Babak Belurs

Senin, 20 Mei 2024

£5bn Brexit border checks system still has no timetable for launch, watchdog says - The Independent

A post-Brexit border control system designed to “take control” of Britain’s borders has no clear timetable for completion, warned the National Audit Office (NAO) on Monday.

The public spending watchdog said repeated changes and deferrals to the government’s flagship plan for full import controls from the EU was leading to uncertainty for businesses and extra costs for government and ports.

The Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) is being brought in through phases, with the second for animal and plant exports coming in on 30 April. A third part of the model on safety and security declarations is due to be introduced in October - but it’s not clear when full controls will be in place.

Lorries at the Sevington Inland Border Facility in Ashford as the National Audit Office warns over uncertainty for a post-Brexit border controls system (Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)

The scheme, hoped to make the “world’s most effective border”, lacks a clear timetable and an integrated cross-government delivery plan, said the NAO in a report issued.

The office said that since the transition period concluded at the end of 2020, the government had delayed its plans five times and spent money on infrastructure and staff that were ultimately not needed.

The overall cost of the system is set to be £4.7bn, estimated the NAO.

The government has no clear timetable to fully implement its post-Brexit border controls with the EU, the National Audit Office said on Monday (Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)

Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, said: “The UK leaving the EU created a large-scale change in arrangements for the movement of goods across the border. However, more than three years after the end of the transition period, it is still not clear when full controls will be in place.

“The border strategy has ambitious plans to use technology and data to facilitate trade while managing risks. To achieve its objectives, government requires strong delivery and accountability – including a more realistic approach to digital transformation – together with effective monitoring to enable future improvements.”

The BTOM is a new approach to security controls (applying to all imports), and sanitary and phytosanitary controls (applying to imports of live animals, animal products, plants and plant products) at the border.

It sets out how controls will be simplified and digitised, and Britain’s ambition for the UK’s new single trade window - but it’s had critics. Many fear the system will add delays, red tape and costs to many imports, with small and medium-sized businesses to be the most impacted.

The second phase of the border checks system was rolled out on the Easter Monday bank holiday weekend, with Marco Forgione, director general of the Institute of Export and International Trade, claiming it a “smart” move to introduce the additional checks during a time when traffic was going to be reduced.

The report by the NAO did note that border processes, including the introduction of full customs controls, have largely operated smoothly since the UK’s exit from the EU, but said that businesses trading goods between the UK and the EU have faced additional costs and administrative burden.

Martin McTague, national chair of the Federation of Small Businesses, said that the group’s research shows almost one in 10 small firms that used to export or import goods have stopped doing so in the past five years, in part due to the volume of paperwork, costs and supply chain or logistical issues.

He said: “Government needs to ensure that changes are better planned, timetabled and tested to ensure that operations run smoothly. This will minimise damage to trade and indeed our international global reputation.”

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2024-05-20 09:54:11Z
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Post-Brexit border checks forecast to cost UK £4.7bn, says NAO - The Guardian

The government expects to have spent at least £4.7bn on introducing post-Brexit border controls, which have been repeatedly hit by delays, the public spending watchdog has warned.

Plans to bring in border checks on goods coming from the EU faced “significant issues” including critical shortages of inspectors before their introduction last month, the National Audit Office said in a report.

The UK has said it hopes to have the “world’s most effective border” by 2025, but the watchdog said the strategy lacked “a clear timetable and an integrated cross-government delivery plan”, with individual departments responsible for implementing different aspects.

The government estimates it will spend at least £4.7bn on the 13 most significant border-related programmes over their lifetimes, of which £2.6bn had been spent by March 2023.

The report found that the Cabinet Office’s confidence in physical checks on plant and animal imports being introduced in April had been rated as “amber” at the start of the year. The department, which monitors the government and business readiness for the changes, said the amber rating meant that while the implementation was “feasible”, there were “significant issues that required management attention”.

This included difficulties recruiting and training port health authority inspectors to carry out the checks, with the government admitting that authorities “would not have 100% of the staff they required from day one”.

The Cabinet Office also raised concerns over whether the government had sufficient legislation in place to support the new checks.

The revelations over a lack of government preparedness for the changes, come a week after an IT outage led to lorries being held at the border posts for up to 20 hours, affecting many import businesses bringing in goods from the EU.

On 30 April, the government introduced physical checks on lorries bringing in animal and plant products coming from the continent, in a move that would mirror those the EU brought in for UK imports when the country left the single market in 2021.

The report found that the Cabinet Office had raised the lack of staff as a “critical issue” in January as well as the fact that an approach on compliance and enforcement had yet to be agreed.

Gareth Davies, the head of the NAO, said: “The UK leaving the EU created a large-scale change in arrangements for the movement of goods across the border. However, more than three years after the end of the transition period, it is still not clear when full controls will be in place.

Crucial laws, including those that allowed border posts to be officially designated to process goods, were eventually passed by parliament in April, while the government revealed publicly it would be scaling back some checks to avoid disruption only weeks before they were introduced.

The implementation followed five previous delays stretching back to July 2021, including an overhaul of approach in 2022 that led to the number of checks needed being significantly reduced.

These repeated delays and changes to approach meant the government had spent taxpayer funds on infrastructure and staff that were ultimately not needed, the report said.

This included spending £62m on procuring or building two sites near Dover that were intended to be border control posts but were not used, while also forking out £258m on eight temporary border facilities that have now been closed.

Port health authorities recruited 520 staff to undertake border checks between 2020 and 2021, of which 370 were no longer required after the government changed approach in 2022. Only some were reassigned roles within local authorities.

However, the NAO said the government was yet to set out a clear timetable on when policies to deliver it would be implemented, and there was no cross-government integrated plan for the strategy.

Meg Hillier, the Labour MP who chairs the public accounts committee (PAC), said:“A key promise of Brexit was that we would take back control of our border. Yet more than three years after the end of the transition period, full import controls are still not in place.

“Delays and changes in direction have caused unnecessary costs to government and businesses. As the PAC often sees across government, this could have been avoided with a clearer vision and better planning.”

A government spokesperson said: “Our borders strategy introduces essential, risk-based checks to protect the UK from potentially devastating pests and diseases. And we are making good progress, having successfully rolled out new checks in January and April this year while taking a pragmatic approach which minimises disruption.

“To support traders, we are also launching the Single Trade Window, a single secure gateway, which will make it easier for traders to provide information to government when importing goods.”

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Infected blood scandal: Inquiry into NHS disaster to publish findings - BBC

Protesters holding placards with messages related to the NHS infected blood scandal

By Nick Triggle and Jim Reed

BBC News

The public inquiry into the infected blood scandal, known as the biggest treatment disaster in NHS history, is due to publish its findings.

More than 30,000 people were infected with HIV and hepatitis C from 1970 to 1991 by contaminated blood products and transfusions.

About 3,000 of them have since died - many haemophiliacs given infected blood products as part of their treatment.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to issue an apology on Monday.

Chairman Sir Brian Langstaff will deliver his findings after the Infected Blood Inquiry took evidence between 2019 and 2023.

Two main groups of people were caught up in the scandal.

One was people with haemophilia, and those with similar disorders, who have a rare genetic condition which means their blood does not clot properly.

In the 1970s, a new treatment was developed to replace the missing clotting agents, made from donated human blood plasma.

But whole batches of the treatments - Factor VIII and Factor IX - were contaminated with deadly viruses.

Some of the treatments were imported from the US where blood was bought from high-risk donors such as prison inmates and drug-users.

The second group affected include people who had a blood transfusion after childbirth, accidents and during medical treatment.

Blood used for these patients was not imported, but some of it was also contaminated, mainly with hepatitis C.

One victim said any potential apology from the government "won't bring back the dead".

Ros Cooper, who was infected with hepatitis C after treatment for a bleeding disorder as a child, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that "words don't mean a lot".

"To a lot of people who've lost loved ones, what are words going to do? It's not going to bring back the dead, it's not going to wash away crimes that have been committed," she said.

"Lives were effectively ruined because of those decisions. Any kind of apology, to be worth anything to the victims, needs to come from somebody who truly understands that."

The key issues addressed by the inquiry include:

whether the victims have been supported enough
whether there were attempts by the government or NHS to conceal what happened
what more should have been done to prevent people becoming infected, including whether screening could have been introduced sooner.

Sir Brian's two interim reports, published in July 2022 and April 2023, made recommendations about compensation for victims and their families.

The government has said it accepts the "moral case" for compensation, and interim payouts of £100,000 each have already been made to about 4,000 survivors and bereaved partners.

Ministers have promised to address the issue of final compensation once the inquiry's report is published. The total cost is likely to run into billions.

On Sunday, the Conservatives and Labour both committed to compensation for victims, no matter the outcome of the general election expected later this year.

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting told Laura Kuenssberg there was a "rare moment of consensus", as Defence Secretary Grant Shapps agreed families had been let down "over decades".

Infected blood scandal victim Andy Evans

The Tainted Blood campaign group chairman, Andy Evans, who was infected with HIV and hepatitis C as a child through his haemophilia treatment, said publication of the report would be a "defining" moment after decades of campaigning.

"This is where we pin our hopes, really - we don't have anywhere else to go after this," he said.

"From the very beginning, victims have been gas-lit by government saying that the treatment was the best available and every decision was made with the best intention and with the best information they had available at the time.

"Through the course of the inquiry, that's proven to be false. The testimony that we've heard, both from victims and from people in office and the NHS, has shown that that wasn't true."

During the four-year inquiry, victims and their families have given evidence alongside former and current ministers, including Lord Clarke, who was health minister in the 1980s, and the current chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, who also gave evidence in his former role as health minister.

Speaking to the BBC's Westminster Hour on Radio 4, Labour's Dame Diana Johnson, the leading MP campaigning in parliament for the victims of the scandal, said many of the victims and their families were "apprehensive" and "worried" ahead of the report's publication, as "so many times before they've been let down".

She said those affected by the scandal had had to "battle and battle" against successive governments who had denied any wrongdoing since the 1980s, and that compensation for them would be "an acknowledgment of what the state did to those individuals and their families".

She said there was hope that their main questions - "Why was this allowed to happen and why was it covered up for so many years?" - would be answered by Sir Brian.

Speaking on the same programme, former Business Secretary Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said, "If the state has killed people it has got to pay the price", and that the government "should not shy away from it being expensive".

He added that the scandal demonstrated a "defence mechanism within the institutions of the state which we need to break down".

"For some reason there is a desire to cover up the mistakes made by long since passed government to no benefit of anybody who is currently in government...I do not understand why the state is not more open to saying yes mistakes were made."

On the issue of compensation for victims and their families, the Conservative MP said: "People deserve this compensation. This is one of the most important bills the government will pay."

Campaigners have also been critical of how long it has taken to get a public inquiry.

In other countries that faced contaminated blood scandals, including France and Japan, investigations into the medical disasters were completed many years ago.

In some cases, criminal charges were brought against doctors, politicians and other officials.

In the UK, a private inquiry in 2009 - funded entirely by donations - lacked any real powers, while a separate Scottish investigation in 2015 was branded a "whitewash" by victims and their families.

In 2017, following political pressure, then-Prime Minister Theresa May ordered a UK-wide public inquiry.

The findings are set to be presented at 12:30 BST.

Are you affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences 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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BBC iPlayer: Behind the Stories - Infected Blood Inquiry

Minggu, 19 Mei 2024

Father of boy, 13, who drowned in the River Tyne tells of his anguish after the death of another lad, 14, on t - Daily Mail

Robert Hattersley was swept under by the current in the river in July 2022

By Matt Strudwick

Published: 16:46 EDT, 19 May 2024 | Updated: 16:53 EDT, 19 May 2024

The father of a boy who drowned in the River Tyne has told of his anguish after another teen died on the same stretch of water.

Carl Hattersley says yesterday's tragedy has brought back memories of his ordeal in July 2022 when his son, Robert, 13, died.

Robert, from Crawcrook, was swept under by the current when he got into difficulty while swimming with his pals in the river in Ovingham, Northumberland.

Yesterday, a 14-year-old boy died and a 13-year-old boy is in a critical condition after getting into difficulty in the same waters.

The teen who passed away had jumped in to save his friend who began to struggle while playing on a rope swing, locals revealed.

Mr Hattersley, who has set up a foundation in his son's name to raise awareness of the dangers of open water swimming, said he wanted to send his condolences to the boy's family.

Robert Hattersley, 13, from Crawcrook, died in the River Tyne in July 2022. His father, Carl, has told of his anguish after another boy died on the same stretch of the water

Firefighters cut down the swing on Sunday afternoon following the tragic incident

'It brought back memories about what happened to our son, or what we went through,' Mr Hattersley said.

'We want to send our condolences to the family that have lost their young lad, to give them our love and support.

'If they want they can get in touch with a phone call because we know what it's like to lose a little boy.'

He said he was 'quite disappointed' with Northumberland Council, which he says has not been in touch with him since his son's death.

'We thought something would have been done by the Northumberland Council by now,' he said.

Mr Hattersley said he wanted to raise awareness of the dangers of open water swimming in schools.

'Let's get people aware, of all ages, like these young teenagers,' he said.

'If they're not from around here they might not know the dangers of Northumberland's rivers because it's quite dangerous and strong because of the current.'

He told Chronicle Live that there needs to be more awareness among older children about the dangers of the current.

'It can be quite strong in that area,' he said. 'It's very dangerous, that's why we want people to patrol the area.

'Kids are kids. They go down to the river and they don't see the dangers, they think it's fine. As the summer gets closer there's going to be more going down there.'

It is believed the two boys were part of a larger group of friends who had travelled from the west end of Newcastle around 12 miles away.

Police forensic officers gather evidence in Ovingham, Northumberland on Sunday morning

A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: 'Shortly after 3.30pm police received a report of concern for the welfare of two teenage boys who had come into difficulty in the water near to Ovingham bridge in Northumberland'

A woman who drove past the scene yesterday claimed the 14-year-old had attempted to rescue his younger pal who had jumped into the water.

The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said: 'I heard the first boy went into the river from the swing and he showed he was in trouble so the second one went in after him - I think he's the one who died'.

Shortly after 3.30pm on Saturday, police received a report of concern for the welfare of two teenage boys who were in the river near the bridge at Ovingham.

Emergency services were immediately deployed to the area and one of the boys, aged 13, was rescued from the water.

He was taken to hospital where he currently remains in a critical condition, police said in a statement on Sunday morning.

The witness added: 'There was a group of about eight teenage girls and boys so they must have travelled here together.

'They have come here thinking it is a nice spot to play. It's very common to see kids travelling from the Newcastle area.

'They think it's a calm spot to jump in the river but they don't realise the dangers. It's absolutely devastating.

'My kids used to play down and there and I would always say please, please be careful.

'I've even been down there and cut the swing down before but the kids put it back up.

A massive hunt was launched near the River Tyne to find two teenage boys who vanished while swimming in Ovingham

A helicopter was seen on site, helping with the desperate search efforts

'There was a big group of people who had gathered and I think the parents of some of the kids were here.

'Usually when this happens they don't find the bodies until they search further down the river but I think this time the poor child was pulled not far from where he's gone in.

'The river is very deep and the kids don't realise how deep and dangerous it is.

'My head is spinning thinking about how sad it is.'

A massive manhunt was launched and a number of organisations conducted a thorough search of the area in a bid to locate the second boy.

'Sadly, the 14-year-old's body was later found in the water and he was pronounced dead at the scene,' police said.

The parents of both boys are being supported by specially-trained officers at this extremely difficult time.

Chief Superintendent Helena Barron, of Northumbria Police, said: 'This is an absolutely tragic incident, and our thoughts are with the families of both boys at this difficult time as we continue to support them.

'A number of agencies were involved in the incident and their support was hugely appreciated.

'It is with great sadness that we could not provide a more positive update.'

The police cordon guarding the site where the two teens went into the water was finally lifted on Sunday afternoon.

Forensic officers had earlier spent the morning gathering evidence from the scene.

Access to the river is gained via a steep muddy slope just off Main Road which runs through the village of Ovingham.

Emergency services including ambulance, police and fire and rescue crews were stationed at the scene on Saturday

The rope swing on the river bank has been left shortened, with the rope wrapped around a tree branch.

All emergency services have now left the area.

The Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service took to X yesterday to announce that a road closure was in place, later adding: 'Teams are currently on scene at an ongoing incident at the river Tyne near Ovingham. 2 Swift Water Rescue units from Pegswood, an appliance from Prudhoe and a number of senior officers are present.

'We are working with Police, the Ambulance Service + Mountain Rescue at this time.'

A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson added: 'We were called to reports of concerns of two people in the water in Ovingham at 3.30pm this afternoon.

'We dispatched our full Hazardous Area Response Team as well as two ambulance crews, a specialist paramedic, a clinical team leader and an officer.

'We also requested support from Great North Air Ambulance Service'.

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2024-05-19 20:46:02Z
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New blow for Sunak as cabinet minister says he will stand down at election - The Independent

Rishi Sunak has suffered another blow after a sitting cabinet minister announced he will not be standing at the next general election.

Northern Ireland secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said it had been an “honour and a privilege to serve” as he became the 65th Conservative MP to say they are leaving parliament.

His decision, as the MP for a seat with a majority of 26,000, will do little to dispel Tory fears over their chances at the election.

His announcement came just hours after another soon-to-depart MP, former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, suggested that Tory MPs should not have been “spooked” into ousting Boris Johnson.

Mr Heaton-Harris’s move means he joins a Tory exodus that includes former PM Theresa May, ex-chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, and former defence secretary Ben Wallace.

Mr Sunak has also suffered the shock defections of Conservative MPs Natalie Elphicke and Dan Poulter to Labour in recent weeks.

In a letter announcing his decision, Mr Heaton-Harris thanked his constituents in Daventry in Northamptonshire and Mr Sunak as well as former prime ministers Mr Johnson and Liz Truss.

He added that he would continue to campaign for the Conservatives as the “only party that has and can deliver for the whole of the United Kingdom”.

First elected as an MP in 2010, the fierce Eurosceptic was appointed Tory chief whip under Mr Johnson.

Later that year, Ms Truss made him secretary of state for Northern Ireland, a role he kept when Mr Sunak took over as prime minister.

At the time, the Stormont power-sharing institutions had collapsed because of a DUP protest against post-Brexit trading arrangements.

As Northern Ireland thrives, our union will strengthen

Chris Heaton-Harris, Northern Ireland secretary

The Stormont executive returned in February this year in the wake of the establishment of the Windsor Framework. In his resignation letter to the prime minister, Mr Heaton-Harris said that the framework had “both solved many of the major practical issues created by the Northern Ireland protocol, put in place as we left the EU, and helped reset our countries’ relationship with our European neighbours”.

He added: “I strongly believe the conditions now exist for Northern Ireland to thrive, with privileged access for manufactured goods into the EU single market while being an integral part of our UK internal market and being able to benefit from the international trade deals we negotiate; it finds itself in a remarkabl[y] favourable position – and as Northern Ireland thrives, our union will strengthen.”

Mr Heaton-Harris continued: “I know we are not far from a general election, an election in which I will do everything I can to see you returned as prime minister. I would be honoured if you allowed me to continue as secretary of state for Northern Ireland until that time.

“There are a still a number of pieces of unfinished business I wish to complete and I love the people, place and job, but obviously would understand if you feel it best to replace me.”

Mr Zahawi, who played a key role in persuading Mr Johnson to stand down, said “I wish we had held our nerve” in regard to the former prime minister.

He told The Sunday Times that Mr Johnson, who quit after a series of scandals, had been the most “consequential” leader since Margaret Thatcher.

Mr Zahawi was made chancellor in July 2022 by Mr Johnson in the wake of Mr Sunak and dozens of other ministers leaving his government.

Two days later, Mr Zahawi publicly called for Mr Johnson to stand down, having privately told him “the herd is stampeding” and that unless he resigned “they are going to drag your carcass out of this place”.

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Police search for missing boys aged ten and 12 last seen in Cannon Hill Park - Birmingham Live

Police are desperately searching for two missing boys who were last seen in Cannon Hill Park. The families of Abu and Bilal, aged ten and 12, have not been heard from them since earlier today, Sunday, May 19.

The park would have been busy with visitors enjoying the sunny weather. Police issued an image of the pair eating ice creams bought from a van in the park.

A number of officers were looking for them and anyone who spotted them was being asked to contact the force.

Birmingham Police posted: "Have you seen Abu and Bilal ? The 12 and ten-year-olds, pictured earlier today, were last seen earlier today in Cannon Hill Park and we're concerned for their safety.

"We have a number of resources in the area at the moment searching for them, and we're asking anyone who sees them or thinks they saw them to call 999 immediately quoting log number 2218 of May 19."

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Babak Belurs

Senin, 20 Mei 2024

£5bn Brexit border checks system still has no timetable for launch, watchdog says - The Independent

Post-Brexit border checks forecast to cost UK £4.7bn, says NAO - The Guardian

Infected blood scandal: Inquiry into NHS disaster to publish findings - BBC

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Infected blood scandal: Inquiry into NHS disaster to publish findings - BBC

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Minggu, 19 Mei 2024

Father of boy, 13, who drowned in the River Tyne tells of his anguish after the death of another lad, 14, on t - Daily Mail

New blow for Sunak as cabinet minister says he will stand down at election - The Independent

Police search for missing boys aged ten and 12 last seen in Cannon Hill Park - Birmingham Live

Senin, 20 Mei 2024

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Minggu, 19 Mei 2024

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