
‘We don't want to go back to court', says women's group over gender ruling delay
Speaking to journalists after the event, she said: 'We have spoken to the Scottish Government and asked them to withdraw some of this guidance, just to say that it's under review – they don't have to re-issue anything at this point – because it's clearly unlawful, we really do need some action.
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Leader Live
2 hours ago
- Leader Live
Starmer accused of U-turn after ordering inquiry into grooming gangs
After resisting pressure for months to implement a full probe, the Prime Minister said he had read 'every single word' of an independent report into child sexual exploitation by Baroness Louise Casey and would accept her recommendation for the investigation. Earlier this year, the Government dismissed calls for a public inquiry, saying its focus was on putting in place the outstanding recommendations already made in a seven-year national inquiry by Professor Alexis Jay. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage described the move as a 'welcome U-turn', while Kemi Badenoch called on him to apologise for 'six wasted months'. 'Just like he dismissed concerns about the winter fuel payment and then had to U-turn, just like he needed the Supreme Court to tell him what a woman is, he had to be led by the nose to make the correct decision here,' she said. 'I've been repeatedly calling for a full national inquiry since January. It's about time he recognised he made a mistake and apologised for six wasted months.' Speaking to reporters travelling with him on his visit to Canada, the Prime Minister said: 'I have never said we should not look again at any issue. I have wanted to be assured that on the question of any inquiry. That's why I asked Louise Casey who I hugely respect to do an audit. 'Her position when she started the audit was that there was not a real need for a national inquiry over and above what was going on. 'She has looked at the material she has looked at and she has come to the view that there should be a national inquiry on the basis of what she has seen. 'I have read every single word of her report and I am going to accept her recommendation. That is the right thing to do on the basis of what she has put in her audit.' The Times newspaper reported that the findings of Baroness Casey's review will be set out in Parliament on Monday. The inquiry will be able to compel witnesses to give evidence, and it is understood that it will be national in scope, co-ordinating a series of targeted local investigations. Prof Jay's 2022 report concluded there had been institutional failings across the country and tens of thousands of victims in England and Wales. A national row over grooming gangs was ignited in January after tech billionaire Elon Musk used his X social media platform to launch a barrage of attacks on Sir Keir and safeguarding minister Jess Phillips. It followed the Government's decision to decline a request from Oldham Council for a Whitehall-led inquiry into child sexual abuse in the town. The Government later commissioned a 'rapid' audit by Lady Casey into the nature and scale of group-based child sexual abuse, which had been due to take three months but was delayed.


South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Starmer hints at revival of UK-Canada trade talks ahead of G7 summit
The Prime Minister said the world's 'changing' economy means Britain must aim to reduce barriers with other allies as he flew to Ottawa for the first visit by a UK leader to the country in eight years. Negotiations between Britain and Canada on a post-Brexit trade agreement were halted last year under the previous Tory administration amid disputes over beef and cheese. The Government has reached economic deals with India, the US and the EU in recent months and is looking to pursue further deals with other allies to mitigate the threat of US President Donald Trump's tariffs. Sir Keir will be walking a diplomatic tightrope between strengthening bilateral relations with Ottawa and keeping the US president, who has expressed desires to annex the country as a '51st state', on side. Asked about the prospect of a trade agreement with Canada, the Prime Minister told reporters travelling with him to Ottawa on Saturday: 'I want to increase our trade with Canada and I will be discussing how we do so with Mark Carney. 'I have known Mark a long time, we are allies and colleagues and I have a very good relationship with him. We do a lot of trade with Canada as it is. 'Some months ago I said the world is changing on trade and the economy, just as it is changing on defence and security and I think that means we need to be more securing our base at home and turbo-charging what we are doing on the cost of living and at the same time reducing trade barriers with other countries. 'I've been expressing that in my discussions with Mark Carney and he is in the same position.' The Prime Minister said the interests of British citizens would be at the heart of his conversations with all international leaders as he prepares for a week of diplomacy at the G7 summit. The UK and Canada have a trade relationship worth £28 billion to the British economy and are both members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. Sir Keir will fly from Ottawa to Kananaskis in the Canadian mountains for talks with counterparts from the world's leading economies. Spiralling conflict in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine will be top of the agenda in the talks between the UK, Canada, the US, France, Italy, Japan and Germany. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also expected to attend. Number 10 said the Prime Minister would use the trip to urge 'restraint and de-escalation' after Iran launched retaliatory strikes on Israel overnight. 'In these dangerous times, I am determined to forge a unique path to secure and renew Britain in an era of global instability,' he said. Sir Keir is also expected to meet Mr Trump, with whom he said he is in the 'final stages' of completing an agreed-upon US-UK trade deal, at the G7 summit. The Prime Minister told reporters on Saturday he had a 'good relationship' with the US president and 'that's important'. 'I've been saying, for probably the best part of six months now, we're in a new era of defence and security, a new era for trade and the economy,' he said. 'And I think it's really important for Britain to play a leading part in that, and that's what I'll be doing at the G7, talking to all of our partners in a constructive way. 'And I'm very pleased that I have developed good relations with all the G7 leaders to the point where… I have a very good relations with all of them.' Mr Carney has previously criticised the UK Government's invitation for Mr Trump to make a second state visit, telling Sky News earlier this year that Canadians were 'not impressed' by the gesture. In his strongest defence yet of the nation, Sir Keir said on Saturday he was 'absolutely clear' that Canada was an 'independent, sovereign country' and 'quite right too'. 'I'm not going to get into the precise conversations I've had, but let me be absolutely clear: Canada is an independent, sovereign country and a much-valued member of the Commonwealth,' he said.


South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Procurement rules set to be overhauled as ministers lay out infrastructure plans
The strategy to overhaul infrastructure over the next decade comes as Rachel Reeves has said the country's schools and hospitals have been 'left to crumble'. The Treasury has promised hundreds of billions over the next decade for projects such as roads, railways and homes. Under proposals put forward in a Cabinet Office consultation, public bodies would have to give more weight to firms which can prove they will boost British jobs when they are bidding for contracts. The change is set to apply to major projects such as transport, as well as other schemes including hospital and school building. Firms looking to work on public sector projects could also be rewarded if they can show benefits they will bring to a community, such as apprenticeships, opportunities for care leavers, or helping people into work. Pat McFadden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, has said that the proposals will reward firms that 'put money in working people's pockets'. 'Whether it's building roads, railways or schools, we want to open up opportunities on major infrastructure projects for firms that boost British jobs and skills,' he said. 'The new rules will deliver on our plan for change by rewarding companies that put money in working people's pockets as we invest in the country's future.' According to the Treasury, the infrastructure strategy will lay out Government plans on prioritised policy areas such as upgrading transport networks, building new homes, modernising public services such as hospitals, and assisting the transition to green energy. Ministers are pledging that at least £725 billion will be spent on infrastructure over the next 10 years. The Chancellor outlined a raft of infrastructure investment as part of last week's spending review. According to Wednesday's announcement, there will be £39 billion over the next 10 years to build affordable and social housing, and spending is due to reach £4 billion a year in 2029-30. There was also a £30 billion commitment to nuclear power, including £14.2 billion to build the Sizewell C plant in Suffolk and £2.5 billion for small modular reactors, as well as £15 billion for public transport projects in England's city regions and a four-year settlement for Transport for London worth £2.2 billion. Ms Reeves said: 'The British people voted for change – and this is how we deliver it. For too long, our infrastructure – our schools and hospitals, or our roads and bridges – have been left to crumble, holding back communities and stunting economic growth. 'This was a dereliction of duty by previous governments overseeing an era of managed decline, but it ends with this one. 'We are investing in Britain's future, brick by brick, road by road and track by track.'