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Put politics aside when it comes to child sexual exploitation, grooming gang survivors urge
Alexandra Topping
The political “tug-of-war with vulnerable women” abused by grooming gangs must stop ahead of a new national inquiry into the crimes, survivors have told the Guardian.
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Holly Archer and Scarlett Jones, two survivors who played a key role in a “gold-standard” local inquiry into the crime in Telford, have urged politicians and those without experience of abuse to allow women to shape the investigation.
“We have to put politics aside when it comes to child sexual exploitation, we have to stop this tug-of-war with vulnerable women,” said Archer, author of I Never Gave My Consent: A Schoolgirl’s Life Inside the Telford Sex Ring.
“There are so many voices that need to be heard. There’s some voices, though, that need to step away,” she said. “We can do it, let us do it – we don’t need you to speak on our behalf.”
Jones, who works with Archer at the Holly Project, a support service helping survivors of child sexual exploitation (CSE) and their families, added: “There are so many people out there at this moment exploiting the exploited – it’s happening all the time.”
Key events
Welsh secretary Jo Stevens has refused to say whether the UK government should allow the US to use the Diego Garcia airbase to launch an attack on Iran.
Speaking to the PA news agency while on a visit to Port Talbot, she said:
The prime minister has spent the last few days at the G7 summit speaking to our allies and including President Trump. This is a fast moving, fluid situation.
You obviously would not expect me to be talking about operational details and anything to do with what’s going on in the Middle East on a news bulletin.
We have said the position needs to be de-escalated, we’ve called for more diplomacy. That’s what needs to happen. That’s what we have said should happen, and that’s what we want to continue.
The UK is planning for a “variety of scenarios and contingencies” for Britons stranded in Israel as the US said it was looking at evacuating Americans from using cruise ships and flights, reports the PA news agency.
Asked why the UK was not following the US example, a No 10 spokesperson said:
There’s a huge amount of work being done in the background on contingency planning. It is a fast-moving situation and we keep all our advice and planning under constant review.
On the US position, I’d point you to their latest update from the state department – like us, they’ve asked their citizens to register their presence.
But clearly, there’s a lot of work going on, and we keep our position under constant review.
‘Too much is at stake’ for Iran-Israel conflict to escalate further, says Reeves
“Too much is at stake” for the Iran-Israel conflict to escalate further, Rachel Reeves has said, as US president Donald Trump mulls over whether to enter the arena.
Speaking at the Times CEO summit, the chancellor said:
We want to see a de-escalation, not an escalation of hostilities in the Middle East. We don’t think it’s in anyone’s interest to see an escalation. Too much is at stake.
The prime minister made that case when he was in Canada earlier this week, and as a government, we continue to do so.
At the same time, we have moved assets into the region, including Typhoon jets, but we do have bases, we do have personnel in the region.
As a government, of course, we always want to protect our interests, and so that’s why we’ve made those decisions to move those assets there, in the case of them being needed.
Liberal Democrats spokesperson Sarah Olney said today’s infrastructure announcement must be “a line in the sand” under Conservative mismanagement.
The PA news agency reports that Olney said:
Boosting our infrastructure is vital, given the appalling mismanagement under the last Conservative government, which left our school and hospital buildings crumbling while neglecting critical infrastructure from transport to renewable energy generation.
Today’s plan must draw a line in the sand under that disastrous mismanagement of projects like HS2, which promised to connect our country and communities, only to end up another hollow Conservative promise long delayed and billions over budget.
So while we welcome the government’s intention to deliver productive investment, we will closely scrutinise its implementation.
The Richmond Park MP asked if the minister will “set up a crumbling hospitals taskforce to identify creative funding ideas, speed up construction timelines and put an end to the vicious cycle and false economies of delayed rebuilds leading to rising repair costs”.
Chief secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones said Olney was “right to point to the fiasco of HS2”.
According to the PA news agency, the minister told MPs on Thursday:
The complete, utter negligence in delivering on that project over many, many years has left us with the legacy of having to pay more for longer, having implications on all the other things we would like to do in the country.
So we have commissioned the James Stewart review, which was published yesterday. All of the recommendations have been adopted, and lessons are already flowing through this infrastructure strategy so that we never end up in that situation ever again.
He added:
Now, maintenance isn’t sexy. It’s not good for election leaflets, but it is really important, which is why we’re committing so many billions today to maintenance, because there is an enormous backlog.
Jones told MPs that maintenance will be prioritised so people can see “quick, real, tangible improvements to their public infrastructure in their local communities”.
Libby Brooks
Patrick Harvie, who is stepping down as Scottish Greens co-leader after 17 years used his final first minister’s questions (FMQs) to hit out at John Swinney over lack of progress since he convened a cross-party summit of politicians and civic leaders in April with the high aim of protecting Scotland’s democratic values.
Harvie said there had been “no meaningful change” since the summit, despite all the warm words – and went on to attack the first minister for “walking away” from progressive green policies.
Between the lines, Harvie was making plain how unhappy he still is about the way that his party’s governing partnership with the Greens brokered by Nicola Sturgeon was blown up by her successor Humza Yousaf, and the way that policy on climate targets, recycling, marine conservation to name a few have been gradually shelved by Yousaf and later Swinney.
In a warning to Swinney, that “in the face of the threat from the far right, a ‘steady as she goes’ approach is a course to disaster,” was a direct hit on the first minister’s leadership style, which some within the Scottish National Party (SNP) are worried won’t take them over the line at next year’s Holyrood elections.
The SNP’s loss at the Hamilton byelection earlier this month was evidence of that, alongside a much-criticised strategy of fore-grounding Reform UK as the Nationalists’ main rivals instead of Scottish Labour, who ultimately won the seat.
The prime minister would not be drawn on reports that the attorney general, Richard Hermer, has legal concerns (see 9.41am BST) over potential UK involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict.
According to the PA news agency, Keir Starmer said:
The attorney’s advice is never disclosed by any government, but I can tell you the principle, the driving intent, which is that [of] de-escalation. Because the risk of escalation across the region is obvious, and the impact it would have.
I’m talking to leaders across the region all of the time. They’re voicing their concerns about what might happen in relation to them.
Obviously, it’s having an impact on the economy and Gaza is already in an intolerable situation.
So it’s very clear: yes, we need to deal with the nuclear programme, there’s no doubt about that in my mind, but it is better dealt with as a negotiated outcome.
De-escalate and get to that point. There have been several rounds of discussions with the US, that, to me, is the way to resolve this issue.
Starmer repeats call for de-escalation in Middle East as he says issues ‘better dealt with by negotiations than by conflict’
Keir Starmer said there was a “real risk of escalation” in the Middle East as Donald Trump considers whether to join Israel in striking Iran.
Asked about reports Trump has already approved a plan to attack Iran but has not yet decided whether to go ahead, Starmer said:
The situation in relation to Israel-Iran is obviously fast moving and in those circumstances, it’s really important to cling on to the key principles here.
Obviously all of us, UK included, are very concerned about the nuclear programme that Iran is developing, we’ve long been concerned about that.
Also, completely recognise Israel’s right to self-defence, but the principle is that we need to de-escalate this.
There’s a real risk of escalation here that will impact the region, possibly beyond the region, akin to Gaza, and obviously it’s already having an impact on the economy.
So I’ve been absolutely clear we need to de-escalate this. Yes, the nuclear issue has to be dealt with, but it’s better dealt with by way of negotiations than by way of conflict.
The Tories have asked the government to say “which major projects are being abandoned” as part of its 10-year infrastructure strategy.
The shadow chief secretary to the Treasury asked: “Today, the chief secretary [Darren Jones] has confirmed expenditure of £725bn but provided very little detail. There is no project pipeline today, but will he commit to coming back to this house when it is published?”
Richard Fuller accused the government of previously setting out a “restatement of the investments in local transport projects that had already been announced by the previous Conservative government” and asked: “Can he advise which major projects are being abandoned and some insight into his reasoning for doing so?”
In his response, Jones told the Commons: “The pipeline will be published in a couple of weeks, in mid-July. The reason for a small delay between the strategy and the pipeline is because we wanted to integrate the data from the spending review last week, and it just takes a little time to be able to do that.”
Of the pipeline, the chief secretary later added: “It will show on a map of the country which projects we’re procuring, when and where to give investors and businesses that long-term confidence about the jobs that are going to be available, so that they can invest in their own workforce.”
The government will spend £725bn on infrastructure in the next decade, Treasury minister Darren Jones has said.
Jones said the spending would include the schools rebuilding programme, and the scheme to expand prisons.
He said the 10-year infrastructure plan aimed to show that “change is possible”.
He said: “It is our hope that this long-term approach will give investors and businesses the confidence to invest in skills and their workforce, to hire more apprentices, to create more jobs and to improve wages in every part of the country.”
Put politics aside when it comes to child sexual exploitation, grooming gang survivors urge
Alexandra Topping
The political “tug-of-war with vulnerable women” abused by grooming gangs must stop ahead of a new national inquiry into the crimes, survivors have told the Guardian.
Holly Archer and Scarlett Jones, two survivors who played a key role in a “gold-standard” local inquiry into the crime in Telford, have urged politicians and those without experience of abuse to allow women to shape the investigation.
“We have to put politics aside when it comes to child sexual exploitation, we have to stop this tug-of-war with vulnerable women,” said Archer, author of I Never Gave My Consent: A Schoolgirl’s Life Inside the Telford Sex Ring.
“There are so many voices that need to be heard. There’s some voices, though, that need to step away,” she said. “We can do it, let us do it – we don’t need you to speak on our behalf.”
Jones, who works with Archer at the Holly Project, a support service helping survivors of child sexual exploitation (CSE) and their families, added: “There are so many people out there at this moment exploiting the exploited – it’s happening all the time.”
Foreign secretary David Lammy will meet US counterpart Marco Rubio as Donald Trump continues to consider joining Israeli strikes against Iran.
Lammy and US secretary of state Rubio will discuss the situation in the Middle East on Thursday evening at 7pm BST.
Lammy’s meeting in Washington comes amid speculation US involvement could require the use of the UK-controlled Diego Garcia base in the Chagos Islands.
Ministers stepping up preparations for renationalisation of Thames Water
Jasper Jolly
The environment secretary, Steve Reed, has said the government is stepping up preparations for temporary nationalisation of Thames Water, indicating it will reject pleas from the company’s creditors for leniency from fines and penalties.
Thames Water’s largest creditors control the utility, and have made a bid to cut some of its debts and provide £5.3bn in new funding to try to turn it around.
However, the creditors have said their plan needs considerable leniency from Ofwat, the government’s water regulator for England and Wales, and the Environment Agency over fines for environmental failings. The Guardian this month revealed that the creditors had asked for immunity from prosecution for serious environmental crimes in return for taking on the company.
Reed on Thursday told parliament that Thames Water must meet its statutory obligations, after being asked about possible “regulatory easements”.
“Thames Water must meet its statutory and regulatory obligations to their customers and to the environment,” he said. “It is only right that the company is subject to the same consequences as any other water company.
The company remains financially stable, but we’ve stepped up our preparations and stand ready for all eventualities, as I’ve said before, including special administration regime if that were to become necessary.
UK would have to sign off on US use of Diego Garcia base for raid on Iran
Pippa Crerar
The UK government will have to sign off on the US use of its Diego Garcia base in any bombing raid on Iran, it has emerged, as ministers gathered to discuss a range of scenarios amid further increasing tensions in the region.
The prime minster, Keir Starmer, chaired an emergency Cobra meeting to discuss the UK’s response to the crisis in the Middle East which could escalate further should the US enter the conflict between Israel and Iran.
After the prime minister landed back in Britain following the G7 summit in Canada, he brought together ministers and senior officials to update the UK’s response beyond urging de-escalation.
But with Donald Trump still not revealing what action he may take, the UK government is working on a series of options dependent on whether the US pursues military action, and if it asks allies for support at any stage.
One key issue for the UK would be whether to give permission for the US to fly B-2 stealth bombers from the Diego Garcia airbase in the Indian Ocean to attack Iran’s nuclear enrichment site, which is between 80 and 90 metres inside a mountain at Fordow.
The decision on whether to grant the US permission to use the base, should it request to do so, would be a political one, and Starmer would be expected to seek the advice of his national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, who was Tony Blair’s No 10 chief of staff at the time of the Iraq war.
However, government insiders suggested it would put the prime minister in a difficult situation, balancing his stated preference for a diplomatic solution with his desire to safeguard the US-UK relationship that he regards as of the utmost importance.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an amber heat-health alert for all regions in England. The alert will be in force from 12pm on Thursday until 9am on Monday.
It warns that “significant impacts are likely” across health and social care services because of high temperatures, including a rise in deaths – particularly among those aged 65 and over or people with health conditions.
UK benefits system could collapse if payments are not cut, Liz Kendall says
Kiran Stacey
Britain’s benefits system faces collapse without cuts to disability payments, Liz Kendall has said, as the government published plans that put it on a collision course with dozens of angry Labour MPs.
Kendall published her welfare reform bill on Wednesday, confirming it would lead to benefit cuts for 950,000 people by 2030. She said the country’s £326bn social security net might cease to exist if costs continued to escalate.
The bill includes several concessions designed to win over fractious Labour MPs as ministers look to ward off the biggest rebellion of Keir Starmer’s premiership. But the efforts were met with hostility by many in the party, who said they still intended to vote against the bill next month.
Kendall said:
Our social security system is at a crossroads. Unless we reform it, more people will be denied opportunities, and it may not be there for those who need it. This legislation represents a new social contract and marks the moment we take the road of compassion, opportunity and dignity.
This will give people peace of mind, while also fixing our broken social security system so it supports those who can work to do so while protecting those who cannot – putting welfare spending on a more sustainable path to unlock growth.
The bill will cut personal independence payments (Pips) for more than 800,000 people with disabilities, as well as carers’ support for 150,000 people who care for them. Claimants only able to wash half of their body or who are unable to cook a meal for themselves will no longer be able to claim Pips unless they have another limiting condition.
The cuts are at the heart of an overall package of nearly £5bn in welfare savings which ministers argue are necessary to protect the financial sustainability of the benefits system.
Kendall has tried to dispel widespread anger in the Labour party over the plans by introducing new concessions. Under the terms of the bill, people losing their disability benefits will get additional financial support for 13 weeks, while those with severe conditions such as heart disease or spinal injuries will not have to face reassessments.
MPs will debate the universal credit and personal independence payment bill on 1 July.
Speaking during business questions, leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell announced the bill will have its second reading at the start of next month.