Diane Abbott: Labour ‘wants me out' after second suspension
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Lammy not accepting Iran's claims over enriched uranium
Foreign Secretary David Lammy says he does not accept Iran's claims that the country is enriching uranium for academic purposes. Representatives from the United Kingdom, Germany and France held talks with Iran last week to try to break the deadlock over the country's nuclear programme. Tehran maintains it is open to diplomacy, though it recently suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). A central concern for western powers was highlighted when the IAEA reported in May that Iran's stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% – just below weapons-grade level – had grown to more than 400kg. In a wide-ranging interview with The Guardian, Mr Lammy said: 'Its leaders cannot explain to me – and I've had many conversations with them – why they need 60% enriched uranium. 'If I went to Sellafield or Urenco in Cheshire, they haven't got anything more than 6%. The Iranians claim it's for academic use, but I don't accept that.' Mr Lammy warned that Iran developing nuclear weapons could lead to an escalation of tensions in the Middle East. Israel and the United States carried our strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June. 'Many of your readers will have watched Oppenheimer and seen the fallout of (the US building an atomic bomb),' he said. 'So it's what (a nuclear Iran) might mean in terms of other countries in the neighbourhood who would desire one, too. And we would be very suddenly handing over to our children and grandchildren a world that had many more nuclear weapons in it than it has today.' The Foreign Secretary said he had heard Israeli arguments in favour of regime change in Tehran, but did not believe that was behind the US decision to strike. The Tottenham MP added any decision to topple the government was one for the Iranian people, with his focus 'on what the UK can do to stop Iran becoming a nuclear power'. Last month, Mr Lammy suggested that Britain, France and Germany could 'snap back' on sanctions against Iran unless the country gets 'serious' about stepping back from its nuclear ambitions. He told the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee: 'Iran face even more pressure in the coming weeks because the E3 can snap back on our sanctions, and it's not just our sanctions, it's actually a UN mechanism that would impose dramatic sanctions on Iran across nearly every single front in its economy. 'So they have a choice to make. It's a choice for them to make. 'I'm very clear about the choice they should make, but I'm also clear that the UK has a decision to make that could lead to far greater pain for the Iranian regime unless they get serious about the international desire to see them step back from their nuclear ambitions at this time.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
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I no longer identify as Nigerian, Badenoch says
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has said she no longer identifies as Nigerian and has not renewed her passport since the early 2000s. Badenoch, who was born in the UK, grew up in both Nigeria and the US. She returned to England aged 16 because of Nigeria's worsening political and economic climate, and to continue her education. Speaking on former MP and television presenter Gyles Brandreth's Rosebud podcast, she said she was "Nigerian through ancestry" though "by identity, I'm not really". Last year, Badenoch faced criticism from Nigeria's vice president who said she had "denigrated" the West African country. Badenoch, who lived in Lagos, spoke at length about her upbringing on the podcast. "I know the country very well, I have a lot of family there, and I'm very interested in what happens there. But home is where my now family is." On not renewing her passport, she said: "I don't identify with it any more, most of my life has been in the UK and I've just never felt the need to." "I'm Nigerian through ancestry, by birth, despite not being born there because of my parents... but by identity I'm not really," she added. Badenoch said when she visited the country when her father died she had to get a visa, which was "a big fandango". She said her early experiences in Nigeria shaped her political outlook, including "why I don't like socialism". As a child "I remember never quite feeling that I belonged there", she went on, saying she recalled "coming back to the UK in 1996 thinking this is home". At the end of last year, Badenoch was criticised for saying she had grown up in fear and insecurity in Nigeria, which was plagued by corruption. The country's vice president Kashim Shettima responded, saying his government was "proud" of Badenoch "in spite of her efforts at denigrating her nation of origin". A spokesperson for Badenoch rebuffed the criticism. Badenoch stands by Nigeria comments after criticism
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2 hours ago
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‘Hugely ambitious' plan for 500 new social homes in next five years
An 'aspirational' plan for 500 social housing properties to be built or bought has been unveiled by a Devon council. The bold plan – that could cost around £100 million – has been unveiled by East Devon District Council as part of its bid to create more affordable housing in the district. Members of the council's housing review board (Thursday 31 July) were told about the plan, and how it might be funded if it were to be pursued. No decision on whether to progress was made at the meeting, but it was endorsed by the housing review board to be progressed to cabinet and full council. 'The report does contain some big numbers, but we are not seeking budget approval today,' said Liam Reading, assistant director for investment and development. 'Rather today is about setting out what is possible in headline terms and explaining the viability. 'It is an aspirational target and we are setting the bar very high, but it is important to be ambitious.' 4600 social housing properties now sought East Devon has more than 4,100 social housing properties at present, meaning that if stock levels remained the same and 500 more were built or bought, it would be above 4,600. That compares to around 3,000 in neighbouring Mid Devon. Mr Reading expected around £60 million of the predicted £100 million would need to be borrowed, with hopes for the remainder coming from the likes of government grants from Homes England. In spite of the potential additional borrowing, though, Mr Reading asserted that the increase in its housing stock would not negatively impact its housing finances. The aim would be for the rent from the new properties to cover the payments on the borrowing it had used to build or buy them. Councillor Dan Ledger (Independent, Seaton), the cabinet member for sustainable homes and communities, said the build and buy plan was part of 'looking to the future'. 'If you look at every single plan for the council, it all points to building and buying social homes for our tenants that are secure, comfortable and easy to heat, and this ticks to many boxes,' he said. 'It is a long time coming, but it is great to see.' Councillor Chris Burhop (Independent, Newton Poppleford and Harpford) said he had previously 'ranted and raved about where the ambition was'. 'Well, here it is,' he said. 'Congratulations to the team on such an ambitious plan, something which we have heard for so many years we can't do, but actually now we are showing a way forward where we can achieve things, and it will be fantastic for the community of East Devon if we can see this commenced and underway.' READ MORE: East Devon District Council survey and investment plans | Exmouth Journal Cllr Burhop added that he was actually concerned the finances being proposed could be 'too small' given he had built a house and costs always exceeded expectations. But Catrin Stark, director of housing and health, said the potential for higher levels of external funding and the economies of scale the council could achieve, were factors that could alter the cost per property to the council. 'I'm conscious, too, that we have got Cranbrook and the second new town coming, but what are we doing in the communities we currently serve,' she said. 'There are some areas that, in terms of regeneration, haven't been forgotten but are a little left behind and so this is an opportunity to look at places with the most need and to serve communities that already exist rather than always concentrating on the shiny new places.' The board heard that the majority of any new homes built or bought would be available under social rent, and that the council was not planning on creating its own development company. Any new properties would also sit outside of Right To Buy legislation for ten years, meaning they cannot be purchased under that scheme's discounts until they are a decade old.
