Latest news with #PeterBedford
Telegraph
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
MoD has fired most civil servants in Whitehall over poor performance
Only the Scotland Office, the Wales Office and the Northern Ireland Office registered no dismissals for poor performance in the time frame. Ministers at the Cabinet Office and the Department for Education said they did not know how many civil servants had been dismissed because the data was not centrally held. The MoD employed a total of 55,435 civil servants at the start of this year, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics. It has long been one of the biggest Government departments by staffing level, along with the Department for Work and Pensions, the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice. An email from the department containing the personal details of thousands of personnel in Afghanistan, including spies and soldiers, was leaked in 2022. When the MoD realised the leak in September 2023, it obtained a super-injunction from the High Court to stop journalists reporting on the leak. The department also launched a secret resettlement scheme to bring those put at risk from the Taliban in Afghanistan to Britain. The super-injunction, the first ever obtained by a British government, prevented journalists from reporting on the leak and prevented them from reporting on the existing of the injunction, leading to an enforced media blackout. It was lifted by the High Court on Tuesday after a Government-commissioned review found the effects of the leak were less severe than originally feared. 'We have a machine that is not delivering' Peter Bedford, the Conservative MP who obtained the data through written parliamentary questions, told The Telegraph: 'I think Civil Service reform is way overdue. 'We have a machine that is not delivering and often cocking up, with politicians always getting the blame. 'If you compare the public sector to the private sector, it's clearly much more difficult to get rid of poor performers. 'The number of dismissals in the Civil Service is very few – it's a few hundred among hundreds of thousands of employees. In the private sector, you'd expect around 10 per cent to go each year for poor performance. 'In the Civil Service, poor performers are simply moved on to other departments, so the system stays stale, inefficient and unfit. I'd like to see this Government, or a future government, overhauling the way our Civil Service works.' The MoD has been contacted for comment.
BBC News
17-06-2025
- BBC News
'Boy's sentence for killing my dad is unanswerable'
The daughter of an 80-year-old man who died after being attacked in a park has called for tougher sentences for young Kohli died in hospital a day after being assaulted while walking his dog at Franklin Park in Braunstone Town, Leicestershire, in September.A 15-year-old boy was sentenced to seven years in custody for manslaughter on 5 June, while a 13-year-old girl was given a three-year youth rehabilitation order and made subject to a six-month curfew for the same to BBC Breakfast, Susan Kohli called for guidelines on sentencing for young offenders to be changed. Ms Kohli said: "We are having so many incidents and crime reports that involve youngsters and they know that because they're youngsters, they're not going to serve the full weight of the law, because it's half an adult sentence."But you choose to do an adult crime, so why not be punished accordingly? Yes, the boy has been sentenced to seven years, on good behaviour three and a half years - he's served nine months of that already."He's going to be out in two years and nine months for taking my dad's life - it's just unanswerable."It needs to change, and I'm hoping we're able to try and get that change to hold the young offenders accountable for what they do." Mid Leicestershire MP Peter Bedford and Alberto Costa, MP for South Leicestershire, wrote to the Attorney General's Office (AGO) calling for the sentences to be AGO previously told the BBC it had received several requests to review the sentences given to the pair, who cannot be named due to their ages. If the Attorney General and Solicitor General agree the sentence appears unduly lenient, they can ask the Court of Appeal to review the sentence. The AGO said it is still within the statutory 28-day period for referrals to the Court of Appeal. During the sentencing hearing on 5 June, prosecutor Harpreet Sandu KC said Mr Kohli was subjected to a "seven-and-a-half minute period of continuing aggression" at the boy racially abused Mr Kohli, attacked him and slapped him in the face with a slider shoe, while the girl encouraged the assault and laughed as she filmed it on her girl encouraged the assault and laughed as she filmed it on her phone. Both were convicted of manslaughter.
BBC News
09-06-2025
- BBC News
Bhim Kohli: MPs demand sentence review for killers of man, 80
Two MPs have called for a review into "unduly lenient" sentences given to two teenagers convicted of killing an 80-year-old man at a Kohli died in hospital a day after being attacked while walking his dog at Franklin Park in Braunstone Town, Leicestershire, in September.A 15-year-old boy was sentenced to seven years in custody for manslaughter at Leicester Crown Court on Thursday while a 13-year-old girl was given a three-year youth rehabilitation order and made subject to a six-month Mid Leicestershire MP Peter Bedford and Alberto Costa, MP for South Leicestershire, have written to the Attorney General's Office (AGO) calling for the sentences to be looked at. The AGO told the BBC it had received several requests to review the sentences given to the pair, who cannot be named due to their the Attorney General and Solicitor General agree the sentence appears unduly lenient, they can ask the Court of Appeal to review the sentence. 'Shocked and appalled' During the hearing on Thursday, prosecutor Harpreet Sandu KC said Mr Kohli was subjected to a "seven-and-a-half minute period of continuing aggression" at the boy racially abused Mr Kohli, attacked him and slapped him in the face with a slider shoe while the girl encouraged the assault and laughed as she filmed it on her attack left Mr Kohli with three broken ribs and other fractures, but Mr Sandhu KC said the fatal injury was to his spinal cord, caused by a spine sentencing, the victim's daughter Susan Kohli said she felt angry and disappointed the punishments did not match the severity of the he had written to the AGO, Bedford said: "I am shocked and appalled at the leniency of these sentences."These two young people will soon be able to move forward with their lives, while the family of Mr Kohli serve a life sentence of pain and grief."The Ministry of Justice has been contacted for comment.
Telegraph
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Five Government departments use AI to draft responses to questions in Parliament
Five Government departments are using artificial intelligence to answer questions in Parliament, The Telegraph can reveal. Labour ministers were accused of providing 'stock answers generated by a computer' when responding to questions tabled by their fellow MPs. It comes after it emerged that Peter Kyle, the Science Secretary, has used AI software ChatGPT to help him come up with policy advice. All departments were asked last month by Tory backbencher Peter Bedford whether they were using AI to respond to MPs' parliamentary written questions. The Department for Business and Trade, the Department for Education, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Foreign Office all confirmed that they were. Justin Madders, the business minister, said a 'small proportion' of staff in his department had access to AI tools. 'These tools may be used to support the drafting process for responding to written parliamentary questions,' he said. Janet Daby, the minister for children and families, said the Department for Education 'sometimes uses artificial intelligence software tools to support the drafting process for responding to written parliamentary questions'. Andrew Western, a work and pensions minister, said the DWP 'has access to AI software tools to support day-to-day workings such as the drafting process for responding to written parliamentary questions'. Feryal Clark, a minister at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, said staff 'do have access to AI software tools to support the drafting process'. And Catherine West, a Foreign Office minister, said the department 'has made Microsoft Copilot available to staff as part of a trial'. She continued: 'It is therefore possible that officials have used Copilot to assist them when drafting replies to written parliamentary questions.' Ministers from all departments insisted responses generated by AI were reviewed by policy officials before receiving sign-off from Government ministers. 'Potentially sensitive information' Mr Bedford said the use of AI software to formulate official ministerial responses was 'alarming' and insisted that MPs 'deserve proper answers'. He told The Telegraph: 'I have concerns with Government departments sharing potentially sensitive information with AI tools that have a global footprint. 'Given the limited regulation around AI, its use, and data sharing it is alarming that there is no overarching Government policy on its use. 'Furthermore, as democratically elected representatives Members of Parliament deserve proper answers to their parliamentary questions, rather than bland, stock answers generated by a computer system.' Earlier this year, it emerged that Mr Kyle, whose brief covers AI, asked ChatGPT why small businesses in the UK had been so slow adopting the technology. He went on to request suggestions for the 'best podcasts' he could appear on to reach a 'wide audience', while also asking ChatGPT to define 'digital inclusion'. There have been growing fears that Labour could introduce a wealth tax after it backed AI software that can value people's homes. The Welsh Government ordered a computer programme that relies on AI to review council tax bands. Ministers later admitted the software could be adapted for use in England as they failed to rule out introducing a similar tax in the autumn. Sir Keir Starmer outlined proposals for a 20-fold increase in public computing capacity at the start of the year. The Prime Minister has also pledged to invest in a new supercomputer and 'AI growth zones' and billions of pounds in private investment in data centres as part of plans for Britain to become an 'AI superpower'. More than 4,000 megawatts (MW) of data centre capacity is currently under construction or in development in Britain. This means that more than a nuclear power station's worth of electricity would be needed in order to meet a surge in demand for AI under Sir Keir's data blitz plans. In turn, this could raise concerns about demands on Britain's electricity grid as Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, plans to increase reliance on renewable energy. A Government spokesman said: 'Not one parliamentary question has been answered solely by AI and it is false to suggest otherwise. Officials may use AI to help speed up drafting responses, but will always make sure they are accurate and ultimately signed off by ministers.'
BBC News
30-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Election campaign under way for Leicestershire council facing axe
Leicestershire voters are being asked to go to polls in just over a month to elect county councillors - possibly for the very last nationwide plans the government aims to streamline local government in a move that could see Leicestershire County Council abolished and authority had asked to postpone the upcoming election on 1 May while it drew up a potential new political map for the county, but Whitehall had other ideas and now the campaign is well under with little certainty over the future, representatives of the five major political parties have set out why they want voters to back them at the ballot box. The Conservatives have controlled Leicestershire County Council since 2001 and have waged a long-running campaign to secure better funding from the government for the the last election in 2021 they gained two seats, securing 42 of the 55 of their number - Peter Bedford - became an MP in 2024, winning the newly-formed seat of Mid Leicestershire. He will be stepping down from his county council seat after 1 councillor Craig Smith told the BBC that this year voters "want to know who's going to look after the schools, the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) education"."They want to know who's going to look after grandma when she needs that extra care," he added"They're not interested in the bigger Westminster political picture and that's very much what we're selling on the doorstep."We're talking to people that want local people to represent them locally and also to make sure that they get the best possible services that they're paying for." Labour reached a new low in terms of representation at County Hall in 2021, winning just four seats. But one of their group - Amanda Hack - also became an MP in 2024, winning the North West Leicestershire seat from the Conservatives. She will also stand down from County Hall after these council's Labour group leader Max Hunt said voting for his party this time would get "a Labour-run council working with a Labour government"."We've got a very strong list of candidates with experience often at district level so they know how local government works - that's important," he added."We are determined to get special needs back on track. Social care is a big issue for us and we must get that right. "We're going to set in train a number of things including training for care workers." The Liberal Democrats has been the biggest opposition at County Hall since 2009, although it lost four seats in group leader Michael Mullaney said votes for the Lib Dems would secure "local campaigners, fighting for the local areas and getting the basic things that affect people's everyday life sorted out."He added: "You'll get a team of leadership at the county council which is committed to ensuring that those basic things are being delivered that haven't been delivered - the repairs to the roads, getting bus services sorted, getting special educational needs services sorted." The Greens saw a surge in representation across Leicestershire's district and borough local elections in 2023 returning councillors in Blaby, Charnwood and Charnwood councillor Laurie Needham said environmental issues were very important, adding: "The place I represent has been heavily impacted by flooding in the last couple of years."People are very upset about transport links, roads and educational provision."Greens are in a unique position - we're not beholden to the whims of Westminster."We can speak up for local people. "For us, it's less about party politics, it's much more about service [and] that's what people see when they elect a Green." Reform UK came third in every parliamentary seat in Leicestershire in last year's general election. That may be a reason party leader Nigel Farage chose to host his first regional party event of 2025 in Leicester. One former Conservative county councillor has since defected to the party. Could there be more?The party is quietly confident it will make its first inroads at County Hall in May. Chairman of North West Leicestershire Reform UK, Joseph Boam, said: "You should vote Reform on 1 May for a more efficiently run Leicestershire County Council - and to get all the generic problems you face in your local area sorted for once."He added: "On the doorstep, the main issues are the generic stuff really, which you'd think would be assorted by now. There's stuff like potholes, fly-tipping and then the grass verges which seemed to not be cut on time."Whether all parties can deliver a "full slate" - in other words provide a candidate in all 55 seats on the council - will only be known once nominations close on 2 April.
