More than 100 attend demo at Faslane nuclear base
The No To Nuclear Weapons event took place at the south gate of Faslane, which is officially called His Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde. It is the home of all the Royal Navy's nuclear submarines, including the Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarines, which carry Trident nuclear missiles.The four Vanguard submarines are the sole platforms for the United Kingdom's nuclear weapons and are due to be replaced by the new Dreadnought-class submarines after 2030.
The vigil was attended by the Most Rev William Nolan, the Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow, Rt Rev Rosie Frew, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and the Most Rev Mark Strange, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church.Members of the Quakers, the Iona Community and the United Reform Church also took part.Speaking ahead of the event, Archbishop William Nolan said: "The phrase 'never again' gained much currency 80 years ago."But the actions of nuclear powers, including our own, run contrary to that."As the late Pope Benedict articulated, the very concept of a nuclear deterrence has instead fuelled an arms race as those on opposing sides keep seeking to outdo the other."We have seen this in the replacement for Trident. Deterrence itself, therefore, has increased insecurity and does nothing to build up trust which is necessary to encourage disarmament and build up peace."
An estimated 140,000 people were killed at Hiroshima and a further 74,000 at Nagasaki when the USA dropped the first and only atom bombs ever used in a conflict, on 6 and 9 August 1945. The UK began developing a nuclear weapons programme at the end of World War Two and held its first bomb test in 1952.Throughout the 1950s and 1960s the main platform for the UK's nuclear weapons was the air-based V-bomber fleet, named after the three strategic bombers used to carry the missiles - the Vickers Valiant, Handley Page Victor and Avro Vulcan.Since 1969, the UK has operated continuous at-sea deterrence, with first Polaris and then Trident missiles stored and launched from nuclear-powered submarines with the capacity to remain submerged at sea for months.Faslane, which sits on the Gare Loch - is also the home of Astute-class nuclear powered but conventionally armed attack submarines.The UK's stock of nuclear warheads is based at the Royal Naval Armaments Depot (RNAD) Coulport on nearby Loch Long. The Faslane base has long been the focus of anti-war protests from groups such as the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and Trident Ploughshares.A peace camp has been based just outside the site since 1982.
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The Independent
25 minutes ago
- The Independent
‘The fairest way' or a ‘political disaster'? Readers split on whether Reeves should raise income tax
Independent readers are sharply divided over whether Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves should raise income tax to help fill the £50bn shortfall in the public finances this autumn. Some see it as the fairest option, targeting those most able to pay. 'A penny or two on the rates of income tax might just work wonders,' said one, while others argued it is long past time to align capital gains with income tax rates or reform property taxes. Opponents warn that raising income tax could damage growth and hand political advantage to Reform leader Nigel Farage. 'A rise in income tax across the board would be a political disaster for Labour,' cautioned another. Some prefer alternatives such as VAT, targeted wealth taxes, or cutting waste before hiking any taxes. Several also pressed for bold investment in green infrastructure and small businesses, but all agreed the government must find a credible way to fund public services. Here's what you had the say: What choice does she have? Really, what choice does she have? It is hardly surprising the economy is so sluggish and she has gaps to plug from the effects of a disastrous Brexit (it was: really), a pandemic, and a clueless previous administration, who, to be fair to them, also had limited choices. Among the solutions is to slaughter the sacred cow of putting up income tax. A penny or two on the rates of income tax might just work wonders and could be the fairest way of generating revenue from those best able to contribute towards the public good. DIRKCUTLASS Those with the broadest shoulders As always, the disabled are blamed as the culprits upsetting Reeves' books. The welfare climbdown can only be attributed to £5bn when Reeves' calculations are in the region of £50bn. She and Starmer need to come clean and articulate the hangover of Covid furlough, problems caused by Ukraine and Trump, and put up taxes across the board – such as freezing allowances, increasing income tax and national insurance, equalising capital gains tax with income tax and making it liable for NI, reforming council tax on high-value properties. Starmer and Reeves need to be making sure those with the broadest shoulders bear their fair share of the burden. Kernow What do you think – should Rachel Reeves raise income tax, or find the money elsewhere? Share your thoughts in the comments below. VAT is the better option Why income tax? VAT is the much better option as it is a consumption tax. It is easy to adjust for – you raise the tax-free threshold for the poorest in society to compensate. It doesn't affect business significantly. As it taxes consumption, this encourages saving and investment. Kwame Tax unearned income Tax unearned income in line with income tax brackets. This would be worth £16 billion a year. Stop subsidising private companies completely. Apply a void tax to all properties empty for more than six months. Introduce a system whereby renovations etc. are exempt. Some savings ideas – centralise all NHS procurement and HR. Have a locum register for nurses and stop using expensive agencies (same salaries for temp nurses, though). Slightly Tipsy Max Align capital gains tax with income tax Since the wealthy get most of their income from gains, why not align capital gains tax rates to income tax rates, as is done in Australia? That would bring in around £8 billion a year. In addition, replacing council tax and stamp duty with a French-style proportional property tax could generate an additional £3bn–£4bn per year, with even more potential under a land value tax framework. There's plenty of scope for a chancellor and a prime minister who aren't afraid of their own shadows. Pomerol95 Cut waste before raising taxes Still no sign of any reduction in government wasted expenditure – now in the billions each month. No use Starmer looking serious about income tax rises. He refuses to act to curb expenditure or legislate for change! SPCK Political disaster for Labour A rise in income tax across the board would be a political disaster for Labour. Farage would walk into No. 10 on the ticket of 'never believe Labour's promises'. fastyellosaab No changes to basic rate expected The last UK Chancellor to increase the basic rate of income tax was Denis Healey back in 1975. Do not expect any changes to the rate, even though it would actually be the fairest way to raise revenue. Expect tinkering with allowances and other tax measures, which are easier to 'sell' politically. Blackkbeard's host People fear job loss more than a tax rise Really? Does anyone worry like that – that their income tax might go up by 1 per cent or they may have to pay a bit more for petrol? That's not what keeps people awake at night when there are so many worse possibilities, like being made redundant and having no income at all, which could happen to most of us at any time. Chrisw27 Commitment to growth needed Sorry, but what does stabilising the economy mean? Jobs, SMEs, house prices are falling like there's no tomorrow. Extra taxes are not going to make things better. We need a government committed to growth – massive projects to get us a green new economy that will create jobs and prosperity. Support for SMEs to grow faster. Conversations about big hard issues like how do we pay for the NHS in a world of an ageing population, and where the care is going to come from. Instead, we have a continuation of business as usual. I challenge myself to see one policy that is different to what we would have if Rishi were in power. I struggle. Boring75 Taxes rises should have been in the manifesto Good news – there should have been tax rises in the manifesto. You can't have good public services run on fresh air and, after fourteen years of Tory rundown – particularly of the NHS – there is much repairing to do, given that Tory taxes were almost all paid to their mates rather than into public services. Evidence? Just look at the state of the water service and supply 'industry'. Let's see it brought back into public control. rEUjoin High taxes in the 1970s In the 1970s, Labour raised income tax to 83 per cent for top earners; the rest paid 33 per cent or more. Bin men went on strike (like Birmingham today). Doctors wanted more pay. Train drivers struck. Does this start to sound familiar? Karl Hurting the poorest Just like raising employers' NIC was obviously going to impact the poorer working person, so will raising VAT. Wealthier people can afford to pay more; poorer people can't – and it matters not if you take more of their wages or make them pay more for their goods, the result is the same to the poor. Pen2030 Tinkering won't fix deep problems Starmer and Reeves think tweaking things here and there – a few extra billion in taxes, a few billion less in welfare spending – will sort the finances and the UK economy. No. The problems run deep and require more positive actions than Starmer and Reeves are willing to take. So the UK economy will continue to stagnate. More and more voters will lose faith and look elsewhere. ChrisMatthews Why does Starmer not encourage a government efficiency (oxymoron, I know) drive – cutting waste in all departments? Sell off unused government land or buildings. Try to look at other ways of filling holes, PM, before making another U-turn on a promise not to raise taxes. All the other tax increases in place since Labour took over to fill the black hole – where's that increased income gone? Face it, the UK government hasn't got a clue. Chuckiethebrave Want to share your views? Simply register your details below. Once registered, you can comment on the day's top stories for a chance to be featured. Alternatively, click 'log in' or 'register' in the top right corner to sign in or sign up.
Daily Mail
26 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Princess Beatrice beams in promo for UAE bank's new London branch on same day explosive claims about Prince Andrew's business dealings released
Princess Beatrice attended the opening of a UAE bank's new London branch just hours before the Mail began serialising a bombshell new book about her family. First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) issued a press release last Friday with a photo showing the royal, who is ninth in line to the throne, smiling in a line-up at the event in Mayfair. However there was no mention of Beatrice in the 605-word statement, which named seven other people attending including the bank's bosses and a Labour minister. Among those in the picture were MP Douglas Alexander, the Minister for Trade Policy and Economic Security; and Mansoor Abulhoul, the UAE Ambassador to the UK. FAB's group chief executive Hana Al Rostamani opened the office, in the presence of the bank's vice chairman Mohamed bin Saif Al Nahyan and three board members. The press release also made reference to 'other dignitaries from the UAE and the UK' having been in attendance, but not naming Beatrice nor mentioning the Royal Family. She was also in photos and videos on the bank's social media channels which suggested the event was last Thursday, a day before the press release came out. The release was issued on the same day that the Mail started serialising Andrew Lownie's explosive new book 'Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York'. The author has published a series of revelations in the book about the finances and alleged infidelity of Beatrice's parents, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. The image was part of a press release issued by First Abu Dhabi Bank announcing the branch It comes less than a year after the 37-year-old mother-of-two visited Abu Dhabi last November on a business trip where she was networking at the highest level. Beatrice was revealed to have been rubbing shoulders with some of the region's key power players both in public and behind the scenes. Her visit came after the Duke of York faced calls to 'come clean' and reveal the secret sources of funding that are bankrolling his stay at Royal Lodge, Windsor. The elder daughter of the disgraced prince spoke about artificial intelligence at the Adipec energy conference in Abu Dhabi on November 4. The Princess also attended a private conference hosted by the UAE minister of industry, Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, the day before. She was pictured at the event next to Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is also the UAE's president. The Al Nahyan royal family are one of the world's wealthiest monarchies and believed to own billions of pounds worth of property in London. Reporters were not allowed at the meeting, which included the CEOs of Shell and EDF, the vice president of Microsoft, and former Bank of England governor Mark Carney, now the UN special envoy for climate action. US journalist Hadley Gamble, who interviewed Beatrice at the Adipec conference, told The Mail On Sunday at the time: 'There was a general feeling that Beatrice was an unofficial ambassador for the UK.' She added: 'Beatrice was quite literally in the inner circle at a gathering of global energy CEOs, top finance guys and policy makers.' Beatrice made several visits to the region last autumn, and younger sister Eugenie has also attended events there. Beatrice – who is vice president of tech company Afiniti – was in Saudi Arabia last October for the Future Investment Initiative, described by Reuters news agency as 'an opportunity for attendees to forge relations with some of Saudi Arabia's biggest companies and its $925 billion sovereign wealth fund'. FAB has had a presence in London since 1977, when its predecessor the National Bank of Abu Dhabi became the first Gulf-based bank to operate in the UK. Eugenie, Andrew and Beatrice at Windsor Castle for Harry and Meghan's wedding in May 2018 The new London branch, located at 20 Berkeley Square in Mayfair, is said to offer 'bespoke spaces designed to support private banking, corporate advisory, and tailored client services'. Mr Al Rostamani said: 'Over the past 48 years, the ties between the UK and UAE have deepened, with bilateral trade growing significantly to £24.3billion today. 'The opening of our new London office is more than a relocation; it marks a strategic hub for the future of finance, a place where global insight meets regional expertise, and where innovation fosters lasting relationships.' FAB has also launched what it described as a 'cultural activation exploring the creative and cultural ties between the UK and the UAE', which will feature 'cinematic artist films and immersive storytelling showcases'. It comes after FAB, which is the UAE's biggest lender by assets, beat first-quarter profit estimates in April, boosted by strong growth in non-interest income from fees and commissions. The bank, whose top shareholder is the $330billion Abu Dhabi wealth fund Mubadala, has been led by Mr Al Rostamani since 2021.
Telegraph
26 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Labour's decimation of the North Sea is an act of economic vandalism
What a week for Labour in Scotland. First the Prime Minister was summoned to Turnberry, where Donald Trump gave him a quick lesson on how to keep Nigel Farage out of No 10: slash taxes, get tough on crime and stop the 'bad people' coming to Britain on boats – that was about the long and short of it. Sadly, the US president stopped short of a recommendation to fire Sir Sadiq Khan out of a cannon over the Thames. As if Starmer's humiliation wasn't sufficiently excruciating, just days later the Chancellor was doing her very best to ensure she was never invited back north of the border after a risible attempt to defend a North Sea windfall tax that is wreaking havoc in the region. North Sea oil and gas has 'an important role to play for many decades to come', she declared during a brief trip to Lossiemouth. Yet in the same breath, Rachel Reeves pledged to stick with the energy profits levy, which the industry says is massively accelerating its demise. No doubt Labour will see such warnings as scaremongering, but she cannot hide from the fact that the major producers are pulling back in the face of a tax raid that will eventually render the North Sea unproductive. That's if it hasn't already, of course. The fate of Harbour Energy alone should be sufficient for Reeves to row back on the tax but this is a Government that is so ideologically stubborn that about-turns only occur when it has exhausted all other options. Harbour may not be a familiar name to many, perhaps because it was only created four years ago out of the merger of two rival oil and gas companies, Chrysaor and Premier, which were hardly household names themselves. Yet it is both a bona fide member of the FTSE 100 and the largest operator in the North Sea. What's more, it is going great guns, on the face of it: production has tripled over the last six months to 488,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day; free cash flow is on course to hit $1bn (£745m) by the end of 2025; and another $100m of share buybacks takes investor payouts for the year to $555m. It is the sort of company that any rational government would be looking to nurture, yet Labour, with its chronic shortsightedness, has conspired to chase it away. There may be much to cheer in Harbour's headline figures, but its tax bill has become crippling. It posted pre-tax profit of $1.6bn but faced with a tax burden that had rocketed from $335m last time around to $1.8bn on this occasion, the company racked up losses of $174m. It is now grappling with an effective tax rate of 111pc, Harbour said. Incredibly Reeves claims the windfall tax 'remains fair' and that it strikes the 'right balance' on the basis that 'the energy companies did make huge profits in the aftermath of Russia's invasion'. However, as Ryan Crighton at the Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce was quick to point out: 'oil prices are down 50pc since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and gas prices are down 80pc from their post-invasion peak.' Therefore, the Government is taxing windfalls that exist only in the heads of ministers. Perhaps Labour will be more inclined to listen to BP, which frankly could do with all the help it can get right now after the company got lost in a green fog of renewable energy initiatives. With BP rediscovering its affection for fossil fuels, the North Sea, where it has been a pioneer for 60 years, should be central to the organisation's future. As Gordon Birrell, the head of production and operations, reminded people earlier this week, BP's North Sea had delivered a 'tremendous' performance so far this year, cementing the company's view that it has 'the best portfolio up there'. Yet with so much uncertainty surrounding 'the fiscal situation', those assets will be included in a sweeping review of its operations triggered by the imminent arrival of new chairman Albert Manifold. Harbour meanwhile has gone much further, shifting its focus almost entirely from the North Sea to other parts of the world after the windfall tax was introduced under the Conservatives. Last autumn, the company pulled off an $11bn transformational takeover of oil and gas assets in Norway, Germany, Denmark, Argentina, Mexico and North Africa – a deal that reduced its dependence on the UK from roughly 90pc to a third. Moreover, 250 jobs have been culled in Britain too.
