logo
Shadow minister hits back at claims she was in ‘hiding' when with her baby

Shadow minister hits back at claims she was in ‘hiding' when with her baby

Shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho said Ed Miliband should reconsider his remarks, claiming it is an attitude faced by many new mothers when they return to work.
Mr Miliband had pointed out the Conservative shadow minister's absence on Monday as he gave a statement to the Commons on climate and nature.
He said: 'The trouble is we're in a situation now where the shadow secretary of state goes into hiding when there's a statement about the climate crisis, because it's just too embarrassing to try and articulate the opposition's position.'
This was followed by energy minister Kerry McCarthy, who also remarked on her prior absence during energy questions on Tuesday.
Ms Coutinho had asked her why the Government is 'offshoring' British industries, and replacing them with dirtier imports with higher emissions.
Ms McCarthy replied: 'Perhaps if (she) had been here yesterday, she'd have been able to engage with the Secretary of State about that then.'
Ms Coutinho later told MPs she had been missing from the Commons as she was looking after her son Rafael.
The MP for East Surrey has recently returned to the Commons from maternity leave.
Maternity leave for ministers and paid opposition figures, normally shadow secretaries of state, was introduced by the Conservative government in 2021. It entitles them to six months of maternity leave.
She upbraided Mr Miliband as she began her questions to him. She said: 'I will just briefly say that yesterday the Secretary of State said I was hiding, when I was in fact with my six-month old baby who I know he's aware of.
'So, on behalf of all young mums who face these kinds of comments from their first few weeks back to work, can I gently suggest that he reflects on his remarks?'
Mr Miliband apologised, telling her: 'I completely respect her decision to be with her young baby, and there was no offence intended. I think it's very, very important that we understand the needs of new parents and indeed parents across the country.'
Ms Coutinho went on to ask the Government why it is now paying £82 per megawatt hour for offshore wind, up from £72 last year.
'That's the price he's paid for offshore wind, and he's set to do the same this year. And that's before the extra cost for grid for wasted wind and backup which are going through the roof thanks to his policies,' she said.
'Yesterday he admitted to radical honesty, will he either admit that he can't add up or that his policies can't bring down bills?'
Mr Miliband said: 'She is gambling on fossil fuels, the same thing she did which led us to the worst cost-of-living crisis in our country's history.
'Family finances wrecked, business finances wrecked and public finances wrecked. The only way to bring down bills for good is cheap, home-grown power that we can control. We have an energy security plan, they have an energy surrender plan.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Rachel Reeves to pledge £66m for key Scottish transport projects
Rachel Reeves to pledge £66m for key Scottish transport projects

Rhyl Journal

time18 minutes ago

  • Rhyl Journal

Rachel Reeves to pledge £66m for key Scottish transport projects

Scottish Secretary Ian Murray meanwhile said the money would make a 'real difference to people's daily lives'. The money will go towards projects linked to new investment zones and advanced manufacturing sites supported by the UK Government in Scotland. Three key transport schemes are to benefit, with plans to create direct links between these new economic hubs and local towns in the west of the Scotland. The largest chunk of cash – some £38.7 million – will go to Renfrewshire Council to help link Paisley town centre with both Glasgow Airport and the nearby Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS). As part of this new walking, cycling, bus and car links will be built, allowing local people to benefit from the growth of high value manufacturing in Renfrewshire. Another £23.7 million will go to North Ayrshire Council to upgrade the B714 road, allowing faster travel between the towns of Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston and Glasgow, and cutting traffic in Kilwinning. It comes after the Chancellor pledged to find the cash for this work in last month's spending review. In addition the Scottish Government is being given an extra £3.45 million to suggest ways in which the A75 in Dumfries and Galloway can be upgraded. The road there links the port in Cairnryan – where ferries sail to Northern Ireland – with the rest of the UK, and as a result is seen as being vital for both transport connections and the economy. Ms Reeves, who is due to visit Paisley on Friday, said the UK Government was 'pledging billions to back Scottish jobs, industry and renewal'. She added: 'That's why we're investing in the major transport projects, including exploring upgrades to the A75, that local communities have been calling for. 'Whilst previous governments oversaw over a decade of decline of our transport infrastructure, we're investing in Britain's renewal. 'This £66 million investment is exactly what our Plan for Change is about, investing in what matters to you in the places that you live.' Welcoming the cash Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said: 'This £66 million investment in Scotland's roads demonstrates the UK Government's commitment to improving infrastructure and driving economic growth in all parts of the UK as part of our Plan for Change. 'This investment will make a real difference to people's daily lives and to the local economies of the south of Scotland, Ayrshire and Renfrewshire.' Mr Murray continued: 'New road links will connect Paisley town centre with Glasgow Airport and the new advanced manufacturing innovation district, to boost high value manufacturing in Renfrewshire. 'The upgrade to the B714 will speed up journeys between Glasgow and the three towns of Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston, as well as cutting traffic in Kilwinning. 'And the A75 is strategically important just not within but beyond Scotland. Its upgrading is long overdue. I am pleased that the UK Government has stepped up to fund the delivery of the A75 feasibility study in full.' Mr Murray said: 'This investment is yet another example of how the UK Government is building the foundations for a stronger, more prosperous future that benefits communities right across Scotland.'

Householders with heat pumps more satisfied than those with gas boilers
Householders with heat pumps more satisfied than those with gas boilers

Rhyl Journal

time18 minutes ago

  • Rhyl Journal

Householders with heat pumps more satisfied than those with gas boilers

A survey of 3,000 nationally representative British households as part of a quarterly tracker study of homeowners across four countries reveals 94% of heat pump owners are satisfied with their heating tech. Half of those with heat pumps are extremely satisfied and 44% are satisfied with the clean tech heating their home. The survey also found 85% of people with a gas boiler – the main way homes are heated in the UK – are happy with them, with a little over half of gas boiler owners (52%) saying they are satisfied with their heating system, while a third (33%) are very satisfied. Other heating systems, including oil, wood and coal, and electric storage heaters, had lower satisfaction levels. Insights agency Electrify Research's Homeowner Electrification Tracker Study (HETS) surveys more than 4,000 homeowners quarterly across the UK, France, Germany and the US, quizzing them on heating systems, electric vehicles and solar power. Large-scale deployment of clean electric-powered heat pumps is seen as key to replacing the widespread use of gas boilers in heating to reduce carbon emissions from homes as part of targets to cut greenhouse gases to 'net zero' by 2050. While the number of heat pumps being installed in the UK is growing, with the help of Government grants, it remains far below what will be needed in coming years to meet climate change targets, and only a small proportion of British homes have them. Concerns about heat pumps including upfront installation costs and disruption, and whether they will work in people's homes. The independent Climate Change Committee has found households would save around £700 a year on heating bills by 2050 from a shift to the highly efficient heat pumps, but also warned electricity costs need to be reduced to ensure households making the switch feel the cash benefits. Ben Marks, managing director at Electrify Research, said: 'Heat pump owners are actively pleased with the heating systems – more so than all other types of system we asked about. 'Heat pumps sometimes get a lot of criticism in the popular press, but when you talk to their owners, they're generally delighted with them. 'This is important information that those considering the switch should consider as part of their decision-making process.' Minister for energy consumers Miatta Fahnbulleh said: 'Demand for heat pumps is growing rapidly, with figures showing 2024 was a record year for installations, up 63% on the previous year, as more families take up our £7,500 grant. 'So it's fantastic to see that once people have made the switch they are really happy they did, and it's no surprise with households able to save £100 a year on their bills when using a smart tariff.' She said the Government is planning to expand its grant scheme to include air to air heat pumps and heat batteries to give families greater choice when upgrading their home heating. Garry Felgate, chief executive of The MCS Foundation, a charity which supports the decarbonisation of homes, said the results backed other evidence that householders 'really liked' their heat pumps. 'Heat pumps provide affordable running costs, consistently comfortable temperatures, and the satisfaction of knowing that your heating is not contributing to climate change,' he said. He added that Government-led information campaigns on heat pumps had helped increase installations, and said: 'Households must continue to be supported with information on how to install and operate heat pumps, so that more people can benefit from lower bills, increased comfort, and clean energy.' Commenting on the findings, Sue Davies, Which? head of consumer rights policy, said: 'Heat pumps can be a great way to heat your home and cut your home's carbon emissions. 'They can also help to cut energy bills, particularly if they are used with a time-of-use tariff.' But she said installing a heat pump could involve complex and costly decisions, and Which? research showed high upfront costs and a lack of confidence in the technology remained some of the biggest barriers to installation. 'In order to support the transition to heat pumps, the Government needs to make sure the upfront costs of installing a heat pump are more affordable and people have access to good-quality independent advice and reliable installers so they can be confident they have the right heating system for their home,' she said.

Adams: It's a regret that end to armed campaign took decades to bring about
Adams: It's a regret that end to armed campaign took decades to bring about

Rhyl Journal

time18 minutes ago

  • Rhyl Journal

Adams: It's a regret that end to armed campaign took decades to bring about

The former Sinn Fein president also voiced regret that it took so long to come, suggesting the UK Government was focused on 'defeating republicanism'. He also said he regretted the number of lives lost during the Troubles as he reflected on the upcoming 20th anniversary of the IRA statement. The IRA formally ended its 35-year paramilitary campaign on July 28 2005 when former republican prisoner Seanna Walsh read a statement. While a number of ceasefires had been announced and collapsed since 1994, the 2005 statement saw the start of the decommissioning of weapons. The statement said that members had been instructed to use exclusively peaceful means, and not to engage in any other activities whatsoever. Mr Adams described the move as seismic, and an 'indication of confidence' by 'all the IRA' and not just its leadership. 'The statement came after there had been some sort of internal process, a huge vote of confidence in people,' he said. 'It took decades for it to be put together. 'You have to go back to Father Alec Reid, Father Des Wilson, myself, John Hume and the endeavour to put together an alternative to armed struggle. 'It took all that time to do that, but that's what the IRA said in its statement, that they believed there was now a peaceful way to pursue republican and democratic objectives, and ordered its volunteers to not be engaged in any other activity whatsoever, and authorised contact with the International Commission on Decommissioning. 'It took decades and one of my regrets is that it took so long. In my humble opinion it took so long because the two governments, particularly the British government, only sought peace on its terms, which meant defeat the IRA, it meant defeat republicanism and that doesn't work, our people are resolute.' He added: 'The proof of it is that 20 years later the IRA isn't a feature. Some may want to make it a feature, invent, fabricate and so on, but that's the proof of it.' Asked whether he felt the IRA should issue an apology for all the lives lost by their actions, Mr Adam pointed to a statement in 2002 on the anniversary of Bloody Friday, a series of bombs across Belfast which claimed nine lives. It included an offer of 'sincere apologies and condolences' to the families of all 'non combatants' killed or injured by IRA actions. 'I think in fairness that the record will show that the IRA leadership have apologised on a number of occasions about specific incidents or operations which it was involved in, particularly around the issue of civilian casualties or fatalities,' he said. 'One of the big regrets that I have is that so many people were killed, and particularly people who weren't involved and particularly children, that's a real concern. 'I say that from a community and a family which lost loved ones in the course of all of this.' However, Mr Adams added that while he thinks it is important to look back over the last 20 years, it is also important to look forward to the next 20 years and a referendum on a united Ireland. 'One thing we can say with certainty is there is going to be a referendum on the future, the Irish Government doesn't want it, the British Government doesn't want it, unionists don't want it but there is going to be the day when people will vote for the future,' he said. 'Our responsibility, and for everyone who is concerned about the future, need to be part of the conversation well in advance of that vote. Whether it is about public services, health services, the economy, flags, emblems, taking all of those issues and trying to find solutions to them that allows everyone to be comfortable in the new Ireland. 'You rarely get the opportunity to write the future, and we now have that opportunity and its contained in the Good Friday Agreement.' 'I do know that there will be a united Ireland so whether it happens the day after I die or a couple of years before then. 'It is not inevitable, the forces against it are quite strong but if we work at it. 'If we continue to do the sensible, intelligent things that we have been trying to do, then – although I would love to live in a united Ireland – it matters little to me whether it happens after I die or before it. To be able to say in my own heart to say, 'I played a part in bringing that about', that'll do me.' Mr Adams was speaking ahead of an Feile An Phobail arts event this weekend to mark the anniversary. He will take part in a discussion alongside Mr Walsh, chaired by Sinn Fein Galway TD Mairead Farrell, at the Balmoral Hotel in Belfast on Saturday.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store