The comments made by Simon Clarke, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on Twitter on 17 October 2022.
This is the Government that’s delivered record low unemployment, led the Western response to Ukraine, honoured Brexit and got us through Covid. Our PM’s fundamental conviction that we need stronger growth-supporting policies remains the right one.
The comments made by Sarah Owen, the Labour MP for Luton North, on Twitter on 17 October 2022.
Couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
The PM hasn’t taken difficult decisions, she crashed the economy and isn’t taking responsibility.
Working out how to feed your children or heat your home are actual difficult decisions facing people because of this woeful Tory Govt. GTTO.
The comments made by Gina Miller on Twitter on 17 October 2022.
I have been a staunch critic of Liz Truss, but there is something odd about how Penny Mordaunt is saying the PM cannot be in the House of Commons to answer questions.
We must never lose our humanity.
![PRESS RELEASE : Police dismissals to be reviewed [October 2022]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/homeoffice.png)
The press release issued by the Home Office on 17 October 2022.
The Home Office will launch a targeted review of police dismissals to raise standards and confidence in policing across England and Wales.
The internal review will be launched shortly and will help to ensure that the system is more effective in removing officers who are not fit to serve the public.
Baroness Casey’s interim report into the culture and standards at the Metropolitan Police Service, published today (Monday 17 October 2022) raises significant concerns, including that fewer officers are being dismissed, officers with multiple allegations made against them are still serving the public and police from ethnic minorities are disproportionately represented in the misconduct system.
The Home Office review is likely to consider:
the effectiveness of the existing system to dismiss those who fall seriously short of the standards expected by policing and the public
the impact of the introduction of changes to misconduct panels, including legally qualified chairs
whether forces are making use of their powers to discharge officers during their probationary period
Working with policing partners, it will also assess whether the regulatory framework for the police disciplinary system should be changed.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said:
“The public rightly expects the highest standards of behaviour from police officers and the vast majority meet this expectation. But recently too many high-profile incidents and reports, especially in London, have damaged trust – which is unfair on the public and lets down other serving officers.
“This cannot continue. Culture and standards in the police must improve. And where an officer has fallen seriously short of these expectations, demonstrable, public action must be taken.
“I have been clear it is absolutely vital police act to restore trust, return to common-sense policing and treat the public and victims with the respect they deserve.
“I welcome the Metropolitan Police’s commitment to tackling the issues raised in the Baroness Casey report and hope this review will also help to address underlying concerns.”
The government has already overhauled the police discipline system over the last 7 years, making it more transparent, more proportionate and more accountable – for example introducing public misconduct hearings in 2015 and bringing in the Police Barred List in 2017, ensuring that officers and staff who are dismissed cannot re-join the police.
In addition, the 2-part Angiolini Inquiry is currently examining the issues raised by the conviction of then-serving officer Wayne Couzens for the murder of Sarah Everard last year. The second part is expected to scrutinise wider issues for policing and the safety of women.
![PRESS RELEASE : Pensions Dashboards – coming soon to a screen near you [October 2022]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/dwp.png)
The press release issued by the Department for Work and Pensions on 17 October 2022.
Today regulations to enable millions of UK savers to access their pensions information at the touch of a button have been laid before parliament.
Marking another important milestone in the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) progress towards making Pensions Dashboards a reality, the regulations outline how pension schemes will connect to the dashboard ecosystem and what providers must do to become a qualified pensions dashboard service.
Pensions Dashboards will transform how savers access their pensions facts and figures, allowing people to see what they have in their various pensions – including their State Pension – in a single place online, at any time they choose.
DWP Minister for Pensions and Growth Alex Burghart said:
We want people across the UK to have the support and information they need to make informed choices about their financial futures.
Providing a convenient place for savers to access their pension information – at the touch of a button – will help people become better informed and more engaged savers, and support them to plan more effectively for retirement.
Chris Curry, Principal of the Pensions Dashboards Programme, said:
Pensions Dashboards will make a real difference to how people view their pensions savings, and how pension providers and schemes engage with their members and customers. There are now just over 6 months until the first window opens for pension providers and schemes to begin mandatory connection to the dashboards ecosystem. Dashboards will soon become a reality, and Government, the regulators and industry will work together to make them a success.
Taking onboard feedback from industry, the DWP also announced that the Dashboard Availability Point (DAP) will be announced 6 months in advance, giving time for industry to make final preparations for the public launch of the service.
The building and initial testing of the digital dashboards architecture is already well underway, with pension schemes being urged to ensure they are “data ready” for the launch of Pensions Dashboards.
2022 marks 10 years since the introduction of Automatic Enrolment, and with a record number of British people saving for retirement, and more people managing their finances online, the need for Pensions Dashboards is stronger than ever.
The press release issued by the Home Office on 17 October 2022.
The Home Office has launched a new Independent Examiner of Complaints (IEC) service for customers of the Department’s immigration services.
In doing so, the Home Office has fulfilled another of the recommendations in Wendy Williams’ Windrush Lessons Learned Review, published in March 2020.
Introducing an IEC service brings the Department in line with several other public service delivery departments such as the Department for Work and Pensions and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.
If customers are not satisfied with the final response to their complaints, they will have an opportunity to have their case reviewed independently by the IEC.
Although the IEC will not have any remit over immigration decisions, which remain subject to existing appeal processes, they will apply greater scrutiny and ultimately increase public confidence in the customer services delivered by the Home Office, as well as helping to manage reputational risk.
In making her original recommendation, Wendy Williams proposed that the new service should have the ability to identify systemic issues within the immigration system. The IEC will achieve that by using the data and insight from complaints to consider why particular issues might be arising and feed them back into the department to support the continuous improvement of services.
The Home Office is pleased to announce that, following a fair and open recruitment process, Moi Ali has been appointed as the new Independent Examiner of Complaints. She will be supported by an Office for the IEC, based in Stoke-on-Trent.
Ms Ali has a background in independent complaints review. For the last 4 years she has been the Independent Assessor of Complaints for the Crown Prosecution Service and she will continue in that role on a part-time basis. She is passionate about providing a genuinely independent service, and about helping organisations to identify learning and wider lessons from complaints in order to improve their service.
Her approach is to understand the complainant journey and perspective, and to support staff to provide a complainant-centric service.
The press release issued by the Home Office on 17 October 2022.
A new code of practice for powers included in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Act was laid in Parliament today (Monday 17 October), which will see new obligations on police to protect the privacy of victims.
The new code will ensure that powers to request information from victims’ phones and devices are correctly used by the police and that all victims get the same high standards of protection.
It forms part of a programme of work to transform the way rape and sexual assault cases are investigated and prosecuted. The programme includes work such as Operation Soteria, a pioneering project working alongside academics to introduce a new operating model for the investigation of rape cases to improve prosecution rates and ensure a high standard in investigating rape and sexual assault across forces.
Minister for Safeguarding Mims Davies said:
It is vital victims are treated with utmost sensitivity and respect when reporting crimes, so that more victims feel able to come forward.
These new measures are part of our commitment to ensuring police investigate crimes against women and girls thoroughly, with a clear focus on the suspect, not the victim.
Bringing the PCSC Act powers and code into force represents a significant step forward in balancing the privacy rights of victims with effective investigations, to ensure more perpetrators are brought to justice.
The powers and the code fulfil the government’s ambition set out in the Rape Review Action Plan that victims should only be asked for their phones where necessary, proportionate and as part of a reasonable line of enquiry.
The powers will also mean that the police must tell victims why they want their devices and what information they are looking for. They will also have to make sure victims know that they can refuse the request without it resulting in their case being automatically dropped.
Earlier this year, the government conducted a 9-week public consultation to engage with experts across the sector on how the code of practice could best protect victims. The code was strengthened as a result, and the government has now also published its response to the consultation.
ACC Tim de Meyer, National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Disclosure said:
The NPCC welcomes the new powers within the PCSC Act.
For 2 years, we have been working with criminal justice partners, government and victims groups to improve this area of investigative practice.
As investigators we must ensure the suspect’s absolute right to a fair trial while protecting the privacy of victims and witnesses. The new code of practice will help us to achieve this.
The code of practice and extraction of information powers contribute to the delivery of the government’s End-to-End Rape Review, which seeks to achieve systemic and cultural change to improve the victim experience and to bring offenders to justice. This includes increasing the number of Independent Sexual Violence and Domestic Violence Advisers, rolling out pre-recorded cross-examination for victims of sexual and modern slavery offences in all Crown Courts in England and Wales, and working with forces to understand how they can be supported to develop the capabilities they need to examine rape victims’ devices within 24 hours.
The statement made by Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the House of Commons on 17 October 2022.
Mr Speaker,
The central responsibility of any government is to do what is necessary for economic stability.
Behind the decisions we take and the issues on which we vote are jobs families depend on, mortgages that have to be paid, savings for pensioners, and businesses investing for the future.
We are a country that funds our promises and pays our debts.
And when that is questioned, as it has been, this government will take the difficult decisions necessary to ensure there is trust and confidence in our national finances.
That means decisions of eye-watering difficulty.
But I give the House and the public this assurance: every single one of those decisions…
…whether reductions in spending or increases in tax, will prioritise the needs of the most vulnerable.
That is why I pay tribute to my predecessors for the Energy Price Guarantee, for the furlough scheme…
…and indeed for even earlier decisions to protect the NHS budget in a period when other budgets were being cut.
Mr Speaker, I want to be completely frank about the scale of the economic challenges we face.
We have had short term difficulties caused by the lack of an OBR forecast alongside the mini-budget…
…but there are also inflationary and interest pressures around the world.
Russia’s unforgivable invasion of Ukraine has caused energy and food prices to spike.
We cannot control what is happening in the rest of the world, but when the interests of economic stability mean the government needs to change course, we will do so – and that is what I have come to the House to announce today.
In my first few days in this job, I’ve held extensive discussions with the Prime Minister, Cabinet colleagues, the Governor of the Bank of England, the OBR, the head of the Debt Management Office, Treasury officials, and many others.
The conclusion I have drawn from those conversations is that we need to do more, more quickly, to give certainty to the markets about our fiscal plans.
And show through action, not just words, that the United Kingdom can and always will pay our way in the world.
We have therefore decided to make further changes to the mini budget immediately, rather than waiting until the Medium-Term Fiscal Plan in two weeks’ time, in order to reduce unhelpful speculation about those plans.
Mr Speaker I am very grateful for your agreement on the need to give the markets an early, brief summary this morning, but I welcome the opportunity to give the House details of the decisions now.
We have decided on the following changes to support confidence and stability.
Firstly, the Prime Minister and I agreed yesterday to reverse almost all the tax measures announced in the Growth Plan three weeks ago that have not been legislated for in Parliament.
So we will continue with the abolition of the Health and Social Care Levy, changes to Stamp Duty, the increase in the Annual Investment Allowance to £1 million, and the wider reforms to investment taxes.
But we will no longer be proceeding with:
The cut to dividend tax rates, saving around £1 billion a year.
The reversal of the off-payroll working reforms introduced in 2017 and 2021, saving around £2 billion a year.
The new VAT-free shopping scheme for non-UK visitors, saving a further £2 billion a year.
Or the freeze to alcohol duty rates, saving around £600 million a year.
I will provide further details on how those rates will be uprated, shortly.
Second, the Government is currently committed to cutting the basic rate of income tax to 19% in April of 2023.
This government believes that people should keep more of the money they earn, which is why we have continued with the abolition of the Health and Social Care Levy.
But at a time when markets are asking serious questions about our commitment to sound public finances, we cannot afford a permanent, discretionary increase in borrowing worth £6 billion a year.
So I have decided that the basic rate of income tax will remain at 20% – and it will do so indefinitely, until economic circumstances allow for it to be cut.
Taken together with the decision not to cut Corporation Tax, and restoring the top rate of income tax, the measures I’ve announced today will raise around £32 billion every year.
The third step I’m taking today, Mr Speaker, is to review the Energy Price Guarantee.
This was the biggest single expense in the Growth Plan and one of the most generous schemes in the world.
It is a landmark policy for which I pay tribute to my predecessor.
It will support millions of people through a difficult winter and will reduce inflation by up to 5%.
So I confirm today that the support we are providing between now and April next year will not change.
But beyond next April, the Prime Minister and I have agreed it would not be responsible to continue exposing the public finances to unlimited volatility in international gas prices.
So I am announcing today a Treasury-led review into how we support energy bills beyond April next year.
The review’s objective is to design a new approach that will cost the taxpayer significantly less than planned whilst ensuring enough support for those in need.
Any support for businesses will be targeted to those most affected. And the new approach will better incentivise energy efficiency.
There remain many difficult decisions to be announced in the Medium-Term Fiscal Plan on October 31st…
…when I confirm that we will publish a credible, transparent, fully costed plan to get debt falling as a share of the economy over the medium term…
…based on the judgement and economic forecasts of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility.
I would like to thank the OBR, whose director Richard Hughes I met this morning, and the Bank of England whose Governor Andrew Bailey I have now met twice.
I fully support the vital, independent roles both institutions play, which give markets, the public, and the world confidence that our economic plans are credible, and rightly hold us to account for delivering them.
But I want some more independent, expert advice as I start my journey as Chancellor.
So I am announcing today the formation of a new Economic Advisory Council to do just that.
The Council will advise the government on economic policy with the first four names announced today:
Rupert Harrison, former Chief of Staff to the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
Gertjan Vlieghe, Element Capital
Sushil Wadhwani, Wadhwani Asset Management
Karen Ward, J. P. Morgan
Mr Speaker,
We remain completely committed to our mission to go for growth, but growth requires confidence and stability – which is why we are taking many difficult decisions, starting today.
But while we do need realism about the challenges ahead, we must never fall into the trap of pessimism.
Despite all the adversity and challenge we face, there is enormous potential in this country.
We have some of the most talented people in the world.
Three of the world’s top ten best universities.
The most tech unicorns in Europe.
One of the world’s great financial centres.
Incredible strengths in the creative industries…
…in science, research, engineering, manufacturing, and innovation.
All that gives me genuine optimism about our long-term prospects for growth.
But to achieve that, it’s vital that we act now to create the stability on which future generations can build.
The reason the United Kingdom has always succeeded is because at big and difficult moments we have taken tough and difficult decisions in the long-term interests of the country. That is what will we now do.
And I commend this statement to the House.
The comments made by Colum Eastwood, the SDLP MP for Foyle, on Twitter on 17 October 2022.
The Tories promised unfunded tax cuts for the mega-rich while working people were left to a market meltdown that sent mortgage rates through the roof.
Today Jeremy Hunt indicated that energy support will come to an end in April. We need guaranteed support for energy bills now.
The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 17 October 2022.
Good health to you, fellow Ukrainians!
World Food Day is celebrated on October 16. This day is established in memory of the establishment of the UN special structure dealing with poverty and famine – FAO. This is the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
For decades, the world has worked to solve the problem of famine. And it is unlikely that any of the founders of the UN could have thought at the time that in the XXI century all of us in the world will again be forced to fight the threat of mass famine, moreover artificial famine!
A famine for which only one country in the world is responsible – Russia – and its terrorist war against the free world.
When Russia blocked our Ukrainian ports and disrupted normal food supply chains, it returned the world to a situation as if these decades of work for international food security had never existed.
Fortunately, Ukrainian ports started working again for the export of agricultural products. Since July, we have been supplying exactly the amount of food that restores stability to the world market. And precisely to those segments of the food market that ensure the consumption of some of the most fragile countries in Africa and Asia.
And although our export capabilities are still far from complete, we managed to export almost 8 million tons of food by sea – that’s more than 300 ships. 60% of this volume was directed to Africa and Asia. This is the global mission of our country: and thanks to Ukrainian supplies, entire regions of the world maintain social and political security.
And I want to thank everyone who ensures this: first of all our farmers, our transporters, port workers, our diplomats and government officials. Of course, our defenders, who hold the south and restore safety to the sea. And I want to thank our partners who managed to help with this initiative. In particular, UN Secretary-General Guterres and President of Türkiye Erdoğan.
We must do everything so that Ukrainian grain exports only expand. These are jobs for our people and export income. Plus funds to ensure a sowing campaign next year. And for the whole world this is one of the key guarantees of stability.
The way Ukraine helps maintain normal life in the world only strengthens the reputation of our state and makes it easier for us to establish new ties in different regions. This upcoming week, I expect new international results for our state.
And for the past week, it is worth noting the strengthening of contacts with Saudi Arabia. There are significant agreements. Among other things, this is the decision of the partners to provide a package of humanitarian support in the amount of 400 million dollars. It is very important. Right now we have the most meaningful relations with Saudi Arabia in 30 years.
The situation on the frontline has not undergone significant changes over the past day. The key hotspots in Donbas are Soledar and Bakhmut, where extremely heavy fighting continues. The occupiers threw everyone they could against our forces, including 2,000 “prisoners” – they are among the mercenaries right there.
And these are “convicts” with long sentences for serious crimes. They are kept at the front not only with money, but also with the promise of amnesty.
This is how the Russian state sponsors terror – it looks for murderers in prisons and promises them freedom if they kill again. Does anyone in the world still doubt whether Russia should be officially designated as a terrorist state? I don’t think so.
I thank all our warriors who are heroically holding their positions near Bakhmut, near Soledar and in all other directions where military clashes are currently ongoing – in the east, in the south of the country.
Today, in the Southern direction, I especially want to celebrate the 60th Inhulets Infantry Brigade, the 17th Separate Kryvyi Rih Tank Brigade named after Kostiantyn Pestushko, the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Zakarpattia Brigade and the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade named after Yakov Handziuk for coordinated actions in the Kherson direction and effective destruction of enemy equipment. I thank you, warriors!
I also thank the Kherson anti-aircraft missile brigade for successfully protecting our skies from Iranian drones and Russian aircraft.
Separately, I would like to note today those units that provided us with the result of replenishment of the exchange fund. This is extremely important – everyone who captures the Russian military provides us with the opportunity to release our heroes.
I thank the 54th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion named after Mykhailo Tysha, the 80th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade and the 92nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, which during the offensive significantly increased our ability to return Ukrainians home.
We remember our people detained in Russia. We must liberate them, and we must liberate them all, leaving none to the enemy. But for this we need to capture the occupiers – as many as possible.
And one more thing worth talking about today.
Due to the Russian missile terror in some cities and regions of Ukraine, energy workers have to limit the supply of electricity so that the entire system works stably. But it will be possible to avoid such stabilization blackouts if all of us in Ukraine consciously treat our consumption during peak hours. This is a small thing for every person’s life – but extremely tangible within the entire energy system. For example, this Saturday residents of the Chernihiv region limited their electricity consumption by 20 percent. I am very grateful to you. And in general in the country on average – by 10 percent. Kyiv and the region – only by 7 percent. Please do more – if you have the opportunity. From 17:00 to 23:00 we must reduce our electricity consumption. This is a step that, along with others, will ensure the failure of Russian terrorist plans.
I am grateful to everyone who defends Ukraine!
I am grateful to everyone who fights, works and helps for our victory! Unity and joint actions are our strength, the strength of Ukraine!
Glory to Ukraine!