Latest news with #NeilHudson
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
MPs call to halt depictions of cropped-ear dogs
An MP has called on film, television and media outlets to stop depicting dogs with cropped ears, following a dramatic rise in the number of reported cases in recent years. Veterinary surgeon Dr Neil Hudson, who is also the Conservative MP for Epping, Essex, has written an open letter to those in the industry which has been signed by 21 of his Conservative colleagues in Westminster. Dr Hudson described ear cropping - made illegal in the UK in 2006 but still permitted in other countries - as "a horrific, cruel and clinically unnecessary practice". The RSPCA said reports of "cruel and unnecessary ear cropping on dogs" had increased by 2,000% in a decade. Dr Hudson, who also serves as shadow parliamentary under secretary for Defra, continued: "This painful procedure, performed solely for 'aesthetic' purposes, involves the removal or alteration of a dog's ears, often without proper veterinary care or pain relief." He said this, coupled with the lack of import regulations on equipment to crop a dog's ears, may be causing the influx of mutilated dogs. The RSPCA said ear cropping "doesn't benefit the dog in any way and can actually be detrimental to their health, behaviour and welfare". "We urge people to not buy into the trend - the only way to stop this is by not fuelling the demand for a cropped-eared dog," said David Bowles, the charity's head of public affairs. A bill that addresses the problem of low-welfare animal imports dogs, cats and ferrets into the United Kingdom is currently being progressed through parliament. Dr Hudson continued: "The inclusion of cropped ears in media can inadvertently normalise this cruelty, misleading audiences into viewing mutilation as acceptable." He said popular Hollywood films such as Disney Pixar's Up, from 2009, and Warner Bros' DC League of Super-Pets in 2022, both featured dogs with clipped ears. He pointed to a more recent example in the US, with the 2025 Best in Show winner at Westminster Kennel Club also having cropped ears. The letter referenced the Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937, which prohibits the use of animals subjected to cruelty during production. The Westminster Kennel Club, Warner Brothers, Disney Pixar, and DC Entertainment have all been approached for comment by the BBC. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. More than 1,000 dogs reported with ear cropping Puppies mutilated to follow social media trend Man jailed after cruelly cropping puppies' ears RSPCA - Dog Cropping
The Independent
05-02-2025
- Health
- The Independent
PM says he will ‘push forward' agenda of tackling suicide among young people
Sir Keir Starmer said more must be done to tackle suicide among young people, after a Conservative MP claimed progress on the issue had stalled. The Prime Minister said he would meet the 3 Dads Walking group, who have raised more than £1 million for a charity working to reduce suicide. Suicide is the biggest killer of people under 35, with the latest figures at their highest point since 1999 in England and Wales, according to the Office for National Statistics. In 2023, 6,069 people took their lives in the two countries, the statistics agency reported. Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions, Conservative MP Dr Neil Hudson (Epping Forest) said: 'Andy Airey, Tim Owen and Mike Palmer are the 3 Dads Walking. They each tragically lost their precious daughters Sophie, Emily and Beth to suicide, and they have campaigned tirelessly for suicide prevention to be included in the school curriculum in an age-appropriate way. 'We met with the previous prime minister in Downing Street and suicide prevention was added to the RSHE curriculum guidance for consultation last year. 'I know the Prime Minister has met the three dads and supports their campaign. But sadly progress has stalled. Please would the Prime Minister meet with me and the three dads so we can finally get this over the line, so we can ultimately save lives.' The 3 Dads Walking group have raised money by walking across the United Kingdom since 2021. In 2022 their 31-day walk took in Belfast, Edinburgh, Cardiff and London. Last year their 'Walk of Hope' went from Stirling in Scotland to Norwich. In opposition Labour pledged to reverse the rise in suicides, including giving special training to mental health professionals to support people who self-harm. Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday, Sir Keir said: 'I thank him for steadfastly raising this really important issue, particularly during children's mental health week. 'I have met the 3 Dads Walking, they're inspirational, their courage is extraordinary. As the father of young children I don't know how they're able to campaign in the way that they do. I'm not sure I would be able to do so. 'Of course I can assure him that I will meet them again, and I will push this agenda, this really important agenda, forward.'
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Plan to jail water bosses who block watchdog probes moves closer to becoming law
Plans to jail water bosses who block watchdog investigations have moved a step closer to becoming law after a Commons debate. Environment Secretary Steve Reed said on Tuesday that billpayers 'are rightly angry about the state of our waterways', as he vowed to 'clean up the mess once and for all'. The Water (Special Measures) Bill passed its third reading on Tuesday unopposed, and has now reached the final stages of its passage through Parliament. MPs have agreed to give regulators the power to block water executives from receiving performance-related bonus payments, if they do not meet standards related to the environment and customer service. Company bosses will also face up to two years in prison if they obstruct investigations by regulators, including the Drinking Water Inspectorate. Ministers saw off attempts by opposition parties to amend the Bill, including from Conservative shadow environment minister Dr Neil Hudson. He said authorities should be able to dock water companies' ability to charge customers by the same amount as the fines they face for poor behaviour, effectively removing fines from bills. Dr Hudson said: 'This is very important. 'A toxic cocktail of poor behaviour of water companies and rising bill prices has led to many people feeling they're getting poor value for money and not getting the quality water services they deserve.' Conservative former minister Graham Stuart had earlier intervened in the shadow minister's speech and said it would be a 'disgrace' if fines are 'swallowed by the Treasury rather than used to improve water'. MPs voted against the amendment 325 to 180, majority 145. They also voted 322 to 181, majority 141, against a Conservative amendment to set up a Water Restoration Fund, which would hold fines paid by water companies and distribute money to improve habitats and the ecological status of waterways. Proud of this brilliant team that have steered the Water (Special Measures) Bill through Parliament. This government is cleaning up the Tory sewage crisis. — Steve Reed MP (@SteveReedMP) January 28, 2025 Shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins said: 'The public rightly wants to see the Government addressing water quality and yet, rather than use water company fines to restore water bodies, that money will now be going into the gaping hole of the Treasury's coffers, presumably to try and undo some of the damage caused by the Chancellor's disastrous growth-blocking, tax-hiking, job-cutting and investment-plummeting budget.' Labour MP Clive Lewis backed a Liberal Democrat-led amendment to block water company shareholder bailouts by cancelling debts, if those firms fall into administration. He accused the Government of 'inconsistency', after ministers backed public ownership for railways and renewable energy, but not water. 'Many of us on this side ran on a manifesto commitment to reduce the cost of living,' he said. 'That commitment is one which I think every Labour MP here believes in, but the cost of corruption, of extraction by private water companies, should under no circumstances – as is currently configured in this Bill – land on the heads of our constituents, should any of these companies go bust or be taken into special administration.' The Norwich South MP later added: 'Investors, shareholders, creditors, they should be the ones that take the haircut, they should be the ones that foot the bill because of what they've done to our water. This should not be landing on our constituents' heads.' Liberal Democrat environment spokesman Tim Farron described the proposed new law as 'OK, even good in part', but he told MPs: 'No water company chief executive is going to quake in their boots if they are not held to targets that are ambitious and enforceable with penalties, and that actually mean something. 'The water industry staff do amazing work giving us the world's cleanest drinking water, working their socks off to tackle repairs and repair leaks, to bolster the infrastructure, to oversee the operation of wastewater treatment systems and serving our communities – they are just as much victims as their fellow billpayers of the utterly failed system we are faced with.' Mr Reed said: 'Our rivers, lakes and seas are awash with pollution, the legacy of 14 years of Conservative failure is the highest level of sewage spills on record, economic growth held back by a lack of water supplies and now painful bill rises to fix the problems they left behind. 'The British public are rightly angry about the state of our waterways. It has been left to this Government to clean up the mess once and for all. 'The water sector needs a complete reset. 'It needs reform that puts customers and the environment first, and a new partnership with the Government to invest for the future and upgrade our broken infrastructure.' He added: '(The Bill) will introduce stricter penalties, including imprisonment where senior executives in water companies obstruct investigations by environmental regulators, and it includes provisions for automatic and severe fines for wrongdoing. 'We've also extended powers so the environmental regulators can recover costs for a wider range of future enforcement the polluter, not the public, will pay.'
The Independent
28-01-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Plan to jail water bosses who block watchdog probes moves closer to becoming law
Plans to jail water bosses who block watchdog investigations have moved a step closer to becoming law after a Commons debate. Environment Secretary Steve Reed said on Tuesday that billpayers 'are rightly angry about the state of our waterways', as he vowed to 'clean up the mess once and for all'. The Water (Special Measures) Bill passed its third reading on Tuesday unopposed, and has now reached the final stages of its passage through Parliament. MPs have agreed to give regulators the power to block water executives from receiving performance-related bonus payments, if they do not meet standards related to the environment and customer service. (The Bill) will introduce stricter penalties, including imprisonment where senior executives in water companies obstruct investigations by environmental regulators, and it includes provisions for automatic and severe fines for wrongdoing Environment Secretary Steve Reed Company bosses will also face up to two years in prison if they obstruct investigations by regulators, including the Drinking Water Inspectorate. Ministers saw off attempts by opposition parties to amend the Bill, including from Conservative shadow environment minister Dr Neil Hudson. He said authorities should be able to dock water companies' ability to charge customers by the same amount as the fines they face for poor behaviour, effectively removing fines from bills. Dr Hudson said: 'This is very important. 'A toxic cocktail of poor behaviour of water companies and rising bill prices has led to many people feeling they're getting poor value for money and not getting the quality water services they deserve.' Conservative former minister Graham Stuart had earlier intervened in the shadow minister's speech and said it would be a 'disgrace' if fines are 'swallowed by the Treasury rather than used to improve water'. MPs voted against the amendment 325 to 180, majority 145. They also voted 322 to 181, majority 141, against a Conservative amendment to set up a Water Restoration Fund, which would hold fines paid by water companies and distribute money to improve habitats and the ecological status of waterways. Shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins said: 'The public rightly wants to see the Government addressing water quality and yet, rather than use water company fines to restore water bodies, that money will now be going into the gaping hole of the Treasury's coffers, presumably to try and undo some of the damage caused by the Chancellor's disastrous growth-blocking, tax-hiking, job-cutting and investment-plummeting budget.' Labour MP Clive Lewis backed a Liberal Democrat-led amendment to block water company shareholder bailouts by cancelling debts, if those firms fall into administration. He accused the Government of 'inconsistency', after ministers backed public ownership for railways and renewable energy, but not water. 'Many of us on this side ran on a manifesto commitment to reduce the cost of living,' he said. 'That commitment is one which I think every Labour MP here believes in, but the cost of corruption, of extraction by private water companies, should under no circumstances – as is currently configured in this Bill – land on the heads of our constituents, should any of these companies go bust or be taken into special administration.' The Norwich South MP later added: 'Investors, shareholders, creditors, they should be the ones that take the haircut, they should be the ones that foot the bill because of what they've done to our water. This should not be landing on our constituents' heads.' Liberal Democrat environment spokesman Tim Farron described the proposed new law as 'OK, even good in part', but he told MPs: 'No water company chief executive is going to quake in their boots if they are not held to targets that are ambitious and enforceable with penalties, and that actually mean something. The cost of corruption, of extraction by private water companies, should under no circumstances – as is currently configured in this Bill – land on the heads of our constituents, should any of these companies go bust or be taken into special administration Labour MP Clive Lewis 'The water industry staff do amazing work giving us the world's cleanest drinking water, working their socks off to tackle repairs and repair leaks, to bolster the infrastructure, to oversee the operation of wastewater treatment systems and serving our communities – they are just as much victims as their fellow billpayers of the utterly failed system we are faced with.' Mr Reed said: 'Our rivers, lakes and seas are awash with pollution, the legacy of 14 years of Conservative failure is the highest level of sewage spills on record, economic growth held back by a lack of water supplies and now painful bill rises to fix the problems they left behind. 'The British public are rightly angry about the state of our waterways. It has been left to this Government to clean up the mess once and for all. 'The water sector needs a complete reset. 'It needs reform that puts customers and the environment first, and a new partnership with the Government to invest for the future and upgrade our broken infrastructure.' He added: '(The Bill) will introduce stricter penalties, including imprisonment where senior executives in water companies obstruct investigations by environmental regulators, and it includes provisions for automatic and severe fines for wrongdoing. 'We've also extended powers so the environmental regulators can recover costs for a wider range of future enforcement the polluter, not the public, will pay.'
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Plan to jail water bosses who block watchdog probes moves closer to becoming law
Plans to jail water bosses who block watchdog investigations have moved a step closer to becoming law after a Commons debate. Environment Secretary Steve Reed said on Tuesday that billpayers 'are rightly angry about the state of our waterways', as he vowed to 'clean up the mess once and for all'. The Water (Special Measures) Bill passed its third reading on Tuesday unopposed, and has now reached the final stages of its passage through Parliament. MPs have agreed to give regulators the power to block water executives from receiving performance-related bonus payments, if they do not meet standards related to the environment and customer service. Company bosses will also face up to two years in prison if they obstruct investigations by regulators, including the Drinking Water Inspectorate. Ministers saw off attempts by opposition parties to amend the Bill, including from Conservative shadow environment minister Dr Neil Hudson. He said authorities should be able to dock water companies' ability to charge customers by the same amount as the fines they face for poor behaviour, effectively removing fines from bills. Dr Hudson said: 'This is very important. 'A toxic cocktail of poor behaviour of water companies and rising bill prices has led to many people feeling they're getting poor value for money and not getting the quality water services they deserve.' Conservative former minister Graham Stuart had earlier intervened in the shadow minister's speech and said it would be a 'disgrace' if fines are 'swallowed by the Treasury rather than used to improve water'. MPs voted against the amendment 325 to 180, majority 145. They also voted 322 to 181, majority 141, against a Conservative amendment to set up a Water Restoration Fund, which would hold fines paid by water companies and distribute money to improve habitats and the ecological status of waterways. Proud of this brilliant team that have steered the Water (Special Measures) Bill through Parliament. This government is cleaning up the Tory sewage crisis. — Steve Reed MP (@SteveReedMP) January 28, 2025 Shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins said: 'The public rightly wants to see the Government addressing water quality and yet, rather than use water company fines to restore water bodies, that money will now be going into the gaping hole of the Treasury's coffers, presumably to try and undo some of the damage caused by the Chancellor's disastrous growth-blocking, tax-hiking, job-cutting and investment-plummeting budget.' Labour MP Clive Lewis backed a Liberal Democrat-led amendment to block water company shareholder bailouts by cancelling debts, if those firms fall into administration. He accused the Government of 'inconsistency', after ministers backed public ownership for railways and renewable energy, but not water. 'Many of us on this side ran on a manifesto commitment to reduce the cost of living,' he said. 'That commitment is one which I think every Labour MP here believes in, but the cost of corruption, of extraction by private water companies, should under no circumstances – as is currently configured in this Bill – land on the heads of our constituents, should any of these companies go bust or be taken into special administration.' The Norwich South MP later added: 'Investors, shareholders, creditors, they should be the ones that take the haircut, they should be the ones that foot the bill because of what they've done to our water. This should not be landing on our constituents' heads.' Liberal Democrat environment spokesman Tim Farron described the proposed new law as 'OK, even good in part', but he told MPs: 'No water company chief executive is going to quake in their boots if they are not held to targets that are ambitious and enforceable with penalties, and that actually mean something. 'The water industry staff do amazing work giving us the world's cleanest drinking water, working their socks off to tackle repairs and repair leaks, to bolster the infrastructure, to oversee the operation of wastewater treatment systems and serving our communities – they are just as much victims as their fellow billpayers of the utterly failed system we are faced with.' Mr Reed said: 'Our rivers, lakes and seas are awash with pollution, the legacy of 14 years of Conservative failure is the highest level of sewage spills on record, economic growth held back by a lack of water supplies and now painful bill rises to fix the problems they left behind. 'The British public are rightly angry about the state of our waterways. It has been left to this Government to clean up the mess once and for all. 'The water sector needs a complete reset. 'It needs reform that puts customers and the environment first, and a new partnership with the Government to invest for the future and upgrade our broken infrastructure.' He added: '(The Bill) will introduce stricter penalties, including imprisonment where senior executives in water companies obstruct investigations by environmental regulators, and it includes provisions for automatic and severe fines for wrongdoing. 'We've also extended powers so the environmental regulators can recover costs for a wider range of future enforcement the polluter, not the public, will pay.'
