The comments made by Priti Patel, the Conservative MP for Witham, on Twitter on 22 October 2022.
Boris [Johnson] has the mandate to deliver our elected manifesto and a proven track record getting the big decisions right. I’m backing him in the leadership contest.
The comments made by Bill Cash, the Conservative MP for Stone, on Twitter on 21 October 2022.
I’m backing Boris Johnson and call on others to do so now. Action this day!
![PRESS RELEASE : Mebyon Kernow comment on shambles at Westminster [October 2022]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/kernow-150x150.png)
The press release issued by Mebyon Kernow on 20 October 2022.
In July, MK Deputy Leader Cllr Loveday Jenkin described the chaos at Westminster as “beyond satire.” Commenting on the period around the resignation of Boris Johnson, she hit out at the truly dysfunctional nature of the Westminster political system, noting that the Conservative Party was at war with itself while it was not dealing with the cost of living crisis.
But the shambolic mega-chaos of the last few weeks has been simply unbelievable – and even further beyond parody! The mini-budget did massive damage to the UK economy and the prospects of millions of households, we have had the unedifying spectacle of Tory infighting along with the resignation of a second Prime Minister in little more than three months.
To repeat what Cllr Jenkin said in July. The over-centralised Westminster system is not working, and the ongoing political games in London will do nothing to improve the lives of people in Cornwall.
Many people are rightly calling for a General Election, but it is correct that MK also makes it clear that the UK needs significant political reform, which should include meaningful devolution to give the people of Cornwall more control over their own destiny.
The press release issued by Mebyon Kernow on 13 October 2022.
This month marks the 25th anniversary of Dick Cole’s election as the leader of Mebyon Kernow – the Party for Cornwall. He was voted into the role at MK’s 1997 Annual Conference, held on 4th October in Fraddon Village Hall.
It is also nearly 30 years since Dick first became an officer for MK, as he was elected as MK’s Press and Campaigns Officer on 20th November 1992.
Speaking on behalf of MK’s ruling National Executive, Cllr Loveday Jenkin said:
“Dick is fantastic champion for Cornwall. Throughout his adult life, he has worked so hard for a democratic future for Cornwall, devolution through a National Assembly or Cornish Parliament, progressive policies to build a fairer and more socially just nation, greater protections for Cornish identity and culture, and so much more.
“His drive and dedication, as MK’s principal spokesperson and an active elected councillor, is remarkable, and it is an extraordinary achievement that he has had the commitment and energy to serve as the leader of Mebyon Kernow for a quarter of a century.”
Further information:
It is believed that Dick Cole is the second longest-serving leader of a political party in the United Kingdom. Only Arthur Scargill of the Socialist Labour Party, founded in 1996, has served longer.
Educated at Indian Queens Primary School and Newquay Treviglas School, Dick left school in 1983 and worked for five years as a farm worker / gardener. He joined MK in 1988, at the age of 21, just before he went to study archaeology and history at St David’s University College, Lampeter.
He became MK’s Press and Campaigns Officer in 1992, initially sharing the role with long-standing MK councillor Colin Lawry. Five years later in 1997, Dick became the tenth leader of the Party.
He has contested a total of 15 elections as an official MK candidate. These include ten council elections and four Westminster contests. He also topped the MK list in the 2009 elections to the European Parliament, when MK secured over 15,000 votes.
He was elected to serve his home parish of St Enoder on Restormel Borough Council in 1999, and served on the authority until it was abolished in 2009. During this time, he balanced his civic duties with his work with the Cornwall Archaeological Unit (Cornwall County Council).
When the unitary authority was created in 2009, Dick stood down from his employment, which would have prevented him serving on the new council. Last year, following the reduction in the number of councillors on Cornwall Council, he was elected to serve the larger St Dennis and St Enoder division. Dick presently leads the six-strong Mebyon Kernow / Green Group on the Council. In addition to his council duties, he works part-time for the Cornwall Heritage Trust.
During the last 25 years, he has been involved in a wide range of campaigns. These have included more powers to Cornwall through a National Assembly or Parliament, opposition to the centralisation of local government into a single unitary authority, Cornish control over housing and planning, fair funding for Cornwall’s public services, etc.
A life-long advocate for greater self-government for Cornwall, Dick wrote the Declaration for a Cornish Assembly, which was launched by MK in 2000, signed by over 50,000 people and presented to 10 Downing Street in December 2001. He is presently leading the work on a revised self-government policy document for MK. Dick was also the founding vice-chairman of the cross-party Cornish Constitutional Convention, and one of the spokespeople for the Keep Cornwall Whole campaign group which campaigned against the imposition of a “Devonwall” parliamentary constituency.
He also chairs the working group on the unitary authority tasked to ensure that the national minority status of the Cornish is respected by central government and all public bodies.
As a councillor, Dick has raised funds for a range of projects including new community buildings, new play equipment and environmental improvements in his local area. He has also played a leading role in a range of prominent planning battles and chairs the China Clay Area Community Network.
In addition, he has been a member of St Enoder Parish Council since 1999 and he is a trustee of two local charities. Dick is also the chairman of both the St Piran Trust and the ClayTAWC social enterprise at St Dennis.
In 2017, he was named third on Cornwall Live’s “Cornish List” of the top 50 people who “lead the way in campaigning on Cornish issues” and “flying the black and white flag for Cornwall.”
In 2019, Dick was honoured with a bardship of Gorsedh Kernow, in recognition of his work to protect the cultural and geographical integrity of Cornwall. His bardic name is Gwythyas an Tir (Guardian of the Land).
This year, the university in Lampeter, where Dick studied – now known as University of Wales: Trinity St Davids) – has marked its 200th anniversary. As part of the bicentenary celebrations, the university produced biographies of 200 notable graduates; one of the 200 was Dick Cole.
![PRESS RELEASE : Chief Constable’s warning cannot be ignored – Nesbitt [October 2022]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/ulsterunionist.jpeg)
The press release issued by the Ulster Unionists on 21 October 2022.
The Ulster Unionist Party’s Policing Board Representative, Mike Nesbitt MLA, has described the Chief Constable’s warning – delivered in a letter to Party Leaders – of up to 1,000 fewer officers being available over the next three years, as something that no political leader can ignore and a matter of public safety.
Mike Nesbitt MLA said:
“I welcome the Chief Constable’s letter as the latest step in a staged response to what can only be described as a Police budget crisis.
“The letter to the Party Leaders obviously includes the Justice Minister Naomi Long. Surely she can no longer hide behind the excuse that this is an operational matter, given how the Prison Service made it clear that she has engaged in debate on operational decisions regarding staffing levels in the Prison Service.
“Once again people need to understand that if the Police don’t recruit, they don’t stand still they go backwards, because hundreds of officers leave every year for very justifiable reasons including retirement.
“Furthermore, the Director General of the Prison Service recently stated there was a headcount figure below which the Service is unable to keep people safe. This must inevitably also apply to the Police Service.
“My primary concern is that senior officers and staff at the PSNI are now looking actively at cutting services. It is no longer a question of reducing a team of ten officers down to nine or even eight, but redeploying all ten to cover gaps elsewhere and no longer delivering the original service at all.
“When the Chief Constable talks of the prospect of having up to 1,000 fewer officers available over the next three years ‘taking officer headcount closer to 6,000 than the 7,500 commitment made in the New Decade New Approach Agreement’ then this is a warning that no political leader can ignore. It is a matter of public safety.”
The comments made by Doug Beattie, the Leader of the Ulster Unionists, on 20 October 2022.
Back in July as Boris Johnson was preparing to leave office, I said that the United Kingdom needs strong, stable Government and that this was especially the case with regard to Northern Ireland in the absence of the devolved institutions.
Three months on, another Prime Minister is about to depart and nothing has changed. If anything the situation is even worse in terms of the cost of living crisis and uncertainty caused by the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Whoever emerges as Prime Minister, he or she needs to devote some time to restoring devolved Government in Northern Ireland and reverse the damage done to the Belfast Agreement by the NI Protocol. That will not be facilitated by an Assembly Election – at the cost of £6.5M – a mere five months after the last one, because such an Election will not resolve the issues around the Protocol.
I would therefore urge the present Prime Minister to act now to ensure that an Assembly Election is not called until a new Prime Minister is in place; a new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland appointed and that the new Secretary of State has time to engage with the political parties in order to work in the best interests of Northern Ireland.
The speech made by Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the Leader of the DUP, on 21 October 2022.
Devolution can only flourish when there is a solid foundation with cross-community support. I want to see fully functioning devolved government restored in Stormont but that can only happen when the Protocol is replaced by arrangements that unionists can support. No unionist MLAs or MPs support the Protocol. That, as I warned 18 months ago, is not compatible with a functioning Executive.
The Protocol rubble needs removed if the devolved government foundations are to be stabilised. You can’t proceed with powersharing, if one community is not on board. It doesn’t work.
The Protocol has polluted every area of government. As we try to fix our NHS, the Protocol is jeopardising the supply of medicines to Northern Ireland. As we try to improve our infrastructure, the Protocol has triggered a costly 25% tariff on the steel used to build our schools, roads, hospitals, and houses. As we try to help people with the cost of living, the Protocol is driving up transport costs and the prices on our shelves. As we encourage people to install green energy, Treasury tax breaks are not available in Northern Ireland because of the Protocol.
When a new Prime Minister is in place, if they want to see a fully functioning Stormont, they will have to deal with the Protocol once and for all. Short term fixes will be a disservice to Northern Ireland. That has been tried in the past. Everyone in Northern Ireland disserves a solution which can allow Stormont Ministers to get on with their job and make Northern Ireland a better place.
![PRESS RELEASE : Sir Jeffrey – “Protocol rubble needs removed” [October 2022]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/dup-150x150.jpeg)
The press release issued by the DUP on 21 October 2022.
DUP Leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP has told party members and supporters in Lagan Valley that whether there is an election in Westminster or in Stormont, the Protocol rubble needs removed if the devolved government foundations are to be stabilised.
Mr Donaldson said,
“Devolution can only flourish when there is a solid foundation with cross-community support. I want to see fully functioning devolved government restored in Stormont but that can only happen when the Protocol is replaced by arrangements that unionists can support. No unionist MLAs or MPs support the Protocol. That, as I warned 18 months ago, is not compatible with a functioning Executive.
The Protocol rubble needs removed if the devolved government foundations are to be stabilised. You can’t proceed with powersharing, if one community is not on board. It doesn’t work.
The Protocol has polluted every area of government. As we try to fix our NHS, the Protocol is jeopardising the supply of medicines to Northern Ireland. As we try to improve our infrastructure, the Protocol has triggered a costly 25% tariff on the steel used to build our schools, roads, hospitals, and houses. As we try to help people with the cost of living, the Protocol is driving up transport costs and the prices on our shelves. As we encourage people to install green energy, Treasury tax breaks are not available in Northern Ireland because of the Protocol.
When a new Prime Minister is in place, if they want to see a fully functioning Stormont, they will have to deal with the Protocol once and for all. Short term fixes will be a disservice to Northern Ireland. That has been tried in the past. Everyone in Northern Ireland disserves a solution which can allow Stormont Ministers to get on with their job and make Northern Ireland a better place.”
![PRESS RELEASE : Just Stop Oil protest – Injunction Order 18 [October 2022]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/mayoroflondon.png)
The press release issued by the Mayor of London on 21 October 2022.
On 18 October 2022, the High Court granted an injunction to ban protestors from engaging in activities that obstruct traffic at 17 locations on TfL roads. See a copy of the injunction order and annex Orders below.
A TfL spokesperson said: We are doing all we can to ensure that London’s road network operates safely and efficiently and that vital emergency service vehicles – such as ambulances and fire engines – are able to move freely through the city. As part of that work, we have today obtained an injunction to stop protests by Just Stop Oil on key areas of the TfL road network in central London. We will continue working with our partners to tackle any ongoing disruption across the city.
![PRESS RELEASE : Infected blood £100,000 interim compensation payments to be made this month [22 October 2022]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/cabinetoffice-150x120.png)
The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 22 October 2022.
Compensation will not be taxed or be subject to NI deductions and will be made UK-wide, delivering on the government’s commitment to meet interim recommendations of the inquiry.
Thousands of victims of the historic infected blood scandal, which occurred in the 70’s and 80’s, are being contacted this week to confirm that interim compensation payments will be made by the end of October.
The payments deliver the government’s commitment to meet, in full, the recommendations set out by infected blood inquiry chairman Sir Brian Langstaff in his interim report.
Infected individuals and bereaved partners who are registered with any of the four UK infected blood support schemes will receive letters this week confirming the £100,000 alongside details of how the money will be paid.
This follows confirmation that payments will not be subject to any tax or national insurance deductions. Neither will they affect any financial benefits support an individual is receiving.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Nadhim Zahawi, said:
I know from my own discussions with constituents who are victims of the infected blood scandal just how traumatic their heart-breaking experiences have been and I was proud to campaign as an MP on their behalf and continue that work as a government minister.
No level of compensation will ever make up for the appalling treatment and circumstances that those affected by this scandal and their families have had to endure, but I hope that these interim payments go some way to demonstrate that we are, and always will be, on their side.
Minister of State for Health, Will Quince, said:
“The infected blood tragedy should never have happened. That’s why we’ve accepted Sir Brian Langstaff’s interim recommendations in full to help right this historic wrong for the thousands of people infected and bereaved partners left behind.
It’s right these interim compensation payments are being made as quickly as possible and I want to thank NHSBSA and the other UK scheme administrators for their relentless work on this. We’re continuing to listen and will be looking closely at any further recommendations as the Inquiry concludes.”
The interim compensation payments will build on the support to those affected by the scandal already provided by the four UK infected blood support schemes.
The Government will respond to any further recommendations made by the Infected Blood Inquiry and its Chair Sir Brian Langstaff when the Inquiry concludes next year.
These interim compensation payments are expected to reach c.£400 million for the whole UK, with agreement also reached for payments to be made through schemes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as those in England.