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Tag: Press Release

  • PRESS RELEASE : Labour forcing families out of Wales [October 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Labour forcing families out of Wales [October 2022]

    The press release issued by the Welsh Conservatives on 26 October 2022.

    Commenting on the news that families may be forced to move to Scotland to receive social housing, Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Housing, Janet Finch-Saunders MS said:

    “It is a national disgrace that families are being forced to consider leaving Wales as a result of 25 years of Labour failings.

    “With almost 90,000 households on a social housing waiting list, how can Labour ministers genuinely say that we are a nation of sanctuary?

    “The simple truth is that hard working families are paying the price for Labour’s housing crisis while Labour ministers look to waste £100 million on more politicians in Cardiff Bay.

    “Labour ministers must stop avoiding responsibility for over two decades of inaction, put an end to their vanity projects and focus on building the houses that the people of Wales desperately need.”

  • PRESS RELEASE : Andrew RT Davies has accused the Labour Party of ‘hypocrisy’ over their position on the Qatar World Cup [October 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Andrew RT Davies has accused the Labour Party of ‘hypocrisy’ over their position on the Qatar World Cup [October 2022]

    The press release issued by the Welsh Conservatives on 26 October 2022.

    While Labour leader Keir Starmer says he won’t attend the competition due to Qatar’s human rights record, Ministers from the Welsh Labour Government, including the First Minister, will attend.

    Davies said:

    “It’s absolutely right that the First Minister of Wales should attend the Qatar World Cup and give his support to the Welsh team, who are heading to their first World Cup since the 50s.

    “It’s pure hypocrisy for Keir Starmer to grandstand on this issue from opposition when his colleagues in Wales are rightly going to show their support for the Welsh squad.

    “I hope that the First Minister will, with UK Government Ministers, withstand any pressure from the Labour leader to cancel their visit to the World Cup.”

  • PRESS RELEASE : End longer ambulance waits for stroke, say Welsh Conservatives [October 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : End longer ambulance waits for stroke, say Welsh Conservatives [October 2022]

    The press release issued by Welsh Conservatives on 26 October 2022.

    The Welsh Conservatives will call on the Senedd to end the system where strokes are not considered for the most urgent ambulances.

    Should the Party be successful in its debate today, the Welsh Parliament will instruct the Health and Social Care Committee to review the categorisation of strokes as an “amber-call” level emergency as opposed to a “red-call”.

    There is a Welsh Government target of reaching 65% of red-call patients within eight minutes, and are prioritised above other cases. It has not been reached for over two years and September saw the worst rate for this on record, with only 50% being reached in that time.

    However, in 2015, the Labour Government downgraded suspected stroke ambulance response times to “amber”, with no target time for arrival at all. Last month, a staggering 64% of amber call patients – took over an hour to reach, with only 19% arriving within 30 minutes.

    An estimated 7,400 people a year in Wales experience a stroke, the fourth leading cause of death in Wales. Strokes are a condition where the “golden hour” is vital – any later than 60 minutes to receive definitive treatment and the likelihood of serious or irreversible harm significantly increases.

    England’s ambulance services, which has a specific category for suspected stroke patients, had a mean response time of 47 minutes and 59 seconds.

    Commenting, Welsh Conservative Mark Isherwood MS, who will lead the debate, said:

    “Although the people of Wales are experiencing the longest treatment waiting lists, ambulance delays, and A&E waits in Britain, those suffering from a stroke have been left in turmoil for seven years as they have not been prioritised by the ambulance service.

    “This is no fault whatsoever of hard-working and skilled ambulance technicians and paramedics, but the Labour Government who decided they would stand a better chance of hitting their targets if strokes were not included as a serious enough condition to be registered as a red-call.

    “This situation cannot stand, which is why we want the Senedd to recognise that in keeping strokes as a downgraded emergency, the chances of surviving and recovering from one are severely undermined.

    “Every day we wait to do this is one where someone having a stroke is put in danger and while we need Labour to get a grip on the NHS for the long term after failing staff and patients for so long, this is something that could be done sooner and provide reassurance for everyone now.”

  • PRESS RELEASE : Strange political times don’t mean we stop advocating for change [October 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Strange political times don’t mean we stop advocating for change [October 2022]

    The press release issued by the Digital Poverty Alliance on 24 October 2022.

    It’s certainly not been a quiet month (year?) in British politics. Of course, trying to build or maintain contact with government is challenging enough without a regular churn of Ministers and leaders. However, the reality is – whoever is sitting in Number 10 – that to effect long term, systemic change, we need to be engaging with leading political parties from grassroots activists up. 

    That’s why this year the Digital Poverty Alliance made its debut trip to Labour and Conservative UK party conferences. In Liverpool, friends from Catch-22, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Currys joined us at a packed out Labour fringe event to discuss what needed to be done to end digital poverty. And we saw real support from our panellists’ calls, from ensuring corporations play their part to building a social security system that tackled poverty. At a similarly busy Conservative event in Birmingham, we heard from the Institute for Economic Affairs on how digital could boost the economy and from Digital Tories on why this had to feature as part of UK Government’s agenda.  

    Crucially, at both we saw a real appetite from party members for their party to simply do more. There was an energy about this, a real realisation that digital inclusion is now an absolute must across society. As we stood in the rain handing out leaflets advertising our event it could have been easy to feel, well, soggy and downhearted. But as more people went to wave ‘no thank you’ then on hearing the words ‘it’s about tackling digital poverty’ doubled back and said ‘oh actually yes, I’ll be there!’ it was easy to feel really positive about the support we already had. And it’s clear it’s growing. 

    And as we move into that time when general election manifestos are starting to be developed, that’s just what we need. We need those people who are active in their party to start making noise about digital inclusion and why it must feature strongly. And for our part, the Digital Poverty Alliance community as a whole will continue to build this momentum across political parties, across Government and Parliament.  

    So while Larry the Downing Street Cat might have his third flatmate of 2022, that doesn’t mean work to advocate for ending digital poverty has stopped – far from it. When Ofcom have just told us that eight million people are struggling to pay their broadband bills, it’s clear there’s no time to let up.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Universities suggest ways of sparking growth across the UK [October 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Universities suggest ways of sparking growth across the UK [October 2022]

    The press release issued by Universities UK on 26 October 2022.

    UK government must press ahead with plans to invest £20 billion every year in Research and Development by 2024 – 2025.

    Establish University Enterprise Zones (UEZs) in every university.

    Bring together local communities by creating more enterprise and opportunity hubs.

    Make us world leaders for university-employer partnerships.

    Place universities at the heart of policy making in every part of the UK.

    Universities across the UK are today insisting they can play a bigger role in generating economic growth and are calling on the new Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and his government, to create the conditions to accomplish this in a new report.

    The ‘Our universities: generating growth and opportunity’ report, published today by Universities UK, explores ways in which universities can contribute to economic growth, and makes several recommendations such as establishing collaborative hubs for skills development, building on the Help to Grow scheme, and the rapid expansion of University Enterprise Zones (UEZ).

    The success of UEZ projects in Nottingham, Liverpool, Hertfordshire, Bradford and Bristol highlights how universities can help to foster positive and impactful partnerships between themselves, local communities and employers. Through building collaborative hubs for skills development, universities can reach out to left behind areas and create opportunities for local people. UEZs and universities can play a key role in supporting the success of Investment Zones, one of the new proposals recently put forward by the government to help encourage growth.

    Investment in research is crucial to developing the innovative products and services that create new businesses and good jobs, in turn leading to economic growth.

    It is currently estimated that over the next five years UK universities will help form 21,500 new businesses and provide over £11.6 billion of support and services to small enterprises, businesses and not-for-profits. This includes specialist advice, training, access to the latest facilities and equipment to develop innovative products and conducting bespoke research projects.

    A priority for the UK government is to stimulate economic growth. The recommendations made in the new report offer a range of ideas for achieving this goal and highlight how well-placed and crucial universities are to supporting growth.

    Professor Steve West CBE, President of Universities UK and Vice-Chancellor of UWE Bristol, said:

    Given the gloomy economic outlook and the difficult global situation, we need ambitious and bold action to fire up growth. It is more important than ever that universities can support businesses and charities through their research, innovation, and enterprise, to create a healthier, wealthier, and fairer Britain.”

    “Research shows that investment in the higher education sector creates more jobs per pound than equivalent investment in construction, the manufacture of computers and electronics or the public administration sector.”

    Professor Steve West CBE, President of Universities UK and Vice-Chancellor of UWE Bristol

    Skilled Education leads the online aspect of the government’s Help to Grow scheme.

    Rajay Naik, the chief executive of Skilled Education, said:

    “The Government’s decision to engage over 50 UK universities to deliver the face-to-face learning for Help to Grow underscores the central role of British universities in upskilling the nation. We have an immense skills gap and higher education working in partnership with government and the private sector is a central part of how we must address it.”

    Rajay Naik

    Chief executive of Skilled Education

  • PRESS RELEASE : Nearly Two Thirds of New Cabinet Attended Independent Schools and Almost Half Attended Oxbridge [October 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Nearly Two Thirds of New Cabinet Attended Independent Schools and Almost Half Attended Oxbridge [October 2022]

    The press release issued by the Sutton Trust on 26 October 2022.

    Rishi Sunak attended an independent school as did most of his cabinet. They are a staggering nearly nine times more likely to have gone to an independent school than the general population, according to analysis by the Sutton Trust published today. 61% were educated at fee-paying schools, while 23% went to a comprehensive and 13% attended a grammar school.

    This proportion of alumni of independent schools is lower than Liz Truss’s cabinet (61% versus 68%), but similar to Boris Johnson’s first cabinet (64%). It is more than twice that of Theresa May’s 2016 cabinet (30%), and more than Cameron’s 2015 cabinet (50%).

    The proportion of cabinet ministers educated at comprehensive schools is similar to Liz Truss’s cabinet at 23% vs Truss’s 19%, but lower than Boris Johnson’s first cabinet (27%). A number of those heading up key departments – including the Chancellor, the Foreign Secretary, the Home Secretary – are educated at independent schools.

    The proportion of independently educated ministers attending cabinet (at 61%) is less than earlier cabinets under Conservative Prime Ministers, John Major (71% in 1992) and Margaret Thatcher (91% in 1979). Tony Blair and Gordon Brown both had 32% of those attending cabinet privately educated, while 25% of Clement Attlee’s first cabinet had been privately educated.

    Of the 31 ministers attending Sunak’s new cabinet (at 0830, Wednesday 26 October 2022), nearly half (45%) went to Oxford or Cambridge. This compares with 27% of all Conservative MPs, 18% of Labour MPs and 21% of all MPs. 32% of the new cabinet went from fee-paying schools to Oxbridge.

    Sunak continues the academic dynasty at Number 10 that stretches back to the start of World War 2: except for Gordon Brown, every Prime Minister since WW2 who attended university was educated at Oxford.

    Parliamentary Privilege 2019 – a major piece of research surveying the education backgrounds of the House of Commons – showed that 29% of current MPs in the House of Commons come from a private school background. Two-fifths (41%) of Conservative MPs attended an independent school, compared to 14% of Labour MPs.

    Sir Peter Lampl, founder and chairman of the Sutton Trust and Chairman of the Education Endowment Foundation, said:

    “Rishi Sunak faces unprecedented challenges as he enters Number 10.

    “In his new cabinet, 61% went to private schools – nearly nine times the number in the general population and 45% went to Oxbridge, more than double the average for all MPs. While his cabinet is marginally more representative than Truss’s, Tuesday’s appointments highlight how unevenly spread opportunities to enter the most prestigious positions continue to be.  Making the most of Britain’s talent regardless of background must be a priority.”

  • PRESS RELEASE : Five policies that could raise up to £37 billion in tax [October 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Five policies that could raise up to £37 billion in tax [October 2022]

    The press release issued by Tax Justice UK on 25 October 2022.

    The government could raise up to £37 billion in taxes on wealth, analysis by Tax Justice UK has found.

    It comes as the new Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, looks to find ways to raise taxes ahead of next week’s Halloween Budget.

    Tax Justice UK Head of Advocacy, Tom Peters, said: “Tax is about political choices. At a time when most people are being hit hard by the cost of living crisis it would be wrong to cut public services further.”

    “The wealthy have done really well financially in the last few years. The Chancellor should protect public spending by taxing  wealth properly.”

    If he chose to, the Chancellor could:

    1. Equalize capital gains with income tax rates, raising up to £14 billion a year
    2. ​Apply national insurance to investment income, raising up to £8.6 billion a year
    3. Apply a 1% wealth tax on assets over £10 million, raising up to £10 billion a year
    4. End the inheritance tax loopholes that benefit the already wealthy, raising up to £1.4 billion a year.
    5. Reform the rules on non-dom status, raising up to £3.2 billion a year

    The revenue figures are estimates based on research from the government, academics and think tanks. The total figure might change depending on exact behavioural responses.​

    Tax Justice UK policy recommendations:
    ​
    Increase Capital Gains Tax to align rates with Income Tax. This would have the positive effect of simplifying the tax system, to treat all forms of income in the same way. There is no obvious reason why someone going to work should pay more tax on their wages than someone living from their investments, for example. According to the Office of Tax Simplification, who advocated for this policy change in 2020, it could also raise up to £14bn a year.

    Extend National Insurance to investment income. Instead of focusing on the rates of National Insurance, the government should expand the tax base, by applying National Insurance to income from investments, such as dividends from shares, rent from property, and interest on savings . This would equalise and simplify the treatment of different types of income under the taxation system, and ensure that income from wealth is taxed at the same rate as earnings from work. It would raise around £8.6bn.

    Introduce a 1% annual wealth tax on net assets over £10m. A small wealth tax applied to those at the very top of the distribution could raise nearly £10bn from 0.04% of the population – those who have benefited enormously from structural economic changes over the last decade. This tax would help to rectify some of the issues with our existing wealth taxes, which are often avoided by the very richest.

    Scrap or reform Business Relief and Agricultural Property Relief on Inheritance Tax. There is evidence that these inheritance tax reliefs are being used as loopholes by a small minority of the very wealthy to avoid paying the appropriate inheritance tax on their assets. Abuse of Agricultural Property Relief is likely pushing up the price of agricultural land for genuine commercial food production. Scrapping these could raise over £1.4bn a year, or the Resolution Foundation has proposed reforms to prevent them being exploited, generating a smaller saving.

    Abolishing the non-dom regime. Non-domiciled residents in the UK (‘non-doms’) receive at least £10.9 billion in offshore income and capital gains each year, which they are not required to report to HMRC or pay tax on in the UK. Taxing this income would raise more than £3.2 billion in additional tax revenue each year and also remove the current disincentive to invest in the UK, according to research by academics Dr Andy Summers and Dr Arun Advani.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Cost-of-living squeeze – Nearly 5m people chose not to make a one-off charity donation [October 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Cost-of-living squeeze – Nearly 5m people chose not to make a one-off charity donation [October 2022]

    The press release issued by the Charities Aid Foundation on 27 October 2022.

    The strain on household budgets continues to affect charity donations, with 4.9m individuals choosing not to make a one-off donation last month as a direct response to the rising cost of living. Nearly one in ten (9%) said they held back from donating, according to Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) UK Giving research.

    Worryingly, more than 3.2m people (6%) also said they reduced or stopped a regular payment to charity because of increasing living costs. This will be a particular concern for the many charities who rely on regular income from direct debits and standing orders. Meanwhile, nearly one in five (19%) are considering cutting back on their donations, compared to 14% six months previously. In August, this number rose to 22% as household concerns around energy bills peaked.

    CAF’s UK Giving tracks household donor behaviour every month and reveals how levels of donations continue to trend downwards. In September, only a quarter (26%) of people said they had donated in the previous month. Prior to the pandemic, around a three in ten (30%) usually said they gave to charity in September. The average monthly donation also declined slightly in September, with a mean donation of £51, compared to £67 in August.

    Summer has traditionally been a popular time for sponsored sporting events, and September saw the build-up to the London Marathon on 2nd October. However, only 8% of people sponsored someone for charity last month and 5% in August.

    Inflation is also eroding the value of charity donations. Recent analysis by CAF and Pro Bono Economics estimated that a charity donation of £20 started in 2017 will be worth just £14.90 by 2024, according to projections.

    Neil Heslop OBE, Chief Executive of the Charities Aid Foundation, said:

    “Charities need donations now more than ever, as more families rely on the vital services they provide. Mass giving is crucial for many charities, so as people cut back, Government and private sector funding which supported charities through the pandemic is greatly needed to help them through this crisis.

    “With more than £500m of Gift Aid unclaimed which should rightly be with charities delivering frontline services, the process needs to be simplified to deliver desperately needed funds. The Government also needs to address the current complexity of the VAT system since it’s estimated that the sector loses billions paying tax that they cannot recover later.

    “Despite falling donations, charities are working hard to help the growing number of families at the sharp end of the cost-of-living squeeze. But ultimately, charities are having to do much more, with much less money.”

  • PRESS RELEASE : Government re-imposes fracking ban [October 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Government re-imposes fracking ban [October 2022]

    The press release issued by the Friends of the Earth on 26 October 2022.

    Reacting to news that Rishi Sunak has reimposed the fracking moratorium, Friends of the Earth energy campaigner, Danny Gross, said:

    “This is a fantastic victory for common sense, the environment and local communities across the country who have stood up to the threat of fracking.

    “The government must now focus on real solutions to the energy crisis including a street-by-street home insulation programme and developing the UK’s huge potential of onshore wind and solar energy production.”

  • PRESS RELEASE : Five ways the new PM must tackle climate and energy crises [October 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Five ways the new PM must tackle climate and energy crises [October 2022]

    The press release issued by Friends of the Earth on 24 October 2022.

    Rishi Sunak has today been selected to succeed Liz Truss as leader of the Conservative Party, making him set to become the country’s next Prime Minister.

    His previous support for the fossil fuel industry and lack of climate ambition in his former role as Chancellor raises serious questions about his commitment to meeting the UK’s climate goals and rolling out the measures that will ease the cost of living crisis, warns Friends of the Earth.

    The environmental campaign group has identified five key priorities for the new PM which must be top of his agenda in order to restore nature, protect the climate and fix the cost of living crisis.

    Kierra Box, campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said:

    “The dual cost of living and climate crises remain the biggest challenges for the new Prime Minister, but they’re now even more pressing thanks to the political chaos and environmental back-pedalling of recent weeks.

    “Rishi Sunak has pledged he’ll deliver on the government’s climate targets. Yet his track record as Chancellor – which saw new North Sea oil and gas fast-tracked, levies for domestic flights cut and a weak windfall tax on profiting fossil fuel companies imposed – suggests otherwise.

    “He also backed fracking with community consent during the summer leadership race, but this proved to be the final nail in the coffin for Liz Truss’ premiership.

    “If Rishi Sunak plans to outlast his predecessor, he must learn from her mistakes, abandon runaway deregulation and the attack on nature and choose the sensible solutions to the cost of living and climate crises. That means saying no to more fossil fuels – including a new coal mine in Cumbria – as well as fixing our heat-leaking homes and boosting investment in cheap, clean popular renewables, which will lower bills and harmful emissions.”

    Five ways the new Prime Minister can tackle the energy and climate crises:

    Energy efficiency measures

    Insulation is a quick way to reduce the nation’s reliance on increasingly expensive gas.

    There are almost five million households in England and Wales without even basic measures such as loft or cavity wall insulation, which means their homes rapidly lose heat and cost more to keep warm. Friends of the Earth published research in August that identified the almost 9,000 ‘energy crisis hotspots’  across England and Wales.

    Energy crisis hotspots are neighbourhoods where energy use is high and typical household income is below the national average. In many cases, energy use is high in these neighbourhoods because homes are poorly insulated, meaning they require more energy to remain warm.

    Friends of the Earth is calling on the government to fund a free street by street home insulation programme  – targeted at neighbourhoods most in need. This could slash annual energy bills for many homes by around £1,000 or more after the price cap is lifted.

    Investing in renewables

    The UK has huge renewable energy resources. In addition to the rapid growth in offshore wind already promised by the government, we need to see the same commitment to boosting onshore wind and solar.

    The new Prime Minister must keep the Truss government’s pledge to lift the de-facto planning ban on onshore wind. Renewable power can be as much as nine times cheaper than gas and is popular. The limit which restricts the quantity of solar and onshore wind projects that the government will support through its Contract for Difference programme need to be lifted.

    Saying no to new expensive, polluting fossil fuel development

    Fracking: Fracking is incredibly unpopular amongst the public, and as we have seen, this sentiment is widely shared in parliament. Furthermore, it won’t have a meaningful impact on the UK’s energy security or our energy bills. The Conservative’s election manifesto said the party: “will not support fracking unless the science shows categorically that it can be done safely”. The new Prime Minister needs to confirm that the fracking moratorium is here to stay.

    Cumbrian coal mine: Following a public inquiry, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is due to decide on whether to allow planning permission for a highly controversial new coal mine in Cumbria. The decision has already been delayed twice and is now expected “on or before 8 November 2022.”

    Friends of the Earth, which was one of the two interested parties that took part in last year’s Public Inquiry, says the case against the mine is overwhelming.

    The UK and European market for coking coal is set to rapidly diminish as manufacturers switch to greener steel, while coal from the mine won’t replace Russian imports (the latest statistics say that imports of coking coal from Russia are now zero ). The mine will, however, increase carbon emissions, with the government’s climate watchdog (CCC) describing it as “absolutely indefensible”.

    Friends of the Earth agrees West Cumbria needs new jobs and is calling for the region to be at the forefront of investment in building a greener future. More jobs would be created through a programme of housing retrofits. More info on the mine is here .

    New North Sea gas and oil developments: New gas and oil licenses in the North Sea will do nothing to tackle the cost of living crisis as new licenses take many years to develop. Indeed the Committee on Climate change  says “historically, the timeline from the issuing of an exploration license to production commencing ranges from under a decade to several decades, with an average of around 28 years.” This means that there’s a strong chance that licences granted this year won’t start producing gas and oil until around 2050 – at the very time the UK is legally committed to becoming Net Zero.

    Produce a lawful Net Zero Strategy

    Following a legal challenge by Friends of the Earth, ClientEarth and the Good Law Project, the High Court ruled in July that the current Net Zero Strategy was unlawful because it doesn’t meet the government’s obligations under the Climate Change Act to produce detailed climate policies that show how the carbon budgets will be met. The government is not appealing this judgement.

    Under the ruling, the government will have to update its climate strategy to include a quantified account of how its policies will achieve climate targets, based on a realistic assessment of what it expects them to deliver. The government’s own advisors, the Climate Change Committee, said in June 2022 that there were only credible plans for 39% of the emission cuts needed.

    The Truss government initiated a review of the Net Zero Strategy, led by Chris Skidmore MP. The court has ruled that the government must lay before parliament a report that complies with its legal obligations no later than 31 March 2023. The new prime minister will need to instruct the new cabinet to come forward with plans to ensure the redrafted Net Zero Strategy is fit for purpose.

    A Friends of the Earth press release  and briefing  give more information on the Net Zero legal challenge.

    Restore Nature

    Climate change isn’t the only environmental challenge facing the new Prime Minister. A nature recovery strategy is needed that will enable the UK to go to the long delayed international biodiversity talks taking place later this year in Canada, chaired by China.

    The government has made bold statements about protecting 30% of UK land for nature but does not have credible plans to do so. Meanwhile its targets for nature – due to be set under the Environment Act by 31st October – look unlikely to arrive on time, and have been criticised by the new Office for Environmental Protection as insufficient. The UK’s enormous damage to overseas biodiversity through the commodity trade – for example timber and wood products – is also not being sufficiently addressed.

    The recent government proposals to overturn planning and environmental rules in new ‘Investment Zones’, remove or radically alter swathes of sensible EU-derived safeguards and undermine habitats protections, constitute a further attack on nature and communities which the new prime minister must urgently reverse.

    More info on Environment Act targets is here and on trees and overseas trade here .

    A more detailed look at priorities for the next Prime Minister is available here .