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Tag: 2020

  • Lissie Harper – 2020 Letter to the Prime Minister on her Husband’s Trial

    Lissie Harper – 2020 Letter to the Prime Minister on her Husband’s Trial

    The letter sent by Lissie Harper, the wife of the murdered police officer PC Andrew Harper, to the Prime Minister and Home Secretary on 29 July 2020.

    Dear Boris Johnson, Priti Patel, David Blunkett and any other person in which has the power, moral value and sheer strength of character to right such a despicable wrong for our Country…

    I am sure you are acutely aware of the details of the recent trial for the conviction of my late husband PC Andrew Harper’s killers. Not only was this the second of two trials as the first one eventually had to be cancelled due to Covid-19, but it was also an utter injustice. Not only were the three remorseless men found Not-guilty by a possibly influenced jury of 11, but the way in which the trial was conducted, the suspected interference with the jury and the manner in which the defendants behaved was a total disregard for any legal justice system. Myself among what appears to be almost the whole country are frankly outraged and determined to have this miscarriage of justice overturned.

    After the worst possible year any person can face I am immensely drained and devastated, More to the point I am not even sure if there is realistically anything that can be achieved by this letter. However what I will say is that if there is even the slightest chance that this abominable injustice can be rectified then I will do everything I possibly can to ensure that it is.

    Not only was my husband brutally killed in the most savage and cruel way but he was also an on duty devoted police officer coming to the aid of an innocent member of the public whilst the defendants attempted to commit crimes as they admit without guilt that they do as a lifestyle.

    There are many, many details in which made this recent trial atrociously below board including the fact that one member of the jury was dismissed well into the trial due to being over friendly with the defendants as well as their families, in addition to making inappropriate comments to the defendants in court in which was witnessed by members of the prison service. On top of this following the first trial it was suspected that there could be jury interference and was therefore necessary for the jury to be given special protection by the police after detectives had intel to suggest that family of the defendants were making plans to intimidate them. This alone in our eyes should be enough grounds for a retrial.

    Further to this there had been moments in which the jury seemed to be behaving questionably, for example smiling up at the defendants families, as well as being seen to run out of court very quickly during lunch breaks possibly in order to avoid the swarms of traveller families camped out outside the court.

    Believe me, I could go on and on about all of the aspects of this case that quite frankly have not been considered. It is important to note that the Police and detectives had left no stone unturned in order to provide a wealth of evidence against the defendants to show how culpable they are for the murder of my husband. The prosecution barristers made our case spectacularly and with clarity, dignified in the truth.

    On the other side of things laid barely a defence whatsoever. Even the reconstruction in which to so many showed clearly that at least Henry Long would have known that he was dragging a heavy person behind his car played heavily to a conviction of murder. The jury by all accounts had a very clear journey to follow, a story of indisputable facts and detail was right there in front of them for all to see. These are the reasons that leave the entire country shocked and mystified as to how this could have possibly been a trial of honest and equitable decision.

    The horrific details of the way in which my husband was killed need no repetition, once heard leave a devastating imprint on the minds of anyone who hears them. So for those who have sat day after day seeing footage and photos more horrifying than any they had probably ever had the misfortune of seeing before, for those who have sat whilst coroners divulge the senseless and heartbreaking injuries that Andrew received that night back in August, how is it at all possible to come to any conclusion other than a guilty verdict of murder?

    I am very aware that myself and our families are of course biased, we will always know the truth, and in honesty if this had been a fair trial I may have been more inclined to leave it be and try to accept the verdict that has been reached. However along with the whole world it seems to me, we can all see as plain as day that it clearly has not been a fair trial whatsoever.

    So whomever it may be that I must speak to, whoever the correct person, establishment or government body that has the power to help me to claim justice for an innocent man robbed of his life, to ensure that these three immoral, barbaric and shameless men are made to pay for their crimes, not only for Andrew but also for our whole country. I will keep fighting on behalf of Andrew, the future that was stolen from us and also the victims who find themselves in this unjustly situation in the future.

    After all, who are we if we allow our legal system to fail us? What is this country if it does not provide justice for the innocent? What does it say to the public and the Police officers, old and new if every day they go out and put themselves at risk to detain these criminals just to witness them be treated so exceptionally lightly in the eyes of the law? It says that we are weak, that we will roll over to the despicable thieves and vile miscreants of this world and literally let them get away with murder.

    In total honesty I could write and write until my fingers hurt, I could pour my heart further into this letter, I could scream and shout and stand with fierce determination in the eyes of opposition over this crucial matter. After all what else can I do for my husband now? My heart bleeds for the life that was so selfishly taken from us, but yet in arduous restraint I will not go on any further.

    So I implore you to hear my words, see the facts that are laid out before us, and I ask with no expectations other than hope that you might help me to make these changes be considered, to ensure that Andrew is given the retrial that he unquestionably deserves and to see that the justice system in our country is the solid ethical foundation that it rightly should be. Not the joke that so many of us now view it to be.

    Please feel able to share my letter far and wide to whomever you see to be appropriate and impactful.

    Kindest regards
    Lissie Harper

  • Grant Shapps – 2020 Comments on Spaceflight Programme

    Grant Shapps – 2020 Comments on Spaceflight Programme

    Comments made by Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Transport, on 29 July 2020.

    The UK’s space sector can strengthen our national capabilities, create high-skilled jobs and drive future economic growth across the UK.

    Getting the rules in place for space launches from UK territory may seem like one small step. But it paves the way for a giant leap in the development of our space sector.

    This is technology’s high frontier and we will soon be able to reach it with specialist small payload launches from British soil.

  • Alok Sharma – 2020 Comments on a Vaccine

    Alok Sharma – 2020 Comments on a Vaccine

    Comments made by Alok Sharma, the Secretary of State for Business, on 29 July 2020.

    Our scientists and researchers are racing to find a safe and effective vaccine at a speed and scale never seen before. While this progress is truly remarkable, the fact remains that there are no guarantees.

    In the meantime, it is important that we secure early access to a diverse range of promising vaccine candidates, like GSK and Sanofi, to increase our chances of finding one that works so we can protect the public and save lives.

  • Liz Truss – 2020 Statement on Trade Negotiations with New Zealand

    Liz Truss – 2020 Statement on Trade Negotiations with New Zealand

    Text of the statement made by Liz Truss, the Secretary of State for International Trade, on 29 July 2020.

    We are now one step closer to an ambitious, wide-ranging free trade agreement with one of our oldest friends. An FTA with New Zealand can bring investment, better jobs, higher wages and more affordable prices just when we need them the most. Both teams of negotiators recognised the unprecedented circumstances we find ourselves in and reiterated that more global trade is essential to support post-Covid economic recovery. Negotiations were conducted virtually and covered a comprehensive set of discussions across areas of a trade agreement.

    The discussions covered:

    Anti-Corruption
    Clean Growth
    Competition
    Cross-cutting general provisions
    Customs
    Digital trade
    Domestic Regional Economic Development
    Environment
    Financial Services
    Trade in Goods and Trade Remedies
    Good Regulatory Practice
    Indigenous Trade
    Intellectual Property
    Investment
    Labour
    Procurement
    Rules of Origin
    Services, including Mobility
    Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
    State Owned Enterprises
    Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures
    State to State Dispute Settlement
    Technical Barriers to Trade
    Telecommunications
    Trade and Development
    Trade and Women’s Economic Empowerment
    Transparency

    Discussions between negotiators were productive and reflected our shared ambition to secure a comprehensive deal to boost trade and investment between our like-minded economies. Teams discussed their respective objectives and agreed a forward plan for future talks. Our positive discussions in round one have laid the groundwork for the UK and New Zealand to achieve high-quality outcomes across the agreement.

    The UK and New Zealand are aligned in many areas which will enable us to make quick progress across many chapters. In discussions, both countries emphasised a desire to be particularly ambitious in areas including enhancing digital trade, boosting cross-border trade in services and investment, reducing uncertainty and burdens on exporters from customs procedures, and promoting good regulatory practices. Discussions also provided an opportunity for both teams to consider how we can work together across the agreement to support important agendas such as women’s economic empowerment, trade and development, indigenous trade, clean growth and climate action, and ensuring Small and Medium sized Enterprises can benefit from the FTA.

    The Government is committed to negotiating a comprehensive agreement with New Zealand and we look forward to making further progress. The Government will make its next statement on progress following the second round of talks, which is currently planned to take place in October. We will explore the option of face-to-face negotiations when it is safe to do so.

  • Jo Stevens – 2020 Comments on Donald Trump jr

    Jo Stevens – 2020 Comments on Donald Trump jr

    Comments made by Jo Stevens, the Shadow Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, on 28 July 2020.

    Twitter’s decision to act quickly to block Donald Trump Junior’s account shows that the platform can take action when it wants to.

    It is entirely right that Twitter has acted swiftly on this occasion to avoid the spread of dangerous misinformation about coronavirus but this doesn’t take away from the fact that these platforms have been extremely slow and lacking in action in tackling other online harms.

  • Cat Smith – 2020 Comments on Voter ID

    Cat Smith – 2020 Comments on Voter ID

    Comments made by Cat Smith, the Shadow Minister for Voter Engagement, on 28 July 2020.

    We saw with the Windrush scandal how some communities struggle to provide official documentation, with the severe consequences. Yet the Government continue to plough on with Voter ID plans, turning a blind eye how this could disenfranchise Black Asian and minority ethnic people.

    The Government have stated repeatedly on record that evidence concludes Voter ID has no impact on any particular demographic group. This is simply not true, the evidence does not exist.

    Ministers must clarify these inconsistencies and commit to instructing government departments to gather data broken down by ethnicity. Whilst Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities remain invisible to public bodies, investigating the impact of Voter ID on Black Asian and minority ethnic people is impossible.

    If these US-style voter suppression plans go ahead, we could see Black, Asian and minority ethnic people locked out of democracy. The Government must correct the record and recognise the damaging impact that mandatory Voter ID will have upon Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2020 Comments on Steve Barclay’s Onward Speech

    Bridget Phillipson – 2020 Comments on Steve Barclay’s Onward Speech

    The comments made by Bridget Phillipson, the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, on 28 July 2020.

    Steve Barclay has admitted what everyone already knows: the one-size-fits-all Tory economic policy simply won’t match the challenges we face ahead.

    We urgently need tailored support for the sectors that need it most. It shouldn’t have taken the Government months to work this out.

  • Keir Starmer – 2020 Comments on Support for Domestic Tourism

    Keir Starmer – 2020 Comments on Support for Domestic Tourism

    Comments made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 28 July 2020.

    We are lucky to have many world-class tourist destinations across the UK. But the jobs crisis facing tourist towns is stark.

    There are fantastic domestic options for British holidaymakers, but the crucial summer season has been cut short. With many businesses still unable to reopen fully, the Government’s one-size-fits-all approach to jobs risks these towns falling through the cracks.

    We need a targeted extension of the furlough scheme for the hardest-hit sectors and proper support in place to help those who are unemployed back into work. People are worried about their job prospects. The Labour Party is focused on fighting for every job and every part of the country.

  • Jo Stevens – 2020 Comments on Support for Creative Industries

    Jo Stevens – 2020 Comments on Support for Creative Industries

    Text of the comments made by Jo Stevens, the Shadow Culture Secretary, on 29 July 2020.

    While our world-beating creative industries have been clear about the crisis that is overwhelming them, the Government’s focus has been on creating commissions and taskforces rather than getting money to where it’s urgently needed.

    Theatres, music venues and other organisations have been desperately waiting for nearly four weeks to hear if they are eligible to apply for the £1.57bn but this announcement still leaves many in the dark.

    It’s welcome that the Government has finally taken steps to address the issue of insurance to help get TV and film production up and running, but there are still questions about the detail.

    The missing piece in the jigsaw remains freelancers – some of whom have not had a penny from the Government. We’re four months on from the start of the crisis, we need to know when this money will actually get to the frontline.

  • Liz Kendall – 2020 Comments on Public Accounts Committee Report

    Liz Kendall – 2020 Comments on Public Accounts Committee Report

    The comments made by Liz Kendall, the Shadow Social Care Minister, on 29 July 2020.

    This report confirms what we have known for a long while – that the Government was too slow to act to protect older and disabled people, and that a series of mistakes were made despite clear warnings from what was happening in other countries and the experiences of those on the frontline.

    Staff were left without vital protective equipment, thousands of older people were discharged from hospitals to care homes without tests, and ministers failed to ensure social care was given the focus and grip it needed to get through this crisis.

    The Government must learn from its mistakes to ensure the tragedy of Covid-19 in care homes is never repeated. They must also put in place the long term reforms families desperately need to ensure a social care system that is fit for the future.