'Rats the size of Daschunds': Shadow minister claims dog-sized rats are terrifying residents
Central
Bin strikes
Politics
Rats 'the size of dachshunds are terrifying the local residents' in Birmingham.
That's according to the shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Alex Burghart.
He told MPs: 'I'd like to turn to the sorry state of Labour-run Birmingham where rats the size of dachshunds are terrifying the local residents.
"Indeed in the Daily Telegraph this morning, we read that Birmingham City Council has warned of a possible surge of rat borne diseases to which the elderly, disabled people and babies are particularly susceptible.
'The Government has had emergency powers throughout this crisis, not least Civil Contingencies Act. Will the minister set out for the House why she has declined to use them?'
Bin strikes: Talks between union and council adjourned without agreement
What do I do if my bin hasn't been emptied in Birmingham?
Cabinet Office minister Abena Oppong-Asare replied: 'I'm sure (Mr Burghart) would like to join me in praising the Deputy Prime Minister (Angela Rayner) and her team for hard work on this in terms of getting this cleared.
"A lot of the rubbish has been cleared.'
Mr Burghart then said: 'I'm afraid I'm not going to congratulate the Deputy Prime Minister in much the same way that the people of Birmingham are not thanking her either.
'I very much hope that the Deputy Prime Minister will take the Prime Minister and maybe the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to Birmingham to see the fact that there is still very much rubbish that is not cleared.
"And I hope that the Labour Party will perhaps undertake not to take any donations from Unite the Union while this crisis is ongoing.'
Negotiations to resolve the Birmingham bin strike have ended again.
Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, said on Wednesday: 'We could be in touching distance of a deal but Birmingham City Council is again guilty of saying one thing in public and another in the negotiations.
'This flip flopping needs to be sorted prior to the Acas negotiations next week, so the dispute can be resolved and end the uncertainty for workers and the misery for Birmingham residents. 'The threats of savage pay cuts must also now cease for drivers. Unite has put forward workable proposals.
"The ball is now in the council's court.'
Cllr John Cotton, leader of Birmingham City Council said: 'Our door remains open for further talks. However, to make progress Unite must accept reality. We will not be able to make progress until Unite accepts that the WRCO role cannot be brought back, and that the council cannot and will not entertain anything that would re-open an equal pay liability.
'That wouldn't be fair for residents or workers and is a red line for Birmingham City Council. We are open to good faith negotiations on the basis of the fair and reasonable offer on the table.
'In the meantime, we are making good progress in clearing up the backlog of waste.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
39 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Pro-choice group opposes Stella Creasy's abortion amendment
A leading pro-choice group has come out against Labour MP Stella Creasy's plan to overhaul abortion laws, warning the move is being rushed through without enough scrutiny. Rachel Clarke, head of advocacy at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), said the NC20 amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill does not have the backing of abortion providers. The amendment would remove criminal penalties for abortion in England and Wales, effectively decriminalising the procedure in all circumstances. 'We are not supporting NC20, and neither are any of the abortion providers in the country,' Ms Clarke told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Tuesday. She said a separate proposal, NC1, has the support of more than 50 pro-choice organisations – unlike Creasy's. 'Abortion law is incredibly complex. It governs 250,000 women's healthcare every single year,' she said. 'Because of that, it is essential that any huge change to abortion law is properly considered. 'That means involvement with providers, medical bodies, regulators – and proper debate time in Parliament.' She warned that MPs are being asked to back a 'generational change' after just three hours of debate next week. 'For us, unfortunately, although we truly believe that we need overwhelming and generational change for abortion law, Stella Creasy's amendment is not the right way to do it,' she said. The amendment has also been heavily criticised by anti-abortion campaigners, who say it would amount to the most extreme liberalisation of the law since the 1967 Abortion Act. The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) said NC20 could allow abortions on the basis of a baby's sex and would remove protections that allow abusers who harm unborn children to be prosecuted. SPUC said the amendment, along with another tabled by MP Tonia Antoniazzi, represents 'the greatest threat to unborn children and their mothers since the Abortion Act'. They urged supporters to lobby their MPs to vote against both proposals, warning that abortion 'up to birth' could become possible under the changes. Votes on the amendments are due to take place on June 17 and 18 during the report stage of the Criminal Justice Bill. Abortion in England and Wales remains a criminal offence. However a petition has gathered more than 103,653 signatures urging the Government at Westminster to 'remove abortion from criminal law so that no pregnant person can be criminalised for procuring their own abortion'. It is legal with an authorised provider up to 24 weeks, with very limited circumstances allowing one after this time, such as when the mother's life is at risk or the child would be born with a severe disability. During a recent Westminster debate, Labour MP Tony Vaughan said it is time to 'abandon these outdated practices' of prosecuting women. He said: 'I believe that our laws cannot be fixed relics of the past but must reflect social attitudes and societal norms.' He insisted 'decriminalisation does not mean deregulation' and that he has not seen evidence 'to suggest that removing the criminal law deterrent would then motivate swathes of women to have abortions after 24 weeks'.
The National
an hour ago
- The National
'Resign if you disagree', Labour tell civil servants over Israel
The BBC reported that some 300 staff had signed a letter addressed to Foreign Secretary David Lammy last month in which concerns were raised about UK 'complicity' with Israel. The letter questioned Labour's decision to continue to license exports of military equipment to Israel, saying: "In July 2024, staff expressed concern about Israel's violations of international humanitarian law and potential UK Government complicity. 'In the intervening period, the reality of Israel's disregard for international law has become more stark." READ MORE: 'Reprehensible': LBC spark fury with report on Israel's seizure of Madleen aid ship It further accused the UK Government of contributing to "the erosion of global norms", pointing to both the weapons exports and the secret visit to London in April by Israel's foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar. As The National previously reported, UK Government figures have shown that more military equipment was licensed for export in the final three months of 2024 – after Labour suspended some 10% of export licences – than had been licensed through all of 2020-2023. Labour have also refused to stop exporting parts for F-35 fighter jets, which Israel has used in Gaza, claiming that to do so would endanger UK military operations elsewhere – and has continued sending spy planes over Gaza to aid Israel. The BBC reported that the reply to the Foreign Office staff's concerns was sent from Sir Oliver Robbins and Nick Dyer, the two most senior civil servants in the Foreign Office. Foreign Secretary David Lammy U-turned after saying Israel is breaching the lawIt told the hundreds of staff that if their 'disagreement with any aspect of government policy or action is profound your ultimate recourse is to resign from the Civil Service. This is an honourable course." The pair said that the "bargain at the heart of the British Civil Service is that we sign up to deliver the policies of the Government of the day wholeheartedly, within the limits imposed by the law and the Civil Service Code". The UK Government's official position is that Israel is "at risk" of breaching international law. Foreign Secretary Lammy previously said Israel was breaching the law on multiple occasions, before U-turning in an embarrassing parliamentary climbdown. Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is wanted for arrest by the International Criminal Court, and the country is facing credible accusations of committing genocide. The BBC reported that the dismissed letter was 'at least the fourth such document sent by concerned civil servants to ministers and Foreign Office managers since late 2023'. A Foreign Office spokesperson said there were 'systems in place which allow [staff] to raise concerns if they have them".
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Labour leader praises new MSP Davy Russell
Anas Sarwar says the party's newest politician will "put his community first" after his surprise by-election win Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar praised new MSP Davy Russell for his constituency-focused campaign as he registered a surprise win in the Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse by-election to become the party's newest MSP. Mr Sarwar and deputy Dame Jackie Baillie were both in attendance at the count at South Lanarkshire Council's headquarters as Mr Russell claimed the seat with a 602-vote majority over the SNP; with the Labour leader saying the area's new representative will 'embed himself in the community'. Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer also congratulated Mr Russell on his 'fantastic victory' as he got set to head to Holyrood; while council leader Joe Fagan says the new MSP will work with the local authority on projects including the Hamilton town centre masterplan and new Larkhall leisure centre. Mr Sarwar said local voters had 'laid the first stone in the pathway to electing a Scottish Labour government next year', and told the Hamilton Advertiser: 'It's important that I reflect on not just the result but on the many conversations I had on the doorsteps in Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse, and there are three things that came across from people here. 'One is they do want a UK Labour government to demonstrate more quickly a positive difference in their lives; secondly, they are done with an SNP government that has done so much damage to our country for the last 18 years; and third, they have rejected the poisonous politics of Nigel Farage and Reform.' He said of Mr Russell: 'He deserves immense credit – to take the personal attacks on the chin and still remain so resolute in doing the work needed to make sure we won this by election was phenomenal. I always thought there was an element of classism and elitism in some of the attacks that were made on him and ultimately, he has done his friends and his neighbours proud by winning this by-election. 'Davy will be as an MSP be what he has been in this campaign and what he has been for many years, which is someone who's going to put his community first. He's going to embed himself in this community, he's going to listen, he's going to reflect their concerns, he's going to work really hard for them.' The Labour leader added: '[The campaign] demonstrates that [next year] there will be noise from Reform, there'll be misinformation from the SNP, but ultimately if you want to improve our country, you want to change our country, only Scottish Labour can beat the SNP. Sir Keir Starmer posted congratulations on X, telling the new MSP: 'I look forward to working with you' and saying: 'People in Scotland have once again voted for change. Next year there is a chance to turbocharge delivery by putting Labour in power on both sides of the border.' Mr Sarwar told the Sunday Mail: 'I have never experienced a campaign in my life where the national commentariat was so alien from what the reality was on the ground. 'Despite people making very silly comments about how Davy talks or how he acts, he kept strong, he kept his feet on the ground and he kept working hard. That only further endeared him to his neighbours, friends and his own community, rather than pushed him further away.' South Lanarkshire Council leader Joe Fagan welcomed the area's new MSP, saying: 'The people of this constituency elected an authentic local champion, who is willing to work with the council to take forward the masterplan for Hamilton town centre and the new Larkhall leisure centre, and who will fight to get a fairer funding deal for councils and communities neglected by the current Scottish Government. 'Davy is not a politician, he had never stood for election before but he wants to give something back to his community and clearly that meant something to thousands of voters across Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse. He and the Labour team proved the pundits wrong and delivered a hard-won victory. 'Frustration with politics pushed some people to make a protest vote but it made others reflect on what matters most to them and vote for a genuine, local man in touch with their priorities.' He also criticised the SNP campaign, calling it 'thoroughly dishonourable', saying: 'They asserted Labour had given up when Labour was winning. They talked up the prospects of third-placed Reform – a party they regard as being of the toxic hard right – for their own ends. They criticised decisions made by the council to balance the books, knowing that £480 million of real-terms cuts to South Lanarkshire by their own government was the root cause of the problem.' * Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here. And did you know Lanarkshire Live is on Facebook? Head on over and give us a like and share!
