Latest news with #CivilContingenciesAct
ITV News
24-04-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
'Rats the size of Daschunds': Shadow minister claims dog-sized rats are terrifying residents
Central Bin strikes Politics Rats 'the size of dachshunds are terrifying the local residents' in Birmingham. That's according to the shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Alex Burghart. He told MPs: 'I'd like to turn to the sorry state of Labour-run Birmingham where rats the size of dachshunds are terrifying the local residents. "Indeed in the Daily Telegraph this morning, we read that Birmingham City Council has warned of a possible surge of rat borne diseases to which the elderly, disabled people and babies are particularly susceptible. 'The Government has had emergency powers throughout this crisis, not least Civil Contingencies Act. Will the minister set out for the House why she has declined to use them?' Bin strikes: Talks between union and council adjourned without agreement What do I do if my bin hasn't been emptied in Birmingham? Cabinet Office minister Abena Oppong-Asare replied: 'I'm sure (Mr Burghart) would like to join me in praising the Deputy Prime Minister (Angela Rayner) and her team for hard work on this in terms of getting this cleared. "A lot of the rubbish has been cleared.' Mr Burghart then said: 'I'm afraid I'm not going to congratulate the Deputy Prime Minister in much the same way that the people of Birmingham are not thanking her either. 'I very much hope that the Deputy Prime Minister will take the Prime Minister and maybe the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to Birmingham to see the fact that there is still very much rubbish that is not cleared. "And I hope that the Labour Party will perhaps undertake not to take any donations from Unite the Union while this crisis is ongoing.' Negotiations to resolve the Birmingham bin strike have ended again. Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, said on Wednesday: 'We could be in touching distance of a deal but Birmingham City Council is again guilty of saying one thing in public and another in the negotiations. 'This flip flopping needs to be sorted prior to the Acas negotiations next week, so the dispute can be resolved and end the uncertainty for workers and the misery for Birmingham residents. 'The threats of savage pay cuts must also now cease for drivers. Unite has put forward workable proposals. "The ball is now in the council's court.' Cllr John Cotton, leader of Birmingham City Council said: 'Our door remains open for further talks. However, to make progress Unite must accept reality. We will not be able to make progress until Unite accepts that the WRCO role cannot be brought back, and that the council cannot and will not entertain anything that would re-open an equal pay liability. 'That wouldn't be fair for residents or workers and is a red line for Birmingham City Council. We are open to good faith negotiations on the basis of the fair and reasonable offer on the table. 'In the meantime, we are making good progress in clearing up the backlog of waste.'
The Independent
24-04-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Rats the ‘size of dachshunds' terrify Birmingham residents as bin strike prompts fear of surge in rodent-borne diseases
Rats the 'size of dachshunds' are terrifying residents in Birmingham as the seven-week long bin strike continues. Towering piles of black bags has not only resulted in a permeating stench, but huge rats scurrying through waste has prompted fears that it could result in a surge of rodent-borne diseases. Shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Alex Burghart, told MPs: 'Rats the size of dachshunds are terrifying the local residents.' Referring to an article in the Daily Telegraph, he added Birmingham City Council has 'warned of a possible surge of rat borne diseases' to which the elderly, disabled people and babies are particularly susceptible. There are several rat borne diseases in the UK which can be spread through water contaminated with rat urine or from bites and scratches. One disease is Leptospirosis, a bacterial infection found in rodents, that can cause flu-like symptoms and in the most serious cases kidney failure. Hantaviruses are a group of viruses that can be carried and transmitted by rodents which can cause haemorrhagic fever, according to UKHSA. Although rare, rat-bite fever is also caused by a type of bacteria carried by seemingly healthy rats and mice. Spread through a bite from an infected rodent it can cause fever, muscle and joint pain, a rash and nausea within seven days. Another infection highlighted by UKHSA is LCMV, which can cause a type of meningitis. People can become infected after exposure to rodent urine, dropping or saliva. Criticising how the government has handled the bin strike Mr Burghart added: "The Government has had emergency powers throughout this crisis, not least Civil Contingencies Act." Cabinet Office minister Abena Oppong-Asare reassured that 'a lot of rubbish has been cleared'. But Mr Burghart added: 'There is still very much rubbish that is not cleared. And I hope that the Labour Party will perhaps undertake not to take any donations from Unite the Union while this crisis is ongoing." It comes as union officials claim the end of the bin strikes are in 'touching distance'. A meeting between officials from Unite and Birmingham City Council on Wednesday ended without an agreement, resulting in the independent public body and conciliation service Acas now being involved in negotiations. After the meeting, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said a deal 'could be in touching distance' if the council stops 'flip-flopping'.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Labour considers using terror laws to nationalise British Steel
Terror laws could be used to nationalise Britain's last steel blast furnaces after their Chinese owner threatened to shut them down. Jonathan Reynolds, the Business Secretary, has raised the idea of using the Civil Contingencies Act as a way of rapidly nationalising British Steel, The Telegraph understands. Introduced in 2004, the act allows ministers to invoke extraordinary powers in the event of a national emergency such as war, an attack by a foreign power or an act of terrorism. The unprecedented move is being considered after Jingye, the Scunthorpe plant's Chinese owner, announced plans to close both blast furnaces there after talks with the Government collapsed. It is understood the company has suggested it could start shutting down at least one of the blast furnaces within a matter of weeks, with the second closure following as soon as June. Such a move could be irreversible once taken, unions have warned. It would leave Britain as the only G7 nation without the ability to make new steel and trigger the loss of up to 2,700 jobs. Unions have urged Mr Reynolds to step in and nationalise the company to stop the blast furnaces from being closed. Nationalisation has previously only been considered by the Government in the event that the company becomes insolvent. Jingye is not in financial distress. However, amid cross-party warnings that losing the ability to make virgin steel poses a national security threat, Mr Reynolds is said to have discussed using the Civil Contingencies Act as a way of blocking Jingye from closing the Scunthorpe blast furnaces. The move would effectively grant ministers the ability to write temporary laws that give them control of British Steel without needing to rush a bill through Parliament, although that would likely need to be done afterwards to make the change permanent. However, the act has never been used before – even during the Covid pandemic – and invoking it risks spooking businesses and triggering a court battle with Jingye. On Friday, Whitehall insiders refused to rule out nationalising British Steel using the act. The government previously nationalised British Steel after it collapsed in 2019. 'That will always be an option,' said one government source. They stressed that a deal with Jingye was still the preferred option, however. The Treasury's 'special situations' team is also working closely with the Department for Business and Trade to draw up emergency plans. Mr Reynolds is understood to have first raised the prospect of using emergency powers to regain control of British Steel in meetings last year. The company is a major supplier to construction firms and Network Rail, which on Friday revealed it had been secretly stockpiling steel in anticipation of a crisis. At the moment, Network Rail – which runs and maintains all rail infrastructure – sources 95pc of its steel from the Scunthorpe blast furnaces. The remainder comes from Europe. An end to steel making in Scunthorpe risked leaving the public body with only a month's worth of rail, leaving it unable to maintain or upgrade tracks. But a spokesman confirmed to The Telegraph that Network Rail was now prepared for that eventuality, adding: 'We now have plenty to supply all of our needs for at least the next 12 months and beyond. 'So the closure of the blast furnaces at Scunthorpe would have no impact on the railway in Britain for the foreseeable future.' Bosses were ordered to make the contingency plans amid reports that British Steel's Chinese parent, Jingye, was preparing to shut the company's two blast furnaces down. Labour ministers have been desperately trying to secure the future of steel making at the plant following the closure of Indian conglomerate Tata's blast furnaces in Port Talbot, Wales, which also triggered the loss of more than 2,000 jobs. However, Jingye has run out of patience with the business, which is said to be losing £700,000 per day. The company had sought a £1bn support package from the Government that it had offered to match with another £1bn, with the money going towards the opening of two electric arc furnaces (EAFs). These would have allowed steel production to continue at Scunthorpe using recycled metal but would only have saved 700 jobs, while still putting 2,000 people out of work. Mr Reynolds offered the company a £500m package and demanded guarantees on jobs that Jingye was not prepared to provide. This prompted the company to announce on Thursday that it could close both blast furnaces as soon as June without replacing them. That would leave a viable rump business capable of producing rolled steel, but only using foreign imports. On Friday, Mr Reynolds said: 'I know this will be a deeply worrying time for staff and, while this is British Steel's decision, we will continue working tirelessly to reach an agreement with the company's owners to secure its future and protect taxpayers' money. 'We've been clear there's a bright future for steelmaking in the UK. 'We've committed up to £2.5bn to rebuild the sector and will soon publish a plan for steel setting out how we can achieve a sustainable future for the workforce, industry and local communities.' Zengwei An, chief executive of British Steel, said the closure of the blast furnaces was 'extremely difficult for staff' but necessary 'given the hugely challenging circumstances the business faces'. The company is consulting on redundancy plans. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. 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Telegraph
29-03-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Labour considers using terror laws to nationalise British Steel
Terror laws could be used to nationalise Britain's last steel blast furnaces after their Chinese owner threatened to shut them down. Jonathan Reynolds, the Business Secretary, has raised the idea of using the Civil Contingencies Act as a way of rapidly nationalising British Steel, The Telegraph understands. Introduced in 2004, the act allows ministers to invoke extraordinary powers in the event of a national emergency such as war, an attack by a foreign power or an act of terrorism. The unprecedented move is being considered after Jingye, the Scunthorpe plant's Chinese owner, announced plans to close both blast furnaces there after talks with the Government collapsed. It is understood the company has suggested it could start shutting down at least one of the blast furnaces within a matter of weeks, with the second closure following as soon as June. Such a move could be irreversible once taken, unions have warned. It would leave Britain as the only G7 nation without the ability to make new steel and trigger the loss of up to 2,700 jobs. Unions have urged Mr Reynolds to step in and nationalise the company to stop the blast furnaces from being closed. Nationalisation has previously only been considered by the Government in the event that the company becomes insolvent. Jingye is not in financial distress. However, amid cross-party warnings that losing the ability to make virgin steel poses a national security threat, Mr Reynolds is said to have discussed using the Civil Contingencies Act as a way of blocking Jingye from closing the Scunthorpe blast furnaces. The move would effectively grant ministers the ability to write temporary laws that give them control of British Steel without needing to rush a bill through Parliament, although that would likely need to be done afterwards to make the change permanent. However, the act has never been used before – even during the Covid pandemic – and invoking it risks spooking businesses and triggering a court battle with Jingye. On Friday, Whitehall insiders refused to rule out nationalising British Steel using the act. The government previously nationalised British Steel after it collapsed in 2019. 'That will always be an option,' said one government source. They stressed that a deal with Jingye was still the preferred option, however. The Treasury's 'special situations' team is also working closely with the Department for Business and Trade to draw up emergency plans. Mr Reynolds is understood to have first raised the prospect of using emergency powers to regain control of British Steel in meetings last year. The company is a major supplier to construction firms and Network Rail, which on Friday revealed it had been secretly stockpiling steel in anticipation of a crisis. At the moment, Network Rail – which runs and maintains all rail infrastructure – sources 95pc of its steel from the Scunthorpe blast furnaces. The remainder comes from Europe. An end to steel making in Scunthorpe risked leaving the public body with only a month's worth of rail, leaving it unable to maintain or upgrade tracks. But a spokesman confirmed to The Telegraph that Network Rail was now prepared for that eventuality, adding: 'We now have plenty to supply all of our needs for at least the next 12 months and beyond. 'So the closure of the blast furnaces at Scunthorpe would have no impact on the railway in Britain for the foreseeable future.' Bosses were ordered to make the contingency plans amid reports that British Steel's Chinese parent, Jingye, was preparing to shut the company's two blast furnaces down. Labour ministers have been desperately trying to secure the future of steel making at the plant following the closure of Indian conglomerate Tata's blast furnaces in Port Talbot, Wales, which also triggered the loss of more than 2,000 jobs. However, Jingye has run out of patience with the business, which is said to be losing £700,000 per day. The company had sought a £1bn support package from the Government that it had offered to match with another £1bn, with the money going towards the opening of two electric arc furnaces (EAFs). These would have allowed steel production to continue at Scunthorpe using recycled metal but would only have saved 700 jobs, while still putting 2,000 people out of work. Mr Reynolds offered the company a £500m package and demanded guarantees on jobs that Jingye was not prepared to provide. This prompted the company to announce on Thursday that it could close both blast furnaces as soon as June without replacing them. That would leave a viable rump business capable of producing rolled steel, but only using foreign imports. On Friday, Mr Reynolds said: 'I know this will be a deeply worrying time for staff and, while this is British Steel's decision, we will continue working tirelessly to reach an agreement with the company's owners to secure its future and protect taxpayers' money. 'We've been clear there's a bright future for steelmaking in the UK. 'We've committed up to £2.5bn to rebuild the sector and will soon publish a plan for steel setting out how we can achieve a sustainable future for the workforce, industry and local communities.' Zengwei An, chief executive of British Steel, said the closure of the blast furnaces was 'extremely difficult for staff' but necessary 'given the hugely challenging circumstances the business faces'. The company is consulting on redundancy plans.
