Latest news with #RichardTice
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
NHS trusts budget nearly £2million for 'woke' staff events including 'International Pronouns Day' and talks on 'embracing your Afro hair' and 'breaking the rainbow ceiling'
The NHS has allowed trusts to spend almost £2million on 'staff networks' which have hosted a series of ' woke ' events over the past two years, the Mail can reveal. New figures show the health service budgeted more than £1.8million for the internal staff groupings, which are usually linked to race, sexuality, gender, disability or religion. More than 154 NHS Trusts responded to Freedom of Information requests from the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) revealing how the networks have hosted hundreds of events between 2022 and 2024. They included a Eurovision Viewing Party at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, and an event on 'Embracing Asexuality' at the The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust in Essex. NHS staff also attended a talk on 'Embracing your Afro/Curly hair' at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and another on 'International Pronouns Day' at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust. A talk on 'Breaking the Rainbow Ceiling' was held at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Trust, while King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust hosted an event on 'pride crafting'. The NHS said many of the events are run at 'no or very low cost', but the TPA said it was 'astonishing' to see staff spending their time at such events instead of focusing on frontline care. It comes after thousands of junior doctors carried out a five-day walkout, after talks between the Government and British Medical Association (BMA) soured over a dispute about pay. The BMA is demanding a 29.2per cent pay rise. More than 1,000 events were held by staff networks between 2022 and 2024, the FOI revealed, at 80 trusts. In total, £1,834,005.6 was provided to the networks in funding, but it is not clear how much was actually spent over the period. Joanna Marchong, investigations campaign manager of the TPA, said: 'Taxpayers will be dismayed to see NHS trusts pouring more money into staff networks year after year, while waiting lists spiral and junior doctors strike over pay. 'With patients on waiting lists, it's astonishing to see staff spending their working hours at Eurovision parties, open mic nights and summer picnics. 'There is a time and a place for staff engagement and with resident doctors walking out and the NHS haemorrhaging money, now isn't the time. Ministers must get a grip and put patients before perks.' Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice told the Mail: 'Herein lies the problem with our NHS: wasteful spending on pointless woke activities and a bloated middle management, meanwhile frontline services are left underfunded and struggling. 'Reform UK would cut waste and unnecessary management, as well as purposeless DEI initiatives, and pump every penny straight into frontline care where it belongs.' Tory shadow health secretary Stuart Andrew said the figures were 'alarming', adding: 'The first priority of the NHS should be to deliver the best possible outcomes for patients, and taxpayer's cash should be spent on improving that - not splashing hundreds of thousands of pounds on sideshows and distractions. 'The Conservatives - under Kemi Badenoch's leadership - are the only party that are serious about delivering the reform the NHS needs, from our common sense proposals to ban doctors from striking, to pushing for improvements in productivity and innovation.' [must keep] An NHS spokesman said: 'Staff networks can play an important role in retaining staff and reducing absenteeism, improving care and savings costs. 'Many staff events – including ones highlighted here – are run at no or very low cost, but where employers do invest in staff it is important that care is taken to ensure it represents good value for taxpayers' money.' NHS England describes staff networks as 'an important mechanism' to 'help us to shape our organisational culture to create a fairer and inclusive work environments for all'. Many NHS trusts have staff networks representing those who are BAME (Black, Asian, and minority ethnic), LGBT+, women, or who have a particular religion or belief.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Reform MP Richard Tice suggests plan to combat Channel small boat crossings - but the Tories' Robert Jenrick brands it a 'magnet for migrants'
Reform MP Richard Tice was accused of dreaming up a 'magnet for migrants' plan last night after he called for a joint asylum-seeker processing centre in France. The party's deputy leader faced claims that such an idea would make the small boats crisis 'a lot, lot worse' than it already was. But last night, Mr Tice stood by his plan and insisted that the migrants crisis 'can't get any worse than it's got now'. The row erupted after Mr Tice earlier this month advocated creating a joint British-French migrants processing facility on the other side of the Channel. He told a Politico's 'Westminster Insider' podcast: 'We need a joint processing centre in Normandy.' Mr Tice added such a centre could process asylum applications at the similar speed to under the last Labour government 'in the 'noughties' when they were processing people within two weeks'. He added: 'They had a week to appeal and they were accepting, give or take, 20 per cent of all applications.' However, Tony Smith, former director general of the UK Border Force, slammed the plans last night. A group of migrants across the English channel on a dinghy on July 10 Mr Smith told the Mail on Sunday: 'It's a very bad idea. It would be a magnet [for migrants}. 'You would get a huge pull factor into northern France and right across the borderless Schengen zone.' He added: 'You would have huge numbers hope and expectation that they would get across. 'And disappointed applicants would still take to the boats anyway.' But in reply, Mr Tice said the current system was 'already a magnet' for migrants and said his plan would have 'exactly the opposite' effect. However, last night, Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick also attacked Mr Tice's idea even though he admitted his own party had made 'huge mistakes on immigration' when it was in power. He said a joint processing centre as proposed by Mr Tice 'would lead to even more illegal crossing'. Mr Jenrick said: 'Asylum shoppers from across Europe would flock to Calais in even greater numbers. 'I will be the first to admit my party made huge mistakes on immigration. It's why I resigned.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Reform's bacon and egg offensive to woo business
Reform UK's deputy leader Richard Tice is conducting a 'bacon and eggs' charm offensive to woo British businesses ahead of the next election. Tice told The Mail on Sunday that he and other senior party figures, including leader Nigel Farage, had been meeting 'dozens and dozens and dozens' of bosses for breakfast meetings. He said they included chief executives, finance chiefs, chairmen and top lobbyists at FTSE 100 and FTSE 250-listed firms, as well as those at private and foreign-owned companies. It echoes the 'smoked salmon and scrambled eggs' charm offensive by Labour ahead of the last General Election. Tice, pictured with Farage, said the 'penny dropped' for many firms about Reform's potential to form the next government after its landslide success in May's local elections and taking a 14-point lead in the latest national opinion poll. And he dismissed concerns raised by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) about whether Reform's sums added up, dismissing the respected economic think-tank as 'the institute for feeble studies'. Tice said: 'Lots of companies recognise we are a serious contender to be the next government, whenever the election is. They are taking it seriously, so want to meet me and understand where we're coming from on a variety of big issues. 'Whether you want to call it the bacon and eggs offensive or whatever, a series of breakfasts and other meetings are going on, and it is going well, and we're doing quite a lot of it.' A well-placed City source who alerted The Mail on Sunday to the meetings suggested there was some scepticism among business leaders about Reform's plans. Firms contacted by this newspaper were tight-lipped over whether they had met Tice. One FTSE 100 director, who asked not to be named, said he had 'not seen him' as part of the drive, but had once bumped into the politician and 'couldn't find anything we could agree on'. However, Tice said the reaction had been positive, particularly relating to plans to scrap the net zero carbon climate goal. 'We understand the language of business,' he said. 'I was chief executive of a billion-pound multinational listed company. Nigel's a businessman. We understand what it takes to save the British economy. 'We are talking about our dead seriousness about scrapping net zero and that is greeted with almost universal joy on a private basis. Privately, they all admit it's bonkers, it's costing them a fortune, it's making them uncompetitive.' Tice said Reform had told oil and gas companies to prepare applications for drilling licences in the North Sea 'so they can be checked and pre-approved before an election and rubber-stamped within a matter of days' if Reform were to win. He added: 'We're not mucking about. We're very clear that things like net zero, ESG (environmental, social and governance) investing, DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) – it's all for the birds. It all goes and we will be pretty aggressive on that and anyone who tries to get in our way.' The IFS's analysis of Reform's tax-cutting plans found that raising an individual's annual tax threshold from £12,570 to £20,000 and other measures could cost up to £80 billion a year, and that the party's strategy involved large, unspecified cuts to public services. And Simon French, chief economist at investment bank Panmure Liberum, has warned that Britain could face an 'immediate and violent' sterling crisis if Farage wins power. But Tice dismissed these, calling the IFS estimate a 'back-of-the-fag-packet guess' saying: 'We expect the enemy to do that.' Asked whether business leaders were convinced by Reform's plans, Tice said: 'They get it.' He added that he and Farage were 'probably two of the most successful financial, economic, businesslike MPs they've ever met'.
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Britain could be sued over causing climate change
The UN has opened the door to Britain being sued over its historic contribution to climate change. In a significant legal opinion, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) said failure by countries to meet their climate obligations could, in specific cases, allow other states affected by climate change to sue them. It also cleared the way for lawsuits over historic emissions, which could leave the UK, the birthplace of the industrial revolution, at risk of legal action from other nations. The advisory opinion issued on Wednesday in The Hague is a way of clarifying specific questions of international law, and is not legally binding. However, it carries legal weight and moral authority and is expected to be influential on the future of environmental litigation. The UK implemented an ICJ advisory opinion when it agreed to hand back the Chagos Islands to Mauritius last year in a deal in which Lord Hermer, the Attorney General, played an influential role. The new opinion will raise fears that Lord Hermer would back any attempt by a foreign country to use the opinion to sue Britain. 'Hermer has demonstrated he does not bat for Britain,' said Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform UK. The Tories and Reform both rejected the ruling and said they would not pay any damages if they were in government. Dame Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, said: 'The ICJ has lost its core purpose and is now joining political campaigns and bandwagons based upon ideological obsessions on issues such as reparations and destroying the sovereign rights of national governments. 'The Labour Government is equally ideologically obsessed with this nonsense. Activist-led court rulings like this should never be treated as binding. 'This is the process of lawfare that led to the Chagos surrender and must not be replicated on this issue. We challenge Labour to put Britain's interest first and make clear they do not intend to act on this ridiculous advisory ruling.' Mr Tice said: 'Under no circumstances would a Reform government pay any ludicrous climate reparations. Nor will we not be beholden to any foreign court. 'This is another non-binding advisory judgment by the ICJ, who absurdly said we should give up the Chagos. They just hate us.' The case was put forward by a group of Pacific island law students. Ultimately, 132 nations supported it in the ICJ. The opinion ran to 133 pages and took two hours to read out. The opinion by the ICJ, also known as the World Court, was welcomed by environmental groups and by those living in islands at risk from rising sea levels and extreme temperature caused by climate change. Vanuatu is the island most at risk from climate change. Ralph Regenvanu, its minister of climate change adaptation, said Vanuatu would take the ICJ ruling to the UN General Assembly and 'pursue a resolution that will support implementation of this decision'. He said 'The Global South is bearing the brunt of a crisis it did not create. Families are losing their homes, entire cultures are at risk of disappearing, and lives are being shattered by man-made climate disasters. 'The nations most responsible for emissions should be held accountable for any violations of legal obligations and they must also step up and lead in providing resources and support to aid those most affected.' Legal experts said the judgment was a victory for small island and low-lying states that had asked the court to clarify states' responsibilities in 2019. Such countries are particularly vulnerable to climate change and have been frustrated by the lack of progress in tackling the problem. The Pacific islands, for example, are at the forefront of the risks of climate change, but are responsible for less than 1 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions. UN negotiations over how to curb global warming have often been stymied over how to balance the obligations of richer developed countries that polluted heavily with poorer nations being asked to cut their emissions. Developed countries, including Britain, argued that existing climate agreements like the 2015 Paris Agreement were enough and no further obligations should be imposed. On Wednesday, Judge Yuji Iwasawa, the president of the ICJ, rejected that argument. He said broader international law applied and countries not signed up to the Paris Agreement – or which, like the US, want to leave it – must still protect the environment He said developing nations have a right to seek compensation for the impacts of climate change, for example an extreme weather event destroying buildings and infrastructure. The amount of damages that a country could pay if a claim was successful is not clear. £2.8tn cost of climate change in 20 years The science journal Nature has previously published analysis estimating that climate change caused $2.8tn of losses between 2000 and 2019. But Judge Iwasawa warned it would be difficult to prove which countries were responsible for which part of climate change. The Foreign Office said the judgment was non-binding and there was no basis for the UK to pay reparations. A spokesman said: 'Tackling climate change is and will remain an urgent UK and global priority. Our position remains that this is best achieved through international commitment to the UN's existing climate treaties and mechanisms. 'It will take time to look at this detailed, non-binding, advisory opinion before commenting in detail. 'We will continue to collaborate closely to create the conditions for greater ambition and action, including with Brazil as it prepares to host COP30, and will tackle the climate crisis in a way that makes the British people better off.'
Glasgow Times
21-07-2025
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Miliband says Farage trying to ‘airbrush history' over UK's fossil fuel reliance
The Energy Secretary criticised the Reform UK leader's claim that it is 'mindless' for the UK to pursue climate action given its relatively small share of global emissions. Speaking to MPs on the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee on Monday, Mr Miliband said: 'Nigel Farage wants to airbrush history – he wants people to forget the fact it was our exposure to fossil fuels that led to the worst cost-of-living crisis in generations.' Richard Tice was accused by Ed Miliband of threatening investment in Britain (Joe Giddens/PA) 'Family finances wrecked, business finances wrecked, public finances wrecked – and we're still paying the price. 'There is only one answer to that, which is homegrown energy that we control – and the security that you get from that homegrown clean energy is now essential for our energy security and national security. 'Any decision to say let's remain on fossil fuels, subject to a global market controlled by petro states and dictators, frankly surrenders our energy security and national security.' Mr Miliband was responding to comments made by Mr Farage during a BBC interview on Sunday, in which the Clacton MP argued: 'It is absolutely mindless for a country that produces less than 1% of global CO2 to beggar itself.' Pressed on whether he believed in man-made climate change, Mr Farage told Laura Kuenssberg: 'Do I believe there's climate change? Yes. 'Does man have an influence? Impossible to think we haven't got some influence – as to what proportion it is, I've no idea.' Mr Miliband said such arguments 'fly in the face of people's experience of what has happened to them and what they are still facing'. He also hit out at Reform deputy leader Richard Tice, accusing him of threatening investment in Britain's growing green economy. Mr Tice recently sent a formal letter to clean energy firms warning that Reform would seek to cancel net zero-related contracts if it wins power. 'The renewables agenda no longer enjoys cross-party support,' he wrote. 'As a result, your potential participation in AR7 – and any future auctions based on the Clean Power 2030 framework – carries significant political, financial and regulatory risk for your shareholders.' AR7 refers to the UK Government's upcoming seventh allocation round for Contracts for Difference (CfDs), the primary mechanism for supporting low-carbon electricity generation projects such as offshore wind farms. Winning bidders are guaranteed a set price for their energy, providing investment certainty for developers and helping drive down costs. Mr Tice argued that offshore wind farms, new pylons and energy storage infrastructure are driving up costs and threatening grid stability, adding: 'If you enter bids in AR7, you do so at your own risk. We will seek to strike down all contracts signed under AR7.' In response, Mr Miliband said: 'There are people that want to use their opposition to clean energy and climate action to say it is the fault of that – they are just wrong. 'The really irresponsible thing that Richard Tice is doing with that letter is he is almost deliberately putting at risk tens of thousands of jobs across our country.' He added: 'The net zero economy grew three times faster than the economy as a whole last year – he's sending a message to companies: don't come and invest in Britain. 'We're sending the message: come and invest in Britain.' Later in the session, Labour MP Mike Reader asked Mr Miliband: 'Do you think that your response has been tough enough?' The question prompted a wry smile from the Energy Secretary – a nod to his infamous 'tough enough' line during the 2015 general election campaign. 'I'm happy to be tougher,' he replied. 'It's deeply irresponsible what Richard Tice is doing. I think frankly it is playing politics with people's jobs and people's bills. 'It's deeply, deeply irresponsible – and when it has come into contact with reality, you've even got Reform mayors now saying, well, we're distancing ourselves from this. 'It's not where the British people are. I don't think the British people want a culture war on this.'
