Feb102017

Green Party condemns Boris Johnson’s push to keep selling arms to Saudi Arabia after bombing

Green Party
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10 February 2017

The Green Party is horrified by the revelation Boris Johnson urged the UK to continue selling weapons to Saudi Arabia after a funeral bombing in Yemen last October [1].

The airstrike, on October 8 last year, claimed the lives of 140 people. A UN report concluded the attack had breached international humanitarian law [2].

Jonathan Bartley, Green Party co-leader, said:

“These letters reveal Boris Johnson’s stunning disregard for human rights. He went out of his way to ensure arms were sold to a brutal, oppressive regime knowing full well such weapons had previously been used to kill innocent Yemenis and could be again. Johnson has shown utter contempt not just for the 140 people who lost their lives in the Sana’a bombing but also for the people whose lives he put at risk with this terrible decision.

“Britain should stop selling arms to Saudi Arabia immediately. UK weapons must not be used to violate international law and human rights.”

Notes:

  1. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/feb/10/boris-johnson-urged-uk-to-continue-saudi-arms-sales-after-funeral-bombing
  2. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-saudi-un-idUSKCN12K2F1

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Feb102017

An arbitrary cap on the number of children the Government will support is not only cruel, but is bad policy – Abrahams

Labour
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Debbie
Abrahams MP, Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, commenting on a
letter from the Social Security Advisory Committee addressing the Government’s
policy to limit child tax credits to two children, said:

“The
Social Security Advisory Committee is right to raise very serious concerns over
Tory plans to limit child tax credits to two children.

“An
arbitrary cap on the number of children the Government will support is not only
cruel, but is bad policy.

“Requiring
survivors of rape to justify themselves in this way constitutes an unacceptable
extension by the Government into deeply sensitive areas of women’s lives.

“That’s
why Labour is calling on the Tories to scrap this pernicious policy before it
takes effect in April.”

ENDS

Feb102017

Transparency data: Harwich Haven authority – Trial disposal

DEFRA
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Harwich Haven Authority (HHA) is seeking to have a new dredged material disposal site designated. Some of the dredged material is used in beneficial reuse schemes with the remainder disposed of at a licensed offshore disposal ground called Inner Gabbard located about 30km east of Harwich. HHA believe that a disposal site closer to shore would help reduce carbon dioxide emissions, steaming time and fuel.

The MMO has granted Harwich Haven Authority a marine licence that permits 2 trial disposals of 500,000 cubic metres of dredged material arising from maintenance dredging at Harwich and Felixstowe Harbour. The trial disposal site is referred to as the Harwich Haven disposal site (Cefas Site Code: TH027).

A condition of this licence is that monitoring data is collected during the course of the two trial disposal campaigns and a Monitoring Report is submitted to the MMO within four months of completion of the two trial campaigns. This Monitoring Report can be viewed on this page.

The monitoring report aims to provide the information necessary to inform the MMO’s assessment of the suitability of the proposed new site for designation to receive future dredged material.

The MMO is not obliged by statute to consult publically on this issue but the MMO has always been of the view that the general public and not just known stakeholders should have the opportunity to make representations.

If you would like to make a representation please make sure that you do so in writing using the contact details on this page. Representations should quote reference L/2013/00392.