Latest news with #CameronThomas
The Sun
24-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
MP blasted for ‘want you' texts to Ukrainian translator
A BRITISH MP who visited war-torn Ukraine to deliver aid made advances towards his translator - texting her: 'I want you.' Lib Dem Cameron Thomas has been accused of 'abusing his power' by sending the messages to the Ukrainian translater assigned to his trip. 3 3 The newly-elected MP for Tewkesbury also texted the woman: 'I wish I could stay with you for a few days.' He sent the messages - seen by The Sun on Sunday - while on an official trip to Kyiv in February this year to mark the third anniversary of the war. The delegation included other MPs and political aides. Mr Thomas, 42, then went on to deliver aid to Kharkiv, near the frontline of fighting. A Tory MP aware of the allegations said: 'Given the courage and sacrifice shown by Ukrainians in the fight for their country's very existence, it is unthinkable that one of our MPs should be treating an official visit to a warzone in this way. 'To abuse his power as an MP by preying on a young woman is disgraceful. 'The Liberal Democrats should remove the whip.' 3 Approached by The Sun on Sunday over the claims his behaviour was 'inappropriate', a spokesman for Mr Thomas said: 'These are private messages between two people who have remained in contact.' The Sun on Sunday also understands that Mr Cameron was using his UK personal phone in Ukraine. Other politicians who have visited Ukraine on other trips have said they were advised not to take their UK phone, but to use a burner phone in Ukraine, because of the risk Russia could hack into them. This raises questions over whether Mr Thomas' phone was compromised on the trip. A spokeswoman for Parliament refused to say what security advice was given to Mr Thomas for the visit. Mr Thomas, who used to be in the RAF, has previously spoken about the trip, telling the BBC: 'When we were dropping off aid you can feel the gratitude. 'They regularly cite our finest hour, the Battle of Britain, as a template for what they are doing - standing up to a far superior power and holding their own, and that makes me proud to be British.' A Parliament spokeswoman said: 'The Parliamentary Security Department provides advice to Members of Parliament on overseas travel which draws on FCDO advice. However, we are unable to comment on specific cases.' The Lib Dems declined to comment.
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Lib Dem accused of abuse of power over ‘I want you' texts to translator on Ukraine visit
A Liberal Democrat MP has been accused of an 'abuse of power' after sexting a Ukrainian translator during an official visit to the war-torn country. Last night the party faced calls to strip the whip from Cameron Thomas over the 'inappropriate' advances. The Tewkesbury MP sent intimate WhatsApp messages to the woman who had been tasked with working with the delegation of MPs in February while they were on a parliamentary visit to Ukraine. The visit marked the third anniversary of Russia 's invasion and involved travelling to the capital Kyiv and the city of Lviv, as well as attending a conference. The WhatsApp messages – seen by this newspaper – include Mr Thomas, 42, telling the interpreter 'I want you' and 'I wish I could stay with you for a few days'. The Mail on Sunday understands the messages were then shown by the woman to others on the trip, who claimed they had made her uncomfortable. Mr Thomas denies any wrongdoing. Last night MPs accused the RAF veteran of abusing his position as an MP on an official delegation to make advances to someone tasked with working with them. One Tory MP aware of the allegations said: 'Given the courage and sacrifice shown by Ukrainians in the fight for their country's very existence, it is unthinkable that one of our MPs should be treating an official visit to a warzone in this way. To abuse his power as an MP by preying on a young woman is disgraceful. The Liberal Democrats should remove the whip.' In the Commons register of interests, Mr Thomas declared the purpose of the visit as: 'Support, aid, and to highlight areas that have been devastated by the war.' The costs of his trip were met by several organisations, including telecoms network Kyivstar and the Yalta European Strategy, a forum founded by Ukrainian oligarch Victor Pinchuk. Following the visit, Mr Thomas was one of 15 MPs and six peers banned from entering Russia. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the UK's 'confrontational' stance towards Moscow was the reason for barring the politicians. At the time, Mr Thomas said the ban had given him 'the greatest possible endorsement' of his parliamentary activity. The MP said his visit to Ukraine, which saw him cross the border from Poland to Lviv before travelling to the capital, opened his eyes to 'the devastation' of the war. He told the BBC in March: 'I found their people to be really, really hospitable. 'They're so incredibly resilient and they respect the British people so much, both for the support we've been giving them, and [because they] take inspiration for their own fight from the Battle of Britain. I very much hope we can see them through to victory in their own finest hour.'
BBC News
13-05-2025
- BBC News
Residents call for speeding crackdown after A38 crash
Villagers living near a Gloucestershire road where a pedestrian was killed in December have called for lower speed limits and better signage to improve road 50 residents attended a meeting hosted by Deerhurst Parish Council last week after the incident on the A38 near Deerhurst raised included speeding on the B4213 Ledbury Road and that the condition of some of roads are leading to motorists swerving to avoid potholes. The parish council said a further meeting has been planned to discuss possible solutions with community partners, the police and Gloucestershire County Council Highways. Residents said speeding was also a problem in the village of Apperley, according to the Local Democracy Reporting county councillor Richard Stanley, who represents Severn Vale, also attended the meeting and said: "There are serious concerns and the people of Apperley are crying out to be heard and these issues taken seriously."Too often we have to wait until someone loses a life before people are heard and this has to change."I will work with our new councillors, Highways officers, parish councillors, residents and our MP Cameron Thomas to ensure residents are listened to, the issues are identified and action taken."Anyone interested in joining a community speed watch group or a traffic working group was asked to contact the parish council.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
MP calls for fairer funding for county schools
A Gloucestershire MP is calling on the government to make school funding "fairer", with pupils in the county receiving up to £1,000 less each year compared to other parts of England. Cameron Thomas, the Liberal Democrat MP for Tewkesbury, held a debate at Westminster Hall on Tuesday where he highlighted the discrepancy. He said teachers in the county and across England are "on the front line of a genuine crisis to which they have been given no real answers". The Department for Education (DfE) said it will review the way school funding is calculated ahead of the 2026/27 academic year. More news stories for Gloucestershire Listen to the latest news for Gloucestershire The government pays local authorities money to provide education services through what is called the Dedicated Schools Grant. It uses a number of measures such as deprivation levels and local costs to calculate how much each area should receive. A spokesperson said: "We are reviewing the schools and high needs national funding formula (NFFs) for 2026-27 and the following years, recognising the importance of establishing a fair funding system." Gloucestershire is currently in the bottom 20% when it comes to school funding. This means pupils in the county receive up to £1,000 less each year compared to the 20% best funded areas. Thomas, 42, said this has an impact on pupils and teachers, with one Gloucestershire head teacher telling him he spent his holiday fixing the school as it could not afford to employ a caretaker. Speaking to the BBC after the debate, Thomas said: "Quite literally for a pupil it means they are being invested in to a lesser degree than pupils elsewhere in the country, and it might have a significant impact on the opportunities that are available to pupils within the education programme. "But the other victims of this are the teachers. "My head teachers are having to make decisions as to who they can afford to keep in term of their staff and who they need to let go." Thomas has welcomed the government's promise to review the funding formula but said it must result in an increase in the overall money given to schools across England. He believes the government could increase taxes on technology and social media companies to pay for it. "Quite simply, I'm looking for more equity," he said. "What I'm not asking for is to withdraw funds from those more lucratively funded areas of the country. I just want to make sure Gloucestershire gets it's fair share. "I certainly wouldn't like to see Gloucestershire less funded than it is now, it's already in a terrible state and any decrease to their existing funding would be ruinous." Alongside general mainstream school demands, councils across England are also struggling with the increasing costs associated with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision. In Gloucestershire, it is estimated the SEND budget will reach a deficit of £170m by the end of the 2028 financial year. The government currently allows local authorities to run this section of the budget at a deficit, but there is currently no clear plan as to how or when councils will be expected to balance this debt. The funding formula for the Dedicated Schools Grant was last reviewed in 2018/19. Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. MP banned from Russia after taking aid to Ukraine Funding worth £4.7m to create extra school places Parents devastated pre-school could close over lack of funding Department for Education
BBC News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
MP calls for fairer funding for Gloucestershire schools
A Gloucestershire MP is calling on the government to make school funding "fairer", with pupils in the county receiving up to £1,000 less each year compared to other parts of Thomas, the Liberal Democrat MP for Tewkesbury, held a debate at Westminster Hall on Tuesday where he highlighted the said teachers in the county and across England are "on the front line of a genuine crisis to which they have been given no real answers".The Department for Education (DfE) said it will review the way school funding is calculated ahead of the 2026/27 academic year. The government pays local authorities money to provide education services through what is called the Dedicated Schools uses a number of measures such as deprivation levels and local costs to calculate how much each area should receive.A spokesperson said: "We are reviewing the schools and high needs national funding formula (NFFs) for 2026-27 and the following years, recognising the importance of establishing a fair funding system."Gloucestershire is currently in the bottom 20% when it comes to school means pupils in the county receive up to £1,000 less each year compared to the 20% best funded 42, said this has an impact on pupils and teachers, with one Gloucestershire head teacher telling him he spent his holiday fixing the school as it could not afford to employ a to the BBC after the debate, Thomas said: "Quite literally for a pupil it means they are being invested in to a lesser degree than pupils elsewhere in the country, and it might have a significant impact on the opportunities that are available to pupils within the education programme."But the other victims of this are the teachers."My head teachers are having to make decisions as to who they can afford to keep in term of their staff and who they need to let go." 'More equity' Thomas has welcomed the government's promise to review the funding formula but said it must result in an increase in the overall money given to schools across believes the government could increase taxes on technology and social media companies to pay for it."Quite simply, I'm looking for more equity," he said."What I'm not asking for is to withdraw funds from those more lucratively funded areas of the country. I just want to make sure Gloucestershire gets it's fair share."I certainly wouldn't like to see Gloucestershire less funded than it is now, it's already in a terrible state and any decrease to their existing funding would be ruinous."Alongside general mainstream school demands, councils across England are also struggling with the increasing costs associated with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Gloucestershire, it is estimated the SEND budget will reach a deficit of £170m by the end of the 2028 financial government currently allows local authorities to run this section of the budget at a deficit, but there is currently no clear plan as to how or when councils will be expected to balance this funding formula for the Dedicated Schools Grant was last reviewed in 2018/19.
