Starmer pledges to review minimum barrier heights in multi-storey car parks
Gabriel Santer died after falling from the top of a multi-storey car park in the city centre in October 2020.
The Prime Minister said he wanted to 'prevent future tragedies', and the Government will conduct a call for evidence on minimum barrier heights in car parks.
This came after Labour MP Peter Dowd urged Sir Keir to back his calls to increase the minimum required height of guarding.
Mr Dowd's Multi-Storey Car Parks (Safety) Bill also proposes 24-hour staffing of such car parks, to improve safety.
During Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Dowd, MP for Bootle said: 'Gabe Santer, a 15-year-old, fell to his death from a multi-storey car park in Liverpool in 2020. He's one of the many dying in such tragic circumstances, including in my constituency.
'My Multi-Storey Car Parks (Safety) Bill seeks to prevent such deaths.
'Will the Government look carefully at its content as part of a national suicide prevention strategy?'
The Prime Minister replied: 'The answer is yes, we will look at the content of it, and I'm grateful to him for raising it.'
He added: 'Across the House, we have all got tragic experience of suicide, and our thoughts are with Gabe's family and with his friends.
'We will conduct a call for evidence on part K of the building regulations about minimum guarding heights, so that necessary protections are in place to prevent future tragedies. We will also look at the contents of the Bill.'
Defence minister Maria Eagle previously presented 'Gabe's Law' to Parliament in 2023, in a bid to reform the safety of car parks.
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Powys County Times
32 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
NI Communities Minister attacks ‘shameful' welfare reform plans
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At an appearance before his Assembly scrutiny committee, the minister also said that the Government's U-turn on eligibility for winter fuel payments for pensioners would result in 86% of pensioners in Northern Ireland (288,000) receiving the payment this coming winter – a proportion higher than the UK average of 80%. Facing questions from MLAs at Stormont on Thursday, Mr Lyons also defended his own department's recently published draft poverty strategy, a document that has faced criticism from several community and civic society organisations. The DUP minister's appearance came days after the UK Government was forced into a late climbdown on a central plank of its welfare reform agenda in a bid to avert a major backbench rebellion. In a late concession on Tuesday, only 90 minutes before MPs were to vote on the Bill, ministers shelved plans to restrict eligibility for the personal independence payment (Pip), with any changes now only coming after a review of the benefit. Mr Lyons was scathing of the Government's approach while giving evidence to the committee. 'I think it is important that I place on record just how appalled I am by this Labour Government and how they have conducted themselves over the last number of months,' he said. 'I believe their approach has been shameful. I believe that it has caused significant stress for many in our society, even those who I believe would never have been affected by the changes that have been proposed and those that perhaps would have been. 'It has caused a huge amount of stress.' The minister added: 'We're at very early stages of assessment, but we believe ultimately that it will end up costing, it will not create any saving at all in Northern Ireland. 'So, I think that that has been an incredible mess, they've made a real hames of it, if I'm being honest.' 🗣️ Minister @GordonLyons1 is calling on you to take part. Help shape @NIExecutive 's Anti-Poverty Strategy by sharing your ideas and experiences. Let's work together to tackle Poverty in society. 🔗 — Communities NI (@CommunitiesNI) July 2, 2025 On the winter fuel payments, Mr Lyons said: 'There are 336,000 pensioners in Northern Ireland and HMRC are now estimating that 86% or 288,000 will receive the winter fuel payment in 25/26 because they have an income of less than £35,000. 'Twenty per cent will not receive it in the UK as a whole, that is only 14% in Northern Ireland. Again, another mess by this Government. It was inevitable that they would have had to have changed course.' The minister said he had received confirmation on Thursday that Northern Ireland could potentially have a share of savings generated by any welfare fraud measures taken by the Executive. 'If there are savings through us tackling welfare fraud and error that are certified by the Office for Budget Responsibility, the Treasury will consider providing for us a share of those savings,' he said. 'And those savings are massive. 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Mr Lyons said he never encountered any 'push back' from Executive colleagues when the draft proposals were presented to ministerial colleagues for consideration. 'I think it's safe to say there was not a lengthy debate around this issue, and I certainly left that Executive meeting believing there was good consensus on the way forward, and that we were open to consultation on this and to listening to what people had to say, and that there was broad agreement on what we had in front of us,' he said. 'I listen to what others have to say. I will do that through the consultation period, but I was not getting push-back at all within the Executive and I believe that there was good unity among Executive colleagues. 'I understand people can come under a bit of pressure, and they can change their positions, or they want to be seen to be on the right side, but I've taken on board all of the criticisms that have been made of this, and we will certainly listen to those. 'I believe a lot of those don't have a basis in reality. 'I hope I've explained and I've reassured the committee today about the approach that I am taking. 'But if anybody inside or outside the Executive have changes that they want to make to that that they haven't expressed to me so far, I'm open to listening to those, but I hope that they will also be willing to provide the funding that is necessary if it comes at an additional cost as well.'
The Sun
37 minutes ago
- The Sun
Benefits reforms would decimate my £14k handouts, without PIP my luxuries like fags & posh pet accessories would be gone
A SENSE of ease comes over me, as I read the news on the sun-trap terrace which overlooks my sprawling garden as I realise my benefits aren't going anywhere. Until Tuesday a guillotine was hanging above me, threatening to cut off my monthly PIP payments, but thanks to a retreat from Keir Starmer they're safe… for now. 5 5 Reforms would have seen disabled Brits like me face stricter tests to qualify for support the changes have now been shelved entirely — with no set date for when, or if, they will happen How long my comfortable life will last remains to be seen as it seems my £14,400 income from Universal Credit and PIP are always up for grabs, no matter the party in power. I've come to see the majority of political parties as the real thugs. Whoever is in power, you can guarantee they'll have threatened - or have already implemented - major cuts to my income. Had Labour's suggested cuts come into play I may have lost £600 of the total sum of £1200 I receive in benefits a month. It might seem like a lot but I implore you to bear in mind that minimum wages, full-time, meets £2,000 a month. So, my total benefits aren't exactly a footballer's salary or an heir's trust fund. For Universal Credit, I now get £381 housing benefit; £201 for caring over 24 hours a week and £400 for being unemployed due to my schizophrenia (it seems to change month-by-month and is constantly under review meaning this could also be up for grabs). PIP is a standard, monthly payment of £295 I always get. It helps with costs associated with my illness - regardless of whether or not I'm in work. The proposal of a points system for PIP meant I would lose it completely as I only score 2 points for a few concerns over 12 questions (in total mine was 11 points). For example: communication can be hard in groups and I often fall out with friends and family - especially on the internet, phone or Whatsapp. Disability benefit explained - what you can claim Or I might need prompting for my weekly bath, simply because I'm getting smelly. These side effects all only score 2 points, not the proposed 4 to keep PIP. This week Reeve's plans were watered down by Starmer, thanks to some more moral Labour backbenchers (with backbones?) Given the hateful responses I receive when I speak publicly about claiming benefits, I doubt I've heard the last of any of our 'disability benefits being axed.' As I casually scroll through the comments I received on social media, I get more angry faces and hateful comments than murderers, child killers and rapists. I have to disagree with all of them and believe I - we - deserve support from the state for a severe mental illness, mine is schizo-affective disorder, and for putting in 50 hours a week caring for my partner, a wheelchair user. I also believe without the cost of children, I should be able to spend my stipend on little luxuries like my 60 fags a day habit and hand-painted cat food bowls which I imported for £75 from India. I'm aware that many countries' welfare states don't exist, like India where my cat bowls hail from, so I'm still grateful for any support I do receive. What is PIP? HOUSEHOLDS suffering from a long-term illness, disability or mental health condition can get extra help through personal independence payments (PIP). The maximum you can receive from the Government benefit is £172.75 a week. PIP is for those over 16 and under the state pension age, currently 66. Crucially, you must also have a health condition or disability where you either have had difficulties with daily living or getting around - or both- for three months, and you expect these difficulties to continue for at least nine months (unless you're terminally ill with less than 12 months to live). You can also claim PIP if you're in or out of work and if you're already getting limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA) payments if you claim Universal Credit. PIP is made up of two parts and whether you get one or both of these depends on how severely your condition affects you. You may get the mobility part of PIP if you need help going out or moving around. The weekly rate for this is either £26.90 or £71. While on the daily living part of PIP, the weekly rate is either £68.10 or £101.75 - and you could get both elements, so up to £172.75 in total. You can claim PIP at the same time as other benefits, except the armed forces independence payment. Make a claim by calling the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on 0800 917 2222. 5 5 It's not just trolls saying I'm a 'leech' or 'scrounger' who I face criticism from though - even doctors can't agree on what schizophrenia is and many naysayers even go as far as to say "it's only in the mind & there's nothing wrong at all" or that it's just a 'human response to traumatic life events'. But what they don't factor in is the major physical toll my mental health takes on my body. I'd like to offer these negative Nellys a day's worth of my medication and see how they get on. My boyfriend Paul was mostly in bed asleep for three days after just one dose he mistook for a paracetamol which I've taken three times a day for over two decades. This tiredness is real. Paranoia is real, it's hard to be around more than one person when you're trying to read code behind everyone's speech (a typical schizo-spectrum symptom known as 'thought broadcasting'). The poor personal hygiene is real, I might only bathe once a week. My anxiety is crippling, too, but I've learned to put on a brave face and try to remain calm and positive. Still, even a brave face doesn't erase a churning stomach. But Reeve's 'four point' system didn't take these things into account. You may well have needed to prove that you have an actual carer come in to wash your bottom twice a day to get 4 points on PIP benefits. WHAT WERE THE PROPOSED CHANGED TO PIP? DISABLED Brits would have faced stricter tests to qualify for support under the original benefits crackdown. They would have needed to score at least four points in one activity like washing, dressing, or preparing food. Currently, people can qualify by scoring eight points across multiple tasks, making it easier to access the benefit. Last week, Labour agreed to limit the crackdown to new claimants only after a backlash from MPs. But under the latest retreat, the changes have now been shelved entirely — with no set date for when, or if, they will happen. Sir Keir Starmer suffered a major rebellion this week by 49 of his own MPs tonight as his welfare reforms scraped through after another round of last-minute concessions. But after more fury from the backbenches, he shelved controversial disability benefit reforms to stave off a Labour revolt. Ministers have now scrapped plans to tighten rules for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) after furious backbenchers warned they would sink the controversial Bill. In the end, MPs voted the legislation through by a majority of 75, with 335 in favour and 260 against. Any proposed changes to Personal Independence Payments now won't kick in until after a review has taken place. The PIP benefits - the main disability welfare payment for those with a disability - is subject to a review by Welfare Minister Sir Stephen Timms. The benefit payments are in place to help those affected with daily tasks such as mobility. Payments currently start at £1,500 but rise to £9,600 which are paid out even if someone is still working. The daily living rate comes in at £73.90 for the lower rate and £110.40 for the higher rate. Figures show that the mobility rate is worth £29.20 and rises to £77.05 for the higher rate. Ministers have revealed that 1,000 people per day are claiming PIP - which is the equivalent of the size of Leicester every year. Following a major rebellion, those who are now claiming PIP be able to claim the same amount of money. But for new claimants from November 2026, there will be a set of stricter measures set out as the government aims to reduce spending on the benefits and get people back to work. Never mind reeking too much to leave the house and be in public - let alone in an office. This idea that work might make us better - which Reeves drove home and used to justify her cruel cuts - felt like gaslighting. 'We believe if you can work, you should work.' she stated. But PIP is a benefit you can also claim while working. Like me, many need their benefits - both PIP and Universal Credit - to 'top-up' part-time work wages and that allows them to manage their disability, to care for a loved one, or both. For ten years in my twenties I worked two-three jobs to make ends meet. I always ended up on the mental health crisis phoneline, with a duty nurse telling me I needed to take substantial time off or quit my job. Eventually I quit working full-time for good, and my mental health has improved markedly. I now care full-time and put in 10-16 hours of writing a week. I know first hand, poverty doesn't cure mental illness (or any disability) - it exasperates them, and only makes them worse - putting even more strain on an already underfunded NHS. Therefore any kind of cuts to disability benefits, particularly those that penalise people with mental health issues will only cost us more in the long run, both in budgets and lives. And while I appreciate that reforms may be on hold for now I dread to think what could come out in Sir Stephen Timms' PIP review at the end of 2026. But I beg Labour not to cast people like me aside. We're not scroungers and for us PIP is a lifeline. 5
Telegraph
38 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Britain is running out of space for offshore wind, warns Miliband's energy tsar
Britain risks running out of space for offshore wind farms, the boss of GB Energy has warned, potentially damaging Ed Miliband's renewables blitz. Dan McGrail, interim chief executive of the taxpayer-backed quango set up by the Energy Secretary, said UK waters are becoming too crowded for traditional turbines built in shallower seas. As a result, he said officials must spend billions of pounds on new floating wind farms if it is to have any hope of hitting net zero by 2050. Unlike fixed-bottom turbines, which can only be deployed in water less than 60-70 metres deep, floating alternatives can be tethered to the bottom of the seabed by cables. This makes them the only real option for Mr Miliband as he races to build up to 10,000 new wind turbines by 2050. 'We know by 2030 that pretty much every offshore wind farm in the UK is going to have to be in water which is deeper than 80 meters,' he said in an interview with Bloomberg. 'Now that's quite a technical point, but basically what it means is that those wind farms are going to have to float, which is an area of investment that is, at the moment, quite challenging. 'There's a significant amount of private sector capital deployed, but it's slowing down in its progress, so we're going to look to come in at that riskier stage of projects in their development phase.'
