16 February 2017
Week in Brief: UK
SPEAKER: John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons, is facing calls from MPs to resign after he declared that he would prevent Donald Trump from addressing MPs and peers in Westminster Hall during the proposed state visit. Diplomatic sources have said that there has been no request from the Americans for Donald Trump to address both Houses of Parliament, and it had not been suggested by Theresa May when she visited Washington recently. The calls for his resignation grew stronger when he admitted that he had voted to remain in the EU. The Speaker is supposed to be apolitical.
FRACKING: The operation of fracking near Blackpool has been under threat from activists who have threatened workers and have made protests to local companies which have resulted in companies refusing to supply building materials to the site. One company said that protesters were blocking the entrance to its depot, thereby preventing lorries from leaving with concrete which were intended not only for Cuadrilla (the fracking company) but also for other customers. Some of the protesters are local people but others are experienced activists who come from all over the country.
ABUSE ALLEGATIONS: Sir Michael Fallon, the Secretary of State for Defence, has announced that the Iraq Historic Investigations Team will be disbanded and that hundreds of claims of alleged abuse in Afghanistan will not be allowed to proceed. He indicated that similar protection would be given to members of the armed forces who had served in Northern Ireland.
CYBER ATTACKS: Ciaran Martin, the head of GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre, has warned that cyber attacks on the UK are increasing. Some of the attackers are allegedly state-sponsored Russian hackers trying to gain access to government policy documents. Other organisations are also under threat, including universities. The Russian hackers hope to gain access to the research data bases.
BUSINESS RATES: Companies and businesses have written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, warning about the possible effect of a proposed rise in business rates. Some are facing rises of 47%.
POLLUTION: A study has found that people travelling by public transport are exposed to 8 times more air pollution than those travelling by car. The most polluting vehicles were those with diesel engines.
ONLINE ADVERTISING: Well known companies such as Land Rover and other organisations such as Marie Curie and the University of Liverpool have decided to withdraw online advertising after The Times revealed that their advertisements were found on websites or YouTube videos which were supporting Isis State terrorists and white supremacists. Other organisations affected were Waitrose, Mercedes Benz and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
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