“Lists will fall and people will get the care they need more quickly” – Rishi Sunak, January 2023. 

NHS waiting lists have hit a new record high despite a pledge by Rishi Sunak to bring them down.

Jon Stone www.independent.co.uk

An estimated 7.6 million people were waiting to start routine hospital treatment at the end of June – up from 7.5 million in May, NHS England said.

The figure is the highest number since comparable records began in August 2007.

The prime minister made cutting waiting lists one of his priorities for 2023, pledging in January that “lists will fall and people will get the care they need more quickly”.

But far from cutting waits, lists are still growing to a level never seen before, the latest numbers suggest.

Last week, Mr Sunak blamed industrial action by doctors for his failure to close the gap.

The latest backlog figures come as junior doctors are set to walk out again for their latest four-day strike on Friday, with the stoppage ending on Tuesday morning.

Doctors have had their real wages cut in recent years and are asking for their salaries to be restored, in part to stem a recruitment and retention crisis in the health service. The government says the demand is unaffordable.

Labour has accused the government of making “excuses” for failing to tackle waiting lists by blaming doctors.

Health think tanks including the King’s Fund and Health Foundation, as well as groups such as NHS Providers, which represents hospitals, have consistently said the health service needs more funding to make improvements.

The government and NHS England have set a target to eliminate all waits of more than a year by March 2025.

By this narrower metric, there has been slight progress, with the number of people waiting more than a year for treatment down from 385,022 at the end of May to 383,083 people at the end of June.

But at the current rate of change, this target will not be reached.

An even narrower target, to eliminate waits of 18 months or more for NHS treatment, was missed in April this year. A total 7,177 were waiting longer than 18 months in June 2023, down from 11,446 at the end of May.

Last week, health minister Maria Caulfield said the government expected waiting times to go up before they went down, telling LBC radio that the numbers would “peak in the next few months”.

The government has said it will draft in spare capacity from the private sector to try and cut waiting lists, including the use of eight new privately-run diagnostic sectors.

Ministers also say they are changing the rules to make it easier for the NHS to buy in private services, by altering the so-called “provider selection regime”.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, a Labour shadow health minister, said the government had no plan to turn the situation around.

“One in eight people are now waiting for NHS treatment, more than ever before. Patients are waiting in pain and discomfort for months or even years,” she said.

“Rishi Sunak has no plan to turn this around, he only offers excuses. He blames hard-working doctors and nurses, yet he hasn’t lifted a finger to stop the strikes.

“The last Labour government delivered the shortest waiting lists and highest patient satisfaction in history. The next Labour government will provide the staff and reform the NHS needs, so it is there for us when we need it once again.”

Living the life of a “Hedgie”? – Owl

Rishi Sunak has used RAF jets and helicopters for domestic flights more frequently than the UK’s previous three prime ministers, the BBC can reveal.

By Joshua Nevett www.bbc.co.uk

Ministry of Defence data show he took almost one such flight a week during his first seven months in office.

The prime minister has been accused of hypocrisy for flying short journeys domestically, given his pledges to curb planet-warming carbon emissions.

But Mr Sunak has said air travel was the “most effective use of my time”.

In response to Freedom of Information requests, the BBC was told the number of domestic flights on Command Support Air Transport aircraft broken down by prime minister between July 2016 and April 2023.

The RAF division – known as 32 Squadron – operates two Dassault Falcon 900LX jets and a helicopter to transport the PM and other ministers domestically.

In total, Mr Sunak boarded 23 domestic flights on these aircraft in 187 days, which is one every eight days on average.

Two caveats to bear in mind are the brevity of Ms Truss’s time in Downing Street, and the limitations on Mr Johnson’s travel during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The BBC initially requested data on the number of flights each UK prime minister since Tony Blair had taken using a military aircraft to travel domestically. But the MoD rejected the request on cost grounds and advised asking for data on those flights since Mrs May.

The prime minister sometimes has access to an RAF Voyager plane for overseas trips, and the government also charters private flights on aircraft operated by Titan Airways.

Separately, Mr Sunak has accepted more than £70,000 worth of private jet and helicopter travel to Conservative Party events from political donors this year.

High politics

Mr Sunak’s use of flights for UK engagements has come under intense scrutiny, with critics questioning why he had not used the train instead of RAF aircraft for relatively short trips to Newquay, Dover and Leeds this year.

Last month, Mr Sunak said those who say “no one should take a plane” in their approach to climate change were “completely, and utterly wrong”.

Labour said the PM was “developing an expensive habit of swanning around on private jets courtesy of the taxpayer”.

The party’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, suggested Mr Sunak had breached the ministerial code, which states he is supposed to use scheduled flights, unless “it is essential to travel by air”.

In his speech at the COP27 climate summit last year, Mr Sunak said it was “morally right to honour” the UK’s promise to reduce carbon emissions.

The UK has set a legally binding target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, as part of the global effort to avert the worst effects of climate change.

Flights produce greenhouse gases – mainly carbon dioxide (CO2) – from burning fuel, and these emissions contribute to global warming.

Emissions per kilometre travelled from domestic flights are significantly worse than any other form of transport, and private jets typically produce more CO2 than commercial flights.

But carbon emissions vary considerably depending on the size of the plane, how efficient its engines are, and how many passengers it carries.

In 2019, before the pandemic struck, international and domestic UK aviation accounted for 8% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions.

PM’s priorities

Anna Hughes, whose Flight Free UK campaign urges people to fly less for the sake of the climate, said Mr Sunak’s transport choices were “frustrating”.

She said if leaders demonstrated “the kind of behaviour that we all need to adopt to avert the climate crisis, it communicates that it’s serious and real”.

“You can’t just say I’m the prime minister, I’m too busy and important,” she added.

One former official with knowledge of ministerial travel prior to Mr Sunak’s premiership said transport choices “were based on time”, adding the train would be used “nine times out of ten”.

The former official, who did not wish to be named, said they “had access to the PM’s diary and every single minute of every day is accounted for”.

“In order to achieve a long visit, the only way was to use an aircraft,” they said.

A Downing Street spokesperson said ministers “sometimes require the use of non-commercial air travel”.

“This is a standard practice for governments around the world and this has consistently been the case under successive UK administrations of all political colours,” the spokesperson said.

“Value for money, security, and time efficiency is taken into account in all travel decisions and all flights are carbon offset.”

Although we have the number of domestic flights Mr Sunak has taken up to April this year, we don’t know the details of all those journeys, and what aircraft he used.

We did ask for that information, but the MoD said the “RAF does not retain records for air miles flown by aircraft”, and withheld data on the PM’s trips.

That means we can’t calculate the overall carbon footprint of Mr Sunak’s domestic flights during his first seven months in office.

What we can do is estimate the carbon emissions of some individual flights, using information in the public domain.

For example, on 19 January, the prime minister flew from RAF Northolt in west London to Blackpool Airport on a Dassault Falcon 900LX.

A number of aviation websites say the Falcon has a fuel consumption of about 260 gallons per hour. The flight from London to Blackpool took 41 minutes, which means approximately 178 gallons, or 805 litres, of fuel was consumed.

Based on the government’s fuel-to-emissions conversation rates, the flight would have produced about two tonnes of CO2.

Falcon jets typically have 12 seats. So if we assume the plane was full for the Blackpool trip, two tonnes of CO2 would be 166 kg per person.

To put that into context, the International Energy Agency estimated that the global average energy-related carbon footprint was about 4.7 tonnes of CO2 per person in 2021.

In contrast to Mr Sunak’s flight, a train journey from London Euston to Blackpool North would produce 14.31kg of CO2 per passenger, according to a LNER carbon calculator..

The Trainline website says it takes an average of three hours and 43 minutes to travel from London Euston to Blackpool by train.

Additional reporting by Mark Poynting, BBC climate researcher

Ooops! How does that compute with “Spreadsheet” Sunack, former partner in a couple of Hedge Fund firms? Small change?- Owl

Labour says losses to Treasury bond fund costing £8,900 for every UK household

A Treasury bond fund has careened from an asset to a liability, with losses so profound that each UK household now faces a staggering burden of £8,900, Labour has said.

Martina Bet www.standard.co.uk 

Figures show the Treasury fund, originally devised to capitalise on the Bank of England’s quantitative easing programme, has been rapidly eroding over the past three years.

According to Labour, the fund’s decline turned it into the most substantial liability on the Treasury’s balance sheet by the close of March 2023, culminating in a £251 billion loss.

The party says in terms of losses for the taxpayer, it represents a cost of £8,900 for every household in the UK and is 76 times the amount that was lost on Black Wednesday in 1992, when the UK was forced out of the Exchange Rate Mechanism.

It also claimed it is equivalent to 10% of the UK’s gross domestic product in 2022, or the entire GDP of Scotland and Wales combined.

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “Families are already feeling the squeeze from what feels like an endless Tory cost-of-living crisis. Now they face yet another hit thanks to the Conservatives’ catastrophic mistakes in managing this fund.

“This Tory bond black hole will land working people with another astronomical bill for years to come.

“And it leaves them paying the price for the failings of successive Tory chancellors: the hubris of George Osborne thinking this fund was a one-way bet, the complacency of Rishi Sunak ignoring the warning signs in the bond market, and the recklessness of Kwasi Kwarteng turning a crisis into a disaster.

“All of them are guilty of putting their short-term political ambitions ahead of the long-term economic interests of the country.

“That will only change when we have a Labour government in place, determined to rebuild the foundations of economic responsibility, and give Britain the more secure, more resilient economy it needs.”

This Tory bond black hole will land working people with another astronomical bill for years to come.

Labour additionally pointed out that the Treasury’s assessment of taxpayer returns over the entire fund’s existence has changed from a net profit of £128 billion by the end of March 2021 to a net loss of £58.8 billion by the end of March 2023.

Established in January 2009 as part of the Bank of England’s quantitative easing effort to aid the UK’s recovery from the global financial crisis, the Asset Purchase Facility (APF) acquired significant sums of Government bonds and other assets from banks, pension funds and finance firms, providing vital liquidity to a stagnant market.

As the economy rebounded and interest rates remained low, Government bonds regained appeal among corporate investors, leading to an increase in the Bank’s asset portfolio’s value.

In 2013, Labour noted, former Tory chancellor George Osborne revised the rules for the APF, ensuring that future profits from the Bank of England’s investments would be directed to the Treasury.

Ms Reeves, who at that point was shadow Treasury minister, warned Mr Osborne at the time that his short-term cash grab from the Bank was no substitute for a proper strategy “to create the jobs and growth we need to get the deficit down”.

The figures were published in the Treasury’s annual accounts for 2022/23 on July 20.

Treasury minister Andrew Griffith said: “The only black hole facing the British people is the £90 billion unfunded spending splurge that Labour would slap on families across the country.

“There’s a world of difference between movements in a long-term bond portfolio versus the certainty of a Labour government spending other people’s money until there is no money left.

“Meanwhile, we are making progress on the British people’s priorities – halving inflation, growing our economy and reducing debt.”

Yeh, like it was the only way to fix underinvestment investment in the water companies! – Owl

A former Conservative Party advisor has called for the NHS to be fully privatised in order for it to function properly.

Jack Peat www.thelondoneconomic.com 

Buildings across the health service “are in a very bad way and getting worse”, it has been reported this week, with the Government being warned that patients “deserve better”.

It comes after an investigation by the Liberal Democrats found evidence of chemical leaks in patient areas at a number of hospitals in England, as well as broken fire alarms in some facilities.

Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “Keeping patients and staff safe is vital. High-quality care depends on having reliable buildings and equipment.

“Too many NHS buildings and facilities are in a very bad way and getting worse.

“Trust leaders have warned long and loud about the eye-watering cost of trying to patch up creaking infrastructure and out-of-date facilities. The multibillion-pound repairs bill is growing at an alarming rate.”

Data from one Freedom of Information (FOI) request made by the party revealed there had been 115 chemical leak incidents at NHS hospitals between June 1 2022 and May 31 2023.

It has raised more concerns over the funding of the NHS, which were discussed on Jeremy Kyle’s show on TalkTV last night.

Former Tory advisor Leon Emirali said the answer to “fixing” the NHS is “full privatisation”, adding:

“Joanna made a point about free at the point of access. We can still have that with a level of privatisation, where we have private suppliers of healthcare – but for those who need it most, we can means test access to the NHS where those who need it the most in society get their healthcare for free and those who can afford to pay for it do.”

Can you believe this? The government has privately asked water companies to explore saving money on future water supplies by assuming unrealistically low levels of climate change.

On sewage: the Environment Agency appears to ask companies [in a letter] to stick to the bare legal minimum on environmental efforts to save money. “You are expected to explore opportunities to phase non-statutory commitments including net zero to future price review periods where appropriate.”

Angling and river groups, including the Rivers Trust, warn the government that pushing back schemes to 2030 would “delay essential environmental action and, ultimately, increase costs to consumers”.

Separately, the Liberal Democrats accused water firms of a “scandalous cover-up”, after the companies said they either did not know or would not hand over data on how much sewage they were spilling into rivers and seas.

(And can you believe this? Regulators do not instruct water companies to monitor volume of sewage, only the duration and number of times it is discharged. Last year there were more than 300,000 spills.)

So how many gallons of poo (or Olympic sized swimming pools) were discharged, for example, in the 3,252 hours of spillage from Honiton and Gitisham into the Otter, or from the 1,077 hours from Woodbury into the Exe in 2022?

Not forgetting the direct discharges from all the coastal towns directly into the sea. – Owl

Water Firms can assume “climate change will be low” to cut costs

Adam Vaughan www.thetimes.co.uk 

Water firms are required to publish “water resources management plans” every five years for how they will ensure the water supply for the next 25 years, including new reservoirs and transfers from wet to dry parts of the country.

Amid rising government concern about how environmental targets will push up consumer water bills, the Environment Agency wrote to water companies in July to ask them to ensure their plans “protect your customers from adverse bill impacts”.

The agency said Thérèse Coffey, the environment secretary, had asked it to “investigate the scale of investment needed” in the context of “many families and individuals struggling to pay their utility bills”.

The regulator said companies should see how they could minimise costs from 2030 onwards, while meeting legal requirements. One option given was to see if money could be saved by assuming a “low climate change scenario”.

In the scenario, countries around the world would act dramatically to cut carbon emissions and ensure the global average temperature rose by only 1.6C above pre-industrial levels.

However, such a low level is considered unlikely. The United Nations has said countries’ climate plans put the world on track for 2.4C of warming at best and 2.8C at worst.

Earth has already warmed by 1.2C above the 1850-1900 average due to climate change and July was the hottest month on record.

“With hot tub temperatures at sea and many rivers still recovering from drought, the climate and nature crisis is clearly upon us. Yet the government is steering water companies toward the most optimistic warming scenarios,” said Eleanor Ward, policy officer at Wildlife and Countryside Link, an alliance of environmental groups including the National Trust and RSPB.

Climate change is expected to bring hotter, drier summers and warmer, wetter winters to Britain, putting pressure on water supplies. Even with an “exceptionally wet” July, parts of southwest England remain in drought. Devon and Cornwall remain under a hosepipe ban dating back to last summer.

The latest water supply plans include £14 billion of investment that would create seven new reservoirs, including at Havant Thicket near Portsmouth. Together they would provide an extra two billion litres of water a day, more than the 2.6 billion that the UK’s biggest water firm, Thames Water, provides today.

The Environment Agency asked water companies whether the “basic climate change scenario” would risk their water supply plans or if it might leave the firms “vulnerable to climate change”.

A spokesman for trade group Water UK said: “We strongly oppose the watering down of any plans that will help to safeguard water supplies in a changing climate. Last year’s record-breaking temperatures and the ongoing droughts across Europe are a reminder that investment in water resources must be a priority.”

In a separate letter to water companies, about the industry’s “national environment programme”, the Environment Agency appears to ask companies to stick to the bare legal minimum on environmental efforts to save money.

In one passage, companies are told: “You are expected to explore opportunities to phase non-statutory commitments including net zero to future price review periods where appropriate.” That implies ways of reducing carbon emissions — such as treating sewage with reedbeds rather than more carbon-intensive infrastructure at treatment works — could be delayed to 2030 and beyond.

Water industry figures think the government has realised how much its pledges on sewage pollution will push up water bills, and is now asking companies what they can cut to keep bills down. Normally, suggestions for what should be cut would come from the Environment Agency itself, but in this case firms are being told to look again at their plans for savings.

In a letter to Coffey’s department, environment, angling and river groups, including the Rivers Trust, warn the government that pushing back schemes to 2030 would “delay essential environmental action and, ultimately, increase costs to consumers”.

They added it put nature goals at risk. “This requirement on companies is out of step with the government’s commitment to halt and reverse the decline of nature by 2030,” the groups said.

Separately, the Liberal Democrats accused water firms of a “scandalous cover-up”, after the companies said they either did not know or would not hand over data on how much sewage they were spilling into rivers and seas.

However, regulators do not instruct water companies to monitor volume of sewage, only the duration and number of times it is discharged. Last year there were more than 300,000 spills.

The government was contacted for comment.

Where is the payoff for the Osborne austerity era? – Owl

A West Yorkshire council said it was close to going bust unless a £47m funding gap could be closed, as a growing number of local authorities warned that they were almost running out of funds.

Phillip Inman www.theguardian.com 

Kirklees council, which counts Huddersfield as its main town, said it could face a section 114 notice – signalling that it cannot balance its budget – in the 2024/25 financial year if the authority did not deliver required savings and minimise its expenditure this financial year.

It is understood several authorities are on the brink of issuing section 114 notices this year if the government does not release additional funding to stabilise the sector.

Hastings council, which has spent millions of pounds coping with a rise in demand for temporary accommodation, also signalled this month that it could be forced to issue a section 114 notice.

Last week, Derby City council’s leader, Baggy Shanker, described its finances as “absolutely dire” and its chief executive has called for urgent help.

A report by Kirklees council officers outlining the precarious financial position, due to be presented to councillors on 15 August, has warned that “the seriousness of the council’s financial position cannot be understated”.

The report says that the council has saved more than £250m since austerity measures were introduced in 2011 by the former chancellor George Osborne, and that it has continued to face “funding reductions and increasing demand pressures far greater than more affluent areas with lower levels of relative need”.

It added that the rising demand for services and cost of living crisis had also contributed to the council’s financial problems.

Kirklees council is the 13th biggest local authority in the UK in terms of population, with 430,000 people living in the area, according to the last census.

Councillor Paul Davies, the cabinet member for corporate services at Kirklees council, said: “Even though inflation has slowed marginally, prices are still increasing at a rate we haven’t seen for decades. Alongside additional demand for some of our most vital services and our need to protect our most vulnerable residents given the cost-of-living impact, we need to take action now to balance the budget.”

This year Woking council was forced to issue a section 114 notice after a risky investment strategy that left it with a £1.2bn deficit. The small local authority, in Surrey, purchased a slew of commercial assets, such as skyscrapers and hotels, but became overwhelmed by the sheer scale of its debt, which is forecast to hit £2.6bn.

Woking’s effective bankruptcy followed Thurrock, Croydon and Slough, where money was ploughed into seemingly lucrative commercial deals to try to plug gaping holes in budgets caused by central government funding policies.

A slew of other councils, including Kent, Hastings, Southampton, Guildford, and Bradford, have warned that they are also facing section 114 notices. After 13 years of slashed budgets and some poor commercial decisions, councils have more recently faced challenges with skyrocketing inflation, which has piled extra costs on local authorities to provide basic services.

In July, the Local Government Association (LGA), the membership body for local authorities, warned that councils were at risk of insolvency in the coming months due a £3bn funding black hole caused by inflationary pressures and an increase in the use of services.

The difficult financial position local authorities face has prompted them to continue cutting services this year, while also increasing council tax by the maximum amount possible, pushing further cost increases on to cash-strapped taxpayers.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has been approached for comment.

Is this a spreadsheet government that knows the price of everything but the value of nothing? – Owl

A Correspondent writes:

It seems that the UK Government has learned nothing from previous Covid fiascos, and are setting the UK up for another bad bout of the pandemic illness.

See: England to deny Covid and Flu jabs to under 65s amid fears for NHS this winter 

Although this appears at face value to be an acceptance of a recommendation from an independent body (the JCVI) allowing them an excuse, I would imagine that the Terms of Reference for the JCVI include some sort of value-for-money objective or a do-only-what-is necessary to avoid the NHS being overwhelmed guideline, thus giving the Government an excuse to save money rather than safeguard lives. Just because the most vulnerable and at-risk people get the COVID/Flue jab, does NOT mean that people who don’t get the jab but then develop the disease are not at risk of dying or having serious consequences to their health. And given the low cost of a vaccination jab vs. the high cost of COVID treatment when someone gets seriously ill and is hospitalised, and the significant economic  consequences when significant numbers are off work with Covid – I am surprised that there is not a decent business case to offer the vaccination to a wider group.

Will Simon Jupp vote for this on 23 October?

No chance, Members of Parliament are all “Honourable” (by definition), not a rogue amongst them. – Owl

“The Government should introduce legislation to make lying in the House of Commons a criminal offence. This would mean that all MPs, including Ministers, would face a serious penalty for knowingly making false statements in the House of Commons, as is the case in a court of law.”

petition.parliament.uk

Parliament will debate this petition on 23 October 2023.

You’ll be able to watch online on the UK Parliament YouTube channel.

Government responded

This response was given on 12 August 2021

The Government does not intend to introduce legislation of this nature. MPs must abide by the Code of Conduct and conduct in the Chamber is a matter for the Speaker.

Read the response in full

It is an important principle of the UK Parliament that Members of Parliament are accountable to those who elect them. It is absolutely right that all MPs are fully accountable to their constituents for what they say and do and this is ultimately reflected at the ballot box.

Freedom of speech in Parliament is an essential part of our democracy. It is a right that enables Parliament to function freely and fully, ensuring that MPs are able to speak their minds in debates, and to represent their constituents’ views without fear or favour. Parliamentary privilege, which includes freedom of speech and the right of both Houses of Parliament to regulate their own affairs, grants certain legal immunities to Members of both Houses to allow them to perform their duties without outside interference.

Once elected, MPs are expected to abide by the seven principles of public life which form the basis of ethical standards required of holders of public office. These are set out by the Committee on Standards in Public Life and are: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership. It is a requirement that any holder of public office must be truthful and must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.

MPs are also subject to the House of Commons Code of Conduct and the Guide to the Rules relating to the Conduct of Members. The code includes a general duty on MPs to “act in the interests of the nation as a whole; and a special duty to their constituents”, alongside a requirement that MPs “act on all occasions in accordance with the public trust placed in them. They should always behave with probity and integrity, including in their use of public resources.” The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is an independent officer of the House of Commons and is responsible for investigating allegations that MPs have breached the rules in the Code of Conduct. Further details about the role of the Commissioner for Standards are available on the Parliament website at: https://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/standards-and-financial-interests/parliamentary-commissioner-for-standards/

Conduct in the Chamber is beyond the remit of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. This is because the House has determined that how Members conduct themselves in the Chamber, including their adherence to the principles of public life, is a matter for the Speaker, and Parliament is responsible for its own procedures.

Office of the Leader of the House of Commons

The council was planning to cut financial support to organisations helping people who were homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

www.bbc.co.uk

It said it provided the money despite not having “a statutory responsibility to do so” and needed to balance the books.

But a coalition of groups, including homeless charities, said cutting the budget could lead to the closure of five homeless hostel services.

Council leader John Hart made the announcement having listened to members of the public speak about the impact the proposed cuts could have on them and others at a special scrutiny meeting.

He said the council needed to “take stock and understand more fully the impact” of any proposal.

“We need to better understand the full impact of such a decision on all aspects of our public services, including the impact on our Team Devon District and City Council partners.

“Therefore, I am putting a pause on the decision, so that we can have a full and frank discussion with our eight district council leaders and officers.”

Mr Hart said he also wanted to involve other agencies, such as the police and public health.

As a result the council’s contracts with providers will now be extended until the end of March 2024.

In the meantime, the council said it would continue to talk to Devon’s district and city councils, to “agree a way forward that ensures ongoing homelessness support across the county”.

[But London recovers more quickly – Owl]

The National Institute for Economic and Social Research said a triple blow of Brexit, Covid and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had badly affected the economy.

By Michael Race www.bbc.co.uk 

It added that the spending power of workers in many parts of the UK will remain below pre-pandemic levels until the end of 2024.

The BBC has contacted the Treasury for comment.

The amount of money made by the UK economy, its gross domestic product – or all the goods and services produced – is not forecast to return to 2019 levels until the second half of next year, Niesr forecast.

This weak “stuttering growth” over a five year period has widened the gap between the wealthier and poorer parts of the country, the think tank said.

In London, real wages are expected to be 7% higher by the end of next year than they were in 2019 – whereas in regions such as the West Midlands they are forecast to be 5% lower, its analysts said.

Despite pay increases, high inflation has forced up prices and the rising cost of living has left households throughout the UK feeling squeezed.

Niesr forecasts that inflation, the rate at which prices rise, will remain continually above the Bank of England’s 2% target until early 2025, meaning the cost of living will also continue to rise. Inflation is currently 7.9%.

It means that people’s wages, when taking inflation into account, would be below the level they were before the pandemic until the end of next year in “many UK regions”, the think tank said.

Prof Adrian Pabst, deputy director for public policy at Niesr, said low-income households would be hit hardest, with real disposable incomes in this group falling by about 17% over the five years to 2024.

“For some of the poorest in society, coping with low or no real wage growth and persistent inflation has involved new debt to pay for permanently higher housing, energy and food costs,” Prof Pabst said.

Last week, the Bank of England put up interest rates for the 14th time in a row as it continued with its efforts to make borrowing more expensive, dampen demand and therefore slow inflation.

But not all economists agree the Bank should be raising rates when many households and business are struggling financially. Raising rates too aggressively could also push the economy into recession, which is defined typically as when it shrinks for two three-month periods – or quarters – in a row.

Niesr said it expected the UK to avoid going into a recession this year, but said there was a “60% risk” of one by the end of 2024.

A growing economy generally means there are more jobs, companies are more profitable, and pay packets grow. Higher wages and larger profits also generate more money for the government in taxes that can be spent on public services.

Prof Stephen Millard, deputy director for macroeconomic modelling and forecasting at Niesr, said the “supply shocks” of Brexit, Covid, the Ukraine war and rising interest rates had “badly affected the UK economy”.

“The need to address the UK’s poor growth performance remains the key challenge facing policy makers as we approach the next election,” he added.

The £5 million pound project includes knocking down the ‘ageing station complex’ in Exmouth’s North Street includes a disused magistrates court and a mothballed civil defence shelter.

Adam Manning www.exmouthjournal.co.uk

The site is currently occupied by officers but currently members of the public cannot enter without an appointment and Crime Commisioner Alison Hernandez says that “maintenance costs over the next 25 years have been estimated at more than £3m.”

The plans would see the 0.4 hectares of the site sold for redevelopment and a two-storey building built on 0.2 hectares of the site. 

The station will be the operational base for about 60 officers and staff including response officers, neighbourhood officers, Police Community Support Officers, and Special Constables and will include a new public enquiry front desk.

The Commissioner’s estates team is preparing to seek expressions of interest from contractors who may be interested in submitting a full tender for the project.

Commissioner Hernandez, who owns and manages the force estate said: “This project makes sense from every angle. Exmouth is Devon’s largest town and sees a huge increase in its population in the summer months. The teams based there, and the community they serve, deserve a station which is fit for the 21st Century, less harmful to the environment and cheaper to run.

“As with other police station building projects, I am insisting that a significant proportion of the public monies that we are investing in this project go to local people so that money benefits the local economy. The release of brownfield development land means additional housing can be provided in the town without greenfield sites being developed.”

She said improving public access to the force was a ‘non negotiable’ part of the project, adding: “When I carried out a public survey to determine which of the 58 possible locations the public would most like to see, a police enquiry office opened once again in Exmouth came eighth. People love the idea that they can walk into a station and talk to a real human being to report crime, receive advice on crime prevention and seek help for victims, so there is no way I am going to miss the opportunity to give this town back its front desk.”

Assistant Chief Constable Glen Mayhew, Force Lead for Local Policing said: “Our officers and staff are part of the local community, and this investment supports them to achieve this. They need a modern base to ensure that we deliver a local service that is effective and accessible to our communities. We are all looking forward to this development taking shape.”

Simon Jupp, MP for East Devon, said; “I am really pleased Exmouth’s new police station has taken another step forward with multi-million-pound investment planned in the town. The new state-of-the-art station will be open to the public with a dedicated front desk which I know is important to residents in East Devon. 

“After successfully campaigning to reopen Honiton police station to the public, I’m delighted to see progress across the district. Working with the Police & Crime Commissioner, I’m determined to improve visibility of the police and make our town centres and streets safer.”

A formal application is submitted to East Devon District Council.

Six English water companies will face legal action over allegations of underreporting pollution incidents and “unfairly overcharging” customers.

Danny Halpin www.independent.co.uk 

Severn Trent Water, Thames Water, United Utilities, Anglian Water, Yorkshire Water and Northumbrian Water could end up paying over £800m in compensation to more than 20 million customers if the cases are successful.

Professor Carolyn Roberts, an environmental and water consultant represented by Leigh Day Solicitors, alleges the water companies have broken competition laws by misleading the Environment Agency and the regulator Ofwat.

She claims they have been underreporting the number of sewage discharges, resulting in customers being “unfairly overcharged” for wastewater services, and that, had sewage discharge reporting been accurate, it would have lowered customer bills.

The first claim, brought on behalf of eight million people against Severn Trent Water, is estimated to be worth more than £330m.

Further claims will be brought against the other companies in what Leigh Day said is the first environmental collective action case of its kind.

Commenting on the lawsuits, Ms Roberts said: “Like many others across the country, I have viewed with horror the escalating number of stories in the media regarding the volume of sewage discharged into our waterways and on to our beaches.

“The population of the UK has a right to expect that our rivers, lakes and seas will generally be clean, except under exceptional circumstances,” she continued.

According to Ms Roberts, these water companies have dodged Ofwat penalties “because of the serial and serious underreporting at the heart of these claims” that has resulted in customers being overcharged for water services.

Anyone who has paid a water bill to one or more of these companies from April 2020 – or April 2017 for Severn Trent Water customers – may be entitled to compensation if the claims are successful.

Leigh Day is seeking money for customers on an opt-out basis, meaning people only have to come forward to claim their compensation if the case is successful.

It is bringing Severn Trent Water to the Competition Appeal Tribunal and will issue five further claims against the other water companies over the coming months.

If successful, solicitors expect any compensation to be paid by the relevant water company and its shareholders, not by raising customer bills.

Zoe Mernick-Levene, partner at Leigh Day, said: “These claims are hugely significant. Not only is compensation being sought for millions of customers who have and continue to pay higher water bills, but we hope that it will also send a message to water companies that they cannot unlawfully pollute waterways and mislead their regulators without consequence.

“Customers put their trust in water companies, believing that they are correctly reporting these spillages and appropriately treating the sewage so it can safely be returned to the environment,” she added.

“Instead, our client believes they are misleading their regulators and customers are overpaying while England’s waterways are suffering as a result.”

Water UK has been contacted for comment.

The Environment Agency issues “derogations” (free passes) to farmers to pollute rivers while Natural England cracks down on development to stop pollution in similar sensitive areas.

Recapitulation on “Bonkers” plans on barn conversions

Yesterday, Owl reported on the latest bizarre proposal, inspired by Michael Gove, to allow permitted development rights to apply to the conversion of agricultural barns to homes even in “Protected Landscapes”.

Given that a general presumption of permitted development to build a structure for “agricultural purposes” (with much larger footprint than a house requires) already applies to farms greater than 5 hectares (about 12 football fields). This will inevitably lead to uncontrolled peppering of barn-houses all over our countryside.

Housebuilders attack double standards as farmers pollute

Oliver Wright www.thetimes.co.uk

Farmers are being granted special licences to pollute rivers in areas where house building has been banned because of the danger of damaging rare ecosystems.

Over the past two years the Environment Agency has issued almost 500 derogations to farmers in so-called nitrate vulnerable zones.

But at the same time Natural England, another government environmental quango, has effectively banned new housing developments across 74 local authority areas due to similar pollution concerns.

Nitrate vulnerable zones are areas of the UK where rivers are at risk of pollution — in the form of excessive nitrogen and phosphorus from farm fertilisers, animal slurry and human sewage — which damages rivers by causing an overgrowth of algae that can kill off wildlife.

An analysis suggests that the additional nitrates discharge levels being granted to farmers by the Environment Agency is equivalent to the total annual nitrogen that would be produced by hundreds of thousands of new homes.

Under existing legal limits, farmers are allowed to discharge about 170kg of nitrogen per hectare. However, an agreement with the Environment Agency allows farm businesses within nitrate vulnerable zones to apply for an increase to 250kg per hectare. This is particularly used by dairy and cattle farmers as the manure produced is rich in nitrogen.

In the five years to 2022 the Environment Agency granted 99.4 per cent of the 1,191 applications it received for derogations.

Critics claim that the position taken by the Environment Agency is in marked contrast to that taken by Natural England, which has effectively banned housing across large parts of the country because of the risk to rivers.

The housing industry argues that water pollution from homes, which is treated in sewage plants, is a fraction of that from agriculture and that they are working to double standards. It says that every new home would produce 1.4kg a year or 62.5kg per hectare — a quarter of the level for agriculture.

A spokesman for the Home Builders Federation said that the discrepancy in approach between the two agencies was wrong. “It is frustrating that one government quango’s solution is to ban house building, despite its negligible contribution to the issue, whilst another signs off the use of thousands of tonnes of nutrient-rich fertiliser, the main cause of the issue,” they said.

“Everyone agrees action is needed, but the disproportionate move by Natural England is not improving our rivers and instead is exacerbating our housing crisis, preventing the provision of quality homes and costing jobs.”

Natural England was established in 2006 with a mandate to conserve, enhance and manage the natural environment. It has a statutory role to provide advice to local planning authorities on the impacts of development on the natural environment.

The Environment Agency is responsible for regulating water quality and improving standards in agriculture to tackle pollution.

The Times’s Clean It Up campaign has called on the government to maintain the “nutrient neutrality” rules laid out by Natural England. The campaign is also encouraging farmers to curb their pollution of rivers.

A government spokesman said: “The government remains committed to delivering housing in areas impacted by nutrient neutrality and is supporting local authorities and developers.

“We have already worked closely with farmers to reduce pollution and our Plan for Water committed to improving our farm regulations to make them clearer and more effective as we continue to work with the sector on this.”

From a Correspondent:

Owl, I would be grateful if you would publish this comment as an article as I feel that this is so important and the more who see it the better.

Barns in AONBs will also be included in this nonsensical proposition, and remember that two thirds of East Devon land is covered by AONBs.

We need social housing here, but how many farmers will convert barns for that purpose?

Another thought. Where do a majority of our bat population live? Barns of course.

I can see the bats in East Devon following the fate of those of “The Pound” in East Budleigh after Clinton Devon Estates allowed the demolition of a barn to create a house, and where the bats seem to have disappeared Despite the creation of a “mitigation” Bat House.

[And what is the next step after converting a barn on agricultural land? Build another barn of course! – Owl]

• Construction of two bedroom holiday unit Land South Of Blind Lane (builders Storage Triangular Plot) AylesbeareRef. No: 23/1644/FUL | Validated: Thu 27 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Reserved matters planning application pursuant to outline planning approval 21/3315/OUT for the details of layout, scale, appearance and landscaping of the site for the construction of a dwellinghouse 9 Meadow Avenue Seaton Devon EX12 2AURef. No: 23/1643/RES | Validated: Fri 28 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Certificate of Lawful Development for the construction of a single-storey rear extension to replace an existing conservatory.Gables Courtlands Lane Exmouth Devon EX8 3NURef. No: 23/1634/CPL | Validated: Wed 26 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Removal of existing garage, construction of new garage in alternative location 123 Sidford Road Sidmouth Devon EX10 9PBRef. No: 23/1633/FUL | Validated: Wed 26 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Outline application for Class E development within two sites (Phase 2A & 2B) to the west of Coastguard Road, Honiton (all matters reserved) Coastguard Road Ltd Devonshire Road Heathpark Industrial Estate Honiton EX14 1SDRef. No: 23/1632/OUT | Validated: Wed 26 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T64, Lime: Remove section of deadwood. T1, Lime: Crown lift to comply with the Highways Acts 1980 over the road and footpath. Crown lift remaining branches to 2.5 metres above ground level. Woodbury War Memorial Greenway Woodbury Devon EX5 1LPRef. No: 23/1625/TCA | Validated: Tue 25 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Permission in principle for the demolition of an existing garden room and the construction of a single dwelling and associated access Camboree House Exton Lane Exton Exeter EX3 0PNRef. No: 23/1621/PIP | Validated: Tue 25 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Double-storey rear extension in lieu of a single storey conservatory 1 Parkview Cottages Clyst St Mary Exeter EX5 1BDRef. No: 23/1610/FUL | Validated: Mon 24 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1: Oak – reduce the two exposed hyper extended lateral branches to the west by three (3) metres with a maximum cut diameter of 110mm. Reduce the sides of the rest of the crown by two (2) metres by targeting hyper extended branches with a maximum cut diameter of 80mm. 1 Marley Park Brampford Speke Devon EX5 5DXRef. No: 23/1613/TRE | Validated: Mon 24 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1 – Birch Canopy suggested to be crown reduced by approximately 3 metres, ensuring suitable roadside clearance according to the Highways Act 1980. These works are proposed as a normal part of the ongoing care and maintenance of this tree. Allhallows Court Northcote Lane Honiton Devon EX14 1NPRef. No: 23/1620/TCA | Validated: Mon 24 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replacement side extension & associated minor internal alterations. 54 Manor Crescent Honiton Devon EX14 2DFRef. No: 23/1618/FUL | Validated: Mon 24 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed extension to front of garage and conversion of remaining garage space to bedroom. 66 Granary Lane Budleigh Salterton Devon EX9 6ESRef. No: 23/1608/FUL | Validated: Tue 25 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Roofing over open yard area. Blackhayes Farm Stockland Honiton EX14 9DYRef. No: 23/1612/FUL | Validated: Tue 25 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of existing garage and Dutch barn; erection of replacement garage; and change of use of land to residential Fairwater Farm Hawkchurch Axminster EX13 5XBRef. No: 23/1606/FUL | Validated: Thu 27 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• New farm access to replace existing sub standard access The Meade Sanctuary Lane Woodbury Exeter EX5 1EXRef. No: 23/1599/FUL | Validated: Tue 25 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Certificate of proposed lawfulness for a loft conversion with rear dormerTerra Nova Higher Brook Meadow Sidford Devon EX10 9SSRef. No: 23/1604/CPL | Validated: Tue 25 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Variation of Condition 1 (approved plans) and Condition 2 (Approved materials – type, colour, finish and pattern of laying brickwork..) on application 23/0889/FUL (Single storey front flat roof extension). The extension has changed from a brick finish to dark grey cedral cladding, door and windows. The rooflight is no longer flat, but vaulted. 26 Durham Close Exmouth EX8 5QURef. No: 23/1596/VAR | Validated: Wed 26 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Lawful development for existing use of dwelling in breach of agricultural occupancy condition. Four Valleys Colyton Devon EX24 6DURef. No: 23/1590/CPE | Validated: Wed 26 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Covered silage building Newcott Farm Yarcombe Devon EX14 9NDRef. No: 23/1571/FUL | Validated: Mon 24 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Covered silage building Newcott Farm Yarcombe Devon EX14 9NDRef. No: 23/1570/FUL | Validated: Mon 24 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Full refurbishment of existing property, loft conversion with addition of dormer window, re-roofing existing property and raised roof over loft conversion. Addition of solar panels, air source heat pump, woodburner flue and timber cladding. (Resubmission of 22/1453/FUL) Roselea Dalwood EX13 7DZRef. No: 23/1553/FUL | Validated: Mon 24 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• To build a new driveway onto Burgmann’s Hill from Two Jays and Cranham, replacing the current vehicle access into the two properties. The existing Cranham drive would be blocked up and a new bank and hedge grown in its place. Two Jays Burgmanns Hill Lympstone Devon EX8 5HNRef. No: 23/1563/FUL | Validated: Wed 26 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Variation of condition 2 (approved plans) of application 21/2913/FUL, to include 16 solar panels to front elevation and to increase existing ridge height to go along with proposed staircase. Woodland Lodge Bystock Exmouth EX8 5EDRef. No: 23/1547/VAR | Validated: Wed 26 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of single storey rear extension. 63 Yonder Street Ottery St Mary Devon EX11 1HFRef. No: 23/1545/FUL | Validated: Tue 25 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Outline application for the erection of up to 16 dwellings (all matters reserved for future consideration except for access) Land Adjacent To Elbury View BroadclystRef. No: 23/1537/MOUT | Validated: Mon 24 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Undertake repairs to the interior and exterior of building, including windows, walls, ceilings and floorboards. To remove 20thC extension from south elevation, reconfigure ground floor kitchen, larder & lean-to. To provide new ground floor back door with carved surround. To replace ground floor kitchen door with window. To remove & replace existing spiral staircase. Addition of underfloor heating to the ground floor. To relocate 2no. bathrooms & provide 1no. new bathroom on the first floor. Addition of 2 no. rooflights to utility extension, and 2no. on first floor south elevation. Cummins Farm Stockland Honiton EX14 9EZRef. No: 23/1531/LBC | Validated: Thu 27 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of detached plant building, and air source heat pump to be installed Cummins Farm Stockland Honiton EX14 9EZRef. No: 23/1530/FUL | Validated: Thu 27 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Phased demolition of an existing police station.Police Station North Street Exmouth Devon EX8 1JZRef. No: 23/1525/DEM | Validated: Mon 24 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of a Chopstix unit Devon Cliffs Holiday Centre Sandy Bay Exmouth Devon EX8 5BTRef. No: 23/1492/FUL | Validated: Wed 26 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Extension of balcony, additional roller shutter doors and associated internal modification Unit 20A Flightway Dunkeswell Business Park Dunkeswell Devon EX14 4RDRef. No: 23/1494/FUL | Validated: Tue 25 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Change of use of land to residential garden. Parmiters Combpyne Axminster EX13 8TERef. No: 23/1477/FUL | Validated: Fri 28 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of replacement outbuilding (retrospective) 2 Gordon Terrace Dolphin Road Beer Devon EX12 3ENRef. No: 23/1392/FUL | Validated: Thu 27 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• W1, Willow : pollard AS1, Aspen : crown reduction AS2, Aspen : crown reduction Oaks, O2 to O6 : crown reduction, crown lifting and thinning. Danson House Marsh Green Devon EX5 2ESRef. No: 23/1396/TRE | Validated: Wed 26 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Restoration and refurbishment of redundant agricultural barns and conversion to holiday let residential accommodation including removal of adjacent open steel barn Cleverhayes Farm Cotleigh Honiton Devon EX14 9HQRef. No: 23/1373/FUL | Validated: Mon 24 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Retention of building for mixed use comprising garaging and hobby workshop use ancillary to the residential use of Lake Cottage and horticultural storage use ancillary to the use of the land. Lake Cottage Combe Raleigh EX14 4UJRef. No: 23/1349/FUL | Validated: Mon 24 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of agricultural building Land Adjacent Longmeadow BroadclystRef. No: 23/1335/FUL | Validated: Tue 25 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Outline planning permission for residential development of 20 no. dwellings with some matters reserved including access Land Adjacent To Hillcrest AwliscombeRef. No: 23/1276/MOUT | Validated: Tue 25 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Change of use of agricultural land(use class) to recreational area (use class). Land West Of Hillcrest AwliscombeRef. No: 23/1271/FUL | Validated: Tue 25 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposal for the refurbishment of dilapidated outbuildings for use as workshops Perriton Barn Talaton Road Whimple Devon EX5 2QYRef. No: 23/1163/FUL | Validated: Tue 25 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposal for the refurbishment of dilapidated outbuildings for use as workshops Perriton Barn Talaton Road Whimple Devon EX5 2QYRef. No: 23/1164/LBC | Validated: Tue 25 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Small landscaped area at front of property be made into a driveway for second vehicle (retrospective application). 61 Hutchings Drive Tithebarn Exeter EX1 3UQRef. No: 23/1160/FUL | Validated: Tue 25 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• To remove original front wall, repair left hand pier, excavate grass area, pave area and build a new 9″ wall. Install new drainage and kerb to the public highway. 46 St Johns Road Exmouth EX8 4BYRef. No: 23/1027/FUL | Validated: Mon 24 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replace 9no. windows on roadside south west elevation and 1no. window on side south east elevation; re-roof side extension and rebuild chimney with pot Irelands Clyst Hydon Devon EX15 2NFRef. No: 23/0829/LBC | Validated: Mon 24 Jul 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision

Almost 18 months after the furore of the Owen Paterson scandal led to promises of a crackdown on MPs having second jobs, their income from work outside parliament has continued to rise, Guardian analysis has found.

Sophie Zeldin-O’Neill www.theguardian.com

The analysis looked at all MPs who had made more than £1,000 in the past year, excluding income from completing surveys, and found that they had collectively made £10m in this period, driven largely by a figure close to £5m made by the former prime minister Boris Johnson in his final months as an MP.

While some MPs gave up well-paid consultancy work in 2021 after the anger about Owen Paterson’s lobbying on behalf of a company that paid him, others have begun building up portfolio careers in the past 12 months.

October 2021: the Owen Paterson scandal

The former Tory cabinet minister Owen Paterson is found to have breached parliament’s rules after using his position as an MP to lobby ministers and government departments on behalf of two companies that employed him as a consultant.

Paterson’s proposed sanction from the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is a 30-day suspension from the House. However, this is delayed by a government motion (led by then-PM Boris Johnson), which proposed redesigning the disciplinary process for MPs. This is widely seen as an attempt to save Paterson’s career.

The government later U-turns on its decision, and Johnson describes it as a “total mistake” and calls for there to be “reasonable limits” placed on how much time an MP can spend on a second job versus their day-to-day role. Soon after, Paterson resigns.

November 2021: the Geoffrey Cox furore

The focus soon shifts to the former UK attorney general Geoffrey Cox. Guardian analysis of the MPs’ register of interests finds he has made nearly £6m from his work as a barrister outside parliament in the 16 years since he became a Conservative MP. An investigation by the Guardian finds that a quarter of Conservative MPs hold second jobs.

In an attempt to silence increasingly critical headlines, Boris Johnson writes to the Commons Speaker proposing rules that would update the code of conduct for MPs and ban MPs working as paid political consultants or lobbyists. Ministers say they will back reasonable limits on outside earnings and it is suggested that around 10-15 hours a week would be fair.

March 2022: plans to cap UK MPs’ income from second jobs are dropped

But six months later ministers tell the Commons standards committee that a time limit or ceiling on such earnings would be “impractical”.

Steve Barclay, the chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, and Mark Spencer, the leader of the House of Commons, say: “The imposition of time limits would not necessarily serve to address recent concerns over paid advocacy and the primary duty of MPs to serve their constituents. It could be possible, for example, for a member to conduct work within the accepted time limits but that does not necessarily mean such work is ‘appropriate’ even if it did not constitute ‘paid advocacy’.”

They add: “Earnings from activities such as writing books for example, would not preclude members from meeting their principal duty to their constituents.”

May 2022: plans to limit the amount of time MPs can spend on second jobs are dropped

Changes to the MPs’ code of conduct were considered by the Commons standards committee after outcry over the Paterson and Cox scandals but they agree that without cross-party agreement on reform, the system should stay as it is.

January 2023: Keir Starmer proposes a ban on second jobs

The Labour leader calls for a ban, but adds that there may be some “exceptions”.

In this same month, the Guardian reports that Tory MPs have been paid £15.2m from second jobs since the 2019 general election, dwarfing the combined income of politicians who represent other parties. The former prime minister Theresa May is the biggest recipient at this point, with her office receiving £2.5m on top of her parliamentary salary, mainly from giving speeches to organisations in the US such as JP Morgan bank and the private equity firm Apax Partners.

March 2023: new MPs’ code of conduct comes into effect

The refreshed code introduces an outright ban on paid parliamentary advice, tightens loopholes and improves transparency. For the first time, the code now explicitly prohibits members providing parliamentary advice to an outside employer. This includes providing or agreeing to provide services as a parliamentary adviser, consultant or strategist. It also requires MPs to have a written contract for any outside work, stating that they cannot lobby for their employer or give paid parliamentary advice, and that their employer cannot ask them to do so.

July 2023: head of ethics watchdog calls for limits on MPs’ second jobs

Lord Evans calls for some form of limit on MPs’ second jobs, telling Sky News it is “hard to argue” some politicians are putting parliament first. The crossbench peer, who spent his career in the secret service and was head of MI5 for six years, says MPs should be given an “indicative” ceiling on how much time to spend on their extra-parliamentary roles.

Guess who benefits from converting barns into airbnbs? Well, it’s certainly not the environment nor the local communities.

The Conservatives are still hell bent on destroying our countryside for profit. – Owl 

England’s national parks would be “destroyed” by proposed government rules that would allow landowners to convert barns into houses without planning permission, critics have said.

Helena Horton www.theguardian.com 

The levelling up department has launched a consultation into new legislation that would change permitted development rights to allow farmers to turn agricultural buildings into homes.

The consultation proposes to loosen the planning systems on national parks and other conservation areas to bring prosperity to towns and villages within them. It states: “Allowing our town and village centres within protected landscapes (such as national parks) to benefit from the right could help ensure the longer-term viability and vitality of these community hubs, supporting the residents and businesses that rely on them.”

It specifically cites the aim to give farmers the ability to change their agricultural buildings into houses: “We want to give farmers greater freedom to change the use of their existing buildings to residential use and support the delivery of new homes in rural communities.”

However, national park chiefs have said the proposals are “bonkers” and could cause thousands of new developments to mar the views in some of England’s most beautiful areas.

David Butterworth, the CEO of the Yorkshire Dales national park, told the Guardian: “If I was trying to devise a policy that would essentially lead to the destruction of Yorkshire Dales national park, this would be the policy. These are permitted development rights to convert a property without any planning restriction. This means the 6,500 field barns in the Yorkshire Dales could be converted into homes. The idea they could be homes with no restrictions would decimate the landscapes.

“It is one of the most bonkers examples of environmental destruction I could think of. I am extremely concerned that this has been introduced now with an eight-week consultation. It is just crackers.”

Kevin Bishop, the CEO of Dartmoor national park authority, added: “National parks were designated for their outstanding natural beauty. The proposed extension of permitted developments could destroy these landscapes and cause untold harm to the local economy and local communities. The ability to convert any equestrian field shelter or agricultural barn to an open market house would cause untold damage to our landscapes and yet do nothing to support the provision of affordable housing.”

Politicians have also vowed to oppose the proposed legislation. The Liberal Democrats’ environment spokesperson, Tim Farron, said: “The government needs to stop this now. Our national parks cannot become a developer free-for-all. Sadly we have a Conservative government which is bankrolled by developers, who don’t give a damn about the environment, let alone national park areas.

“As an MP representing both the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales, I will fight this tooth and nail. We simply cannot trust this government with our precious environment.”

Environment charities are also likely to challenge the idea. Paul Miner, the head of policy and planning at CPRE, the countryside charity, said: “These proposals, if enacted, would irrevocably damage our most treasured and protected landscapes. And no matter how serious the damage, there would be nothing anybody could do to stop it. The government cannot be serious.

“The countryside does not need more millionaires living in plush barn conversions. It needs affordable and social housing. These nonsensical changes to planning policy would entrench division and disempower local people. They would allow farm buildings to be converted with no scope to insist on affordable housing or any other measures that might alleviate the housing crisis.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: “This consultation remains open and we will consider all responses, including that from National Parks UK, before coming to a decision. We have been clear that any developments must be beautiful and enhance the environment.”

Hospitals in the South-West of England recorded the highest hospital admission rate, with an interactive map showing a 104% increase in Covid cases in Devon in the seven days leading up to 29 July.

Holly Evans www.independent.co.uk (see original article for more charts and graphs)

With a new Covid-19 variant emerging across the UK, certain areas have seen an increase in cases and hospital admissions on the rise over the school summer holidays.

Named Eris after the Greek goddess of strife and discord, the descendant of the Omicron variant now accounts for as many as one in seven cases after it was first recorded in the UK last month.

The latest data from the UK Health Security Agency suggests that Eris, referred to as EG.5.1, represents 14.6% of all cases, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) adding it to the list of variants under monitoring.

However, health bosses at the UKHSA have said it is “not unexpected” to see new variants of Covid-19, with experts claiming it showed no signs of being more dangerous than previous strains.

This comes as hospital admissions have seen a recent spike, with an increase to 1.97 per 100,000 as of July 30. Data from the previous week recorded the hospital admission rate as 1.47 per 100,000, while those aged over 85 were the highest affected age group.

Hospitals in the South-West of England recorded the highest hospital admission rate, with an interactive map showing a 104% increase in Covid cases in Devon in the seven days leading up to 29 July.

Other Covid hotspots include Surrey, with a 103.3% increase, Derbyshire, with a 121.4% increase, as well as Cornwall, Somerset, Staffordshire, Darlington and Cumbria.

Experts have attributed the recent rise to a number of different reasons, including waning immunity, increased indoor mixing and the possibility that cinema trips to watch Barbie and Oppenheimer have caused the virus to spread.

Hospital admission rates had increased to 1.97 per 100,000 as of 30 July, with those aged over 85 being the age group with the highest rate (UKHSA)

According to the Zoe Health Study, estimated case numbers jumped by almost 200,000 last month, from 606,656 predicted cases on 4 July to 785,980 on 27 July.

Globally, the new variant Eris accounts for around 20% of Covid cases in Asia, 10% in Europe and seven per cent in North America. Common symptoms include a headache, mild or severe fatigue, a sore throat and a runny nose.

Independent Sage member Professor Christina Pagel told The Independent that she believed the UK is “definitely starting another wave” driven by the Omicron sub variants, Arcturus and Eris.

Sharing the latest Covid data, she said that there had been a 40 per cent jump in hospital admissions last week, with a 28 per cent jump in the number of patients in hospital primarily due to the disease.

However, the numbers overall remain low, with authorities continuing to monitor the situation as infection rates change.

Dr Meera Chand, Deputy Director of UKHSA, said: “It is not unexpected to see new variants of SARS-CoV-2 emerge. UKHSA continues to analyse available data relating to SARS-CoV-2 variants in the UK and abroad.

“EG.5.1 was designated as a variant on 31 July 2023 due to continued growth internationally and presence in the UK, allowing us to monitor it through our routine surveillance processes.”

“Vaccination remains our best defence against future COVID-19 waves, so it is still as important as ever that people come take up all the doses for which they are eligible as soon as possible.’’

Prof Francois Balloux, Professor of Computational Systems Biology and Director, UCL Genetics Institute, UCL, said: “The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emerged nearly two years ago and rapidly became dominant worldwide. It has spawned a very large number of sub-variants constantly replacing other.

“The latest Omicron sub-variant to attract media attention is called EG.5.1. It is a direct descendent of the XBB.1.9.2 sub-variant, and carries one additional mutation in the spike protein. EG.5.1 is increasing in frequency and currently represents about 15% of the cases in the UK.

“Covid cases and hospitalisations have been going up slightly in the UK over recent days, but this is starting from the lowest baseline since March 2020. As such, the recent increases in case numbers and hospitalisations may sound ominous when expressed in percentage increase, but the numbers remain small in absolute terms.

“The EG.5.1 variant plays only a minor role in the current increase in cases, which is driven primarily by the weather and constantly waning immunity. There is nothing that feels particularly concerning about EG.5.1, relative to the many other Omicron sub-variants in circulation.”

Who crashed the economy? – Owl

Fourteen people remain on her resignation honours list, which is being vetted by the House of Lords appointments commission. The list could have been even longer, however, as at least two people turned down a nomination by the former prime minister, The Times has been told.

Matt Dathan www.thetimes.co.uk

One source said they felt it would be “humiliating” to receive an honour from Truss, who served as prime minister for 49 days, the shortest spell in British history. Another said they did not deserve it.

Truss nominated four people for life peerages and 12 for honours such as knighthoods, damehoods, OBEs, CBEs and MBEs. According to previous reports the nominated life peers include Sir Jon Moynihan, a big pro-Brexit donor to the Conservative Party, and Matthew Elliott, who ran the Brexit campaign in 2016.

The others are said to be Ruth Porter, Truss’s deputy chief of staff in No 10, and Mark Littlewood, the outgoing head of the Institute for Economic Affairs, a think tank that backed her mini-budget.

Truss also wishes to recognise a “handful” of “local community heroes” in Norfolk, where her constituency is, according to a source close to her.

It is understood that Kwasi Kwarteng, who served as chancellor under Truss and oversaw the disastrous mini-budget, has not been included on the list. It is not known if he asked not to be included.

Mark Fullbrook, who also worked for Truss in No 10, had pushed for advisers to get honours in the days leading up to her departure last October. However, one aide rejected the honour as they did not feel they had earned it.

A source insisted the list was “very modest” and said it was customary for those departing No 10 to be given the chance to draw up a resignation list.

However, it is likely to renew criticism of the honours system, which was under fire over Boris Johnson’s list of more than 40 awards, which is said to have been whittled down from an original list of almost 100. It included seven peerages, including to an aide aged 30.

Opposition parties have called for Truss’s honours to be blocked. It is understood that she submitted the list to the commission several months ago and the names are still being vetted. Those on the list have not been given any indication of how long it will take. Truss’s office declined to comment.

Moynihan, 75, gave £20,000 to Truss’s leadership campaign last summer. He has attributed her demise to the Bank of England being “asleep at the wheel”, saying the end of her government would “reverberate to the detriment of many people’s view of democracy in this country”.

Elliott, 45, was chief executive of Vote Leave and founded the TaxPayers’ Alliance. Porter worked for Truss at the Ministry of Justice before her stint at No 10. Littlewood, 51, a former Liberal Democrat adviser, has known Truss since they were Oxford University undergraduates.

Since leaving office, Truss has spoken out predominantly about the need to stand up to China. She has been given tens of thousands of pounds by the investment banker behind the right-wing Reclaim Party, as well as a friend of the Duke of York as she seeks to portray herself as a victim of the “anti-growth coalition”.

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