Latest news with #LordBlunkett
Daily Mail
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Girls should be 'mobilised' stop boys becoming ‘a waste of space', claims peer - as he says teenagers should have higher standards for their boyfriends
Girls should be 'mobilised' to stop boys becoming unemployable 'wastes of space', Lord Blunkett has said. The former Labour education secretary said schools should empower girls to 'expect more' from the boys they have relationships with. It would stop boys 'taking it as read' that girls will be interested in them even with a poor work ethic and attitude, he said. The prospect of being shunned by girls would be an 'incredibly powerful' incentive to prevent boys failing in life. He pointed out that many boys try to copy influencers such as Andrew Tate instead of striving to become useful citizens. To combat this, Lord Blunkett, 78, suggested schools promote 'positive masculinity' to form the 'fathers of the future'. He told The Mail on Sunday: 'We need to mobilise the girls to ensure that they get the message across that if you're a waste of space, we don't want to know you.' Lord Blunkett, who grew up in poverty, addressed concerns about the underachievement of boys. They have always performed worse than girls at GCSE and are less likely to enter university. Boys need to be shown the link between hard work and a good future in their early teens before they 'switch off' and 'see it as not for them', he said, adding that boys who 'want a relationship with young women' should be shown the need to step up. This year, the National Education Union revealed a rise in boys becoming radicalised by online 'incel' culture and Andrew Tate, a self-professed 'misogynist' YouTuber. Often these pupils become disengaged in school and develop dark views about women. Lord Blunkett said: 'We're going to have to engage every mechanism, and one of those is for girls to say 'boys, we're not going to have anything to do with you unless you start engaging with your own future, because otherwise we'll be carrying you.' 'That sends a message to young men who feel like victims... it's your own future in your hands, it's not somebody else's fault you're a waste of space, it's yours. The peer, who served as Tony Blair's education secretary, said during his childhood in Sheffield boys would often go into apprenticeships aged 15 where they would be 'mentored' by men. 'They were role models, and they were support mechanisms,' he said. 'This challenge to boys should not be a threat. 'This idea that somehow masculinity is being denigrated is wrong. 'What you've got to do is demonstrate your masculinity in an incredibly positive way.' Lord Blunkett said the fact that so many boys are ending up as Neet – not in education, employment and training – is 'bad for them', 'bad for the economy' and 'corrosive of the social fabric'. The issue is particularly stark for boys from a white working-class background – who are the lowest-achieving group in the country.
Telegraph
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Starmer's Labour has spectacularly failed to address Muslim anti-Semitism
A new report has only confirmed what I have known for a long time – Islamist anti-Semitism remains a major problem in modern Britain. The 94-page report by the Counter Extremism Group reveals the rising threat of anti-Semitism fuelled by Islamic extremists in the UK. It also accuses the Government's counter-terrorism officials of a 'widespread failure to recognise the extensive recent history of anti-Semitic incidents involving Islamists in the UK'. In the report's foreword, Lord Blunkett, the former Labour home secretary, said it was 'unforgivable' for anyone to use the actions of the Israeli state as an 'excuse for anti-Semitism'. Blunkett is correct. While I believe that the current Israeli government is a malevolent regime which includes Jewish religious extremists such as Itamar Ben-Gvir, the national security minister, and Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister, the level of violence, intimidation, and harassment faced by British Jews shows that we are anything but a bastion of a multi-faith democracy. Supporting Palestinian statehood and the right to self-determination is a noble cause, but the displaying of pro-terror paraphernalia and the chanting of anti-Jewish slogans at pro-Palestine marches – all too often under-policed – has revealed the dark side of multicultural Britain. The glorification of the October 7 terror attacks should have no place in a genuinely civilised society. The truth is that anti-Semitism is disproportionately concentrated in Britain's Muslim communities – especially the more orthodox and segregated elements of this population. Back in 2013, the British-American broadcaster Mehdi Hasan wrote for the New Statesman that 'the virus of anti-Semitism has infected the British Muslim community'. A 2017 report published by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research found that found more than half of Muslims (55 per cent) held at least one anti-Semitic attitude (compared with 30 per cent of the general population), with Dr Jonathan Boyd, its director, concluding that 'there does seem to be some relationship between levels of religiosity in the Muslim population and anti-Semitism'. This was followed by the 2020 HJS report, which found that British Muslims who are socially segregated in terms of the religious background of their closest friends were more hostile towards Jews than their more integrated co-religionists. Under his leadership of Labour, Sir Keir Starmer has repeatedly spoken of how proud he is about how he has tackled the anti-Semitism which had taken root in the party under the days of Jeremy Corbyn. But the reality is that when it comes to challenging Islamist anti-Semitism in the UK, the Prime Minister and his Government have gone into hiding – reinforcing the perception that the Labour Party hasn't the stomach to deal with problems within British Muslim communities. While British Muslims can be victims of religious discrimination, the sorry truth is that they can also be some of the most aggressive purveyors of it – with Jews usually being in the firing line. It is time that the Labour Party – including its Muslim representatives – take their heads out of the sand if they truly care about 'interfaith solidarity' and the security of Jews in modern Britain.
Daily Mail
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Lord Blunkett: Sir Keir Starmer faces no-confidence vote if he's defeated over welfare
Keir Starmer will be forced to hold a 'humiliating' vote of confidence in his own Government if he loses a showdown with Labour 's welfare rebels, Lord Blunkett has warned. The former Labour work and pensions secretary said the Prime Minister should delay next week's crunch vote on a £5 billion package of benefit cuts until the autumn to allow more time to reach a compromise with mutinous MPs. Lord Blunkett last night suggested the PM had failed to focus on the peril the Government is in because he has spent so much time abroad. And he warned that losing the vote could trigger a crisis for the Government. The Labour grandee told LBC: 'If they lost it, they'd have to go for a vote of confidence, I think. 'But the embarrassment of that one year in leaves you with two problems. One is you've been humiliated, and the second is you've still got the problem. The welfare issue has not gone away. So, solving the problem, not taking the hit, is the sensible solution.' Urging a delay in the vote, he added: 'Keir Starmer, for very understandable reasons, has been diverted on to the international agenda. I think he now needs to come back from Holland and be absolutely focused on this.' His intervention came as the PM opened the door to concessions to welfare rebels yesterday – and defended his leadership on the issue. A rattled-looking Sir Keir bridled at suggestions he had failed to read the mood of Labour MPs, of whom more than 120 have signed a 'fatal' amendment designed to kill off the welfare cuts when they are put to a vote in the Commons next Tuesday. Speaking at the Nato summit in The Hague, he said he was finding it 'tough going', but his landslide election victory last year showed he was capable of 'reading the room'. 'Are there plenty of people and noises off?' he said. 'Yes, of course, there always are. But the important thing is to focus on the change we want to bring about.' Pressure from Labour whips and Cabinet ministers has made no impact on the revolt, with the number of rebels continuing to rise in recent days. Sir Keir yesterday insisted the vote will go ahead, despite rumours it will be postponed to avoid humiliation. However, the PM appeared to hint at concessions. 'You won't find many people who don't want reform,' he said. 'So we are on the same page. The question is how is that reform being carried out?' Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner also hinted at concessions last night, telling ITV's Peston show: 'Discussions are ongoing around making sure the reforms we bring in support people into work who need that.' If I can work, so can rest of Britain, says amputee peer By Political Editor Many sickness benefit claimants should 'get off their backsides' and find a job, according to a Tory peer who lost his hands and feet to sepsis. Former MP Craig Mackinlay said yesterday many receiving the benefits did not have 'traditional full disability issues' and should be able to do some work. Lord Mackinlay told media company Talk that he has three roles – he works as a chartered accountant one day a week and is director of the Global Warming Policy Foundation – and commutes daily. 'I have got four [prosthetic limbs] and I go to work every single day of the week,' he said. 'If I can do it, for heaven's sake, Britain, get off your backsides.' Lord Mackinlay criticised the system for assessing entitlement to sickness and disability benefits, suggesting it was too easy to get the 'golden ticket' of a lifetime on handouts, with 'all sorts of conditions' from alcoholism to obesity covered. 'We are being taken for absolute fools,' he added. In 2023, Lord Mackinlay was placed in an induced coma for 16 days due to sepsis and recovered despite being given only a 5 per cent chance of survival.
BBC News
03-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Yorkshire businesses plea for government to back rail review
Businesses and industry groups from across Yorkshire have called on the government to commit to funding a £14bn plan for improved rail services in the Home Secretary Lord Blunkett's report, named Yorkshire's Plan for Rail, was published in May and called for an end to "creaking Victorian-era railways".An open letter was published earlier from firms and figures which asked Chancellor Rachel Reeves to prioritise rail spending in Yorkshire as a "down-payment on improving economic growth".The Department for Transport (DfT) said reliable and affordable public transport links were "essential for supporting jobs and driving economic growth". Those who signed the letter include universities, technology businesses, manufacturers, arts groups and newly promoted Leeds United as well as regional chambers of group, under the name the White Rose Partnership, "united to show their support for improving transport connectivity in a region that has been under invested in for decades", Sheffield Chamber of Commerce Yorkshire's elected mayor, Oliver Coppard, said while the multibillion-pound investment called for was a "challenge", it was also a necessary ambition."Being able to travel to, from and within Yorkshire is not an optional extra," he said. Lord Blunkett's rail review was commissioned by Yorkshire's three regional Labour mayors Tracy Brabin, Mr Coppard and David Skaith ahead of the government's Spending Review later this month which will see budgets set and priorities review called for increased capacity at Leeds, Sheffield and York stations, as well as a new station for Bradford connected to the main trans-Pennine line.A new mainline station for Rotherham along with electrification of the line between Sheffield and Leeds was also North Yorkshire, additional trains to Scarborough and Whitby were cited as a priority with a similar ask for the Penistone Line in South Yorkshire and around Wakefield's Five Towns in West open letter said the plans were "not just about growing Yorkshire's economy, but about enabling our region to play its full part in the UK's".It outlined some of the plans in Lord Blunkett's review and added: "We know improving rail infrastructure requires significant funding, but we strongly believe that by prioritising investment in Yorkshire's rail network in the Spending Review will be a down-payment on improving economic growth and helping businesses and people to thrive." Tariq Shah OBE, co-chair of South Yorkshire Business Advisory Board and CEO of Vigo Group, said rail connectivity was "a vital step" in driving growth and improving access to jobs, education and innovation."This is not just a transport investment, it's a statement of ambition for our place," he Routh, executive director of Scarborough's Stephen Joseph Theatre, said there was only one train an hour between York and Scarborough."We have audience members leaving before the end of a show so they don't miss their train," she explained."That potential hour wait is not going to encourage anyone to visit, or to come back."Ms Routh added that 80% of the theatre's audiences travelled by car because there was no viable alternative.A spokesperson for the DfT said it was already investing in the North and delivering transformational projects across the region, such as the multibillion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade, plus "maintaining momentum on Northern Powerhouse Rail".It said it would continue to work with local leaders to improve rail connectivity. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
Metro
16-05-2025
- Business
- Metro
£14,000,000,000,000 plan to fix the north of England's 'broken' rail network
The proposal comes ahead of the government's spending review next month (Picture: Shutterstock) A £14billion plan to transform Yorkshire's old railway system has been proposed by a former home secretary. Yorkshire's Plan for Rail, put forward by Lord Blunkett, calls for increased capacity at Leeds, Sheffield and York stations, a new through-station for Bradford and a mainline station at Rotherham. Other proposals include electrifying the line between Leeds and Sheffield and increasing the frequency of services for places such as Scarborough, the Esk Valley, Penistone Line and Wakefield district's Five Towns. But this all comes at a cost. The first phase of improvements would need £2.4billion of government investment from now until 2030. This is in addition to the £2.5billion needed for a tram network in West Yorkshire and extension into South Yorkshire. A map of Yorkshire's plan for rail (Picture: West Yorkshire Combined Authority) One plan is to increase the frequency of services between towns and cities in the north (Picture: PA) This plan comes ahead of the government's spending review next month. Chancellor Rachel Reeves will decide which infrastructure projects across the country will get funding. At a time when there are calls to improve the transport system in the north of England, Lord Blunkett's review could persuade ministers and civil servants. Lord Blunkett has said that this will be 'a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' to improve connectivity and unlock economic growth in the region. If the investment goes ahead, it could add £20billion to the region's economy over the next decade and help generate 83,000 jobs and the building of 210,000 new homes. The review has been launched alongside West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin, South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard and York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith in Leeds. Lord Blunkett said: 'Yorkshire has been punching under its weight for far too long, and with the White Rose Agreement, external and this infrastructure plan, the three Mayors are determined to reverse this historic trend. There are calls for better connections between the north and London (Picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire) 'It's been a pleasure to be asked to pull together this credible and affordable plan, which presents a once in a lifetime opportunity to improve rail connectivity, and unlock economic growth and opportunities for all.' Ms Brabin said the rail network in Yorkshire is 'no longer fit for purpose' and investment is needed to help the younger generation. Mr Skaith said: 'In York and North Yorkshire, that means two trains an hour between York and Scarborough, upgraded stations at Malton, Seamer and Scarborough, and a new station at Haxby. 'We need to push forward with the transformation of York Station to maximise the benefits of York Central, one of the most significant regeneration sites in the country.' Mr Coppard said better connections to London, improved stations and more trains are needed. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page.
