Latest news with #LABOUR
Scottish Sun
7 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Keir Starmer promises to build warships in Scotland in boost ‘for generations'
The Prime Minister is due to visit Glasgow on Monday 'BUILDING THE FUTURE' Keir Starmer promises to build warships in Scotland in boost 'for generations' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LABOUR will secure Scots shipbuilding's future 'for generations to come', the PM will announce on Monday. We can reveal Sir Keir Starmer will commit the UK Government to constructing warships here. 4 Sir Keir Starmer has promised to build warships in Scotland Credit: Alamy 4 The Prime Minister said his plans will boost jobs and investment along the River Clyde Credit: Alamy 4 Sir Keir Starmer said, 'Scotland is the beating heart of the UK's shipbuilding industry' Credit: AP The 'always on' supply line will boost jobs and investment along the Clyde. The Labour leader will visit Glasgow on Monday with Defence Secretary John Healey to outline plans to spend three per cent of GDP on defence within a decade as part of a strategic review. He promised Scotland would see a 'defence dividend' from the major increase in investment in the Armed Forces. On Sunday, Sir Keir said: 'Scotland is the beating heart of the United Kingdom's shipbuilding industry. 'For over a century, workers on the Clyde and Rosyth have been the backbone of Britain's maritime strength. 'Scottish shipbuilding backs thousands of secure, well-paid jobs. "But people aren't just building ships, they're building the future strength of the Royal Navy and national security.' He added: 'Through the Strategic Defence Review, our UK Labour government is backing the Scottish shipbuilding industry for generations to come. "Scotland will see a defence dividend from our record investment.' The SDR also commits the MoD to 'create conditions for sustained innovation and industrial support to the Navy'. Douglas Ross kicked out of FMQs for rowdy behaviour The UK Government has already committed £41billion to build four Dreadnought-class nuclear subs — with Faslane expected to maintain them. Last week, the first Type 31 frigate was unveiled at Babcock's yard at Rosyth in Fife. And the first Type 26 frigate, HMS Glasgow, was named by the Princess of Wales at BAE Systems' Scotstoun yard in Glasgow last month. Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: 'We are yet to see the detail of the Spending Review, but given Scotland's significant naval shipbuilding expertise, we would expect that any future contracts will provide a substantial contribution to our economy. 'Historically SMEs in Scotland receive one of the lowest proportions of defence spending in the UK (under two per cent compared to almost 13 per cent in the North East). "It is vital the UK Government follows through on its commitment to reform defence procurement so that more Scottish SMEs can successfully bid for defence contracts. 'We are committed to ensuring Scotland is the home of manufacturing innovation, but our long-standing position is that we do not use public money to support the manufacture of munitions.'
Scottish Sun
23-05-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Fury as Angela Rayner demands half a million parents across UK are STRIPPED of child benefits
The move could hammer nearly half a million families , including teachers, junior doctors and police officers NO KIDDING Fury as Angela Rayner demands half a million parents across UK are STRIPPED of child benefits LABOUR's civil war deepened last night after it emerged Angela Rayner pushed to strip child benefit from hundreds of thousands of families. The Deputy Prime Minister urged the Treasury to 'claw back' payments from households where the highest earner makes between £50,000 and £80,000 — reversing a key Conservative tax break worth up to £1,300 a year. Advertisement 2 Chancellor Rachel Reeves Credit: PA 2 A memo written by Angela Rayner suggested broader tax hikes and benefit cuts in a bold bid to fill Treasury coffers Credit: AFP The move would wipe out one of the most popular measures from Jeremy Hunt's 2024 Budget, which raised the threshold at which families start losing child benefit. Previously, households began to see their benefit cut if one parent earned over £50,000, with the payments completely withdrawn at £60,000. Mr Hunt raised those limits to £60,000 and £80,000 respectively — allowing nearly half a million families to keep more of their entitlement. But Rayner's proposal, revealed in a document dated March, would roll that back - hitting teachers, junior doctors, police officers and others who had just been promised relief from rising bills. Advertisement The system has long sparked fury among parents, because eligibility is based on individual salary, not joint household income. How to claim Child Benefit Child benefit is worth up to £1,331 a year for your first or only child and up to £881 a year for additional children. This works out at £102.40 every four weeks or £25.60 a week for your first child and £67.80 every 4 weeks or £16.95 a week for their siblings. There is no limit on the number of children that can be claimed for. Applying is straightforward and can be done in minutes at or through the HMRC app. Parents with a newborn baby should make a claim online as soon as possible and could then receive their first payment in as little as three days. You can also backdate claims for up to three months. Parents can make a claim and then choose to opt out of receiving Child Benefit payments can still receive National Insurance credits if one parent is not working. National Insurance credits build up your entitlement to the state pension. That means a single earner on £60,000 with a stay-at-home partner loses the benefit — while a couple each earning £49,000 still qualify in full. Mr Hunt had also launched a review into fixing this anomaly by assessing total household earnings instead — but Labour has since quietly dropped that plan. The ex-Tory Chancellor said: 'This may look like a relatively minor budget measure but was one of the most popular things we did because it helped striving middle-class families struggling with childcare costs. Advertisement 'Abandoning them would finally confirm that far from being a New Labour government, this is a traditional anti-aspiration Old Labour government.' The leaked memo, published by The Telegraph, revealed Ms Rayner also suggested broader tax hikes and benefit cuts in a bold bid to fill Treasury coffers. It marks a direct challenge to Rachel Reeves, who is already reeling from a bruising U-turn on plans to axe the winter fuel allowance for wealthier pensioners. And it is fuelling talk of a Cabinet rift between Labour's Left and more cautious centrists. Advertisement Allies of Reeves were quick to stress last night that she alone sets tax and spend policy, and that the ideas in the memo are not government plans. But Left-wing MPs have seized on the document, urging Sir Keir Starmer to go even further — including scrapping the two-child benefit cap and hiking taxes on savings.
Scottish Sun
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Labour councillor deliberately drove at protester amid heated campaign dispute shocking onlookers
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A LABOUR councillor shocked onlookers when he drove his car deliberately at a man filming a protest over school bus cuts. Raging Pat Patton then got out of his Hyundai Santa Fe and told victim Graham Cloughley to put his camera away. 3 THIS is the shocking moment a Scottish Labour councillor is filmed revving his car at protestors 3 Patton (left) had been campaigning for Frank McNally before the incident The politician, of Bellshill, Lanarkshire, now faces disciplinary action from his party after he was found guilty of assault. Airdrie Sheriff Court heard how the incident happened in nearby Coatbridge on June 26 last year, Patton's 59th birthday. A small group of parents and around 10 children had gathered to voice anger at North Lanarkshire Council making changes to school bus services. The protest took place outside the general election campaign HQ of Frank McNally, who was a Labour councillor and the party's candidate for Coatbridge and Bellshill. McNally went on to win the seat. Patton left the building and emerged from the car park in his Hyundai. Mr Cloughley, 46, told the court he was filming the protest and walked past the front of the councillor's car while it was not moving. He said: 'His car had been stopped for approximately five seconds. "He then looked at me and accelerated towards me, striking my knees. 'This caused me to move back and then jerk forward. 'I wasn't injured but I was shocked, taken aback that someone would do that. Labour councillor filmed telling crowd to 'cut throats' of far-right thugs is arrested for 'encouraging murder' 'Councillor Patton then got out of his car and tried to grab my phone.' Mr Cloughley's phone footage was shown in court. He could be heard telling Patton he had 'no right to run me down'. The councillor replied: 'You have no right to record me.' Asked if Patton's car could have hit him by accident, Mr Cloughley told prosecutor Fergus Warner: 'If it had been an accident he would have got out and apologised, but that didn't happen. "He was aggressive, clearly enraged and unapologetic.' Mr Cloughley's wife, Marissa, 48, said she was standing behind Patton's car and didn't see it hit her husband. But she told the court: 'It moved quite fast and I saw Graham lurch forward. I was really alarmed. Pat Patton was aggressive and angry.' Another parent, Mark Feeney, 52, added: 'The car kind of lunged forward and hit Graham on the legs. I had a perfect view of it.' Patton, who was elected as a councillor in 2022, said in evidence that he stopped his car when he saw Mr Cloughley walk towards him. 3 The incident unfolded as Councillor Patton was out on the campaign trail He added: 'The car never came into contact with him because I stopped. 'I got out and put up my hand to stop him filming. I had no intention of taking his phone from him.' Fellow Labour councillor Maureen Devlin said she was only a few feet away and insisted Patton's car didn't strike Mr Cloughley. She told defence lawyer Stephen MacBride: 'If it had I would have seen it.' Sheriff Walter Mercer said he wasn't convinced that Patton's car had struck Mr Cloughley but concluded: 'It's beyond reasonable doubt that he assaulted Mr Cloughley by accelerating and driving the vehicle towards him.' The sheriff said he considered the councillor's conduct 'towards the lower end of the scale' and fined Patton, who has no previous convictions, £420.
The National
20-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Labour councillor guilty of 'deliberately driving at activists'
A LABOUR councillor shocked onlookers when he drove his car deliberately at a man filming a protest over school bus cuts. Raging Pat Patton then got out of his Hyundai Santa Fe and told victim Graham Cloughley to put his camera away. Patton, of Bellshill, Lanarkshire, now faces disciplinary action from his party after he was found guilty of assault. Airdrie Sheriff Court heard the incident happened in nearby Coatbridge on June 26 last year, Patton's 59th birthday. READ MORE: Rachel Reeves rejects reports about change to £20,000 ISA allowance A small group of parents and around 10 children had gathered to voice anger at North Lanarkshire Council making changes to school bus services. The protest took place outside the general election campaign HQ of Frank McNally, who was a Labour councillor and the party's candidate for Coatbridge and Bellshill. McNally went on to win the seat. Patton (left) left the building and emerged from the car park in his Hyundai. (Image: Supplied) Cloughley, 46, told the court he was filming the protest and walked past the front of the councillor's car while it was not moving. He said: "His car had been stopped for approximately five seconds. He then looked at me and accelerated towards me, striking my knees. "This caused me to move back and then jerk forward. "I wasn't injured but I was shocked, taken aback that someone would do that. "Councillor Patton then got out of his car and tried to grab my phone." Cloughley's phone footage was shown in court. He could be heard telling Patton he had "no right to run me down". The councillor replied: "You have no right to record me." Asked if Patton's car could have hit him by accident, Cloughley told prosecutor Fergus Warner: "If it had been an accident he would have got out and apologised, but that didn't happen. "He was aggressive, clearly enraged and unapologetic." Cloughley's wife, Marissa, 48, said she was standing behind Patton's car and didn't see it hit her husband. But she told the court: "It moved quite fast and I saw Graham lurch forward. I was really alarmed. Pat Patton was aggressive and angry." Another parent, Mark Feeney, 52, added: "The car kind of lunged forward and hit Graham on the legs. I had a perfect view of it." Patton, who was elected as a councillor in 2022, said in evidence that he stopped his car when he saw Cloughley walk towards him. He added: "The car never came into contact with him because I stopped. "I got out and put up my hand to stop him filming. I had no intention of taking his phone from him." Fellow Labour councillor Maureen Devlin said she was only a few feet away and insisted Patton's car didn't strike Cloughley. She told defence lawyer Stephen MacBride: "If it had I would have seen it." Sheriff Walter Mercer said he wasn't convinced that Patton's car had struck Mr Cloughley but concluded: "It's beyond reasonable doubt that he assaulted Mr Cloughley by accelerating and driving the vehicle towards him." The sheriff said he considered the councillor's conduct "towards the lower end of the scale" and fined Patton, who has no previous convictions, £420.
Qatar Tribune
19-05-2025
- Business
- Qatar Tribune
LABOUR MINISTER MEETS GHANA Counterpart
LABOUR MINISTER MEETS GHANAIAN COUNTERPART Minister of Labour HE Dr. Ali bin Samikh Al Marri met with Minister of Labour, Jobs, and Employment of Ghana Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo on the sidelines of the conference on the future of the Fair Recruitment Initiative in Geneva on Monday. The meeting discussed aspects of joint cooperation between the two countries in the labour sector and ways to enhance them. (QNA)
