The comments made by James Heappey, the Conservative MP for Wells, on Twitter on 23 October 2022.
I’ve been agonising all weekend knowing that our choice as next PM must bring together our divided party & restore stability to our Government. All wings of our party will need to work together after contest to achieve that but I’m supporting Rishi Sunak to lead us in doing so.
![PRESS RELEASE : Cost-of-living crisis [October 2022]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/nalc.png)
The press release issued by the National Association of Local Councils on 18 October 2022.
With the highest rates of inflation in decades and a collapse in the pound’s value, the UK is facing a cost-of-living crisis that will affect millions of working people across the UK.
The crisis has a disproportionate impact on low-wage households, who spend a larger proportion of their income on fuel and food. According to the Living Wage Foundation ‘Life on Low Pay’ report, there are currently an estimated 4.8m workers earning a wage below the cost of living. 42% of such workers report missing meals regularly due to financial reasons, and 56% report using food banks regularly. During the winter months, many of these workers are facing bleak choices such as whether to ‘heat or eat’.
Why is it important to address the cost-of-living crisis?
We understand that the cost-of-living crisis is having a huge impact on the mental health of workers, which is already estimated to have cost the UK private sector between £53-56bn in 2020-21. Workers under financial pressure are unlikely to perform at their best, and businesses are likely to face reduced productivity, higher turnover and increased training costs.
The government has a primary role in ensuring that people are protected, and they have introduced measures in response to rising energy costs. While these measures (to cap energy prices to £2,500 for a typical household) will make a difference, it should be noted that this is double what the average household bill was in 2020.
Businesses and specifically the largest publicly listed employers, can play an essential role in shielding their lower-paid workforce from the impacts of the cost-of-living crisis.
What are we doing?
For this reason, CCLA and the Church Investors Group have written to the largest publicly listed employers about their response and specifically asking them:
We will be summarising their responses on the website. Our intention for this engagement is to encourage large employers to respond and to showcase how businesses are already addressing the challenges of the cost-of-living crisis.
![PRESS RELEASE : Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse releases its final report [October 2022]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/nspcc.jpg)
The press release issued by the NSPCC on 20 October 2022.
94 victims and survivors gave evidence in public hearings. For them, and for all who have experienced sexual abuse, this must be a defining moment for lasting change.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) has published its final report and recommendations on how multiple organisations have failed and are continuing to fail to protect children in their care from sexual abuse.
Since 2015, IICSA has held 15 investigations with over 6,000 experiences being shared with the Truth Project and 87 recommendations for change made.
1 in 20 children in the UK has been sexually abused.1 One in three children sexually abused by an adult did not tell anyone at the time.2
IICSA was set up after investigations in 2012 and 2013 into the Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal revealed widespread abuse and inadequate safeguarding by institutions and organisations responsible for child welfare.
The role of IICSA was to investigate what went wrong and why, and use its findings to make clear recommendations and prevent failures from happening in future.
In that time information was sought from the NSPCC for nine investigations. These included investigations into residential schools, the internet, religious organisations and child sexual exploitation.
We provided witness statements, helplines data, records searches, briefing papers and results from an FOI request. Our staff gave evidence at public hearings, culminating in Sir Peter Wanless, NSPCC CEO, giving evidence in December 2020.
IICSA’s findings demonstrate that we need to see a wholesale change in how child sexual abuse is tackled. Reporting matters and responding effectively is crucial. We’re calling for changes that would focus on strengthening:
– prevention (through strong safeguarding policies and procedures in all organisations)
– the recognition of the signs of child sexual abuse
– the knowledge of how to report
– the availability of recovery support services
– the response from child protection agencies.
Sir Peter Wanless, NSPCC Chief Executive, said:
“It would be an utter tragedy if events in Westminster completely overshadowed the report and recommendations from IICSA. This was a chance to show the survivors and victims who broke the silence that we have heard them and that their legacy will be a national mission to prevent child sexual abuse. They deserve nothing less.
“We will soon have a new Prime Minister. They must make this report a defining moment by making sure there is political leadership to translate IICSA’s recommendations into a robust system that truly keeps children safe. They must start by appointing a Cabinet Minister for Children.
“NSPCC analysis shows there were more than 85,000 child sexual abuse reports to police last year. The Government must also bring forward a strengthened a Victim’s Bill that ensures specialist support for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and deliver a robust Online Safety Bill to ensure tech firms design platforms that have child protection designed in as a legal requirement.
“Everyone has a role to play and if you ever have a concern about the wellbeing of a child, please do not hesitate to contact the NSPCC Helpline.”
The comments made by Luke Evans, the Conservative MP for Bosworth, on Twitter on 23 October 2022.
Nominations close tomorrow for the next Leader of the Conservative Party. To be a candidate you need to have the nominations of over 100 fellow Conservative MPs. I have nominated Penny Mordaunt to be the next Party leader.
We’ll find out at 2pm tomorrow if Penny has made it onto the ballot paper by having enough support, and who else made it.
As always, I will keep you posted on what happens next.
The comments made by Jacob Rees-Mogg, a supporter of the Boris Johnson campaign, made in an interview to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg on 23 October 2022.
I have been speaking to Boris Johnson and clearly he is going to stand as there is a great deal of support for him.
The comments made by Michelle Donelan, the Conservative MP for Chippenham, on Twitter on 23 October 2022.
Earlier today I publicly backed Rishi Sunak to be our next Prime Minister. The country is facing many challenges – now is the time for unity, stability, delivery and relentless focus.
It is crucial we come together and unite behind this common mission.
The comments made by Jeremy Corbyn, the Independent MP for North Islington, on Twitter on 23 October 2022.
A “tough choice” is deciding whether to feed your children or heat your home.
Austerity is not a tough choice. It is a political choice to wage class warfare on the most vulnerable.
The right choice is taxing the rich, public ownership, and a redistribution of wealth and power.
![PRESS RELEASE : Banning fracking means risking freezeouts [October 2022]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/iea.png)
The press release issued by the IEA on 21 October 2022.
Commenting on the Labour Party’s proposal to ban fracking, Andy Mayer, Energy Analyst at free market think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs, said:
“Banning fracking means risking freezeouts.
“The UK has more than enough gas under our feet to last 50 to 100 years. Gas currently supports 40 per cent of our power system, 85 per cent of domestic heating and most heavy industry. Without affordable alternatives or storage, fracking remains essential for our energy security, and this will remain true for the next 20-30 years.
“The Opposition’s proposal to ban it means substituting expensive, dirtier imports, and losing any tax revenues from development. It increases the risk of the most vulnerable freezing to death next winter. It destroys a potential source of funding for the low carbon transition and increases the national debt and our exposure to volatile international energy prices.
“Advocating this policy during an energy and debt crisis for short-term advantage in marginal seats with a vocal minority opposed to development of any kind, is exactly the kind of politics that have led to the current mess.”
The press release issued by the IEA on 20 October 2022.
Mark Littlewood, Director General at free market think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs, said:
“I’m very sorry the PM’s efforts to move the U.K. in a pro-growth, low-tax, pro-enterprise direction has failed. She had a difficult hand to play, but she also played the hand badly. However, her successor will face the same problems she did. I hope they share her analysis, but they will also need to display an ability to deliver on serious reform”
The press release issued by the IEA on 20 October 2022.
Commenting on the introduction of the Transport Strikes Bill, Professor Len Shackleton, labour market expert at free market think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs, said:
“This Bill has been promised for three years but despite its general intention, it is still unclear how the obligation to provide a minimum service will be determined, how the conflicting needs of different groups of customers will be reconciled and how the plan will be proof against inevitable legal challenges.
“A further period of consultation will take months, if not years, and is likely to fall foul of a general election. This effort appears to be a box ticking exercise to show that at least one government commitment has been met.
“The Department for Transport has form with putting off decisions: it has still not spelt out what shape Great British Railways will take, again something which should have been decided at least two years ago. The main lines of the Williams-Shapps report had been laid out well before it was published.
“This dilatoriness is also found in the Department’s response to the continuing strikes. Even were this Bill magically to achieve its objective in time for the next round of strikes, the public would not be satisfied with a 20 per cent service, no doubt conducted by an uncooperative staff.
“No real attempt is being made to reach a definitive settlement and the government seems content to let industrial action drag on until Christmas. Meanwhile the prospect of achieving an efficient modern railway system worsens by the week, as revenues fall through the floor and more and more customers decide that they can live without trains.”