Post-Brexit pet travel scheme comes into effect
What does the Pet Travel Document mean?
A spokesperson for the UK's Department of Environment said pet owners and assistance dog users who are travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland "can now apply for a free pet travel document that's quick and easy to get online, and will last the pet's lifetime"."This is in stark contrast to the old system, which required pet owners to obtain expensive health treatments and cumbersome journey certificates from a vet every time they travelled," they added.The main conditions of the PTD scheme are that the pet must be microchipped and the owner must sign a form saying the animal will not be brought into the Republic of Ireland.The scheme covers dogs, cats and ferrets. There are separate arrangements for other animals.The arrangements only apply to pet owners living in Great Britain.Northern Ireland residents returning home from Great Britain do not require the travel document but their pet must be microchipped.The PTD is part of the Windsor Framework, Northern Ireland's revised Brexit deal, which amended the original NI Protocol agreement.
'Imposes a pet passport scheme'
The scheme has been criticised by the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) MP Jim Allister who said its impact has been overstated as the original requirements were not being fully enforced.Speaking in a House of Commons debate last year, he said: "I take issue with the minister saying that this is an improvement. "The original propositions of the protocol were never implemented."The grace periods remain the current position, which is that no pet passports, no documentation and no requirement to be part of a pet scheme is needed to bring your pet from Great Britain to the other part of the United Kingdom."What these regulations do is impose a pet passport scheme."Guide Dogs NI said it was pleased with the progress and clarity surrounding pet travel.It advised those travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland with a guide dog should plan in advance, as the process to issue one takes up to five working days.The Search and Rescue Dog Association Ireland North (SARDA IN) expressed strong support for the scheme.It said the policy simplifies travel for its highly-trained search and rescue dogs.The UK and EU are working on an agrifood deal that will reduce the impact of the "Irish Sea border', but it is understood that it will not remove the need for the PTD.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
6 minutes ago
- Sky News
Inside Jeremy Corbyn's new party and the battle for leadership
Zarah Sultana and Jeremy Corbyn may be the figureheads of a new left-wing party, but already there is a battle over leadership. The confusion behind the initial launch speaks to a wider debate happening behind closed doors as to who should steer the party - now and in the future. Already, in the true spirit of Mr Corbyn's politics, there is talk of an open leadership contest and grassroots participation. Some supporters of the new party - which is being temporarily called "Your Party" while a formal name is decided by members - believe that allowing a leadership contest to take place honours Mr Corbyn's commitment to open democracy. 5:51 They point out that under Mr Corbyn's leadership of the Labour Party, members famously backed plans to make it easier for local constituency parties to deselect sitting MPs - a concept he strongly believed in. His allies now say the former Labour leader, who is 76, is open to there being a leadership contest for the new party, possibly at its inaugural conference in the autumn, where names lesser known than himself can throw their hat into the ring. "Jeremy would rather die than not have an open leadership contest," one source familiar with the internal politics told Sky News. However, there have been suggestions that Ms Sultana appears to be less keen on the idea of a leadership contest, and that she is more committed to the co-leadership model than her political partner. Those who have been opposed to the co-leadership model believe it could give Ms Sultana an unfair advantage and exclude other potential candidates from standing in the future. 2:18 One source told Sky News they believed Mr Corbyn should lead the party for two years, to get it established, before others are allowed to stand as leader. They said Ms Sultana, who became an independent MP after she was suspended from Labour for opposing the two-child benefit cap, was "highly ambitious but completely untested as leader" and "had a lot of growing into the role to do". "It's not about her - it's about taking a democratic approach, which is what we're supposed to be doing," they said. "There are so many people who have done amazing things locally and they need to have a chance to emerge as leaders. "We are not only fishing from a pool of two people. "It needs to be an open contest. Nobody needs to be crowned." 1:22 While Mr Corbyn and Ms Sultana undoubtedly have the biggest profiles out of would-be leaders, advocates for a grassroots approach to the leadership point to the success some independent candidates have enjoyed at a local level - for example, 24-year-old British Palestinian Leah Mohammed, who came within 528 votes of unseating Health Secretary Wes Streeting in Ilford North. Fiona Lali of the Revolutionary Communist Party, who stood in last year's general election for the Stratford and Bow constituency, has also been mentioned in some circles as someone with potential leadership credentials. However, sources close to Mr Corbyn and Ms Sultana downplayed suggestions of any divide over the leadership model, pointing out that their joint statement acknowledged that members would "decide the party's direction" at the inaugural conference in the autumn, including the model of leadership and the policies that are needed to transform society. A spokesperson for Mr Corbyn told Sky News: "Jeremy will be working with Zarah, his independent colleagues, and people from trade unions and social movements up and down the country to make an autumn conference a reality. "This will be the moment where people come together to launch a new democratic party that belongs to the members."
Times
36 minutes ago
- Times
A splashier splash — London's poshest pools
Many of us dream of a cool pool, perhaps surrounded by comfortable day beds, or indeed a chic Mediterranean restaurant serving cold rosé wine and crustacea, maybe even a panoramic view. But we Londoners do not need to jump on a plane to enjoy such delights, they can be found right here, in dreamy marble-clad basements and on fancy rooftops. Furthermore there is no off-season with these pools, they are as lovely in winter as in summer. If you are looking for somewhere to swim in serenity, Surrenne (a private members Club in The Emory), is an excellent choice. Since its opening in April 2024, the subterranean wellness sanctuary has offered fitness classes, spa treatments and nutritional guidance. During the day their 22m pool is illuminated by a sky light, and in the evenings by candlelight. An underwater speaker provides a soundtrack for your strokes. Poolside cabanas with matching cream-coloured curtains line one side of the pool and the changing room is kitted out with ring lit mirrors and all the Dyson appliances you could possibly desire. The sand coloured walls, floor and general décor creates a harmonious vibe. • Dynamic destinations for luxury travel Exclusive access is reserved for hotel guests or members who get to enjoy the 2000 square metres of tranquillity that not only encompasses the pool but also treatment rooms, gym and Tracy Anderson studio. Membership is £10,000 per year (with an initial £5000 joining fee). This Grade II* Edwardian Baroque building is where Winston Churchill once conducted a war and the intelligence services orchestrated global espionage. Now it is a Raffles hotel, opening in 2023 after a £1.4 billion renovation. The hotel's spa is the grandly titled Pillar Wellbeing Centre, encompassing 2,500 square metres over four-floors. The pool is 20 metres long with double height ceilings, the walls are sand coloured and there are cushioned beds for recuperating after laps. If you work up an appetite the spa kitchen offers cold-pressed juices and seasonal dishes. The spa is available to hotel guests and members of Pillar Wellbeing. A membership will set you back by £6,500 a year for an individual, £12,000 for joint or £25,000 for the platinum membership (that includes unlimited personal coaching, extra spa treatments, guest passes and discounts). Situated barely a stone's throw from the Thames, this hotel is not just known for its lavish river front rooms, it is also celebrated for its four-floor, 3,300 sq m Espa Life spa. One of these floors is carved out exclusively for thermal relaxation. It is there that you will find their two pools. A stainless-steel swimming pool with ambient lighting is crafted for gentle laps and has mattress-like pool-side beds, whereas the vitality pool is more mindless floating. There is a sauna and steam room as well as an ice fountain where you rub crushed ice over your heated skin. And lest we forget the relaxation pod — well for, relaxation. Meanwhile, in the changing rooms there are heated marble loungers and sleep pods as well as a fully equipped vanity station and healthy snack selection. Available to those having a treatment at the spa, hotel guests and members; the £625 per month membership will not only provide access to the pool and spa but it also gives you six spa treatments, small group personal training sessions, two blow dry appointments at the Corinthia salon and ten guest passes. Set within Carlton Tower's three floor Peak Fitness Club and Spa is London's largest naturally lit swimming pool measuring 20-metres. The pool is on the second floor with almost the entire ceiling made up of windows – you may quite easily mistake it for an outdoor pool. Until it rains, of course. Sun loungers line the edge of the pool, accompanied by a jacuzzi as well as the thermal spa (with sauna and steam room) nearby. The changing rooms have warm Bottino marble décor, plush robes and thoughtful touches like jewellery trays. • The most exuberant swimming trunks for summer To access the spa you will need to be either a member of the club or a hotel guest. Prospective members must submit a detailed written application that if accepted provides access to the fitness and spa facilities (pool, gym, treatment rooms) as well as the chic members club lounge overlooking Cadogan Gardens. If successful, members will fork out a joining fee of £2500 followed by a £550 monthly fee. Private members club, Shoreditch house, has a fully heated 16 metre rooftop pool which is open all year round. It shares the roof with a bar and Japanese restaurant so you can refuel with sushi and sake. The style is inspired by the 1920s, with vintage-looking red and white striped loungers and blue tiling — this pool is for those who love to be at the centre of the party, not quietly relaxing solo. • Francesca Amfitheatrof's golden summer Only members and their plus-ones can use the pool. Applications are reviewed quarterly, and memberships start at £200 a month. They also include full use of the workspaces, restaurant, library and health club (with spa and gym). The Berkeley rooftop pool is only 13.5 metres long, but the view over London's rooftops and Hyde Park is boundless. If you manage to peel your eyes away from the city's skyline for one second, you will find you've been transported to the med, with lemon trees placed around the pool's perimeter and fuchsia-coloured flowers adorning the bar. Open from 7am-7pm, this heated pool has stylish loungers lining just the one side so that the toe-dippers amongst us won't miss a second of the views. Despite being available to hotel guests only, this summer — after 7:30pm on Thursdays to Sundays — this swimming sanctuary turns into Capri in the City where a spot can be booked to enjoy Italian-inspired cocktails like an Amalfi Gin Granita and share plates of Lobster pizza or burrata and watch the sun set over Hyde Park's treetops. All whilst laying horizontally on a pool side lounger — if the table and chairs aren't fun enough for you. Soho House's newest London outpost offers workspaces, gym, fitness classes, terrace, bars, restaurant but most importantly a rooftop pool. A lift in the entrance hall will zoom you up to the ninth floor where the blue-tiled heated pool is the central feature to the French-inspired restaurant that surrounds it. At 16 metres long, you'll find more social swimmers looking for a dip n' dine than Olympic athletes. Snuggly sofas with chic wooden chairs and tables are arranged on the terrace's edge to maximise the panoramic cityscape views. The rooftop of this Brutalist building brings geometric shapes and bold colours together to create a stylishly retro aesthetic. If you fancy a splash around in the 180 House pool, the £200 a month membership will get you (and three plus ones) access to everything they have to offer. But a £316 a month 'Every House' membership provides unlimited access to all amenities offered by their 40+ houses across the globe.
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
X criticises Online Safety Act - and warns it's putting free speech in the UK at risk
Why you can trust Sky News The Online Safety Act is putting free speech at risk and needs significant adjustments, Elon Musk's social network X has warned. New rules that came into force last week require platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and X - as well as sites hosting pornography - to bring in measures to prove that someone using them is over the age of 18. The Online Safety Act requires sites to protect children and to remove illegal content, but critics have said that the rules have been implemented too broadly, resulting in the censorship of legal content. X has warned the act's laudable intentions were "at risk of being overshadowed by the breadth of its regulatory reach". It said: "When lawmakers approved these measures, they made a conscientious decision to increase censorship in the name of 'online safety'. "It is fair to ask if UK citizens were equally aware of the trade-off being made." 3:53 X claims the timetable for platforms to meet mandatory measures had been unnecessarily tight - and despite complying, sites still faced threats of enforcement and fines, "encouraging over-censorship". "A balanced approach is the only way to protect individual liberties, encourage innovation and safeguard children. It's safe to say that significant changes must take place to achieve these objectives in the UK," it said. A UK government spokesperson said it is "demonstrably false" that the Online Safety Act compromises free speech. "As well as legal duties to keep children safe, the very same law places clear and unequivocal duties on platforms to protect freedom of expression," they added. Users have complained about age checks that require personal data to be uploaded to access sites that show pornography, and 468,000 people have already signed a petition asking for the new law to be repealed. In response to the petition, the government said it had "no plans" to reverse the Online Safety Act. 5:23 Reform UK's leader Nigel Farage likened the new rules to "state suppression of genuine free speech" and said his party would ditch the regulations. Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said on Tuesday that those who wanted to overturn the act were "on the side of predators" - to which Mr Farage demanded an apology, calling Mr Kyle's comments "absolutely disgusting". Regulator Ofcom said on Thursday it had launched an investigation into how four companies - that collectively run 34 pornography sites - are complying with new age-check requirements. These companies - 8579 LLC, AVS Group Ltd, Kick Online Entertainment S.A. and Trendio Ltd - run dozens of sites, and collectively have more than nine million unique monthly UK visitors, the internet watchdog said. The regulator said it prioritised the companies based on the risk of harm posed by the services they operated and their user numbers. It adds to the 11 investigations already in progress into 4chan, as well as an unnamed online suicide forum, seven file-sharing services, and two adult websites.
