Latest news with #AlexBaker
RNZ News
a day ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Tory Whanau 'glad' to see new mayoral candidate Alex Baker enter race
Wellington's current mayor Tory Whanau. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Wellington's current mayor Tory Whanau says she's "glad" to see another mayoral candidate in the race, saying many in the community have been disappointed by some of Andrew Little's public comments. "We have a new progressive mayoral candidate in the race," Whanau posted on social media on Monday morning. "I'm glad to see more people putting themselves forward - it's healthy for democracy and shows that people care about the future of our city." That progressive candidate is former director of sustainability at Kāinga Ora and Chartered Accountant from KPMG Alex Baker. He said what had driven him to join the race was that he didn't feel like his values were represented by the other candidates. Green-backed Whanau had announced she was no longer seeking re-election after Labour-backed Little entered the race, saying she did not want a Green vs Labour battle. "While I cleared the way for Andrew Little, I've been hearing from many in the community who are disappointed by some of his public comments, particularly regarding the Golden Mile. I believe that may be why we've now seen a progressive candidate enter the race," she said in Monday's post. Mayoral candidate Alex Baker. Photo: Supplied Andrew Little said he supported the Golden Mile in principle. "Where I differ is that before pressing go I would want to be confident the businesses in our CBD can survive the disruption and I'd want to run the ruler over the contracts to limit the risk of cost blowouts and delays," he said. "The council needs to rebuild trust. That means doing a better job of listening to the communities affected by decisions and keeping a firmer grip on the costs of major projects so we don't see any more blowouts like the Town Hall," he said. In the post Whanau also said it was also notable that only men had put their names forward for the role so far. "I've spoken openly about how the role has become increasingly untenable, and I know many women have been discouraged by what they've seen me experience firsthand." Others vying for mayor include Former Labour MP Andrew Little, current city councillor Ray Chung along with Karl Tiefenbacher, Kelvin Hastie, Rob Goulden and Graham Bloxham. Nominations are open until 1 August. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
a day ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Alex Baker throws hat into ring for Wellington mayoralty
Alex Baker is running for Wellington Mayor. Photo: Supplied A seventh candidate has thrown their hat into the ring to be Wellington's next Mayor. Alex Baker is a Chartered Accountant and has also worked in urban development. Baker said he was a progressive candidate and was focused on creating a vibrant city that could have sustainable growth. Baker's ideas for setting the city up for growth included improving housing affordability, improving transport networks and facilitating an innovative and productive commercial environment. He also wanted to change the way Wellington set rates a development contributions to be fairer. Baker is the seventh to enter the all male candidate pool. Others vying for mayor include Former Labour MP Andrew Little, current city councillor Ray Chung along with Karl Tiefenbacher, Kelvin Hastie, Rob Goulden and Graham Bloxham. Nominations are open until 1 August. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Councils fly flags to support Ukraine – but block defence spending
Councils are flying flags for Ukraine from their town halls while blocking investment in the British defence industry. At least a dozen English councils have passed motions to 'divest' from defence companies because of the war in Gaza, or have taken steps to reduce their holdings in arms companies. A report by two Labour MPs has found that defence companies have missed out on at least £30 million in investment because of action taken by local councils to focus their pension funds on 'ethical' firms. Despite this, several of the councils have displayed the Ukrainian flag from their town halls in solidarity against Russia. The MPs, Luke Charters and Alex Baker, said there was 'untapped potential' in local government pensions that could be used to boost investment in the defence sector, which often struggles to access finance. They argued that supporting British defence companies would help Ukraine, which has received more than £18 billion in military and humanitarian support from the UK. The MPs said there was a 'concerning trend among UK councils to divest from defence, with at least a dozen authorities implementing partial or full exclusion policies since 2022'. The MPs did not name the councils, but The Telegraph has found evidence of town halls in London, Bristol, Somerset, Oxford and Dudley where motions have been passed banning defence investment in support of Palestine. Dudley council, which is under no single party's overall control, passed a motion to divest from defence companies with the support of Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors. The council has flown the Ukrainian flag several times since the Russian invasion in February 2022, and lit up its town hall in blue and yellow. Labour-run Manchester city council, which voted to pressure its pension provider to abandon weapons manufacturers in November last year, has celebrated Ukrainian independence day and spent £50,000 to support Ukrainian refugees arriving in the city. The motion noted that councillors 'recognise the inextricable link between war, climate destruction, and human suffering' and that 'armed conflicts not only result in loss of life, including civilians and children, but also lead to intense environmental destruction'. Labour-run Waltham Forest Council, which announced plans to sell all defence investments in August last year, has hosted events for Ukrainian residents affected by the 'crisis' in their home country. Mr Charters told The Telegraph: 'With war on our continent, this is not the moment for councils to pull back from investing in UK defence. 'Firms and financiers have been clear when we have engaged with them: barriers like weak demand signals, short-term contracts, divestment, and regulatory uncertainty are holding the sector back. 'Our report calls for urgent engagement with local government pension schemes – and sets out 12 reforms to help unlock the capital and credit our defence sector needs to grow. 'Financing sovereign defence isn't optional – it's vital to our security and economic future.' The report's findings also include an apparent admission from the parliamentary pension scheme for MPs that their savings are often deliberately not invested in defence. A letter to the MPs from the chair of the fund said that while there was no specific ban on defence investments, 'environmental, social, governance and climate change issues tend to be more pronounced in some defence companies'. Mr Charters and Ms Baker said: 'There needs to be a holistic review by officials to understand how public investment vehicles are performing when it comes to defence sector investment. 'The UK cannot afford to miss this moment due to outdated ethical aversions. 'Defence investments represent not only a financial opportunity, but also an ethical obligation to secure the nation's future amidst an increasingly volatile geopolitical landscape.' Dudley council, Manchester city council and Waltham Forest council have all been approached for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Councils fly flags to support Ukraine's war – but block defence spending
Councils are flying flags for Ukraine from their town halls while blocking investment in the British defence industry. At least a dozen English councils have passed motions 'divesting' from defence companies because of the war in Gaza, or taken steps to reduce their holdings in arms companies. A new report by two Labour MPs found that defence companies have missed out on at least £30 million in investment because of action taken by local councils to focus their pension funds on 'ethical' firms. It comes despite the fact that several of the councils have displayed the Ukrainian flag from their town halls in solidarity against Russia. The MPs, Luke Charters and Alex Baker, said there was 'untapped potential' in local government pensions that could be used to boost investment in the defence sector, which often struggles to access finance. They argued that supporting British defence companies would help Ukraine, which has received more than £18 billion in military and humanitarian support from the UK. The MPs said there was a 'concerning trend among UK councils to divest from defence, with at least a dozen authorities implementing partial or full exclusion policies since 2022'. The MPs did not name the councils, but The Telegraph has found evidence of town halls in London, Bristol, Somerset, Oxford and Dudley where motions have been passed banning defence investment in support of Palestine. Dudley Council, which is under no single party's overall control, passed a motion to divest from defence companies with the support of Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors. The council has flown the Ukrainian flag several times since the Russian invasion in February 2022, and lit up its town hall in blue and yellow. Labour-run Manchester City Council, which voted to pressure its pension provider to abandon weapons manufacturers in November last year, has celebrated Ukrainian independence day and spent £50,000 to support Ukrainian refugees arriving in the city. The motion noted that councillors 'recognise the inextricable link between war, climate destruction, and human suffering' and that 'armed conflicts not only result in loss of life, including civilians and children, but also lead to intense environmental destruction'. Labour-run Waltham Forest Council, which announced plans to sell all defence investments in August last year, has hosted events for Ukrainian residents affected by the 'crisis' in their home country. Mr Charters told The Telegraph: 'With war on our continent, this is not the moment for councils to pull back from investing in UK defence. 'Firms and financiers have been clear when we have engaged with them: barriers like weak demand signals, short-term contracts, divestment, and regulatory uncertainty are holding the sector back. 'Our report calls for urgent engagement with local government pension schemes — and sets out 12 reforms to help unlock the capital and credit our defence sector needs to grow. 'Financing sovereign defence isn't optional – it's vital to our security and economic future.' The report's findings also include an apparent admission from the parliamentary pension scheme for MPs that their savings are often deliberately not invested in defence. A letter to the MPs from the chair of the fund said that while there was no specific ban on defence investments, 'environmental, social, governance (ESG) and climate change issues tend to be more pronounced in some defence companies'. Mr Charters and Ms Baker said: 'There needs to be a holistic review by officials to understand how public investment vehicles are performing when it comes to defence sector investment. 'The UK cannot afford to miss this moment due to outdated ethical aversions. 'Defence investments represent not only a financial opportunity, but also an ethical obligation to secure the nation's future amidst an increasingly volatile geopolitical landscape.'
The Independent
06-03-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Labour MPs and peers urge banks to view UK defence investments as ethical
More than 100 Labour MPs and peers have called on British financial institutions to class UK defence investments as ethical to boost support for Ukraine. In an open letter on Thursday, the group called for a 'rethink' on environmental, social and governance (ESG) investment requirements that often exclude defence firms as 'unethical'. Labour MP Alex Baker co-ordinated the letter addressed to Britain's banks and fund managers, with signatories including former Royal Navy chief admiral Lord Alan West, former Nato secretary general Lord George Robertson and chairman of the Commons Defence Committee Tan Dhesi. The group said financial institutions can 'do more' to help the UK defence sector support Ukraine's war effort as well as 'rapidly generate the capabilities it needs to defend itself'. It comes as pressure mounts on Europe to bolster defence spending in the fallout from a disastrous Oval Office meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. With the US suspending military aid to Ukraine, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and other European leaders have entered crisis talks to shore up the continent's security in the face of threats from Russia. The letter from Labour MPs read: 'For the United Kingdom to both support Ukraine in its hour of need and ensure defence of our own nation, we must rethink ESG mechanisms that often wrongly exclude all defence investments as 'unethical'. 'There can be no more ethical investment than giving the Ukrainian people every ounce of support that can be mustered by their allies.' After Sir Keir announced a rise in the UK's defence spending to 2.5% of GDP last week, the MPs urged banks to start 'turning on the financial taps to the firms that stand ready to deliver the best of British innovation, capability and skills'. The letter, which is backed by the Labour Growth Group, made clear that the MPs and peers support the ESG model, saying it is 'rightly here to stay'. But they added that they believe ESG is 'synonymous' with the Ukrainian cause. 'We urge financial institutions immediately to sweep away ill-considered anti-defence rules which are acting as a barrier to doing what is right,' the letter read. Chancellor Rachel Reeves recently promised to cut red tape to make it easier for the Government to buy military equipment earlier and widened the parameters of the National Wealth Fund to drive investment in the defence sector. The previous Conservative government also called for defence investment to be classed as ESG. Last April, then-prime minister Rishi Sunak said the government wanted to encourage private sector investment in the sector, stating that it counts 'beyond doubt' towards ESG assessments.
