Latest news with #DrPeterPrinsley
BBC News
06-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Ex-Tory Home Secretary accuses Labour of 'abandoning' East Anglia
A former Conservative home secretary has claimed the Labour government has "abandoned" the East of England region as it marks the end of its first year in Priti Patel, MP for Witham in Essex, said she backed the government approving the new Sizewell C nuclear plant on the Suffolk coast, but criticised plans to force councils to include more homes in their districts, claiming it was being done without providing the supporting infrastructure Democrat MP for South Cambridgeshire Pippa Heylings said: "Labour promised change and it hasn't delivered. It's blindly pushed ahead with some things without listening to people."Dr Peter Prinsley, Labour MP for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket, said: "It does seem that the change promised is slow, but I believe it is slowly coming."He said the party inherited a lot of problems from the previous Conservative government and it was "going to take some time to put things right". Dame Priti, one of the most senior Conservative politicians in the East of England, said: "As an Essex MP, I've been pressing for all sorts of information around the A12, the A120."We have this issue at the National Grid and pylons going on [there is a campaign by MPs and residents against plans for new pylons proposed by the National Grid across the region]."What I'm finding is that Labour have completely ridden roughshod not only over these issues, but they're too busy making big spending and funding commitments elsewhere in the country. "They've abandoned us in our part of the country, and I just don't find that acceptable at all."She said she was concerned her local council had seen "housing targets... increased by 100%", without "getting the infrastructure that we need to support new housing". Dame Priti said those who voted for Reform UK and were disillusioned with the Conservatives were "equally as disillusioned with Labour"."We have to start recognising those challenges and speak to the needs and the hopes and aspirations of the British people," she praised his government's "announcement of the 10-year health plan which has some very bold changes"."This is a new government with some very determined ministers and I don't think that it would be necessarily expected that they would get everything right immediately," he added that concerns about the difficulty of getting an NHS dentist was also being worked on."We will sort out the dental contract. We're in a mad situation where dentists doing NHS work were losing money," he said."We are determined to get dentistry right."Heyling said she understood the need for more homes, but the government's Planning and Infrastructure Bill was "taking a wrecking ball to nature, and nature-friendly practices alongside house building"."We don't need to say nature is a blocker to building; we've proved it isn't. It actually adds value," she union Unison Eastern regional secretary Tim Roberts said it was "dangerous" to see people getting disillusioned with politics as suggested in recent polls."Working people are hungry for change, which they voted for a year ago," he said. Analysis By Andrew Sinclair, BBC East political editor The political map of the region changed dramatically a year ago as many voters, looking for change, turned away from the Conservatives and decided to give Labour a chance. Has it been worth it?The official statistics suggest that things may be slowly improving but it's very early it is already clear that the look of the region has started to change dramatically after a year of Labour in Keir Starmer's big pitch at the last election was that it would improve the economy and the is growing very slowly, unemployment and inflation have gone up and we learnt this week that living standards have fallen a little. Hospital waiting lists have started to come down, strikes have been settled and it has become a little easier for people in the region to find an NHS dentist but recruitment is still a major says it takes time to turn things other things have moved days of getting into office, the Energy Secretary Ed Miliband approved the Sunnica solar farm on the Suffolk/Cambridgeshire border and made it clear he wanted to see many more similar then more than a dozen major schemes have been proposed on farmland across the region. Recent research by Politics East found the number of solar farms is likely to double over the next few has been increased investment in offshore wind and the port of Lowestoft, in Suffolk, which will service many of the windfarms. Ministers from the prime minister down have made it clear they expect to see new lines of pylons carrying the power through the countryside of Norfolk, Suffolk and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has brought in house-building targets which will see more than 200,000 homes built across the region over the next five years, including at least one new garden city. She has also speeded up the planning process allowing less time for objectors to make their Chancellor Rachel Reeves has given her blessing, and money, to East West Rail, Sizewell C, the Lower Thames Crossing between Essex and Kent, and the science and technology powerhouse of Cambridge. Ministers have actively encouraged Universal Studios to build a massive theme park in East of England is going to see building on a scale never seen before, which will change the look and feel of the will create thousands of jobs both during construction and, afterwards, it will play a major role in growing the country's economy. BBC Politics East will be broadcast on Sunday, 6 July at 10:00 BST on BBC One in the East of England, and will be available after broadcast on BBC iPlayer. Follow East of England news on X, Instagram and Facebook: BBC Beds, Herts & Bucks, BBC Cambridgeshire, BBC Essex, BBC Norfolk, BBC Northamptonshire or BBC Suffolk.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New MP office opens in market town
An MP has opened a new parliamentary office in a market town after it felt "like the right thing to do". Dr Peter Prinsley, Labour MP for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket, opened the office about a year after being elected. The MP will hold surgeries at his new office in 4 Market Place, in Stowmarket. Dr Prinsley told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "It did feel to me like putting the office in Stowmarket made sense. There had never previously been any parliamentary office here; it felt like the right thing to do." The MP officially opened the office by cutting a red ribbon with the help of his wife, Dr Marian Prinsley, on Friday. "Stowmarket is a really lovely little town, and we are very pleased to be able to be here," he added. The MP and his staff had been using the space for several months but had to delay the opening date until security provisions could be organised. Cliff Waterman, labour councillor and leader at West Suffolk Council, said the opening was great news for Bury St Edmunds. "He's saying 'here I am, come talk to me' and I think that's what an MP should be doing," he added. His office will employ four people regularly, in a mix of part-time and full-time roles, and will eventually offer internships and work experience opportunities. Dr Prinsley said: "I'm usually here at the end of the week – I hope people might spot me, we're definitely open to people coming to see us." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Local Democracy Reporting Service
BBC News
29-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
MP Peter Prinsley opens new parliamentary office in Stowmarket
An MP has opened a new parliamentary office in a market town after it felt "like the right thing to do".Dr Peter Prinsley, Labour MP for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket, opened the office about a year after being elected. The MP will hold surgeries at his new office in 4 Market Place, in Stowmarket. Dr Prinsley told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "It did feel to me like putting the office in Stowmarket made sense. There had never previously been any parliamentary office here; it felt like the right thing to do." The MP officially opened the office by cutting a red ribbon with the help of his wife, Dr Marian Prinsley, on Friday."Stowmarket is a really lovely little town, and we are very pleased to be able to be here," he added. The MP and his staff had been using the space for several months but had to delay the opening date until security provisions could be Waterman, labour councillor and leader at West Suffolk Council, said the opening was great news for Bury St Edmunds. "He's saying 'here I am, come talk to me' and I think that's what an MP should be doing," he added. His office will employ four people regularly, in a mix of part-time and full-time roles, and will eventually offer internships and work experience Prinsley said: "I'm usually here at the end of the week – I hope people might spot me, we're definitely open to people coming to see us." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
The Independent
22-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Ministers urged to provide more graduate training slots for UK medical students
A doctor-turned-MP has called on the Government to provide more guaranteed graduate training slots for UK medical students, ahead of the doctors' union voting on a motion which will urge Whitehall to take urgent action. Dr Peter Prinsley, a retired ENT (ear, nose and throat) specialist who was elected for Labour last year, said thousands of British medicine graduates were missing out on doing further training every year because of a lack of places combined with the pressures from international medical graduates in the NHS. The British Medical Association has said about 20,000 applicants will miss out this year, if the number of available posts are the same. It added that according to the latest figures, there were 4.7 applications per post. The MP for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket said it had led to graduates moving abroad to do further study who sometimes do not return. He added there should be reserved spaces for UK graduates to be able to specialise and do further study. Dr Prinsley told the PA news agency: 'The problem is that we've got a distorted competition ratio for the professional training slots. 'It should be a reasonable expectation that if you graduate from the UK medical school, you should have a reasonable chance of getting into higher professional training. 'There should be some competition. It shouldn't just be that you automatically progress with no effort, there should be a bit of competition, but the competition ratios have been hugely distorted by the requirement of the hospitals to provide junior doctors to staff their rotas.' It comes as Wes Streeting said UK medical graduates will be given priority for NHS jobs under the upcoming 10-year health plan. The Health Secretary told medical website on Thursday: 'I want to make sure that if you go through your medical training here in the UK, that you're able to work in the UK.' Mr Streeting added it was 'completely bonkers' to invest in training doctors but not ensure they can stay in the UK to work. The latest figures from the BMA showed there were 33,108 medical graduates applying for around 13,000 posts. This includes 12,305 UK graduates and 20,803 from overseas. The number of international medical graduates has doubled in two years, the figures show, while the UK ones have only risen by a third. The sharp rise in the number of international medical graduates has been down to the increased demand for doctors in the NHS to fill hospital vacancies. In 2023 more than two-thirds of new doctors (68%) joining the NHS were non-UK graduates, up from 47% in 2017. In a statement, the Department for Health and Social Care said the Government should not be 'over-reliant' on overseas recruitment. Doctors can go on to do further training after two foundation years in the NHS. If they apply and miss out on further study, they then move on to so-called foundation three status, where they can work as locums and apply for jobs within individual trusts. Some, however, opt to move abroad to work or study. The number doing another foundation year has risen in recent years. In its latest workforce report, the General Medical Council said the number of doctors not going into speciality training had grown and was a 'sizeable' part of the workforce. Dr Prinsley said he believes priority should be given to UK graduates and physician associates – who have less training – could be used to fill some of the roles taken up by overseas recruits. He said: 'The change that we need is not very difficult. We just need to make a situation in which we prioritise the UK training slots for the UK medical graduates. If we've got any slots we can't recruit to, then, of course, we extend it.' He added: 'The problem has two solutions. We need less international medical graduates being recruited by the hospitals. We need to find an alternative way of staffing the rotas to run the hospitals. 'There's a sort of golden mean, which would allow us to sort out the ratios of international medical graduates to British graduates, and also provide a meaningful role for these graduates as physician associates.' The British Medical Association will discuss the issue at its annual conference in Liverpool on Monday. In a motion put forward by members in the East Midlands, it asks the Government to 'significantly increase the number of training posts available for resident doctors'. It echoes a similar call by the Royal College of Physicians, who wrote in February 'UK graduates must be supported and enabled to enter postgraduate training schemes to continue their training in the NHS'. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'We are committed to building home-grown talent and ensuring UK medical graduates can find work in Britain – our 10 year health plan will tackle bottlenecks in the system. 'Internationally-trained staff remain an important part of the workforce but we should not be over reliant on overseas recruitment.'
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Ministers urged to provide more graduate training slots for UK medical students
A doctor-turned-MP has called on the Government to provide more guaranteed graduate training slots for UK medical students, ahead of the doctors' union voting on a motion which will urge Whitehall to take urgent action. Dr Peter Prinsley, a retired ENT (ear, nose and throat) specialist who was elected for Labour last year, said thousands of British medicine graduates were missing out on doing further training every year because of a lack of places combined with the pressures from international medical graduates in the NHS. The British Medical Association has said about 20,000 applicants will miss out this year, if the number of available posts are the same. It added that according to the latest figures, there were 4.7 applications per post. The MP for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket said it had led to graduates moving abroad to do further study who sometimes do not return. He added there should be reserved spaces for UK graduates to be able to specialise and do further study. Dr Prinsley told the PA news agency: 'The problem is that we've got a distorted competition ratio for the professional training slots. 'It should be a reasonable expectation that if you graduate from the UK medical school, you should have a reasonable chance of getting into higher professional training. 'There should be some competition. It shouldn't just be that you automatically progress with no effort, there should be a bit of competition, but the competition ratios have been hugely distorted by the requirement of the hospitals to provide junior doctors to staff their rotas.' It comes as Wes Streeting said UK medical graduates will be given priority for NHS jobs under the upcoming 10-year health plan. The Health Secretary told medical website on Thursday: 'I want to make sure that if you go through your medical training here in the UK, that you're able to work in the UK.' Mr Streeting added it was 'completely bonkers' to invest in training doctors but not ensure they can stay in the UK to work. The latest figures from the BMA showed there were 33,108 medical graduates applying for around 13,000 posts. This includes 12,305 UK graduates and 20,803 from overseas. The number of international medical graduates has doubled in two years, the figures show, while the UK ones have only risen by a third. The sharp rise in the number of international medical graduates has been down to the increased demand for doctors in the NHS to fill hospital vacancies. In 2023 more than two-thirds of new doctors (68%) joining the NHS were non-UK graduates, up from 47% in 2017. In a statement, the Department for Health and Social Care said the Government should not be 'over-reliant' on overseas recruitment. Doctors can go on to do further training after two foundation years in the NHS. If they apply and miss out on further study, they then move on to so-called foundation three status, where they can work as locums and apply for jobs within individual trusts. Some, however, opt to move abroad to work or study. The number doing another foundation year has risen in recent years. In its latest workforce report, the General Medical Council said the number of doctors not going into speciality training had grown and was a 'sizeable' part of the workforce. Dr Prinsley said he believes priority should be given to UK graduates and physician associates – who have less training – could be used to fill some of the roles taken up by overseas recruits. He said: 'The change that we need is not very difficult. We just need to make a situation in which we prioritise the UK training slots for the UK medical graduates. If we've got any slots we can't recruit to, then, of course, we extend it.' He added: 'The problem has two solutions. We need less international medical graduates being recruited by the hospitals. We need to find an alternative way of staffing the rotas to run the hospitals. 'There's a sort of golden mean, which would allow us to sort out the ratios of international medical graduates to British graduates, and also provide a meaningful role for these graduates as physician associates.' The British Medical Association will discuss the issue at its annual conference in Liverpool on Monday. In a motion put forward by members in the East Midlands, it asks the Government to 'significantly increase the number of training posts available for resident doctors'. It echoes a similar call by the Royal College of Physicians, who wrote in February 'UK graduates must be supported and enabled to enter postgraduate training schemes to continue their training in the NHS'. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'We are committed to building home-grown talent and ensuring UK medical graduates can find work in Britain – our 10 year health plan will tackle bottlenecks in the system. 'Internationally-trained staff remain an important part of the workforce but we should not be over reliant on overseas recruitment.'
