Latest news with #TanDhesi
Sky News
01-06-2025
- General
- Sky News
Inquiry into UK's role in 1984 Golden Temple massacre 'under consideration'
An inquiry into the UK's military role in the 1984 Golden Temple massacre is "under consideration", Sky News has been told. Secret documents released in 2014 revealed that the Margaret Thatcher-led government at the time sent a SAS officer to help guide the Indian government with the attack, which killed hundreds of civilians. Since then, the Sikh community has been demanding full transparency on the affair, especially as many files remain classified. The most high-profile Sikh MP, Tan Dhesi, told Sky News he has had conversations "with ministers and others in Number 10" who said an inquiry is "under consideration". Mr Dhesi, who is also the Labour chair of the influential House of Commons Defence Committee, said: "My message to the government is that it's about time that the Sikh community got their truth and transparency. "That can only come about through an inquiry to establish the extent of the Thatcher-led government's involvement." Operation Blue Star in June 1984 saw Indian forces storm the Golden Temple, the holiest Sikh shrine in Amritsar, where armed separatists who sought the creation of an independent Sikh homeland had taken refuge. Thousands gathered in central London on Sunday to implore Labour's leadership to honour their commitment to hold an independent public inquiry into potential British involvement in the Golden Temple massacre. While in opposition, Labour made multiple promises to hold an independent inquiry, including: In their 2017 and 2019 manifestos. A letter addressed to the Sikh community from Sir Keir Starmer as the Leader of the Opposition in 2022, which stated: "A future Labour government will open an independent inquiry into Britain's military role in the Indian army's 1984 raid on the Golden Temple in Amritsar." A social media post from the now Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, a month before last year's general election, which said: "Labour stands with the Sikh community in calling for an inquiry into the historic role Britain played." Almost 11 months into Labour's time in power, there has not been any official government update on this matter. Sky News approached the Foreign Office for comment, who pointed us to a January 2025 exchange in the House between Mr Dhesi and the Leader of the House, Lucy Powell, who said: "I know that this matter is of great importance to the Sikh community across the UK. We need to get to the bottom of what happened, and I will ensure that the ministers responsible are in touch with him [Mr Dhesi] to discuss the matter further." Earlier this year, more than 400 Sikh groups wrote to the prime minister, urging Sir Keir to launch an inquiry as he promised. Speaking at Sunday's rally in central London, Dabinderjit Singh OBE, the lead executive for political engagement at the Sikh Federation (UK), said: "It is totally unacceptable that the Labour leadership remains silent on its promise. "A judge-led public inquiry must take place so we have the full truth. If Labour breaks its promise, it will be an act of betrayal. "Labour will lose much of the Sikh vote if they let us down." The Conservative-led government under Prime Minister David Cameron conducted an internal review in 2014, which concluded that the UK's role was "purely advisory" and "limited", involving a single military adviser providing early-stage planning advice to Indian authorities. However, this investigation was criticised as a cover-up due to its limited scope and quick timeframe. The Indian government's official position is that Operation Blue Star was a military operation carried out against armed militants, not the Sikh community.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
HII Hosts United Kingdom House of Commons Defence Committee Members at Newport News Shipbuilding
NEWPORT NEWS, Va., May 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HII (NYSE: HII) hosted members of the United Kingdom House of Commons Defence Committee at its Newport News Shipbuilding division last week. The visit was held in support of the trilateral Australia, United Kingdom and United States (AUKUS) partnership. HII continues its commitment to supporting AUKUS, which set in motion tasking across all three countries to determine the optimal pathway to provide Australia with conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines and a broader partnership on advanced capabilities. 'The Committee were delighted to visit the HII yard and see the skill and endeavour on display,' said Tan Dhesi, chairman of House of Commons Defence Committee. 'The AUKUS agreement is a vital tool for the strategic advantage of all three countries and the Committee is pleased to support it with our recently launched inquiry, ensuring it achieves its maximum potential.' Defence Committee members met with company leadership and saw facilities that support construction of Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines. Additionally, they participated in a tour of the Newport News Shipbuilding Apprentice School that focused on HII's workforce development expertise. Photos accompanying this release are available at: 'We greatly appreciate the Defence Committee's engagement and the opportunity to showcase how HII's decades of expertise directly support AUKUS objectives,' said Michael Lempke, president of the HII Mission Technologies division Global Security group and the leader of HII's Australia and U.K. operations. 'From building nuclear-powered submarines to fortifying industrial capacity across the U.S., U.K. and Australia, our efforts are closely aligned with the trilateral vision. These discussions are vital to strengthening the collaboration and driving the innovation that underpins AUKUS.' Industrial integration of submarine and shipbuilding capabilities between the U.S., U.K. and Australia is a critical component of the AUKUS partnership, enabling aligned defense production, workforce development, and supply chain collaboration to support shared security objectives. NNS is one of only two shipyards capable of designing and building nuclear-powered submarines for the U.S. Navy. HII is the founding member of the AUKUS Workforce Alliance (AWA), a dedicated partnership committed to preparing a skilled workforce in support of all steps of Australia's optimal pathway to sovereign nuclear-powered submarines. The company was awarded a contract for the Australian Submarine Supplier Qualification (AUSSQ) pilot program to accelerate the identification and qualification of Australian suppliers and products into the United States submarine industrial base. About Defence Committee's inquiry: About HII HII is a global, all-domain defense provider. HII's mission is to deliver the world's most powerful ships and all-domain solutions in service of the nation, creating the advantage for our customers to protect peace and freedom around the world. As the nation's largest military shipbuilder, and with a more than 135-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities extending from ships to unmanned systems, cyber, ISR, AI/ML and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII's workforce is 44,000 strong. For more information, visit: HII on the web: HII on Facebook: HII on X: HII on Instagram: Contact: Todd 688-3220 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
HII Hosts United Kingdom House of Commons Defence Committee Members at Newport News Shipbuilding
NEWPORT NEWS, Va., May 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HII (NYSE: HII) hosted members of the United Kingdom House of Commons Defence Committee at its Newport News Shipbuilding division last week. The visit was held in support of the trilateral Australia, United Kingdom and United States (AUKUS) partnership. HII continues its commitment to supporting AUKUS, which set in motion tasking across all three countries to determine the optimal pathway to provide Australia with conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines and a broader partnership on advanced capabilities. 'The Committee were delighted to visit the HII yard and see the skill and endeavour on display,' said Tan Dhesi, chairman of House of Commons Defence Committee. 'The AUKUS agreement is a vital tool for the strategic advantage of all three countries and the Committee is pleased to support it with our recently launched inquiry, ensuring it achieves its maximum potential.' Defence Committee members met with company leadership and saw facilities that support construction of Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines. Additionally, they participated in a tour of the Newport News Shipbuilding Apprentice School that focused on HII's workforce development expertise. Photos accompanying this release are available at: 'We greatly appreciate the Defence Committee's engagement and the opportunity to showcase how HII's decades of expertise directly support AUKUS objectives,' said Michael Lempke, president of the HII Mission Technologies division Global Security group and the leader of HII's Australia and U.K. operations. 'From building nuclear-powered submarines to fortifying industrial capacity across the U.S., U.K. and Australia, our efforts are closely aligned with the trilateral vision. These discussions are vital to strengthening the collaboration and driving the innovation that underpins AUKUS.' Industrial integration of submarine and shipbuilding capabilities between the U.S., U.K. and Australia is a critical component of the AUKUS partnership, enabling aligned defense production, workforce development, and supply chain collaboration to support shared security objectives. NNS is one of only two shipyards capable of designing and building nuclear-powered submarines for the U.S. Navy. HII is the founding member of the AUKUS Workforce Alliance (AWA), a dedicated partnership committed to preparing a skilled workforce in support of all steps of Australia's optimal pathway to sovereign nuclear-powered submarines. The company was awarded a contract for the Australian Submarine Supplier Qualification (AUSSQ) pilot program to accelerate the identification and qualification of Australian suppliers and products into the United States submarine industrial base. About Defence Committee's inquiry: About HII HII is a global, all-domain defense provider. HII's mission is to deliver the world's most powerful ships and all-domain solutions in service of the nation, creating the advantage for our customers to protect peace and freedom around the world. As the nation's largest military shipbuilder, and with a more than 135-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities extending from ships to unmanned systems, cyber, ISR, AI/ML and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII's workforce is 44,000 strong. For more information, visit: HII on the web: HII on Facebook: HII on X: HII on Instagram: Contact: Todd 688-3220 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at in to access your portfolio
Sky News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Starmer facing growing backbench rebellion over planned disability benefit cuts
A senior Labour MP has said the government needs to take "corrective action" over planned disability cuts - as Sir Keir Starmer faces a growing backbench rebellion. Tan Dhesi, chair of the influential Commons defence committee, told the Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge the "disappointing" local election results show the government must listen and learn, particularly over welfare reforms. The government has proposed tightening the eligibility requirements for the personal independent payment, known as PIP. A claimant must score a minimum of four points on one PIP daily living activity, such as preparing food, washing and bathing, using the toilet or reading, to receive the daily living element of the benefit. Mr Dhesi, the MP for Slough, said "corrective action" needs to be taken but insisted if the government changed tact, it would not be a U-turn as the disability cuts were only proposals. "A government which is in listening mode should be looking at what the electorate is saying," he said. "And we need to make sure that it's our moral duty, responsibility, to look after the most vulnerable within our community, whether that's in Slough, whether that's elsewhere across the country. "So, I hope that the government will be taking on board that feedback and many of us as MPs are giving that feedback in various meetings happening here in Westminster and then we need to take corrective action." Minister Alex Davies-Jones told the Politics Hub a Labour government "will always seek to protect the most vulnerable" and it wants to "listen to people who have got real lived experience". She added she has the "utmost respect for Tan, he's a great constituency MP and he's doing exactly what he should be doing, is representing his constituency". Sir Keir is facing a rebellion from Labour MPs, with about 40 in the Red Wall - Labour's traditional heartlands in the north of England - reposting a statement on social media in which they said the leadership's response to the local elections had "fallen on deaf ears". 8:27 Several backbench Labour MPs also spoke out against the plans during a debate on PIP and disabled people in parliament on Wednesday. Ian Byrne, MP for Liverpool West Derby, said he would "swim through vomit to vote against" the proposed changes and said: "This is not what the Labour Party was formed to do." Bell Ribeiro-Addy, the MP for Clapham and Brixton Hill, said she feared tightening PIP eligibility would cause deaths, adding: "Lest we forget that study that attributed 330,000 excess deaths in Britain between 2012 and 2019 to the last round of austerity cuts [under the Conservative government]." Diane Abbott, the longest-serving female MP, accused the government of putting forward "contradictory arguments". "On the one hand, they insist they are helping the disabled by putting them back to work," she said. "But on the other hand, they say this cut will save £9bn. Well, you can't do both." 1:23 However, fellow Labour MP David Pinto-Duschinsky, said MPs cannot "ignore this issue" of health-related benefit claimant figures rising at "twice the rate of underlying health conditions". Responding for the government, social security minister Sir Stephen Timms said PIP claims were set to "more than double, from two million to over 4.3 million this decade". "It would certainly not be in the interests of people currently claiming the benefits for the government to bury its head in the sand over that rate of increase," he added.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Starmer facing growing backbench rebellion over planned disability benefit cuts
A senior Labour MP has said the government needs to take "corrective action" over planned disability cuts - as Sir Keir Starmer faces a growing backbench rebellion. Tan Dhesi, chair of the influential Commons defence committee, told the Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge the "disappointing" local election results show the government must listen and learn, particularly over welfare reforms. The government has proposed tightening the eligibility requirements for the personal independent payment, known as PIP. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement Politics latest: Farage urged to suspend new Reform councillor A claimant must score a minimum of four points on one PIP daily living activity, such as preparing food, washing and bathing, using the toilet or reading, to receive the daily living element of the benefit. Mr Dhesi, the MP for Slough, said "corrective action" needs to be taken but insisted if the government changed tact, it would not be a U-turn as the disability cuts were only proposals. "A government which is in listening mode should be looking at what the electorate is saying," he said. "And we need to make sure that it's our moral duty, responsibility, to look after the most vulnerable within our community, whether that's in Slough, whether that's elsewhere across the country. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement "So, I hope that the government will be taking on board that feedback and many of us as MPs are giving that feedback in various meetings happening here in Westminster and then we need to take corrective action." Minister Alex Davies-Jones told the Politics Hub a Labour government "will always seek to protect the most vulnerable" and it wants to "listen to people who have got real lived experience". She added she has the "utmost respect for Tan, he's a great constituency MP and he's doing exactly what he should be doing, is representing his constituency". Sir Keir is facing a rebellion from Labour MPs, with about 40 in the Red Wall - Labour's traditional heartlands in the north of England - reposting a statement on social media in which they said the leadership's response to the local elections had "fallen on deaf ears". ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement Read more: Starmer defends winter fuel cut The choice facing Labour in face of Reform threat Several backbench Labour MPs also spoke out against the plans during a debate on PIP and disabled people in parliament on Wednesday. Ian Byrne, MP for Liverpool West Derby, said he would "swim through vomit to vote against" the proposed changes and said: "This is not what the Labour Party was formed to do." Bell Ribeiro-Addy, the MP for Clapham and Brixton Hill, said she feared tightening PIP eligibility would cause deaths, adding: "Lest we forget that study that attributed 330,000 excess deaths in Britain between 2012 and 2019 to the last round of austerity cuts [under the Conservative government]." ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement Diane Abbott, the longest-serving female MP, accused the government of putting forward "contradictory arguments". "On the one hand, they insist they are helping the disabled by putting them back to work," she said. "But on the other hand, they say this cut will save £9bn. Well, you can't do both." However, fellow Labour MP David Pinto-Duschinsky, said MPs cannot "ignore this issue" of health-related benefit claimant figures rising at "twice the rate of underlying health conditions". Responding for the government, social security minister Sir Stephen Timms said PIP claims were set to "more than double, from two million to over 4.3 million this decade". "It would certainly not be in the interests of people currently claiming the benefits for the government to bury its head in the sand over that rate of increase," he added.
