10 November 2016
Week in Brief: UK
Government
BREXIT VOTE: The Government is to appeal against the High Court’s ruling that giving notice to leave the EU under Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon requires an Act of Parliament. The Attorney General’s argument that, because the action was under an international treaty it could be dealt with by the Government under the Royal Prerogative, was rejected on the basis that leaving the EU involved the loss of individual rights and that that was a matter for Parliament. The appeal will be to the Supreme Court.
The decision by the High Court, where the judges included both the Lord Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls, was incorrectly traduced by politicians and certain sectors of the press as being political. It is now widely expected that the Supreme Court will uphold the ruling as correct. Lord Patten has called for Sajid Javid, the Communities and Local Government Secretary, to be dismissed for his attack on the decision. See comment Enemies Of The People?
Stephen Phillips, Conservative MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham, has resigned his seat in protest at attempts by the Government to avoid a Commons debate before the Article 50 notice is given. It is understood that he will not be standing in the ensuing by-election. UKIP is the second party in the area.
SCOTLAND: The Scottish government is expected to intervene in the Supreme Court appeal on the basis that notice under Article 50 requires approval by the Scottish Government. The basis for the intervention would be that leaving the EU impinged on devolved rights.
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE: Sales of 91 defence sites, including barracks, airfields and naval establishments, are set to raise £1 billion by 2040. This amount will be a contribution to the £4 billion cost of renewing the remainder of the defence estate. The sale will result in the closure of barracks in a number of garrison towns and raises concerns over the effect on employment there.
Britain has been selected as the European repair hub for US F-35 military aircraft. The contract is expected to run for 22 years.
FRIGATES: Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, has announced that 8 new Type 26 frigates for the Royal Navy will be built on the Clyde. The Type 26 is a state-of-the-art warship and the new boats will replace existing type 23 frigates. The remaining 5 existing frigates will be replaced by a lower specification Type 31.
STATE PENSION: The House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee has concluded that the triple lock on state pensions, which grow at the same rate as the higher of inflation and wages but with a 2.5% minimum, is no longer sustainable. The effect of the 2.5% minimum floor in a period of low inflation has greatly increased the value of the state pension and, although it may originally have been needed, it is now seen as an unacceptable burden. Since the triple lock was a manifesto promise, ministers have confirmed that it will stay in place until 2020. It seems unlikely, however, to remain after that.
POLLUTION: Following a victory by campaigners in the High Court, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs must now draw up fresh plans to reduce pollution. In London the £10 daily charge for diesel cars made before 2005 will be extended to pre-2015 diesels before the end of the decade. Further consideration will have to be given to what to do elsewhere.
ROYAL NAVAL DEPLOYMENT: Britain has deployed HMS Daring off the coast of Yemen to protect shipping in the Bab al-Mandeb Straits. Most of Britain’s fuel supplies pass through the straits their way to the Suez canal.
Crime And Prisons
OPERATION MIDLAND: The decision by the Metropolitan Police to postpone the publication of an independent review into their investigation of alleged VIP sex abuse to the date of the US presidential election has been described as burying bad news. The review by retired High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques is heavily critical of the force and has been published with considerable redactions. At the centre of its conclusion that the enquiry was “riddled with errors” lie findings that the police obtained search warrants on the basis of misleading evidence and placed uncritical reliance on evidence given by Nick, a father and former NHS worker, which turned out to be untrue. There are calls for Nick to be prosecuted for attempting to pervert the course of justice.
HONOUR CRIMES: A Scotland Yard whistle blower has alleged that the Crown Prosecution Service is reluctant to pursue honour-based violence against Asian women because of the risk of causing unrest in the community. The CPS claims to have launched an action plan setting out the steps which it is taking to improve its performance in relation to the issue.
PRISON RIOT: Inmates of Bedford prison were involved in a major disturbance which led to officers on landings withdrawing to safety. Riot police were called in to restore order.
PENTONVILLE ESCAPE: Two prisoners who escaped from Pentonville prison earlier this week are still at large. They used a diamond cutter, thought to have been dropped into the prison grounds by a drone, to cut through bars before lowering themselves down walls using knotted sheets. The men, one of whom, Matthew Baker, has a conviction for attempted murder, are said to be dangerous and the public have been warned not to approach them.
PRISON REFORM: Liz Truss, the Justice Secretary, has outlined plans to deal with prison violence. A further 2500 officers will be recruited, taking numbers up to 20,500. That is still some 5000 short of the 2010 level. In addition, it is proposed to impose no-fly zones over prisons to prevent drones from dropping drugs (or presumably diamond cutters) to inmates.
TESCO: Some £2.5 million has been stolen from customers of Tesco Bank after 9,000 accounts were raided. It is unclear at present whether bank staff were involved in the fraud or whether, as has also been suggested, the hackers operated from Brazil. Tesco Bank has made full refunds to its customers, some of whom were left without any access to cash. GCHQ is helping to investigate the crime
Health
CANCER TRIAL: The trial of new cancer treatments at the Private Care Oncology Clinic in London is to be funded by charging those who participate. The cost of participation will be £450 with an extra £250 for each three monthly monitoring consultation. Those who cannot afford to pay will be able to participate free. The drugs being used are already in use for other illnesses and are not patented. That makes it unlikely that any commercial company will fund a trial. If the trial is successful it is hoped to get the NHS to adopt the drugs as a cancer therapy.
LUCOZADE AND RIBENA: The sugar content of Lucozade and Ribena is to be reduced by 50% in efforts to counter the obesity epidemic and to avoid the proposed sugar levy. The manufacturer, Lucozade Ribena Suntory, is to reformulate all its drink brands including Orangina and VEnergy .
Miscellaneous
SPORTS DIRECT: A visit by MPs to Sports Direct at Shirebrook, Derbyshire, descended into acrimony with allegations that the company had sought to eavesdrop on their conversation. Only one hour’s notice was given for the visit made by the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee in order to examine working conditions. MPs accused Sports Direct of planting a listening device. It is understood that Mike Ashley, the founder and chief executive of the company, has suggested that it was the MPs themselves who planted the device.
LADY SCOTLAND: Commonwealth officials are understood to be concerned at expenditure on the official residence of Lady Scotland, the secretary general of the Commonwealth. Leaked correspondence indicates that the £250,000 overhaul is extremely expensive and that there is a shortage of funds with which to pay for it. The official line is that the work represents value for money and that there is no extravagance.
PRINCE HARRY: Prince Harry has made an unprecedented appeal for his girlfriend Meghan Markle to be given more privacy by the press. Ms Markle, an actress, stars in the American drama “Suits” where her part involves her acting in steamy sex scenes.
If you enjoyed this article please share it using the buttons above.
Please click here if you would like a weekly email on publication of the ShawSheet
