batter President Vladimir Putin's energy empire. But, the EU could still sneak the Russian energy source back into the bloc with the help of alternative sellers like India.

She said: "China has made boosting trade and innovation a key priority of its five-year plan. That's good. It dominates global production in sectors such as electric vehicles and solar panels, which are essential for the transition.

"But competition on net zero must be based on a level playing field. China has been openly encouraging energy-intensive companies in Europe and elsewhere to relocate all or part of their production.

"They do so with the promise of cheap energy, low labour costs and a more lenient regulatory environment.

"At the same time, China heavily subsidises its industry and restricts access to its market for European companies."

Ms von der Leyen's comments about UK trade come as the UK and the EU continue to try and resolve issues with the controversial Northern Ireland Protocol, which has been causing delays and shortages since the Brexit deal was signed in 2020.

Last week, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he is hopeful that the EU and UK Government will come to an agreement on the Northern Ireland Protocol which is broadly acceptable to people in the region.

The EU appears to have undergone a shift in approach when it comes to the protocol, with Mr Varadkar last week acknowledging that the Northern Ireland Protocol had "perhaps" been "too strict", admitting that "mistakes" were made on both sides in the handling of Brexit.

The Irish Taoiseach, who was part of the negotiation process to agree on the Northern Ireland Protocol, said he would be "flexible and reasonable" when attempting to solve issues.

DUP Leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson told Express.co.uk Mr Varadkar's comments show he "recognises the political reality" of the situation.

The Northern Ireland Protocol allows Northern Ireland to remain within the EU's single market for goods but it has faced criticism because a border was effectively created between Great Britain and Northern Ireland down the Irish Sea.

The border has led to delays, supermarket shortages and increased costs for businesses in Northern Ireland.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/othe...48700f38dd54ad