Latest news with #ReformUK
BBC News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Council vows to tackle graffiti in Long Eaton and Ilkeston
Erewash Borough Council has declared "a war on graffiti" in Long Eaton and Ilkeston after a recent spate of vandalism, some of which was highlighted as being offensive or racist in two towns are to receive £20,000 from the authority for graffiti kits that will be available for businesses and community "anti-graffiti action plan" will also be developed to target problem money is part of an overall package of £2m which forms part of the Erewash Investment Fund. The deputy Labour leader of the council Rebecca Everett said the council had been contacted by the public expressing concerns about the nature of some of the graffiti."We've seen recently in some spots in Erewash however much it gets cleaned, it keeps cropping up. If we don't have this takes a lot longer to get it cleaned," she said."The graffiti is quite wide-ranging but before the election there was some graffiti that highlighted Reform UK. There was also some some people found to be offensive, such as racism, and we wanted to get rid of that as quickly as possible."I don't think anyone likes graffiti and especially when it's offensive it needs to be cleaned as quickly as possible. The general idea is to make Erewash a nicer place to live." Phrases such as "no room for mosques" and "illegals out" have appeared around the town centres. Graffiti relating to the Gaza conflict has also been an walls in Long Eaton town centre in particular have been repeatedly targeted for the graffiti. The kits will be made available for local businesses and community groups so they can clean graffiti quickly if it staff have to gain the permission to remove graffiti from business and property owners who are not always based in the is hoped that giving kits to shop managers will ensure offensive graffiti is tackled sooner. The funding forms part of £700,000 allocated as part of the first phase of investing £2m into the projects include £210,000 for street cleanliness and £135,000 to increase the capacity of Erewash's Neighbourhood Wardens service, which deals with issues such as fly-tipping, graffiti and town centre town centre will also receive £101,000 for replacing street furniture and the council will abe investing £50,000 to partner with local artists to commission street art murals.
Dubai Eye
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Dubai Eye
Thousands of Afghans secretly moved to Britain after data leak
Britain set up a secret scheme to bring thousands of Afghans to the UK after their personal details were disclosed in one of the country's worst ever data breaches, putting them at risk of reprisals from the Taliban after their return to power. Concerns that individuals could be targeted by the Taliban led the previous Conservative government to set up the relocation scheme, involving thousands of people and estimated to cost the government about $2.7 billion. The leak by the Ministry of Defence in early 2022, which led to data being published on Facebook the following year and the secret relocation programme, were subject to a so-called superinjunction preventing the media reporting what happened, which was lifted on Tuesday by a court. British Defence Minister John Healey apologised for the leak, which included details about members of parliament and senior military officers who supported applications to help Afghan soldiers who worked with the British military and their families relocate to the UK. "This serious data incident should never have happened," Healey told lawmakers in the House of Commons. "It may have occurred three years ago under the previous government, but to all whose data was compromised I offer a sincere apology." The incident ranks among the worst security breaches in modern British history because of the cost and risk posed to the lives of thousands of Afghans, some of whom fought alongside British forces until their chaotic withdrawal in 2021. Healey said about 4,500 Afghans and their family members have been relocated or were on their way to Britain under the previously secret scheme. But he added that no-one else from Afghanistan would be offered asylum because of the data leak, citing a government review which found little evidence of intent from the Taliban to seek retribution against former officials. The review, a summary of which was also published on Tuesday, said more than 16,000 people affected by it had been relocated to the UK as of May this year, though some of those had been relocated to the UK under existing schemes. News of the leak comes as Britain's public finances are tight and the right-wing, anti-immigration Reform UK political party leads in the opinion polls. The government is facing lawsuits from those affected by the breach, further adding to the ultimate cost of the incident. Sean Humber, a lawyer at Leigh Day who has acted for Afghan citizens affected by previous data breaches, said those affected were "likely to have strong claims for substantial compensation" for the anxiety and distress caused by the leak. British forces were first deployed to Afghanistan in 2001 following the September 11 attacks on the US and they played a major role in combat operations there until 2014. In early 2022, a spreadsheet containing details of Afghans who had worked for the British government prior to the Taliban takeover in 2021 and had applied for relocation to Britain was emailed to someone outside of government systems by mistake. The superinjunction was first granted in 2023 after the Ministry of Defence, under the former Conservative government, argued that a public disclosure of the breach could put people at risk of extra-judicial killing or serious violence by the Taliban. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's centre-left government, which was elected last July, launched a review into the injunction, the breach and the relocation scheme.
AsiaOne
6 hours ago
- Politics
- AsiaOne
Thousands of Afghans secretly moved to Britain after data leak, World News
LONDON — Britain set up a secret scheme to bring thousands of Afghans to the UK after their personal details were disclosed in one of the country's worst ever data breaches, putting them at risk of reprisals from the Taliban after their return to power. Concerns that individuals could be targeted by the Taliban led the previous Conservative government to set up the relocation scheme, involving thousands of people and estimated to cost the government about 2 billion pounds (S$3.44 billion). The leak by the Ministry of Defence in early 2022, which led to data being published on Facebook the following year, and the secret relocation programme, were subject to a so-called superinjunction preventing the media reporting what happened, which was lifted on Tuesday by a court. British defence minister John Healey apologised for the leak, which included details about members of parliament and senior military officers who supported applications to help Afghan soldiers who worked with the British military and their families relocate to the UK. "This serious data incident should never have happened," Healey told lawmakers in the House of Commons. "It may have occurred three years ago under the previous government, but to all whose data was compromised I offer a sincere apology." The incident ranks among the worst security breaches in modern British history because of the cost and risk posed to the lives of thousands of Afghans, some of whom fought alongside British forces until their chaotic withdrawal in 2021. Healey said about 4,500 Afghans and their family members have been relocated or were on their way to Britain under the previously secret scheme. But he added that no-one else from Afghanistan would be offered asylum because of the data leak, citing a government review which found little evidence of intent from the Taliban to seek retribution against former officials. The review, a summary of which was also published on Tuesday, said more than 16,000 people affected by it had been relocated to the UK as of May this year, though some of those had been relocated to the UK under existing schemes. News of the leak comes as Britain's public finances are tight and the right-wing, anti-immigration Reform UK political party leads in the opinion polls. Superinjunction lifted The government is facing lawsuits from those affected by the breach, further adding to the ultimate cost of the incident. Sean Humber, a lawyer at Leigh Day who has acted for Afghan citizens affected by previous data breaches, said those affected were "likely to have strong claims for substantial compensation" for the anxiety and distress caused by the leak. British forces were first deployed to Afghanistan in 2001 following the September 11 attacks on the United States, and they played a major role in combat operations there until 2014. In early 2022, a spreadsheet containing details of Afghans who had worked for the British government prior to the Taliban takeover in 2021 and had applied for relocation to Britain was emailed to someone outside of government systems by mistake. The superinjunction was first granted in 2023 after the Ministry of Defence, under the former Conservative government, argued that a public disclosure of the breach could put people at risk of extra-judicial killing or serious violence by the Taliban. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's centre-left government, which was elected last July, launched a review into the injunction, the breach and the relocation scheme. [[nid:719993]]
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bailey warns Reform will make ‘no money' from Bank of England raid
Andrew Bailey has branded a Reform UK plan to overhaul the Bank of England's money-printing programme 'illusory' as he warned it will not deliver any taxpayer savings. The Governor of the Bank of England said the proposal to stop Threadneedle Street paying interest to commercial lenders would fail to generate the funds promised by the party. Reform, which is leading several polls, claims it could save up to £35bn a year by scrapping interest on reserves held at the Bank by commercial lenders. These reserves were created as part of the Bank's £895bn quantitative easing (QE) programme, which was used to boost the economy during the financial crisis and Covid. The Bank pays interest on these reserves at the base rate, currently 4.25pc. Reform wants to stop this money being paid out and use it instead to help fund an increase in the tax-free personal allowance to £20,000, as well as tax cuts for businesses. But Mr Bailey warned these savings were 'illusory', telling The Times: 'Please don't rely on that as income because it's not gonna be there.' The Bank's unwinding of its money-printing programme has come under increasing scrutiny owing to estimates that it could cost the taxpayer up to £150bn. The Telegraph revealed that Richard Tice, Reform's deputy leader, wrote to the Bank last month, accusing Threadneedle Street of prioritising bank profits over the interests of working people. Mr Tice said the unwinding of this programme, known as quantitative tightening (QT), was pushing up borrowing costs and piling pressure on the public finances. The Bank is reportedly preparing to fight back against accusations that QE did not provide value for money by publishing estimates of how much its bond buying reduced UK borrowing costs. Mr Bailey also published a five-page riposte to Mr Tice in which he warned that Reform's plan would hurt lending to the wider economy. He also warned that removing interest on reserves 'is akin to a tax on banks'. Mr Tice said he was planning to take up an offer by Mr Bailey to meet, although a date has not yet been confirmed He said: 'He is accepting my point on QT it sounds, which is good; and I look forward to discussing the interest payments when we meet. He does accept it is up for debate.' Mr Bailey also suggested last week that recent volatility in the bond market could change the way it sells its huge stockpile of UK debt going forward. The Bank is currently losing much more money on its stockpile of long-term debt because it is selling the bonds through QE evenly, resulting in steeper losses on long-term debt. While Mr Bailey would not be drawn on a looming decision in September, he said policymakers would 'look carefully' at how the rise in long-term borrowing costs 'plays into our decision'. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Sign in to access your portfolio
GMA Network
13 hours ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Thousands of Afghans secretly moved to Britain after data leak
LONDON —Britain set up a secret scheme to bring thousands of Afghans to the UK after their personal details were disclosed in one of the country's worst ever data breaches, putting them at risk of reprisals from the Taliban after their return to power. Concerns that individuals could be targeted by the Taliban led the previous Conservative government to set up the relocation scheme, involving thousands of people and estimated to cost the government about 2 billion pounds ($2.7 billion). The leak by the Ministry of Defence in early 2022, which led to data being published on Facebook the following year, and the secret relocation programme, were subject to a so-called superinjunction preventing the media reporting what happened, which was lifted on Tuesday by a court. British defence minister John Healey apologised for the leak, which included details about members of parliament and senior military officers who supported applications to help Afghan soldiers who worked with the British military and their families relocate to the UK. "This serious data incident should never have happened," Healey told lawmakers in the House of Commons. "It may have occurred three years ago under the previous government, but to all whose data was compromised I offer a sincere apology." The incident ranks among the worst security breaches in modern British history because of the cost and risk posed to the lives of thousands of Afghans, some of whom fought alongside British forces until their chaotic withdrawal in 2021. Healey said about 4,500 Afghans and their family members have been relocated or were on their way to Britain under the previously secret scheme. But he added that no one else from Afghanistan would be offered asylum because of the data leak, citing a government review which found little evidence of intent from the Taliban to seek retribution against former officials. The review, a summary of which was also published on Tuesday, said more than 16,000 people affected by it had been relocated to the UK as of May this year, though some of those had been relocated to the UK under existing schemes. News of the leak comes as Britain's public finances are tight and the right-wing, anti-immigration Reform UK political party leads in the opinion polls. Superinjunction lifted The government is facing lawsuits from those affected by the breach, further adding to the ultimate cost of the incident. Sean Humber, a lawyer at Leigh Day who has acted for Afghan citizens affected by previous data breaches, said those affected were "likely to have strong claims for substantial compensation" for the anxiety and distress caused by the leak. British forces were first deployed to Afghanistan in 2001 following the September 11 attacks on the United States, and they played a major role in combat operations there until 2014. In early 2022, a spreadsheet containing details of Afghans who had worked for the British government prior to the Taliban takeover in 2021 and had applied for relocation to Britain was emailed to someone outside of government systems by mistake. The superinjunction was first granted in 2023 after the Ministry of Defence, under the former Conservative government, argued that a public disclosure of the breach could put people at risk of extra-judicial killing or serious violence by the Taliban. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's centre-left government, which was elected last July, launched a review into the injunction, the breach and the relocation scheme.—Reuters
