Gazprom may demand penalties if Slovakia cuts gas contract short, importer says
June 17 (Reuters) - Russian gas firm Gazprom may hit Slovakia with demands to pay some 16 billion euros, using current prices, for cutting short a long-term contract under an European Union plan to end Russian gas imports after 2027, Slovak state-owned gas importer SPP said on Tuesday.
SPP, which has a contract until 2034, said that the Gazprom claim may come despite declaration of force majeure by SPP if the EU bans imports.
Slovakia has been keen to maintain gas and oil supplies from Russia, despite EU efforts to cut Russia's income from fossil fuels amid its war against Ukraine, saying ending them would raise prices in Europe and threaten security of supplies.
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The Guardian
34 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Tighter immigration rules could hit UK net zero mission, report warns
Tough rules announced in the government's immigration white paper could jeopardise the UK's net zero mission by causing labour shortages, a report has warned. Labour's white paper released last month included plans to raise the minimum qualification for skilled worker visas from A-level equivalent to degree and to maintain the higher salary threshold of £38,700 introduced by the outgoing Conservative government last year. A report by the Centre for European Reform (CER), calculates that more than half of the foreign-born workers doing 'green jobs' in the UK – 260,000 out of 465,000 – would not have been allowed in under the new rules. Ministers are relying on employers to raise wages and provide more training in order to attract domestic workers into these roles, but John Springford, an associate fellow at the CER, said that could push up the costs to consumers of going green. 'If labour shortages raise the cost of decarbonising buildings, fewer people will insulate their homes or buy heat pumps,' he said. Using Office for National Statistics data, the CER defined a green job as one in which more than a third of the worker's time is spent on green tasks. Many of these are in the construction sector, given the need to retrofit homes with low-carbon technologies, for example. The report also suggests construction jobs more generally may be difficult to fill under the new visa regime, casting doubt on the government's target to build 1.5m homes by the end of the parliament. 'Construction is labour-intensive and has a lot of employee turnover, because the work is physical and seasonal. Given that the government's aim is to expand housebuilding and decarbonise buildings concurrently, the sector is most at risk of labour shortages as a result of the government's immigration proposals,' the report says. Labour has announced that the existing 'immigration salary list', which allows people doing specific types of job to be brought in on lower pay, will be replaced with a similar 'temporary shortage list'. To avoid this becoming a long-term measure, the relevant industry will be expected to set out plans to train and recruit more UK workers. The CER said that using a shortage list as a safety valve could be problematic because the higher salary threshold elsewhere means migrants in the sectors with shortages are unlikely to be able to shift into other jobs, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation by the employer who sponsors their visa. This problem arose in social care where holders of health and care visas were subject to exploitation by bad employers, with little chance of moving to another post. 'The government should keep an eye on labour shortages in occupations that are crucial for its net zero and housebuilding missions, and relax visa rules if needed,' Springford said. 'But offering exemptions to the rules for specific occupations is risky.' 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 Other options mooted in the report include offering 'green visas' for jobs that contribute to achieving the government's target of hitting net zero by 2050, or reducing salary and skills thresholds right across the economy. Keir Starmer announced the immigration crackdown last month, claiming it marked the end of 'a squalid chapter for our politics, our economy and our country' in which the post-Brexit Conservative government had overseen soaring migration. Net migration hit a record level above 900,000 in the year to June 2023 before dropping sharply after a series of changes made by Rishi Sunak's government, including tightening the rules for visa applicants to bring in dependents. In the 2024 calendar year net migration was 431,000. Starmer said net migration would fall 'significantly' as a result of the changes he has announced. As well as potentially causing labour shortages in key sectors, economists have said lower net migration could prompt the independent Office for Budget Responsibility to downgrade its growth forecasts. The government has been approached for comment.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Speaker accuses Government of ‘appalling' breaches of ministerial code
Sir Lindsay Hoyle would like to take the Government to task for 'appalling' ministerial code breaches, but he has 'not got the power', MPs have heard. The Commons Speaker said on Tuesday that the extent of his authority, 'if the House wishes, needs to change', because on his watch the situation 'would be different'. The Government's own code sets out the 'high standards of behaviour' which ministers are expected to maintain. According to the document, they should keep 'commercially sensitive material' under wraps until it is published, without letting the media see it first. But a row broke out over the Government's handling of the recent Strategic Defence Review (SDR), when journalists were allowed to see the document before MPs received their copies. 'At 10.30am on the Monday morning (June 2), journalists were invited to a reading room in Horse Guards Parade, where they were given access to the White Paper,' Conservative shadow defence minister Mark Francois said. He added that this was 'clearly a breach of the code' and continued: 'It was also seen by members of defence companies, trade associations, academics, think tanks and trade unionists at the same time that the markets were opening at eight o'clock.' Mr Francois said this raised 'a possibility of insider trading'. Sir Lindsay replied that he had raised this 'at the time'. The Speaker said: 'But what I would say is that I have no responsibility for the ministerial code. 'That, if the House wishes, needs to change because unfortunately, it makes a nonsense. 'There is a ministerial code there. The fact is that it is not being kept as we expect it to, but it is for this House, if it wishes to change the ministerial code – please do so. 'Or, I'm more than happy for the Government to change it, if they cannot accept it. 'But what we cannot have is this continuation of breaking the ministerial code. 'It is appalling. It is unacceptable, because in the end – it is not a political point – I am here to uphold the rights of the backbenchers. The backbenchers should be the ones that hear it first. 'The fact that documents are going to be given – they should be given to MPs. It is about me supporting MPs, but unfortunately, in this particular area I have not got the power. 'I wish I had, because it would be different.' Defence Secretary John Healey made a statement on the SDR in the Commons more than two weeks ago – on June 2 – when he told MPs it was 'a plan to meet the threats we face, a plan to step up on European security and lead in Nato, a plan that learns the lessons from Ukraine'. Sir Lindsay had criticised the Government for briefing out parts of the document the previous weekend. 'I'm disappointed once again that the Government appears to have breached the principle set out in paragraph 9.1 of the ministerial code – that when Parliament is in session, the most important announcements of Government policy should be made in the first instance in Parliament,' he said.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Record 3.74m people are claiming disability benefits – with teens & young adults fuelling rise, figures reveal
A RECORD 3.74 million people are now claiming disability benefits - with teenagers and young adults fuelling the rise, shock new figures reveal. The number of people on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) has shot up by 200,000 in a year, according to official data. 2 2 It's up from 3.54 million in April last year and nearly double the 2.05 million on the books in 2019. Young claimants are also climbing fast, with 16 to 19-year-olds now making up 16.5 per cent of all PIP cases - up from 14.6 per cent in 2019. There has been a similar rise for the 30-44 age group, which accounted for 21.0 per cent in April this year, up from 18.9 per cent in April 2019. By contrast, 45-59 year-olds made up 29.9 per cent of claimants in April, down from 37.2 per cent in 2019. The figure for 60-74 year-olds has risen slightly over this period, from 29.3% to 30.8 per cent. The damning figures come as Sir Keir Starmer is standing firm in the face of a growing rebellion over his plans to tighten the eligibility for PIP. The Welfare Reform Bill - alongside two impact assessments - will be published today, with a vote expected in late June or early July. Dozens of Labour MPs have already warned the plans are 'impossible to support' – claiming the changes risk hitting hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people. The reforms will see tougher rules brought in for new and existing claimants, with ministers hoping to slash £5 billion a year from the ballooning disability benefits bill. It's understood that up to 800,000 people could lose access to PIP under the proposed changes, which are aimed at cutting back on awards linked to mental health conditions and other 'less visible' illnesses. It was reported in recent days that Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has agreed to include 'non-negotiable' protections in the Bill – including a 13-week grace period for people who no longer qualify, instead of payments stopping after just four weeks. The move is seen as an attempt to head off a Labour rebellion, but one MP dismissed it as 'not very much really'. Speaking at the weekend, the PM made clear his intention to push ahead with the reforms. Asked whether there would be further concessions, Sir Keir said: 'Well we have got to get the reforms through and I have been clear about that from start to finish. 'The system is not working, it's not working for those that need support, it's not working for taxpayers. 'Everybody agrees it needs reform, we have got to reform it and that is what we intend to do.'
