Latest news with #GreatBritain
BBC News
8 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Listen: World Rowing Cup 2025 Semi-Final
Update: Date: 19:10 BST Title: Two races, two golds - Woolnough on 'awesome' debut Content: BBC Sport This video can not be played Fergus Woolnough reflects on winning Gold in his first 2 regattas in the GB Mens 8 boat. Rower Fergus Woolnough has said it was an "awesome feeling" to win two gold medals in his first two senior races for Great Britain. Woolnough was part of the men's eight crew that took gold at the European Championships in Bulgaria and the World Rowing Cup in Italy, two weeks later. The 22-year-old was only selected for the squad for the first time in April. "Even being selected for the boat feels like a massive accomplishment and then going out to races and being able to deliver some really good performances, that is an awesome feeling," Woolnough told BBC Radio Gloucestershire. "It makes all the very cold windy mornings through the winter worth it." Click here to read more. Update: Date: 19:09 BST Title: Get Inspired: How to get into rowing Content: Fast Answers BBC Sport Why get into rowing? It's a physical, exciting and social sport that helps you work effectively in a team. Who is it for? If you're looking for a fantastic way to stay in shape and you love being on the water, rowing is perfect for you. Alternatively, most gyms provide indoor rowing machines. Is there a cheap option? Most clubs will offer subsidised rates for juniors, students and social members. Free taster sessions at some clubs are also available. What if I want a proper workout? Rowing is a fantastic cardiovascular workout. Every stroke uses 85% of your muscles covering nine major muscle groups so it also helps you to tone up, fast. Can I take it to another level? Join a local club and unleash your competitive side! There are over 550 rowing clubs across the country where you can get started. Is there a disability option? 'Rowability' from British Rowing aims to encourage anyone who has a physical, sensory or learning impairment to start rowing. Is there a family option? Lots of clubs run taster sessions at weekends and during school holidays- so you can get the whole family involved! Update: Date: 19:09 BST Title: Rowing Content: BBC Sport Most people are familiar with sliding-seat racing as the discipline included in the Olympic Games. The boats generally have one, two, four or eight seats and some have a coxswain to steer and direct the crew from the back. Rowing in a small group requires precise co-ordination and excellent communication skills, so not only will you get fit, but also make some good friends in the process Visit British Rowing, external, external for more information on the basics of rowing
Times
10 hours ago
- Business
- Times
M&S boss says post-Brexit food labels are ‘bureaucratic madness'
The chief executive of Marks & Spencer has called the latest post-Brexit changes affecting food shipments to Northern Ireland 'bureaucratic madness' that will heap red tape and costs onto retailers. The final phase of the Windsor framework will come into effect from July 1, requiring new labelling for a wide range of food products moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. Items including composite foods, fresh produce and fish will now need individual 'Not for EU' labels as part of efforts to prevent goods from inadvertently entering the EU single market. Stuart Machin, M&S chief executive, urged the UK and EU to fast-track a comprehensive agri-food agreement to remove the need for such measures. • The Times view on Starmer's Brexit reset: New Beginning 'Next week sees the final phase of the Windsor framework come into effect, adding yet another layer of unnecessary costs and red tape for food retailers like M&S,' Machin said. 'One thousand-plus M&S products destined for Northern Ireland will need to have a 'Not For EU' label stuck on them. Another 400 will need to go through additional checks in the 'red lane'.' He added: 'Quite frankly, it's bureaucratic madness, confusing for customers, and completely unnecessary given the UK has some of the highest food standards in the world.' Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, the trade body for retailers, echoed Machin's concerns. 'The thousands of additional products needing 'Not for EU' labelling in July, combined with hard line enforcement, means retailers face a huge challenge maintaining choice for their customers in Northern Ireland,' he said. The 'Not for EU' labels have been gradually introduced since 2023 as part of the UK-EU agreement that replaced parts of the original Northern Ireland Protocol in an attempt to reduce friction on goods moving across the Irish Sea. While the Windsor framework eased some trade barriers, it introduced others, such as labelling rules, to satisfy EU concerns that goods from Great Britain might enter the single market via Northern Ireland. Under the revised arrangements, checks and paperwork for food destined for retail in Northern Ireland have been significantly reduced. For example, the identity check rate on retail consignments will drop to just 5 per cent under the new phase. The labelling and inspection requirements are intended to provide the EU with assurance that goods remain within Northern Ireland and do not cross the open border into the Republic of Ireland, a key principle of maintaining the integrity of the EU single market while avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland. However, retail leaders have long argued that the compliance regime places undue pressure on British businesses, particularly supermarkets with large ranges and complex supply chains. • Why plant prices could fall after EU trade deal Machin has been vocal in the past about the costs of Brexit for M&S. Speaking at the company's 2023 general meeting, he described the UK's departure from the EU as its 'biggest challenge after inflation'. 'It added a considerable amount of complexity, cost and distraction and we are still trying to find the way through,' he said at the time. The government is working on a long-term resolution. In May it announced an 'agreement to agree' a future sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) deal with Brussels, which could eliminate the need for the labels altogether if the UK and EU align on food and plant health standards. 'The government's SPS deal with the EU will be game-changing,' Machin said. 'It can't come soon enough.' The Cabinet Office was contacted for comment.
BBC News
15 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Brexit: M&S boss says extending Northern Ireland food labelling is madness
The decision to extend post-Brexit food labelling on products being shipped from Great Britain to Northern Ireland has been criticised by the chief executive of Marks & "Not for EU" labels have been phased in since 2023 with the final phase to be implemented next labels are likely to become unnecessary when the UK and EU finalise a new agrifood Machin said it was "bureaucratic madness" and the new deal "can't come soon enough". The labelling is a requirement of the Windsor Framework, the revised Brexit deal for Northern is part of a broader package of changes to the 2019 Brexit deal for Northern Ireland - known as the NI protocol kept Northern Ireland inside the EU single market for goods, which allowed a free flow of goods across the Irish it made trading from Great Britain to Northern Ireland more difficult and expensive. 'Bureaucratic madness' Checks and controls on GB food products entering Northern Ireland have been some of the biggest practical the Windsor Framework, UK public health and safety standards apply for all retail food and drink in the UK internal means GB traders who are sending food for sale in Northern Ireland face reduced checks and paperwork compared to the flipside of this is the introduction of the "Not for EU" labels on GB food products, to give a level of assurance to the EU that products will not wrongly enter its single Machin said the final phase of labelling would mean more than 1,000 Marks & Spencer products destined for Northern Ireland would need to have a "Not For EU" 400 would need to go through additional checks in the so-called red lane at NI ports."Quite frankly it's bureaucratic madness, confusing for customers, and completely unnecessary," Mr Machin May the government announced an "agreement to agree" which will ultimately see all of the UK realigning with EU agrifood rules.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
British billpayers saved £300m through energy flexibility in 2024, figures show
British billpayers saved more than £300 million through the UK's growing energy flexibility market, according to figures released by the industry body for network operators. The Energy Network Association (ENA) said the savings were driven by lower contributions to infrastructure costs, reduced connection charges and the increased use of low-carbon energy sources. Households and businesses also reduced their bills by changing the time or day they used electricity – such as by cooking or washing earlier or later in the day, or setting electric cars to charge at specific times. In the past when most of the UK's electricity generators were fossil-fuel power plants, supply of electricity adapted to demand. Today as the wind and the sun influence when renewables are being produced, incentivising users to adapt their demand to when there is a lot of supply can help take pressure off the grid. Flexibility can also be a valuable tool to optimise capacity while longer-term infrastructure upgrades are planned and delivered. The ENA on Thursday said electricity networks in Great Britain secured a record high of 9 gigawatts (GW) of flexibility last year. In turn, a total of 22 gigawatt-hours of flexibility was harnessed across the network – enough to power almost 7,000 average UK households for a full year, according to the figures. It represents a three-fold increase since the previous year, which is the biggest jump since data collection began in 2017, ENA said. The industry group also revealed that flexibility is projected to deliver over £3 billion in savings over the next three years. Dr Avinash Aithal, head of open networks at ENA, said: 'It's been tremendous to see the boom in the flexibility market over the past year. 'Flexibility is becoming more mainstream thanks to industry efforts to remove barriers to participation and simplify the market processes overall. The outcome of our efforts are now clear to see, with significant savings for consumers and the wider energy industry. 'Great Britain is now a global leader in energy flexibility,' he added. 'Together, ENA and industry have paved the way for the whole of Great Britain to participate in and benefit from the energy flexibility market.' Last year, a majority (80%) of flexibility came from non-fossil fuel sources – 10 times the capacity of the UK's largest solar farm, ENA said. While the majority of flexibility services came from commercial organisations, householders can also reap the benefits of using electric car chargers and heat pumps, for example, at non-peak times. It comes as Ofgem said the energy market needs more complex time-based tariffs to encourage consumers to use power at different times. The regulator's chief executive, Jonathan Brearley, told MPs that the tariffs would in some cases 'dramatically reduce bills'. The tariffs, also called time-of-use (TOU) tariffs or multi-rate tariffs, offer cheaper electricity at times when there is lower demand on the National Grid.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Welfare reforms: What concessions has the Government made?
Last-minute concessions to the Government's controversial welfare reforms have been welcomed by some campaigners but described as not good enough by others. Here, the PA news agency takes a look at what the changes are and how Labour MPs and disability groups have reacted. – What had the Government originally planned? In March, reforms to the welfare system – aimed at encouraging more people off sickness benefits and into work – were announced. The Government said the changes, including restricting access to the main disability benefit known as Pip (personal independence payment) and the sickness-related element of universal credit (UC), were expected to make welfare savings of £4.8 billion by 2029-30. With around 1,000 new Pip awards every day – 'the equivalent of adding a city the size of Leicester every single year', the Government argued the current situation was unsustainable. An impact assessment published alongside the Bill included estimates that changes to Pip entitlement rules would see about 800,000 people lose out, with an average loss of £4,500 per year. Changes to UC were expected to see an estimated 2.25 million current recipients of the health element impacted, with an average loss of £500 per year. Overall, as a result of the changes, it was estimated some 250,000 more people, including 50,000 children, across Great Britain were likely to fall into relative poverty after housing costs by the end of the decade. – What concessions have been made? In a late-night letter to MPs, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall conceded two changes she said would 'strengthen the Bill'. In recognition of the 'uncertainty and anxiety' caused by the proposed changes, she said all current Pip recipients would keep their benefits, saying only new claims from November 2026 will come under the tightened eligibility requirements. An impact assessment had stated that 370,000 current recipients were set to lose Pip entitlement across England and Wales. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said the change will also indirectly benefit around 50,000 carers who look after someone on Pip, ensuring they keep their carer's allowance to the value of around £4,340 per year. Ms Kendall also vowed all those currently receiving the UC health element, as well as new claimants meeting the severe conditions criteria, will have their incomes 'fully protected in real terms'. The Resolution Foundation said this will protect some 2.25 million people from a loss of between £250 and £500 per year. The Work and Pensions Secretary has also promised a review of the Pip assessment, led by social security and disability minister Sir Stephen Timms, which will have input from disabled people 'to ensure the benefit is fair and fit for the future'. – What are disability groups saying? Mikey Erhardt, from Disability Rights UK, accused the Government of 'playing politics with our lives', insisting the Bill must still be pulled. He said the changes will mean 'a benefits system where future generations of disabled people receive less support than disabled people today' and added that, in making the original announcement of cuts, the Government had 'prioritised balancing its books over improving the lives of disabled citizens'. Mr Erhardt added: 'Despite seemingly rowing back on some of the worst aspects of its plans, the Government is still attempting to slash billions of pounds from a system that doesn't provide enough support as it stands.' The MS Society said the Government was simply 'kicking the can down the road and delaying an inevitable disaster', and urged MPs 'not to be swayed by these last-ditch attempts to force through a harmful Bill with supposed concessions'. Food bank network Trussell welcomed the 'significant' concessions but said the proposals 'still present a bleak future for future claimants and still risk placing the Government's commitments to end the need for emergency food and tackle poverty in serious jeopardy'. Similarly, national disability charity Sense said the changes are 'significant and positive, yet fall short of a fair deal for disabled people', while Inclusion London branded the Bill a 'rationing' and argued there is 'no moral or economic case for balancing the books on the backs of disabled people'. – What are Labour MPs saying? Dame Meg Hillier, one of the leading rebel voices, described the concessions as 'a good deal' involving 'massive changes' to protect vulnerable people and involve disabled people in the design of future reforms. She said: 'It's encouraging that we have reached what I believe is a workable compromise that will protect disabled people and support people back into work while ensuring the welfare system can be meaningfully reformed.' Health minister Stephen Kinnock said he is confident the welfare reforms – being brought under the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill – will pass a vote in the Commons on Tuesday in the wake of the concessions. But some Labour MPs are still not satisfied, with Nadia Whittome saying the concessions are 'nowhere near good enough', vowing to still vote against the Bill unless 'serious' proposals are made to 'protect the dignity of disabled people'. Speaking to the Today programme on BBC Radio 4, she said MPs she had spoken to 'are sticking to their position because we understand that we are answerable to our constituents'. Ms Whittome added: 'If the Government doesn't pull the Bill, doesn't consult properly with disabled people and come back to MPs with a serious proposal that protects the dignity of disabled people, I will vote against and I will be far from the only one.' – What will the changes cost and save? The Resolution Foundation has estimated that the concessions will cost between £2.6 billion and £3.2 billion by the end of the decade. The originally expected savings of £4.8 billion are now reduced by more than half, the think tank said. The IFS estimated a cost of around £3.0 billion relative to the Government's previous plans and savings of around £2.5 billion by 2029/30.
