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Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Starmer defends benefits U-turn and says fixing broken welfare system a ‘moral imperative'
Sir Keir Starmer has warned Britain's benefits system is broken and fixing it is a 'moral imperative', days after a revolt by his own backbenchers forced him into a U-turn on welfare cuts. The Labour leader announced the climbdown late this week, in the face of potential defeat by Labour MPs over his plans. On Saturday he pledged Labour would not "take away the safety net" on which vulnerable people rely. But he added that he could not let welfare "become a snare for those who can and want to work" as he said that "everyone agrees" on the need for change. Earlier he faced calls for a 'reset' of his government, in the wake of the welfare debacle, by the Labour peer and party grandee Lord Falconer. The veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott also hit out at some of Sir Keir's advisers, calling them 'angry and factional' in an interview with the BBC's Today programme. Despite the climbdown the prime minister is also continuing to battle with some of his own MPs over the planned cuts, with reports some rebel MPs will attempt to put down a new amendment on Monday to delay the bill. On Friday Ms Abbott said that reports of the rebellion's death 'are greatly exaggerated'. Downing Street now expects its plans to pass their second reading in the House of Commons on Tuesday, however. In a speech to the Welsh Labour conference, Sir Keir said repairing the system had to be done in a "Labour way". "We cannot take away the safety net that vulnerable people rely on, and we won't, but we also can't let it become a snare for those who can and want to work," he said. "Everyone agrees that our welfare system is broken: failing people every day, a generation of young people written off for good and the cost spiralling out of control. "Fixing it is a moral imperative, but we need to do it in a Labour way." Sir Keir had been facing a humiliating defeat, with more than 120 Labour MPs having signed a rebel amendment seeking to kill the welfare bill. But leading economists have warned that, taken together, the U-turns on benefit cuts and winter fuel payments have blown a £4.5bn hole in the public finances that will 'very likely' be filled by tax rises in the autumn Budget. The Resolution Foundation said the prime minister's decision to protect existing claimants of disability benefits and health benefits would be far more expensive than expected. The Resolution Foundation said the change to Sir Keir's welfare bill, which will protect all those currently claiming Personal Independence Payments (PIP), will stop 370,000 people from losing the support. That will cost £2.1bn per year by 2030, while a separate move to protect the income of all those receiving the health element of Universal Credit, which will affect 2.2 million people, will cost up to a further £1.1bn each year. It will wipe out up to £3.2bn of the £5bn the government had hoped to save through the changes. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research said taxes will 'almost certainly' go up in the autumn. There is speculation the chancellor could raise the money through so-called 'fiscal drag' by freezing income tax thresholds, with Ruth Curtice, the chief executive of the Resolution Foundation, saying the 'most obvious thing' would be to extend the freeze for another two years. Ministers have refused to speculate on how the government will pay for the changes. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said Sir Keir had left the country with 'the worst of all worlds' after the U-turn.
The Guardian
05-06-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Sadiq Khan is right: Britain must decriminalise cannabis – or remain in the dark ages
Yet another attempt to inject sanity into Britain's archaic drug laws has failed. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, last month accepted Lord Falconer's modest proposal to decriminalise the possession of small amounts of cannabis. He was stamped on yet again by that citadel of reaction, the Home Office, and its boss, Yvette Cooper. Falconer's distinguished group of lawyers, doctors and academics did not suggest legalisation. They simply argued that treating people using cannabis as criminals served no purpose. It confused soft drugs with hard, was racially biased in its enforcement, diverted police time from more pressing matters and denied help to those who needed it. An old game of media interviews is to ask politicians if they have ever taken drugs. Prime ministers from David Cameron and Boris Johnson to Keir Starmer, as well as the deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, have either admitted to taking them or refused to deny it. Politicians feel that what the middle classes do at university is harmless fun. If it happens on a council estate, however, it is a route to prison. The reality is that the divide in Britain is not between those 'in favour' of cannabis and those against. It is between those who care about the impact of criminalisation and those who don't, a subset of whom merely want to sound macho. Decriminalisation in one form or another has been proposed for a quarter of a century. In 2000 the Police Foundation committee on drugs, of which I was a member, advised downgrading cannabis from a class B to a class C drug and in effect decriminalising it – but politicians never followed through. This was despite a poll by the Mirror in 1997 showing that almost two-thirds of the public were then in favour of decriminalisation. In 2004 cannabis was reduced to class C but not decriminalised. Then, in 2009, Gordon Brown played tough and returned it to class B. The then home secretary sacked the government's drug supremo, Prof David Nutt, for even breathing the word reform. By 2010 there were 43,000 convictions a year for drug possession, more than half of them for cannabis. An internal government report recommended decriminalisation in 2016 but was suppressed. The government even denied a freedom of information request, as if national security were at stake. The more studies and inquiries recommended reform, the more Whitehall dug in. Courts and jails became increasingly clogged and have remained so ever since. The hottest market for cannabis in Britain is now his majesty's jails. The UK is adrift in the western world in still wasting billions on its 'war on drugs'. Half of US states have legalised and licensed cannabis, including cities such as New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. In California there are cannabis cafes, cannabis farming estates and even cannabis sommeliers. Of course there have been problems, not least with hard drugs in libertarian Oregon. New York's licensing system has not worked, with illegal outlets outnumbering legal ones. But no one wants to go back. As it is, more Americans today smoke cannabis than tobacco, including an astonishing five times more among those aged 18 to 34. There has been no noticeable collapse in American people's health. Even Donald Trump favours legalising cannabis for personal use in his home state of Florida. Other countries, such as Canada and Uruguay, have legalised cannabis. Many more have decriminalised possession, including Portugal, the Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Spain and, as of last year, Germany, where individuals can grow and use small quantities. Plenty of British police forces have also gone down the Falconer route to some degree. There has been de facto decriminalisation in Durham and a number of other forces, as well as a successful but not repeated Metropolitan police trial in Lambeth, south London, in 2001. Other countries have researched, experimented and innovated. They have found ways to handle cannabis without disaster. Many places, such as Colorado, have taxed it and seen a boost in local revenue. Strong cannabis, or skunk, is bad for you but large numbers of Americans are clearly finding cannabis preferable to tobacco. It is not going away, any more than alcohol or cheeseburgers. British home secretaries behave like the politics addicts they are. They close their eyes and ears and scream. The real issue in Britain is not drugs. It is the systematic ruining by the state at vast expense of tens of thousands of young lives each year. The damage is done not by cannabis, but by criminalisation, which draws young people into gangs that deal it and from there towards hard drugs and imprisonment. The result is that society suffers a monster misdirection of police resources. Violent crime in London has increased almost every year for the past decade. There has been a rise in sexual assault, car and phone thefts and petty fraud. Shoplifting in London rose by an extraordinary 54% last year. Imagine how much time the police would have were they not spending so much of it stopping, searching, and testing people for drugs. Volunteers struggling to combat drug use – defying the government by testing drugs at music festivals, combating Glasgow's drug problem and keeping children out of county lines – have known one thing for the past quarter century. Whatever needs to be done about drugs, the criminal law as enforced in Britain is a useless answer. Police forces and charities have tried to advance decriminalisation against rigid opposition from Whitehall. As for elected mayors and local discretion, forget it. Westminster's contempt for local democracy is unrivalled. The truth is that what is lacking is not more reports or more brains, it is more guts. On drugs, Britain is still in the dark ages. Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist
Telegraph
30-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Poll of the week: Should cannabis possession be legal?
Sir Sadiq Khan has called for cannabis possession to be decriminalised. The Mayor of London backed calls for decriminalisation this week because of concerns that drug laws were having a negative impact on relationships between the police and ethnic communities. We asked Telegraph readers: Should cannabis possession be legal? A staggering 71 per cent of over 79,000 respondents voted it should remain illegal. Your reasons ranged from health concerns to its adverse effect on the community and anti-social behaviour. Sir Sadiq, who oversees the Metropolitan Police, Britain's biggest force, came out in favour of decriminalisation following an independent commission led by Lord Falconer, the former Labour justice secretary, which found current cannabis laws were 'disproportionate to the harms it can pose'. One reader, a retired police officer, has seen the impact of cannabis abuse first hand. Mark Kelly said: 'It should never be legalised. The paranoia and schizophrenic episodes caused by it are devastating to families.' Malcolm Fannon, a fellow retired officer, said: 'If I had a pound for every minute I spent rolling around on the ground with people supposedly mellow on cannabis, I'd be a very rich man. 'There is no such thing as a soft drug – the laws around all illegal substances should be strengthened, not diluted.' Many of you agreed, highlighting the adverse health impacts. Sue Procter noted: 'It is highly addictive and can cause depression, anxiety and in some cases extreme psychosis. These effects are permanent, and our liberal attitude to this drug is why our younger generation are all out of work because of their mental health.' A number of readers also pointed out that cannabis can be seen as a gateway drug leading to other substances. Janet McHugh said: 'Drug addiction often starts with this drug in young people who think it's safe.' Robert le Gaillard added: 'Having worked with drug addicts for 20 years, I can confirm that Khan is a fool. Cannabis is the gateway drug to hard drugs.' Others drew attention to the smell associated with the drug. Edward Thomas said: 'I'm sick of the smell of cannabis wafting from benches occupied by derelicts in my local park when I grab a moment in a very busy week to walk the dogs with the kids in the evening.' Some readers, who have tried cannabis themselves, agree that it should remain illegal. Sean Seekins shared an experience of having a 'space cake' in Amsterdam. Seekins said: 'Any substance that affects the brain in such a way will do damage in the long run.' One of our readers recently visited Portland, Oregon, where drug possession had been decriminalised. Peter Cumpson said: 'On the airport train, a couple got on and started snorting cocaine. Everywhere in the centre of town, you'd see dishevelled broken people looking a bit dangerous. I vowed never to go back.' Amid the uproar surrounding Sir Sadiq's proposal to decriminalise the drug, several Telegraph readers voiced support for his position. Some highlighted the potential for regulated sales to deliver a significant economic boost, while others emphasised the drug's medicinal benefits. Reader Donald Morris said: 'There is a simple solution here. Cannabis production should be regulated, and only consumption of regulated cannabis allowed.' In agreement, Cassandra Blackley commented: 'We should legalise natural cannabis. A well-regulated and well-taxed market for pre-rolled spliffs would mean that users could lawfully enjoy the recreational and relaxation benefits of cannabis in the privacy of their own homes. 'This would raise millions of pounds for the Exchequer, reducing the millions spent on pointless enforcement and gutting the black market for criminal gangs.' While Adrian Rainer said: 'I personally don't think anything natural should be illegal in the first place. But I do disagree with Sadiq Khan turning this into a race thing.' Reader John Crawley lives in Canada, where recreational cannabis use has been legal since 2018. He said there have been 'no problems with anti-social behaviour'. He continued: 'We can buy it in all forms and use it to help with sleeping, instead of using prescribed sleeping tablets. Cannabis has so many therapeutic benefits, including controlling epilepsy, insomnia and other medical issues.' Angela Smith, a UK citizen, has lived in California for the last 16 years. She said: 'There is overwhelming evidence demonstrating the incredible medicinal benefits of cannabis. Forcing people underground who benefit from it for various medical conditions serves no one but drug dealers. 'I believe it saved the life of my son, who had cancer at the age of 11 and was able to be given cannabis oil with the blessing of his oncologist. 'It dismays me that attitudes in my home country are so far behind the US when it comes to cannabis. We need to stop framing this as a dangerous recreational drug and start integrating it into medical treatment modalities. It's shameful that the UK is so slow to respond to science. 'Please wake up people — we have a very valuable medicine here that is being overlooked.'
Forbes
28-05-2025
- Health
- Forbes
London Mayor Calls For Decriminalizing Cannabis Possession
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has called for the decriminalization of personal possession of natural ... More cannabis. London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Wednesday backed the decriminalization of cannabis possession, saying that the current rules governing the drug 'cannot be justified.' Khan made his comments following the release of a report from the independent London Drugs Commission that found that the criminalization of cannabis possession and associated policing do more harm than good. In particular, the commission determined that police stop-and-search policies disproportionately harm members of Black communities. 'I've long been clear that we need fresh thinking on how to reduce the substantial harms associated with drug-related crime in our communities,' Khan said on Wednesday, according to a report from The Guardian. He added that the commission's report found the 'current sentencing for those caught in possession of natural cannabis cannot be justified given its relative harm and people's experience of the justice system.' Khan argued that the report 'makes a compelling, evidenced-based case for the decriminalization of possession of small quantities of natural cannabis,' according to a report from Marijuana Moment. The commission, led by the former Labour justice secretary Lord Falconer KC, collaborated with researchers at University College London, collecting evidence from more than 200 policy experts and academics from around the world. The commission found that classifying cannabis a Class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act is 'disproportionate to the harms it can pose relative to other drugs controlled by the act.' 'The sentencing options currently available, especially for personal possession, cannot be justified when balanced against the longer-term impacts of experience of the justice system, including stop and search, or of serving a criminal sentence can have on a person,' the researchers wrote in the report. The report, titled 'The Cannabis Conundrum: A Way Forward For London,' noted that cannabis enforcement focuses on ethnic communities, the Black community in particular, 'creating damaging, long-lasting consequences for individuals, wider society, and police-community relations.' Lord Falconer told Radio Four that 'continuing to have possession as a crime meant continuing have problems between the police and ethnic communities,' according to a report from the BBC. 'Stop and search in London for example is most commonly based on 'the smell of cannabis' and it is disproportionately used against young black men,' he said. 'The law treats cannabis the same as a whole range of much more serious drugs,' he added. 'The right course now, we think, is keep dealing criminal but make sure that possession is not a crime.' Cannabis is currently classified as a Class B drug in the United Kingdom. The commission emphasized that it was not advocating for the complete legalization of cannabis. While finding potential benefits of legalization, including a possible increase in tax revenue, the report stressed that the 'extent of harms, particularly with respect to public health, as well as personal and societal costs, take longer to emerge and are not yet well understood.' The researchers said that cannabis policy should be redirected to focus on the harms associated with the drug for a minority of users. 'Those who suffer from the adverse effects of cannabis, which may be a small percentage of users but is a high number of people, need reliable, consistent medical and other support,' the report reads. Despite the London Drugs Commission report's findings and Khan's call for decriminalization, a change in U.K. cannabis policy is unlikely in the short term. A spokesperson from the Home Office said that the government has no plans to change the legal status of cannabis. 'We will continue to work with partners across health, policing and wider public services to drive down drug use, ensure more people receive timely treatment and support and make our streets and communities safer,' the spokesperson said. 'We have no intention of reclassifying cannabis from a Class B substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act.' Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said the report's recommendations were 'not the government position and we are not going to be changing our policy.'
The Independent
28-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Sadiq Khan backs calls to decriminalise some cannabis possession
Sadiq Khan has voiced his support for the decriminalisation of possessing small amounts of natural cannabis, stating that the existing regulations are indefensible. The Mayor of London referenced a report by the independent London Drugs Commission (LDC), released on Wednesday, which he believes presents a strong, evidence-based argument for decriminalisation, urging the Government to consider the change. Established by Khan in 2022, the LDC, led by former lord chancellor Lord Charlie Falconer, concluded that current cannabis laws are disproportionate to the potential harm, following a global study of cannabis policing. The commission also highlighted that cannabis policing disproportionately affects specific ethnic communities, straining relations between them and the police. While stopping short of advocating full decriminalisation due to concerns about long-term public health impacts, Lord Falconer's committee suggested moving "natural" cannabis from the Misuse of Drugs Act to the Psychoactive Substances Act. This would effectively legalise possession of small quantities for personal use, while still prohibiting the import, manufacture, or distribution of the drug. They also called for improved addiction services and greater education for young people on the dangers of cannabis. Lord Falconer said: 'Legalisation is not the answer. The criminal justice system response needs to focus only on the dealers and not the users. 'Those who suffer from the adverse effects of cannabis – which may be a small percentage of users but it is a high number of people – need reliable, consistent medical and other support. And there needs to be much more education on the risks of cannabis use.' Under current laws, cannabis is a class B drug and those found in possession face a fine or imprisonment. LDC deputy chairwoman Janet Hills, a former Metropolitan Police detective, said the report was 'a driver for change in our community' and called for 'a more balanced and compassionate approach to policing in our city'. Responding to the report, Sir Sadiq said: 'I've long been clear that we need fresh thinking on how to reduce the substantial harms associated with drug-related crime in our communities. 'The London Drugs Commission report makes a compelling, evidenced-based case for the decriminalisation of possession of small quantities of natural cannabis which the Government should consider. 'It says that the current sentencing for those caught in possession of natural cannabis cannot be justified given its relative harm and people's experience of the justice system. 'We must recognise that better education, improved healthcare and more effective, equitable policing of cannabis use are long overdue.' A Home Office spokesperson said: 'We will continue to work with partners across health, policing and wider public services to drive down drug use, ensure more people receive timely treatment and support, and make our streets and communities safer. 'The government has no intention of reclassifying cannabis from a Class B substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act.' Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: 'Possession of cannabis should not be decriminalised like this. We have seen some US and Canadian cities devastated by soft policies on addictive and harmful drugs – now Sadiq Khan wants to send London the same way. 'Cannabis is illegal for a reason. Cannabis is associated with anti-social behaviour and heavy use can lead to serious psychosis and severed mental health problems. 'US and Canadian cities which tried this approach have ended up as crime-ridden ghettos with stupefied addicts on the streets and law-abiding citizens frightened to go there. 'Sadiq Khan is more interested in politically correct posturing for the benefit of his left-wing friends than he is making London a safe and nice place. 'I completely oppose these plans. But with a weak Labour Government in power, there's no telling how they will react. We must stop soft Sadiq.'
