Latest news with #AlexanderJones
BBC News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Doncaster Reform councillor's social media content questioned
Reform UK has refused to answer questions about a new Doncaster councillor whose Facebook account featured posts comparing black Islamic dress to bin Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) approached the party after a number of posts on a Facebook account belonging to Councillor Mark Broadhurst went viral along with calls to "suspend him".The LDRS had asked whether the posts – including a since deleted image which suggested Adolf Hitler would be a "legend" had he targeted people following Islam – were acceptable to the party. A Reform UK spokesperson said the party would not be commenting on questions submitted by the LDRS. The party also declined to answer questions on whether any action would be taken against councillors who share offensive content on social UK was asked why the posts were not flagged in the reportedly upgraded vetting process for political candidates but the party also declined to Broadhurst continues to work as a Reform UK representative for Hatfield ward on the City of Doncaster Council where the party has 37 overwhelming majority would normally have given Reform UK control of the council but - due to Labour winning the vote for the Mayor of Doncaster - executive control of the council remained with UK's Alexander Jones was just 698 votes behind Labour's Ros Jones in the mayoral Council has said that following the election, all councillors had received training on the Councillor Code of Conduct which applies to them following their election and which sets out the expectations of them. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
The National
02-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Labour mayor rips into Keir Starmer after narrow victory over Reform
Ros Jones won with a majority of just 698 over Reform UK candidate Alexander Jones. Following the tight result, she hit out at the Labour Government over its decisions to slash the Winter Fuel Payment for pensioners, cut access to disability benefits and hike employers' National Insurance contributions. "I think national government needs to look and see what people are saying,' she told the BBC. "I wrote as soon as the winter fuel allowance [cut] was actually mooted, and I said it was wrong, and therefore I stepped in immediately and used our household support fund to ensure no-one in Doncaster went cold during the winter." READ MORE: Reform UK win by-election with six votes in major blow to Labour She went on: 'I think the results here tonight demonstrate that they need to be listening to the man, woman and businesses on the street and actually deliver for the people, with the people." Pressed whether Starmer had been listening she said: "On certainly two or three occasions, I would say no they haven't actually realised because people in Doncaster know how life can be. "They need to look again because actually putting up the cost of National Insurance is hitting some of our business. And of course, PIP (Personal Independence Payments), which we know many people are worried about." Jones has been the mayor of Doncaster since 2013 and has now been re-elected for a fourth term in office. Nigel Farage celebrated after Reform snatched a by-election victory (Image: PA) Labour also lost out in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election where Reform UK secured victory with a majority of 14,700. The narrow victory for new MP Sarah Pochin came after Labour MP Mike Amesbury quit. READ MORE: John Curtice gives verdict as Reform UK win Runcorn by-election Amesbury received a suspended jail sentence for assault in March after punching a constituent. The result came as Reform made gains against both Labour and the Conservatives across England in local contests, with party leader Farage claiming a 'big moment' was taking place in politics. The defeat in the by-election will cause unease in Downing Street, with the win setting a new record for the smallest majority at a parliamentary by-election since the end of the Second World War. Scottish Labour MP Brian Leishman has said the result in Runcorn and Helsby 'shows Labour must change course'. In a post on X on Friday morning, the MP for Alloa and Grangemouth, said: 'Runcorn shows Labour must change course. 'People voted for real change last July and an end to austerity. 'The first 10 months haven't been good enough or what the people want and if we don't improve people's living standards then the next government will be an extreme right wing one.'
Zawya
19-03-2025
- Health
- Zawya
Support from the United Kingdom enables Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to scale up pest monitoring and improve food security in Africa
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has welcomed a contribution of nearly USD 1.2 million (£ 950 000) from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland which will support the implementation of the Africa Phytosanitary Programme (APP). APP is an initiative of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and is designed to strengthen the technical capacity of personnel in national plant protection organizations - government agencies responsible for phytosanitary work. The programme equips them to use scientific approaches and advanced digital technologies to improve monitoring, detection, response and recovery from pest outbreaks. Annually, pests cause between 30 to 60 percent of crop losses in Africa, resulting in an economic cost of about USD 65.58 billion. These losses leave millions of people at risk of food insecurity, impact small-scale and commercial farmers' livelihoods and hinder regional and international trade of agricultural commodities. 'This contribution to the APP will strengthen Africa's phytosanitary capacity, enhancing our collective efforts to combat plant pests. Robust plant health systems are essential for safeguarding food security, enhancing biosecurity, facilitating trade, and protecting livelihoods across the continent,' said Beth Bechdol, FAO Deputy Director-General and interim IPPC Secretary. The APP implementation targets all 54 African countries, with phase one underway in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Phase two will be launched in 2025 with eight countries: Algeria, Cabo Verde, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Malawi, South Africa and Tunisia. A partnership for sustainable and resilient agriculture Since becoming a Member of FAO in 1945, the United Kingdom has helped to promote sustainable agriculture and global food security by supporting the Organization's strategic work in areas such as agricultural statistics, nutrition and food security analysis, development cooperation, resilience and peacebuilding, and climate change. The most recent contribution from the UK's International Biological Security Programme will bolster a key area of FAO's work, helping to prevent, detect and manage plant pests that have the potential to move quickly and easily across borders and cause significant economic and environmental damage. 'We applaud the support of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to strengthen phytosanitary systems across Africa,' said Alexander Jones, Director of FAO's Resource Mobilization Division. 'As global travel and trade increase, improving the technical capacities of national plant protection organizations so that they are able to identify and respond to threats as they emerge is an investment whose impacts will be felt at a global level.' The United Kingdom has been a strong advocate for plant health throughout the years, lending support to various IPPC initiatives such as the International Year of Plant Health, the first International Plant Health Conference, the IPPC ePhyto Solution, and assessment and management of climate change impacts on plant health. The United Kingdom is also closely engaged in the development and implementation of the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs), which provide the basis for countries to make national legislation, guidelines, and measures to protect their plant resources from pests. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of FAO Regional Office for Africa.
