Judge throws out Government bid to stop ‘Hooded Men' case after alleged torture during Troubles
A Government attempt to halt legal actions brought by the so-called Hooded Men over their treatment under interrogation at the height of the Troubles is to be denied, the High Court has ruled.
A judge refused the Ministry of Defence application to throw out the lawsuits brought over their alleged torture more than 50 years ago.
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The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Leading players urge Labor to tighten rules for cashed-up political lobbyists
Leading lobbyists are urging the federal government to strengthen investigative powers and penalties to crack down on rogue operators, including through new laws that would add corporate interests to a transparency register. The Greens leader, Larissa Waters, told Guardian Australia this week that the party would use its balance of power position to push for tougher rules on the cashed-up lobbying industry in the new parliament, calling current rules 'really weak and effectively nonexistent'. The attorney general's department administers a transparency register, but it only covers paid third-party lobbyists and their clients. Lobbyists employed internally by corporations and interest groups are not required to sign up. A parliamentary report in 2024 found as much as 80% of the industry was not required to adhere to transparency rules. Worse, breaches of the associated lobbying code of conduct are not made public. The department said the number of breaches has been increasing in recent years, but how bureaucrats dealt with them was not made public. Andrew Cox, the president of industry peak body the Australian Professional Government Relations Association, said tougher rules and bigger penalties were needed. Cox said the department 'should have more robust powers to investigate and punish those who engage in unregistered lobbying' and that 'there should be meaningful consequences for breaching the government's code of conduct'. 'We support transparency where measures seeking to achieve it … do not unreasonably add to the administrative burden or create a chilling effect on the roles of government relations practitioners.' Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email The powerful New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption warned a federal parliamentary inquiry that unregulated lobbying allows private interests 'to exert undue influence over official decision-making, while diminishing trust in government and increasing the risk of corruption'. One influential lobbyist who declined to be named so they could speak freely warned that a small number of players exaggerated their influence and access in Canberra. 'There are a small number of third-party lobbyists who like to pretend the only way to talk to government is through them. That's bullshit – that's greasy and it's gross,' they said. 'Staffers and ministers see through them, and they're not taken seriously.' They said lobbyists 'who understand how government works can be incredibly valuable to the government and to business'. The managing director of Hawker Britton, Simon Banks, said the rules should be strengthened. 'At the moment, at the commonwealth level, we have an administrative scheme. We would support a legislative scheme that makes sure there are clear rules and standards but also a legal mechanism to enforce them. 'The arrangements currently in place only apply to third-party lobbyists. I don't see why the general standards enforced by a code of conduct should apply to me but not someone who is in there lobbying on behalf of an organisation [they work for].' The code of conduct was designed to govern contact between lobbyists and government representatives, and promote 'transparency, integrity and honesty'. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion A growing group of MPs support changes to access rules at Parliament House. In mid-2024, there were more than 2,050 sponsored passes for the building, an unknown share of which were held by paid lobbyists. The inquiry warned there was no interaction between the lobbyist register and the pass approval system, despite access being an important tool for the industry. Banks said pass holders' names should be made public, along with MPs who sponsor them. 'I actually think if you disclose the full range of people who have their passes, you'd find there is a broader range of people who can access this building,' Banks said. Ben Oquist, a director at lobbying firm DPG Advisory Solutions, said stronger rules would benefit the industry. 'Businesses, NGOs and the public should all have the chance to engage with government and share their views or concerns, including with professional help,' Oquist said. 'Lobbying can play an important role in this democratic process. Lobbying can indeed be good. When done right, it can help shape better public policy outcomes. But if the industry does not live up to community expectations, it risks losing all public trust. 'That is why a strong, transparent and loophole-free regulatory regime would be good for everyone.' The Kooyong MP, Monique Ryan, linked powerful lobbying to Labor's controversial approval of Woodside's North West Shelf gas project out to 2070 last month. She said more transparency was badly needed. 'Fossil fuel industry lobbyists do not deserve more influence than our constituents,' she said. 'We deserve to know who is roaming the halls of parliament – and we should know when our ministers and senior public servants meet with them. We should open ministerial diaries in real time, and we must extend, reform and enforce the lobbyists' code of conduct. 'We have to close the revolving doors between ministerial and senior public service roles and the industries over which they have influence.'
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
SNP's nuclear stance costing Scotland jobs, says UK minister
While energy is largely reserved to the UK Government, the Scottish Government effectively has a veto on new nuclear power developments through planning regulations. Last week, in her Spending Review, Rachel Reeves unveiled a multi-billion-pound investment programme in new nuclear energy. The Chancellor said £2.5 billion of the £8.3bn set aside for Great British Energy would be redirected to support new nuclear technologies, including small modular reactors, and a new plant in the south of England. READ MORE: In an interview with BBC Scotland's Sunday Show, Mr Shanks was asked about why the money had been redirected, particularly given the party's manifesto made no mention of nuclear, but instead focussed on onshore wind, solar, and hydro power. 'Well, it's not an exclusive list, because there's a lot of other clean energy technologies,' Mr Shanks said. 'Nuclear is part of our energy mix. 'I'm not going to make any apologies for the government investing in nuclear where thousands of highly skilled jobs can be delivered, including in Scotland if it wasn't for the ideological position of the SNP to block new nuclear, could be delivering those well paid skilled jobs here in Scotland. 'They turned their face against that, and they will have to answer for that.' He added: 'The broader point here is Great British Energy is all about harnessing the power of the public purse to invest not just in clean power projects directly but supply chains that drive them. 'Because unlike the previous government, we want to see those well paid, industrialised jobs coming alongside us, not towing in offshore wind and switching it on, but building it in this country and getting the manufacturing jobs that go with it. "That's how we deliver the jobs of the future.' The Herald revealed at the weekend that unions are calling on the Scottish Government to end its longstanding resistance to new nuclear power. Louise Gilmour, from GMB Scotland, has written to Energy Minister Gillian Martin calling for an urgent rethink. She said: 'Amidst broken promises on a green jobs revolution, the Scottish Government cannot afford to scoff at the offering of nuclear energy on the table. An offer that would in large part be funded by the UK Government. The ban against new nuclear – especially SMRs – must be lifted.' Responding to Ms Gilmour's comments, a Scottish Government spokesperson told The Herald: 'The Scottish Government is focused on supporting growth and creating jobs by capitalising on Scotland's immense renewable energy capacity rather than expensive new nuclear energy which takes decades to build, creates toxic waste which is difficult and costly to dispose of and does not generate power at a cost that will bring down energy bills.' READ MORE: Meanwhile, during the interview with the BBC, Mr Shanks was pressed on the impact of oil and gas job losses in Aberdeen. Companies in the north east have blamed the UK Government's Energy Profits Levy, which means the effective rate of tax on oil and gas companies is 78%. Mr Shanks said: 'Every single job loss is hugely distressing for the individuals and for their families and communities. 'I do not for a second discount the impact that job losses have, but I do not think that is an entirely fair assessment, because yes, there have been job losses recently announced, but there have also been thousands of jobs created.' He argued that transition involved movement from one part of the energy sector to another, and that support for workers was crucial. 'That is why we announced incredibly quickly that passporting support—where if you are an offshore oil and gas worker doing a particular job and you could do the same job in offshore wind, you should not have to requalify or have your skills reassessed. 'You should be able to move straight into that job. That is something the previous government talked about for a long time. We delivered it.' READ MORE: The Labour Energy Minister also said he was 'hopeful' that an announcement on investment in Grangemouth will be made soon. Mr Shanks said more than 80 potential investors had come forward since the UK Government pledged £200 million for the site. The Government is seeking a further £600m in private investment in the area, following the closure of Scotland's last oil refinery. Mr Shanks said the investment would help provide a 'long-term, sustainable future' for the site. Petroineos, the joint venture between INEOS and PetroChina, which owns the 100-year-old refinery, first announced plans to close in November 2023. They said the plant's future as an import terminal would 'require significantly fewer people to operate' and that there would need to be a 'net reduction of approximately 400 roles over the next two years.' Mr Shanks said the Government was engaging with businesses on new projects for the area. 'We have had some really positive meetings around potential investors,' he said. 'In fact, more than 80 potential investors have come forward. Scottish Enterprise is driving forward due diligence on that. There are a number of really credible projects that we are developing at the moment. 'We hope we will have some really positive announcements to make soon.' Mr Shanks said the 'unprecedented' £200m investment from the National Wealth Fund would help 'create the jobs of the future' while ensuring long-term investment security. He added: 'I am not involved in the due diligence, as you would not expect, but there are some really exciting, viable projects coming forward that will deliver jobs in Grangemouth long into the future.' Last week, Jan Robertson, Grangemouth director for Scottish Enterprise, said she had received a 'mixture of inquiries' from businesses—some interested in the site itself and others with 'a good opportunity to become projects in the relatively near term.' 'What I mean by that is the next three to four years,' she told Holyrood's Economy and Fair Work Committee. 'Our approach at the moment is very much working with those and working as closely and quickly as we can to make the progress that we want to see in Grangemouth.' Ms Martin told the committee the 'door is not closed' to companies looking to work at the site, and said Petroineos had also received approaches. 'We could look back five years and start pointing fingers, but the most important thing is that in the last year—actually the last six months—Project Willow and the taskforce have moved things along in a way that has been swift, agile and focused,' she said. 'I am feeling so much more confident than I did this time last year in the prospects for that site.'
ITV News
3 hours ago
- ITV News
Shouts for justice at Grenfell anniversary march before tower demolition begins
Grenfell bereaved and survivors shouted for justice in what is likely to be the final anniversary in the shadow of the tower as it stands, ahead of work to begin its demolition. The Government announced earlier this year that the remains of the building will be brought down. It is thought the earliest that demolition will start is September and the process is expected to take around two years. Hundreds walked in silence through west London on Saturday evening before hearing the names of the 72 dead and speeches by campaigners, as the tower overlooked them. Vice chairman of Grenfell United, Karim Mussilhy, who lost his uncle in the blaze, told the crowd: 'Eight years have passed, eight years since the fire – lit by negligence, greed and institutional failure – tore through our homes, our families and our hearts. 'And still no justice has come. The truth is, there's almost nothing new to say because nothing has changed. 'As we stand here eight years on, the only decision this Government has made is to tear down the tower – our home.' The crowd shouted 'shame' and Mr Mussilhy continued: 'Not because justice has been delivered, but despite the fact it hasn't – before a single person has been held accountable, to make what happened disappear. 'The tower has stood not just as a reminder of what happened, but of what must change – a symbol and a truth in the face of denial, of dignity in the face of power, of our resistance, of our 72 loved ones who can't fight for their own justice. 'And now they want it gone, out of sight out of mind, a clear skyline and a forgotten scandal.' The crowd faced the tower and chanted: 'Justice, justice.' At the close of the speeches people filed in through the gates, which are rarely opened, and paid their respects at the base of the tower. Attendees held each other and children wrote tributes on electric candles that were left on a podium between the flowers. What remains of the tower has stood in place in the years since the disaster, with a covering on the building featuring a large green heart accompanied by the words 'forever in our hearts'. The final Grenfell Tower Inquiry report, published in September, concluded victims, bereaved and survivors were 'badly failed' through incompetence, dishonesty and greed. The tower block was covered in combustible products because of the 'systematic dishonesty' of firms who made and sold the cladding and insulation, inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said. News of the Government's demolition decision earlier this year was met with criticism from some bereaved and survivors of the 2017 fire who expressed their upset and shock, saying they felt they had not had their views considered before the decision was taken. Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner later said in an interview that she knew the meeting with those most closely affected was going to be 'really difficult' and that there was 'not a consensus' among everyone over what should happen to the tower. On Saturday, placards read 'this much evidence still no charges' and 'Tories have blood on their hands. Justice for Grenfell'. Large green papier-mache hearts were held aloft, with words including 'hope', 'integrity', 'enough is enough' and 'justice' written across. Around a dozen fire fighters stood to attention on each side of the road outside Ladbroke Grove station, facing the passing crowd with their helmets at their feet. Some members of the Grenfell community walked up to hug them and shake hands. After an hour of walking in silence the crowd gathered for the speeches outside Notting Hill Methodist Church. The Government confirmed in February that engineering advice is that the tower 'is significantly damaged' and will get worse with time. Separately, the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission has been consulting on plans for a permanent memorial in the area of the tower, with recommendations including a 'sacred space', designed to be a 'peaceful place for remembering and reflecting'. It is expected a planning application for a memorial could be submitted in late 2026. According to the Government's latest figures, published last month, there were 5,052 residential buildings in England which are 11 metres or taller identified as having unsafe cladding as of the end of April. Fewer than half – 2,477 buildings or 49% – had either started or completed remediation works, with just a third – 1,652 buildings or 33% – having had remediation works finished. Labour unveiled its remediation acceleration plan last year, pledging that, by the end of 2029, all buildings more than 59ft (18 metres) tall with unsafe cladding that are on a Government scheme will have been remediated.
