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  • Scott Benton – 2024 Resignation Statement

    Scott Benton – 2024 Resignation Statement

    The statement made by Scott Benton, the Independent MP for South Blackpool, on 25 March 2024.

    It’s been the honour of a lifetime to represent our wonderful community in Parliament over the last four years.

    It’s with a heavy heart that I have written to the Chancellor this morning to tender my resignation as your MP. I’d like to thank the hundreds of residents who have sent supportive messages, cards and letters over the last few months and who have urged me to continue and fight the next election. The support that so many local people have given to me has made it all worthwhile.

    A Labour government would be catastrophic for our country. I’m mindful of giving a new candidate the time and space to campaign to prevent that from happening and it is for this reason that I have made this decision at this time.

    As your MP I have always sought to do what I believed to be in the best interests of Blackpool, and of our country. Over the last four years we’ve faced significant challenges with Covid and the cost of living. Despite the economic challenges these have created, our community has benefited through over £400 million in additional government funding and capital investment – the highest amount of any town in the entire country. Most of these projects (including planned regeneration in Revoe, Central Drive & Bond Street; the new multiversity; Blackpool Central Development; and many other Levelling Up projects) have yet to commence but we will reap the rewards of these in terms of regeneration, new jobs and opportunities in the years ahead. Our A&E, schools and Police have also benefited from significant extra funding too and I’m proud of the role that I’ve been able to play in delivering that. Blackpool is a special place and it’s future is bright.

    The most enjoyable part of the job has been being able to meet so many of you, either on the doorstep, or at the over 650 different charities, voluntary groups, sports clubs, churches and businesses I have visited. I will always cherish being able to contribute towards, and to see, the brilliant work which goes on, often by unsung heroes, in our community. I’ve held over 220 surgeries and events and my team and I have assisted over 19,500 local people with different issues and problems, having much success, but sadly some failures, along the way too. Being able to help those who have needed it most has been a privilege and my team and I will continue to work on all existing casework for those who have previously contacted me in this interim period.

    The global events of the past four years would have been extremely challenging for any government to deal with. The optimism and hope felt by many after we delivered Brexit in early 2020 was quickly overtaken by the pandemic and the challenges Covid has led to in terms of the economy and public services have proven incredibly difficult since. The government hasn’t got everything right and I’ve always been robust in speaking out for what I think our community and country needs in Parliament, having spoken on more than 350 occasions – one of the highest of all MPs since 2019. It’s easy for opposition politicians to criticise from the sidelines when they haven’t got any policies or a plan of their own. It’s a lot harder delivering for people when there are no easy solutions to many of the complex problems we face.

    In 2019, I pledged to be an active, hardworking and relatable MP who would listen to your concerns and views and act upon them: I’d like to think that I have more than succeeded in that aim. It’s in the best interests of our community that my successor succeeds and I wish them well.

    With best wishes

    Scott

  • NEWS STORY : Disgraced MP Scott Benton Quits Commons and Forces By-Election

    NEWS STORY : Disgraced MP Scott Benton Quits Commons and Forces By-Election

    STORY

    Scott Benton, the MP for Blackpool South, has resigned from the Commons and denied his constituents the opportunity to vote in a recall petition to remove him from office. Benton was caught in a sting when he offered to leak confidential material for money and also ask Parliamentary questions if he was paid to do so. The disgraced MP was suspended from the Conservative Party for misconduct and he was banned from the House of Commons for 35 days for bringing the institution into disrepute.

    In his resignation statement, Benton wrote:

    “It’s with a heavy heart that I have written to the Chancellor this morning to tender my resignation as your MP. I’d like to thank the hundreds of residents who have sent supportive messages, cards and letters over the last few months and who have urged me to continue and fight the next election. The support that so many local people have given to me has made it all worthwhile.”

    RESOURCES

    Speeches by Scott Benton

    Resignation Statement

  • NEWS FROM 100 YEARS AGO : 11 February 1924

    NEWS FROM 100 YEARS AGO : 11 February 1924

    11 FEBRUARY 1924

    An agreement was signed between France and Britain with regards to railway traffic in the British zone of occupied Germany.

    Arthur Henderson, the Home Secretary, was adopted as the Socialist candidate for the Burnley by-election.

    Colonel Wedgwood, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said that the Labour Party was not in power to carry on with the old machinery. He added that they had arrived only at the entrance to the promised land.

  • NEWS FROM 100 YEARS AGO : 10 February 1924

    NEWS FROM 100 YEARS AGO : 10 February 1924

    10 FEBRUARY 1924

    It was announced that the new socialist Peers Lord Arnold, Lord Thomson and Lord Olivier were to be introduced to the House of Lords this week.

    The London County Fire Brigade Committee recommended increasing the height of qualification for firemen from 5 foot five and a half inches to 5 foot 7 inches.

    The number of deaths from influenza in London trebled in January 1924.

  • NEWS FROM 100 YEARS AGO : 9 February 1924

    NEWS FROM 100 YEARS AGO : 9 February 1924

    9 FEBRUARY 1924

    King George V donated £100 to the fund for alleviating distressed in the Hebrides.

    HP Macmillan was appointed as the new Lord Advocate.

    It was confirmed that John Butcher would be appointed to the House of Lords.

  • NEWS FROM 100 YEARS AGO : 8 February 1924

    NEWS FROM 100 YEARS AGO : 8 February 1924

    8 FEBRUARY 1924

    David Lloyd George, the former Prime Minister, denial an American newspaper’s claim that in an interview he spoke of a secret compact dealing with the Rhineland occupation as having been made between Georges Clemenceau, the French President, and the late Woodrow Wilson, the former US President. Harold Spender, the interviewer, accepted full responsibility.

    Lord Balfour, referring the reconstruction of Austria, said that the League of Nations had demonstrated even to the the most sceptical and cynical that it was capable of carrying out its policy with wisdom, caution and courage.

    The dockers’ demands were considered by the Employers’ National Council at a conference in London and it was believed that this was sufficient to avert a strike.

  • NEWS STORY : Interest Rates Held at 5.25% by Bank of England

    NEWS STORY : Interest Rates Held at 5.25% by Bank of England

    STORY

    The Bank of England has left interest rates at 5.25%, but indicated that there will likely be future cuts as the rate of inflation has started to fall. The Bank has a target UK inflation rate of 2% and the latest figures show a fall to 3.4%, significantly lower than over previous months. It’s the first time since September 2021 that none of the members of the MPC, the committee that votes on the level of interest rates, voted for an increase, with eight members this month voting to hold rates and one voting to reduce them.

    Andrew Bailey, the Governor of the Bank of England, said in a statement:

    “In recent weeks we’ve seen further encouraging signs that inflation is coming down. We’ve held rates again at 5.25% because we need to be sure that inflation will fall back to our 2% target and stay there. We’re not yet at the point where we can cut interest rates, but things are moving in the right direction.”

    EXTERNAL RESOURCES

    Bank of England

  • NEWS STORY : Home Secretary James Cleverly Spends £165,000 on Private Jet to Rwanda

    NEWS STORY : Home Secretary James Cleverly Spends £165,000 on Private Jet to Rwanda

    STORY

    The Home Office has admitted that they spent £165,000 on a single flight to Rwanda for the Home Secretary, officials and journalists when signing an agreement with the country to deal with UK asylum seekers. Cleverly was the third Home Secretary to visit the country, with his predecessors Suella Braverman and Priti Patel having already gone to the African country. The controversial policy was announced in April 2022 and the Government claims that it will deter asylum seekers from entering the UK, but it has since met legal obstacles and opposition in the House of Lords.

    A spokesperson for the Home Office said:

    “Stopping the boats is one of our top priorities. The cost of the asylum system could reach up to £11bn a year by 2026, and we make no apologies for pursuing bold solutions like our partnership with Rwanda to stop the boats and save lives.”

    RESOURCES

    Speeches by James Cleverly

  • PRESS RELEASE : Better kips for better trips: £16 million boost to transform truckstops for lorry drivers [March 2024]

    PRESS RELEASE : Better kips for better trips: £16 million boost to transform truckstops for lorry drivers [March 2024]

    The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 4 March 2024.

    38 truck stops in England will be upgraded with new showers and restaurants, more secure fencing around rest areas and new parking spaces for HGVs.

    • 38 truckstops will deliver better rest areas, improved welfare facilities and more secure parking
    • upgrades made possible thanks to £16 million in joint government and industry investment to improve roadside facilities
    • measures will help attract more people to the haulage sector, boost working conditions and grow the economy to deliver a brighter future

    Lorry drivers across England will benefit from more parking spaces, better welfare facilities and safer rest areas thanks to £16.5 million in joint government and industry investment.

    Today (4 March 2024), the Roads Minister confirmed that 38 truckstops across England will invest £6 million from the Department for Transport (DfT), with a further £10.5 million coming from industry, to significantly improve their facilities for lorry drivers.

    The upgrades will include new showers and restaurants, as well as better lighting and secure fencing around rest areas so drivers can feel safer and sleep with greater peace of mind. The measures will also create around 430 new parking spaces for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) to free up local roads.

    Today’s measures are part of our plan to grow the economy by improving working conditions for lorry drivers, supporting new jobs in the haulage industry and attracting more people towards a brilliant career in logistics, to deliver a brighter future for all.

    The crucial improvements will also help decarbonise the haulage sector by installing new chargepoints to power electric HGVs and solar panels on lorry driver facilities to make them as sustainable as possible.

    The measures follow £15 million in joint government and industry funding for similar improvements announced in September last year as part of the fund’s first application window. This takes the total joint investment from the department and the sector to improve lorry roadside facilities to up to £31 million.

    Roads Minister, Guy Opperman, said:

    Our lorry drivers are the backbone of a successful economy, ensuring food, goods and crucial medical supplies can get where they need to be, all over the country.

    That’s why it’s only right we leave no stone unturned when it comes to supporting our lorry drivers as part of our plan to grow the economy, and today’s £16.5 million in joint government and industry funding will provide them with the safe, spacious and modern facilities they deserve.

    From the Ashford International Truck Stop in Kent to Bardon Truck Park in Leicestershire and Immingham Lorry Park in Lincolnshire, the funding will be spread across England to ensure all lorry drivers across England can benefit from better roadside facilities and better working conditions.

    The new investment comes from the government’s HGV parking and driver welfare grant scheme, a joint investment between government and industry to support the haulage sector and provide lorry drivers with modern, secure facilities all across the country.

    The scheme draws on the national survey on lorry parking, 2022, which provides important evidence as to what improvements are needed and where to boost the nation’s roadside infrastructure. With hauliers required to take mandatory breaks and rest periods, building better roadside facilities will improve the quality of HGV drivers’ rest and recovery, ensuring everyone can feel safe on our roads.

    Britain’s roads are already among the safest in the world and the government is committed to helping the sector improve driver welfare, boost drivers’ security and continue to guarantee road safety.

    Declan Pang, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at the Road Haulage Association (RHA), said:

    We are delighted to see the government’s match funded grant scheme being awarded to projects which will make a tangible difference to the experiences of lorry drivers and provide much needed additional parking capacity to address the well-known shortage of spaces.

    We are pleased to see facilities operators contribute funding and commit to improving security and conditions at the sites they operate. We look forward to seeing the positive impact the funding will have across the range of projects.

    Lorry drivers are also benefitting from smoother and improved roads thanks to the largest ever funding increase of £8.3 billion to resurface over 5,000 miles of local roads all the way through to 2034, made possible by reallocated High Speed 2 (HS2) funding.

    Today’s announcement comes after £200 million to roll out up to 370 zero emission trucks and a further £2 million given to small and medium-sized businesses in a separate competition to boost innovation and green tech in freight to decarbonise the sector.

    The government has also invested £645,000 to support the brilliant Generation Logistics campaign from the CILT and Logistics UK, which is raising awareness of the logistics sector and its career opportunities to boost recruitment and retention of a more skilled and diverse workforce.

    This latest investment comes on top of the government’s Plan for Drivers to put drivers back in the driving seat, which includes a crackdown on disruptive roadworks and better digital information to boost sat-nav accuracy, and new measures to make it easier to switch to electric vehicles and install more chargepoints.

    Ron Perry, owner of Dan Perry & Sons, said:

    The DfT welfare grant scheme goes a long way towards realising our ambitious project of delivering modern, secure and appealing facilities for lorry drivers to park overnight.

    Without the grant from the department, this project simply would not be viable for us. We very much look forward to delivering the improvements so that we can provide lorry drivers the fantastic facilities they deserve.

  • PRESS RELEASE : UK supports most vulnerable women and girls in Ukraine [March 2024]

    PRESS RELEASE : UK supports most vulnerable women and girls in Ukraine [March 2024]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 4 March 2024.

    The UK has allocated £1.5 million for International Planned Parenthood Federation which has provided sexual and reproductive health services for vulnerable women and girls in Ukraine.

    • UK has allocated £1.5 million to provide sexual health services for the most vulnerable women and girls in Ukraine
    • this crucial funding has supported over 20,000 people to access vital medical care
    • champion of the UK’s Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative, the Duchess of Edinburgh, addressed a conference on conflict-related sexual violence

    The UK has allocated £1.5 million for International Planned Parenthood Federation which has provided sexual health and reproductive health services for the most vulnerable women and girls in Ukraine.

    These services have helped protect the most at risk by ensuring they have access to vital sexual and reproductive healthcare, including mobile clinics and access to safe abortion care. This funding has supported over 20,000 people to access vital medical care since July 2022 and provided sexual health information to over 100,000 people.

    The UK has already pledged over £4.7 billion in non-military support to Ukraine, including £357 million in humanitarian assistance since the start of full-scale invasion. This vital funding includes activities addressing the specific needs of women and girls living in conflict zones, including life-saving assistance to help tackle gender-based violence, safe spaces, mobile medical clinics, and sexual and reproductive health services.

    As part of her work as a champion of the UK’s Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative, and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, the Duchess of Edinburgh spoke via video message at the Restoration of the Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Survivors’ Rights Conference, alongside First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska. Her Royal Highness called for survivors to receive holistic support, for their voices to be heard and for survivors’ rights to remain at the heart of international work to eradicate conflict-related sexual violence and ensure justice and accountability.

    Addressing the conference via video, the Duchess of Edinburgh said:

    Survivors here and around the world have spoken out so bravely about their experiences. They are the most powerful advocates who remind us all that we must not turn our backs on the horrors of this crime, we must never forget the survivors.

    Rather, we must stand shoulder to shoulder with all survivors to secure justice and holistic redress and ensure that this crime isn’t an accepted part of conflict. Their rights and their voices must be at the heart of all our efforts to consign conflict-related sexual violence to the history books.

    The UK is working with international partners to hold those responsible to account. In addition to providing financial and technical assistance to the International Criminal Court, we have deployed specialist UK war crimes and conflict related sexual violence experts to the region, and created an expert Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group with the EU and US.

    Speaking at the Conference via video, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon is expected to say:

    The commitment of our Ukrainian colleagues and the courage demonstrated by ordinary citizens in the most challenging of circumstances are truly inspiring.

    The UK will continue to support them, including through the Office of the Prosecutor General, to secure accountability for the perpetrators, and  justice for survivors.