Latest news with #JulianSmith
BBC News
17 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Kerry factory closure plan puts nearly 50 jobs at risk near Harrogate
Nearly 50 jobs could be axed under plans to close a meat and fish ingredients factory near firm Kerry Group said it was consulting with 46 workers over its plans to close the site at a letter to Skipton and Ripon's Conservative MP Sir Julian Smith, the firm's Europe chief executive Thomas Hahlin Ahlinder said the proposals were "part of a strategic review of operations".Sir Julian said the proposals were "extremely disappointing" for staff at the Birstwith site and the wider community. In his letter, Mr Hahlin Ahlinder said a 45-day consultation with staff had said: "During this time, we will listen carefully and consider all feedback."Should the proposal proceed, we will work closely with local stakeholders to understand and address any concerns about this change."We are committed to ensuring these matters are handled with care and in the best interests of employees and the local community." 'Significant blow' The site produces ingredients such as breadcrumb and rusk products for the meat and fish trade, and also operates blending and packing lines for the food service industry."Kerry acknowledges the significant role the Birstwith site has played in the local community over many years," Mr Hahlin Ahlinder reply, Sir Julian said that the plans were "deeply concerning"."I stand ready to assist in any initiative that will protect jobs and support affected employees," he said."It is crucial that we explore all possible avenues to mitigate the impact of this decision on the local community."The site has played a significant role in the local economy for many years, and the potential loss of 46 jobs will be a significant blow to the area."I have written to Kerry Group to express my concern and support for any initiative that will protect jobs and support affected employees."Kerry Group has been contacted by the BBC for a further response. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
15-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Julian Smith says David Cameron was 'cavalier' in handling of Brexit
Former Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith has accused ex-Prime Minister David Cameron of treating the 2016 Brexit referendum as "some sort of Eton game".Smith was the government's chief whip from 2016 until 2019 under Theresa May's premiership, which was fraught with tension over how the UK should leave the Tory MP was highly critical of Lord Cameron, who made the decision to hold the referendum after pressure from Eurosceptics, saying he had been "extremely cavalier"."There should have been a proposition which outlined how both answers would be addressed," he said. 'Some sort of Eton game' "I joined the Conservative Party because of David Cameron, because he was dynamic... but looking back on it, it was unforgiveable that this fundamental question was put to the British people when you have a whole range of issues, not least the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland," he told the BBC's Red Lines podcast."It was put to the British people as if it was some sort of Eton game." Brexit referendum in 2016 Lord Cameron is among a number of former British politicians who were educated privately at Eton College in a majority voted to leave the EU, Lord Cameron resigned as prime in 2016, after leaving office, he defended his decision to call the referendum. "I believe and still believe that the fact that we hadn't had a referendum on this issue for 40 years, despite the fact that the European Union was changing ... was actually beginning to poison British politics - it was certainly poisoning politics in my own party. "And I think, more broadly, people felt 'well, we have been promised referendums and they haven't been delivered' and people were beginning to feel very frustrated about this issue." When Lord Cameron quit as prime minister others in the Conservative Party were left to handle the Brexit was part of that government under Theresa May, which struggled to get agreement on how it should be done. 'Pretty disastrous' The former cabinet minister said issues such as how to maintain an open border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK and therefore would leave the EU, and the Republic of Ireland, which remains in the EU, should have been foreseen during the campaign."Instead the UK was led into years of contemplating an answer to that question."As time went on moderates turned into purists on either side, it was a pretty disastrous period." After Theresa May resigned as prime minister due to an inability to pass Brexit legislation, Boris Johnson took over and appointed Smith as Northern Ireland Secretary in July was a key player in getting devolution at Stormont restored the following January, after three years of deadlock, but he was sacked from the job a month later due to disagreements with said he "loved" the job, but was not surprised to lose it given he had been an ardent supporter of Theresa remained an observer of Northern Ireland issues after moving to the Commons' backbenches, and called on the Stormont Executive to take "tough decisions" on public services. Border poll Asked about the potential for a border poll, Smith said he did not think the conditions were "right" for one."Look at all the other things that need to be done."Don't let politicians in Northern Ireland off the hook on dealing with social mobility, dealing with the health service, revenue raising - this constitutional discussion is basically an excuse for not dealing with these priority issues," he added."I cannot in any world see a border poll with interest from Ireland, acceptance from the UK... I just don't see that happening at the current time so we're better focusing on making people's lives better."You can listen to Smith's interview on Red Lines on BBC Sounds from 06:00 BST.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
ROCKIT READY TO LAUNCH STRONG 2025 SEASON
DUBAI, UAE, June 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Innovative New Zealand snack sized apple company, Rockit Global is gearing up for its 2025 season with a strong and consistent crop, showing outstanding colour and a delightfully sweet and crisp taste. Rockit Global Chief Executive, Grant McBeath says the season has kicked off with a great harvest and an amazing piece of fruit, and alongside its innovative brand, Rockit is looking forward to a strong 2025. "2025 is going to be a big year with over 230 million high quality, premium Rockit™ apples forecast to be exported to our global markets. We have ambitious but achievable growth targets that we aim to meet through our premium product, and a refreshed sales and marketing strategy that focuses on our shopper experience and distribution to help deliver a good return for our growers. "Favourable weather conditions this year have also enhanced fruit size and colour, delivering the deep red Rockit™ apples that our global consumers love," says Grant. To help drive new consumer demand for the 2025 season, the snack sized apple brand is launching a new global marketing platform, with a new value proposition and an occasion-based marketing strategy that will bring new categories for its product to market. Rockit General Manager Global Marketing, Julian Smith, says global consumer awareness and engagement for Rockit is continuing to improve each year, with 86% of premium consumers recently surveyed stating they love Rockit™ apples. "This trend looks set to continue with the launch of new Rockit™ apple product categories including a new Snack Pack for impulse purchases, a Daily Pack for high frequency consumption, a Family Pack for sharing moments and Gift Packs for festivals and always on gifting moments," says Julian. These new product categories, including the differentiated size and taste profile of Rockit™ apple, will be communicated to new consumers looking for healthy snacking choices for their lifestyle occasions through a new global marketing campaign – Rockit Every Little Moment. "We will launch our new product marketing and consumer-led campaign across all global touchpoints, together with our well-loved, cheeky brand character, Rocki for high sell through and consumer appeal. Early feedback from our global markets suggests that this will be a significant step for the Rockit brand to connect to millions of new consumers with our point of difference, and our approach to marketing a kiwi horticultural product in a global consumer-led way," says Julian. "We are excited about what lies ahead of us for 2025," concludes Grant. "The Rockit proposition is great, the product and brand are world class, and we are confident that the demand is there to meet this years' growth." Photo: View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Rockit™ apple 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
Irish Independent
03-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
MPs vote to continue parliamentary ping-pong over AI ‘theft' crackdown
Conservative shadow science minister Dr Ben Spencer, who described himself as a 'Bill Murray fan', called on the Government to 'bring an end to this Groundhog Day'. Peers agreed on Monday to amend the Government's Data (Use and Access) Bill. Their proposal would force the Government to prepare fresh legislation which would open up AI model databases, so that copyright owners could see whether their works have been used as 'data inputs'. But MPs voted 317 to 185, majority 132, on Tuesday to reject the amendment and continue the battle at Westminster, known as parliamentary ping-pong. Rocket Man singer Sir Elton John is among the stars who have urged the Government to strengthen copyright protections, when he said last month that ministers are 'absolute losers' and that he felt 'incredibly betrayed'. Dr Spencer told the Commons: 'Copyright law is a toothless instrument if the lack of transparency about the use of create content in AI models continues. 'The lack of transparency renders rights enforcement elusive, and the Government is apparently happy for this to persist on an open-ended basis.' At the despatch box, he added: 'Creatives continue to lose out when their work is exploited without payment, the AI industry, especially smaller firms, can't get out of the starting blocks let alone play their part in turbocharging our tech economy, and the Government continues to risk the confidence of both key industries with the chilling effect on investment that this entails.' On the stand-off, Dr Spencer told the Commons: 'We're stuck in Groundhog Day in this Bill until the Government realises that the Lords' amendments are not a nuisance but an opportunity, and that they need to listen to the concerns and change course.' There is no time commitment from the Government benches whatsoever on bringing back a Bill to this House to address the current theft of property that is raining down on the UK creative industries Conservative former minister Sir Julian Smith Conservative former minister Sir Julian Smith later said: 'There is no time commitment from the Government benches whatsoever on bringing back a Bill to this House to address the current theft of property that is raining down on the UK creative industries.' ADVERTISEMENT Learn more Technology minister Sir Chris Bryant had earlier spoken against the amendment, which was put forward by Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason director Baroness Kidron. 'One could argue that introducing a draft Bill which would then be considered in various different places, followed presumably by a Bill, would actually delay things rather than speed things up,' Sir Chris told the Commons. He said that he 'cannot think of any Bill in our history that has included such a clause', to compel the Government to bring forward new draft legislation within three months of the publication of a report into the use of copyrighted works in the development of AI systems. Sir Chris told MPs: 'A central plank of parliamentary sovereignty is no parliament can bind its successor. 'That doesn't just mean from one parliament to another, but it means one session can't bind a future session.' Commons culture, media and sport committee chairwoman Dame Caroline Dinenage, the Conservative MP for Gosport, accused Sir Chris of 'dancing on the head of a pin' and added: 'The fact is that all legislation somehow binds those that are coming down the track.' The Bill will now return to the House of Lords.
BBC News
10-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Closure of Arla factory in Settle could 'kill' town
The loss of a factory employing 130 people has hit hard in a community where "everyone" knows someone who has worked co-operative Arla intends to shut its creamery in Settle, North Yorkshire, by 2026 and transfer production to Lockerbie in Smith, Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon, said Arla bosses "didn't even look at" alternative proposals to keep the site open, which the company BBC visited Settle to find out how Arla's departure will impact the town. Peter Thornton, director of Settle Coal, which has premises next door to Arla, said the plant had "been here as long as some of the hills".The 56-year-old said a dairy first opened on the site in 1965, and had always traded with his company."There'll be a lot of small local businesses that will miss Arla, ours particularly." Anne Carr, who was serving lunch to workers from her mobile catering van on the industrial estate, remembered when "all the employees were local people, local families worked there, it was owned by local people".She said the closure would make a "big difference" to the area and likely impact her business, Anne's Butty Van, which is opposite the creamery."It's just the uncertainty of it: what is going to happen?" Ms Carr said some people "have known it be the dairy for such a long time"."Everybody knows somebody that's worked at the dairy at some point or another. It's been one of those go-to places," she said. 'Dying town' Opinion was split among three men buying sandwiches, none of whom wanted to be named."It's outgrown its situation," one said, citing issues with the local water supply and an unpleasant odour which had led to added: "It's a shame because it's been a focal point of Settle since the industrial estate started, but it's a changing world."He said not many people who lived in the town were in work, with many properties now holiday homes or occupied by retirees."It's a dying town in that way."The third man raised concerns about who would take over the site."We're not sat on the side of a dual carriageway or a motorway, whichever way you go you've an hour to go to the motorway."How do we get jobs into Settle?" One retired man, who has lived locally for 20 years, didn't want to give his name because "it's an emotive subject around here"."I think it's quite devastating," he said, pushing his wheelbarrow towards an allotment near the site."There's all this newbuild housing going on, but I don't know how they're going to expect to fill them if the people here have got no work. There's something sadly wrong somewhere." In the town centre, one shopkeeper added: "Nobody likes the idea of it closing down, but will we actually notice it?" Local MP Smith, however, said the closure would have a "major impact" on jobs in the supply chain, transport and other businesses supporting the plant."The town of Settle had provided Arla with a lot of broader support, despite some of the odour-related issues of recent months and years," he said community stakeholders and the GMB union had met to offer alternative proposals to Arla, including new, larger sites and funding, but that the company "just had those meetings and very rapidly continued with the pathway I believe they were always on".In a letter to the chief executive of Arla, Smith also said a "lack of engagement" from the company "demonstrates a disregard for the community". Smith told the BBC: "I was pretty appalled that there was a dedicated group of people really trying to work through options. Arla didn't even look at them."If I was the chair of the Arla board, I would be looking at the disrespect that the Arla executive showed to that group of people, and the lack of openness, as a real failure," he said. The Labour Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith, said: "We did go in there with incredibly good faith and we're not entirely sure they've always had that same good faith as well."He pledged to support those who would lose their jobs as a result of the closure, including the delivery of a "skills package". In a statement on 28 April, a spokesperson for Arla said the company had "engaged with employee representatives and the GMB union in detailed and meaningful consultation", and "carefully considered all alternative proposals".Confirming the closure, they added: "We remain open to exploring alternative uses for the Settle site during the transition phase."Understandably, this remains a period of uncertainty for our colleagues, and our foremost priority is to continue providing support as we navigate the subsequent stages of the consultation process." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
