Latest news with #UK-only
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Rachel Reeves to take aim at environmental protections in bid to speed up infrastructure projects, say reports
Rachel Reeves is preparing to strip back environmental protections in an attempt to accelerate infrastructure building and boost the economy, according to reports. The chancellor is considering major reforms that would make it more difficult for wildlife concerns to hold up developments, according to The Times. Treasury officials are said to be drafting another planning reform bill, the publication reported. The move reportedly involves tearing up parts of European environmental rules, which developers have argued slow down crucial projects. While Labour ministers have previously insisted their current planning overhaul would balance growth with nature, Ms Reeves is understood to believe that the government must go further. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill going through Parliament overrides existing habitat and nature protections, which, if passed, would allow developers to make general environmental improvements and pay into a nature restoration fund that improves habitats on other sites. But Ms Reeves is considering more contentious reforms that are likely to trigger further backlash from environmental groups, according to The Times. Among the changes under discussion are plans for a smaller, UK-only list of protected species, which would give less weight to wildlife considered rare across Europe but relatively common in Britain, The Times said. Ms Reeves is also reportedly considering abolishing the EU 'precautionary principle' that forces developers to prove projects will have no impact on protected natural sites. Instead, a new test would assess the risks and benefits of building. The chancellor is also exploring limits on legal challenges from environmental campaigners. Speaking to the House of Lords economic affairs committee last month, Ms Reeves said: 'The reason that HS2 is not coming to my city of Leeds anymore anytime soon, is because I'm afraid, as a country, we've cared more about the bats than we have about the commuter times for people in Leeds and West Yorkshire, and we've got to change that, 'Because I care more about a young family getting on the housing ladder than I do about protecting some snails, and I care more about my energy bills and my constituents than I do about the views of people from their windows.' High-profile examples of costly protections include the £100m Buckinghamshire 'bat tunnel' built to protect wildlife from HS2 trains and the so-called 'fish disco' at Hinkley Point C nuclear plant, which uses sound to deter fish from cooling system intakes. The existing Planning and Infrastructure Bill already proposes a 'nature restoration fund' under which developers could offset environmental damage by paying for conservation schemes elsewhere. But the bill has faced criticism from both environmental groups and developers, who fear it will fail to speed up construction. Paul Miner of the countryside charity CPRE told The Times that targeting habitats regulations would 'take us backwards rather than forwards on nature recovery'.
Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Times
Rachel Reeves to cut ‘bats and newts' in boost to developers
Rachel Reeves is preparing to strip back environmental protections in an effort to boost the economy by speeding up infrastructure projects. The chancellor is considering reforms that would make it far harder for concerns about nature to stop development, which she insists is crucial to restoring growth and improving living standards. The Treasury has begun preparing for another planning reform bill and is thinking about tearing up key parts of European environmental rules that developers say are making it harder to build key projects. Labour ministers have repeatedly insisted that their current planning overhaul will not come at the expense of nature, promising a 'win-win' system where developers will pay to offset environmental damage. But Reeves is understood to believe that the government must go significantly further, after expressing frustration that the interests of 'bats and newts' are being allowed to stymie critical infrastructure. She has tasked officials with looking at much more contentious reforms, which are likely to provoke a furious backlash from environmentalists and cause unease for some Labour MPs. A smaller, UK-only list of protected species is being planned, which would place less weight on wildlife — including types of newt — that is rare elsewhere in Europe but more common in Britain. Developers would also no longer have to prove that projects would have no impact on protected natural sites, under plans that would abolish the 'precautionary principle' enshrined in European rules. Instead, a new test would look at risks and benefits of potential projects. Further curbs to judicial review are also being considered by Reeves to stop key projects being delayed by legal challenges from environmentalists. No decisions have been made, but work is underway and Treasury sources acknowledged there was a growing belief that the government needed to go further, as Reeves says she wants to make boosting Britain's sluggish productivity the centrepiece of her autumn budget. She argued this week that building more infrastructure such as roads and railways were crucial to this aim. A Planning and Infrastructure Bill currently going through parliament attempts to encourage development through a 'nature restoration fund' through which developers will be allowed to press ahead with projects by setting up schemes elsewhere to offset their environmental impact. • The grid is struggling — and our green future hangs in the balance But the plan has been criticised by environmental groups while also attracting scepticism from some developers, who fear it will not work in practice and do little to speed up building. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, who stood down as energy minister in May, is urging his former colleagues to go further to achieve Labour's promise of 150 major infrastructure projects. 'While I think the planning bill will work for housing, I don't think it is sufficiently focused on the major infrastructure projects, so it is encouraging that the Treasury is going to have another look at whether we've really got this right,' he said. 'The government has to face up to the tensions in the Habitat Regulations which are making it hard to build essential infrastructure and the reality is that at some point someone needs to make a hard decision and say 'on some things, you just have to press ahead'.' The rules, which incorporate the EU Habitats Directive into British law, ban killing of hundreds of species, including types of bats, news, voles, snails, spiders, insects and woodlice. Developers must prove there is no risk to protected sites and species before being allowed to go ahead with projects, under rules which critics say impose an 'impossibly high standard' on vital projects. Reeves is increasingly sympathetic to such criticism, after repeatedly hitting out at 'ridiculous' environmental protections. She said last month that she cared 'more about the young family getting on the housing ladder than I do about protecting some snails', after a speech in January in which she said developers should be able to 'focus on getting things built, and stop worrying about bats and newts'. Sir Keir Starmer has also expressed frustration with the ability of campaigners to delay projects through legal challenges, and is already introducing rules which limit judicial review to override the 'whims of nimbys'. Campaign groups and residents, who currently have three opportunities to apply for judicial review, which will be reduced to two, or one in cases deemed by a judge 'totally without merit'. Reeves is now considering allowing only one opportunity to bring any challenge. Some Labour MPs and peers want her to go further by using dedicated acts of parliament to prevent any legal challenge to specific named projects. The plans are at an early stage and are likely to cause tension with ministers in other departments who have pledged to protect the environment. Paul Miner, of the countryside charity CPRE, said targeting habitats regulations would 'take us backwards rather than forwards on nature recovery', adding: 'We urge the government to drop the worn-out 'builders versus blockers' narrative which wrongly frames climate and nature as being in conflict with economic growth.' Becky Pullinger, of the Wildlife Trusts, said maintaining environmental standards was 'essential if we are to achieve targets to protect and restore the natural world which is suffering huge declines, saying Reeves should abandon 'the myth that deregulation will lead to economic growth'. But Robbie Owen, head of infrastructure planning at Pinsent Masons, said: 'Ministers are finally realising that their rhetoric about reform doesn't match up up the reality of their bill. We have been saying to ministers and officials all year that the bill needs to go further and it seems that message has finally been heard.'
The Irish Sun
7 days ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Jeremy Clarkson launches new version of UK favourite product only available to customers of his pub
DIDDLY SQUIRT Jeremy Clarkson launches new version of UK favourite product only available to customers of his pub JEREMY Clarkson is to finally offer tomato ketchup to punters at his The Farmer's Dog boozer after a UK firm produced an all-British one. TV star Jezza, 65, will also flog bottles of the condiment at his Diddly Squat farm as it meets his UK-only ingredients condition. 2 Jeremy Clarkson is to finally offer tomato ketchup to punters at his boozer after a UK firm produced an all-British one An Isle of Wight company took on the challenge after the subject arose on Clarkson's Farm. It came after thousands of requests for ketchup at Jezza's pub in Burford, Oxon, saw staff put up a sign urging diners not to bother asking for it. The firm, Condimaniac, uses Isle of Wight tomato passata, apple cider vinegar from Hants, Essex salt and British sugar and onions. Boss Kier Kemp said: 'Making a 100 per cent British ketchup after Jeremy Clarkson alerted us to the fact there wasn't one was very hard. "We had to put on our big boy pants.' The firm made 1,700 bottles for its first order to be sold at the pub's one-stop butcher and bottle shop and at Clarkson's farm in Chipping Norton. The firm's own supplies of the £7.95 red sauce have sold out. A source close to Clarkson's pub said: 'Jeremy and the team support the British food and farming industry. 'So he made no apologies for not selling ketchup, no matter how many times staff had to let customers down. 'But the pub's always said that if a British company could do it with all-British ingredients, it would get on the menu. Clarkson's Farm star Harriet Cowan admits she is 'not making any money from farming' despite show appearance 'Hopefully it'll be a success.'
Scottish Sun
7 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Jeremy Clarkson launches new version of UK favourite product only available to customers of his pub
DIDDLY SQUIRT Jeremy Clarkson launches new version of UK favourite product only available to customers of his pub Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) JEREMY Clarkson is to finally offer tomato ketchup to punters at his The Farmer's Dog boozer after a UK firm produced an all-British one. TV star Jezza, 65, will also flog bottles of the condiment at his Diddly Squat farm as it meets his UK-only ingredients condition. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 2 Jeremy Clarkson is to finally offer tomato ketchup to punters at his boozer after a UK firm produced an all-British one An Isle of Wight company took on the challenge after the subject arose on Clarkson's Farm. It came after thousands of requests for ketchup at Jezza's pub in Burford, Oxon, saw staff put up a sign urging diners not to bother asking for it. The firm, Condimaniac, uses Isle of Wight tomato passata, apple cider vinegar from Hants, Essex salt and British sugar and onions. Boss Kier Kemp said: 'Making a 100 per cent British ketchup after Jeremy Clarkson alerted us to the fact there wasn't one was very hard. "We had to put on our big boy pants.' The firm made 1,700 bottles for its first order to be sold at the pub's one-stop butcher and bottle shop and at Clarkson's farm in Chipping Norton. The firm's own supplies of the £7.95 red sauce have sold out. A source close to Clarkson's pub said: 'Jeremy and the team support the British food and farming industry. 'So he made no apologies for not selling ketchup, no matter how many times staff had to let customers down. 'But the pub's always said that if a British company could do it with all-British ingredients, it would get on the menu. Clarkson's Farm star Harriet Cowan admits she is 'not making any money from farming' despite show appearance 'Hopefully it'll be a success.'
Hindustan Times
07-08-2025
- Hindustan Times
Decoding UK's OSA, ChatGPT adds emotional support, and pondering Windows' future
The UK's newly updated enforcements for the Online Safety Act (OSA) are worth having a conversation about, this week. Most of the online media coverage would lead you to believe that it's a new act that's been passed into a new law, but it isn't — the Online Safety Act received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023, some provisions came into force on 10 January 2024, while additional elements took effect on 1 April 2024. We're talking about this now, because the critical age verification requirements took effect on 25 July 2025, which means all online platforms accessible in that part of the world are legally required to implement "highly effective" age assurance measures. In fact, this will not have a UK-only fallout, because it could potentially reshape the digital landscape globally, much in the way the GDPR or General Data Protection Regulation of 2016 has had on how online platforms and services collect and handle user data, in subsequent regulations worldwide. OpenAI The mandatory age verification measures that came into place late last month, are meant to provide a substantial legal assurance of a user's age and consent, the idea being to reduce access to content such as pornography, or anything that encourages self-harm, suicide or eating disorders for instance, on the World Wide Web. Apple There are two sides to this coin. Tech companies and content creators are alarmed by the OSA's new sweeping requirements. If any site accessible in the UK—including social media, search engines, music sites, and adult content providers— does not enforce age checks to prevent children from seeing harmful content, they now face potential fines up to 10% of their revenue for non-compliance. This could very well pressure them into implementing invasive verification systems. Depending how a specific platform does it, methods include scanning your face, credit card, or an identity document, if you want to access content. UK's regulators have been at it for a while, a recent case in point being the Investigatory Powers Act, which we decoded in my Tech Tonic column recently which would have forced tech companies to disable active encryption methods, putting user data at significant risk. There are privacy and access implications of this, something digital rights advocates warn about, detailing that these measures have the potential to create an unprecedented surveillance infrastructure, with these massive databases of personal and biometric information inevitably vulnerable to breaches and misuse. Users must now choose between privacy and access, fundamentally altering the internet's traditionally open nature. 'The Act, which is now coming in enforcement stages exemplifies how well-intended laws can cause unintended consequences on other aspects of technologies. The mandatory use of accredited technology is bound to weaken end-to-end encryption which is the hallmark of a free digital society without which commerce or personal communications systems cannot work. Any of the current age verification methods cannot be imposed without addressing biometric surveillance creep, data breaches and misuse, and increased centralization of user data,' explains a spokesperson of Software Freedom Law Centre India ( in a conversation with us. 'The OSA's age assurance rules require platforms to use facial scans, upload IDs, or verify age through banking or telecom data. These measures raise serious privacy concerns and discourage online anonymity. Larger platforms are testing third-party software for this, but the risk does not disappear, it spreads. User data could now sit with multiple external vendors, increasing the chances of leaks or misuse,' points out Vikram Jeet Singh, Partner at BTG Advaya, a law firm. Possible global implications cannot be ignored, considering the OSA's impact extends far beyond British borders, potentially influencing online speech frameworks worldwide. There can be an argument that while it is effective in some form, it breaks the right to privacy and free speech, while also compromising cybersecurity. Countries such as India, already grappling with content regulation challenges, are likely to be closely watching the UK's approach as a potential model, or cautionary tale. The precedent set by Britain's age verification requirements could normalise similar measures globally, which alongside a fragmented internet where access to information depends on geography, also depends on a willingness to submit to digital surveillance. This is something the spokesperson details, 'Such laws generally have global ripple effects like the GDPR. Companies may choose to adopt UK-compliant policies to avoid the costs related to fragmentation. Countries will emulate such provisions to curb dissent and justify surveillance under the guise of child protection or moral regulation by the state.' What's the way forward? The UK's now complete Online Safety Act effectively represents a watershed moment for internet governance, confronted with often opposing scenarios of fundamental questions about digital rights and any government's commitment to protecting children. The intent of the UK government is commendable, in terms of what it is trying to achieve — the internet as a safe space for children. However, the immediate surge in VPN downloads in the UK on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store suggest, citizens aren't likely to play along. Does that potentially undermine the Act's effectiveness? EMOTIONAL SUPPORT OpenAI says that they are updating ChatGPT (irrespective of which model you use specifically) giving it an ability to detect mental or emotional distress. The AI company wants ChatGPT to work better for users when they want guidance and perhaps a pep talk, than pure facts or information. 'I'm feeling stuck—help me untangle my thoughts' is an example OpenAI mentions, among others, to indicate the GPT models will be more capable of listening to the reasoning of a user's thoughts, rather than just tokenise those words into a response. Newly added are also gentle reminders during long sessions to encourage breaks. OpenAI isn't building this out of its own hat, but instead suggests they've worked with over 90 physicians across over 30 countries (including psychiatrists, paediatricians, and general practitioners) to build custom rubrics for evaluating complex, multi-turn conversations, as well as engaging human-computer-interaction (HCI) researchers and clinicians to give feedback on how well they've identified concerning behaviours, as well as convening an advisory group of experts in mental health, youth development, and HCI. The company admits they haven't gotten it right earlier, case in point being an update earlier this year, which made the model respond in a tone that was too agreeable, bordering on saying what sounded nice instead of what was actually helpful. MAKING NOTES Notes In what is usually the most difficult quarter for iPhone sales, with the spectre of the traditional September refresh looming large, Apple has reported Q3 earnings higher than expectations. The company has reported quarterly revenue of $94 billion, up 10 percent year over year, a June quarter revenue record, and beating $89.3 billion expectations. Apple CEO Tim Cook again emphasised the importance of India, for Apple's growth trajectory. 'The world of mousing and keyboarding around will feel as alien as it does to Gen Z [using] MS-DOS,' the words of David Weston, Microsoft's Corporate Vice President of Enterprise & Security in what is apparently the first of Microsoft's 'Windows 2030 Vision' video series. What does this mean? Since he doesn't elaborate any further than this breadcrumb, I'll lay out the possibility for you — another attempt at Windows which is overloaded with AI, perhaps even more within the OS itself and the apps you use on the computing device, with some element of agentic features that'll utilise natural language understanding and context from a user's data as well as what's on the screen. Ready for the future? MEET'S GETTING SMART Google Meet Google Meet is getting a rather interesting new feature, and it may seem like there's some sorcery to it, instead it is more of attention to details. Google says that if you are now joining a Meet call from your own device such as a laptop, the video meeting platform can detect when you may be doing so in a large conference room-esque physical space. In an attempt to reduce or totally eliminate the problem of sound echo on such a call, Meet will suggest joining the call using something called a 'Companion Mode'. Mind you, this presently only works if you are joining a meet call from your laptop on the Google Chrome web browser — and rolls out for all Google Workspace customers with Google Meet hardware devices. Meet uses your laptop's microphone to intelligently know when you are in a room using an ultrasonic signal. 'This wayfinding feature helps ensure a seamless, echo-free start to your meeting. When you join using the highlighted Companion mode button, you will also be automatically checked into the correct room,' says Google, in an official post. Basically, this will require your Google Workspace admins (basically, your organisation's IT folks) to enable 'Proximity Detection' that will allow that hardware to detect nearby devices, as a feature on the Google Meet Hardware installed in a conference room (for this I am sure there will be typical inertia reasoned around 'compatibility' and 'security' to mask ineptitude). At this point, based on my experiences with IT folks, easier said than done. End of the story.
