Latest news with #KevinHollinrake
Times
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Times
Kemi Badenoch takes on pastoral role in cabinet reshuffle
Kemi Badenoch appointed Sir James Cleverly as shadow housing secretary and Kevin Hollinrake as party chairman in the reshuffle DAN KITWOOD/GETTY IMAGES L ife comes at you fast sometimes. Just seven months ago Kemi Badenoch ruled out a reshuffle of her shadow cabinet until the next election. But here we are. Out with the old, in with the, well, old. Caring leader that she is, Badenoch, made sure her spads received the appropriate pastoral care to handle the sudden shock of Sir James Cleverly and Kevin Hollinrake's new roles. In the Tory spads' WhatsApp group, she wrote on Tuesday morning: 'I am very conscious of the knock-on effect to people in this group so rest assured I will reach out, should anyone here be affected. Thanks for your patience and support.' One of the recipients replied: 'What, both of them?' The animal-loving House of Commons Speaker threw a summer drinks party for some semi-housetrained beasts, the Westminster press. Among Sir Lindsay Hoyle's menagerie of pets are a dog, a parrot, Boris, two tortoises, and cats called Clem and Attlee. Channel 4's Anushka Asthana suggested he should get another puppy and call him Keir. 'It can beg for trade deals,' she explained, 'jump whenever Donald Trump asks, and roll over at the first sign of a backbench revolt.' Wednesday sees England and India's cricketers resume hostilities, quite literally if the bad-tempered Test match at Lord's is anything to go by. The visiting players followed that appointment with another at Clarence House, where the King hosted a reception for them. Mentioning this on Test Match Special, Jonathan Agnew recalled compering a match at Windsor. When Prince William came on to bowl, Aggers called out 'bowler's name?' Later, when Prince Harry was bowling, his brother dropped an 'absolute sitter of a catch' at mid-on. 'It didn't go down very well,' recalled Aggers. Maybe this is where things started to go wrong. The late Graham Taylor would have understood Tuesday's story about Sir Andy Murray needing to beat his five-year-old son at chess. The former England football manager was competitive with his own grandchildren, once admitting that he could let his granddaughter win four races in the back garden but never the fifth. Much to Taylor's chagrin, his grandson became a Manchester United supporter: 'When we were playing, the sight of that number seven and the name Beckham would encourage me to tackle him illegally. I do remember one particularly malicious tackle that warranted a straight red card. There were a few tears and I did get in trouble with my daughter, though I argued it's all part of growing up.' Eric Idle has provided a glimpse into Sir Paul McCartney's TV preferences. The ex-Python has revealed that the ex-Beatle was happy to grant permission when Idle wanted to perform Love Me Do on the TV show The Masked Singer — but there was a catch. A friend had told Idle to contact Macca directly for permission. 'I wrote to him, and said: 'Can I sing your song on The Masked Singer?' ', Idle told Radio 2. McCartney replied: 'Yes, absolutely, providing you tell me what night it's on and what time it's on, so I can be sure to miss it.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Middle class families could be hit with soaring water bills under Labour's new plan to subside the costs for Britain's poorest households
Middle class families could be hit with soaring water bills under Labour plans to lower the costs for Britain's poorest households. Ministers are being urged to approve a new nationwide scheme that would subsidise bills for low income families. The proposed national social tariff is due to be presented to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in a review of the water industry on Monday. However, there are fears that middle class families could end up bearing the brunt of the charges and see their water bills increase. Shadow housing secretary Kevin Hollinrake told The Telegraph: 'Family homes across middle England face soaring water bills under the Labour Government, thanks to the triple whammy of above-inflation hikes, higher tariffs on multi-person households, and robbing Peter to pay Paul to fund tariffs for those on welfare benefits.' 'We can't just keep increasing taxes and charges – record taxes are already making life too hard for people,' he added. 'The Government should be standing up for the makers, not the takers.' There is currently no nationwide scheme to help poorer customers - with a patchwork of subsidy programmes in place across different suppliers. Consumer groups have suggested that a national social tariff could unify the level of support received and help an extra two million people get money off their bills. However, such a scheme was rejected by the previous Conservative government due to concerns about the impact it would have on wealthier households. On Monday, a landmark review of the water industry led by Sir John Cunliffe is due to be published. He announced his interim findings last month, when he revealed he would bring forward proposals to 'strengthen' the system of social tariffs. Sir John wrote: 'The commission is looking at how to more effectively support customers who are struggling to pay their bills. 'This includes looking at options to strengthen social tariffs and to tailor water bills to better reflect household consumption.' Currently, water firms can only raise money from their own areas and consult their customers on how much they would be willing to pay. However, more and more households are being placed on social tariffs as they struggle to keep up with the soaring costs of living. Statistics from water regulator Ofwat show that across Britain one in ten customers are now receiving support with their bills. But the data varies wildly per region with South West Water having the lowest number of customers on social tariffs. Meanwhile, United Utilities, which covers the North West of England, has the highest at 15 per cent. It comes after it was revealed that household water bills would rise by an average of £123 from April 1, equating to an increase of around £10 a month. The rise, confirmed by industry body Water UK, will take the average water and wastewater bill from £480 to £603 for the next year alone. Water firms are facing huge problems with their drains, reservoirs and sewers, leading to vast amounts of pollution spilling into rivers and waterways. That means firms are needing to spend billions on upgrading their systems. Because they are privatised, they also want to turn a profit so they can keep getting more investment from shareholders. To make matters worse, many face huge debt piles. The 10 biggest water companies have about £60 billion of combined debt. Regulator Ofwat has 'failed' and 'run up the white flag' by announcing rises in household water bills, the chairman of an environmental campaign group said. Charles Watson, from River Action, said: 'The shareholders in these companies are just laughing all the way to the bank.'
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Middle-class families could face higher water bills to subsidise poorer households
Middle-class families could face higher water bills under new plans to subsidise the costs of low income households. Labour ministers will be urged to introduce a nationwide scheme that would see poorer families given huge discounts on their charges. The recommendation on creating a national social tariff will be presented to Sir Keir Starmer in a Government-ordered review of the water industry on Monday. The money to reduce water bills for poorer households would be most likely to be found by increasing bills for everyone else. Kevin Hollinrake, the shadow housing secretary, said: 'Family homes across middle England face soaring water bills under the Labour Government, thanks to the triple whammy of above-inflation hikes, higher tariffs on multi-person households, and robbing Peter to pay Paul to fund tariffs for those on welfare benefits. 'This is on top of council tax bills going through the roof, and pay packets being squeezed due to Labour's jobs tax. 'We can't just keep increasing taxes and charges – record taxes are already making life too hard for people. The Government should be standing up for the makers, not the takers.' The scheme would replace a current patchwork of subsidy programmes put in place by individual suppliers to help poorer customers. Consumer groups have suggested unifying the level of support across England could lead to an extra two million people getting money off their bills. Ministers are not expected to decide immediately whether to accept the recommendation, given the complexity of introducing such a policy. The previous Tory government rejected similar proposals on the grounds that punishing middle-class households would prove politically unpopular. Earlier this year Labour ministers asked Sir Jon Cunliffe, a former deputy governor of the Bank of England, to lead a review into reform of the water sector. He published interim findings last month, in which he said he would bring forward proposals to 'strengthen' the system of social tariffs. The report found that the fragmented nature of support resulted in 'people in similar circumstances receiving significantly different levels of support, depending on what part of the country they live in'. 'Regulation has failed customers' Sir John wrote: 'The commission is looking at how to more effectively support customers who are struggling to pay their bills. This includes looking at options to strengthen social tariffs and to tailor water bills to better reflect household consumption.' He is expected to recommend that the Government introduces a nationwide social tariff in his final report, which will be published on Monday. Steve Reed, the Environment Secretary, is expected to respond to the publication of Sir John's report by saying: 'Regulation has failed customers and the environment. We will introduce root and branch reform so hard-working British families will never again face huge shock hikes to their bills like we saw last year.' It comes after Labour ministers passed legislation through the Commons that quietly paved the way for such a reform. The Water (Special Measures) Act included provisions that allow water companies to pool the cash they raise to subsidise poorer households into one pot. It also authorised increased data-sharing between the Government and suppliers which could underpin auto-enrolment of customers onto social tariffs. Currently, the nine water companies in England offer their own individual social tariff schemes, which are subsidised by wealthier households. Because the programmes are localised, firms can only raise money from their own areas and must consult customers on how much they are willing to pay. The proportion of households on social tariffs has soared in recent years as a result of rising water bills and pressure on suppliers to do more to tackle poverty. Figures from Ofwat show that, across the country, one in 10 people are now receiving such support, with the resulting cross-subsidies costing £26 per customer. But that masks huge regional differences, resulting from both the level of support suppliers provide and the criteria they set for qualifying households. South West Water has the lowest proportion of customers on social tariffs, at five per cent, whilst United Utilities, which covers the North West, has the highest at 15 per cent. Customers of Portsmouth Water pay only £2 each in subsidy costs, whereas the bill at scandal-hit Thames Water has soared to £55 per person. Water UK, the industry body for suppliers, has lobbied for the introduction of a single social tariff to end what it calls the 'postcode lottery' of support. The Consumer Council for Water, a quango that acts as a consumer champion, has also encouraged ministers to introduce such a scheme. It has estimated that two million people who are entitled to support with their bills are losing out because the current system is too complex. Critics have said creating a national social tariff would lead to a flood of new customers eligible for support, meaning higher bills for everyone else. But industry sources said the eligibility criteria could be set so that subsidies are better targeted, limiting the need to raise more cash.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Labour is accused of bid to rig next election as it is set to announce votes for 16-year-olds... but HALF don't want ballot box rights
Labour has been accused of attempting to rig future elections by giving the vote to 16-year-olds. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is expected to set out a plan to enfranchise under-18s today. But the move, a manifesto pledge from the party, has been criticised as a cynical ploy since a large proportion of young voters support Labour. In a blow to the party, however, it has emerged that almost half of teenagers do not even want to be given the vote. In a poll, some 49 per cent of those questioned said they disagreed with the move. Only a few more of the 500 youths questioned by Merlin Strategy, 51 per cent, backed Labour's proposal. In addition, only 18 per cent of the 16 and 17-year-olds polled said they would definitely cast a ballot if there was an election tomorrow – with 13 per cent saying they would not take part. A Tory source said tonight: 'This is bare-faced ballot box stuffing. It's a sign of desperation this failing Labour government is resorting to underhand tactics and rigging extra votes to try and cling on to power for longer.' Labour vowed in its manifesto that it would give 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote to 'increase the engagement of young people in our vibrant democracy'. But the required legislation was a surprise omission from the King's Speech for Keir Starmer's first year in power. Tory communities spokesman Kevin Hollinrake told the Mail tonight: 'This poll proves what many of us have long argued – even 16 and 17-year-olds don't think they're ready to vote. 'With only 18 per cent saying they'd definitely take part in an election, it's clear that rushing to lower the voting age risks undermining the democratic process. 'Voting should be a considered, informed responsibility – not a political stunt.' Currently only those who are over 18 can take part in general elections, although 16 and 17-year-olds are allowed to vote for the devolved Scottish and Welsh parliaments. It is estimated another 1.5 million teenagers will be enfranchised for the next election – though Labour has dropped controversial plans to give millions of EU nationals the vote. The survey of young people – commissioned by ITV News – found 33 per cent of teenagers would vote Labour. And while 20 per cent said they would choose Reform, only 10 per cent would vote Conservative. Scarlett Maguire, director of Merlin Strategy, said: 'We would expect Labour to be out ahead with younger generations. I think maybe Labour would like to have a bigger lead among these people, but they still have quite a convincing lead over the challenging party, Reform UK.' Reform leader Nigel Farage said: 'It's an attempt to rig the political system but we intend to give them a nasty surprise.'
Scottish Sun
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Fury as woke Labour council bans Army vehicles – including open-top Jackal – from ARMED FORCES DAY parade
Labour's veterans minister Al Carns, who won a Military Cross in Afghanistan, slammed the decision Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A COUNCIL sparked outrage by banning Army vehicles including an open-top Jackal from Armed Forces Day celebrations today. The Labour authority's leader in York said the decision was due to 'residents' concerns' and fears of protests — and 'reflects our city's diverse views'. 1 A council sparked outrage by banning Army vehicles including an open-top Jackal from Armed Forces Day celebrations Credit: Crown Copyright/MoD But soldiers from local reserve unit the Queen's Own Yeomanry withdrew from the event in protest, defence sources told The Sun. One said: 'It was like asking the cavalry to come without horses. It is humiliating. 'They wanted to attend with the Jackal but they were told that they were not welcome.' A whistle-blower told the Fill Your Boots military blog that the council was worried about 'triggering a protest'. READ MORE ON ARMED FORCES SUNEMPLOYMENT How to join the Armed Forces and quick march into a rewarding military career But Labour's veterans minister Al Carns, who won a Military Cross in Afghanistan, said: 'The only reason people have the right to protest is because our military provide the freedoms to do so.' Tory MP Kevin Hollinrake slammed the ban as 'plain bonkers'. He said: 'This is a snub on our servicemen and veterans to appease a tiny minority. 'We shouldn't be ashamed of our military showing off their equipment and uniform, it's something we should be proud of.' Council chief Claire Douglas claimed it was 'a mutual, local decision'. Instead, the authority has promoted a new 'family friendly' Armed Forces Day Trail taking in the city's key military sites.
