Latest news with #Conservatives'
South Wales Argus
5 hours ago
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
Call from Senedd members over final say on farming support
Samuel Kurtz, the Conservatives' shadow rural affairs secretary, led a debate on the protest-plagued proposals for the sustainable farming scheme (SFS) on July 16. He said: 'Today, we're simply asking that this Senedd be given the opportunity to vote: a final, binding vote on the sustainable farming scheme before it is implemented. We all remember last year's protests. We know the strength of feeling across the country. 'A scheme of this scale, affecting over 80% of Wales' land, must carry democratic legitimacy. Let us vote. Let the elected members of this chamber, from every corner of Wales and from every party, have their say.' The former journalist, who is from a farming family, warned of a 'cliff-edge' in the transition from the basic payment scheme (BPS), which is set to fall by 40 per cent, to the SFS. He said: "If you don't join the SFS, you forfeit your BPS. If you do join the SFS, you forfeit your BPS entitlements. There's no going back… for you and your business. Is it any wonder anxiety is soaring? Is it any surprise that our farmers' mental health is deteriorating?' Labour's Lesley Griffiths, a former rural affairs minister, was extremely disappointed to see Welsh ministers cut a target of 43,000 hectares of new woodland by more than 60 per cent, with plans for 10 per cent tree cover on every farm ditched. Peter Fox, a Tory council leader-turned Senedd member, said he was planning to retire as a farmer having 'just about had enough', with the new SFS 'still laden with bureaucracy'. 'Most farmers just want to farm,' he said. 'They want to produce food and they want to look after their farm… but the priority in this SFS is clearly no longer food production.' Labour's Lee Waters warned the debate around farming has been dragged into 'culture wars', with divisions heightened by political debate. Deputy first minister Huw Irranca-Davies said Senedd members would get an opportunity to vote on regulations related to payment rates underpinning the scheme in the autumn. In the final vote before the Welsh Parliament breaks for summer recess, Senedd members voted narrowly, 22-20, against the opposition motion
Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Dog left unable to eat after being poisoned by polluted river - 'I thought I'd lose her'
"I just want rivers to go back to how they used to be," said Jane Angel, whose dog Tess was poisoned with from her local river A woman whose pet dog caught from a polluted river says she wishes Britain's waterways could go back to how they used to be. Environment Secretary Steve Reed is set to pledge a 50% reduction in sewage pollution in the next five years, ahead of what's expected to be a scathing report into the UK's water industry on Monday. A recent study by the Consumer Council for Water found complaints are on the rise, with around half (53%) of households feeling that what they are being charged is unfair. Jane Angel, 59, from Monmouthshire, told this newspaper her pet dog, Tess - a six-year-old Sprollie - was poisoned with after playing in her local river last month. 'Tess went down to the river Monnow as she usually does - she loves the water, had a drink and a swim,' she said. 'However, later that evening she was being violently sick everywhere and had diarrhoea. The vet confirmed it was E. coli poisoning from the river. 'Tess had to be on antibiotics for three weeks. She wouldn't eat or drink anything, I was worried sick that I was going to lose her.' Jane said she hadn't taken Tess back to the river since, and instead lets her play in a paddling pool in her garden. 'Tess supports me with my mental health and I wouldn't know what to do without her - she's my life,' she added. Ms Angel said she'd heard of four or five other dogs who had also become ill after playing in the river - yet no warning had been issued about the state of the water. She worries that children and holidaymakers visiting with caravans are at risk. 'I just want rivers to go back to how they used to be. I've lived in Monmouthshire all my life and it's never been like this. We used to be able to swim and paddle - but we can't anymore. I'm now worried about kids and other dogs that still go in the rivers." Catherine Fookes, the MP for Monmouthshire said: "The fact that Jane's dog became so incredibly ill is shocking. It's a damning reflection of the Conservatives' failure to protect and clean up our rivers. Fifteen years of underinvestment and inaction have led to this. 'I'm so relieved that Tess has fully recovered. I will continue to support Jane and keep pushing to deliver the changes we need in the water industry - so that people in Monmouthshire, and our beloved dogs, can once again swim in our rivers." In another scandal, residents of Hastings were offered no compensation after a major pipe burst over the May 2024 bank holiday weekend, leaving almost 30,000 without water for up to five days. It was only after local Labour MP Helena Dollimore quizzed Laurence Godsen, CEO of Southern Water, about the outage that the firm reversed the decision and paid residents £50 for every 12 hours they were without water. Nikki, from St Leonards on sea, East Sussex, and her family were forced to move out of their home for over 6 months after sewage water flooded their home due to a failure in Southern Water's mains. The incident caused huge disruption to her and her family, and the home had to be gutted and renovated before they could move back in. Tom Hayes, the Labour MP for Bournemouth East said: 'Water is our most important resource, yet there is unlikely to be any clean water left unless the water companies stop paying themselves huge bonuses and concentrate instead on actually investing to sort out sewage in the sea.'
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
At the Calgary Stampede, Pierre Poilievre had the same old problem: He was Pierre Poilievre
The Calgary Stampede is inevitable: no politician or pundit can resist its terrible gravity, its faux-cowboy charm, free breakfasts and boozy fundraisers. So, too, is the Conservatives' annual Stampede barbecue, a highlight of the political circuit, which this year allowed Pierre Poilievre to emerge from stasis after a disappointing spring election result. And emerge he did, offering his base a fairly typical show of catchphrases and bromides, in addition to an uncharacteristically mid-tier spread of hamburgers and hot dogs. Opinion articles are based on the author's interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. More details
Toronto Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- Toronto Sun
Letters to the Editor, July 16, 2025
Wednesday letters Photo by Illustration / Toronto Sun Re 'LILLEY UNLEASHED: Mark Carney is starting to sound like a conservative' (July 10): Mark Carney is sounding like a prime minister. That is why we voted for him, not because he ran as a Liberal, but because he came across as an adult who would get down to business. If Pierre Poilievre had sounded like a prime minister, he may have succeeded in his party forming a government or at least kept his seat. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Shane Matt (So your idea of getting down to business is having the U.S. president push Carney's buttons?) POWER GRID Certain Canadians said in the last election we don't want a change from Justin Trudeau's disastrous leadership of the past 10 years. We are going to believe the Liberals for the fourth time and vote in a prime minister who stole all the Conservatives' plans that would have repaired the damage the Liberals have done to our country. Mark Carney told you that he will make Canada an energy superpower and he is the only person in the world who can deal with Donald Trump and his tariffs. Really? Barry Harris Edmonton (The Liberals have done everything they can to waste energy resources in Canada.) NO JUSTICE Re 'Ontario court gambles with public safety, grants drunk driver bail' (Joe Warmington, July 10): Warmington rightly criticizes the court's decision to release an alleged impaired driver despite five previous convictions for the same offence. The accused was arrested after a four-vehicle collision in Brampton that sent three people to hospital, one in critical condition. He's a danger to public safety, so this decision is unjustified. Yes, the accused has rights, but the court is ignoring the rights of victims and the public in this matter. Moreover, nothing is stopping him from doing the same thing again. Considering the circumstances, he should have been held in custody pending his trial date. Claudio Ceolin Toronto (Let's hope he doesn't get the urge to climb behind the wheel again.) Sunshine Girls Toronto & GTA NFL Entertainment Toronto & GTA
Scotsman
6 days ago
- Politics
- Scotsman
Why UK needs its own 'Auld Alliance' with France to deal with English Channel people smugglers
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... For me the idea of a one-in, one-out immigration scheme conjures up the unlikely image of a security guard in a bright yellow vest keeping tally with a clicker. While that might not quite be an accurate picture of the perhaps more accurately named 'new migrant return scheme', it is not that far from the truth. Basically the deal agreed between the UK and France during President Emmanuel Macron's state visit will mean that for each migrant the UK Government returns, we will accept another who has made a legal claim in France to asylum here. The scheme, initially a pilot, is being lauded by both countries as a ground-breaking plan which will smash the model of the people smugglers and finally tackle the small boats issue. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Now that the pomp, ceremony and excitement of Macron's state visit has subsided it is clear that this was a main purpose of his trip. Starmer's government must be aware that if they do not grasp this nettle, they risk repeating the Conservatives' mistakes. Queen Camilla, King Charles III, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron arrive for the State Banquet at Windsor Castle last week (Picture: Aaron Chown/pool) | Getty Images Conservatives' disastrous Rwanda plan In the first half of this year alone, 20,000 people have risked their lives in small boat crossings despite all previous attempts to clamp down on them. But perhaps the biggest obstacle that the Labour government will have to overcome is convincing the public. The Conservatives' failure to tackle the issue with their disastrous and expensive Rwanda policy has simply fuelled public scepticism. This new deal with France would mean that any migrant coming here illegally, such as in a small boat, would be automatically excluded from future asylum and returned to France. Those living in France but wanting to come to the UK would be able to apply online for asylum. For every person who arrives illegally and is returned, someone who applies legally and is approved would be allowed to come to the UK through a secure route. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad At the same time, France will improve measures to intercept crossings, and both countries will increase joint enforcement actions in the Channel. In this country, the UK Government will crack down on illegal working, particularly in the gig economy, with changes in the law and new biometric technology introduced. Working with our closest and indeed one of our oldest European allies is surely the key to finally cracking these perilous crossings. The announcement has received a mixed reception with the Refugee Council saying it would provide a mechanism for a safe legal route while Asylum Matters is doubtful it will work. New relations with France I hope that it does work. We need people fleeing persecution or poverty to know that there is a safe legal route for those who qualify for asylum in this country. But equally it needs to be clear that people smuggling and exploitation of vulnerable individuals in the black economy will not be tolerated. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Critically if this initial pilot is to be successful it must be expanded. But in addressing parliament this week, President Macron found himself stood in the Royal Gallery, surrounded by paintings depicting England's glorious victories over his country at Trafalgar and Waterloo. Going forward we must hope that this new partnership is more reminiscent of Scotland's Auld Alliance with France as we face the fresh challenges of a new era.
