
Devon and Cornwall campaigners' mixed response to water overhaul
New water ombudsman will tackle leaks and overchargingFive key takeaways from the landmark water sector reviewWill the water industry proposals make any difference?Water bills will 'never again' jump as high, claims minister
The Water Commission review, led by former Bank of England deputy governor Sir Jon Cunliffe, was set up in response to growing public concern about sewage spills and rising bills.Ms Pearson said: "We often hear people complaining that South West Water are effectively marking their own homework at the moment."She believes sustained investment and government-backed enforcement and needed for significant improvements to river health."What we need to see is not just identifying the problems, but consistent action towards resolving them," she said. "We need the right thing to be done, and we need it to be done methodically and with a long-term view."
'Taken for fools'
Giles Bristow, chief executive of SAS, said the review "utterly fails to prioritise public benefit over private profit". "Only one path forward remains: a full, systemic transformation that ends the ruthless pursuit of profit and puts the public good at the heart of our water services," he said.While the group welcomed the call for a national strategy, Mr Bristow dismissed the regulator overhaul as superficial.He said: "We won't be taken for fools. Abolishing Ofwat and replacing it with a shinier regulator won't stop sewage dumping or profiteering if the finance and ownership structures stay the same."
South West Water said it welcomed the report "and its focus on shaping a stronger water sector for the future"."The proposals outlined today reflect the importance of long-term strategic planning, local accountability, and better environmental and public health outcomes," it said."We are particularly supportive of efforts to update regulation, strengthen asset health, and introduce clearer national direction through a long-term water strategy."
Analysis from BBC South West environment correspondent Kirk England
"From sea swimmers to clean water campaigners, many will be hoping that Sir Jon Cunliffe's review will lead to change, particularly on tackling sewage spills."About a third of England's designated bathing waters are here in the South West."In 2024, although the overall number of spills by South West Water dropped slightly, to 56,000, the duration of those spills rose to 544,000 hours, up from 531,000 in 2023."South West Water has welcomed the publication of the Independent Water Commission's final report and has already said it is investing to tackle sewage discharges."But there are fears the proposed measures don't go far enough and will not lead to what so many people have told me they want to see - a significant and sustained reduction in sewage discharges into rivers and the sea."
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The Herald Scotland
34 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
There are 115,000 reasons why Trump should be welcomed to Scotland
Little is yet clear on the economic implications of America's new trade policies and Scotland's position within a radically changed global trade structure. The Trump administration is actively reshaping the way the world does business wherever the US is involved. Unfortunately the recent UK-US tariff deal is not yet the broadly-based trade agreement that would secure jobs for Scottish exporters. A baseline 10% tariff on most goods entering the United States might be less challenging than the EU position but it has hit growth and jobs. For Scotland, it represents a significant challenge to our transatlantic trade relationship, which generated £3.8 billion in exports to the US in 2024. Exporters have been forced to re-route product and quickly develop new markets. The urgency of this month's discussions is underscored by the imminent review in August of the UK-US trade arrangements. The present temporary agreement is fragile, creating anxiety in many sectors of the Scottish economy, from universities to food and drink. The impact on Scotland's key industries is already tangible. Scotch whisky, which suffered a major hit to sales during Trump's first presidency when he imposed 25% tariffs, faces renewed uncertainty. The US remains the largest Scotch export market by value, but global trade turmoil is a big headwind for an industry that exports 90% of its product. Read more: Similarly, Scottish salmon exports to the US are significant. Worth over £200 million annually, this trade is the second largest market for the product. And the pressure that lies ahead to harmonise with American regulatory standards could fundamentally alter Scotland's economic landscape. The US now views trade imbalances in simplistic terms, regulatory differences much more important than tariff levels. This represents a profound challenge to European standards on food safety, environmental protection, and product regulations. Food standards in particular are contentious and any changes could have far-reaching implications. Scotland still aims to keep in lock-step with the EU but may have to make some compromises with Westminster running the negotiations. American investment in Scotland extends far beyond Trump's golf properties. The USA is Scotland's largest inward investor, accounting for around 25% of total foreign inward investment in Scotland. More than 650 US-owned businesses employ around 115,000 people across the country. The pharmaceutical sector, financial services, and technology companies in particular have established significant operations ranging from JP Morgan to Amazon and Microsoft. Encouragingly, it seem that some American businesses are actually now viewing Scotland more favourably. If the UK can successfully negotiate a comprehensive trade agreement that provides greater certainty, Scotland could benefit from increased US investment as companies seek to establish operations that can serve both American and European markets from a single location. Anecdotal evidence also suggests that some individual Americans are considering Scotland for potential relocation, attracted by our political stability, social democratic values, and cultural heritage. The relationship also involves exchange of ideas, as the US is Scotland's top global research collaborator. Eighty links between Scottish and US universities and colleges involve staff and student exchanges and many joint publications. The thousands of US students who come to our universities help to forge long lasting relationships between the two nations. The controversial nature of Trump's presidency may actually be driving some North American tourism to Scotland. Many Canadians say they have changed their thinking about travelling to the USA. But overall Scotland's tourism sector is under pressure, as a weak US dollar makes Scotland expensive for American visitors. Combined with new visitor taxes, this means that the sector does not need any new frictions. Trump's approach to international relations reflects a broader strategy to reshape the global economic order around American interests. The traditional multilateral framework that has governed international trade since the Second World War is being replaced by a more transactional system where countries must demonstrate an alignment of interests to maintain favourable treatment. Scotland's relationship with the US clearly matters but, however much it grates to be dictated to, we have relatively few negotiating levers. Even the EU as a whole seems to be in that position at the moment. It will take our leaders all their skill to make the best of the forthcoming meetings. We must find common ground and realise we might learn from new US policies. It seems reasonable for example, that countries should pay their fair share for what is effectively an American security and financial umbrella. And it took US pressure for the UK recently to drop some surprising tariffs; on pasta, pineapples and fruit juice. In some ways, Trump is pursuing a typical agenda for second term presidents - recognising that time and domestic political leverage is not on his side, making foreign policy a bigger focus. US exceptionalism may be unwinding even as it tears up longstanding agreements. In an increasingly fragmented global order it is more important than ever to protect Scottish interests. When emotion and reason are in conflict, the heart often overrules the head. But this is a time to look beyond personalities. The path forward requires acknowledging uncomfortable realities about American power and Scottish dependence while working to preserve the values and interests that define Scotland. Colin McLean is director of Barnton Capital Holdings


Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
Welfare versus warfare: Sir Keir Starmer's unresolved question - and why the PM's pinned his hopes on economic growth
Welfare versus warfare: for decades, it's a question to which successive prime ministers have responded with one answer. After the end of the Cold War, leaders across the West banked the so-called "peace dividend" that came with the end of this conflict between Washington and Moscow. Instead of funding their armies, they invested in the welfare state and public services instead. But now the tussle over this question is something that the current prime minister is grappling with, and it is shaping up to be one of the biggest challenges for Sir Keir Starmer since he got the job last year. As Clement Attlee became the Labour prime minister credited with creating the welfare state after the end of the Second World War, so it now falls on the shoulders of the current Labour leader to create the warfare state as Europe re-arms. 3:15 Be it Donald Tusk, the Polish prime minister, arguing last year that Europe had moved from the post-war era to the pre-war era; or European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen calling on the EU to urgently re-arm Ukraine so it is a "steel porcupine" against Russian invaders; there is a consensus that the UK and Europe are on - to quote Sir Keir - a "war footing" and must spend more on defence. To that end the prime minister has committed to increase UK defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027, raiding the overseas development aid budget to do so, and has also committed, alongside other NATO allies, to spend 5 per cent of GDP on defence by 2035. 1:05 That is a huge leap in funding and a profound shift from what have been the priorities for government spending - the NHS, welfare, education - in recent decades. The Institute for Fiscal Studies' Carl Emmerson said the increase, in today's terms, would be like adding approximately £30bn to the 2027 target of spending around £75bn on core defence. Sir Keir has been clear-eyed about the decision, arguing that the first duty of any prime minister is to keep his people safe. But the pledge has raised the obvious questions about how those choices are funded, and whether other public services will face cuts at a time when the UK's economic growth is sluggish and public finances are under pressure. This, then, is one of his biggest challenges: can he make sure Britain looks after itself in a fragile world, while also sticking to his promises to deliver for the country? It is on this that the prime minister has come unstuck over the summer, as he was forced to back down over proposed welfare cuts to the tune of £5bn at the end of this term, in the face of a huge backbench rebellion. Many of his MPs want warfare and welfare. 2:11 "There's been a real collision in recent weeks between those two policy worlds," explains Jim Murphy, who served both as a welfare minister under Tony Blair and shadow defence secretary under Ed Miliband. "In welfare, how do you provide for the people who genuinely need support and who, without the state's support, couldn't survive? What's the interplay between that and the unconditional strategic need to invest more in defence? "For the government, they either get economic growth or they have a series of eye-watering choices in which there can be no compromise with the defence of the state and everything else faces very serious financial pressures." He added: "No Labour politician comes into politics to cut welfare schools or other budgets. But on the basis that defence is non-negotiable, everything else, unfortunately, may face those cuts." 7:02 While the PM sees this clearly, ask around the cabinet table and ministers will admit that the tough choices society will need to take if they genuinely want to respond to the growing threat from Russia, compounded by the unpredictability of Donald Trump, is yet to fully sink in. There are generations of British citizens that have only ever lived in peace, that do not, like I do, remember the Cold War or the Troubles. There are also millions of Britons struggling with the cost of living and and public satisfaction with key public services is at historic lows. That is why Labour campaigned in the election on the promise of change, to raise living standards and cut NHS waiting lists. Ask the public, and 49 per cent of people recognise defence spending needs to increase. But 53 per cent don't want it to come from other areas of public spending, while 55 per cent are opposed to paying more tax to fund that defence increase. There is also significant political resistance from the Labour Party. Sir Keir's attempts to make savings in the welfare budget have been roundly rejected by his MPs. Instead, his backbenchers are talking about more tax rises to fund public services, or even a broader rethink of Rachel Reeves' fiscal rules. 6:36 Anneliese Dodds, who quit as development minister over cuts to the overseas aid budget, wrote in her resignation letter that she had "expected [cabinet] would collectively discuss our fiscal rules and approach to taxation, as other nations are doing", as part of a wider discussion about the changing threats. In an interview for our Electoral Dysfunction podcast, which will be released later this summer, she expanded on this idea. She said: "I think it's really important to take a step back and think about what's going to be necessary, looking ten, twenty years ahead. It looks like the world is not going to become safer, unfortunately, during that period. It's really important that we increase defence spending. "I think that does mean we've got to really carefully consider those issues about our fiscal rules and about taxation. That isn't easy…nonetheless, I think we will have to face up to some really big issues. "Now is the time when we need to look at what other countries are doing. We need to consider whether we have the right system in place." For the Labour MP, that means potentially re-assessing the fiscal rules and how the fiscal watchdog assesses government spending to perhaps give the government more leeway. She also believes that the government should look again at tax rises. She added: "We do, I believe, need to think about taxation. "Now again, there's no magic wand. There will be implications from any change that would be made. As I said before, we are quite highly taxing working people now, but I think there are ways in which we can look at taxation, not without implications. "But in a world of difficult trade-offs, we've got to take the least worst trade-off for the long term. And that's what I think is gonna be really important." Those trade-offs are going to be discussed more and more into the autumn, ahead of what is looking like an extremely difficult budget for the PM and Ms Reeves. Not only is the chancellor now dealing with a £5bn shortfall in her accounts from the welfare reform reversal, but she is also dealing with higher-than-expected borrowing costs, fuelled by surging debt costs. Plus, the government borrowing £3.5bn more than forecast last month, with June's borrowing coming in at £20.7bn - the second-highest figure since records began in 1993. Some economists are now predicting that the chancellor will have to raise taxes or cut spending by around £20bn in the budget to fill the growing black hole. Jeremy Hunt, former Conservative chancellor and now backbencher, tells me he was "massively disappointed" that Labour blinked on welfare reform. He said: "First of all, it's terrible for people who are currently trapped on welfare, but secondly, because the risk is that the consequence of that, is that we get trapped in a doom loop of every higher taxes and lower growth." 'This group of politicians have everything harder ' Mr Murphy says he has sympathy for the predicament of this Labour government and the task they face. He explained: "We were fortunate [back in the early 2000s] in that the economy was still relatively OK, and we were able to reform welfare and do really difficult reforms. This is another world. "This group of politicians have everything harder than we had. They've got an economy that has been contracting, public services post-Covid in trouble, a restless public, a digital media, an American president who is at best unreliable, a Russian president. "Back then [in the 2000s] it was inconceivable that we would fight a war with Russia. On every measure, this group of politicians have everything harder than we ever had." Over the summer and into the autumn, the drumbeat of tax rises will only get louder, particularly amongst a parliamentary party seemingly unwilling to back spending cuts. But that just delays a problem unresolved, which is how a government begins to spend billions more on defence whilst also trying to maintain a welfare state and rebuild public services. This is why the government is pinning so much hope onto economic growth as it's escape route out of its intractable problem. Because without real economic growth to help pay for public services, the government will have to make a choice - and warfare will win out. What is still very unclear is how Sir Keir manages to take his party and the people with him.


Sky News
3 hours ago
- Sky News
'Everyone's on edge': Epping braces for another hotel protest
Tracey's cheese toastie is getting cold. She's explaining to me how hacked off she is about the asylum hotel in Epping, there is a lot to get off her chest. This Essex commuter town has seen a series of protests around the Bell Hotel where asylum seekers have been housed for the past few years. The catalyst last week was an Ethiopian man, who had only recently arrived on a small boat, appearing in court charged with three counts of sexual assault on a local girl. Tracey was in the crowd demonstrating last Thursday when things turned violent, with some protesters clashing with police. Eight officers suffered injuries along with two hotel employees. Tracey told Sky News: "I've been here since I was four years old, I'm sixty now and we've never had any trouble like this before. "I'm sick to the skin of it all, I can't wait for it all to be over. "Everyone's on edge now. There's a lot of hostility so I think they (the migrants) should go. "I'm not a racist and I'm not prejudiced but this has just gone too far for this town. "You shouldn't relocate them, you should send them back to where they came from, simple as that. "Then it will be restored, the peace." She's angry at the government's response and the way she feels communities have not been listened to. She told Sky News: "They are going to have a lot of protests on their hands if they don't do anything about it. "So watch this space!" She went back to her cheese toastie and chips. Essex Police officers are preparing for another demonstration in Epping later with a march planned from the hotel to the council offices, where local politicians are due to discuss the problems. The chief constable has promised that his officers will facilitate peaceful protest while warning troublemakers they will be robustly dealt with. As we walked along the main shopping street with our camera, a man wound down the window of his partner's Mini and shouted about the violence last week. We asked him to stop and explain what he meant. It turned out Keith was at the protest too, his son was arrested and charged with criminal damage. "My son is actually going to court because he shook the Bell hotel sign and they are trying to do him with criminal damage," he said. "If they arrest somebody there will be five people to take their place," he warned - suggesting that people will show up regardless. "It will go on until it stops, it'll stop when they (the migrants) get moved out." Not everyone feels the same way - another woman who did not want to give her name said she strongly disagreed with the protests at the hotel. She told us: "I don't think an angry mob outside somewhere where people are staying within our community is the right way to go about it. "They could be demonstrating outside the Home Office." It is a divisive issue that the government clearly can't solve quickly. They are aiming to stop using hotels to house asylum seekers by 2029. Very few people in Epping feel they can wait that long. They want solutions now.