Latest news with #AndyBuchanan
Scotsman
a day ago
- Politics
- Scotsman
Scotland to play unique role in national security
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks during a visit to BAE Systems in Govan, Glasgow, to launch the Strategic Defence Review (Picture: Andy Buchanan/PA Wire) The Strategic Defence Review sets out a vision to keep Scotland safe, making the UK more secure at home and stronger abroad. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Air and missile attacks on critical national infrastructure; sabotage and cyber attacks to disrupt the economy and society; the manipulation of information to undermine social cohesion – these are just some of the potential effects of war on everyday life in Scotland and the UK outlined by the review which was unveiled by the Prime Minister in Glasgow this week. In recent months it has become commonplace to hear the international situation described as unstable on an unprecedented level. But there can be no doubt; the world has changed. War in Europe, daily incursions by Russia into our airspace and waters, regular attempted cyber attacks – it's happening now. The peace dividend that we have all enjoyed is over, but in this new world we can benefit from a defence dividend instead, measured through jobs, growth, opportunities and regeneration. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Meanwhile, the United States has been clear that European security is no longer its main focus, which means we have to step up and take more responsibility for our own security and that of our allies and partners. It was in this context that the Labour Government, when coming to power last July, announced a comprehensive, root-and-branch review of defence and security. The review, announced this week, heralds a transformation in national security with Scotland poised to play a uniquely important role, as we have always done with our ancient regiments like the Black Watch and shipbuilding on the Clyde. The review's recommendations are wide ranging, and include a £15 billion investment in the Sovereign warhead programme, establishing a new cyber command, and the upgrading and renewal of forces family housing, investing in the people who do so much to keep us safe everyday and getting armed forces numbers back to 76,000 as a minimum. The recommended investment will also do much to support jobs and investment here in Scotland. The Ministry of Defence currently spends £2.14bn a year here and supports over 25,000 jobs across Scotland. It will build on the success of Scotland's already-thriving defence industries, whether that's the Type 26 ships produced in Glasgow, armaments in Glenrothes, or Type 31 frigates in Fife. In particular, the recommendation of a £1.5bn investment in an 'always-on' shipbuilding pipeline is great news for Scotland and the workers whose highly skilled jobs depend on it. Given how vital it is that we invest in our defence capabilities right now, I was surprised to hear that the Scottish Government was refusing funding for a specialist highly-skilled welding centre in Glasgow on the basis that it would breach their policy on funding defence. The SNP says it supports Scotland's defence industries, but it's difficult to see how this can be reconciled with pulling funding for this centre. We will fund it to help the industries grow but also the near one in six young people not in employment, education or training to get the skills they need to thrive. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Once again, the SNP is putting party before country, risking jobs, investment and Scottish manufacturing in the process. The UK Labour Government has pledged to step in to support the project if the SNP Government won't, to ensure Scotland does not miss out on investment and jobs. This Labour Government will always support jobs, skills and manufacturing in Scotland, and will always put national security first. Ian Murray is MP for Edinburgh South and Secretary of State for Scotland
Epoch Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Epoch Times
Daily Boat Immigrant Arrivals Top 1,000 for 1st Time This Year
More than 1,100 illegal immigrants have arrived by crossing the English Channel, the highest number recorded in a single day this year. Provisional Home Office figures show 1,195 people arrived on Britain's shores in 19 small boats on Saturday, the highest total so far in 2025 and the first time this year the number exceeded 1,000 in one day. The previous highest figure was 825, recorded on May 21. So far in 2025, 14,812 people have illegally entered the UK by crossing the Channel in small boats. According to analysis of the data by The Epoch Times, this is 42 percent higher than this time last year, when a total of 10,448 had arrived. It is also nearly double the number of arrivals by May 31, 2023, when 7,610 had landed. Saturday's figures remain below the daily record of 1,305 set on Sept. 3, 2022, which was a year that saw the highest number boat landings overall. In total, of 45,755 people had arrived in 2022, with similarly high daily figures recorded on Oct. 9 (1,241) and Nov. 12 (1,214). Landings so far this year are also higher than the number who had arrived by May 31, 2022 (9,607), which suggests 2025 could be another record year, unless government efforts to stop the boats and tackle the smuggling gangs are successful. A total of 165,590 people have crossed the English Channel to enter the UK since record-keeping for this type of illegal immigration began in 2018. Undermining Border Security A Home Office spokesperson said the government wants to end dangerous small boat crossings, 'which threaten lives and undermine our border security.' Related Stories 5/22/2025 5/19/2025 'Through international intelligence sharing under our Border Security Command, enhanced enforcement operations in Northern France and tougher legislation in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, we are strengthening international partnerships and boosting our ability to identify, disrupt, and dismantle criminal gangs whilst strengthening the security of our borders,' the spokesperson said. Since coming to power in July 2024, the Labour government has taken a different approach to tackling illegal immigration compared with its Conservative predecessors. Notably, it scrapped the Rwanda Plan, which aimed to send asylum seekers who arrived illegally to safe third countries like Rwanda, a policy the previous administration argued would deter people from making the cross-Channel journey. The Conservatives had also Similarly, the Labour government continues to work with international and European partners to ' UK Working With France The Labour government has since founded the cross-agency Border Security Command, which will take a Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks during a visit to BAE Systems in Govan, Glasgow, on June 2, 2025. Andy Buchanan/PA Wire Giving a major defence speech in Glasgow, Scotland, on Monday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said that 'nobody should be making that journey across the Channel, and it's our duty to make sure that we ensure that they don't.' Starmer said his government was working closely with French counterparts on taking further action in northern France, which is where most of the boats depart from. Asked about the Rwanda Plan, the prime minister said, 'The reason we stood down the Rwanda scheme was because it cost a fortune, and only a handful of people went on a voluntary basis to Rwanda, and it didn't deter anybody.' 'I'm not up for gimmicks. I'm up for the hard work of working with partners, enhancing the powers that law enforcement have in my determination to take down the gangs that are running this vile trade,' he added. Home Office figures revealed in December that the Rwanda Plan had However, the UK is in talks with several Balkan nations about setting up ' Shadow home secretary Chris Philp had called the proposals a 'weak imitation' of the Rwanda policy.
Daily Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Express
London police say arrested 4th suspect in arson attack on Starmer's home
Published on: Tuesday, June 03, 2025 Published on: Tue, Jun 03, 2025 By: Bernama Text Size: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. - Andy Buchanan, Pool Photo via AP Moscow: London police have said they have arrested a fourth man suspected of setting fire to United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Keir Starmer's home, Sputnik/RIA Novosti reported. The fire at the British prime minister's home occurred on May 12. As a result, the front door of the building was damaged. The prime minister's home, where he lived for almost 20 years before moving to Downing Street, is located on Countess Road in north London. UK media reported that Starmer is currently renting out his home. 'A 48-year-old man was arrested on Monday, 2 June at London Stansted Airport ... on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life,' the Metropolitan Police said in a statement on Monday. The arrest is reportedly related to three incidents: a car fire on May 8, a fire at the entrance to a building on May 11, and a fire in a residential building on May 12. All incidents are connected to a well-known public figure, the statement noted. Three people have already been arrested in connection with the arson attacks, namely 21-year-old Ukrainian national Roman Lavrynovych, 26-year-old Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, and 34-year-old Ukrainian national Petro Pochynok. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Scotsman
27-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
How SNP and Labour are blowing a historic opportunity to save North Sea energy industry
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Another day, another warning to politicians about their failure to ensure that Scotland's declining oil and gas industry is replaced by a world-leading renewable energy sector. This latest wake-up call comes from a survey of more than 100 companies operating on the UK Continental Shelf. Nearly half reported staff were already leaving the UK to work elsewhere, in part because of low confidence in the domestic industry and a lack of viable projects. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Firms told the 41st Energy Transition Survey, published by Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, that they expected the majority of their work would be overseas by 2030 and Russell Borthwick, the chamber's chief executive, spelt out what this would mean in no uncertain terms. 'We are training a world-class workforce and building the technology to lead the energy transition – but that talent and investment is increasingly being deployed overseas,' he said. 'You cannot deliver net zero by exporting your industrial base. If we continue to erode competitiveness through incoherent energy policy and excessive taxation, we risk offshoring the entire supply chain that is essential to the UK's future energy system.' Expertise in marine engineering built up in the North Sea oil and gas industry could help create a world-leading marine renewables industry (Picture: Andy Buchanan) | AFP via Getty Images 'Uncertainty and inconsistency' One key finding was that 90 per cent of firms believed the absence of a Scottish Government energy strategy was damaging investor confidence. And Mark Stewart, of accountancy and business advice firm Johnston Carmichael, said the survey reinforced messages from their clients 'that uncertainty and inconsistency in UK energy policy are now bigger threats to investment than commodity prices or global market trends'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Clearly governments cannot do everything. They need cooperation from the private sector if a managed transition – let alone a 'just' one – from fossil fuels to renewable is to be achieved. However, having an energy strategy in the first place and ensuring that policies are clear and consistent should be the very least we can expect from ministers.
Scotsman
27-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
How SNP and Labour are blowing a historic opportunity to save North Sea energy industry
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Another day, another warning to politicians about their failure to ensure that Scotland's declining oil and gas industry is replaced by a world-leading renewable energy sector. This latest wake-up call comes from a survey of more than 100 companies operating on the UK Continental Shelf. Nearly half reported staff were already leaving the UK to work elsewhere, in part because of low confidence in the domestic industry and a lack of viable projects. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Firms told the 41st Energy Transition Survey, published by Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, that they expected the majority of their work would be overseas by 2030 and Russell Borthwick, the chamber's chief executive, spelt out what this would mean in no uncertain terms. 'We are training a world-class workforce and building the technology to lead the energy transition – but that talent and investment is increasingly being deployed overseas,' he said. 'You cannot deliver net zero by exporting your industrial base. If we continue to erode competitiveness through incoherent energy policy and excessive taxation, we risk offshoring the entire supply chain that is essential to the UK's future energy system.' Expertise in marine engineering built up in the North Sea oil and gas industry could help create a world-leading marine renewables industry (Picture: Andy Buchanan) | AFP via Getty Images 'Uncertainty and inconsistency' One key finding was that 90 per cent of firms believed the absence of a Scottish Government energy strategy was damaging investor confidence. And Mark Stewart, of accountancy and business advice firm Johnston Carmichael, said the survey reinforced messages from their clients 'that uncertainty and inconsistency in UK energy policy are now bigger threats to investment than commodity prices or global market trends'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Clearly governments cannot do everything. They need cooperation from the private sector if a managed transition – let alone a 'just' one – from fossil fuels to renewable is to be achieved. However, having an energy strategy in the first place and ensuring that policies are clear and consistent should be the very least we can expect from ministers.
