Latest news with #IainDuncanSmith
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE One in five NHS trusts using Chinese-made solar panels 'linked to slaves'
One in five NHS trusts are using solar panels produced by Chinese companies with alleged ties to slave labour, the Mail can reveal. Hospitals, mental health units and ambulance stations across the country are fitted with such panels, with Energy Secretary Ed Miliband looking to expand the scheme exponentially. His controversial plans to refit the roofs of 200 schools and 200 NHS sites have sparked fury among human rights campaigners. But despite Labour bowing to pressure and trying to stop the future purchase of panels from slave labour, critics have warned it will prove challenging, meaning more will end up on NHS buildings. Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said the Government must do more to clean up the sector as our investigation found: Around two thirds of NHS Trusts currently using solar panels have installed equipment made by Chinese firms – with the majority allegedly having ties to slave labour; Some panels were installed after the links were made public and after laws were introduced aimed at cleaning up UK supply chains; and The largest provider is Beijing-based firm JA Solar, which has provided panels for 19 NHS sites despite being banned in the US. China is behind 80 per cent of the global supply of solar panels – and more than a third of the world's polysilicon, a key component, comes from the Xinjiang region. There, Uighur Muslims are rounded up and forced to work for little or no pay. The solar sector has known its supply chains are affected by slave labour since 2020, according to a report by Sheffield Hallam university. And in April 2023, the Tory government introduced requirements for public bodies to provide supply chain information for products deemed at risk of modern slavery. The Mail asked trusts for names of firms that installed and made their panels, alongside correspondence discussing risk of slave labour in the supply chain. But replies show some NHS managers seem to be passing the buck to subcontractors. Of the 215 health trusts in England, 98 use solar power across 212 sites, with 46 trusts having installed solar panels made by Chinese companies. Some 40 of these are using firms linked to slave labour in the 2023 report by Sheffield Hallam. In December 2024, Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust installed 86 solar panels made by Chinese firm Longi at a new £9 million outpatient department at West Cornwall Hospital. But when asked what due diligence was carried out, the trust said it was 'not aware of any correspondence' discussing the risk. Instead, it pointed to Longi's code of conduct, which says the firm does 'not engage in or tolerate any form of modern slavery'. But Longi was one of ten makers said to have a 'very high' exposure to slave labour in Xinjiang by the 2023 report. RCHT and contractor Kier Construction said that Kier 'received extensive assurances from its supply chain regarding the ethical production of PV panels' and that its 'procurement processes integrate modern slavery due diligence'. Longi denied that forced labour was present in its supply chain. Some trusts said panels had been installed before modern slavery statutes were introduced in 2023. But Luke de Pulford, of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said companies should still have been screened for exposure to slave labour, given the known risks. Mr Miliband's £180million of new investment in solar panels is to come from GB Energy, the Government's new, publicly owned clean energy company. The Government initially voted down a Lords amendment to stop GB Energy buying panels made using slave labour from China. It reversed its position after 92 Labour MPs abstained. But the Government's measure in the GB Energy Act only applies to the state-owned energy firm, so private firms could still use Chinese materials. Mr De Pulford said it would be 'difficult' to ensure equipment was clean of slave labour, as the Government 'doesn't have the ability to do the kind of due diligence that's required'. And Sir Iain called on the Government to adopt the US model, which places the burden of proof on Chinese firms to prove they are free from slave labour. Professor Laura Murphy, co-author of the Sheffield Hallam report, said it was possible to meet demand without relying on slave labour, but the sector had not done enough to overhaul or scrutinise supply chains. An NHS England spokesman said: 'NHS trusts should always purchase products in line with government procurement guidelines – which includes identifying higher risk sectors and taking appropriate action.'
The Sun
7 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
I took DWP to court and won over tax on extra bedroom in our detached council house – now I have more benefits than EVER
'SEE you in court!' I say, voice raised, as I slam the phone down on the call handler. It was my third call to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) about the absurd bedroom tax we were facing and nothing had changed, so this time I was taking legal action. 5 5 The property I live in is a three bedroom detached council house in Silverdale, Newcastle-Under-Lyme. As it is just myself and my partner Paul in our home the DWP has always deducted our joint Universal Credit claim for this by almost £100 in bedroom tax. Introduced in 2013 the policy is part of the British Welfare Reform Act 2012 and outlines that council or social housing tenants with rooms deemed to be "spare" face a reduction in housing benefit. Having one bedroom more than the calculated allowance means a reduction in housing benefit of 14 per cent, and two "spare" bedrooms means that a tenant will lose 25 per cent of their housing benefit. The ruling states that one bedroom is allowed per adult couple and while I have three bedrooms I don't agree that we should be penalised for them. The £911 a month Universal Credit we received barely covered our rent and bills so to lose out on £94 to spare bedroom tax was out of the question. Conservative minister Iain Duncan Smith previously argued it was an "unfair situation where the tax payer is subsidising people to have home, paid for by the state, with spare rooms they do not need". While many will be quick to agree, I do in fact need all of the bedrooms in my home. The first spare 'bedroom' is upstairs and is completely inaccessible to my partner as he is a permanent wheelchair user. The two downstairs rooms are both under 3 x 3 metres so we need the extra room simply to store Paul's wheelchair and equipment such as wheelchair chargers and the two extra seats we removed from his car to fit his hoist and wheelchair in. Tragic 'suicide' of bedroom tax victim As the rooms are so small, Paul also needs his wardrobe in our spare room as the other room only fits a queen-sized bed and wheelchair. The spare bedroom tax penalises those with disabilities and I'm not the only one who thinks so. Two-thirds of the people affected are registered as disabled and when the policy was introduced many found themselves suddenly liable for the bedroom tax after deaths or after children had moved out of the home. In 2012 the High Court rejected the premise that the policy was a breach of Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights due to the effect on disabled people. The following year disabled grandmother Stephanie Bottrill took her own life after struggling to cope with the newly introduced tax on the three bedroom home she had lived in for 18 years. The law has since been amended so that those whose bedrooms stand empty as a result of death are exempt. Prickling with the injustice of our own situation, I asked the DWP to reconsider what we are entitled to, known as a mandatory reconsideration. When this was rejected with an official letter, I made the decision to take the DWP to court, a tribunal all DWP claimants are entitled to if they disagree with a decision. 5 5 It wasn't the first time I'd done this. In 2013 my PIP for schizophrenia was stopped. According to the DWP I couldn't possibly work part-time as a journalist if I really had schizophrenia. It didn't seem to matter that I was working from home, mostly from my bed on my laptop, always in my PJs and never working more than 16 hours a week. Back then I also disagreed with the decision to stop my PIP and asked for a mandatory reconsideration. After they rejected this, I took the DWP to court and the judge ruled I was indeed entitled to middle rate PIP - which was a higher rate than I'd expected. WHAT IS THE BEDROOM TAX? Called the under-occupancy policy, it was dubbed the Bedroom Tax as critics who condemned the changes faced by people on benefits amounted to a tax, due to the lack of social housing for affected people to downsize to. Having one bedroom more than the calculated allowance means a reduction in housing benefit of 14 per cent, and two "spare" bedrooms means that a tenant will lose 25 per cent of their housing benefit. The penalties, which can see people affected losing a significant amount of their income or risk being evicted, have also been criticised as having a disproportionate impact on disabled people. In 2016 it was announced that the penalty would be extended to elderly people, despite promises from the government to protect the elderly from benefit cuts. Our court hearing this March only lasted 20 minutes. Armed with my packet of Lambert cigarettes and wearing my tracksuit, I calmly stated our case to the DWP representative. I was intimidated, so I only said the bare bones of our case, that I disagreed with the DWP's decision to add bedroom tax for two spare rooms to our Universal Credit payment each month. We got lucky with our representative who said that the decision to add bedroom tax to our benefits was 'utterly ridiculous' especially when the upstairs room was inaccessible by wheelchair. So a month after the ruling, I got a lump sum of £600 and an extra £94 a month in Universal Credit. I've invested the £600 in a desk, a sewing machine and new laptop which I hope, when further benefits cuts take place next year, might help make an income from writing and clothing alterations. If, like me, you disagree with a decision made about your benefits don't stay silent. Ask for your mandatory reconsideration and if you still disagree, take it to a tribunal. Be sure to read all documents in full and they will outline the steps that you need to take, to further your claim. I've won the two appeals and now my benefits income has been boosted to £1,004 a month, more than ever before. That doesn't make me greedy or a scrounger, it's just what I am entitled to. 5
Sky News
27-05-2025
- Business
- Sky News
What is the two-child benefit cap and will Labour scrap it?
The government is considering getting rid of the two-child benefit cap first brought in by the Conservatives. The policy has caused considerable consternation within the Labour Party, with a growing number of MPs calling to scrap it and ministers so far refusing to. But now, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has given the government's strongest hint yet it may scrap the cap after she told Sky News ministers are "considering" lifting it. We look at what the cap is and the controversy over it. What is the two-child benefit cap? Since 2017, parents have only been able to claim child tax credit and universal credit for their first two children, if they were born after April 2017. An exception is made for children born as a result of rape. 0:56 Who introduced it? Then work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith first proposed the policy in 2012 under the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government. It was not until 2015 that then chancellor George Osborne announced a cap would be introduced from the 2017/2018 financial year. The coalition said it made the system fairer for taxpayers and ensured households on benefits faced the same financial choices around having children as those not on benefits. What is Labour's position on the cap? The party has long been divided over the issue, with Sir Keir Starmer ruling out scrapping the cap in 2023. He then said Labour wanted to remove it, but only when fiscal conditions allowed. Following Labour's landslide victory last July, the prime minister refused to bow to pressure within his party, and suspended seven MPs for six months for voting with the SNP to scrap the cap. Ministers have toed the party line for months, but the narrative started to shift in May, with Sir Keir reported to have asked the Treasury to see how scrapping it could be funded. The publication of Labour's child poverty strategy was delayed from the spring to autumn, fuelling speculation the government wants to use the next budget to scrap the cap. Then the education secretary told Sky News on 27 May lifting the cap is "not off the table" - and "it's certainly something that we're considering". 2:37 How many children does the cap affect? Government figures show one in nine children (1.6m) are impacted by the two-child limit. In the first three months Labour were in power, 10,000 children were pulled into poverty by the cap, the Child Poverty Action Group found. In May, it said another 109 children are pulled into poverty each day by the limit, adding to the 4.5 million already in poverty. The Resolution Foundation said the cap would increase the number of children in poverty to 4.8 million by the next election in 2029-30. Torsten Bell, the foundation's former chief executive and now a Labour Treasury minister, said scrapping the cap would lift 470,000 children out of poverty. How much would lifting the cap cost the taxpayer? The cap means for every subsequent child after the first two, families cannot claim benefits worth £3,455 a year, according to the Institute for Government. It estimates removing the limit would cost the government about £3.4bn a year - equal to roughly 3% of the total working-age benefit budget. It is also approximately the same cost as freezing fuel duties for the next parliament.
Telegraph
25-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Sadiq Khan offers empty homes to rough sleepers despite housing crisis
Sir Sadiq Khan plans to give 500 new properties to the homeless amid a national housing crisis. The Mayor of London said that he would refurbish the empty homes using £17 million of taxpayer money. It follows one of his 2024 manifesto pledges in which he said he would 'eliminate' rough sleeping in the capital by 2030. 'What we are saying to councils, registered social providers is: if you have a property that is not fit for use, it's in bad condition, let us take it over,' Sir Sadiq told the London Evening Standard. 'The Government has given us £17 million. That will help us refurbish these properties, and we can put in these properties those with complex needs. 'You can't expect after four weeks, eight weeks, 12 weeks to get them out. That is why these homes are a lifeline for those people.' The announcement comes as property prices rise at their fastest rate in almost two years. Those looking to buy a home also face an average price of £270,000, up from £50,000 30 years ago. MPs have criticised the plans, accusing Sir Sadiq of hypocrisy and arguing he has ignored those who are unable to buy a house. Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the Conservative MP for Chingford and Woodford Green and former leader of the Conservative party, told The Telegraph that it was a case of 'ignoring' young families. 'He says one thing but does another' He said: 'Typical of Khan. First he fails to get anywhere near his housing target which he pledged at the last election and now, with young families crying out for housing he ignores their pleas. He says one thing but does another. City Hall said that despite record levels of investment, including £10 million set aside earlier this year, the long-term consequences of the housing crisis combined with a slashing of local authorities' budgets had meant that they had been forced into crisis management. Under new plans, the availability of houses to prevent rough sleeping would be increased. Sir Sadiq also plans to change rules by 2028 to enable help for the homeless without having to wait for them to spend their first night on the streets. He also announced he would also open a network of 'ending homelessness hubs' to try and reduce rough sleeping in London. About one in 50 Londoners is technically homeless and living in temporary accommodation, presenting a growing problem for the capital's boroughs, which have a legal obligation to provide adequate housing to those in need. A spokesman for the Mayor of London said: 'The Mayor is proud of his housing record, which includes meeting the target set by the previous government to deliver 116,000 affordable homes across the capital. 'Under his leadership, London has completed more homes than at any time since the 1930s and council housebuilding has hit the level since the 1970s – benefitting all Londoners, including young Londoners. 'The mayor is determined to work with the Government to turn the tide on the last 14 years of underinvestment in affordable housebuilding, which has been a key driver of the homelessness and cost of living crisis in the capital and across the country.'
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Sir Keir warned not to cosy up to EU as President Trump now threatens Brussels with 50 per cent tariffs
Sir Keir Starmer was yesterday warned against more Brexit backsliding after Donald Trump threatened to hit the EU with 50 per cent trade tariffs. The US President made the threat amid trade talks between Washington and Brussels, warning he could impose the tariffs next month. It comes after Sir Keir unveiled his EU-UK 'reset' deal this week, bringing Britain the closest its been with the bloc since Brexit. But critics fear it's the start of a slippery slope which could lead to the PM, who tried to reverse Brexit while in Opposition, taking Britain back into the EU's customs union or single market. Were this to happen, the tariffs would likely apply to the UK part of his deal, dubbed the 'surrender' pact by Brexiteers, Sir Keir agreed to shackle Britain to the EU's rulebook on food standards, also known as the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement (SPS). He also surrendered Britain's fishing waters to EU trawlers for another 12 years and committed to a youth mobility scheme which could give tens of thousands of Europeans the right to live and work here. Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: 'This week he stupidly went and handed ourselves over to the EU on SPS, where we have now become a rule-taker from the EU. 'So this 50 per cent tariff should be a warning to him that it's a mistake getting directly back involved with the EU.' Stock markets fell sharply on Mr Trump's threats. The FTSE 100 closed 0.24 per cent, or 21.29 points, down. European markets fell even further – with Germany's Dax down 1.5 per cent and France's Cac 40 falling 1.7 per cent. In New York, stocks were also trading lower. Analysts said Mr Trump's announcements had eradicated optimism that his previous aggressive stance on tariffs had cooled after deals with China and the UK. 'The European Union, which was formed for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the United States on TRADE, has been very difficult to deal with,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social site. 'I am recommending a straight 50 per cent Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025.' EU exports to the United States last year totalled about €500billion (£420billion), led by Germany with €161billion (£135billion). Mr Trump also turned his fire on tech firm Apple. 'I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhones that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else,' he said, referring to the Apple chief executive. 'If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25 per cent must be paid by Apple to the US.' Apple shares fell nearly three per cent.
