The Liberal Democrats have tabled an amendment to the Queen’s Speech calling for Britain to stay the single market and customs union. The party is now calling on both Labour and Conservative MPs to support the amendment and inflict a … read more
23 June 2017
Kezia Dugdale writes for the Times Red Box on the Queen’s speech:
When Theresa May planned the Queen’s speech before calling her snap General Election, she would have thought it would be anything but threadbare.
She was planning to have a commanding Commons majority, allowing her to force through a raft of policies to punish the poorest in our society.
But her gamble backfired spectacularly, and her dreadful campaign and floundering attempts to stitch a deal together with the DUP has left her with no mandate and no authority.
As a result, we saw a Queen’s speech reflecting the position of a Prime Minister in name only, while Jeremy Corbyn’s government-in-waiting watched on.
Labour MPs, including the seven that Scotland sent to the Commons, will relish every chance in this parliament to derail the Tories’ agenda.
The Queen’s speech offered very little for Scotland. No further support for our vital oil and gas industry, no measures to protect the 250,000 WASPI women in Scotland affected by the botched acceleration of the state pension age, and no attempt to scrap the emergency services tax, which sees Scotland’s overstretched fire and police services pay millions of pounds in VAT.
The General Election should have sent a clear message to the Prime Minister. She needs to abandon the failed politics of austerity. Seven years of painful cuts have simply gone too far.
Our public services are at breaking point, working families are struggling to make ends meet, and the Tory government lurches from crisis to crisis. It simply isn’t good enough.
The parallels between Theresa May and Nicola Sturgeon are now striking. Both have lost all authority and their supporters are deserting them – both in the country at large and within their inner circles.
Their brand of isolationist, nationalist politics feels outdated to an electorate sick of division.
Both now lead governments which are exhausted, having completely run out of ideas.
It is more important than ever that people in Scotland and across the UK realise there is an alternative to the extremes of Tory and SNP nationalism.
That alternative is the Labour Party. Our pro-UK anti-austerity message that together we’re stronger is what the majority of Scots want.
That’s why in the General Election we overturned huge SNP majorities and slashed many more. When the next election is called, we are ready to seize more seats from of an out-of-touch SNP – and we will kick Theresa May out of Downing Street.
After seven years of Tory austerity, and a decade of SNP division, it’s time for a united Britain that works for the many, not the few.
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This article first appeared in the Times Red Box on Friday 23 June 2017
read more“A year on from the EU referendum it is becoming increasingly clear that it will be impossible to both negotiate a withdrawal agreement and put in place the basis for a future relationship with the EU within 2 years,”
Mr Jones said.
“Therefore the priority in negotiations with the EU must now be on agreeing transitional arrangements to come into effect in April 2019. This will be vital in helping reduce the uncertainty around Brexit, which is damaging to the economy.”
Despite an eventful and often challenging year, the Welsh Government’s Brexit position has remained clear and consistent from the day immediately after the referendum; that the result must be respected and the economy must come first.
The First Minister said:
“Our 6 point plan was greeted with raised eyebrows when we proposed it the morning after the referendum, but it has stood the test of time and has formed the basis for our white paper, Securing Wales’ Future.
“Our balanced and coherent approach to leaving the EU, which puts economic interests at the heart of the agenda, is the closest thing the UK has to a realistic negotiating position, which meets the needs of all regions of the UK.”
Looking back at the past 12 months, the First Minister spoke about the Welsh Government’s achievements in their Brexit approach – from convening an exceptional meeting of the British Irish Council in July last year, launching our white paper – Securing Wales’ Future and the subsequent policy paper on Brexit and Devolution, establishing the European Advisory Group and the Agriculture and Environment Roundtable Group, developing the Business Confidence Plan, and also seeking assurances from the UK Government that our departure from the EU will not negatively impact on our NHS and universities.
The First Minister added:
read more“It is clear our white paper has influenced the UK government’s approach in important areas such as upholding existing employment rights and the crucial importance of transitional arrangements. We have also secured guarantees from the UK government that they will replace the EU funding Wales would have received up to 2020.
“The uncertainty and instability the UK government has allowed to develop over the past year is now being compounded by the ongoing chaos around the Prime Minister. With no mandate, no clear negotiating strategy and a cabinet riven with disagreement over how we should approach Brexit, the UK government must prioritise transitional arrangements to ensure that the Britain’s interests are best served.”
Across the UK women make up less than 10% of the engineering workforce. The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) is bucking this national trend, with more than double that figure of female engineers and scientists.
Dstl is proud to be supporting this year’s International Women in Engineering Day (INWED). We want to encourage more girls and women into the engineering sector, to help address the skills gap in the sector and to open the door to rewarding careers.
Professor Penelope Endersby, the Head of Dstl’s Cyber and Information Systems Division said:
At Dstl, female engineers are making a huge contribution to the UK’s security and many are highly-qualified and respected leaders in their fields. We would like to see many more women studying STEM subjects at school, college and university.
I can’t stress enough to girls considering a STEM career the infinitely varied and fantastically rewarding roles that this opens to them to make the world a better place.
Alison, a Principal Consultant in Dstl’s Air Project Management Delivery team, Platform Systems Division, commented:
When I was at school, I loved maths and physics. My family worked at what was then the Royal Aircraft Establishment in Farnborough, and from an early age I would become immersed in the Air Show. After school, I was sponsored by the Ministry of Defence to train as an engineer at university. I then joined the RAF and did 18 years’ service. In that time, I became a flight navigation officer on the Hercules aircraft and was one of the first women to take up that role.
Now a project manager at Dstl, my engineering background is crucial for understanding the technical aspects of the projects I run. An exciting piece of work recently involved SKEETER – a tiny unmanned air system inspired by a dragonfly, which could revolutionise intelligence gathering in complex urban environments.
To girls considering a career in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths), I would say it’s not all lab coats and overalls! Exciting opportunities to work on real-world applications are everywhere. Technology surrounds us and is driving the way we live – you can bring a different perspective and make a difference.
Verity, a Mechanical Engineering Apprentice, added:
I’ve always been interested in how things work from a very young age. I could always be found taking things apart in order to put them back together again, and would often help my dad work on his various cars, bikes and engines. I loved hands-on tasks and engineering seemed like an ideal career choice for me. After leaving school, I was keen to move away from home and start earning a living. Starting an engineering apprenticeship with Dstl allowed me to gain my independence while working towards a fulfilling career and qualifications. Since being at Dstl, I have been able to work on some really interesting projects, including manufacturing components in the workshop and working on ideas and designs for initial steps in manufacturing processes. The experience at Dstl has also helped me develop as a person, especially my communication and organisational skills.
Engineers at Dstl work in a wide range of engineering disciplines including mechanical, electrical, materials and software. Each day they are working on a range of high profile and exciting engineering projects including the Queen Elizabeth class of carriers, the F-35 Lightning II, unmanned aerial vehicles, ballistic protection and cyber security.
Each year Dstl recruits around 80 graduate engineers and 18 engineering apprentices. We also offer 150 student placements. Details of our engineering opportunities can be found on our Facebook page or on the Civil Service job site.
Dstl uses cutting edge science and technology to counter threats, existing and new, to UK Armed Forces and British citizens. In 2015 we were proud to do that in many ways, including being at the heart of UK’s contribution to tackling Ebola in Sierra Leone; providing life-saving protection for our soldiers, sailors and aircrew on operations around the globe; defending critical systems from cyber-attack; and supporting the fight against terrorism at home and overseas. We do that through the application of a diverse range of specialist scientific and engineering skills, working in close partnership with a wide network of partners and suppliers in industry and universities.
read moreThe charity regulator has concluded that the trustees of an independent school in Luton are responsible for mismanagement and misconduct.
The Charity Commission has today (Friday 23 June) published a report of its investigation into the Rabia Educational Trust, which operates the Rabia Girls’ and Boys’ School in Luton.
The report criticises the trustees’ management of the charity and highlights a series of failings, including:
The inquiry opened in May 2016. The Commission’s engagement with the charity dates back to 2012; the Commission’s report makes clear that the trustees failed repeatedly to satisfy the regulator’s concerns, prompting it to escalate its engagement to a statutory inquiry.
The Commission says the trustees have now taken some positive steps to improve the charity’s governance. But it has concluded that there is still work for the trustees to do in order for the Commission to be satisfied that the charity is capable of operating the school in a way which meets the Independent School Standards prescribed in regulation. The regulator says the trustees must also urgently address wider governance concerns. It has used its powers and directed the trustees to make the required improvements by way of an order under section 84 of the Charities Act 2011.
Our report concludes that this charity has been mismanaged by its trustees, who are responsible for a series of failings – including a failure to ensure that the school operated by the charity meets the Independent School Standards.
Charity trustees’ legal duties extend to complying with other regulators and law enforcement agencies. Not complying with the legal requirements of another agency in connection with the charity’s activities may be regarded as mismanagement and misconduct in the administration of the charity.
While there are signs of improvement, it is clear that the trustees need to do more to ensure the charity’s school meets the required standards. We have used our powers to ensure this will happen and will continue to monitor the charity’s trustees until we are satisfied they have made the required improvements, working collaboratively with the Department for Education and Ofsted.
The Commission’s report of its investigation into the Rabia Educational Trust is published on GOV.UK.
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