3 September 2015
Week in Brief: UK NEWS
CHILCOT ENQUIRY: The row over the delay in producing a report into the war in Iraq continues as Sir John refuses to name a publication day. Blame has been placed on the quality of the first draft of the report and on uncooperative tactics by witnesses who are likely to be criticised. The enquiry was commissioned by Gordon Brown in 2009.
LABOUR LEADERSHIP: Joke names have been found among those registering to vote in the Labour leadership elections including Lyndon Johnson and Mr Bum Fluff. Other would-be voters have been excluded on the basis of support for other parties.
A suggestion from Mr Corbyn, currently ahead in the leadership race, that women-only railway carriages could be reintroduced has attracted a barrage of criticism as being out of date and inappropriate. Women only carriages were phased out by British rail in 1977. Mr Corbyn has been much criticised for overlooking human rights abuse by left wing parties in other countries.
POPULATION GROWTH: According to official EU projections, the population of the UK is expected to rise to 76 million by 2047 (which would then be the highest figure in the EU), and to 85 million by 2080. The population of Germany would be just under 75 million by 2047.
TRIDENT: Ms Sturgeon, leader of the SNP, has criticised the government’s decision to spend £500 million in upgrading the nuclear submarine base at Faslane as an attempt to pre-empt the debate next year on whether Trident should be retained. The works will enable Faslane to operate as the base for all Britain’s submarines.
HOSPITAL SHOPS: It has emerged that prices are higher in hospital shops than they are in the high street, and the Department of Health has urged hospitals to ensure that patients are not being ripped off. Retailers say that the longer hours for which hospital shops have to be open and the high prices paid for concessions mean that they have to charge more.
CHARITIES: Alan Yentob, the creative director of the BBC, has been criticised after an email bearing his name warned of violence if the charity Kid’s Company was closed, and also in relation to allegations that he approached Newsnight to demand a right to reply for the charity. It is understood that Mr Yentob had not read the email before it went out, although it has been alleged that he had the opportunity to do so. Mr Yentob and Mrs Batmanghelidjh are expected to appear before the Public Administration Select Committee when it meets to discuss the collapse of the charity.
According to reports in the press, Angelina Jolie resigned as a trustee of the Halo Trust, a charity linked with Princess Diana, after concerns at the level of payments made to trustees and staff.
HEALTHY LIVING: A study by the Lancet indicates that the increase in life expectancy since 1990 (from 75.6 to 81 in the UK, up to 2003) is not matched by the increase in healthy life expectancy (65.5 to 69.5). This is apparently because diseases which kill immediately are being eliminated more quickly than those which do not.
IMMIGRATION: According to provisional figures published by the Office of National Statistics, net migration to the UK for the year to March 2015 amounted to 330,000. That exceeds last year’s figure of 236,000. The previous record of 320,000 was set in 2005, just after eight Eastern European countries joined the EU in 2004.
The total number of immigrants from the EU was 269,000, up from 213,000, and the net figure was 183,000, up from 130,000. Immigrants from non EU countries totalled 284,000, up from 261,000, with the net figure rising to 196,000 from 157,000.
More than 50,000 migrants from the countries which joined the EU in 2004 are claiming benefits. That is down from 61,000 last year.
These figures demonstrate the extent of the government’s failure to cut net migration to 100,000 as promised in successive general elections. They will increase pressure on the government to negotiate changes in EU migration rules.
The debate over border control gets more confused with Angela Merkel acknowledging that if countries refused to take their share of immigrants, border controls might need to be re-established, albeit that she would be reluctant to see that happen. Meanwhile a spokesman for her party has said that the reluctance by the UK to take its share of immigrants may impede Mr Cameron’s attempts to renegotiate Britain’s position.
Yvette Cooper, the Labour leadership contender, has said that in her view Britain should take 10,000 refugees as a contribution to the international problem.
EU VOTE: Voters in the EU referendum will be asked to tick either “Remain a member of the European Union” or “Leave the European Union”.
SEXISM: It has emerged that the Quatari campus of University College London, which called for the resignation of Sir Tim Hunt over a sexist joke, has been discriminating against women in the payment of housing allowances.
NEW PEERAGES: The appointment of 45 new peers has strengthened calls for reform of the House of Lords. The government has justified the appointments on the basis that it will make the political alignment of the Upper House more similar to that of the Commons, but there is now widespread concern that the number of peers is excessive. Suggestions that there should be a retirement age for peers or that they should be appointed for a specific period have not, so far, been adopted by the government. There has also been criticism of honours given to Downing Street staff on the basis that they have merely done their jobs.
LITERATURE: Terry Pratchett’s final work, “The Shepherd’s Crown”, has been published, despite his saying that he wanted any works unfinished at his death to be run over by a steamroller. Also published is J R R Tolkien’s first fantasy book, “The Story of Kullervo”, which he wrote in the year after his graduation.
TWICKENHAM: The authorities have reneged on their decision to require pubs to close early during the Rugby World Cup following pressure from local publicans.
CLIFTON COLLEGE: A master at the school, Jonathan Thompson-Glover, has been sentenced to 3 years and nine months in prison for filming (over a period of sixteen years) boys changing.
RIGHT TO DIE: Sir Keir Starmer, formerly the Director of Public Prosecutions and now MP for Holborn and St Pancras, has added his voice to calls for the law to be changed to permit assisted suicide with appropriate safeguards. Sir Keir revealed that in the period from 2008 to 2013 there was only one prosecution for encouraging or assisting suicide. He said that since guidelines were issued in 2009, 95 cases were not proceeded with out of the 110 referred to the CPS. The others are still subject to review.
INDAN RAPES: Shadow foreign secretary, Hilary Benn, has urged the government to protest to the Indian authorities against an order by a local council that two girls should be raped as a punishment for their brother’s adultery.
BADGERS: A proposal to extend badger culling to Dorset has met resistance from animal rights activists. Apparently the original trials in Gloucestershire and Somerset were inconclusive as insufficient badgers were destroyed. The reason for the cull is the belief that badges spread TB among cattle. According to information obtained by the Badger Trust, the cull costs some £6100 for every badger killed.
PIANIST KILLED: Natalia Strelchenko, the Russian born concert pianist who performed under the name Natalia Strelle, has died of head and neck injuries after being attacked in her house in Manchester. A 48 year old man has been held in connection with the incident.
POLICE SHOOTING: A white man believed to be in his forties was shot dead by police who he confronted on the 6th floor of a block of flats in Enfield. There will be an enquiry into the incident.
PANORAMA: According to reports in “The Times”, a Panorama report questioning the police investigation into alleged child abuse by high profile public figures has been delayed due to internal tensions within the corporation.
CALAIS: Ferries operating out of Calais were prevented from sailing on Sunday by a blockade imposed in connection with industrial action relating to the sale of two ferries by MyFerryLink. The port reopened on Monday.
PAY: According to analysis by “The Times”, 120 officials working in the NHS earn in excess of £150,000 per annum.
NATIONAL DEBT: Public gifts to reduce the national debt dropped to £8,000 last year from a figure of £800,000 for the year before.
CRICKET: England beat Australia by five runs in the only Twenty20 international to be played between them.
