Grooming gang survivors tell MPs to ‘put politics aside’ over child exploitation – UK politics live | Politics
Put politics aside when it comes to child sexual exploitation, grooming gang survivors urge
Alexandra Topping
The political “tug-of-war with vulnerable women” abused by grooming gangs must stop ahead of a new national inquiry into the crimes, survivors have told the Guardian.
Holly Archer and Scarlett Jones, two survivors who played a key role in a “gold-standard” local inquiry into the crime in Telford, have urged politicians and those without experience of abuse to allow women to shape the investigation.
“We have to put politics aside when it comes to child sexual exploitation, we have to stop this tug-of-war with vulnerable women,” said Archer, author of I Never Gave My Consent: A Schoolgirl’s Life Inside the Telford Sex Ring.
“There are so many voices that need to be heard. There’s some voices, though, that need to step away,” she said. “We can do it, let us do it – we don’t need you to speak on our behalf.”
Jones, who works with Archer at the Holly Project, a support service helping survivors of child sexual exploitation (CSE) and their families, added: “There are so many people out there at this moment exploiting the exploited – it’s happening all the time.”
Key events
The government will spend £725bn on infrastructure in the next decade, Treasury minister Darren Jones has said.
Jones said the spending would include the schools rebuilding programme, and the scheme to expand prisons.
He said the 10-year infrastructure plan aimed to show that “change is possible”.
He said: “It is our hope that this long-term approach will give investors and businesses the confidence to invest in skills and their workforce, to hire more apprentices, to create more jobs and to improve wages in every part of the country.”
Put politics aside when it comes to child sexual exploitation, grooming gang survivors urge
Alexandra Topping
The political “tug-of-war with vulnerable women” abused by grooming gangs must stop ahead of a new national inquiry into the crimes, survivors have told the Guardian.
Holly Archer and Scarlett Jones, two survivors who played a key role in a “gold-standard” local inquiry into the crime in Telford, have urged politicians and those without experience of abuse to allow women to shape the investigation.
“We have to put politics aside when it comes to child sexual exploitation, we have to stop this tug-of-war with vulnerable women,” said Archer, author of I Never Gave My Consent: A Schoolgirl’s Life Inside the Telford Sex Ring.
“There are so many voices that need to be heard. There’s some voices, though, that need to step away,” she said. “We can do it, let us do it – we don’t need you to speak on our behalf.”
Jones, who works with Archer at the Holly Project, a support service helping survivors of child sexual exploitation (CSE) and their families, added: “There are so many people out there at this moment exploiting the exploited – it’s happening all the time.”
Foreign secretary David Lammy will meet US counterpart Marco Rubio as Donald Trump continues to consider joining Israeli strikes against Iran.
Lammy and US secretary of state Rubio will discuss the situation in the Middle East on Thursday evening at 7pm BST.
Lammy’s meeting in Washington comes amid speculation US involvement could require the use of the UK-controlled Diego Garcia base in the Chagos Islands.
Ministers stepping up preparations for renationalisation of Thames Water
Jasper Jolly
The environment secretary, Steve Reed, has said the government is stepping up preparations for temporary nationalisation of Thames Water, indicating it will reject pleas from the company’s creditors for leniency from fines and penalties.
Thames Water’s largest creditors control the utility, and have made a bid to cut some of its debts and provide £5.3bn in new funding to try to turn it around.
However, the creditors have said their plan needs considerable leniency from Ofwat, the government’s water regulator for England and Wales, and the Environment Agency over fines for environmental failings. The Guardian this month revealed that the creditors had asked for immunity from prosecution for serious environmental crimes in return for taking on the company.
Reed on Thursday told parliament that Thames Water must meet its statutory obligations, after being asked about possible “regulatory easements”.
“Thames Water must meet its statutory and regulatory obligations to their customers and to the environment,” he said. “It is only right that the company is subject to the same consequences as any other water company.
The company remains financially stable, but we’ve stepped up our preparations and stand ready for all eventualities, as I’ve said before, including special administration regime if that were to become necessary.
UK would have to sign off on US use of Diego Garcia base for raid on Iran
Pippa Crerar
The UK government will have to sign off on the US use of its Diego Garcia base in any bombing raid on Iran, it has emerged, as ministers gathered to discuss a range of scenarios amid further increasing tensions in the region.
The prime minster, Keir Starmer, chaired an emergency Cobra meeting to discuss the UK’s response to the crisis in the Middle East which could escalate further should the US enter the conflict between Israel and Iran.
After the prime minister landed back in Britain following the G7 summit in Canada, he brought together ministers and senior officials to update the UK’s response beyond urging de-escalation.
But with Donald Trump still not revealing what action he may take, the UK government is working on a series of options dependent on whether the US pursues military action, and if it asks allies for support at any stage.
One key issue for the UK would be whether to give permission for the US to fly B-2 stealth bombers from the Diego Garcia airbase in the Indian Ocean to attack Iran’s nuclear enrichment site, which is between 80 and 90 metres inside a mountain at Fordow.
The decision on whether to grant the US permission to use the base, should it request to do so, would be a political one, and Starmer would be expected to seek the advice of his national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, who was Tony Blair’s No 10 chief of staff at the time of the Iraq war.
However, government insiders suggested it would put the prime minister in a difficult situation, balancing his stated preference for a diplomatic solution with his desire to safeguard the US-UK relationship that he regards as of the utmost importance.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an amber heat-health alert for all regions in England. The alert will be in force from 12pm on Thursday until 9am on Monday.
It warns that “significant impacts are likely” across health and social care services because of high temperatures, including a rise in deaths – particularly among those aged 65 and over or people with health conditions.
UK benefits system could collapse if payments are not cut, Liz Kendall says
Kiran Stacey
Britain’s benefits system faces collapse without cuts to disability payments, Liz Kendall has said, as the government published plans that put it on a collision course with dozens of angry Labour MPs.
Kendall published her welfare reform bill on Wednesday, confirming it would lead to benefit cuts for 950,000 people by 2030. She said the country’s £326bn social security net might cease to exist if costs continued to escalate.
The bill includes several concessions designed to win over fractious Labour MPs as ministers look to ward off the biggest rebellion of Keir Starmer’s premiership. But the efforts were met with hostility by many in the party, who said they still intended to vote against the bill next month.
Kendall said:
Our social security system is at a crossroads. Unless we reform it, more people will be denied opportunities, and it may not be there for those who need it. This legislation represents a new social contract and marks the moment we take the road of compassion, opportunity and dignity.
This will give people peace of mind, while also fixing our broken social security system so it supports those who can work to do so while protecting those who cannot – putting welfare spending on a more sustainable path to unlock growth.
The bill will cut personal independence payments (Pips) for more than 800,000 people with disabilities, as well as carers’ support for 150,000 people who care for them. Claimants only able to wash half of their body or who are unable to cook a meal for themselves will no longer be able to claim Pips unless they have another limiting condition.
The cuts are at the heart of an overall package of nearly £5bn in welfare savings which ministers argue are necessary to protect the financial sustainability of the benefits system.
Kendall has tried to dispel widespread anger in the Labour party over the plans by introducing new concessions. Under the terms of the bill, people losing their disability benefits will get additional financial support for 13 weeks, while those with severe conditions such as heart disease or spinal injuries will not have to face reassessments.
MPs will debate the universal credit and personal independence payment bill on 1 July.
Speaking during business questions, leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell announced the bill will have its second reading at the start of next month.
Campaigners from trade unions, voluntary organisations and the Church of Scotland have announced plans for an anti-poverty march to “demand better” from politicians in Scotland, reports the PA news agency.
The campaign, Scotland Demands Better, will culminate in a march in Edinburgh on 25 October, walking from the Scottish parliament, up the Royal Mile and along George IV Bridge to The Meadows.
Led by the Poverty Alliance, which said “too many are feeling tired, angry, isolated, and disillusioned”, the campaign calls for better working conditions, increased investment in public services including transport, and improved social security.
It is backed by the Church of Scotland and supported by the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC), Oxfam Scotland, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, and Citizens Advice Scotland.
According to the PA news agency, Oxfam Scotland said politicians need to “tax the wealthiest fairly and invest in building a fairer, greener future”, amid statistics which show one-fifth of the population are living in poverty.
Campaigners said there is “growing public anger at a lack of fundamental political action to build a better society”, and have issued three demands, including jobs with fair conditions and wages that pay the bills; better investment for essentials; and better social security.
Peter Kelly, chief executive of the Poverty Alliance, said:
Change for the better happens when people stand together and demand it. Scotland desperately needs that change.
Too many of us are being cut off from life’s essentials. Too many are frightened of what the future will bring. Too many of us are feeling tired, angry, isolated, and disillusioned.
Too many are without a home, or sacrificing meals for their families, dreading winter due to heating costs, or struggling to get by on wages that don’t cover their household costs.
We know it doesn’t have to be this way. It can’t be right that one in five of us are still living in poverty.
It’s time for organisations across Scotland to come together to show our political leaders that we demand the fundamental changes and investment that will lead to a better future for all of us.
Royal College of Physicians says poor air quality costs UK more than £500m a week
Andrew Gregory
Air pollution in the UK is costing more than £500m a week in ill health, NHS care and productivity losses, with 99% of the population breathing in “toxic air”, doctors have said.
Dirty air is killing more than 500 people a week, with health harm to almost every organ of the body caused by air pollution, even at low concentrations, the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) said.
With an impact on mortality and healthy life expectancy, the effects on individuals, society, the economy and the NHS were huge and the threat air pollution posed to public health was greater than previously understood, a landmark report by the college concluded.
The RCP report also highlighted studies providing new information about the significant health dangers of toxic air, including foetal development and risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, mental health conditions and dementia.
Air pollution in the UK now kills 30,000 people and costs £27bn a year, according to the research, which also said there was no safe level of air pollutants. The figure could even be significantly higher – up to £50bn – if wider impacts such as dementia were taken into account.
Exposure to air pollution can shorten people’s lives by 1.8 years, “just behind some of the leading causes of death and disease worldwide”, including cancer and smoking, the report added.
The college called for action from the government to tackle the crisis, as it urged ministers to “recognise air pollution as a key public health issue”.
In the foreword of the report, England’s chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, said:
Air pollution remains the most important environmental threat to health, with impacts throughout the life course.
It is an area of health where the UK has made substantial progress in the last three decades, with concentrations of many of the main pollutants falling rapidly, but it remains a major cause of chronic ill health as well as premature mortality.
Keir Starmer needs to crack down on misconduct in politics, John Major says
Rowena Mason
Keir Starmer needs to reset standards in public life and bring in proper sanctions before trust in the UK system is damaged beyond salvage, John Major has said.
The former Conservative prime minister said proposals for an ethics commission appeared to be “in the long grass” but No 10 could strengthen the Nolan principles of public life and make sure there was punishment for misconduct within the standards framework.
In a speech at the Institute for Government one-day conference to mark the 30th anniversary of the Nolan principles of selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership, which Major brought in as prime minister, he said the system was still a good one but needed to be more enforceable.
With No 10 rethinking the idea of setting up a new ethics commission, as promised in the Labour manifesto, Major said it was time for action to improve the system:
It has been our past practice to offer guidance on good conduct, and trust it will be delivered. That was the Nolan approach. But experience has taught us that no rules can deal with individuals prepared to ignore them, and sometimes sanctions are required.
The problem is that to rely on convention leaves loopholes for those with lax scruples. That being so, it is time to strengthen the safeguards around propriety, to ensure our public life is as free from fault as we wish it to be.
He said the misconduct of a small minority of politicians has left trust at too low a level, citing scandals in political funding, the award of honours, lobbying, “unsavoury” behaviour, bullying and Partygate, as well as whole governments breaking or bending the law and shielding their own colleagues from censure.
His suggestions for improvement include:
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Asking the House of Lords advisory commission to scrutinise the suitability of political peerages as well as their propriety.
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Giving statutory powers to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments so they can impose sanctions on former politicians and officials who flout time-limited lobbying bans.
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Ensuring the government responds swiftly to recommendations from the committee on standards in public life.
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New protections to prevent wealthy foreign interests influencing politics through mega donations. A cap on individual contributions is under consideration.
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Returning the electoral commission to being an independent body free of government guidance.
Responding to the attorney general’s warning that getting involved in Israel’s war against Iran could be illegal beyond offering defensive support (see 9.41am BST), the Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, said the government should publish Richard Hermer’s advice.
In a post on X, Davey said:
The government needs to publish any legal advice received around involvement in the conflict with Iran.
The last thing we need is for the UK to be dragged into another illegal war in the Middle East by the US.
John Swinney has reaffirmed his government’s commitment to sustainable food production amid “significant change” in the farming sector, before a visit to the Royal Highland show, reports the PA news agency.
The first minister is due to attend the annual showcase of food, farming and rural life on Thursday, where he is expected to meet groups representing various rural aspects of Scotland.
Speaking before the visit, Swinney said it was his government’s ambition to be a “global leader” in sustainable agriculture, which he said would be achieved by working in partnership with the sector to transform support for farmers and crofters.
He also said there was a “stark contrast” between Scotland’s commitment to farming, which he said amounted to £600m and included “direct support”, with the approach of the UK government.
Swinney said:
Our ambition is for Scotland to be a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture. To do that we are working in partnership with the sector to transform the support we give to our farmers and crofters.
The Royal Highland show is our chance to showcase the absolute best of food produce, farming excellence and all of the industries that support our rural communities.
I want to clearly repeat our commitment to sustainable food production, with more than £600m annually, including maintaining direct support – in stark contrast to the UK government approach.
Since I was here last year, our farming sector and rural communities have seen significant change with the imposition of inheritance tax changes in agriculture and an incredibly challenging settlement for Scotland over the next three to four years from the recent UK spending review.
Here in Scotland, we are committed to maintaining reformed direct payments, supporting sustainable food production and providing vital stability to our rural communities.
Attorney general warns UK joining war on Iran may be illegal
Eleni Courea
Britain’s attorney general has warned ministers that getting involved in Israel’s war against Iran could be illegal beyond offering defensive support, it has emerged.
Richard Hermer, the government’s most senior legal officer, is understood to have raised concerns internally about the legality of joining a bombing campaign against Iran.
An official who has seen Hermer’s official legal advice told the Spectator, which first reported the story, that “the AG has concerns about the UK playing any role in this except for defending our allies”.
Keir Starmer is considering whether to provide the US with military support if Donald Trump decides to bomb Iran, and whether to approve the use of the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean for the attack. Hermer’s advice could limit the degree of UK support for the US.
A spokesperson for the attorney general’s office said:
By longstanding convention, reflected in the ministerial code, whether the law officers have been asked to provide legal advice and the content of any advice is not routinely disclosed.
The convention provides the fullest guarantee that government business will be conducted at all times in light of thorough and candid legal advice.
Doctor Who actor Ncuti Gatwa, Judi Dench and Nobel peace prize winner Malala Yousafzai have added their names to an open letter urging the prime minister to suspend arms sales to Israel.
According to the PA news agency, the trio are among a number of celebrities who have added their signatories to the letter, published by refugee charity Choose Love last month, and already signed by stars including Dua Lipa and Benedict Cumberbatch. Four hundred people have now signed the letter, with the new signatories including actors Stanley Tucci and Florence Pugh, former England rugby captain Chris Robshaw and musicians Paul Weller and Self Esteem.
As well as suspending UK arms sales to Israel, the letter calls on Keir Starmer to “use all available means” to ensure humanitarian aid gets in to the territory. It also urges the prime minister to “make a commitment to the children of Gaza” that he would broker an “immediate and permanent ceasefire”.
Josie Naughton, CEO of Choose Love, said:
Since we urged the Government to end its complicity in the horrors of Gaza, more people have added their voice to our call.
We cannot be silent while children are being killed and families are being starved.
Ministers have already suspended licences for some arms sales to Israel but activists have demanded that the government goes further, imposing a total ban including on parts for the F-35 jet. But the government has said halting the export of spare F-35 parts is not possible as the UK is part of a global supply network and cannot control where those parts end up.
Naughton added:
The situation is changing by the second, but until the UK government has halted all arms sales and licences to Israel, ensured that humanitarian aid can reach people starving inside Gaza and stopped the killing, they will not have done enough.
According to the PA news agency, a government spokesperson said:
We strongly oppose the expansion of military operations in Gaza and call on the Israeli government to cease its offensive and immediately allow for unfettered access to humanitarian aid. The denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in Gaza is unacceptable and risks breaching international humanitarian law.
Last year, we suspended export licences to Israel for items used in military operations in Gaza and continue to refuse licences for military goods that could be used by Israel in the current conflict.
We urge all parties to urgently agree a ceasefire agreement and work towards a permanent and sustainable peace.
UK ministers to restart approval process for two North Sea oilfields
Helena Horton
Ministers will restart the approval process for two controversial oilfields on Thursday, even as new figures show the UK will be almost entirely dependent on foreign gas by 2050 regardless of whether they are approved.
Michael Shanks, the energy security minister, will on Thursday announce the results of a government consultation on the giant Rosebank field and the smaller Jackdaw one, in a move the industry says will set the tone for the future of production in the North Sea.
The announcement comes as new figures from the climate group Uplift suggest Britain will be almost entirely dependent on foreign gas by 2050, even if the fields are given the green light.
One oil and gas industry source said:
This consultation is not about decisions on specific projects but it’s about how and if we as an industry can continue to produce oil and gas in the UK.
Tessa Khan, the executive director of Uplift, said:
This Labour government needs to do the right thing and stand up to the oil and gas firms that have got obscenely rich while millions of people in the UK have struggled, and stop their endless polluting. All eyes are now on the government to see if this guidance provides a credible climate test.
Government sources said they expected the consultation response to be relatively technical and not to give an indication about whether the energy secretary, Ed Miliband, intends to approve the schemes if their developers do reapply for consent.
However, industry sources say they are watching keenly for what the government says about how much power Miliband will have over the decision, whether it distinguishes between oil and gas production and what mitigations it suggests companies could put in place.
Asked if she believes the attorney general is right to sound a warning (see 8.44am BST), Priti Patel said the UK cannot “hide behind legal advice at a time of crisis”.
Patel told Times Radio:
I don’t think we can hide behind legal advice at a time of crisis and national security when we have to work alongside our biggest ally in the world, the United States, when they look to us for potentially … setting out operational activities through our own military bases.
Patel: Tories would support UK joining fight against Iran if Starmer deems it necessary
Shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel said the Conservative party would support the government in joining the military fight against Iran if it was deemed necessary, reports the PA news agency.
Asked whether she would agree if the UK joined the offensive, she told Good Morning Britain:
While we want peace in the region, we’re crystal clear that Iran should not be able to obtain nuclear weapons.
And if the government judges that such action is necessary to avoid that then we would absolutely support the government if it deemed it necessary to ensure that we can defend our country, our citizens and effectively a lot of our strategic equities in the Middle East region.
She said she believed the opposition would be able to hold the government to account without a vote in parliament on such a decision.
Meanwhile, energy minister Miatta Fahnbulleh said that Keir Starmer will be a “cool, calm head” guided by international law in response to the Israel-Iran crisis.
According to the PA news agency, Fahnbulleh told Times Radio:
Legal advice is for the prime minister, and I think that’s where it will stay and you can understand why I won’t comment on that. But what I will say is that we have a prime minister who is a lawyer and a human rights lawyer, he will obviously do everything that is in accord with international law.
No one wants an escalation. No one wants this to erupt into a major conflict in the region that is hugely destabilising for every country involved and for us, globally. So the most important role that the prime minister can play, and is playing, is to be that cool, calm head, to urge all partners around the negotiating table and to find a diplomatic route out of this.
The attorney general, Richard Hermer, is reported to have raised concerns about any potential UK involvement in the conflict beyond defending its allies, something which could limit any support for the US if Donald Trump decides to bomb Iranian nuclear sites.
Patel also told Good Morning Britain that the government needs to “step up” the evacuation of British nationals in Israel. She said:
I think the current government’s response is not sufficient and if families of embassy staff and personnel are being evacuated then I think the same facilities must be extended to our citizens.
More on all of the above in a moment, but first, here are some other developments:
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The UK government will have to sign off on the US use of its Diego Garcia base in any bombing raid on Iran, it has emerged, as ministers gathered to discuss a range of scenarios amid further increasing tensions in the region. The prime minster chaired an emergency Cobra meeting to discuss the UK’s response to the crisis in the Middle East which could escalate further should the US enter the conflict between Israel and Iran.
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The foreign secretary is scheduled to meet his US counterpart in Washington. David Lammy and secretary of state Marco Rubio will discuss the Middle East as potential American involvement in the conflict looms.
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The MP behind the assisted dying bill will be joined by bereaved and terminally ill people as she makes her case for a change in the law before a crucial vote on Friday. Kim Leadbeater is expected to re-state her argument that dying people must be given choice at the end of their lives, but opponents of her bill have warned it fails to guarantee protections for society’s most vulnerable.
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Britain’s benefits system faces collapse without cuts to disability payments, Liz Kendall has said, as the government published plans that put it on a collision course with dozens of angry Labour MPs.
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Ministers will restart the approval process for two controversial oilfields on Thursday, even as new figures show the UK will be almost entirely dependent on foreign gas by 2050 regardless of whether they are approved.
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The Bank of England is predicted to keep UK interest rates at 4.25% on Thursday amid rising food inflation and the threat of surging oil prices pushing up the cost of living. Most economists think the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee (MPC) will opt to keep rates on hold when it meets on Thursday.
