Keir Starmer claims Kneecap Glastonbury performance ‘not appropriate'
Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap are scheduled to perform at Glastonbury next weekend, despite controversy surrounding one of its members.
Band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh has been charged under the Terrorism Act for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag at a London show last year.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated he does not think Kneecap's performance at Glastonbury is appropriate due to the ongoing court case.
Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch called for the BBC not to broadcast Kneecap's performance, citing the charge and accusing the band of extremism.
The band denies supporting Hamas or Hezbollah, calling the charge a distraction, and has publicly linked the issue to their support for Palestine.
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Glasgow Times
30 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Energy costs to be cut for industry as Starmer seeks economic ‘turning point'
The plan, which could cut bills by up to 25%, forms a key part of Sir Keir Starmer's 10-year industrial strategy which he hopes will address stuttering economic growth and transform the business landscape. The Prime Minister said the plan marks a 'turning point for Britain's economy' by supporting key industries where there is potential for growth. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the plan would offer long-term certainty for key industries (Andy Buchanan/PA) Manufacturers have warned 'crippling' power costs are far higher for UK businesses than competitors overseas. From 2027, a new British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will cut costs by up to £40 per megawatt hour for over 7,000 manufacturing firms by exempting them from levies on bills including the renewables obligation, feed-in tariffs and the capacity market. Around 500 of the most energy-intensive firms, including the steel industry, chemicals and glassmaking, will also see their network charges cut – they currently get a 60% discount through the British Industry Supercharger scheme, which will increase to 90% from 2026. The plan also promises measures to speed up the time it can take to connect new factories and projects to the energy grid. Sir Keir said: 'This industrial strategy marks a turning point for Britain's economy and a clear break from the short-termism and sticking plasters of the past.' He said the decade-long plan would deliver 'the long-term certainty and direction British businesses need to invest' during an 'era of global uncertainty'. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband blamed 'our reliance on gas sold on volatile international markets' for the high electricity costs for businesses. He said 'doubling down' on wind and nuclear power would 'bring down bills for households and businesses for good'. The industrial strategy focuses on eight areas where the UK is already strong and there is potential for further growth: advanced manufacturing, clean energy, creative industries, defence, digital, financial services, life sciences and professional and business services. Plans for five of the sectors will be published on Monday, but the defence, financial services and life sciences strategies will come later. Other measures include: – Increasing the British Business Bank's financial capacity to £25.6 billion, including £4 billion for sectors in the industrial strategy. – Raising research and development spending to £22.6 billion a year by 2029/30. – An extra £1.2 billion a year for skills by 2028-29 to train Britons to do jobs in growth industries and reduce reliance on foreign workers. – Attracting 'elite' overseas talent through visa and migration reforms. – Cutting the administrative cost of red tape by 25% and reducing the number of regulators. – Reducing the time it takes to get planning permission by hiring more planners, streamlining pre-application requirements and combining environmental obligations. – Increasing the supply of locations for investment around the country with a £600 million strategic sites accelerator. Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband said relying on gas from volatile markets had driven costs sky-high for businesses (Kin Cheung/PA) The strategy comes after the latest figures indicated the economy shrank by 0.3% in April, the biggest monthly contraction in gross domestic product for a year-and-a-half, as businesses felt the impact of Donald Trump's tariffs and domestic pressure as a result of hikes to firms' national insurance contributions. There are also concerns in industry about the impact of the Government's Employment Rights Bill, which could add to business costs. Confederation of British Industry chief executive Rain Newton-Smith said: 'More competitive energy prices, fast-tracked planning decisions and backing innovation will provide a bedrock for growth. 'But the global race to attract investment will require a laser-like and unwavering focus on the UK's overall competitiveness.' Manufacturers' organisation Make UK's chief Stephen Phipson said the three major challenges facing industry were 'a skills crisis, crippling energy costs and an inability to access capital for new British innovators', and the strategy 'sets out plans to address all three'. TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: 'We welcome ministers taking action to reduce sky-high energy costs for manufacturers – something unions have been calling for as a matter of urgency. 'For too long, UK industry has been hamstrung by energy prices far above those in France and Germany. It's made it harder to compete, invest, and grow.' Acting shadow energy secretary Andrew Bowie said: 'It is astonishing that Labour are finally admitting that the costs of net zero are so high that they're having to spend billions of pounds of taxpayers' money subsidising businesses' energy bills to stop them going bust.' Shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith has written an open letter to firms warning they are being 'sleepwalked into disaster' by the Employment Rights Bill. He said: 'When it comes to business, it's actions, not words, which count, but this Government is stepping on the accelerator and the brake at the same time.'
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
UK to cut green levies on businesses in bid to reduce energy costs and boost manufacturing
The government is to slash green levies on thousands of businesses, in an effort to bring down sky-high energy costs for firms and boost the manufacturing sector in Labour heartlands. The measure is a key plank of the long-awaited industrial strategy, a 10-year plan to boost sectors ranging from the creative industries to manufacturing. More than 7,000 businesses could have their energy bills reduced as the government removes levies such as the renewables obligation, which funds continuing commitments to earlier renewable electricity generation projects. It will come alongside a parallel policy, reported in the Guardian last week, aimed at helping particularly electricity-intensive industries such as the beleaguered steel sector. This will involve increasing the discount on the fees that energy-intensive firms pay to connect to the grid to 90%, up from 60%. Industry sources told the Guardian last week that, while the policy was welcome, the overall saving for steel is expected only to be worth about £15m a year. However, the discount is also anticipated to help about 500 businesses in other industries, including aluminium, ceramics and glass. British manufacturers have long complained of having to grapple with some of the highest electricity prices in the developed world, as well as delays in connecting to the grid, a particular concern in the tech sector. There will be new systems put in place for major investment projects that create significant numbers of jobs to have faster grid access, expected to be in place before the end of the year. Announcing the plan, the prime minister, Keir Starmer, said he hoped it would be 'a turning point for Britain's economy and a clear break from the short-termism and sticking plasters of the past. 'In an era of global economic instability, it delivers the long-term certainty and direction British businesses need to invest, innovate and create good jobs that put more money in people's pockets as part of the plan for change.' The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said the strategy would complement the spending review, which prioritised investment in infrastructure and industry. 'It'll see billions of pounds for investment and cutting-edge tech, ease energy costs and upskill the nation. It will ensure the industries that make Britain great can thrive,' she said. 'It will boost our economy and create jobs that put more money in people's pockets.' The government said the reforms would not directly cost the taxpayer anything or lead to an increase in household bills, but would be funded through reforms to the energy system. 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 Energy costs are likely to remain significantly higher than in Germany and France, chiefly because UK electricity prices are linked to the cost of wholesale gas, which is a larger part of the British energy mix than on the continent. Key to the plan is the proposed linking of the UK's emissions trading scheme with that of the EU, announced in May at a joint summit in London, though negotiations about the UK's entry into that carbon market are still not concluded. The strategy on Monday is expected to focus on eight sectors where the UK has potential for fast growth: advanced manufacturing, clean energy, creative industries, defence, digital, financial services, life sciences and professional services. The Confederation of British Industry's chief executive, Rain Newton-Smith, praised the strategy, saying 'competitive energy prices, fast-tracked planning decisions and backing innovation will provide a bedrock for growth. But the global race to attract investment will require a laser-like and unwavering focus on the UK's overall competitiveness.' Stephen Phipson, the chief executive of the manufacturers' organisation Make UK, said the strategy was a 'giant and much-needed step forward', saying there had long been frustration in the sector at the skills crisis, crippling energy costs and difficulty in accessing capital. 'The strategy announced today sets out plans to address all three of these structural failings,' he said. 'Clearly there is much to do as we move towards implementation, but this will send a message across the country and around the world that Britain is back in business.'
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Swinney urged to increase powers for authorities in bid to tackle knife crime
Parents have called on First Minister John Swinney to hand increased powers to the authorities for tackling and punishing youth knife crime. On Sunday, a march against knife violence took place throughout the streets of Glasgow. The Parents Against Knives were joined on the march, which started at 1pm, by the family of Kory McCrimmon, who died after an attack involving a bladed weapon on May 31 2024. His family previously said the 16-year-old's life 'will not be in vain' as they urged others to join the march. The 16-year-old died after he was found seriously injured in Greenfield Park in the east end of Glasgow. A 14-year-old was last month sentenced to five years' detention after admitting culpable homicide. Speaking from Barrowfield Community Centre in Glasgow, Kory's father, Neil McCrimmon, told the PA news agency that knife crime has always been a problem in Scotland, but said it has changed in recent years, and that the Scottish Government must act to address the problem. He said: 'Knife crime has always been here, there's no getting away from that. If you go back to the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, but it's different today. 'This is our children we're talking about, and this is where Mr Swinney needs to make changes. 'They say we should protect children, and by all means we have. 'We've got to safeguard them in every manner, but my point to Mr Swinney is, who is saving the children from the children?' He added: 'And this is the thing, we've not got any deterrent, and the courts, they're no deterrent.' He said the Scottish judicial system's 'hands are tied' with current sentencing guidelines for minors who have committed serious offences, and that the penalty served his son's killer is 'not justice'. He added: 'In my day, you did the crime, you did the time, and that's all we ask for: justice, and justice hasn't been served in our case. 'The other matter is the police. Mr Swinney will tell you the police have got their powers, but the police will tell you they haven't. They've not got the powers when it comes to children. 'So Mr Swinney, give the police their powers, make a difference, that is all we ask.' The march was organised by Kory's aunt, Jackie McTaggart, who says she wants to set up a meeting with the First Minister as a starting point to tackling knife crime, particularly among youths. She said: 'We want to speak to the First Minister and the Justice Secretary, so we're hoping we'll get that soon, and now we've said it publicly in the media. 'We're hoping that's the next step, so we can sit and speak to them and get everybody involved, like the police, the social work department, the youth workers, the school teachers, everybody. 'If we get them all working with our youth, then hopefully we can make a change and make a difference.' The march came in the wake of the deaths of teenagers Amen Teklay and Kayden Moy in separate incidents in recent weeks. Two boys aged 14 and 16 have appeared in court charged with murder following the death of 15-year-old Amen in the Maryhill area of Glasgow on March 5. Kayden, 16, was found seriously injured on Irvine beach in North Ayrshire after police were called to the area at about 6.45pm on May 17. A 14-year-old boy and two 17-year-old boys have appeared in court charged with murder following his death. The Parents Against Knives march set off from Rangers' Ibrox stadium and those taking part were walking to Celtic Park in the east end of the city. Kate Wallace, chief executive of Victim Support Scotland, said: 'Too many lives are being devastated by knife crime in Scotland. 'Behind every statistic, hundreds of lives are irreversibly impacted with tragic consequences for everyone involved: family, friends, siblings, school mates and the wider communities in which we all live. 'We support the Parents Against Knives walk, organised entirely by the McCrimmon family in memory of their son Kory, which will undoubtedly help draw attention to this growing crisis. 'These are complex and sensitive situations which require a multi-agency response from the Scottish Government, victim support organisations, police, social work, youth work and others to work together to tackle knife crime and the devastation it causes. People across Scotland deserve to feel safe in their own communities.' Mr Swinney said: 'We stand in solidarity with all those who took part in the Parents Against Knives march in Glasgow and my heartfelt condolences go to Kory McCrimmon's family and every family who has suffered unimaginable loss due to knife crime. 'As a father, I find the thought of any parent having to endure the grief and trauma of losing a child to knife crime utterly heartbreaking. Glasgow is united and Scotland is united in wanting these horrific incidents to stop. 'We owe it to every family affected to take meaningful action. That's why we have increased investment in prevention, support and enforcement; from record funding for Police Scotland to vital work by Medics Against Violence and the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit. We stand with the families marching and we are committed to driving the change that keeps our young people safe.'
