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Times
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Times
The Times letters: Starmer, leadership and the U-turn on welfare
Write to letters@ Sir, Your leading article ('Abject Surrender', Jul 2) outlines very well the vagaries and indecisiveness of our prime minister. You say he has shown how incapable he is of reining in the state and public finances. Further to this it has been widely claimed that he is losing authority. I, and I think many others, would question whether he had any credibility and authority in the first place. Sir Keir Starmer's U-turns and false promises simply make the electorate wonder who is in charge. A leader should lead and if he caves in to 50-odd rebel MPs, as he has done on welfare reform, then what hope is there for the country? Add to this the fact that record illegal immigration is costing the country a fortune and that the government appears to have no plans to tackle it. We lack leaders with substance, clout and an 'action this day' GrundyHartley Wintney, Hants Sir, William Hague is quite right to argue that the prime minister has failed dismally during his first year in office to outline the overarching purpose of his government, let alone offer a vision that is inspiring or even reassuring ('What's Starmer's big idea? He needs to tell us', comment, Jul 1). This should come as no great surprise, however. Even before the general election it was clear that Labour did not have a coherent plan about anything, whether for the economy, education, defence or stopping migrant boats. Having failed to prepare for the realities of power, the party has lurched from one ill-thought-out decision to another, frequently changing tack, in a desperate attempt to mollify everyone. All this does is satisfy no one and that is precisely where we are, 12 months in. Seemingly standing for nothing, always looking for scapegoats and all the while communicating poorly are a recipe for disillusionment and MortimerPerth Sir, Polly Mackenzie says that what is needed is 'a fundamental reset of the prime minister's office' ('Starmer's lost power of political speech', Jul 2). I suggest also that the prime minister needs to be able to rely on a trusted colleague to give him advice, perhaps someone without ambition who has served at the top rank of politics. There must be plenty of candidates to choose from. Margaret Thatcher relied on Willie Whitelaw — 'Everyone needs a Willie' — and his advice proved BenyonBladon, Oxon Sir, Time and again, Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves justify their actions mainly by saying they are doing 'the right thing'. This continual failure to give wider reasons leaves them exposed when they have to make a U-turn. Has the right thing suddenly become the wrong thing? Has the wrong thing suddenly become the right thing?Peter ClarkLondon SE23 Sir, Dr Karin Englehart (letter, Jul 1) should rest assured that nothing has changed since she was denied the post of a medical assessor because she suggested that a benefit claimant's account should not necessarily be taken at face value. Whenever I expressed a doubt that a patient would be granted a benefit, I was assured that they would be guided in how to do so Surinder Bakhshi (ret'd) Birmingham Sir, Regarding Martha's Rule and the training of doctors (letters, Jul 1 & 2), fellow physicians would often consult my father on cases. His skill as a diagnostician was a source of amusement to our family. He would state mysteriously that the person on the table next to us at a restaurant had a particularly interesting condition. Late in his life, I asked him how he became so good at diagnosis. He told me he had studied hard as a medical student and with no immediate family to return home to, would stay behind during holidays and tour hospital wards to extend his education. He would talk to patients, ask to read their notes and discuss with fellow staff. I doubt such access to patients would be allowed HerseeGreat Missenden, Bucks Sir, Dr Rosemary Alexander seems to have forgotten that Martha's Rule was enacted because doctors, not physician associates, made an incorrect diagnosis, gave a wrong interpretation of facts, missed serious problems and then refused help from medical colleagues. Physician associates are not the only professionals who have been guilty of ordering unnecessary expensive tests — private GPs are much more culpable of that ArulConsultant paediatric surgeon,Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospital Sir, James Kirkup bemoans the cost to the state of 'doctors' comfortable retirements' (comment, Jun 30). As a house officer in 1997 I was paid less per hour to be on call for five surgical wards overnight than I was the previous year as a general assistant in a supermarket. However, I consoled myself with the promise of a comfortable final salary pension. This pension has since been eroded and we have moved on to career-average schemes. Furthermore, many of my generation have faced tax charges amounting to five or six-figure sums for pensions that they may never receive. It is little wonder that the exodus to foreign climes and the private sector continues David W McCareyConsultant rheumatologist and physician, Glasgow Sir, Further to your helpful leading article on the royal finances ('Gravy Train', Jul 2), the King and Prince of Wales are, respectively, Duke of Lancaster and Duke of Cornwall by the will of parliament — the Act of Settlement. The revenues of the duchies are not 'private wealth' but a perquisite of the titles parliament bestowed. In the country's perilous financial situation the time has surely come to end this ridiculous fiction, deploy public money for the public good and pay the head of state and his helpers proper salaries and expenses for the duties they carry RossAuchencairn, Dumfries and Galloway Sir, The decision to retire the royal train would end a tradition dating back to 1842 ('End of the line for royal train', news, Jul 1). More than a symbol of royal travel, it reflects our national heritage and the bond between crown and country. Nowhere is that identity more deeply felt than in places such as Wolverton, in my constituency, where the train found its home. Fitted out there in 1977, it is a part of the town's identity, its legacy woven into Wolverton's rich cultural heritage. At a time of rail revival and infrastructure spending, this is a chance to modernise a cherished tradition, not scrap it. There is time to change track: I believe the train has more miles left in it Curtis MPHouse of Commons Sir, Sir Ephraim Mirvis has criticised Bobby Vylan's chant of 'death, death to the IDF' as being antisemitic ('Change needed at BBC after Bob Vylan fiasco, says Chief Rabbi', Jul 1). The inference to be drawn from the Chief Rabbi's remarks is that criticism of Israel's military activities is automatically antisemitic. This is a dangerous route down which to go. The separation of the racial aspect from the governmental one is important, otherwise any action by the Israeli government can be given carte blanche because criticism may be considered AlexanderChichester Sir, Is it not time to stop conflating disapproval of Israel's government with antisemitism? There are Jewish people all over the world, including in Israel, who do not like the way that Binyamin Netanyahu's government is conducting its war in Gaza. If that is regarded as supporting terrorism, then God help CookeClavering, Essex Sir, The science behind cheese and dreaming (news, Jul 1; letter, Jul 2) is straightforward: cheese is rich in tryptophan, one of the building blocks for neurotransmitters that influence sleep and moods. Wallace and Gromit never eat Wensleydale before Jeremy AuchinclossElgin, Moray Sir, James Marriott ('AI will leave a gaping void for workaholic world', Jul 1) repeats the canard that bankers in the past worked only from 10am to 3pm. This was far from the case. We started at 9am. After closing we had to balance the books — this was before calculators and computers — and this often meant working until well after 5pm. Overtime was paid only if we worked until 6pm (it was remarkable how often we were ushered out at 5.55pm). Saturday mornings were worked too, and annual leave was two weeks. My annual salary when I joined in 1954 was £170. I couldn't afford a meal at a café, and there was no staff room at the bank, so I had to cycle six miles home for lunch and be back again within the SprattFormer Lloyds Bank manager, Upton St Leonards, Glos Sir, Rohan Silva (comment, Jul 2) praises the benefits of AI which, with some transitional friction, will do us all good. But he doesn't mention the consequences of AI in the hands of bad people. In future years will we be able to believe anything we see on the internet, TV or newspapers? Only physical meetings will be acceptable for serious decision-makers. Perhaps we can hope that AI can be adapted to recognise lies created by ToozeDarlington, Co Durham Sir, I take issue with Emma Duncan's assertion (Notebook, Jun 30) that 'backing creative kids may do them no favours' and that young people pursuing careers in the creative industries 'will find themselves in their thirties without a profession or a useful skill'. The arts have always been a lottery. But other professions have their dropouts too: many teachers, lawyers and doctors change jobs in their thirties. What should we do — only train armies of bankers and business people? What a sad society it would be that did not encourage the creative spirit and the outspoken, brave young people who make the arts happen. Our country needs their stories, plays, dance and music — they are attempts to understand IrelandAmbassador, Action for Children's Arts Sir, Wimbledon's linesmen and women are rather like the Beefeaters at the Tower of London — not strictly indispensable but the visual essence of their place of work. Wimbledon has lost its unique character without DallingHartley Wintney, Hants Sir, Mark Riley (letter, Jul 2) should be ashamed of himself. Those are eye-stalks on the Daleks' domes, not weapons. Disgraceful knowledge of Dalek HarrisSittingbourne, Kent Sir, Matthew Parris should venture to Northern Ireland to see, and walk, a real wall (Notebook, Jul 2). The Mourne Wall in Co Down is 19 miles long, 5ft high and 2ft wide, built in the early 20th century using only granite boulders and reaching 2, ShieldsBanbridge, Co Down Write to letters@
The Independent
03-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
Starmer urged to intervene in ‘never-ending nightmare' of Aung San Suu Kyi and people of Myanmar
Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to personally intervene in the 'unspeakable tragedy' developing in Myanmar and to meet the British son of Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been imprisoned by the country's military junta. The call comes in a new report which highlights the plight of Ms Suu Kyi and 22,000 other political prisoners, after a coup which overthrew her democratically elected government four years ago. It also shines a spotlight on the army's airstrikes and ground attacks against civilians and details atrocities including massacres, beheadings, executions, rapes and tortures. Nobel Peace Prize winner Ms Suu Kyi, who is facing 27 years in jail, became a deeply divisive and controversial figure after refusing to speak out on her country's extreme violence against its Rohingya Muslim minority. In an Independent TV documentary about her fall from grace, entitled Cancelled: The Rise and Fall of Aung San Suu Kyi, William Hague, who welcomed her to London in 2012 said it was possible to be critical of the country's former leader, 'but also say we should be campaigning for her release'. Earlier this year David Lammy issued a historic and impassioned plea for her freedom in this newspaper. In a major intervention, the foreign secretary for the first time made a direct appeal to the military to let her go and give the country's people 'the peace and democracy they deserve'. Tim Loughton, a former Tory minister and the chair of the Conservative Party's Human Rights Commission, which compiled the report, said its findings were an 'urgent wake-up call for action to address the egregious human rights crisis in Myanmar, which has been compounded over the past two months by the devastating earthquake which hit the country on 28 March. He said: 'The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has described the situation as 'an unspeakable tragedy', hence the title of the report. 'He has also called it 'a never-ending nightmare' which has seen 'inhumanity in its vilest form' leading to 'unbearable levels of suffering and cruelty'. It is high time the international community, led by the United Kingdom, steps up its efforts to bring this nightmare to an end and hold the perpetrators of such inhumanity, cruelty, barbarity and criminality to account.' Among those who testified to the commission were Ms Suu Kyi's son, Kim Aris, her former economic policy adviser, Professor Sean Turnell, who spent 650 days in jail in Myanmar and the UN's special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews. The report calls on the government to 'stand more vociferously and proactively by the people of Myanmar at a time where the country experiences an unspeakable tragedy'. It also calls for international action to enforce a global arms embargo and cut financial support to the military dictatorship. The commission called on the UK to urgently convene a UN Security Council session on Myanmar. Mr Lammy joined three former British foreign secretaries in calling for Ms Suu Kyi's release, including Lord Hague, who also described her as a 'political prisoner on trumped-up charges' imprisoned because she was a 'force for democracy'. Ms Suu Kyi raised two children, Kim and his brother Alexander, in the UK after studying at Oxford and marrying a British academic, Michael Aris. She returned to Myanmar in 1988, initially to nurse her sick mother before becoming swept up in the pro-democracy movement in the country. Between 1989 to 2010 she became famous around the world as she spent nearly 15 years under house arrest. But after elections in 2015, the junta allowed her to become the country's de facto leader, although only if they kept control of key ministries, including home affairs, defence and border control, as well as the military budget.
The Guardian
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘Massive earthquake' in politics could lead to Tory extinction, says Hunt
Former chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said the Conservatives cannot rule out becoming extinct because of a 'massive earthquake' in politics that is seeing the fracturing of the old two-party system. Senior Conservatives are increasingly alarmed about polls that show support for the party plummeting, while Reform UK is soaring. Those supportive of the leadership have urged colleagues not to panic and to give Kemi Badenoch more time to turn things around. Former Tory leader William Hague said this week that Badenoch should not give in to those urging a pact with Nigel Farage's Reform, joining former cabinet ministers Andrew Mitchell and John Glen in urging colleagues to keep cool about the party's predicament. However, others believe there might not be much of a party left to save if Reform continues on its current trajectory. Some Conservative party sources said there appeared to be 'very little dynamism' within Conservative Campaign Headquarters about trying to turn the party's electoral fortunes around, while many local activists and some agents have already made the leap to supporting Reform. On Wednesday morning, a YouGov Westminster voting intention poll put Reform on 29%, Labour on 22%, the Conservatives on 17%, the Liberal Democrats 16%, and the Greens 10% – suggesting the Tories are now flirting with fourth place in popularity. The Conservatives were last at 17% in June 2019, in the aftermath of the European parliament elections shortly before Theresa May was ousted, while the result is Labour's lowest since October 2019, under Jeremy Corbyn. Asked on Times Radio whether the Conservatives could become extinct, Hunt said: 'We can't rule it out. Look at the massive earthquake in western democratic politics in other countries and we are seeing wild swings. I don't think the Conservative party will ever be extinct, but what may be extinct is the old two-party system'. In the past, he added, voters swung between the two main parties, while at the moment they 'seem to be split between five parties and that's a very, very big change'. Hunt emphasised that there was a way back into power for the Conservatives, saying the party's woes should not be exaggerated. 'We're less than a year after the heaviest defeat in our history. It's very unlikely, having kicked us out, voters are going to come running back to the Conservatives within just a matter of months and we do need to have a period of reflection, and it is going to take a few years before people will give us another look,' he said. The Conservatives attempted to get on the front foot against Reform on Tuesday by publishing a proposed law setting out a plan to deport all people who enter the country by illegal routes, and accused Labour and Reform of being 'complicit in the trade of empty slogans'. It would involve disapplying the Human Rights Act from all immigration-related matters, which the party says is necessary to stop foreign nationals 'exploiting' the courts. A Labour source said the Tories had 14 years in office to enact any of the 'rehashed and half-baked' policies in their bill, and instead had left the asylum system in a 'chaotic mess'.
Times
07-05-2025
- Business
- Times
Times letters: Ten-step plan to rescue the Conservative Party
Write to letters@ Sir, William Hague suggests a sensible plan to revive the Conservative Party ('Kemi, here's my 10-step plan to save the Tories', May 6). He is right to give the economy centre stage in step five. Governments that back the right industries with financial support, invest in retraining their employees, see IT as a bedrock of the economy, allow for immigration to support said industries and collaborate with the 'right minds' are in fact driving many of the other steps listed by Hague. As he says, backing stronger defence and better healthcare cannot be achieved without economic growth. Hence, why do politicians disregard evidence showing that UK productivity from the public sector grew by 0 per cent from 1997 to 2022
Forbes
06-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Why AI's Biggest Impact In Health Could Be Reducing Doctors' Paperwork
The excitement about the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionise medicine and healthcare is palpable. In the UK, for example, former Prime Minister Tony Blair and former Leader of the Opposition William Hague have demanded a 20-fold increase in AI capacity to power initiatives such as cancer scans. In the European Union, EU Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi says: 'This is the way the whole technology is evolving - it is impossible nowadays not to use AI in the healthcare sector.' In the US, the Food and Drug Administration has in recent months published a series of updates aimed at supporting AI implementations in the healthcare sector with appropriate regulation. Start-up and scale-up businesses have an important role to play here. British start-up BenevolentAI has raised more than $335 million of funding since its launch in 2013; it uses AI to accelerate drug discovery. Germany's Ada Health has raised $187 million for a digital health platform that exploits AI technologies and machine learning to assess people's symptoms. However, another group of AI-enabled health-focused start-ups are flying below the radar. These are the companies battling to solve one of the biggest problems of all for healthcare providers – the manual processes and mountains of paperwork that slow many countries' health systems to a crawl. Healthcare operations sucks up huge resources but innovation in this area doesn't get so much attention. Some enterprises are focused on the appointments process. In the UK, for example, SPRYT is working in a North London National Health Service partnership, using AI and WhatsApp to automate cancer screening appointment booking and rescheduling. Others are looking at reducing workloads for medical practitioners. US business Augmedix uses audio technology to capture conversations between doctors and patients, and to turn these into structured medical notes. Suki, also US-based, is another voice specialist, with a range of voice tools that support clinicians' administrative work. Another start-up beginning to make waves is ReportAId, a Milan-based company which is today announcing its first funding round. Founded last year, the company has already signed up a number of Italian hospitals and healthcare providers for its software, and hopes to expand across Europe with a boost from $2.2 million of new seed funding. 'I had worked in a series of operational roles in health and always felt it would be game-changing if there was a way for technology to extract value from free text,' explains Giuseppe Faraci CEO and co-founder of ReportAId with Claudio Caletti and Luca Foresti. The written medical reports produced by doctors following each patient consultation represent a huge volume of unstructured data, Faraci points out, making it difficult to automate processes such as referrals and prescriptions. ReportAId's tools are aimed at solving that problem. They can interrogate a medical professional's written report in order to identify recommendations for next steps – and launch automated workflows to take those actions. That might mean automatically booking the patient's next check-up, say, or beginning the referral process for more significant treatment. ReportAId claims to be able to slash delays in healthcare processes, ensuring patients get treated more quickly; it also promises to save providers money by increasing efficiency – and to boost the revenues of private healthcare providers, who can use its tools to retain their patients and work with larger numbers. Today's fundraising is led by the Italian Founders Fund (IFF) with participation from Heartfelt, Exceptional Ventures, 2100 Ventures, Vento, Ithaca, B Heroes, Vesper Holding and a number of business angels. The company plans to use the funding to recruit up to 10 staff and to expand across Europe, with Germany, France and Spain key target markets. At IFF, principal Irene Mingozzi points to the need to tackle healthcare's 'critical inefficiencies, from fragmented clinical data and gaps in patient management to structural waiting-list issues'. Paolo Pio, co-founder and general partner of Exceptional Ventures, adds: 'Healthcare is the perfect field for AI, and the founders are attacking one of the sector's biggest inefficiencies.' Indeed, the potential of such technologies is huge. One recent report suggests the roll-out of automated systems could save between $200 and $360 billion over the next five years – the equivalent of 5% to 10% of global healthcare spending. In areas of healthcare operations ranging from patient scheduling to supply chain management, there is increasing optimism that technology can drive efficiency and free up resources for spending on patient care.
