Brexit voters can see the need for deals with the EU
The idea that closer relations with the European Union is impossible without alienating voters who supported Brexit is wrong. The political bubble always lags behind public opinion and often fights the last battle.
The Brexit paradigm is history and the government must pursue a better, deeper relationship with our European partners to improve living standards, offer economic protection and ensure our country's security.
In my red wall constituency, 66 per cent of voters supported Brexit. There is little desire to return as members of the EU and even less to embrace freedom of movement. These are off the table. But my constituents also recognise the rapidly changing world since Brexit: war in Europe, a new wave of mass migration from the Middle East and Africa,
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Daily Mail
13 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Labour support for assisted dying law falls as more MPs switch position to oppose change over coercion fears and effect on vulnerable people
Labour support for legalising assisted dying appears to be falling as more MPs publicly question the law change. The Commons will next week debate changes to the plan to allow terminally ill people with less than six months to live to end their own lives, ahead of a crunch vote later this month. But fresh concerns have been raised about the The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill that is being led through Parliament by backbencher Kim Leadbeater. Opponents have complained the Bill does not have enough protections and has been rushed through, with the criticism coming days after two royal medical colleges voiced their doubts on the legislation in its current form. And now even supporters of the principle of legalising assisted dying are questioning the process. Labour MP Markus Campbell-Savours, who voted for the bill in a preliminary vote last year, told the BBC he now planned to vote against it because in its current form it crossed his 'red lines for protecting the vulnerable'. 'I want to see safeguards that will ensure that assisted dying is not overextended to include those in situations where there are alternative ways to improve the quality of their lives,' said Campbell-Savours. 'I would also be very concerned if legislation produced a situation where people who considered themselves a burden on their families and friends felt pressured to end their life.' The Commons will next week debate changes to the law allowing terminally ill people with less than six months to live to end their own lives, ahead of a crunch vote later this month. And fellow Labour MP Josh Fenton-Glynn told the broadcaster he will vote against the bill, having abstained last year. 'We see quite a few of the amendments which are specifically aimed at stopping coercion being opposed by the supporters of the bill,' he said. 'I don't think chances to make the bill safer have been taken.' At the end of November last year, the Commons backed the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill by 330 votes to 275, a majority of 55 votes. But campaigners believe enough have changed their mind to put its chances of becoming law onto a knife-edge. The proposed legislation would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death. This would be subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. The terminally ill person would take an approved substance, provided by a doctor but administered only by the person themselves. The implementation period has been doubled to a maximum of four years from royal assent, rather than the initially suggested two years. If the Bill was to pass later this year that would mean it might not be until 2029, potentially coinciding with the end of this Government's parliament, that assisted dying was being offered. A Government impact assessment published last month estimated that between 164 and 647 assisted deaths could potentially take place in the first year of the service, rising to between 1,042 and 4,559 in year 10. The establishment of a Voluntary Assisted Dying Commissioner and three-member expert panels would cost an estimated average of between £10.9 million to £13.6 million per year, the document said. It had 'not been possible' to estimate the overall implementation costs at this stage of the process, it added. While noting that cutting end-of-life care costs 'is not stated as an objective of the policy', the assessment estimated that such costs could be reduced by as much as an estimated £10 million in the first year and almost £60 million after 10 years.
Telegraph
19 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Miliband: I'll force solar panels onto ‘vast majority' of new homes
Developers will be forced to install solar panels on the 'vast majority' of new homes, Ed Miliband has said. The Energy Secretary said plans for a massive increase in rooftop solar power were 'just common sense' and should become 'almost universal' across the country. Four in five new-builds will reportedly be required to have solar panels covering 40 per cent of their ground area under new proposals, while 19 per cent would be allowed to have slightly fewer because of exemptions such as those relating to roof pitch. Mr Miliband claimed the move could save a typical homeowner £500 a year with their energy bills – despite industry fears it will add thousands of pounds to developers' costs. It comes days after he defeated a separate attempt by the Chancellor Rachel Reeves to slash funding for the warm homes scheme, a £13.2 billion project to upgrade housing insulation and install other energy saving measures. Warning that the current proportion of new build homes with solar panels, at 40 per cent, was not high enough, he said: 'It's got to be much, much higher than that. 'It's got to be almost universal. There will be rare exceptions where solar panels won't be on, if they simply will make no difference. 'But for the vast, vast majority of homes, homes will be built, the solar panels will be there – saving something like £500 for the typical homeowner. 'It's just common sense.' Mr Miliband's comments, in a BBC interview, come a month after Downing Street confirmed the panels should be installed on as many new properties as possible, amid speculation that ministers will make them a mandatory requirement for developers by 2027. Changes to regulations will be laid out in the Future Homes Standard, due to be published this autumn. The previous Conservative government considered a proposal that would have mandated rooftop solar panels to cover 40 per cent of a building's ground area or equivalent. Mr Miliband said: 'The problem about the previous system was that it said you would have to have a certain percentage of coverage of solar panels, but if you couldn't achieve that percentage, you didn't have to do anything at all. 'Under our plans, we are not going to say that. We are going to say even if you can't hit 40 per cent you will still have to have some solar panels, except in rare, exceptional cases.' The policy is expected to add between £3,000 and £4,000 to the cost of construction, but supporters claim it would save owners more than £1,000 on their annual energy bills. Labour's manifesto included a pledge to build 1.5 million new homes over the course of the Parliament. It comes after Miliband called for car parks across Britain to be turned into solar farms. However, there have been a number of high profile fires recently that have been attributed to the panels. Last month, a faulty solar panel was blamed for a fire at a maternity hospital which led pregnant women and babies to be evacuated from the building in Bristol. They were also said to have probably been the cause of a fire that severely damaged a £1.5 million home in Dorset during the same month.
The Independent
33 minutes ago
- The Independent
Anti-austerity protest against Labour welfare cuts and defence spending expected to draw thousands
A significant demonstration is planned for Saturday in London to protest government spending cuts and welfare reforms. Organised by The People's Assembly, the group says they anticipate a large turnout, with trade unionists, campaigners, and activists expected to converge in central London to voice their opposition. The group has criticised the government, arguing that recent cost-cutting measures are likely to disproportionately affect the most vulnerable members of society. A spokesperson said: 'The adherence to 'fiscal rules' traps us in a public service funding crisis, increasing poverty, worsening mental health and freezing public sector pay. 'Scrapping winter fuel payments, keeping the Tory two-child benefit cap, abandoning Waspi women, cutting £5 billion of welfare by limiting PIP and universal credit eligibility, and slashing UK foreign aid from 0.5% to 0.3% of GDP, while increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, are presented as 'tough choices.' 'Real tough choices would be for a Labour government to tax the rich and their hidden wealth, to fund public services, fair pay, investment in communities and the NHS.' Under the banner "No to Austerity 2.0," the demonstration will unite various groups, including trade unionists, health advocates, disability rights campaigners, housing activists, and welfare organisations, alongside community groups. The event will feature a march from central London to Whitehall, culminating in a rally. Speakers from diverse backgrounds, such as trade union leaders, politicians, disability rights activists, and anti-poverty campaigners, will address the crowd. Additionally, groups advocating for increased investment in the NHS and other public services will participate, aiming to send a clear message to the Government. The spokesperson added: 'We face a growing threat from the far right, fuelled by racism, division, and failed politics. We need to see people's lives improve, we need to see the vulnerable cared for and an end to child poverty. 'On June 7, we march for education, for our NHS, for welfare, for refugees, against hate, and for a society in which our children can flourish.' The event has been backed by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who now sits as an independent MP following his expulsion from the party in 2024. Urging people to attend the demonstration on social media, the MP for Islington North said: 'We have a government in office that is now cutting benefits to the most vulnerable people in our society' and 'taking away the winter fuel payment for people who desperately need it.' 'I'm going to be there, we're all going to be there. It's going to be a march of hope, to bring about real change.'
