A second company that the Tory peer Michelle Mone lobbied ministers over in an attempt to secure government Covid contracts was a secret entity of her husband’s family office, the Guardian can reveal.
Lady Mone’s lobbying on behalf of the company, LFI Diagnostics, which she tried to help secure government contracts for Covid lateral flow tests, prompted a formal rebuke from a health minister who reminded her of “the need for propriety”.
A departmental source told the Guardian that Mone was “in a class of her own in terms of the sheer aggression of her advocacy” on behalf of LFI Diagnostics.
However, it is the revelation that the company was a secret entity of the office that manages the wealth of her husband, Douglas Barrowman, that will deepen the controversy over the Tory peer and her access to ministers.
On Tuesday, Mone’s spokesperson said that she was taking a leave of absence from the House of Lords with immediate effect, adding she was doing so “in order to clear her name of the allegations that have been unjustly levelled against her”.
Rishi Sunak has announced plans to allow the building of new onshore wind turbines, which could result in energy bill discounts for those living nearby.
Better late than never.
But Conservative green policies are inconsistent, if not bonkers. They are considering reopening a coal mine in Cumbria as a quid pro quo. This mine produces coking coal for steel making as steelmakers across Europe are moving to “green steel”, which uses renewable energy and modern techniques to avoid the need for it! – Owl
Construction of turbines in England has been in effect banned since 2015 under planning restrictions introduced by David Cameron, who said people were “fed up” with them.
However, more than 50 Tory MPs, including the former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, have been pushing for an end to the ban as part of efforts to boost growth and make Britain more energy-independent.
The government will now consult on allowing turbines to be built if they have local support and as long as concerns about their impact have been “satisfactorily addressed”.
Whitehall sources said they also expected the government to approve a coalmine in Cumbria that has been opposed by environmental groups and by Alok Sharma, the Cop26 president, although a final decision has not been taken.
Environmentalists have warned that approving the mine would damage the UK’s reputation as a climate leader and make it harder to persuade countries such as China to cut their own reliance on coal.
One source said the new coalmine was a “quid pro quo” for relaxing restrictions on onshore wind, but this was denied by those close to Michael Gove, the levelling-up secretary.
Under the wind plan, towns or villages that back new turbines could be given benefits such as lower energy bills. Ministers will also consider plans to make it easier to upgrade existing sites, many of which are more than 20 years old. Modern turbines are bigger and more efficient.
The consultation, which will begin this month and run until April, appeared to address the concerns of Tory MPs, whether for or against turbines. The government said it would continue to protect “important landscapes” such as areas of natural beauty and national parks.
Simon Clarke, the Tory MP and former levelling-up secretary who led the push for more turbines, said: “I am delighted that the government has come forward with what is a really sensible package designed to return decisions about new onshore wind to local communities. Onshore wind is the cheapest form of energy bar none, and it has an important role to play as part of our future energy mix, alongside oil and gas, offshore wind, solar and nuclear.
“Unlocking its potential will strengthen our domestic energy security and help us to deliver our climate commitments in the fight against climate change.”
John Hayes, a former minister who opposes the lifting of the ban, said it would still allow local authorities to veto wind farms when there was community opposition. “This is not a significant change from where we were,” he said. “It will still stop wind farms being imposed on communities against their will.” Energy experts believe the change is unlikely to lead to a significant increase in the number of wind farms in England — particularly the south — because low average wind speeds mean they are less inefficient.
The proposal is the second U-turn by the government in the space of two days on planning policy, following the decision to drop mandatory housebuilding targets for local councils.
The emergency services and coastguard teams from East Devon were called to the beach shortly before 2pm on Saturday, December 3, after concern was raised for the welfare of a woman.
A woman in her 50s from Newton Poppleford was found at the bottom of the cliffs below Jubilee Park, in Budleigh, and pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Coastguard teams from Exmouth and Beer were tasked to help police.
A Devon and Cornwall Police spokeswoman said: “Police were called at 1.55pm on Saturday 3 December following concern for the welfare of a woman on the beach at Budleigh Salterton.
“The woman was located at the base of cliffs below Jubilee Park.
“Officers attended alongside Coastguard teams from Beer and Exmouth.
“The woman, in her 50s and from Newton Poppleford, was pronounced deceased at the scene.
“The death is not being treated as suspicious at this time.”
Jubilee Park, in Northview Road, is one of the town’s main green spaces, and leads onto the coast path above Budleigh beach.
According to figures from the Electoral Commission donations to the Conservatives have slumped by 40% over three months. (Who wants to be seen back losers!)
At the same time MPs are saying Matt Hancock is the hottest ticket as an after dinner speaker on the “rubber chicken circuit” rather than cabinet ministers.
So if the local Tories need to fund any more “Community Surveys”, Matt would be an obvious choice.
Sounds fanciful? Remember it was constituency Tories who voted for “the human hand grenade” Liz Truss.
Water companies have spent only three fifths of the £2.2 billion they could have to build wastewater infrastructure and tackle sewage being dumped in rivers.
South West Water is the second worst investor after Yorkshire Water. – Owl
A minister described their performance as unacceptable as the head of Ofwat, the regulator, criticised the shortfall over the past two years and said he was amazed by how slowly some companies were investing.
The companies are regulated monopolies and Ofwat has limited what they can spend between 2020 and 2025.
Yorkshire Water performed worst of 11 wastewater companies, spending only 20 per cent of what it could. South West Water spent 39 per cent and Southern Water, which was reported yesterday to have discharged sewage more than 1,500 times last month, invested 56 per cent of what was allowed.
There is no legal requirement to spend the maximum, but there has been acute public pressure to tackle sewage spills into rivers and at beaches.
The companies have said that they are investing to deal with the problem, but figures published yesterday by Ofwat showed that, two years into the present five-year price control period, only £1.2 billion of £2 billion capital expenditure permitted so far for wastewater had been spent.
Rebecca Pow, the water minister, said: “Water companies must get their spending back on track to deliver the environmental standards that customers and government rightly expect.”
David Black, chief executive of Ofwat, said: “We’ve got some companies which seem to be well off the pace with the rollouts of their investment.”
The data showed a wide disparity between companies. United Utilities, the Welsh company Hafren Dyfrdwy and Northumbrian Water all spent their allowances, in contrast with Yorkshire Water and South West Water.
“They’ve both got significant issues,” Black said. “I find it absolutely amazing, actually, that they’re not moving fast to make the improvements that they’ve been funded to achieve.”
Alastair Chisholm, of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, said the naming and shaming of companies showed that Ofwat was “flexing its muscles”. Ofwat is investigating the dumping of raw sewage by six companies, including South West and Yorkshire.
The areas of underspending included improvements to sewage treatment works and storm tank capacity, and reducing spill frequency.
Black said the figures called into question the industry’s readiness to deliver the £56 billion required by the government’s plan to cut sewage discharges near bathing sites, which he described as “a much more ambitious programme”.
Campaigners counted an average of 52.9 sewage spills a day last month by Southern Water in Hampshire, Kent and Sussex. Cowes on the Isle of Wight had 224, according to Whitstable SOS.
Water UK, which represents the industry, said the data covered only two years, including a year severely disrupted by Covid-19 lockdowns, adding: “What matters is that the industry delivers all of the environmental outcomes it has committed to by 2025.”
Southern said the increase in storm overflow spills last month was due to one of the wettest Novembers ever.
A spokesman for South West Water said: “This data does not include investment on base maintenance and operating cost, both of which are relevant in delivering our business plan and meeting our commitments. For the first two years of the period, our total spend, including base maintenance, enhancement and operating costs, was [circa] 99 per cent of the allowance.”
East Devon Watch 