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The National
2 days ago
- Politics
- The National
David Lammy contradicted as UK 'hands Gaza spy plane data to Israel'
In July, the Foreign Secretary insisted that the UK Government was not "assisting" in Israel's brutal assault on Gaza and "would never do that", when asked about the surveillance missions. READ MORE: This is what a nuclear attack on Scotland would look like Lammy explicitly stated the UK was not sharing intelligence with Israel. During an appearance on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, Lammy was asked: 'What support is being given to the Israeli Air Force and the Israeli Defence Forces militarily by the UK? For example, RAF flights, which overfly Gaza. Is information from those flights being given to the Israeli military to help them conduct their war in Gaza?' He replied: "No." Foreign Secretary David Lammy (Image: PA) He was then pressed: 'It's been said before that that information was helping to locate and potentially release the hostages. So fine, that's a commitment from you, a clear commitment that information from RAF military surveillance flights is not handed to Israel to help them, for example, identify targets in Gaza?' Lammy responded: 'We are not assisting and it would be quite wrong for the British Government to assist in the prosecution of this war in Gaza, we are not doing that and would and would never do that.' However, UK Government sources have since confirmed to the Times that it is continuing to send spy flights over the besieged enclave and that the intelligence it gathers is being shared with Israel. Sources told the paper that "intelligence gathered by undisclosed RAF aircraft and other British assets in the region is being handed over to the Israeli military so it has up-to-date information". READ MORE: Otter cubs rescued from side of 'very busy road' by quick thinking festival goer The National has previously reported on the spy flights, which are conducted by Shadow R1 planes and have taken off from the RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus since December 2023. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has previously insisted that the data it gathers from the hundreds of flights which it has sent over Gaza is used purely in support of "hostage rescue". The Shadow is flown by 14 Squadron, which is based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire. While there appear to have been an apparent lack of surveillance flights from the Shadow R1s in recent days, the MoD has confirmed that they are "still ongoing". An RAF source told the Times that they understood the Shadow aircraft had returned to the UK – with flight tracking data suggesting this took place on July 29 – but was unsure of which aircraft was now undertaking the surveillance activities. Independent journalist Matt Kennard, who has done previous investigations on the spy planes, claimed a US leasing company had taken over the flights from RAF Akrotiri. BREAKING: Gaza spy flights from UK base on Cyprus secretly shift to plane leased by company with billions in US military contracts New flights are on blocked list, but we tracked US plane over Gaza on 28 July when pilot forgot to turn off transponder for 1st time in 20 months👇 — Matt Kennard (@kennardmatt) August 4, 2025 The MoD is yet to confirm whether it is currently paying private contractors for the use of their aircraft for the missions. An MoD spokesperson told the Times: 'Since early December 2023, the RAF has routinely conducted unarmed surveillance flights over Gaza for the sole purpose of locating hostages. "The UK controls what information is passed to Israeli authorities and only information relating to hostage rescue will be passed to the relevant authority. 'We do not comment on operational detail for security reasons.' The National has also contacted the UK Government for comment.
The National
2 days ago
- Politics
- The National
UK Government continues to send spy planes over Gaza
It comes just weeks after Foreign Secretary David Lammy insisted that the UK Government was not "assisting" in Israel's brutal assault on Gaza and "would never do that", when asked about the surveillance missions. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has previously insisted that the data it gathers from the hundreds of flights which it has sent over Gaza is used purely in support of "hostage rescue". READ MORE: This is what a nuclear attack on Scotland would look like And just two weeks ago, the Foreign Secretary explicitly stated the UK was not sharing the intelligence with Israel. During an appearance on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, Lammy was asked: 'What support is being given to the Israeli Air Force and the Israeli Defence Forces militarily by the UK? For example, RAF flights, which overfly Gaza, is information from those flights being given to the Israeli military to help them conduct their war in Gaza?' Foreign Secretary David Lammy (Image: PA) He replied 'no' before being pressed: 'It's been said before that that information was helping to locate and potentially release the hostages. So fine, that's a commitment from you, a clear commitment that information from RAF military surveillance flights is not handed to Israel to help them, for example, identify targets in Gaza?' Lammy responded: 'We are not assisting and it would be quite wrong for the British government to assist in the prosecution of this war in Gaza, we are not doing that and would and would never do that.' However, UK Government sources have since confirmed to the Times that it is continuing to send these flights over the besieged enclave and that the intelligence it gathers is being shared with Israel. Sources told the paper that "intelligence gathered by undisclosed RAF aircraft and other British assets in the region is being handed over to the Israeli military so it has up-to-date information". READ MORE: Otter cubs rescued from side of 'very busy road' by quick thinking festival goer The National has previously reported on the spy flights, which are conducted by Shadow R1 planes and have taken off from the RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus since December 2023. The Shadow is flown by 14 Squadron, which is based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire. While there appear to have been an apparent lack of surveillance flights from the Shadow R1s in recent days, the MoD has confirmed that they are "still ongoing". An RAF source told the Times that they understood the Shadow aircraft had returned to the UK – with flight tracking data suggesting this took place on July 29 – but was unsure of which aircraft was now undertaking the surveillance activities. Independent journalist Matt Kennard, who has done previous investigations on the spy planes, claimed a US leasing company had taken over the flights from RAF Akrotiri. BREAKING: Gaza spy flights from UK base on Cyprus secretly shift to plane leased by company with billions in US military contracts New flights are on blocked list, but we tracked US plane over Gaza on 28 July when pilot forgot to turn off transponder for 1st time in 20 months👇 — Matt Kennard (@kennardmatt) August 4, 2025 The MoD is yet to confirm whether it is currently paying private contractors for the use of their aircraft for the missions. An MoD spokesperson told the Times: 'Since early December 2023, the RAF has routinely conducted unarmed surveillance flights over Gaza for the sole purpose of locating hostages. The UK controls what information is passed to Israeli authorities and only information relating to hostage rescue will be passed to the relevant authority. 'We do not comment on operational detail for security reasons.' The National has also contacted the UK Government for comment.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Reeves's deputy dismisses Bank of England's job market fears
The Treasury has dismissed Andrew Bailey's warnings that Rachel Reeves's £25bn National Insurance (NI) raid is hitting Britain's jobs market. Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the Treasury, insisted that 'hundreds of thousands of new jobs' have been created, despite the Governor of the Bank of England raising concerns that the tax changes were damaging hiring and hitting pay packets. Mr Jones claimed that National Insurance contributions (NICs), paid by bosses on their employees' pay packets, protect workers rather than harming their wages and their job prospects. 'There have been hundreds of thousands of new jobs created across the economy and we, in the first quarter of the year, were the fastest growing economy in the G7,' Mr Jones said in an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme. 'We are doing everything we can to create the conditions for business to be profitable and to be able to grow, of course we had to take that particular tax decision in the Budget last year because our commitment was to protect working people in their pay slips.' He was speaking after Mr Bailey warned companies were 'adjusting employment and hours, and also having pay rises that are possibly less than they would have been if the NICs change hadn't happened'. 'I think we're getting more consistently the story that [businesses], if you take the National Insurance change, are adjusting via the labour market. I don't think we're getting to a tipping point in the sense that it's becoming a sort of flood,' he said in an interview with The Times. It is not the first time the Governor has raised concerns over the impact of the tax. Last month, Mr Bailey told the House of Lords: 'We are starting to see softening of the labour market and that's the message I get when I go around the country talking to firms. 'I am hearing more firms telling me they are making adjustments on both of the labour market sides, so both quantities and prices.' Regular wages in the private sector in April grew by 5.1pc on the year, according to the Office for National Statistics, the slowest pace since February 2022. Tax data indicates there were 30.2m payrolled employees in May, down by 0.9pc, or 274,000, compared with the same month of 2024. Even as the number of people employed in health and social work increased by 62,000 on the year, jobs in accommodation and food services plunged by 124,000. The ONS found 736,000 job vacancies advertised in May, down from the post-lockdown peak of 1.3m two years earlier, and the lowest number since the depths of Covid in 2021. 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. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Daily Mirror
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Minister quizzed on PIP welfare U-turn - 'How on earth did it get to this point'
In a dramatic climbdown on Thursday, Keir Starmer agreed to protect all existing claimants from losing Personal Independence Payments. But he still faces a major rebellion A government minister has been quizzed on Keir Starmer's U-turn on cuts to disability benefits after a bruising week for the Prime Minister. Skills Minister Baroness Jacqui Smith was pressed after the government was forced last week to introduce major concessions to avoid a humiliating Commons defeat. In a dramatic climbdown on Thursday, the PM agreed to protect all existing claimants from losing Personal Independence Payments. The changes to PIP will now only apply to new claims from November 2026. But Mr Starmer is still facing a rebellion at tomorrow's crunch vote, with as many as 50-60 Labour MPs still said to be considering voting against the government. It would be the biggest revolt of Mr Starmer's premiership so far. Appearing on BBC Breakfast, Baroness Smith was told: "It's quite a bruising week for the government. Looking at it now, how on earth did it get to this point?" The ex-Home Secretary replied: "What I think is important is what we're going to be starting tomorrow is really important reform of a broken welfare system. "Welfare reform is always difficult and I think actually the engagement that;s happened with Labour MPs, who are rightly bringing the concerns of their constituents about how this reform is going to work, have made this legislation better." Baroness Smith also said she hoped that Labour MPs will "feel able to support" the government at tomorrow's crunch vote after the concessions announced last week. The minister also suggested it was not "constructive" to discuss potential punishments for MPs who may decide to rebel against Mr Starmer's welfare plans. Asked on Sky News what the consequences should be for Labour MPs who vote against the government on the matter, she said: "I don't think talking about punishments, even as a former chief whip, is the constructive way forward here." She later added: "It's always the case in legislation that you introduce the Bill, you have a second reading on the principles, and then you think about the details as you take that through all of its stages in Parliament. I'm sure that that will continue to happen." But speaking on Monday the Labour MP Clive Efford said he still will not support the welfare bill even after the Government made concessions. He told the Today Programme on BBC Radio 4: "I think there are a lot of people waiting to hear what the Government is saying today who may be inclined to accept what the Government has done. READ MORE: MPs on fence ahead of crunch welfare vote as 'costs facing disabled people soar' "For me the situation hasn't changed for those people who will be adversely affected and until we know and understand the impact on them, we shouldn't be taking what I think is a leap in the dark." He added: "There are choices that the Government can make here; there are other places it can go to identify the resources. What we want to see, and fully support, is measures the Government is putting in the palace to assist people to move into work, the right to try, we support, but we can't guarantee the savings. "When you're asking for £3.5 billion regardless of the impact of those changes that can only adversely affect people who are in the benefit system. We cannot make assumptions about how much we can save in the welfare system ahead of actually bringing in those changes and seeing how they work." Plans for a major review of PIP will also be set out today, which will be co-produced by disabled people, organisations who represent them and MPs. It is hoped that the terms of the review - which will place disabled people at the heart of it - will persuade nervous MPs that the legislation is now heading in the right direction.
Glasgow Times
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
Grooming gangs review to be unveiled as PM's inquiry plan gets mixed reaction
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is to address Parliament over the review, which prompted the Prime Minister to implement a full probe after months of resistance. The rapid national audit looking at the scale of grooming gangs across the country was first announced in January as part of a series of measures to tackle the issue. Earlier this year, the Government dismissed calls for a public inquiry, saying its focus was on putting in place the outstanding recommendations made in a seven-year national inquiry by Professor Alexis Jay. Professor Alexis Jay (IICSA/PA) The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), led by Prof Jay, found institutional failings and tens of thousands of victims across England and Wales. On Monday, a No 10 spokesman did not say how much the inquiry would cost and the timeframe, saying the Home Secretary would set out details in the afternoon. The spokesman said: 'It will be a full statutory inquiry. What this inquiry will do is build on the work carried out by Alexis Jay and her independent inquiry to child sexual abuse, but look specifically at how young girls were failed so badly by different agencies on a local level, strengthening the commitment we made at the start of this year to carry out locally led inquiries.' The Home Office has also said the National Crime Agency (NCA) will carry out a nationwide operation targeting people who have sexually exploited children, and follow up on more than 800 cold cases. According to the Home Office, the NCA will work in partnership with police forces to investigate cases that 'were not progressed through the criminal justice system' in the past. Meanwhile, the Times reported the review by Baroness Casey is expected to explicitly link the grooming gang issue to men of Pakistani origin and say that people were ignored for the fear of racism. The BBC also understands one of the review's recommendations is expected to order police forces in England to improve their data collection on ethnicity around child sexual abuse and exploitation cases. The MP for Rotherham said she was initially reluctant about another 'grooming gangs' inquiry but supported it after listening to the public. Sarah Champion told the Today Programme on BBC Radio 4: 'The thought of having another filled me with horror, and I was reluctant, but when I realised the overwhelming public concern, there's a real sense justice has not been handed out fairly and there has been a cover-up and intense frustration that there are still victims and survivors who haven't received justice.' She added that the biggest failing was that 'no-one has joined the dots up' when it came to grooming gangs of a Pakistani heritage. 'Are there any links between those different groups and gangs? Personally, I think it's highly likely that there will be,' she said. However Nazir Afzal, who was chief crown prosecutor for the North West from 2011 to 2015, told the Today programme he had 'pragmatic doubts' about the new national inquiry. 'Only criminal investigations can bring real accountability. That's what needs to happen. Not just for those who offended, but also those who stood by and didn't do what they were meant to do,' he said. 'Unfortunately my experience with national inquiries is that they take forever and don't deliver accountability.' The Casey review comes after a row on the issue was ignited earlier this year, when Sir Keir became embroiled in a row with tech billionaire Elon Musk over calls for a national investigation. In January, the Prime Minister hit out at politicians 'calling for inquiries because they want to jump on the bandwagon of the far right' but, on Sunday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said Sir Keir had been focused on 'victims' rather than 'grandstanding'. A children's charity has said that the Government must not wait until the end of the inquiry to implement the recommendations from existing reports such as IICSA. Lynn Perry, chief executive of Barnardo's, said: 'Children and survivors of abuse have already been waiting many years for action, so it's vital the Government doesn't wait for the outcome of this new inquiry to implement recommendations from previous ones. 'That includes upskilling social workers and other professionals to spot the signs of abuse, as well as investing in vital support services to help children experiencing life-changing consequences of abuse and to keep them safe from further harm.'
