Babak Belurs

Kamis, 09 Juni 2022

Legal age someone can buy cigarettes should rise by a year every year, review recommends - Sky News

The age at which someone can legally buy cigarettes in England should rise by a year every year until no one can get them, a government-commissioned review has found.

The plans would create a "smoke-free generation", with people under a certain age unable to buy cigarettes and other tobacco products in their lifetime - similar to New Zealand which has banned the sale of cigarettes anyone born after 2008.

Raising the age at which people can buy tobacco products, currently 18, is seen as crucial in order to reach the government's "Smokefree 2030" ambition - defined as less than 5% of the population smoking - but ministers are reportedly split over the plans.

What else does the review recommend?

Increased investment in smoke-free policies
The promotion of vaping
Improved prevention in the NHS

Responding to the review, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the government will "carefully consider" the recommendations set out in the delayed "landmark review" by Dr Javed Khan, the former chief executive of Barnardo's, that was released this morning.

The report found England is currently on track to miss its smoke-free 2030 target "by at least seven years", with the poorest areas in society not meeting it until 2044.

"To have any chance of hitting the smoke-free 2030 target, we need to accelerate the rate of decline of people who smoke, by 40%," the report said.

The government has been urged to ban all online sales of tobacco products, and stop supermarkets from selling them in order to limit the availability of tobacco across the country.

Other recommendations include increasing investment by £125m per year to reach the government's 2030 target, including £70m annually in services to help people to stop smoking.

The report also recommends the NHS offers smokers advice and support to quit "at every interaction they have with health services, whether that be through GPs, hospitals, psychiatrists, midwives, pharmacists, dentists or optometrists".

A rethink of the way cigarette sticks and packets look to reduce their appeal, and a mass media campaign to encourage smokers to quit has also been suggested.

Currently, smoking costs the NHS £2.5bn per year.

Ban 'takes away the rights of adult consumers'

The tobacco industry has spoken out against the potential life ban, with the Tobacco Manufacturers Association saying it takes away the rights of adult consumers and could lead people to illegal and unregulated products.

A spokesperson for the TMA told Sky News: "At the age of 18, adults are well-aware of the risks associated with smoking and should be free to access a legal product.

"Mr Khan's recommendation that the legal age to smoke should be increased by one year, every year, will lead adult smokers towards unregulated and untaxed products from illegal channels.

"Prohibition always has serious unintended consequences and opens the door to the sale of illicit products by criminal gangs, as we saw in South Africa, following a temporary ban on tobacco products.

"Such a ban would also take away the right of adult consumers to make their own choices and sets a worrying precedent. The age at which people can access restricted products such as alcohol, tobacco, vaping, betting and the National Lottery has been standardised at 18 and over.

"Changing this will make enforcement and education much more difficult and present challenges for retailers."

But one tobacco firm 'welcomes' recognition of vaping products

Dr Khan's report also recommends the promotion of vaping, including prescribed vapes, saying: "We know vapes are not a 'silver bullet' nor are they totally risk-free, but the alternative is far worse."

Mr Javid said the government will take forward a range of work on vaping as a substitute for smoking "in due course", in addition to publishing a new tobacco control plan.

Kingsley Wheaton, chief marketing officer at British American Tobacco, said: "To achieve the UK government's smoke-free 2030 target, a holistic approach that recognises the role of reduced-risk tobacco and nicotine products is essential to achieve Tobacco Harm Reduction.

"We welcome further recognition of the potential for vapor products to reduce the harm caused by cigarettes.

"As we are currently reviewing the report in detail, we are unable to comment further at this point."

'Make smoking obsolete'

Dr Khan wrote: "Smoking kills and ruins lives. But it doesn't have to be like that.

"By commissioning this review, the government sent out a powerful message that the status quo is not acceptable. I have taken on that challenge and responded with recommendations that are as comprehensive as they are bold.

"Anything less would have been an abdication of my duty. We now need to make it as hard as possible to smoke, and as easy as possible to quit, leading to a smoke-free generation."

He added: "To truly achieve a smoke-free society in this great country of ours, smoking should be obsolete. I cannot, in all conscience, endorse a strategy that settles for anything less.

"So, I am asking the government to go further than its current ambitions. It needs to go faster. It needs to be bolder. It needs to do more to protect future generations from this highly addictive and deadly product. Along the way, the government should do all it can to dissuade the tobacco industry from selling tobacco products.

"The ambition for tackling smoking should aim for 'net zero' - to make smoking obsolete."

There are a reported six million smokers in England, and 46% of people don't feel the government is doing enough to limit smoking.

Smoking remains the single biggest cause of preventable illness and death, the report said.

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2022-06-09 11:26:56Z
1460201494

Legal age someone can buy cigarettes should rise by a year every year, review recommends - Sky News

The age at which someone can legally buy cigarettes in England should rise by a year every year until no one can get them, a government-commissioned review has found.

Raising the age at which people can buy tobacco products, currently 18, is seen as crucial in order to reach the government's 'Smokefree 2030' ambition - defined as less than 5% of the population smoking - but ministers are reportedly split over the plans.

What else does the review recommend?

Increased investment in smoke-free policies
The promotion of vaping
Improved prevention in the NHS

Responding to the review, health secretary Sajid Javid said the government will "carefully consider" the recommendations set out in the delayed "landmark review" by Dr Javed Khan, the former chief executive of Barnardo's, that was released this morning.

The report found England is currently on track to miss its smoke-free 2030 target "by at least seven years", with the poorest areas in society not meeting it until 2044.

"To have any chance of hitting the smoke-free 2030 target, we need to accelerate the rate of decline of people who smoke, by 40%," the report said.

The government has been urged to ban all online sales of tobacco products, and stop supermarkets from selling them in order to limit the availability of tobacco across the country.

Other recommendations include increasing investment by £125 million per year to reach the government's 2030 target, including £70 million annually in services to help people to stop smoking.

A rethink of the way cigarette sticks and packets look to reduce their appeal, and a mass media campaign to encourage smokers to quit has also been suggested.

Currently, smoking costs the NHS £2.5 billion per year.

Tobacco firm 'welcomes' recognition of vaping products

Mr Javid said the government will take forward a range of work on vaping as a substitute for smoking "in due course", in addition to publishing a new tobacco control plan.

Kingsley Wheaton, Chief Marketing Officer, at British American Tobacco said: "To achieve the UK Government's smoke-free 2030 target, a holistic approach that recognises the role of reduced-risk tobacco and nicotine products is essential to achieve Tobacco Harm Reduction.

"We welcome further recognition of the potential for vapor products to reduce the harm caused by cigarettes.

"As we are currently reviewing the report in detail, we are unable to comment further at this point."

'I urge the government to make smoking obsolete'

Dr Khan wrote: "Smoking kills and ruins lives. But it doesn't have to be like that.

"Anything less would have been an abdication of my duty. We now need to make it as hard as possible to smoke, and as easy as possible to quit, leading to a smoke-free generation."

He added: "To truly achieve a smoke-free society in this great country of ours, smoking should be obsolete. I cannot, in all conscience, endorse a strategy that settles for anything less.

"The ambition for tackling smoking should aim for 'net zero' - to make smoking obsolete."

There are a reported six million smokers in England, and 46% of people don't feel the government is doing enough to limit smoking.

Smoking remains the single biggest cause of preventable illness and death, the report said.

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Rabu, 08 Juni 2022

“No suspicious circumstances” as police confirm body found near town centre school - Wrexham.com

Wrexham.com for people living in or visiting the wrexham area

UPDATE: Sadly police have issued the following statement, circulated locally by Inspector Luke Hughes, “You may be aware that there has been some police activity today in the area of St Marys School / Bellevue park, I can confirm that at around 11:26hrs today (8th June) officers responded to a report of a found body at this location.”

“Initially a police cordon was established but early indications suggest no suspicious circumstances, the body has now been recovered and is pending identification.”

Original information below…

Local police have moved to reassure people as they respond to an unspecified incident near a town centre school.

Wrexham Town officers have said, “Officers are currently responding to an incident in the area of St Mary’s school in Wrexham.

There is no risk or threat to the public or pupils, and our enquires continue.

“We will provide further details in due course.”

No further information has been released yet.

Spotted something? Got a story? Send a Facebook Message | A direct message on Twitter | Email News@Wrexham.com

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news from across North Wales

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2022-06-08 14:49:25Z
1460045438

Keep your promise to curb rail strikes, Tories urged - The Times

Ministers should pass a law promised in the Conservative manifesto to limit the fallout of rail strikes that threaten to paralyse the network this month, a senior Tory MP has said.

The party promised in 2019 to introduce a requirement for minimum service during walkouts, which would stop all-out strikes such as those planned on June 21, 23 and 25.

“If that’s the case, then there’s still some trains operating and therefore makes it harder for everything to be ground to a halt,” Huw Merriman, chairman of the transport committee, told Today on BBC Radio 4.

“Bear in mind that we regard rail as an essential service; that’s why we kept it running during the pandemic for key workers. If it was right that we

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2022-06-08 15:05:00Z
1460570283

Collin Reeves: Ex-soldier stabbed married couple to death with ceremonial dagger in parking space row, court told - Sky News

A former soldier killed a married couple at their home using a ceremonial dagger presented to him on leaving the army in a dispute over a parking space, a court has heard.

Collin Reeves is on trial at Bristol Crown Court accused of the murder of his neighbours Stephen and Jennifer Chapple in Dragon Rise, Norton Fitzwarren, near Taunton in Somerset, on the evening of 21 November.

Reeves, also of Dragon Rise, had been involved in a long-running dispute with the couple over designated parking on the new-build housing development, the court heard.

In the prosecution's opening statement, Adam Feest QC told the jury at Bristol Crown Court that Reeves had killed the couple while their two children were fast asleep upstairs at around 9pm.

The court heard both Mr and Mrs Chapple were stabbed six times by 35-year-old Reeves after he jumped over the back garden fence and entered the couple's home.

He then carried out a minute-long attack on the couple in their living room, stabbing both "multiple times" in the living room, the court heard.

The jury was shown a clip from the Chapples' back door camera of Reeves entering through the back door, before Mrs Chapple could then be heard screaming in terror, with Reeves shouting "die you f****** die".

However, the clip was so upsetting that many of the victims' family members seated in the public gallery chose to leave court before it was played.

Mrs Chapple, 33, suffered six stab wounds to her upper chest and shoulder, causing fatal injuries to a major blood vessel and her heart, prosecutor Adam Feest QC said.

She did not even have a chance to stand up from the sofa to defend herself, he added.

Mr Chapple, 36, was found close to the rear door and had also suffered six stab wounds as well as three other minor injuries.

Neither had any defensive injuries, indicating the speed of the attack, Mr Feest said.

Reeves had been suffering problems in his marriage

The jury was told that Reeves, who was a commando engineer with the British Army, has admitted killing the couple and has pleaded guilty to their manslaughter.

He claims he was suffering an "abnormality of mental functioning", and jurors were told it will be their job to decide whether this was true.

The jury was also told it will hear evidence from two psychiatrists about Reeves' mental state.

After the killings, Reeves climbed back over the fence and telephoned the police to tell them he had stabbed his neighbours.

Just a few days before the attack, Mrs Chapple was the victim of a "particularly unpleasant verbal assault" by Reeves, Mr Feest said, which was captured on the victims' Ring Doorbell camera.

Reeves had also been suffering problems in his own marriage, the jury was told.

Mr Feest said: "Whether it was this parking dispute, tensions within the defendant's marriage, or a combination of these things which led the defendant to kill his neighbours is unclear.

"When he was questioned by the police in interview about his actions, the defendant chose to exercise his right to silence."

The trial is expected to last for eight days.

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2022-06-08 12:45:48Z
1461861254

Boris Johnson: Don't change rules to allow another confidence vote, health secretary Sajid Javid says - Sky News

Conservative MPs should not change the rules to allow another confidence vote in the prime minister within a year, Sajid Javid has said.

The health secretary said it was a "clear and decisive result" on Monday night when Boris Johnson won a confidence vote among his MPs - although 148 voted against him.

There have been suggestions the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs could change the rules that currently state another confidence vote in a leader cannot happen within a year after they have won a ballot.

PM told to replace Rishi Sunak - politics live

Rebel MP Tobias Ellwood told Sky News on Tuesday he believes the committee is looking into changing the rules so the PM could face another vote in six months.

But Mr Javid told Sky News' Kay Burley: "Of course, they shouldn't change the rules.

"There's no need to change any rules because we've had the ballot, it's a clear, decisive result.

"And we've just got to get on with the job."

MPs unhappy with Mr Johnson can hand in letters of no confidence to the 1922 Committee chair Sir Graham Brady, and on Monday he announced the threshold of 15% of Tory MPs - 54 - had done so, which triggered the vote.

Speculation has risen in the wake of Monday's vote, with an "influential" rebel telling The Times a "majority of 1922 officers" will agree to change the rules "when the time is right" - and they expect that to happen before the party conference in October.

But Tory MP Karl McCartney, who is on the 1922 Committee, said the 16 MPs on the executive "have never discussed changing the rules" and that speculation is "nonsense".

A source close to the 1922 Committee told Sky News a rule change was expected to be discussed at their meeting this week but they do not think it will happen.

"You can't do this once the year has started. You could have done it before the vote or after the year is up but I can't see how you can change the rules mid-game," they said.

Follow the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts,  Google Podcasts,  Spotify, Spreaker

Mr Javid also addressed claims the PM wants to promote those who have been loyal to him over those who are experienced.

"My experience is that he wants the best people in the right roles so that we can get on with dealing with the huge challenges, especially post-pandemic, we face as a country," he said.

"That's why I think, for example, I was asked to step into this role. For me, this is the toughest job I've done in government so far."

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2022-06-08 07:52:30Z
1442048135

Unions branded selfish by No 10 over June rail strike plans - BBC

An empty platform patrolled by a staff member

Unions have been branded selfish over rail worker strike plans which threaten major disruption to passengers.

The RMT Union said it will shut down the country's railway network on 21, 23 and 25 June after talks over pay and redundancies fell through.

A No 10 source said the government was determined to make the railways "more efficient", as they criticised the plans as selfish and irresponsible.

Train operators and RMT have said they want more talks to avoid the strikes.

If industrial action goes ahead, more than 40,000 staff from Network Rail and 13 train operators are expected to take part in what is dubbed the "biggest rail strike in modern history".

On the first day of the planned strike on 21 June, London Underground RMT workers plan to walk out in a separate dispute over pensions and job losses.

The strikes are expected to affect thousands of rail passengers, and fall during music and sporting events including the Glastonbury Festival and an England cricket Test match against New Zealand.

The BBC understands the action will leave around a fifth of mainline rail services running on the strike days, with the majority operating for a maximum of 12 hours.

But due to the walk outs being 24 hour hours each, there is a risk disruption will spill into non-strike days which follow leading to a week of disruption.

According to the Department for Transport, the average salary rail worker salary is £44,000. This is more than the median pay of other public sector workers, such as nurses (£31,000), teachers (£37,000), and care workers (£17,000).

A No 10 source said the move was "thoroughly irresponsible" and warned it would inflict "pain and economic disruption on their fellow citizens in really tough times".

However, Mick Lynch, secretary general of the RMT union, hit back at the government saying they were "experts at being selfish and irresponsible".

He told the BBC his members needed a pay deal, job security and "decent terms and conditions".

"The government have the key to unlock that," he added.

Steve Montgomery, of the Rail Delivery Group, said the industry body was "extremely disappointed" with the prospect of strike action. "It's really important we ask RMT to get back round the table," he said.

He said that the industry had received £16bn in subsidies over the pandemic, but that level of funding could not continue.

"We have to look how we can reform," he said. "We've not said 'we're not going to give staff a pay increase', but we need to sit down and talk with RMT on how we can move reform forward to make it fair for everybody."

Rail firms "are looking at all options" to modernise, including job losses, he said, as well as trying to operate services during the strikes.

The industry group said rail industry revenue is currently at 82% of 2019 levels, which is the same as a £38m shortfall on pre-Covid revenue levels every week.

However, Mr Lynch said railway firms "can easily afford a pay rise for our members, it'll just mean they have to cut back on their profits".

"They are ripping off the passenger, they are ripping off the taxpayer. The government needs to fund the railway properly, and we need the companies to give up some of their profits to give our members a pay rise," he added.

Despite more people working from home since the pandemic, Mr Lynch said revenues and passenger numbers were recovering.

He said the union doesn't want disruption for thousands of commuters, but had been talking to rail firms for two years trying to get pay deals.

He argued the firms wanted to cut thousands of jobs while still getting "fat cat profits", and that executives had been paid "millions" during the pandemic.

"We've got another two weeks before this action starts. There's plenty of time to get proposals forward," he added.

Which lines will be affected by the strike?

People working for 13 train operating companies, which each run services in different parts of the country, will take part in the strike. These are:

Chiltern Railways
Cross Country Trains
Greater Anglia
LNER
East Midlands Railway
c2c
Great Western Railway
Northern Trains
South Eastern Railway
South Western Railway
TransPennine Express
Avanti West Coast
West Midlands Trains

In addition, workers at Network Rail, which maintains the railways throughout Britain, also voted to strike. So the impact of the action would be felt across England, Scotland, and Wales.

But a Rail Delivery Group spokesman said the RMT was "using inflated figures made up of smoke and mirrors to disguise the real issue".

Transport Secretary Mr Shapps said Covid "changed travel habits - with 25% fewer ticket sales and the taxpayer stepping in to keep the railways running at a cost of £16bn, equivalent to £600 per household".

"We must act now to put the industry on a sustainable footing," he added.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of the independent watchdog Transport Focus, said further talks were crucial, and there would need to be an effort to give passengers certainty.

How will you be affected by the planned rail strikes? Tell us by emailing: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:

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2022-06-08 08:47:57Z
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Kamis, 09 Juni 2022

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Rabu, 08 Juni 2022

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Which lines will be affected by the strike?