Trump could wipe out UK's film industry, experts warn
UK's film industry, a significant contributor to the British economy, faces potential devastation from proposed US tariffs on foreign films.
The tariffs, threatened by former President Trump, pose a risk to major film franchises and streaming successes filmed in the UK, impacting both American and British businesses.
Ministers are urged to prioritise protecting the UK film industry during UK-US trade talks, balancing it against other trade-related pressures.
Industry experts and unions express concerns about the tariffs' potential to cripple the UK film and TV sector, causing job losses and economic disruption.
The British Film Industry (BFI) reports substantial growth in film and TV production spending in the UK, highlighting the industry's economic importance and vulnerability to trade disputes.
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Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Fury as Brighton Council plan for gender-neutral changing village at new pool being built by firm founded by Olympic swimmers
A new £5.5million pool in Brighton designed by a firm founded by Olympic swimming stars have provoked fury over plans suggesting a gender-neutral changing village. Campaigners say women and children could be put at risk as they raised questions about the mooted new facilities at Withdean Sports Complex. Venue owner Brighton and Hove City Council has handed the contract for the pool's design to ReCreation, a company set up by four-time Olympic medallist Dame Rebecca Adlington and fellow Olympic swimmers Steve Parry and Adrian Turner. Councillors have hailed 'plans for this much needed new swimming pool' to be built at the Withdean sports base, which has an athletics stadium that was formerly home to Brighton and Hove Albion FC between 1999 and 2011. But critics have drawn attention to how the newly published plans, put out to public consultation, promise 'Gender neutral changing village and toilets'. The local authority has since said there has been a 'misunderstanding' about the published plans, while suggesting they had been wrongly phrased. Complaints are now pouring in to the council's online questionnaire seeking reaction, with gender-critical campaigners raising concerns about single-sex only facilities potentially allowing predatory men access to women and children. Planning documents shared as part of an ongoing public consultation plan show designs for the new pool's footprint, accompanied by a page listing 'Key considerations' and headed 'Accessible for everyone'. The document says the proposals are for 'a new facility designed for inclusion and wellbeing' that would 'ensure access for all users'. The design features are listed as including 'ramped and stair access to suit all levels of mobility', a 'wheelchair-accessible changing cubicle' and 'designated wheelchair spaces in the spectator area'. Yet critics have highlighted one of the other bullet points which states: 'Gender-neutral changing village and toilets designed with inclusivity in mind.' Similar concerns have been raised over gender-neutral changing facilities at other leisure centres nationwide, with the group Women's Rights Network calling for curbs. Brighton and Hove City Council has shared a possible floor plan for the proposed new pool - saying cubicles would include 'a mix of single, double, family and accessible'. Human rights charity Sex Matters have said the floor plan did not appear to indicate provision for single-sex facilities. The organisation's director of advocacy Helen Joyce said: 'It's incomprehensible that any council would choose to build a new community pool with only "gender neutral" - that is, mixed sex - changing facilities. 'Most people, of both sexes, prefer single sex facilities for privacy and dignity, and for women they are important for safety too. 'There is increasing evidence that mixed sex changing rooms and toilets are a gift to predatory men who seek to harass, abuse and sexually assault women and girls.' She told of increasing reports of phone-related incidents in 'gender-neutral' changing rooms and toilets as well as complaints that men have been hiding cameras in such facilities to record women in a state of undress. Ms Joyce added: 'If Withdean Sports Complex really wants to be "inclusive", it shouldn't design its facilities in a way that will put off women and girls, especially those who have suffered abuse or are from religions and cultures where sharing changing rooms with men is unacceptable.' Faye McGinty, of Women's Rights Network which has been campaigning against such 'gender-neutral changing villages', called for authorities to show more concern. She said: 'We know that the changing village design for swimming pools is a magnet for predatory males. 'All over the country, women and girls are constantly put at risk of voyeurism and other forms of sexual abuse in these mixed sex changing rooms in the name of 'inclusivity'. 'Councils, architects and Sport England need to look at the overwhelming evidence of harm and review any new and ongoing projects like the Withdean Sports Complex, considering the safety of women and girls through a robust risk assessment and consultation with women's groups.' Gender-critical activist Kellie-Jay Keen warned that such gender -neutral changing villages would put women and children in danger if not safely signed. She said the quality of such facilities did vary - as she praised those at her nearest leisure centre in Wiltshire for having entirely enclosed cubicles, with walls running from floor to ceiling. But she said others made people more vulnerable to indecent exposure, voyeurism and sexual assaults. She told MailOnline: 'These gender-neutral changing villages do seem to be on the rise. I live in Wiltshire and we've got one and I was encouraged to see the cubicles do seem to be fully enclosed. 'If they are fully enclosed, right to the top from the floor and are fully impenetrable, I don't see there's anything wrong with them. 'But if, say, a mobile phone can come through any gaps or pierce a hole, then it's simply not good enough. 'Anything less than being fully enclosed puts women and children at risk.' Brighton and Hove City Council sources have suggested in response to the backlash that there had been a 'misunderstanding' following phrasing in the published plans and insisted users would be kept separate in the proposed 'village'. They said lockable toilets and changing rooms would be similar to those seen in leisure centres nationwide. And they described the phrasing in the published documents as 'something, we'll have to have a chat, the way it's been worded'. Councillor Alan Robins, cabinet member for sports, recreation and libraries, today said: 'There has been a misunderstanding over the naming of the facilities on the designs. 'But to be clear, they are for the industry standard, individual, lockable cubicles used at leisure facilities up and down the country. 'We are delighted to be consulting on a new state of the art swimming pool for residents of Brighton and Hove.' A formal planning application related to the proposed new pool is expected to be submitted to Brighton and Hove City Council later this year. But initial designs and plans for the five-lane, 25m facility were revealed this month, with councillor Mr Robins describing the unveiling as 'incredibly exciting'. He said: 'As a coastal city it's vital that all our children and young people have the chance to learn to swim at an affordable price, and that we listen to the views of our residents and do everything we can to provide modern, sustainable and affordable sporting facilities for all.' The project, given an estimated budget of £5.5million, is being overseen by swimming pool design firm ReCreation, part of the Swim network of UK-wide community pools. The company says on its website: 'Using innovative technology and designs, we deliver bespoke public leisure buildings for a fraction of the traditional cost. 'Every project we undertake becomes our passion and we offer a complete, dedicated design and delivery team that collaborates with each client on a case-by-case basis to provide an optimum, cost-effective leisure solution.' Adrian Turner, director of ReCreation, said earlier this year when the Withdean partnership was announced: 'Our guarantee is a swimming pool that the community will love. 'We will be using the latest design and engineering technologies to develop a pool that will be warm, safe and inviting. 'For 11 years in a row, more pools in the UK have closed than opened, so we are thrilled to be reversing that trend with Brighton & Hove City Council.' The firm has been described as the country's leading provider of above-ground pools, after being founded in 2009 alongside the Pools4Schools initiative. They opened Britain's first Olympic-length above-ground pool in the London borough of Barking and Dagenham in 2019. Dame Rebecca and Parry also set up Swim!, an organisation set up 'to help children to swim' - with regular sessions held weekly at pools across the country. The company describes them as 'passionate about teaching children to swim' and how they were 'achieving this by opening state-of-the-art, family-friendly centres around the UK'. Dame Rebecca, 36, won two gold medals at London 2012 - the first British swimmer to hold two golds since 1908. She followed that up with a pair of bronzes at the Summer Games in Rio four years later.
The Guardian
30 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Poorest to benefit from Reeves's spending but tax rises likely, says thinktank
Rachel Reeves's multibillion-pound plan to repair public services will benefit Britain's poorest households most but means tax rises are likely this autumn, according to a leading thinktank. The Resolution Foundation said the extra funding for hospitals, schools and the police announced by the chancellor would provide a valuable 'benefit-in-kind' for households who would gain from the improvements. A middle-income household would gain the equivalent of £1,400 a year on average by the time of the next general election through access to better services, rising to as much as £1,700 for the poorest fifth of households in the country. However, the thinktank warned that Reeves could be forced into further tax increases to maintain higher levels of spending at the forthcoming autumn budget, amid a worsening outlook for the economy and public finances. 'A combination of a weaker economic outlook, an unfunded spending commitment on winter fuel payments, and just £9.9bn of headroom against the chancellor's fiscal rules, mean further tax rises are likely to be needed this autumn,' it said. Reeves used Wednesday's spending review to prioritise funding for the NHS, defence and more than £100bn for long-term capital projects despite leaving some key areas facing a tough squeeze. In a pivotal speech to the Commons setting out Labour's plans up to the next general election, the chancellor said she was taking action to 'renew Britain' after years of underinvestment and austerity measures overseen by successive Conservative-led governments. The Resolution Foundation said the package showed that Britain was turning into a 'National Health State', with health accounting for 90% of the extra spending announced. In a major reshaping of the state, it calculated the NHS was on track to account for half (49%) of all day-to-day public service spending controlled by Westminster by the end of the decade – up from a third (34%) in 2009-10. The thinktank said real day-to-day spending was now rising again in the 2020s by 2.2% a year, after a 0.5% fall per year in the 2010s. However, in the decade prior to that under the last Labour government, spending rose by 4.3% on average each year. While the health service is taking up a larger share of public spending, other areas have faced real-terms budget cuts, including a 16% reduction in real, per-person funding for justice and a 50% decline for housing, communities and local government since 2010. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion However, experts warned that Reeves could face a summer of speculation over tax increases in the run-up to the autumn budget. Mel Stride, the Conservative shadow chancellor, said: 'This is the spend now, tax later review, because [she] knows she will need to come back here in the autumn with yet more taxes.' Labour argues that its plans allocate money that has already been raised, highlighting that the spending review is based on last year's autumn budget and this year's spring statement, when the Office for Budget Responsibility judged that Reeves was meeting her main fiscal rule to balance day-to-day spending with revenues within the fifth year of its forecast. However, economists warned that a weak growth outlook and rising government borrowing costs amid Donald Trump's global trade wars could blow the chancellor's plans off course. This could force the OBR to downgrade its forecasts for the government finances, which would require Reeves to take action to announce spending cuts or tax rises if she wanted to stick to her fiscal rule. Andrew Goodwin, the chief UK economist at the consultancy Oxford Economics, said: 'Considering the government's recent U-turn on winter fuel payments could be a precursor to higher government spending in other areas, it looks increasingly likely that substantial tax increases will be needed.'
The Guardian
32 minutes ago
- The Guardian
LA protests: Los Angeles under curfew for second night with marines expected to be deployed
Update: Date: 2025-06-12T08:16:06.000Z Title: Content: Here is a Guardian graphic showing where the curfew in Los Angeles has been imposed. Update: Date: 2025-06-12T08:11:52.000Z Title: Marines to deploy on LA streets within two days with authority to detain civilians Content: US marines will join national guard troops on the streets of Los Angeles within two days, officials said on Wednesday, and would be authorized to detain anyone who interferes with immigration officers on raids or protesters who confront federal agents, reports Reuters. President Donald Trump ordered the deployments over the objections of California governor Gavin Newsom, causing a national debate about the use of the military on US soil and animating protests that have spread from Los Angeles to other major cities, including New York, Atlanta and Chicago. Los Angeles on Wednesday endured a sixth day of protests that have been largely peaceful but occasionally punctuated by violence, mostly contained to a few blocks of the city's downtown area. The protests broke out last Friday in response to a series of immigration raids. Trump in turn called in the national guard on Saturday, then summoned the marines on Monday. 'If I didn't act quickly on that, Los Angeles would be burning to the ground right now,' said Trump at an event at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. According to Reuters, the US military said on Wednesday that a battalion of 700 marines had concluded training specific to the LA mission, including de-escalation and crowd control. They would join national guard under the authority of a federal law known as Title 10 within 48 hours, not to conduct civilian policing but to protect federal officers and property, the military said. 'Title 10 forces may temporarily detain an individual in specific circumstances such as to stop an assault, to prevent harm to others, or to prevent interference with federal personnel performing their duties,' the northern command said. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement: If any rioters attack Ice law enforcement officers, military personnel have the authority to temporarily detain them until law enforcement makes the arrest.' US army Maj Gen Scott Sherman, who commands the taskforce of marines and guardsmen, told reporters the marines will not carry live ammunition in their rifles, but they will carry live rounds. More on this story in a moment, but first here is a summary of the latest developments: A curfew came into effect for the second consecutive night in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, where police used horses and munitions to disperse protesters. Police declared the gathering near city hall unlawful shortly before the curfew, and began firing and charging at protesters shortly afterwards. Donald Trump was booed and cheered while attending the opening night of Les Misérables at the Kennedy Center, his first appearance there since becoming president and appointing himself chair. All 12 members of the prestigious Fulbright program's board resigned in protest of what they describe as unprecedented political interference by the Trump administration, which has blocked scholarships for nearly 200 American academics. David Hogg will not run again for a vice-chair position at the Democratic National Committee, after members voted to void and re-do his election. The move ends months of internal turmoil over Hogg's outside activism, particularly his vow to primary 'asleep-at-the-wheel' Democrats. Los Angeles county district attorney Nathan Hochman said media and social media had grossly distorted the scale of protest violence. 'There are 11 million people in this county; 4 million of which live in Los Angeles city. We estimate that there's probably thousands of people who have engaged in legitimate protest, let's say 4,000 people,' Hochman said.
