
Calls for 20mph limit on Newhaven road after girl hit by car
James MacCleary, MP for Lewes, said at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday that the girl was recovering well in hospital but that residents living in the area have been "warning how unsafe these roads are" around Seaford and Newhaven.Sylvia Porritt, who has lived on the 30mph road for 40 years, said: "It's very busy, especially in rush hour times it's a nightmare. There's nowhere to cross."There's been a few accidents on this road. It's just a race track, it's not safe for children or the elderly."
Carol White, another resident, said the road was used as a "cut through instead of the A26"."I was walking to my allotment on Sunday and a car was doing 70mph in a 50mph [road] leading into the town," she said. "No-one stops to let pedestrians cross."Mark Bunker, who has lived in the road for two years, said: "It's a very busy road, it's fast. "There's a blind spot at the top which is a high risk [area] for an incident."There was a really sad incident the other day. If there was a measure that could be looked at to reduce the speed, I think that would be a good idea."MacCleary asked Prime Minister Keir Starmer if he would intervene to unblock the funding needed to make the A259 and surrounding areas safer.The PM gave his "sympathies" to the family and the girl.He added that he had heard "a lot about this road" [the A259] and knew "it needs addressing".
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The Sun
an hour 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
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Britain is running out of space for offshore wind, warns Miliband's energy tsar
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Palestine Action activists are remanded in custody over electric scooter attack on RAF warplanes
Four alleged members of the controversial protest group Palestine Action have been remanded in custody after over a £7million sabotage attack at RAF Brize Norton. Amy Gardiner-Gibson, 29, Jony Cink, 24, Daniel Jeronymides-Norie, 35, and Lewie Chiaramello, 22, all appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court this afternoon charged with conspiracy to enter a prohibited place knowingly for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the United Kingdom, and conspiracy to commit criminal damage. The charges relate to an incident in the early hours of June 20, when two Airbus Voyager aircraft at the Oxfordshire base — vital to UK military operations — were seriously damaged in what authorities describe as a coordinated break-in. Today, the court heard that the suspects were allegedly involved in an operation that saw individuals use electric scooters to breach the secure perimeter of RAF Brize Norton, before targeting two military aircraft with spray paint, crowbars, and repurposed fire extinguishers. Footage posted online by Palestine Action shortly after the incident shows a figure calmly riding a scooter along the runway, spraying paint into a jet engine before fleeing the scene. District judge Daniel Sternberg said: 'I with hold bail as there are substanital grounds you will make further offences if granted bail. Therefore you will be remanded to custody until your appearance in the Crown Court on the 18th July.' As the four defendants were led away, their supporters in the gallery began shouting 'Free Palestine'. One woman could be heard crying. The case comes just one day after the House of Commons voted to officially proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, under the Terrorism Act 2000. The motion was passed by a majority of 359 votes — with 385 in favour and 26 against — and is now due to be debated by the House of Lords on Thursday. Security Minister Dan Jarvis said this week: 'The attack at RAF Brize Norton was just the latest episode in Palestine Action's long history of harmful activity.' He added: 'Palestine Action has orchestrated a nationwide campaign of property damage featuring attacks that have resulted in serious damage to property and crossed the threshold from direct criminal action into terrorism.' Following the June 20 sabotage, Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) launched a major investigation, arresting the four defendants in London and Newbury on suspicion of terrorist offences. A 41-year-old woman, also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, has been bailed until September 19, while a 23-year-old man was released without charge. In a defiant statement after the attack, Palestine Action claimed responsibility and said: 'Britain isn't just complicit, it's an active participant in the Gaza genocide and war crimes across the Middle East. 'By decommissioning two military planes, Palestine Action have directly intervened in the genocide and prevented crimes against the Palestinian people.' The Ministry of Defence condemned the incident, stating: 'The UK's defence estate is vital to our national security and this Government will not tolerate those who put that security at risk.' RAF Brize Norton, the largest RAF base in the UK, is a strategic hub for air transport and aerial refuelling, with aircraft regularly flying to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. The base employs 5,800 service personnel, along with hundreds of civilian staff and contractors.