Latest news with #Trident
Daily Record
2 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Lanarkshire business wins awards for excellence in painting and decorating
The national trade body revealed Trident as the winners of the Residential and Industrial categories at its prestigious Premier Trophy Awards. Lanarkshire business, Trident Maintenance Services has won two national awards for excellence in painting and decorating. The company was recognised for its work on a major revamp of a care home in London and work at a lighthouse in Tyne and Wear, at a glittering ceremony hosted by the Painting and Decorating Association (PDA) at Plaisterers' Hall, London. The national trade body revealed Trident as the winners of the Residential and Industrial categories at its prestigious Premier Trophy Awards. Operating across the UK and with their head office based in Bellshill, Trident Maintenance Services is an employee-owned organisation that provides a range of property maintenance services in both the public and private sector. The business was recognised for a careful revamp of a dementia home in Greater London, in which contractors had to follow a strict Code of Conduct to avoid disrupting residents, and for a complex revamp of St Mary's Lighthouse in Whitley Bay, which can only be accessed via a causeway. Kenny Robson, Managing Director of Trident said: 'We are delighted to receive these two awards. 'Trident is a relatively young organisation compared to many others in our industry and to be recognised with these prestigious awards by a trade body such as the PDA is a great testament to the hard work and commitment of our staff. I am immensely proud of the team's achievements.' The Premier Trophy Awards is held annually by the PDA to fly the flag for excellence in the sector and the main sponsor for 2025 was Johnstone's Trade. Award entries are judged by a panel of experts from the Institute of Clerks of Works and Construction Inspectorate (ICWCI), who examined 103 entries, visited 53 sites and scored entrants across seven categories. Neil Ogilvie, Chief Executive of the PDA said: 'As the largest trade body representing painters and decorators across the UK, the PDA stands for the highest standards of work, customer service and compliance. 'Trident's work on both of its winning projects was outstanding and we congratulate them on winning a highly sought-after Premier Trophy Award. Their work sets a benchmark for quality and is a stellar example of best practice in the sector.' *Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here. And did you know Lanarkshire Live is on Facebook? Head on over and give us a like and share!
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Record
British nuclear sub commanders given note on what to do if WW3 breaks out
PM writes four identical letters that are handed to the commander of each of the UK's Vanguard-class submarines The commanders of the UK's nuclear submarine fleet each hold a handwritten note from the Prime Minister, outlining instructions in the event of the country's leadership being obliterated. These 'letters of last resort', which are torn up and rewritten with every change of PM, instruct the Trident submarine crew on what to do if the government falls due to a nuclear attack or pandemic. The UK's nuclear deterrent is solely based on the submarine-launched ballistic missile system deployed across its four Vanguard-class submarines operating on a continuous at-sea deterrent. Each submarine is equipped with up to 40 deployed Trident D5 warheads, weighing 59,000 kg and capable of delivering multiple devastating 475Kt yields to any target within range of 7,000 miles and can remain submerged for months at a time. These formidable deterrents, which cost £5.8billion each to build when adjusted for inflation, stretch to 491 feet in length and all contain a chilling, handwritten command from the Prime Minister should a nuclear conflict break out, reports the Express. The notorious Last Resort Letters are torn up and rewritten each time a new Prime Minister is elected, and their contents are shrouded in mystery. No official letter has been seen by the public, but their existence has been confirmed by military officials. The four Vanguard-class submarines: Vanguard, Victorious, Vigilant and Vengeance, carry identical letters containing instructions on what to do if the British government and its successors are wiped out by a nuclear attack. As reported by BBC Radio 4 and The Guardian in 2016, these letters, penned by the sitting Prime Minister, present a list of options for the submarine's crew of over 130 members. Reportedly, the options include: "Put yourself under the command of the United States, if it is still there", "Go to Australia", "Retaliate", or "Use your own judgement". However, only the author knows the chosen option. Historian Peter Hennessy, in his book 'The Secret State: Whitehall and the Cold War', explains that the submarine commanders would determine whether the British government had fallen by conducting checks, including seeing if BBC Radio 4 was still broadcasting. The Vanguard vessels are due to be replaced within the next ten years by the upgraded Dreadnought fleet, which will also carry the Trident D5 nuclear deterrent. Construction of these four replacements is currently in progress, with the first expected to be ready in the 'early 2030s' while the current deterrent continues to patrol the world's oceans. Although the location of the patrolling vessels is classified, HMNB Clyde (Faslane) serves as the primary base for the Vanguard class and is also home to the Royal Navy's submarine service. Fortunately, up to now, no commanding officer has had to open a Last Resort Letter and long may this continue to be the case.
The National
6 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Keir Starmer goes further than Blair and Brown on Labour rebels
Blair's time as PM was marked by numerous back bench rebellions from Labour MPs who were unhappy with the right-wing direction in which Blair took the Labour Party and above all his controversial decision to join in with the American invasion of Iraq on the flimsiest of evidence, evidence which was widely believed to have been fabricated. In February 2003 no less than 122 Labour MPs backed a Commons motion saying the case for war with Iraq had not been proven. Even so, the motion was defeated because the Conservatives voted along with government loyalists. This was followed in March that year by a back bench rebellion of 139 Labour MPs as Blair sought a [[Commons]] mandate for his war in Iraq. Again, Blair got his way with the support of the Conservatives. This was the largest rebellion against the party whip seen under any governing party on any issue for 150 years. These were by far the largest backbench rebellions Blair faced, but they were by no means the only ones. In February 2002, 45 Labour rebels voted against plans to promote faith schools in England. Blair faced this rebellion down, helped by Conservative support. In November 2001, more than 30 Labour MPs voted against the government on controversial anti-terror measures. The measures still went through. These are the measures which Starmer recently used to proscribe Palestine Action. The rebel Labour MPs cited their fears that the measures could easily be used by the government to clamp down on protest groups. In 1999, in shades of the recent [[Commons]] rebellion over cuts to disability benefits, 53 Labour MPs rebelled against plans to make changes to incapacity benefit. This was not Blair's first backbench rebellion, that came in December 1997, when his government was only seven months old. Forty seven Labour MPs rebelled over government plans to slash [[benefits]] for single parents. The rebellions continued throughout Blair's term in office. In 2007, 95 Labour MPs rebelled against plans to renew Trident missiles. Many of these revolts were tacitly stirred up by Blair's jealous chancellor Gordon Brown and his faction. Brown spent most of Blair's time in office plotting to take over as prime minister, but when he finally did so in 2007, it soon became clear that he was much better at plotting and backstabbing than he was at governing. Labour backbench revolts intensified under Brown. There were 103 Labour revolts in Gordon Brown's first full session as prime minister. The Labour MP who rebelled most often was Jeremy Corbyn, but at no point did he ever lose the Labour whip. Keir Starmer, with his markedly authoritarian instincts, is determined to run a very different kind of [[Labour Party]]. For all their many and serious faults, Blair and Brown respected the long-standing tradition of the [[Labour Party]] as a party which was a broad church and which welcomed and respected differences of opinion amongst party members. Starmer has a very different view: For him the Parliamentary Labour Party is merely an instrument of the will of the party leadership. Dissent will not be tolerated. Upon becoming party leader, Starmer set about ensuring that only those loyal to him would be nominated as Labour Party candidates, weeding out potential members of the awkward squad before they got a chance to rebel. Remember the shenanigans surrounding the imposition of the nodding donkey Michael Shanks as the Labour candidate in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by election in October 2023 over the candidate favoured by the local constituency party. This was far from being an isolated incident. Within weeks of taking office, Starmer signalled his zero-tolerance for dissent, suspending seven Labour MPs who voted to support an SNP motion calling for the abolition of the two-child cap on [[benefits]]. Starmer faced his biggest rebellion over his plans to slash disability benefits earlier this month when 47 of his backbench MPs voted against the Government, which had been forced to contain a much larger rebellion by essentially offering to kick the issue into the long grass. Inevitably, Starmer has now hit back against this threat to his authority, removing the Labour whip from four of his MPs. However, Starmer's political fragility has been revealed by the fact that only four of the 47 rebels have had the Labour whip removed. The four are those who have most consistently shown a willingness to speak out against Starmer. They include Neil Duncan-Jordan, Chris Hinchliff and Rachael Maskell. The MPs will sit as independents in the House of Commons until such time as the Labour whip is restored. One Scottish MP is amongst the four, Grangemouth and Alloa MP Brian Leishman, who not only rebelled over the disability benefit cuts but has also spoken out against the Labour Government's failure to keep its pre-election promises to the workers at the [[Grangemouth]] plant, which is in his constituency. All four of the suspended MPs have developed a track record of willingness to speak out against decisions of the Starmer iteration of Labour. Speaking to The Times newspaper, a senior Labour source said that the four had been suspended from the party for "persistent knobheadery". You might have thought a much better definition of being a knobhead was to throw 250,000 disabled people into poverty while refusing to countenance a wealth tax, or promising Waspi women that if they vote for you, you'll ensure they get fair compensation only once you get elected to go: "I've changed my mind, soreee." Speaking after he was booted out of the PLP, Leishman said in a statement that he wanted to continue as a Labour MP. Leishman is still in the denial stage of grief. He's got anger, bargaining and depression to process before he gets to acceptance of the reality that the Labour Party he's really a part of is not the Labour Party he wants it to be. Then he'll realise why so many people in Scotland who became disenchanted with the Labour Party under Tony Blair frequently used the figure of speech, 'I didn't leave the Labour Party, the Labour Party left me'. That is now what has literally happened to Brian Leishman.
News18
6 days ago
- Business
- News18
DLF Makes Mumbai Debut With Rs 5.5–7.5 Cr Homes In Andheri's Oshiwara
DLF is launching its first residential project in Mumbai's Oshiwara on July 17, after MahaRERA approval. Leading real estate company DLF is marking its entry into Mumbai by launching its first residential project on July 17. It came after weeks of receiving approval from the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA). The first phase of the 'The Westpark' project will feature over 400 apartments available for sale, according to registration documents reviewed by Moneycontrol. The Gurugram-based firm will unveil the project in the Oshiwara neighbourhood of Mumbai's Andheri suburb. Although DLF is renowned for its luxury and ultra-luxury residential projects in Gurugram and other markets, the Westpark is expected to be a 'premium' project, with prices ranging from Rs 5.5 crore to Rs 7.5 crore. Headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana; DLF is now India's largest listed real estate company with developments across 15 states and 24 cities. It specializes in residential, commercial, retail, hospitality, and infrastructure projects—think apartments, offices, malls, hotels, golf courses, and mixed‑use townships. DLF is a listed firm with the last trading price at Rs 844.95 apiece. For the project at Oshiwara, DLF has partnered with the Trident group. As the project is on a once slum area, Trident is expected to execute the slum rehabilitation project. Trident will handle the rehabilitation part of the project, which includes clearing the land and constructing housing units for slum residents. DLF will focus on the free-sale portion, estimated to be around 9 lakh square feet. residential launches, representing approximately 29% of the total launches across the top 7 cities, as per Anarock report. Another Anarock report added that Mumbai continued to dominate land activity in H1 2025, with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) witnessing the highest number of land deals among Tier 1 cities. A total of 24 deals for over 433 acres were recorded, underscoring the region's growing importance in India's real estate landscape despite land scarcity and high costs. view comments First Published: July 17, 2025, 07:17 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
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Business Standard
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
DLF re-enters Mumbai market with ₹800 crore premium housing project
Gurugram-based DLF, India's top listed real estate developer, has entered the Mumbai market with a premium residential development, investing Rs 800–900 crore in the first phase of the project, which is estimated to generate Rs 2,300 crore in revenue. The first phase of the project, The Westpark, comprising four 37-storey residential towers and 416 residences, will be delivered in the next four years. It spans 5.18 acres and is part of a larger 10-acre master plan with eight distinctive towers. The company has partnered with Trident Realty, another Gurugram-based developer with ongoing projects in Mumbai. The project falls under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scheme. However, DLF will oversee only the greenfield portion, while Trident will handle the SRA component. DLF holds a 51 per cent stake in the project; the remaining 49 per cent is held by Trident. The development will offer a mix of 3- and 4-BHK residences ranging from 1,125 to 2,500 sq ft, along with a limited number of exclusive penthouses. Prices will range from Rs 37,000 to Rs 47,000 per sq ft — effectively Rs 4.5–8 crore per unit. The second phase of the project is likely to be launched next year and is expected to generate revenues of Rs 2,300–2,500 crore. Aakash Ohri, joint managing director and chief business officer, DLF Homes, said the company aims to diversify its portfolio and takes Mumbai 'very seriously'. 'Mumbai and Delhi are going to be two big markets (for us) because they're the ones who are going to give us our returns,' he added. Ohri stated the company has already received 5–20 project proposals in Mumbai. 'We want to start and get this product off the ground first, show some strength and ability, and then get down to doing it (more projects in Mumbai),' he added. The company is banking on its lifestyle-oriented developments and strong balance sheet. 'What we bring to the table is the lifestyle story. This is the difference between everybody else and DLF. DLF will not operate in any city, including Gurugram, if the margins are not conducive to DLF; we don't have to. Today, we are a debt-free company; we are cash-rich, we have got land banks to carry us for the next 25 years. Why do I need to get into any stress? I don't need to prove anything,' Ohri said. DLF had earlier exited Mumbai in 2012 as part of its deleveraging strategy. It sold a prime 17-acre land parcel in Lower Parel to Lodha Developers for Rs 2,700 crore to reduce debt. 'That (Mumbai exit) was part of our development plan. Out of 22 cities, one didn't work out. Fine. At that point in time, Gurugram was also good and needed a lot of attention. Gurugram was where a lot of our future interests and the business were. (In that land deal) we got out at a good premium. It was not a loss,' Ohri said. This time, the company is confident and has received a positive response from channel partners. 'It's just that there's never a right or wrong time. Even the markets are different and far more mature and conducive. You cannot not be in Mumbai, being a national player. Competition is always good,' Ohri added. Mixed response from sector experts Industry experts have expressed mixed sentiments. Gulam Zia, senior executive director at Knight Frank India, said DLF has entered the market at a time when signs of fatigue are visible and the cycle is nearing its peak. 'The next 2–3 years will be tough. You need to be invested in the property long enough to reap the benefits. Since it's a large property of more than 17 acres, they will be developing it over at least one or two market cycles. So, entry will be tough,' Zia added. He also noted that buyers in Mumbai may not be enamoured by the luxury brand DLF has built in Gurugram. However, a sector analyst, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the company may benefit from its brand, the project's location, and the vibrancy of Mumbai's real estate market. 'The company wants to have a footprint in a market like Mumbai and better realisations,' the analyst added. Another industry expert, who did not wish to be named, noted that DLF may face challenges due to the hyperlocal nature of real estate and strong competition from well-established Mumbai-based developers.
