UK sanctions Israeli ministers over Gaza comments
The UK has sanctioned two Israeli far-right ministers over comments they made on Gaza.Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich will both face a travel ban and have their assess frozen as part of the measures announced by the UK foreign secretary.David Lammy said the ministers had "incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights". In response, Israel said: "It is outrageous that elected representatives and members of the government are subjected to these kind of measures."
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Daily Mail
21 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
The cheap foreign meat flooding Britain's supermarket shelves: Farmers' fury over rise in beef and chicken imports from countries 'with lower animal welfare standards'
Cheaper chicken and beef from Australia, Poland and Uruguay is being increasingly seen at UK supermarkets, angry British farmers warned today. Chains such as Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Asda are importing meat from countries with lower animal welfare standards, according to the National Farmers' Union. Sirloin steak from Australia, raw chicken from Poland, sirloin and ribeye steaks from Uruguay and wagyu beef from New Zealand have all been spotted on UK shelves. Supermarkets are being accused of a 'huge betrayal of the UK's hard-working family farms' as they try to source cheaper imports to help keep their prices down. The NFU said the shift comes at a time when farmers in Britain already face an 'unprecedented number of challenges' amid concerns over recent trade deals. The union also pointed out that British livestock farmers adhere to robust standards, with consumers advised to look for the Red Tractor logo carrying the Union Jack. The UK has an animal welfare standards ranking far above all the other countries - listed as B, according to the World Animal Protection's Animal Protection Index. This is compared to C for Poland and New Zealand and D for Uruguay and Australia. Morrisons, which sponsors TV show Clarkson's Farm, is now selling raw chicken and Australian beef – the latter of which was made possible by Liz Truss's much-criticised post-Brexit trade deal with Australia in 2021, NFU sources told The Guardian. Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat environment spokesperson, tweeted: 'This is appalling from Morrisons. They seek kudos for their UK sourcing but then sneakily do this, undermining British farmers and undermining their own integrity and brand.' Meanwhile Asda is selling sirloin and ribeye steaks from Uruguay, priced much lower than the UK equivalents, under the Grass and Grill brand owned by Hilton Foods. They are priced at about £22/kg for sirloin and £24/kg for ribeye, which is around a fifth less than UK and Irish beef at £28/kg and £29/kg respectively. Stuart Roberts, a beef, sheep and cereal farmer from Hertfordshire, said on X: 'With farmers under pressure from multiple directions I'd be fascinated to learn why Asda have decided this is an appropriate time to start stocking Uruguayan beef. 'There is no excuse for this huge betrayal of the UK's hard-working family farms. Consumers and farmers deserve better.' Elsewhere, Sainsbury's has also been stocking wagyu beef from New Zealand – instead of Japan, where it normally comes from. NFU livestock board chairman David Barton said: 'It's deeply concerning to see major retailers now move away from their previous commitments to sourcing British in the last few weeks in favour of imports, many of which have been produced to lower standards. 'Farmers' long-standing partnerships with retailers have supported sustainable supply chains, so this shift is alarming. 'Over the past year, the industry has heard warm words from almost every major retailer pledging support for British farmers. But these words ring hollow when British produce is not given pride of place on shelves.' He added that decisions to 'renege on sourcing commitments' are damaging trust and farmer confidence at a time of global insecurity when sustainable food supply chains have 'never been more important'. Mr Barton continued: 'British farmers have invested in higher standards such as reducing antibiotic use in beef and lowering poultry stocking densities in sheds. 'Consumers want these high-quality production systems, shown by over one million people signing our petition for import standards to match the UK's. 'But delivering these standards comes with additional financial costs. Long-term sourcing commitments from retailers are essential to ensuring that the high welfare British food consumers want remains available.' A Morrisons spokeswoman said: 'Morrisons remains 100 per cent British on all our meat counters. In our aisles – alongside our New Zealand lamb – we are introducing trials of some imported meat from trusted suppliers to help us offer outstanding value through the seasons and through any supply fluctuations. An Asda spokesman added: 'We always look to offer customers a wide choice of products to suit all budgets, and the country of origin is always clearly labelled on pack so customers can make an informed choice about their purchases. 'Grass & Grill steaks are provided by a branded partner and available in our stores for a limited time only. All of Asda's own brand fresh beef continues to be sourced from farms in the UK and Republic of Ireland.' And a Sainsbury's spokeswoman said: 'We're proud to work with thousands of British farmers year-round and the vast majority of our beef range is sourced from the UK and Ireland. We have no plans to change this approach. 'All of our suppliers also have to meet the same rigorous quality standards, regardless of where the product is sourced from. 'These seasonal products account for just 0.1 per cent of our beef range and are an example of where there are times we may also source from elsewhere like New Zealand, so that we can continue to meet customer demand. 'The country of origin is clearly labelled, to help our customers make informed choices when they shop with us.'
BBC News
42 minutes ago
- BBC News
Swimming pool closure plans will be scrutinised
The planned closure of a popular swimming pool will be fully examined by councillors before any decision is fighting a proposal to close Northbrook swimming pool in Exeter got more than 2,000 people to sign a petition which forced Exeter City Council to discuss the plans on Tuesday and agree they should be fully analysed and a packed meeting in the Exeter Guildhall, Liberal Democrat leader Michael Mitchell said the plans to close Northbrook had been a case of "back of a fag packet budget setting".Councillors voted unanimously to further discuss the planned closure and its impact on the community at scrutiny committee at a later date before the final decision. Immediately after the meeting, campaigner Colleen Natola said: "I'm very pleased - it was a unanimous decision by the councillors that perhaps they made a decision before they actually found out all the information that they need."It's definitely a win for us at this stage, and it's great news for users of Northbrook pool because we can carry on swimming."Exeter City Council voted to cut the budget for leisure centre services by £586,000 on 25 February and, two days later, staff at Northbrook were told a "decision has been made to manage the closure" of the a public outcry, the council then held a public consultation for six weeks between 11 March and 22 April. Diana Moore, Green Party leader, put forward a motion to send the plans to scrutiny committee, which was unanimously Bialyk, Labour leader of Exeter City Council, said: "I said we would have full and honest consultation with the public before any decisions would be made and that's exactly what I'm doing."
Telegraph
42 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Brace for a new era of tent cities
Could the Government be about to legalise tent cities of foreign homeless in our cities? They have announced plans to fully repeal the 1824 Vagrancy Act, which was introduced to deal with the rise in homelessness created by inward migration during the Industrial Revolution, soldiers discharged at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, and the effects of the Corn Laws. The repeal means it will no longer be an offence to sleep on the pavement, which could pave the way for the spread of tent camps in our cities. These have become an increasingly common sight, driven by the influx of immigrants. It was at the tent camp in Park Lane that GB News journalist Patrick Christys was recently doused with water by a resident, after she decided that his questions meant he must be with the police. The Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, has said that it will 'draw a line under nearly two centuries of injustice towards some of the most vulnerable in society'. This exposes the fake compassion at the heart of homelessness reformers. The Park Lane encampment has been shut down at least twice already but returned. When YouTuber Wesley Winter interviewed some of the Roma living there, they openly admitted that they were only there to beg, in order to send money home. Despite this, Transport for London, who are working with Westminster Council to remove the encampment, said that they want to resolve the issue 'compassionately and safely'. Simply moving people on has meant that the tent camp has always returned once the police leave. Ordinary people have been left to contend with nuisance begging and even a brothel being run on the site, with children on their way to school offered sex for money. Far from being too harsh, the Vagrancy Act is insufficient. A Portuguese criminal, who had already been jailed in his home country, was able to frustrate warrants for him to be moved on by simply moving his tent around. He was eventually arrested 11 times, for crimes like selling drugs, money laundering, and possessing firearms. The Human Rights Act has also frustrated the authorities, as they can be barred from entering tents because that would be a breach of the right to privacy in the 'home'. Many of the homeless are EU citizens, with data from the Greater London Authority showing that the most numerous foreign nationality are Romanians. They benefit from the generosity of the EU Settlement Scheme – entirely unreciprocated by the EU – so that even if they are destitute, they cannot be removed to their home countries like other foreign nationals. There are also increasing numbers of Eritreans, which may be down to small boat crossings, as human rights laws make it nearly impossible to deport them. This faux compassion exposes the homeless to the dangers of living on the streets and the public to the danger of people who may be habitual criminals, drug dealers, or alcoholics. As has been seen in places like San Francisco, tent cities become magnets for dangerous and illegal behaviour. It would be much better to ensure those with substance abuse issues are put into secure treatment, those who have slipped between the cracks are helped into accommodation, while destitute foreigners are sent home. Primary legislation to scrap the Vagrancy Act was passed in 2022 under the previous Tory government, but formal repeal has not yet occurred. The Government now says it will repeal the Act by Spring next year. In the meantime it will introduce a new offence of facilitating begging for gain and an offence of trespassing with the intention of committing a crime, which it says will allow police to deal effectively with homelessness-related criminal activity. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) will also increase funding for homelessness services by an extra £233 million this financial year, bringing total investment for 2025-26 to nearly £1 billion.
