Latest news with #CalumMiller
BBC News
7 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Bicester East West Rail level crossing petition to be presented
A petition calling for a fully accessible underpass at a town's level crossing will be presented to Parliament on 4,526 signatures, it calls on the government to ensure any replacement of the level crossing at London Road in Bicester includes access for cars, not just cyclists and crossing is set to be closed on safety grounds when the East West Rail (EWR) line becomes fully operational but residents fear this will see the town "cut in two."EWR said it was looking into "all the potential solutions" and that it would present a final proposal to the public. The new EWR service will connect Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge and is due to be opened to passengers in the early Bicester residents are worried it will cut one side of the town off from the other. Petition creator Calum Miller, MP for Bicester and Woodstock, has previously warned of residents' a letter to Chancellor Rachel Reeves last October, he said: "There is support for the new rail line but also a belief that its opening should not unfairly affect one town. They do not want to see Bicester cut in two."In the most recent consultation, which received more than 6,000 responses and closed in January, EWR had proposed a new footbridge or underpass for pedestrians and a letter from chief executive David Hughes later suggested the plans were under a meeting with Mr Miller and Baron Peter Hendy, the Minister for Rail, on 7 April, Mr Hughes wrote that "further work" had been undertaken as a result of said: "I can confirm that since our meeting we have held discussions with both Network Rail and the local council to understand the feasibility of developing the design to incorporate some form of vehicular access."Mr Miller previously told BBC Radio Oxford it would be "very hard" to put a bridge in place.A spokesperson for East West Railway Company said: "We welcome the public's continued interest in this important issue and continue to assess all the potential solutions for the London Road Level Crossing."Whilst this work is being carried out, we are working closely with our local stakeholders including Calum Miller MP and the local councils."Once all the analysis has been completed a final proposal will be published and presented to the public."The petition, which contains physical signatures only, will be presented by Mr Miller at 19:00 BST.A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "We recognise the strong views felt locally in Bicester and East West Rail Company is carefully reviewing responses to its consultation."Options for the future of the London Road level crossing are still being considered, but any option will need to balance cost with the impact on the community." You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
The Independent
30-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Trump administration accused of hypocrisy after claiming the UK and Europe are ‘trampling democracy'
Donald Trump's administration has been accused of hypocrisy after claiming that the UK and Europe are 'trampling democracy'. In a post on the Substack blogging platform, the US state department accused governments of 'weaponising political institutions' to turn the continent into a 'hotbed of digital censorship, mass migration, restrictions on religious freedom, and numerous other assaults on democratic self-governance'. The piece broadly criticises the so-called 'global liberal project' but highlights the UK and Germany in particular. The comments echo previous US claims that the greatest threat to European security was not Russia but the continent's suppression of the right and anti-abortion activists. 'Americans are familiar with these tactics,' the post says. 'Indeed, a similar strategy of censorship, demonization, and bureaucratic weaponization was utilized against President Trump and his supporters. 'What this reveals is that the global liberal project is not enabling the flourishing of democracy. Rather, it is trampling democracy, and Western heritage along with it, in the name of a decadent governing class afraid of its own people.' The Liberal Democrats hit back at the post and accused the Trump administration of trying to enact a 'dystopian vision' of liberty. 'Britain doesn't need lectures about political freedom from the acolyte of a President who tried to undermine American democracy and now praises Putin,' Calum Miller, a Liberal Democrat MP and the party's foreign affairs spokesperson, said. 'The British people will see straight through this hypocrisy. We have a proud tradition of free speech in this country - and one which continues long after Trump has left office. 'It's Trump's own dystopian vision for America's future which poses the greatest threat to liberty in the US.' The blog post cited two Britons, Adam Smith-Connor and Livia Tossici-Bolt, who were both found guilty of breaching public spaces protection orders by standing outside abortion clinics holding signs and silently praying, as evidence of the UK's assault on free speech and religious rights. They also referred to figures published by The Times showing that 'at least 12,000 people a year' were being arrested for online posts. The author of the Substack post, Samuel Samson, a senior advisor for the Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), met both Smith-Connor and Tossici-Bolt during a trip to the UK in March. The purpose of Samson's March trip, according to The Telegraph, was to 'affirm the importance of freedom of expression in the UK and across Europe'. His Substack post was titled 'The Need for Civilizational Allies in Europe', a reference to vice president JD Vance's claims that Europe is succumbing to 'the threat from within', namely European governments censoring those they do not agree with. The blog also accused Germany, France, Romania and Poland of implementing a 'strategy of censorship, demonization, and bureaucratic weaponization' by arresting, designating or banning far-right political parties, before suggesting Trump and his supporters had been subjected to the same treatment. It praised Hungary, run by an administration that has orchestrated a widespread crackdown on the free press and LGBT rights, as a 'Christian nation … unjustly labeled as authoritarians and human rights abusers'. 'Our concerns are not partisan but principled,' the paper claimed. 'The suppression of speech, facilitation of mass migration, targeting of religious expression, and undermining of electoral choice threatens the very foundation of the transatlantic partnership.' It added that Europe's actions were 'increasingly affecting American security and economic ties, along with the free speech rights of American citizens and companies'. The blog post was a follow-up from Mr Vance's February speech to the Munich Security Conference, in which he lambasted Germany for its post-Second World War policy of refusing to work with the far-right. As attendees expected him to speak of the renewed threat posed by Vladimir Putin's Russia, the US politician instead chose to claim European anti-extremism was the principal concern for the continent's security. The German far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) went on to win a fifth of the popular vote in national elections later that month. They have since been designated far-right extremists. The country's domestic intelligence said in a statement that 'the ethnicity- and ancestry-based understanding of the people prevailing within the party is incompatible with the free democratic order'.
BBC News
27-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Bicester level crossing petition supported by thousands
A petition calling for a fully accessible underpass at a town's level crossing has received more than 3,000 by MP for Bicester and Woodstock Calum Miller, the petition calls on the government to ensure any replacement of the level crossing at London Road in Bicester includes access for cars, not just cyclists and is set to be closed on safety grounds when the East West Rail (EWR) line becomes fully operational, which many fear would cut off crucial access to thousands of residents. Mr Miller will present the petition, which can only be signed in person, in Parliament on 3 June. In the most recent consultation, which received more than 6,000 responses and closed in January, EWR had proposed a new footbridge or underpass for pedestrians and a letter from CEO David Hughes later suggested the plans were under a meeting with Mr Miller and Baron Peter Hendy, the Minister for Rail, on 7 April, Mr Hughes wrote that "further work" had been undertaken as a result of said: "I can confirm that since our meeting we have held discussions with both Network Rail and the local council to understand the feasibility of developing the design to incorporate some form of vehicular access."Mr Miller previously told BBC Radio Oxford it would be "very hard" to put a bridge in office said that in addition to the thousands of signatures it had gathered across Bicester, community volunteers had also taken it door-to-door in areas such as Miller, who launched the petition a few weeks ago, said the amount of collected signatures "in a very short period of time demonstrates just how strongly people feel about it"."East West Rail is a project of national significance – but it must not come at the cost of existing residents in our town," he said."The impact of cutting off this crucial artery would be a disaster for Bicester, no one wants the town cut in two."He said the petition was "a way of highlighting the issue" and said he would continue to press the government and EWR "to commit to deliver the solution that Bicester people want to see".The Department for Transport has been approached for comment. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
The Guardian
17-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Lib Dems claim deeper trade deal with EU would raise £25bn of tax revenue
A deeper trade deal with the EU that stops short of joining the customs union or single market could bring in £25bn of tax revenue and pay for reversing benefit cuts, according to research cited by the Liberal Democrats. The party is writing to all Labour MPs this week asking them to join forces in a push for a much more comprehensive deal with Brussels, saying that backing closer trade ties would help revive the public finances. It said research from the Best for Britain campaign group has found that GDP would be boosted by 2.2% as a result of deep alignment of goods and services, while staying within Labour's red lines of no return to the single market or customs union. A new House of Commons library analysis, commissioned by the Lib Dems, found that a 2.2% boost to GDP would bring in roughly £25bn of extra tax revenues. The party acknowledged that the estimates from the Commons library should be considered rough and a rule of thumb, as tax generated by higher growth depends on how it takes place. However, it said the boost to tax revenues from a fuller deal with Brussels should be more than enough to reverse the winter fuel allowance withdrawal and proposed £5bn cuts to disability benefits. In his letter to Labour MPs, Calum Miller, the Lib Dem foreign affairs spokesperson, will say his party wants to work constructively to secure a new trade deal with Europe in order to boost public finances. 'A far more ambitious trade deal with Europe, including a new UK-EU customs union, would be the single biggest thing ministers could do to boost growth and fix the public finances,' he said. 'The Liberal Democrats stand ready to work constructively with Labour MPs to boost trade with Europe and avoid savage cuts for vulnerable families and pensioners.' The move comes as Keir Starmer prepares to host a crucial summit with Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission president, on Monday, at which a deal is expected to be signed on some greater alignment on defence, fishing and food, alongside other areas. Easing trade restrictions is expected to be an ambition rather than a concrete plan. More than 60 Labour MPs have already urged the government to go further than its plans at Monday's summit – including on a youth mobility deal where a time-limited version is now under discussion. At the same time, more than 100 Labour MPs have signed a letter calling on the government to back down from the welfare cuts, and many of them regard the means-testing of the winter fuel payment as even more toxic with voters. Ahead of the UK-EU summit, the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said it was a 'step towards' a deeper and ongoing partnership with Europe, saying any deal struck next week will not be a 'one-off'. In an interview with the Guardian on Friday, Reeves suggested the government was looking for closer ties with Europe beyond what was on the table this coming Monday, adding: 'There will be future areas in which we can do more.' Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion She said the government would show there had been a decisive break with the ideological Brexit battles of the past, saying 'there is a lot of room for improvement' for ways to trade with the bloc. Asked if the UK had raised its future sights beyond fixes, such as a veterinary deal that was set out in the Labour manifesto, Reeves said there would always be the red lines of no single market, customs union or a return to free movement, but suggested there was still more that could be done. 'We think that because of the trust we built, we can get a better deal. The European Union has understood from the beginning those red lines,' she said. 'I am ambitious for our future. This isn't a one-off. There will be things that we achieve, some concrete outcomes on Monday, but there will also be a step towards where we want to go next between our countries. 'And I see that as a journey, not that what happens on Monday is the end; there will be future areas where we can do more.' However, Nigel Farage, whose Reform party is topping the polls, has pledged to undo any deal that Starmer strikes, saying it is a reversal of Brexit.
The Independent
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Trump bullying Starmer has got him what he wants in US-UK trade deal, says MP
Donald Trump bullying Keir Starmer has got him what he wants in the US-UK trade deal, an MP has claimed. Liberal Democrat MP Calum Miller voiced his opinion on the historic deal, when he appeared on BBC Question Time on Thursday (8 May). Responding to an audience member, Mr Miller said the deal is a victory of Trump as he called for more active negotiation with Europe. He said: 'We've just shown him that by bullying us, he can get what he wants.'
