#George Eustice

[ianchisnall]

This week FareShare could benefit from many of us

This week FareShare could benefit from many of us

This week is a financial campaign for FareShare Sussex that is a charity that is based in Brighton but which covers the whole of Sussex and also many parts of Surrey. FareShare is an organisation that I helped to set up following suggestions from several groups that included a significant company that provides food shops across the UK. They had food available for poor people but they needed an…

[probablyasocialecologist]

Suffering is key to being proper. And Britain’s worsening energy crisis, inflation and inequality have ushered in a fresh wave of lectures on the moral benefits of suffering. Stern voices have clamoured to remind us that being dangerously cold, being desperately poor and enduring powercuts, broken supply chains, food shortages and cold baths has happened to Britons before, and it would probably do us good, if anything, if it happened again.

For the rich and powerful, this is a handy philosophy: they are rarely the ones enduring the pain. In February, Andrew Bailey, the governor of the Bank of England, whose annual salary is more than £570,000, told workers they should not demand higher wages, in order to contain inflation. In May, then-food and farming minister George Eustice told people they should buy value brands to “contain and manage their household budget”. “Blackouts,” wrote Telegraph columnist Robert Taylor in October, recalling the powercuts of 1973, “could be just the ticket to shake some of today’s youngsters out of that sublime sense of entitlement and self-righteousness.”

From the Covid pandemic and lockdowns to the cost of living crisis, it seems that the harder the challenges of contemporary British life become, the more we are encouraged to suck it up, and channel the hardships of yore – usually by people who did not experience those hardships themselves. Since the start of 2020, “the blitz” has clocked up 37 references in Hansard, the official parliamentary record – only 11 shy of the 48 citations in parliament during the whole of 1940 and 1941, when the blitz was actually taking place. The first reference in Hansard to the famed “blitz spirit” was not until 1972. The phrase was not used again until 1999. But since 2000, it has appeared six times. The further away we get from the Nazi blitzkrieg, the more we are asked to revive the “spirit” of the time.

Underpinning this celebration of suffering is the masochistic idea that it is your individual responsibility – indeed an important test of your character – to withstand ruinous social and economic crises not of your making. It is there in Keir Starmer ventriloquising a dead monarch to a proper bin man’s tune, with his advice on how the poorest Britons should deal with an economic situation that could very possibly kill them this winter: the Queen “would urge us to turn our collar up and face the storm”.

Dan Hancox, ‘Who remembers proper binmen?’ The nostalgia memes that help explain Britain today

[scotianostra]

The Signet Library.

I noticed there was a exhibition on at the upper floor of The Signet Library, David Eustice: Thereafter. I'd never heard of him, but it gave me chance to see the library an iconic building for Scottish solicitors in its location adjacent to Scotland’s Supreme Courts complex on Parliament Square.

While some of the art, which is modern, was okay, I enjoyed the library for what it is a lot more.

While the collection of books, dates back many years, the building it is now housed in was built just over 200 years ago.

The grand opening of the Signet Library building is linked to its use during King George IV’s visit to Edinburgh in August 1822. The king used the Upper Library as a reception room prior to a great banquet held in his honour in neighbouring Parliament Hall. On seeing the room, the king reportedly declared it “the most beautiful drawing room in Europe.”

If you're in the area during the next week or so the exhibition is on until the 13th, , 10 am – 4 pm each day, it'll be a nice peaceful retreat from the hullabaloo of the annual Festival Fringe that you will have passed on your way in.

More pics to come .

[sztupy]

még ilyet

[notwiselybuttoowell]

from July/two prime ministers ago. We'll have to see what happens under Sunak. It's still the tories involved though, and their record speaks for itself.

Update: Yep, based on this article that came out within the past 24 hours, it sounds like they still plan to get rid of it. With predicted terrible consequences.

[anyoneknowwhatbrexitmeans]

“Within two years of the deal being signed, its author was revealed to be a congenital liar and evicted from Downing Street. But the exposure of Boris Johnson as a serial political fraudster did not undo his biggest fraud.

The pretence that it was anything else is getting harder to sustain even for Tories who keep the Johnsonian faith. Earlier this week, George Eustice, a former environment secretary, conceded that a free-trade deal with Australia, hailed last year as a bounty of liberation from Brussels, was “a failure” that “gave away too much for far too little in return”. He did not clock that the same might be said of Brexit as a whole.”

[wankerwatch]

Commons Vote

On: The Tribunal Procedure (Upper Tribunal) (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) (Amendment) Rules 2024

Ayes: 135 (100.0% Con) Noes: 10 (100.0% SNP) Absent: ~505

Individual Votes:

Ayes

Conservative (133 votes)

Aaron Bell Alberto Costa Alex Burghart Alex Chalk Alicia Kearns Alok Sharma Amanda Solloway Andrew Griffith Andrew Jones Andrew Lewer Andrew Murrison Andrew Percy Andrew Selous Andy Carter Angela Richardson Anne Marie Morris Anne-Marie Trevelyan Anthony Browne Ben Everitt Ben Spencer Ben Wallace Bernard Jenkin Bob Blackman Bob Stewart Brandon Lewis Caroline Nokes Charles Walker Chloe Smith Chris Grayling Chris Philp Craig Tracey Damian Collins Damian Hinds Daniel Kawczynski David Davis David Duguid David Jones David Morris David Rutley David Simmonds Dean Russell Dehenna Davison Desmond Swayne Duncan Baker Elliot Colburn Felicity Buchan Fiona Bruce Gagan Mohindra Gareth Bacon George Eustice Graham Brady Graham Stuart Greg Clark Heather Wheeler Helen Whately Holly Mumby-Croft Iain Duncan Smith Iain Stewart Jacob Young James Cartlidge James Davies James Duddridge Jane Hunt Jerome Mayhew Jo Churchill John Baron John Hayes John Howell Joy Morrissey Julian Lewis Julian Smith Karen Bradley Katherine Fletcher Kit Malthouse Lee Rowley Lia Nici Louie French Lucy Allan Lucy Frazer Marcus Jones Martin Vickers Matt Hancock Matt Warman Matthew Offord Michael Ellis Michael Fabricant Michael Tomlinson Michelle Donelan Mike Wood Mims Davies Neil Hudson Nickie Aiken Nigel Huddleston Paul Holmes Peter Aldous Philip Dunne Philip Hollobone Ranil Jayawardena Rebecca Harris Rebecca Pow Richard Bacon Rob Butler Robert Courts Robert Halfon Robert Largan Robert Neill Robin Walker Royston Smith Sally-Ann Hart Saqib Bhatti Scott Mann Shailesh Vara Sheryll Murray Simon Baynes Simon Clarke Simon Fell Simon Hoare Stephen Hammond Stephen McPartland Stephen Metcalfe Steve Brine Steve Tuckwell Suzanne Webb Theo Clarke Theresa Villiers Tim Loughton Tom Hunt Tom Pursglove Tracey Crouch Victoria Atkins Victoria Prentis Will Quince William Cash

Noes

Scottish National Party (9 votes)

Allan Dorans Amy Callaghan Angela Crawley Anne McLaughlin Ian Blackford John Nicolson Marion Fellows Philippa Whitford Richard Thomson

[53rdcenturyhero]

UK politics. Not available MP for next parliament, they're not standing for election. Source ITV 24 May 2024.

How I found out my own MP is going to not campaign. Some voices who speak up with relative sense will not be there in the next parliament.

Conservative

– Adam Afriyie, Windsor (MP since 2005; majority 20,079)

– Nickie Aiken, Cities of London & Westminster (MP since 2019; majority 3,953)

– Lucy Allan, Telford (MP since 2015; majority 10,941)

– Stuart Andrew, Pudsey (MP since 2010; majority 3,517)

– Richard Bacon, South Norfolk (MP since 2001; majority 21,275)

– John Baron, Basildon & Billericay (MP since 2001; majority 20,412)

– Sir Paul Beresford, Mole Valley (MP since 1997; majority 12,041)

– Sir Graham Brady, Altrincham & Sale West (MP since 1997; majority 6,139)

– Steve Brine, Winchester (MP since 2010; majority 985)

– Lisa Cameron, East Kilbride, Strathaven & Lesmahagow (elected as SNP MP in 2015; majority 13,322; defected to Conservatives in 2023)

– Andy Carter, Warrington South (MP since 2019; majority 2,010)

– Sir Bill Cash, Stone (previously MP for Stafford 1984-97, then Stone since 1997; majority 19,945)

– Jo Churchill, Bury St Edmunds (MP since 2015; majority 24,988)

– Greg Clark, Tunbridge Wells (MP since 2005; majority 14,645)

– Chris Clarkson, Heywood & Middleton (MP since 2019; majority 663)

Dame Tracey Crouch, Chatham & Aylesford (MP since 2010; majority 18,540)

– Dehenna Davison, Bishop Auckland (MP since 2019; majority 7,962)

– Jonathan Djanogly, Huntingdon (MP since 2001; majority 19,383)

– Sir James Duddridge, Rochford & Southend East (MP since 2005; majority 12,286)

– Philip Dunne, Ludlow (MP since 2005; majority 23,648)

– Sir Michael Ellis, Northampton North (MP since 2010; majority 5,507)

– George Eustice, Camborne & Redruth (MP since 2010; majority 8,700)

– Sir David Evennett, Bexleyheath & Crayford (MP since 2005; majority 13,103)

Mike Freer, Finchley & Golders Green (MP since 2010; majority 6,562)

– Nick Gibb, Bognor Regis & Littlehampton (MP since 1997; majority 22,503)

– Jo Gideon, Stoke-on-Trent Central (MP since 2019; majority 670)

– Michael Gove, Surrey Health (MP since 2005; majority 18,349)

– Sir Robert Goodwill, Scarborough & Whitby (MP since 2005; majority 10,270)

– Chris Grayling, Epsom & Ewell (MP since 2001; majority 17,873)

– James Grundy, Leigh (MP since 2019; majority 1,965)

– Robert Halfon, Harlow (MP since 2010; majority 14,063)

– Stephen Hammond, Wimbledon (MP since 2005; majority 628)

majority 1,805)

– Sir Sajid Javid, Bromsgrove (MP since 2010; majority 23,106)

– David Jones, Clwyd West (MP since 2005; majority 6,747)

– Sir Greg Knight, East Yorkshire (previously MP for Derby North 1983-97, then East Yorkshire since 2001; majority 22,787)

– Kwasi Kwarteng, Spelthorne (MP since 2010; majority 18,393)

– Dame Eleanor Laing, Epping Forest (MP since 1997; majority 22,173)

– Pauline Latham, Mid Derbyshire (MP since 2010; majority 15,385)

– Sir Brandon Lewis, Great Yarmouth (MP since 2010; majority 17,663)

– Tim Loughton, East Worthing & Shoreham (MP since 1997; majority 7,474)

– Craig Mackinlay, South Thanet (MP since 2015; majority 10,587)

– Theresa May, Maidenhead (MP since 1997; majority 18,846)

Stephen McPartland, Stevenage (MP since 2010; majority 8,562)

– Huw Merriman, Bexhill & Battle (MP since 2015; majority 26,059)

– Kieran Mullan, Crewe & Nantwich (MP since 2019; majority 8,508)

– Sir Bob Neill, Bromley & Chislehurst (MP since 2006; majority 10,891)

– Matthew Offord, Hendon (MP since 2010; majority 4,230)

– Mark Pawsey, Rugby (MP since 2010; majority 13,447)

– Sir Mike Penning, Hemel Hempstead (MP since 2005; majority 14,563)

– Andrew Percy, Brigg & Goole (MP since 2010; majority 21,941)

– Will Quince, Colchester (MP since 2015; majority 9,423)

– Dominic Raab, Esher & Walton (MP since 2010; majority 2,743)

– Sir John Redwood, Wokingham (MP since 1987; majority 7,383)

– Nicola Richards, West Bromwich East (MP since 2019; majority 1,593)

– Douglas Ross, Moray (MP since 2017; majority 513)

– Paul Scully, Sutton & Cheam (MP since 2015; majority 8,351)

– Sir Alok Sharma, Reading West (MP since 2010; majority 4,117)

– Chloe Smith, Norwich North (MP since 2009; majority 4,738)

– Henry Smith, Crawley (MP since 2010; majority 8,360)

– Royston Smith, Southampton Itchen (MP since 2015; majority 4,498)

– Bob Stewart, Beckenham (MP since 2010; majority 14,258)

- Sir Gary Streeter, Devon South West (previously MP for Plymouth Sutton 1992-97, then Devon South West since 1997; majority 21,430)

– Edward Timpson, Eddisbury (previously MP for Crewe & Nantwich 2008-2017, then Eddisbury since 2019; majority 18,443)

– Sir Charles Walker, Broxbourne (MP since 2005; majority 19,807)

– Robin Walker, Worcester (MP since 2010; majority 6,758)

– Ben Wallace, Wyre & Preston North (previously MP for Lancaster & Wyre 2005-10, then Wyre & Preston North since 2010; majority 16,781)

– Jamie Wallis, Bridgend (MP since 2019; majority 1,157)

– Craig Whittaker, Calder Valley (MP since 2010; majority 5,774)

– Nadhim Zahawi, Stratford-on-Avon (MP since 2010; majority 19,972)

Labour

– Dame Margaret Beckett, Derby South (previously MP for Lincoln 1974-79, then Derby South since 1983; majority 6,019)

– Paul Blomfield, Sheffield Central (MP since 2010; majority 27,273)

– Sir Ben Bradshaw, Exeter (MP since 1997; majority 10,403)

- Karen Buck, Westminster North (previously MP for Regent’s Park & Kensington North 1997-2010, then Westminster North since 2010; majority 10,759)

– Jon Cruddas, Dagenham & Rainham (previously MP for Dagenham 2001-10, then Dagenham & Rainham since 2010; majority 293)

– Alex Cunningham, Stockton North (MP since 2010; majority 1,027)

– Wayne David, Caerphilly (MP since 2001; majority 6,833)

– Natalie Elphicke, Dover (elected as Conservative MP in 2019; majority 12,278; defected to Labour in 2024)

- Colleen Fletcher, Coventry North East (MP since 2015; majority 7,692)

- Yvonne Fovargue, Makerfield (MP since 2010; majority 4,740)

– Margaret Greenwood, Wirral West (MP since 2015; majority 3,003)

– Harriet Harman, Camberwell & Peckham (previously MP for Peckham 1982-97, then Camberwell & Peckham since 1997; majority 33,780)

– Dame Margaret Hodge, Barking (MP since 1994; majority 15,427)

- Sir George Howarth, Knowsley (previously MP for Knowsley North 1986-97, then Knowsley North & Sefton East 1997-2010, then Knowsley since 2010; majority 39,942)

– Kevan Jones, North Durham (MP since 2001; majority 4,742)

– Holly Lynch, Halifax (MP since 2015; majority 2,569)

– Ian Mearns, Gateshead (MP since 2010; majority 7,200)

– Dan Poulter, Central Suffolk & North Ipswich (elected as Conservative MP in 2010; majority 23,391; defected to Labour in 2024)

– Christina Rees, Neath (MP since 2015; majority 5,637)

- Barry Sheerman, Huddersfield (previously MP for Huddersfield East 1979-83, then Huddersfield since 1983; majority 9,437)

– Alan Whitehead, Southampton Test (MP since 1997; majority 6,213)

– Dame Rosie Winterton, Doncaster Central (MP since 1997; majority 2,278)

SNP

– Mhairi Black, Paisley & Renfrewshire South (MP since 2015; majority 10,679)

– Ian Blackford, Ross, Skye & Lochaber (MP since 2015; majority 9,443)

– Douglas Chapman, Dunfermline & West Fife (MP since 2015; majority 10,699)

– Angela Crawley, Lanark & Hamilton East (MP since 2015; majority 5,187)

– Patrick Grady, Glasgow North (MP since 2015; majority 5,601)

– Peter Grant, Glenrothes (MP since 2015; majority 11,757)

– Stewart Hosie, Dundee East (MP since 2005; majority 13,375)

– John McNally, Falkirk (MP since 2015; majority 14,948)

– Philippa Whitford, Central Ayrshire (MP since 2015; majority 5,304)

Sinn Fein

– Mickey Brady, Newry & Armagh (MP since 2015; majority 9,287)

– Michelle Gildernew, Fermanagh & South Tyrone (MP for seat from 2001-2015 and since 2017; majority 57)

– Francie Molloy, Mid Ulster (MP since 2013; majority 9,537)

Green

– Caroline Lucas, Brighton Pavilion (MP since 2010; majority 19,940)

Plaid Cymru - one

– Hywel Williams, Arfon (previously MP for Caernarfon 2001-10, then Arfon since 2010; majority 2,781)

Independent - seven

– Crispin Blunt, Reigate (MP since 1997; formerly Conservative; majority 18,310)

– Nick Brown, Newcastle upon Tyne East (MP since 1983; formerly Labour; majority 15,463)

– Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, Lagan Valley (MP since 1997; formerly DUP; 2019 majority 6,499)

- Julian Knight, Solihull (MP since 2015; formerly Conservative; majority 21,273)

– Conor McGinn, St Helens North (MP since 2015; formerly Labour; majority 12,209)

– Mark Menzies, Fylde (MP since 2010; formerly Conservative; majority 16,611)

– William Wragg, Hazel Grove (MP since 2015; formerly Conservative; majority 4,423

[shahananasrin-blog]

[ad_1] Key eventsEustice says government should be flexible about how it gets to net zero to avoid risk of backing wrong technology too earlyGeorge Eustice, the former environment secretary, was interviewed this morning on the Today programme. He was primarily there to talk about his opposition to the government’s plan to the installation of new oil boilers in off-grid homes from 2026.Instead of encouraging people to install heat pumps, it would be better for the government to get them to convert their boilers to run on renewable fuels (like hydrotreated vegetable oil made from waste cooking oil), he said.But Eustice also argued that this issue showed why the government should not be too prescriptive yet about how it will achieve net zero. He said: We remain committed to net zero but where I absolutely agree with the prime minister at the moment is we’ve got to get there in the right way. And the reason we are aiming for net zero by 2050 is to create a strong pull towards new technologies, new innovations that will help us get there. And the real problem we’ve got is groups like the Climate Change Committee, endlessly harrying the government to lock down prematurely the wrong kind of policy mix now which actually would jeopardise getting to net zero. So we’ve got to keep the space for new technology and new innovations to come forward. And the failure at the moment is everybody’s on the government’s back asking them to lock down prematurely to quite possibly the wrong technologies. Eustice said the government should achieve net zero “in a cost effective way”. He went on: “And I think that’s why the current prime minister is right to push back against some of these things.”George Eustice. Photograph: Tayfun Salcı/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/ShutterstockUpdated at 11.59 BSTBas Javid, currently deputy assistant commissioner at the Metropolitan police, has been appointed director general of immigration enforcement at the Home Office, the government has announced. Javid, who will start his new job in November, is brother to Sajid Javid, the former home secretary.The Royal College of Nursing says today’s hospital waiting list figures for England (see 9.44am) show the NHS is “falling into deeper crisis”. In a statement Nicola Ranger, the RCN’s chief nursing officer, said: With a record number of patients now on a waiting list in England, the NHS is falling into deeper crisis. A decade of underinvestment in the NHS has led to dire consequences for patients and pushed many nursing staff out of the profession they love and with unrelenting pressure on those who remain. A&E waiting times and ambulance response times in England improving, figures showThe latest figures from NHS England show a small improvement in A&E waiting times and ambulance response times, PA Media reports. Some 74% of patients in England were seen within four hours in A&Es last month, up from 73.3% in June, PA says. The figure hit a record low of 65.2% in December. The NHS recovery plan sets a target of March 2024 for 76% of patients attending A&E to be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours. The number of people waiting more than 12 hours in A&E departments in England from a decision to admit to actually being admitted was 23,934 in July, down 10% from 26,531 in June, PA says. The figure hit a record 54,573 in December 2022. The average response time in July for ambulances in England dealing with the most urgent incidents, defined as calls from people with life-threatening illnesses or injuries, was eight minutes and 21 seconds, NHS figures show. This is down from eight minutes and 41 seconds in June but is above the target standard response time of seven minutes, PA says. Ambulances took an average of 31 minutes and 50 seconds last month to respond to emergency calls such as heart attacks, strokes and sepsis, PA says. This is down from 36 minutes and 49 seconds in June, while the target is 18 minutes. Response times for urgent calls, such as late stages of labour, non-severe burns and diabetes, averaged one hour, 50 minutes and nine seconds in July, down from two hours, five minutes and 40 seconds in June, PA says. The Labour party is committed to setting up a publicly-owned energy company, Great British Energy, to champion green power. Today the TUC has published research claiming that, if the government were to invest in this “at the right scale” (it proposes a £40bn investment in clean technologies), this could generate £140bn for the economy.Paul Nowak, the TUC general secretary, said: Publicly-owned energy companies work. Across Europe they are lowering household bills and delivering good jobs. But the UK is feeding foreign firms’ profits and subsidising cheaper bills abroad, while British households struggle to heat their homes and pay their bills. It’s common sense – those who invest in the future end up better off. A British public energy champion – at the right scale – could create good jobs, speed up the path to net zero and make everyone better off by a mammoth £140bn. Updated at 11.04 BSTLabour says one in eight people now waiting for NHS treatment under ToriesOpposition parties are claiming that the latest hospital waiting list figures from NHS England (see 9.44am) show the government is failing in this area.For Labour, Rosena Allin-Khan, the shadow mental health minister, said: One in eight people are now waiting for NHS treatment, more than ever before. Patients are waiting in pain and discomfort for months or even years. Rishi Sunak has no plan to turn this around, he only offers excuses … The last Labour government delivered the shortest waiting lists and highest patient satisfaction in history. The next Labour government will provide the staff and reform the NHS needs, so it is there for us when we need it once again. And for the Liberal Democrats, Daisy Cooper, the deputy leader and health spokesperson, said: This latest Conservative health secretary is not up to the job and owes the public an apology. He says his main focus has been bringing down the waiting list, but he is failing miserably, leaving millions in pain and discomfort … This Conservative government should hang their heads in shame. Rishi Sunak needs to bring forward a proper plan to bring down waiting times as a matter of urgency. Northern Ireland police chief urged to consider position over data breachSimon Byrne, chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, has been urged to consider his position over the mass breach of officers’ data amid warnings that terrorists could use the information to carry out attacks, Aubrey Allegretti reports.There is a mixed picture on the cancer figures in the NHS England data, according to the data reported by PA Media. Here are the main points.Referrals Some 261,006 urgent cancer referrals were made by GPs in England in June, up 6% on 245,595 in May and up 13% year-on-year from 231,868 in June 2022, PA says. The proportion of cancer patients who saw a specialist within two weeks of being referred urgently by their GP fell slightly from 80.8% in May to 80.5% in June, remaining below the target of 93%, PA says. The 93% target was last hit in May 2020, during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic. Diagnosis Some 73.5% of patients urgently referred for suspected cancer were diagnosed or had cancer ruled out within 28 days, up from 71.3% the previous month, PA says. The NHS elective recovery plan sets a goal of March 2024 for 75% of patients who have been urgently referred by their GP for suspected cancer to be diagnosed or have cancer ruled out within 28 days. Treatment A total of 59.2% of cancer patients who had their first treatment in June after an urgent GP referral had waited less than two months, up slightly from 58.7% in May, NHS England figures show, PA says. The target is 85%. Updated at 10.35 BSTGovernment still has not achieved target of eliminating all 18-month hospital waits in England, figures showThe government still has not achieved its target of getting rid of hospital waits in England lasting more than 18 months, today’s NHS England figures show.Rishi Sunak wanted to eliminate 18-month waits by April. But the figures show that at the end of June 7,177 people had been waiting more than a year and a half for treatment, down from 11,446 at the end of May.Updated at 09.55 BST383,083 people waiting more than year for hospital treatment in June, NHS England figures showToday’s NHS England also show that 383,083 people in England had been waiting more than 52 weeks to start routine hospital treatment at the end of June – down very slightly from 385,022 at the end of May.The government wants to eliminate all waits lasting more than 52 weeks by spring next year.Updated at 09.54 BSTNumber of people waiting for hospital treatment in England reaches new record high at 7.6mThe number of people in England waiting to start routine hospital treatment has risen to a new record high, PA Media reports. PA says: An estimated 7.6 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of June, up from 7.5 million in May, NHS England said. It is the highest number since records began in August 2007. Rishi Sunak has made cutting waiting lists one of his priorities for 2023, pledging in January that “lists will fall and people will get the care they need more quickly”. Updated at 12.02 BSTGrant Shapps tells Tories net zero essential for global securityGood morning. Since the Uxbridge and South Ruislip byelection, in which the Tories held the seat unexpectedly following a voter backlash against the extension of Ulez (the ultra low emission zone), which will impose extra costs on some drivers, the Conservative party has been toning down its support for green measures considerably. Rishi Sunak even resorted to posing for a photograph in Margaret Thatcher’s old Rover, and promising to “max out” the UK’s oil and gas reserves.But this morning there has been a bit of pushback from Grant Shapps, the energy secretary. In remarks that may be aimed as much at his party as the wider world, Shapps says there will be no global security without net zero.Shapps made the comment in an interview with Politico in which he said that the UK will be hosting a global summit on energy security in spring 2024. Shapps said it would discuss the the need to “diversify from fossil fuels” and he declared: We can’t have global security without net zero … There’s no global security if millions of people are having to uproot because of weather patterns. The UK, and other countries, would be more secure with alternative sources of energy, he said. “Greater diversity could actually give us much greater security,” he said.All of this sounds quite obvious. But in the Conservative party, and particularly in the Tory press (the Sunday Telegraph is calling for a referendum on net zero), these are not truths universally acknowledged, as a better writer would have put it.In his interview Shapps also implied China might be invited to the conference. He said the details had not been finalised, but he declared he wanted it to be “inclusive in nature”. If China is invited, that may go down badly with some in his party too.We are into the middle of August – normally death valley for Westminster political news – but, in so far as there are stories around, some of them relate to net zero. The TUC has published a report on the potential benefits of having a publicly owned energy company, and George Eustice, the former environment secretary, has given an interview about his call for the government to change its plan to ban the installation of new oil boilers in off-grid homes from 2026. For the third day in a row, Lee Anderson’s call for migrants to “fuck of back to France” is still being talked about. In Northern Ireland Simon Byrne, the chief constable, faces questions from the board overseeing the Police Service of Northern Ireland about the massive data leak. And Labour has accused the government of “catastrophic financial mismanagement”, claiming it has “lost” £251bn from the value of assets created to rescue the banking sector after the 2008 financial crash. Phillip Inman has the story here.If you want to contact me, do try the “send us a message” feature. You’ll see it just below the byline – on the left of the screen, if you are reading on a laptop or a desktop. This is for people who want to message me directly. I find it very useful when people message to point out errors (even typos – no mistake is too small to correct). Often I find your questions very interesting, too. I can’t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either in the comments below the line, privately (if you leave an email address and that seems more appropriate), or in the main blog, if I think it is a topic of wide interest.Updated at 11.21 BST [ad_2]

[qudachuk]

Mr Eustice said the Government needs to create different approaches to develop the delivery of net zero, rather than ‘lock’ into technologies now.

[olko71]

New Post has been published on All about business online

New Post has been published on https://yaroreviews.info/2023/07/hospitality-sector-anxious-over-summer-staffing

Hospitality sector 'anxious' over summer staffing

Stephen Montgomery

By Jemma Dempsey

BBC News

The UK’s hospitality sector is still short-staffed and businesses fear they will struggle to cope over the busy summer holiday season.

It comes as former government minister George Eustice called for EU workers to be allowed into the UK to ease post-Brexit shortages.

Trade body UK Hospitality also said staffing was in “serious crisis” – with vacancies 48% higher than pre-Covid.

The government said staff could be hired under its points-based system.

Hotels and bars need more EU workers, say bosses

Restaurateur Stephen Montgomery told the BBC he was “anxious to a degree” about the summer. He runs Our Place in Annan, near Lockerbie – he is also chair of the Scottish Hospitality Group.

“Just as we were trying to take the business from five to seven days a week, bang we lost two members of staff, both front of house,” he said.

But it means he may have to cut down his opening hours. “If I have to close to make sure my staff aren’t burned out, I will. Why risk losing more staff for financial gain?”

However, he is hopeful of recruiting soon – his business is offering interest-free loans and cost of living grants to employees as incentives in a tight labour market.

Now, Mr Montgomery’s plight, along with others, has been highlighted by the former environment secretary and outgoing MP Mr Eustice who has picked up the post-Brexit staffing baton. Speaking in the Observer, Mr Eustice called for a reciprocal visa scheme for under-35s to work across the EU and Britain.

“I am very sceptical about a skills-based immigration policy because we have no shortages in those areas, but where we do have shortages is in hospitality, it’s quite acute there. We could have a two-year youth mobility scheme which would have no permanent impact on immigration numbers,” he told the BBC.

Andrew Matthews/PA Wire

An industry outlook by Deloitte for 2023 said disruptions due to staff shortages, underpinned by high inflation, would likely increase and last beyond 2025.

The accounting firm also forecast a lack of economic growth and rising costs, with an inability to raise prices as the key risks in the sector.

Staffing is a problem for the Lamplighter Dining Rooms in Windermere, in the heart of the Lake District.

Open 365 days of the year it can seat 100 guests but owner James Tasker said filling the rota had been “more of a challenge” since the pandemic.

“The southern European contingent just didn’t come back,” he said. “Then there’s the surging cost of living, coupled with unaffordable rental accommodation, that’s in phenomenally short supply here.

“We may face certain days where we have to restrict the volume of guests, which is disappointing but it’s not all about the money.”

Having fewer guests was preferable to giving customers bad service and getting negative reviews. “We’re conscious of our reputation,” Mr Tasker added.

Vacancies

The background to these challenges are post-Brexit working regulations and Covid, both of which have severely affected the sector. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the level of vacancies was still 48% higher than pre-Covid levels.

An ONS update is due on Tuesday but it said available roles fell by 22% over the last year, standing at 132,000 in May.

“The workforce shortage is creating a serious crisis as we head deeper into the peak summer season,” said UK Hospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls. “Nearly half of businesses are reducing trading hours per day, and a third are having to close on some days each week.”

James Dixon-Box

James Dixon-Box, deputy manager at Bournemouth’s 95-bed Marsham Court Hotel in Dorset, said hoteliers in the town had been forced to think laterally to combat staffing issues.

“We work really hard on cross-training so we have staff who are multi-skilled. Finding chefs is not the easiest thing but we do a lot of work with colleges and schools and have student apprentices,” he said.

One of them is a 16-year old who has just started work in the hotel kitchen and will spend the summer holidays being trained as a chef. The process will take six to eight weeks.

Mr Dixon-Box said: “There’s no use moping about saying there’s a skills gap, the best way is to teach people and for them to learn.”

Further north, Buzzworks runs 19 restaurants across Scotland and employs 800 staff, turning over £35m last year. But finding chefs is a problem. “It’s our most acute shortage,” said owner Kenny Blair.

The entrepreneur has obtained an immigration licence “which was not cheap” but it allows him to recruit staff from abroad – most recently India.

Buzzworks

Mark McCulloch set up Hospitality Rising to attract young people to an industry they would never have considered before.

“It’s a viable career path, the pay is better than you think,” he told the BBC.

Backed by 300 businesses it has the support of big hitters like Michelin-starred chefs Tom Kerridge, Angela Hartnett and Raymond Blanc.

Mr McCulloch, a former marketing executive with Pret a Manger and Yo! Sushi, said without a full team it “leads to customer disappointment”.

Renewed calls for jobs in the hospitality industry to be added to the shortage occupation list come after the government’s Migration Advisory Committee last rejected the idea in March.

A spokesperson for the Home Office told the BBC it worked to ensure its points-based system “delivers for the UK” and that included reviewing the shortage occupation list “to ensure it reflects the current labour market”. They added that many hospitality roles such as chefs are eligible under the points-based system.

Related Topics

Holidays

Seaside towns

Hospitality industry

Brexit

More on this story

Hotels and bars need more EU workers, say bosses

21 March

Immigration rules relaxed for builders and carpenters

16 March

Who is allowed to come to live in the UK?

25 May

[screechingreviewcupcake]

The former environment secretary said supermarkets have to "work to get it right" on supplies. from BBC News - Business https://ift.tt/UgFHYNS

[newswireml]

Fruit and vegetable shortages 'to last four weeks', says George Eustice#Fruit #vegetable #shortages #weeks #George #Eustice

Woman in front of empty veg shelves Shortages of some fruit and vegetables will last for three to four weeks, a former environment secretary has said. George Eustice also insisted there was “nothing much” the government could have done to prevent empty shelves in supermarkets. The government and industry have blamed bad weather in Spain and North Africa for the squeeze. But chef and restaurateur…

[crhlabour]

Tweeted

RT @PollingReportUK: LATEST SEAT PREDICTION: CAMBORNE AND REDRUTH LAB @Perran4CRH GAIN FROM CON (Rt Hon George Eustice MP) MAJ: 16.2% https://t.co/efMWVNnaeB https://t.co/ksxhIq66V2

— Labour CRH 🌹 (@CRHLabour) Feb 16, 2023

[oliviajames1122]

Enjoy New Year but be cautious

People should enjoy themselves but be cautious when celebrating the New Year, UK care minister Gillian Keegan has said.

Revelers should take a lateral flow test before going out and celebrate in well-ventilated areas, she advised.

The government is not imposing further Covid restrictions in England, but there are limits on socializing in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

The hospitality sector described the decision not to add further measures as a "lifeline" for pubs, bars, and clubs.

Ms Keegan said while people should try to enjoy themselves, the Omicron variant of coronavirus was "highly infectious" and they needed to exercise caution many business listings.

There has been an increase in cases and people were going into hospital with Covid, Ms Keegan said, adding that the government was watching the data "all the time".

NHS England data shows there were 1,281 Covid-19 hospital admissions on Christmas Day - the highest number for any day since 16 February.

Care Minister Gillian Keegan says people should enjoy the New Year cautiously

Ms Keegan also said 214,000 people had received their booster jab over the Christmas weekend and a total of 32.4 million had now received the third dose.

Earlier, environment Secretary George Eustice said the evidence on Covid cases and admissions did not support more interventions at the moment but the government would keep its decision not to impose further curbs in England under review.

Record levels of demand for Covid PCR tests have left some people waiting for up to five days to receive their results over Christmas - meaning they had to self-isolate until they receive their negative result.

The UK Health Security Agency apologized and said action had been taken to add extra capacity to its laboratory network business listings.

·The new places where you'll be asked to wear a mask

·Record demand leads to Covid test result delays

·What are the new Covid rules for the UK?

·How can I get my booster jab?

Pubs, bars, and restaurants have been hard hit in the run-up to Christmas, due to mass cancellations over Omicron fears.

UK Hospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said the decision not to go beyond Plan B measures in England would give "a real lifeline" to many businesses.

But there are also calls for more support - Adnams brewery boss Andy Wood told BBC Radio 4's Today program more than half of the Christmas business had been lost.

Ms Keegan said the government had introduced a £1bn package to support businesses before Christmas.

Schools worry

Concerns have also been raised about the impact on hospitals and schools of staff having to self-isolate.

Prof Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, told BBC Breakfast that in time people with Covid should be allowed to "go about their normal lives" as they would with a common cold free business listings.

"If the self-isolation rules are what are making the pain associated with Covid, then we need to do that perhaps sooner rather than later," he said.

He suggested this might be able to happen "once we're past Easter", depending on the effects of the disease at that time.

Prof Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford University told the Today program the decision not to introduce new curbs before the New Year is "probably fine"; with data showing "very low" numbers of vaccinated people in intensive care.

He said the Omicron variant was "not the same disease" we had seen a year ago and added he thought "the horrific scenes that we saw a year ago" were "now history".

Staff quarantining was putting additional stress on the health service, Sir John said, and lateral flow tests were "quite a good way" of showing that was infectious - rather than cutting isolation periods as has been done in the US.

Restrictions do not stop Covid; they just buy time by delaying its spread.

Last winter that time was used to roll out the vaccine program, which meant when cases started to rise as restrictions were lifted the population was better protected.