Benefits Cap 'Immoral And Socially Divisive'

Plans for a £500-a-week cap on household benefits have been criticised in a savage attack by the former coalition minister for children and families.

Sarah Teather accused ministers of seeking to "gain popularity at the expense of children's lives" by pushing through a measure they knew was popular but ineffective.

The Lib Dem faced calls for her sacking as children's minister in February after she missed a key vote on the reforms which she had publicly questioned.

She eventually departed from the Government ranks in September's reshuffle.

Speaking to The Observer, she said: "I think deliberately to stoke up envy and division between people in order to gain popularity at the expense of children's lives is immoral.

"It has no good intent."

She went on: "There are all sorts of things you have to do when times are tight that have negative consequences but you do them for good purposes.

"But to do something for negative purposes that also has negative consequences - that is immoral."

She added: "I don't think it was even remotely conceived as a financial cost-cutting device. I think it was conceived as a political device to demonstrate whose side you are on."

She said she was "terrified" about the prospects for many families who would be forced to move to cheaper areas where they would find it harder to find work.

"My fear is that a lot of people will effectively just disappear from the area in which they were living. I think some very horrible things are going to happen," she said, questioning how well child protection and education services would keep track of youngsters.

But a spokesman for Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith accused Ms Teather of hugely-misinformed scaremongering.

"The criticisms Sarah Teather is levelling against the Government's welfare reforms are hugely misinformed and therefore result in needless scaremongering," he told the newspaper.

"It's not fair or right that benefits claimants receive higher incomes than hard-working families who are striving to get on in life.

"Our reforms bring fairness back to the system while ensuring we support the most vulnerable."

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Prisoner Voting Ban: MPs To Debate Again

MPs are to be given another say on whether to give prisoners the vote, as the deadline for Britain to comply with a European ruling on the controversial issue looms.

The UK's current blanket ban on prisoners voting has been judged as unlawful by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and officials in Strasbourg have given the Government until Friday to comply with the ruling.

Last February, the Commons called by an overwhelming margin of 234 to 22 for the blanket ban to be maintained, while David Cameron has flatly ruled out the option of handing criminals back their democratic rights.

MPs will this week be given another chance to vote on the issue when the Government introduces a draft bill.

The bill, to be published on Thursday, will give MPs three options, according to The Daily Telegraph.

They will be votes for prisoners who have been imprisoned for four years or less, votes for prisoners who have been imprisoned for six months or less, or no votes for prisoners at all.

There is a risk that this week's Commons vote could set up another clash with the ECHR, which could fine the Government if it does not comply with its ruling.

Attorney General Dominic Grieve has warned against defying the Strasbourg court, saying its ruling imposes an international legal obligation on the UK.

But the Prime Minister made it clear he would not be letting prisoners get the vote.

David Cameron told the Commons last month: "I do not want prisoners to have the vote, and they should not get the vote - I am very clear about that.

"If it helps to have another vote in Parliament on another resolution to make it absolutely clear and help put the legal position beyond doubt, I am happy to do that.

"But no one should be in any doubt: prisoners are not getting the vote under this Government."

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has said Parliament has the right in law to tell the ECHR that it does not accept its ruling.

But he added there would be "consequences" for the UK's position in Europe if MPs do chose to defy the judgement.

In 2005, the ECHR said it was up to individual countries to decide which prisoners should be denied the right to vote from jail, but that a total ban was illegal.

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British Airways 'Twitter Account Hacked'

British Airways has launched an investigation after its Twitter account was apparently hacked and an offensive message retweeted.

The official BA Twitter account seemingly retweeted an offensive and racist message on Saturday afternoon.

After the offensive retweet was deleted, staff at the airline then tweeted an apology.

It said: "Apologies for the last RT. We are sorry for any offence caused and are investigating how this may have happened."

Within minutes, hundreds of Twitters users resent the retweet and later more than 160 followers had retweeted the apology.

The BA account has more than 210,000 followers.

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Energy Bill: The Plan To Keep UK's Lights On

By Gerard Tubb, Sky News Correspondent

Crucial plans to ensure the UK's lights stay on for the next 20 years are due to be published shortly by the Government.

The energy and climate secretary, Ed Davey, has to balance the need to create new generating capacity with commitments to a low carbon future and more electricity from renewable sources.

Many power stations are coming to the end of their life and the Government estimates it will cost £110bn to replace and improve electricity infrastructure over the next decade.

Researcher Malcolm Grimston, from Imperial College and Chatham House, said it is essential that the Energy Bill is a success.

Researcher Malcolm Grimston said it is essential the bill is a success

"We've hardly built any new power stations for over 10 years now and a lot of our existing ones are coming to the end of their lives.

"We used to have a lot of our own gas reserves, they've pretty much gone so were now dependent on imports."

Electricity use is increasing, with suggestions that demand could double by 2050.

Advances in generating technology are increasing capacity, but planning concerns have the potential to derail industry targets.

At Ovenden Moor in West Yorkshire, Yorkshire Wind Power wants to replace 23 wind turbines generating 9.2MW of power with nine turbines generating up to 23MW.

But the size of the new turbines has led to campaigners in nearby Haworth, home to the Bronte Museum, complaining that the environment will be blighted - while denying charges of nimbyism.

"This is everyone's back yard, this is heritage landscape," said Chris Gwent, the heritage and conservation officer for the Bronte Society.

"We don't want them dominating this unique landscape."

The UK is signed up to providing 15% of electricity from renewable sources by 2020 and to reducing to zero the amount of carbon pumped into the atmosphere from electricity generation.

00.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Safety Concerns As King's Cross Fire Is Marked

Transport trade unionists marking the 25th anniversary of a tube station fire have demanded the scrapping of proposed staffing cuts.

Dozens of members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers union (RMT) gathered outside King's Cross station in London to remember the 31 people who died there after a fire on an escalator on the evening of November 18, 1987.

Thought to have been caused by a dropped match, a subsequent public inquiry into the tragedy led to tighter safety standards on London Underground.

But the RMT claims that Mayor of London Boris Johnson's "threat" to cut station and platform staffing levels and introduce driverless trains would make the tube network unsafe again.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow laid a wreath at the foot of a plaque inside the station dedicated to the victims' memory.

He said: "We are here today first of all to show our sympathy and our condolences to the people who lost their lives 25 years ago.

The tragedy led to tighter safety standards

"I worked for London Underground 25 years ago, I remember that night still vividly.

"It could have been me travelling home, my family, my friends, it could have been you, it could have been anyone that particular night."

Mr Crow said the recommendations made after the fire had made the Underground safer, as witnessed during terrorist attacks and emergencies on the Tube since.

"What we are seeing now is a number of people who want to reduce costs if they can," he said.

 "We can't allow for the accountants of Transport for London or the Government to try and reduce the staffing and make it unsafe for London Underground workers and the people that use the Tube."

More than 100 people were taken to hospital after the King's Cross fire.

Among those killed was fireman Colin Townsley who was posthumously awarded a certificate of commendation for his bravery, as were five other firemen who survived.

Smoking was immediately banned on all parts of the Tube after the fire and wooden escalators were replaced.

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Benefits Cap 'Immoral And Socially Divisive'

Plans for a £500-a-week cap on household benefits have been criticised in a savage attack by the former coalition minister for children and families.

Sarah Teather accused ministers of seeking to "gain popularity at the expense of children's lives" by pushing through a measure they knew was popular but ineffective.

The Lib Dem faced calls for her sacking as children's minister in February after she missed a key vote on the reforms which she had publicly questioned.

She eventually departed from the Government ranks in September's reshuffle.

Speaking to The Observer, she said: "I think deliberately to stoke up envy and division between people in order to gain popularity at the expense of children's lives is immoral.

"It has no good intent."

She went on: "There are all sorts of things you have to do when times are tight that have negative consequences but you do them for good purposes.

"But to do something for negative purposes that also has negative consequences - that is immoral."

She added: "I don't think it was even remotely conceived as a financial cost-cutting device. I think it was conceived as a political device to demonstrate whose side you are on."

She said she was "terrified" about the prospects for many families who would be forced to move to cheaper areas where they would find it harder to find work.

"My fear is that a lot of people will effectively just disappear from the area in which they were living. I think some very horrible things are going to happen," she said, questioning how well child protection and education services would keep track of youngsters.

But a spokesman for Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith accused Ms Teather of hugely-misinformed scaremongering.

"The criticisms Sarah Teather is levelling against the Government's welfare reforms are hugely misinformed and therefore result in needless scaremongering," he told the newspaper.

"It's not fair or right that benefits claimants receive higher incomes than hard-working families who are striving to get on in life.

"Our reforms bring fairness back to the system while ensuring we support the most vulnerable."

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Prisoner Voting Ban: MPs To Debate Again

MPs are to be given another say on whether to give prisoners the vote, as the deadline for Britain to comply with a European ruling on the controversial issue looms.

The UK's current blanket ban on prisoners voting has been judged as unlawful by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and officials in Strasbourg have given the Government until Friday to comply with the ruling.

Last February, the Commons called by an overwhelming margin of 234 to 22 for the blanket ban to be maintained, while David Cameron has flatly ruled out the option of handing criminals back their democratic rights.

MPs will this week be given another chance to vote on the issue when the Government introduces a draft bill.

The bill, to be published on Thursday, will give MPs three options, according to The Daily Telegraph.

They will be votes for prisoners who have been imprisoned for four years or less, votes for prisoners who have been imprisoned for six months or less, or no votes for prisoners at all.

There is a risk that this week's Commons vote could set up another clash with the ECHR, which could fine the Government if it does not comply with its ruling.

Attorney General Dominic Grieve has warned against defying the Strasbourg court, saying its ruling imposes an international legal obligation on the UK.

But the Prime Minister made it clear he would not be letting prisoners get the vote.

David Cameron told the Commons last month: "I do not want prisoners to have the vote, and they should not get the vote - I am very clear about that.

"If it helps to have another vote in Parliament on another resolution to make it absolutely clear and help put the legal position beyond doubt, I am happy to do that.

"But no one should be in any doubt: prisoners are not getting the vote under this Government."

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has said Parliament has the right in law to tell the ECHR that it does not accept its ruling.

But he added there would be "consequences" for the UK's position in Europe if MPs do chose to defy the judgement.

In 2005, the ECHR said it was up to individual countries to decide which prisoners should be denied the right to vote from jail, but that a total ban was illegal.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jaguar Land Rover Launches China Expansion

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent

Jaguar Land Rover is to manufacture cars outside the United Kingdom for the first time.

The company has entered into a joint venture with one of China's largest car makers Chery.

The two firms began work to build a factory near Shanghai today.

"For the first time one of the most famous names in the British automotive industry, Jaguar Land Rover, is poised to begin manufacturing in a market outside the United Kingdom," the company's CEO Dr Ralf Speth said at the stone-laying ceremony.

"It seems only fitting that this new venture will take place here, in the People's Republic of China, the world's fastest-growing market for premium vehicles."

Kay Francis, the company's director of global corporate communications, told Sky News: "This is our first ever manufacture plant outside the UK.

"The facility here in China will include research and development, engine plants and production lines. Start to finish, the cars will be made in China," Ms Francis added.

Executives at Jaguar Land Rover have been in complicated negotiations with their counterparts at Chery for months.

Chery is a state-owned company and Chinese government approval was required before any deal could be signed.

The joint venture project was approved by China's National Development and Reform Commission last month.

The first bricks of the new factory were laid at a ceremony in Changshu, Jiangsu Province, to the northwest of Shanghai.

Yin Tongyao, the president of Chery Automobile, and Dr Speth were both there.

"Soon, on this very site, will be a fully-fledged manufacturing plant, to create employment, stimulate the supply chain and develop game-changing environmental technologies for China. A total of 10.9bn renmimbi (£1bn) will be invested in this joint venture," Dr Speth said.

"In our shared vision with Chery, this partnership will offer Chinese customers the latest generation models from Jaguar and Land Rover, as well as vehicles designed specifically for Chinese customers," he said.

The company hopes that the first cars will roll off the production line in 2014.

It is understood the first vehicle to be built at the factory will be the Land Rover Freelander.

The company would not confirm that suggestion.

"We intend to build Jaguar and Land Rover branded products here... It's likely that a Land Rover badged vehicle will be the first to come out of the plant when it opens in 2014," Ms Francis said.

Volkswagen already manufactures VWs, Audis, Skodas and Seats in China

China has become Jaguar Land Rover's largest market and experts say it has not even begun to reach its potential.

Sales of the company's cars reached 53,000 there in the first nine months of this year - that's up 80 per cent from the year before.

The reason behind the boost is China's demand for luxury goods.

Jaguar Land Rover has sold 20,000 Range Rover Evoques this year alone.

The firm hopes to boost last year's record £1.5bn profits when the new Chinese factory begins work.

Building cars in China rather than importing them from the UK allows the company to avoid massive import duties.

Chinese-made vehicles can be sold for less and the hope is that more will be bought.

The company insists the expansion to China is in addition to their business in the UK and that no UK jobs will be lost as a result.

"Everything we do in China is in addition to our UK operation. We are not shifting production and it doesn't impact the head count and state of play of the plants in Britain," Ms Francis said.

Jaguar Land Rover does have a factory in Pune, India, but that acts simply as an assembly plant, constructing flat-packed cars which are manufactured in the UK.

Compared with other European car makers, Jaguar Land Rover is very late in expanding production to China.

Volkswagen began its first joint venture in China in 1984. Volkswagen Group China now manufactures VWs, Audis, Skodas and Seats in China with year-on-year record sales.

Ageing Volkswagens are a common sight in Beijing; a sign of just how long the company has been operating here.

Audi is now the favoured brand for the political elite in China. Black Audi A6 cars, manufactured in China, are seen all over Beijing.

Jaguar Land Rover says that as well as building cars identical to those built in the UK, it plans to build a new vehicle designed specifically for the Chinese market. 

"We may also build a brand of car that is a blend of the two: a car that is new and designed and developed entirely in China," Ms Francis said.

"Having Chinese research and development means we can tailor cars for Chinese tastes."

British brands are very popular in China. Combine that with the fact that China has an increasingly wealthy urban population and there are significant opportunities which could help strengthen the UK economy.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

British Airways 'Twitter Account Hacked'

British Airways has launched an investigation after its Twitter account was apparently hacked and an offensive message retweeted.

The official BA Twitter account seemingly retweeted an offensive and racist message on Saturday afternoon.

After the offensive retweet was deleted, staff at the airline then tweeted an apology.

It said: "Apologies for the last RT. We are sorry for any offence caused and are investigating how this may have happened."

Within minutes, hundreds of Twitters users resent the retweet and later more than 160 followers had retweeted the apology.

The BA account has more than 210,000 followers.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Energy Bill: The Plan To Keep UK's Lights On

By Gerard Tubb, Sky News Correspondent

Crucial plans to ensure the UK's lights stay on for the next 20 years are due to be published shortly by the Government.

The energy and climate secretary, Ed Davey, has to balance the need to create new generating capacity with commitments to a low carbon future and more electricity from renewable sources.

Many power stations are coming to the end of their life and the Government estimates it will cost £110bn to replace and improve electricity infrastructure over the next decade.

Researcher Malcolm Grimston, from Imperial College and Chatham House, said it is essential that the Energy Bill is a success.

Researcher Malcolm Grimston said it is essential the bill is a success

"We've hardly built any new power stations for over 10 years now and a lot of our existing ones are coming to the end of their lives.

"We used to have a lot of our own gas reserves, they've pretty much gone so were now dependent on imports."

Electricity use is increasing, with suggestions that demand could double by 2050.

Advances in generating technology are increasing capacity, but planning concerns have the potential to derail industry targets.

At Ovenden Moor in West Yorkshire, Yorkshire Wind Power wants to replace 23 wind turbines generating 9.2MW of power with nine turbines generating up to 23MW.

But the size of the new turbines has led to campaigners in nearby Haworth, home to the Bronte Museum, complaining that the environment will be blighted - while denying charges of nimbyism.

"This is everyone's back yard, this is heritage landscape," said Chris Gwent, the heritage and conservation officer for the Bronte Society.

"We don't want them dominating this unique landscape."

The UK is signed up to providing 15% of electricity from renewable sources by 2020 and to reducing to zero the amount of carbon pumped into the atmosphere from electricity generation.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More