The Italy-Albania deal being referenced isn't them keeping asylum seekers in Albania while their claim is processed, it's shipping them off to Albania while their claim is processed.
I assume you mean Albania? That's what the part I quoted is about.
Sir Keir has signalled he is open to pursuing an arrangement similar to Italy’s migration deal with Albania, whereby asylum seekers will be held in the Balkan state while their claims are processed.
Thank god they scrapped that gimmicky Rwanda scheme, eh?
Sir Keir has signalled he is open to pursuing an arrangement similar to Italy’s migration deal with Albania
> Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer is expected to give some £4 million to the far-right Italian government to tackle irregular migration. > > The funding for the initiative, called the Rome Process, comes following the meeting of the two leaders. > > Sir Keir met with his Italian counterpart in Rome today to discuss plans to tackle illegal migration. > > The populist Italian government, led by Giorgia Meloni, has seen a 60 per cent drop in illegal migration in the past year and recently signed a controversial deal with Albania. > > Sir Keir said he is “very interested” in Italy’s policies leading to “dramatic reductions” in irregular migration. > > “You’ve made remarkable progress working with countries across migration routes as equals, to address the drivers of migration at source and tackle gangs,” Sir Keir told the press conference. > > Ms Meloni added she and Sir Keir had signed a joint communique including “very tangible, important points, and is evidence of the deep relation between our two countries.” > > Sir Keir has signalled he is open to pursuing an arrangement similar to Italy’s migration deal with Albania, whereby asylum seekers will be held in the Balkan state while their claims are processed.
The other is Labour Yimby, a grassroots group started by activists, which drew a crowd for its first parliamentary reception and is backed by some of the most vociferous housing campaigners from the new intake: Milton Keynes North’s Chris Curtis, Chipping Barnet’s Dan Tomlinson and Earley and Woodley’s Yuan Yang.
So I did some googling and I fell down a real rabbit hole, so I'm making that everyone else's problem as well. Apologies for the long comment posted nearly a day later.
It's surprisingly hard to find any direct info on this 'Labour YIMBY' group online (the name doesn't help). Their website is very sparse (and also doesn't use HTTPS for whatever reason), which seems to be where the Guardian is getting this idea they're a 'grassroots' group from. The only other info on their website is a mailto link for marc.harris@labouryimby.org.uk[^1]. The website was registered in April and their Twitter account was created in May, this is also the only source of official communication I could find of the group. Politico puts the launch of the group on 9 July at an event held in the Walker's of Whitehall, however. This doting report by Chris Worrall tell us that consultancy group College Green Group and construction lobby group LPDF[^2] sponsored the event and made speeches. Ethan Shone's reporting is more damning:
While Parliament was in recess, [Labour YIMBY] held a summer reception along with the Fabian Society think tank. The event was hosted and sponsored by international lobbying firm FTI Consulting, which represents Keepmoat Homes, property developer Hammerson, “whole life cycle real estate company” Impact Capital Group and asset managers such as Macquarie and Vanguard. FTI employee Abdi Duale, who is currently standing for reelection to Labour’s National Executive Committee, gave a speech at the reception. The YIMBYs held another reception, this time in Parliament, this week. Duale was again present, as was Mike Katz, the director of lobbying firm Field Consulting, who is also chair of the Jewish Labour Movement, and Paul Brocklehurst, the chair of LPDF, an industry lobbying group for some of the biggest developers.
This second reception is the one mentioned in the Guardian article, one sponsored by self-described 'build-to-rent' group Get Living, a group who had to pay £18 million for flammable-style cladding in January. Despite their young age and supposed grassroots-ness, they were able to get quite a few big name for this reception, including a minister:
At the Labour YIMBY reception in parliament’s Churchill room, including a speaker from property management firm GetLiving … Work and Pensions Minister Andrew Western … Labour MPs Emily Thornberry, Stella Creasy, Chris Curtis, Yuan Yang, James Asser, Tom Rutland, Kanishka Narayan, Mike Reader, Uma Kumaran, Sonia Kumar, Gurinder Josan, Deirdre Costigan, Sean Woodcock, Johanna Baxter, Dawn Butler, Jim Dickson and Ruth Cadbury, who was working the room lobbying for transport committee chair … Labour Together’s Charles White, Can Vargas and Jack Shaw … NEC’s Abdi Duale … JLM chief Mike Katz … Labour YIMBY Chair Marc Harris … Sodali & Co’s Simon Petar … Airbus’ Tom Williams … Hacks Josiah Mortimer, Jonn Elledge, Lee Harpin and Tom Scotson.
Personally, I wouldn't consider a group of Labour insiders that's able to attract sponsorships from industry lobby groups to be a 'grassroots group'.
[^1]: This is presumably Labour YIMBY co-founder Marc Harris, the other co-founder being Islington councillor Shreya Nanda. [^2]: Land, Planning and Development Federation
Also, lots of words start off as acronyms and then lose that status. ‘Laser’ is a good example: originally ‘Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation’, but now always written in lowercase.
But we generally only do that for acronyms that become familiar and well know (scuba, taser, etc). The article itself feels the need to spell out what it stands for and putting it in lower case just reeks of trying to manufacture that familiarity and the legitimacy such familiarity carries.
But for Labour in government, it is not just a dividing line with the Tories but also what it sees as its most powerful attack on the new electoral threat from the Greens. Political strategists plan to paint the Greens as local blockers to a raft of projects from electricity pylons to affordable housing.
For a party that won its first council majority in 2023, it amazing how much the the Greens come up in this 'NIMBY' discourse. The fact Labour centrists feel the need to take digs at them is encouraging though, it shows that they're scared of losing ground to the Greens.
Also, I hate who every was the editor on this article, YIMBY / NIMBY are acronyms, they should be spelt in all caps.
Honestly, I don't think politicians should be able to accept these kinds of gifts at all. The Tories are almost certainly worse and it is unfair that Labour is held to a higher standard in this regard, but at the same time I don't think that excuses Starmer accepting more gifts than any Labour leader since 1997.
The prime minister made a late declaration of a personal shopper and clothes for his wife paid for by Lord Alli
> Keir Starmer is alleged to have broken parliamentary rules by failing to declare donations of clothing for his wife from the Labour donor Waheed Alli. > > The gifts to Victoria Starmer were not initially declared in the register of MPs’ interests, the Sunday Times reported. > > Starmer approached the parliamentary authorities on Tuesday to make a late declaration after being given updated advice on what needed to be registered. > > The donations reportedly covered the cost of a personal shopper, clothes and alterations for Lady Starmer before and after Labour’s election win in July. > > MPs are required to register gifts and donations within 28 days. > > The Tories have demanded a full investigation into the Starmers’ links with Lord Alli, who has donated £500,000 to Labour since 2020. > […] > Last weekend it emerged that Alli had been given a Downing Street security pass temporarily without apparently having a government role. > > The row was dubbed the “passes for glasses” affair because the television mogul had previously donated tens of thousands of pounds worth of clothing, accommodation and “multiple pairs” of spectacles to the Labour leader. There is no suggestion that the peer has broken any rules. > > Alli, 59, was the youngest member of the House of Lords when he was ennobled in 1998.
Despite widespread opposition to the plan, police point to a drop in casualties and crashes.
> More than 10,500 requests have been received by Welsh councils from residents to reassess roads that saw their limit lowered when the policy was introduced in September last year. > > Police point to a drop in road causalities and crashes to suggest Wales' flagship policy is working, although a recent poll said seven in 10 people still oppose the new limit. > > One motoring organisation has said traffic calming measures like speed bumps should be installed to force drivers to do 20mph. > > Welsh ministers said a 20mph limit would reduce deaths and noise and encourage people to walk or cycle when it was implemented in September 2023 - but it caused controversy with some drivers. > > The limit changed on about 35% of Welsh roads - about 22,000 miles (35,171 km) in total - last year where lamp-posts are no more than 200 yards (183m) apart. > […] > Statistics show a drop in casualties on 20mph and 30mph roads in Wales in the first three months of 2024, after the default built-up area limit was reduced. > > The number of serious casualties or fatalities has dropped 23%, and Wales' largest police force says there have been at least 11 less deaths on the roads in their area.
To host a game at the tournament European football's governing body Uefa [sic] requires stadia to have a minimum capacity of 30,000. […] Windsor, which is also home to Irish League outfit Linfield holds 18,000. It would need another 12,000 seats to be able to host a game.
Are console wars back? Are we doing this again?
God no, we don't fight about silly things like what plastic box you own. We fight about sensible things, like which Linux distro your plastic box runs. (Fedora btw)
NI secretary says there is "a significant risk that it would not be built in time" for Euro 2028.
> ##### The chances of Northern Ireland hosting matches at the Euro 2028 football tournament appear to have gone. > > The UK government announced on Friday night that the estimated cost of rebuilding Casement Park stadium in Belfast has "risen dramatically" to more than £400m. > > The government said it will not be providing funding to redevelop the stadium in time for the tournament. > > It said there was a "significant risk" that the stadium would not be built in time. > […] > In order to be ready for the 2028 tournament, Casement Park needs to be rebuilt by the summer of 2027. > > Northern Ireland could have a role as a training base or host warm-up matches at the existing Windsor Park stadium, but hosting tournament fixtures appears to be over. > > Plans have been in place to build a new stadium at Casement Park since 2011. > > The initial estimated cost of rebuilding Casement was £77.5m, with £62.5m coming from the Stormont executive and £15m from the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). > > That was more than a decade ago, and since then costs have risen dramatically. > > To try to cater for soccer as well as GAA matches increased the cost further, as UEFA requires a higher specification of stadium. > > Although hopes of being part of the Euro 2028 tournament may be over, it does not mean the stadium cannot be rebuilt for the GAA, which was the original purpose. > > However, that will not be cheap either, and the GAA will be hoping that even though the UK government has said it will not be funding a Euro 2028 compliant stadium, it may still contribute to the redevelopment whenever it happens. > > The Irish government has already pledged more than £40m.
As someone who spends more money than I should on music from Bandcamp, I'm interested to see if they ever get payments working. I remember people talking about a federated BC alternative, where the 10% platform fee goes to the instance you're on, when they got bought by that music licensing company.
Also, first paragraph under "Integrating with the Fediverse", you put Bandcamp when I think you meant Bandwagon.
Every major English city has this sort of self-aggrandisement. Except Birmingham, because they've got more important things to do. Like drugs!
They've been spouting out this '£22b black hole' line for weeks, but now they suddenly need time to make sure the figures are accurate?
"Raise taxes on working people or reform to secure [the NHS'] future. We know working people can’t afford to pay more, so it is reform or die."
Alexa, show me a false dichotomy.
It's amazing how the their report names austerity as the culprit of the NHS' waning condition, but Streeting's solution seems to just change where money is allocated. The UK spends significantly less on Health compared to other developed countries, is it really surprising that our results would be significantly worse?
That's because she knows stopping the planes won't stop the towers coming down. /s
As much as I want to take the piss, I relate to this man a lot.
I haven't got to this yet, but all I want to know is if the toff in my head ever shags the stable girl.
This isn't unique to the Green Party, pretty much all the major parties have internal divisions. Take the recent Labour stuff where the socialists have butted heads with technocratic front bench over the two child benefit cap. The Greens are different in that they don't whip their MPs or Cllrs, as they believe they should be free to vote with their conscience, which has the major disadvantage of making the party line muddy and hard to count on.
Delegates at Green Party conference in Manchester have voted for HS2 to be funded and completed in full, including the entire Eastern leg and an underground through station at Manchester Piccadilly. The policy development comes as phase one of HS2 between London and Birmingham is well under construc...
> Delegates at Green Party conference in Manchester have voted for HS2 to be funded and completed in full, including the entire Eastern leg and an underground through station at Manchester Piccadilly. The policy development comes as phase one of HS2 between London and Birmingham is well under construction. > > Commenting on the revised Green Party policy, co-leader Carla Denyer MP, said: > > “The Green Party has long supported the principle of a new north-south high-speed rail line but had serious concerns about the specific route of HS2 and the environmental impacts of this route. > > “However, this first phase of HS2 between London and Birmingham is well under way and most of the environmental impacts of construction are already baked in. So this is a pragmatic decision by the Green Party. It moves us on. > > “Crucially, we have also acknowledged that the northern leg of HS2 was always the most important in terms of tackling capacity issues on our railways as well as addressing regional inequalities. So the line must be completed in full. > > “We also say loud and clear that our railways have to be built right – for habitats and wildlife, for local transport users, for affected neighbours and for government coffers. Greens will not support blank cheques or offer uncritical endorsement. > > “We need to move at great speed to shift travel away from cars and flights to public transport. HS2, in full, can play an important role in achieving this shift.”
The vote passed with 345 for and 318 against.
It’s understood Labour’s rule changes, to be tabled in the Commons on Tuesday, will lift the ban on local councils setting up community bus companies, allowing more local leaders to take more services into public control
>Buses were privatised under Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s > >But since 2017, metro mayors have had the power to run their own bus networks. > >Manchester mayor Andy Burnham launched the hugely successful Bee Network last year - which increased reliability, introduced 24/7 services and boosted passenger numbers. > >He’s pledged to complete the process of taking Manchester’s buses under public control by next January (2025). > >Similar plans are underway in the Liverpool City Region and West Yorkshire. > >It’s understood Labour’s rule changes, to be tabled in the Commons on Tuesday, would lift the ban on local councils setting up community bus companies, allowing more local leaders to take more services into public control. > […] > ##### Thousands of vital routes have been axed - that's what happens when control is handed to those who put profit above passengers > ###### By Louise Haigh, Transport Secretary > […] > I’ve heard countless stories from people let down, of communities cut off, about opportunities missed, all due to poor bus services. I know how much this matters. > > That’s why this Government was elected. To deliver on our mission to repair and rebuild Britain. To return our country to the service of working people. To fix what is broken. > > And I am not wasting any time. My pledge to Mirror readers is simple: better buses are around the corner. > > I promised to move fast and fix things, and next week I will be setting out the first stop on the journey to better buses, with steps to take back control of our buses. > > For too long Private operators have been allowed to pick and choose whatever routes they want, regardless of what communities need. We want to see every area have the power to build their own public transport network in a way that works for them > […] > Four decades of deregulation has seen thousands of vital routes axed, and a staggering 1.5 billion fewer bus journeys taken each year. > > This wasn’t inevitable. It is the result of political choices. > > It is what happens when control of services is handed to those who put profit above passengers. > > When whole communities are cut off and isolated, without a thought to the damage this does to local economies.
Housing secretary considers cutting the discount despite previously benefiting from it
> The housing secretary is considering abolishing [Right to Buy] for newly built council houses and cutting the discount offered to existing tenants. > > The deputy prime minister is facing growing pressure from local authorities to reduce the cost of Baroness Thatcher’s flagship policy, and a consultation on proposals will be launched in October’s Budget. > > More than 100 local authorities called for the scheme to be axed on new council homes in a damning report into the state of Britain’s housing stock published on Tuesday. The report, commissioned by Southwark Council, said the policy was helping to burn a £2.2bn hole in local authority accounts and exacerbating the country’s housing crisis. > > Ms Rayner attended an “urgent meeting” with local authorities last month to discuss housing reforms. The Ministry of Housing and Local Government told The Telegraph: “We are working at pace to reverse the continued decline in the number of social rent homes.” > […] > In Southwark Council’s report, local authorities said Right to Buy had created “a serious problem for the sustainability of England’s council housing”. Ms Rayner said in the summer that the Government was considering protections for new council homes. > > Discounts on the scheme can reach as much as £75,000 outside of London, and over £100,000 in London. The cap, which is based on how long a tenant rents a property before buying it, is limited to £136,400 in London. > […] > In the last financial year, 10,896 homes were sold through Right to Buy and only 3,447 were replaced, official figures show – resulting in a net loss of 7,449. Since 1991, the scheme has resulted in a net loss of 24,000 social homes. > > This is partly because under the current system, councils can only keep a third of the receipts from each sale to build a replacement home, with the rest going to the council and government for other purposes.
Voters want MPs to be forced to turn up to Parliament and their constituencies following a number of rows over attendance, a poll suggests
> Following high-profile rows over the amount of time the likes of Reform leader Nigel Farage and ex-cabinet minister Nadine Dorries spent in the Commons or their seat, an overwhelming majority (77 per cent) of voters backed a minimum attendance rule for MPs. > > The Savanta/38 Degrees survey, shared exclusively with [I], suggested just 6 per cent of the public would oppose such a move. > > The poll also saw voters backing a series of reforms to improve MPs’ conduct after years of sleaze scandals, including banning MPs for deliberately lying in public (79 per cent), introducing a job description (77 per cent), banning MPs from betting on political outcomes (77 per cent), tightening restrictions on gifts (75 per cent), and banning specific second jobs (70 per cent). > > But despite Sir Keir Starmer’s pledges to clean up politics and rebuild trust, more voters are more pessimistic (38 per cent) than optimistic (35 per cent) the Government will improve standards for MPs. > > The lack of belief in the Prime Minister’s commitments come after a string of cronyism allegations levelled at Labour over the filling of Whitehall jobs since the election. > > The lack of trust was also illustrated by the fact nearly two thirds (65 per cent) of voters believe that in the current political system, MPs who behave unethically are likely to get away with it. > > This sentiment cuts across party lines, with 74 per cent of 2024 Reform UK voters, 61 per cent of Conservative voters, and 62 per cent of Labour voters expressing the same concern.
"It is genuinely amazing how much worse the mercifully brief Truss premiership was than we’d even imagined at the time."
> Sir Anthony Seldon is set to release his latest political biography, ‘Truss at 10: How Not to be a Prime Minister’ on 29th August, covering the turbulent 49 days that Truss was in the top seat. > > The book is expected to contain some bombshell revelations about her time in charge, including insight into how she proposed to deal with the fallout from her disastrous mini-budget, which sent financial markets into a death spiral. > > It also claims that Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg tried to persuade Truss to make him chancellor instead of Kwasi Kwarteng, and that he urged her to abolish inheritance tax, replace all tax rates with a 20p flat rate, and organise a stunt to promote nuclear power. > > Seldon writes that the then cabinet minister told Truss: “We should get a nuclear submarine to dock at Liverpool and plug it into the grid. That would show it is safe.” > > Sir Anthony says cabinet secretary Simon Case dismissed the idea as a “non-starter”, adding that “the subs are needed in operations”.
Allies of Sir Keir Starmer want to change the way the party elects its leader if it is in power, in a move being called the ‘Liz Truss lock’
> Senior figures in the party are pushing for a controversial rule change at next month’s party conference, which would change the way Labour elects its leader if the party is in power. > > The scheme is viewed as a way to avoid a repeat of the Tory leadership contest in 2022, when Tory members made Truss leader despite her not having the support of the majority of MPs. > […] > Allies of Starmer believe a similar [long leadership contest] should be avoided at all costs, by reforming how his successor is elected if the party is still in government. They want only MPs to have a say over who should succeed Starmer as leader. > > Those behind the move also believe the timing is right for Starmer to use his first party conference as prime minister to tighten the centre-left wing’s grip on the party. > > They are confident that conference delegates this year are tilted in the “moderate” wing’s favour and would pass the proposal if it were put to a vote. > > “There’s a plan to bring a constitutional reform to conference that would cut out the membership for electing a leader when we’re in government, and only allow the MPs to decide,” said a senior Labour source. > > “This is seen as the last reform that needs doing to syphon off any threat from the left,” they added. A second said: “It’s known as the ‘Liz Truss lock’. The Tories compounded the country’s misery by letting their members put someone in No 10 the parliamentary party wouldn’t work with. So we need to make sure that can’t happen again.” > […] > Labour declined to comment. However, a source denied the party leadership was behind the move or would support it, calling it a “non-starter”. > > Starmer did successfully change the rules for a leadership contest in 2021, when he managed to raise the number of MP supporters a candidate needed to make it on to the ballot from 10 per cent to 20 per cent. > > He also tried to move the leadership voting rights back to an electoral college system, but was forced to abandon it in the face of opposition from union leaders and other left-wingers.
Some websites have started introducing paywalls which can be lifted with data rather than cash.
>It is an increasingly common message from websites: browse for free - if you allow us to track your data and target you with personalised ads - if you don't, hand over some cash. > >The model is known as "consent or pay" and, while it may be becoming increasingly common, questions remain over whether it is ethical or even legal. > >The UK data regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has launched a consultation, external on the practice - it will report its findings later this year. > >"In principle, data protection law does not prohibit business models that involve 'consent or pay,'" the ICO says on its website. > >But it continues: "However, any organisation considering such a model must be careful to ensure that consent... has been freely given and is fully informed, as well as capable of being withdrawn without detriment." > […] > Newspapers such as MailOnline, The Sun, The Independent and The Times have all recently brought in "consent or pay" models. > >"It's basically saying, 'We're giving people a choice. They can either pay and get ad-free access to our articles, or they can be tracked, or they can walk away and not read it,'" Philippa Donn says. > >This question being considered by the ICO and others is - is that a fair choice?