conservatives

Three million households doomed to fuel poverty

Spread the love

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/three-million-households-doomed-to-be-trapped-in-fuel-poverty-by-2030

A gas fuelled fire in a home

THREE million households are doomed to remain trapped in fuel poverty by 2030 as the government is set to fail to meet its energy efficiency targets, according to new research.

The report surfaced as the Office of National Statistics (ONS) issued new data today that found that some four in 10 adults reported finding it “very” or “somewhat” difficult to afford their energy bills, while 14 per cent of those finding it hard to keep warm in their home also experienced difficulties affording food.

The National Energy Action and Energy Action Scotland report has found that the poorest households could be left paying £480 more a year to meet their energy needs while remaining in cold, damp and unhealthy homes.

It found that the government is projected to miss its target to upgrade the energy efficiency of homes to at least a band C “by a staggering margin.”

An independent analysis by Gemserv found there is a funding shortfall of at least £18 billion for the measures needed to meet the legal requirement to ensure fuel-poor homes in England are brought up to standard by 2030.

…

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/three-million-households-doomed-to-be-trapped-in-fuel-poverty-by-2030

Continue ReadingThree million households doomed to fuel poverty

Watchdog confirms government may have broken law on river pollution

Spread the love

https://leftfootforward.org/2024/01/watchdog-confirms-government-may-have-broken-law-on-river-pollution/

The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP), the government’s own environmental watchdog, has confirmed that the government may have broken environmental law by the watering down of critical regulations on the pollution of rivers in England.

The disclosure was made in response to a legal complaint made by ClientEarth and the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) in November 2022 against the Environmental Agency for its failure to monitor and enforce environmental protections on nitrogen pollution.

The complaint was based on Freedom of Information (FOI) requests submitted by WWF and ClientEarth. The FOIs revealed that between January 2020 to December 2021 the Environment Agency conducted 2,213 inspections of three key agricultural regulations, identifying breaches in almost half of farms. However, only one case was issued with a civil sanction.  

According to ClientEarth and WWF, these inspections represented just 2 percent of farms each year, suggesting that the Environment Agency has “little idea of the scale of law breaking taking place and of the damage being currently done to the environment.”

Given the high levels of nitrogen pollution in England, WWF and ClientEarth accused the Environment Agency of “an unlawful abdication of its statutory responsibilities.”

In response to the WWF and ClientEarth’s complaint, the OEP agreed that the Environment Agency had potentially breached environmental law by failing to adequately assess environmental impacts on protected conservation sites before allowing farmers to exceed manure spreading limits. English rivers are particularly at risk of nitrogen-related pollution, with over half the country classified as vulnerable to nitrogen run-off.

…

https://leftfootforward.org/2024/01/watchdog-confirms-government-may-have-broken-law-on-river-pollution/

Continue ReadingWatchdog confirms government may have broken law on river pollution

Funding of Gaza aid halted over Israeli accusations.

Spread the love
Image of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. UK halts aid to UNWRA in Gaza over Israeli allegations that 12 staff from a total of 13,000 were involved in the 7 October 2024 attack on Israel.
Image of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. UK halts aid to UNWRA in Gaza over Israeli allegations that 12 staff from a total of 13,000 were involved in the 7 October 2024 attack on Israel.

https://news.sky.com/story/un-aid-agency-chief-shocked-as-uk-and-others-pause-funding-over-claims-staff-involved-in-hamas-attack-13058270

The head of the United Nations has promised to hold to account “any UN employee involved in acts of terror” after allegations that some refugee agency staff members were involved in the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel.

But Antonio Guterres implored governments to continue supporting the UN refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) after nine countries suspended their funding.

“Any UN employee involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution,” Mr Guterres said in a statement.

“The Secretariat is ready to cooperate with a competent authority able to prosecute the individuals in line with the Secretariat’s normal procedures for such cooperation.

“The tens of thousands of men and women who work for UNRWA, many in some of the most dangerous situations for humanitarian workers, should not be penalised. The dire needs of the desperate populations they serve must be met.”

…

https://news.sky.com/story/un-aid-agency-chief-shocked-as-uk-and-others-pause-funding-over-claims-staff-involved-in-hamas-attack-13058270

23.05 GMT I doubt that much happened today to halt this funding since nobody is at work because it’s a Sunday. Hoping that there’s a more reasoned recognition tomorrow of the desperate situation in Gaza.

Continue ReadingFunding of Gaza aid halted over Israeli accusations.

Mordaunt hails Sunak as ‘best of Britain’ after Tory calls for him to be ousted

Spread the love
Penny Morduant calls Rishi Sunak a sign post
Penny Morduant calls Rishi Sunak a sign post

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/uk-news/2024/01/25/mordaunt-hails-sunak-as-best-of-britain-after-tory-calls-for-him-to-be-ousted/

The Commons Leader sought to rouse support for the Prime Minister just days after Sir Simon Clarke called for him to be replaced.

…

Ms Mordaunt added: “He doesn’t just get Britain, he represents the best of Great Britain, the greatest things we have to offer and what they mean to the world and our values: hard work, enterprise, taking personal responsibility for yourself and helping others.

…

Ms Mordaunt added: “If the leader of the Opposition is a weathervane, our Prime Minister is a sign post.

…

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/uk-news/2024/01/25/mordaunt-hails-sunak-as-best-of-britain-after-tory-calls-for-him-to-be-ousted/

Continue ReadingMordaunt hails Sunak as ‘best of Britain’ after Tory calls for him to be ousted

Nicola Sturgeon regarded Boris Johnson as ‘a fucking clown’ because of his handling of Covid, inquiry learns

Spread the love

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2024/jan/25/uk-politics-latest-news-updates-covid-inquiry-nicola-sturgeon-humza-yousaf-knife-crime

Nicola Sturgeon called Boris Johnson “a fucking clown” in a private message when he announced a further Covid lockdown on 31 October 2020, the inquiry has heard.

Image of Tory idiot Boris Johnson
Tory idiot Boris Johnson

As PA Media reports, at a hearing in Edinburgh this morning the inquiry highlighted WhatsApp messages between Sturgeon and Liz Lloyd, her chief of staff. PA says:

Sturgeon said his address was “fucking excruciating” and that the UK communications were “awful”. Sturgeon also told Lloyd: “His utter incompetence in every sense is now offending me on behalf of politicians everywhere.”

Lloyd said she was “offended” on behalf of special advisers everywhere. Sturgeon replied: “He is a fucking clown.”

Lloyd told Sturgeon she wanted a “good old-fashioned rammy” with the UK government so she could “think about something other than sick people” in WhatsApp messages.

Asked about the messages, Lloyd said the Scottish government were “clearly not complimentary about [the UK government’s] communications handling”.

She said: “We had to mitigate the chaos that appeared around some of the decisions they took.”

Junior counsel to the inquiry Usman Tariq asked Lloyd if the relationship between the then first minister and then prime minister had “broken down”.

Lloyd replied: “That overstates what was there to break.”

Commening on Johnson, she said: “He didn’t want to be on those calls, he wasn’t well briefed, he wasn’t listening, engagement with him became slightly pointless. They didn’t get us anywhere. We started with the approach we should work together, in co-ordinated fashion, but a substantive discussion isn’t what we got. The prime minister was reading a script and would largely ignore points made.”

She said Sturgeon’s strong language showed her “frustration” towards Johnson.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2024/jan/25/uk-politics-latest-news-updates-covid-inquiry-nicola-sturgeon-humza-yousaf-knife-crime

Image of Elmo and former Prime Minister Tory idiot Boris Johnson
Image of Elmo (left) and former Prime Minister Tory idiot Boris Johnson (right)
Continue ReadingNicola Sturgeon regarded Boris Johnson as ‘a fucking clown’ because of his handling of Covid, inquiry learns