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Victorious Lionesses are our 'national pride' say MPs and call for squad to be given damehoods following stunning Euros victory
Victorious Lionesses are our 'national pride' say MPs and call for squad to be given damehoods following stunning Euros victory

Daily Mail​

timea day ago

  • Politics
  • Daily Mail​

Victorious Lionesses are our 'national pride' say MPs and call for squad to be given damehoods following stunning Euros victory

The Lionesses should be awarded damehoods for the Euro 2025 victory, MPs have declared - hailing the players 'a total inspiration' and 'our national pride'. Tory MP Wendy Morton said the entire England women's football team should be honoured, insisting their collective achievement must not go unrecognised - unlike last time they won. 'These girls have done something extraordinary,' she said. 'They are such an inspiration so they absolutely should receive recognition for that. 'It was a team effort, so they should be honoured as a team. Often the people behind the scenes, and those who practice but don't actually get called to play, miss out on the glory - and they shouldn't.' Fellow Conservative MP Caroline Dinenage also backed calls for official recognition, saying: 'They are our national pride. They showed remarkable resilience, teamwork and strength of character. 'They are a total inspiration and one of our most successful national teams.' The Lionesses captured the nation's hearts with their run of historic victories, and campaigners say it is time their achievements were properly rewarded. When they scored their first historic European Championship victory in 2022, just four of the players got gongs. At the time, honours committee chairman Sir Hugh Robertson said the panel wanted to reward outstanding performances rather than the whole team, as they hadn't won the World Cup. Yesterday, Labour's Sarah Champion MP said she supported giving damehoods to all players '100 per cent'. 'Their courage and dedication to the game has inspired women and girls across the country to get involved with football,' she said. 'It would publicly show that we recognise and celebrate the achievements of women and girls, and they could do the same.' Nigel Huddleston, shadow culture, media and sport minister, said 'honours should be lavished upon the lionesses'. 'The purpose of the honours system is to recognise outstanding contributions and achievements, including in the field of sport,' he said. 'The lionesses have certainly been outstanding. 'While not every member of the team may receive an honour this year, I am confident that most will be recognised over the course of their careers - and deservedly so.' Shadow sports minister Louie French MP added: 'These incredible players deserve to be celebrated and honoured in any way our nation can.' Tory MP Shivani Raja said recognising the Lionesses would show young girls and future athletes what is possible. 'They have once again shown just how powerful and inspiring women's sport can be,' she said. 'Their incredible performances reflect real strength, determination, and talent. We must keep backing brilliant role models like these.' Last night, a Downing Street spokesman hinted that members of the victorious team may be recognised in the honours system, saying: 'There is an independent process for nominations, but I hope we will see lots of nominations for this team.'

Birmingham bin strike 'King rat' postbox topper appears
Birmingham bin strike 'King rat' postbox topper appears

BBC News

time07-05-2025

  • General
  • BBC News

Birmingham bin strike 'King rat' postbox topper appears

'Rats the size of cats' postbox topper appears 7 minutes ago Share Save Shehnaz Khan BBC News, West Midlands Share Save Moseley Knit and Natter Group Residents have previously spoke of seeing some "rats the size of cats" amid the strikes A knitted postbox topper featuring the infamous phrase "rats the size of cats" has appeared on a street corner in Birmingham amid the city's ongoing bin strikes. The woolly king rat, sat on top of a mound of knitted black bin bags and holding a crown and cheese sceptre, has been placed on top of a postbox at the Alcester Road and Chantry Road junction in Moseley. The topper, which also features a knitted wheelie bin and pizza boxes, was created by members of the Moseley Knit and Natter Group. Member Naomi Green said the group "wanted to have a bit of fun" and "bring a smile to the community" as the dispute continued. Refuse workers started an all-out strike in March and residents began to complain about infestations of "cat-sized rats" as uncollected waste piled up on city streets. The matter was even raised in parliament in March, with Wendy Morton, Conservative MP for nearby Alridge-Brownhills, saying the "squeaky blinders" were not welcome in her constituency. Moseley Knit and Natter Group A "king rat" with a crown and cheese spectre sits on top of a mound of knitted bin bags on the postbox Ms Green said the topper, which was put together by five people over about a month, was created in the "spur of the moment" when the group was deciding what to knit next. "People have seen the funny side [of the strikes]," she said. The knitwork also features a rodent eating chips covered in ketchup and a larger one feasting on a carrot and a sandwich. Ms Green said, since its creation, people had been contacting the group to ask where they could see the topper and stopping by to take photos. "People are paying homage to king rat," she said. Martin Mullaney, a community activist and former councillor in Moseley, described the knitwork as the "coronation of the rat king". "I think it's amazing," he said. "It's a work of art, it's got humour in it." "Bristol has got Banksy, eat your heart out, we've got our mystery Moseley knitters," he added. Moseley Knit and Natter Group The postbox topper was created by members of the Moseley Knit and Natter Group Birmingham's long-running bin strikes, now in their eighth week, are part of an ongoing dispute between the city council and the Unite union over bin workers' pay. Talks aimed at resolving the dispute are taking place with conciliation service Acas. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.

Birmingham bin strike: Frustration about collections over border
Birmingham bin strike: Frustration about collections over border

BBC News

time02-04-2025

  • Politics
  • BBC News

Birmingham bin strike: Frustration about collections over border

Residents and businesses on Birmingham's borders have spoken of their frustration as the city's bin strike City Council declared a major incident on Monday over the industrial action, which has been ongoing since councils are collecting rubbish as normal, while Birmingham residents are seeing waste piles getting bigger and rat sightings keep increasingOver the border though, Conservative MP Wendy Morton fears her constituency may become affected, adding: "We don't want the 'squeaky blinders' in Aldridge-Brownhills, what we do want is the minister to get this sorted out and get the bins emptied for those residents. It's quite simple." For residents and businesses on the border in Streetly, it is a frustrating time as Walsall Council's jurisdiction, just metres away, is seeing bins collected as Gabriel, owner of Bakers Lane Fish Bar, said his business' bin had been collected once in the last three weeks."They let me down for two weeks, it has been very bad. I wish I was in Walsall," he Boylan, who works at the fish and chip shop and lives in Birmingham, explained: "It's frustrating because you think they're going to come and then they don't."I'm accumulating rubbish and I've started to put it out of the back door. There are foxes out at night looking for food. It's a nightmare." Steve Curtis, owner of Walsall-based Quote Me Hire, lives within the Birmingham said the bins on his side of the street were collected but the other side were not, while the bins at his business over the border have been collected as normal."People are trying to go to the tip but the queues are backing up," he said."To see the wheelie bins being emptied on one side of the road is definitely a frustration for people under Birmingham City Council." Another Birmingham resident, who did not wish to be named, added: "It's just this week it hasn't been picked up so we've been quite lucky - but now they've stopped coming."We're paying for it so they should be emptied. I've paid a lot of money for the garden bin and it hasn't been emptied."It's not good when one area gets it emptied and another doesn't." 'Crows on the bins' Callowbrook Lane in Rubery lies across the border between the city and Bromsgrove, Worcestershire - one half is managed by Birmingham City Council while the other is covered by Bromsgrove District Perkins, who lives on the Birmingham side, told BBC Hereford and Worcester it was "horrible" seeing her bins go uncollected."You come out in the morning and the bins are so full. The crows sit on top of the bins because there are no lids and they throw rubbish everywhere," she said."When it's not been emptied it just becomes a real, real mess and now we're getting rat problems." Nicky Thethy, also on the Birmingham side, said it was "not ideal" seeing people just down the road getting their rubbish collected while his was not."It's a bit of a nightmare and it's not very nice that you have to see every morning, you see the rats and the cats in the bin bags. It's just horrible," he Angela Neale, whose bins are collected by Bromsgrove District Council, said it was a "sad situation" for some of her neighbours."I fully support the bin workers and if it was happening on this side, I'd still support them," she said."I know it's not ideal for people with the build-up of the rubbish." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram

Birmingham bin strike to continue after talks end without resolution
Birmingham bin strike to continue after talks end without resolution

The Guardian

time20-03-2025

  • General
  • The Guardian

Birmingham bin strike to continue after talks end without resolution

Talks aimed at ending a strike by waste collectors in Birmingham have ended without a breakthrough. Members of the Unite union in the city launched an all-out strike on 11 March in a long-running dispute over pay, leading to rubbish piling up and bins remaining unemptied for weeks. Residents have complained that rats are rummaging through the waste, leading to fears over public health. Last Tuesday, nearly 400 council bin workers in the city began indefinite strike action. United said the Labour-run city council could end the dispute 'by agreeing to pay a decent rate of pay'. Union officials met council officers on Thursday, but the strike continues. A Unite spokesperson said: 'The talks were inconclusive. There was an exchange of information and Unite asked for clarity on a number of points raised by the council, which are currently being worked on. 'It was agreed that there would be further regular negotiations, but dates for further talks have not yet been set.' A Birmingham city council spokesperson said: 'Birmingham city council and Unite met this afternoon to discuss the current industrial action. Whilst no resolution was reached today, there are points for discussion, the tone was constructive and we are working on the matters raised. 'We have contacted Unite representatives to schedule the series of future meeting dates.' The council had previously said the 'escalation' of industrial action would mean greater disruption to residents despite a 'fair and reasonable offer' made to Unite members. The Conservative councillor for Edgbaston Deirdre Alden said the excess rubbish around the city had caused an 'explosion' in the local rat population. 'I have heard reports of rats in gardens, in rubbish bins and eating the cables in people's cars – it's like something out of the Pied Piper Of Hamelin,' she said. The industrial action was referenced in parliament on Thursday, with an MP saying that 'rats the size of cats', which she nicknamed the Squeaky Blinders, were 'not welcome' beyond Birmingham's boundaries. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The Conservative former minister Wendy Morton told MPs that people in the West Midlands fear fly-tipping throughout the region because of the strikes and that local authorities were taking a 'proactive and determined approach' to tackling it. The union has claimed that the council ending the role of waste collection and recycling officer has hit 150 workers with pay cuts of up to £8,000, which the local authority has disputed. According to the council, the number of staff that could lose the maximum amount of just over and a town hall spokesperson said their 'door is still open' for Unite to 'come back to the table'.

By order of the Squeaky Blinders: Tory MP shares fears of rats ‘size of cats' in Birmingham
By order of the Squeaky Blinders: Tory MP shares fears of rats ‘size of cats' in Birmingham

The Independent

time20-03-2025

  • Politics
  • The Independent

By order of the Squeaky Blinders: Tory MP shares fears of rats ‘size of cats' in Birmingham

A Tory MP has shared fears of rats appearing Birmingham that are "the size of cats" — rodents she dubbed the "Squeaky Blinders" — as a result of the city's bin strikes. Ex-minister Wendy Morton told the House of Commons on Thursday (20) that West Midlanders fear fly-tipping throughout the region after nearly 400 council waste operatives in Birmingham began an indefinite strike last week. 'Alarmingly, we're hearing of rats the size of cats in Britain's second city and, let's be quite certain, the Squeaky Blinders are definitely not welcome in Aldridge-Brownhills," Ms Morton said.

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