A roundup of news from progressive outlets...
1.New GB News Director is a Tory Peer and Financier – Byline Times
Right-wing channel GB News has a new addition to its parent company, Baroness Helena Morrissey, who has been added as a director in November last year to All Perspectives Limited, the firm that controls the channel.
Byline reports: “Baroness Morrissey was introduced to the House of Lords as a life peer in September 2020 after several decades as a financier, currently serving as the chair of AJ Bell – an investment platform whose co-founder Andrew Bell appears to have donated more than £600,000 to the Conservatives since 2019.”
The latest appointment deepens the links between GB News and the Tory party. Several GB News presenters – Lee Anderson, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Philip Davies and Esther McVey – are sitting Conservative MPs.
2. Police have record £12m legal fund for officers accused of crimes-openDemocracy
Police officers in England and Wales who have been accused of serious crimes or misconduct have access to a record £12m annual budget for legal support, openDemocracy reports.
The site reports: “The 2023 legal budget of the Police Federation, obtained under FOI, is roughly 25% more than the amount it spent on legal fees in 2018 (£9,403,200), and is the highest figure since it started tracking its legal spending in 2017.
“While the federation did not provide a complete breakdown of how that money is spent, it can be used to deal with the hundreds of claims for legal support it receives from officers accused of crimes, including sexual offences. Last year the budget was £11.3m and there were 1,387 claims for assistance related to criminal allegations against officers.”
3. Aviation Industry Awarded £18 Billion of Public Finance Since Paris Agreement-DeSmog
While Tories like paying lip service to tackling climate change, their actions show just how little they actually care about the climate emergency.
DeSmog reports that a UK government agency has provided billions of pounds worth of financial support to the high-carbon aviation sector since the Paris climate agreement was adopted in 2015.
The site reports: “UK Export Finance (UKEF) has effectively subsidised new airports, aircraft, and maintenance, despite stating that the oil-dependent industry is unlikely to begin cutting emissions “materially” until the 2030s.
“Over half the financial support provided by UKEF since the landmark climate accord has gone to aviation, with Rolls Royce, Airbus, Boeing, and British Airways taking the lion’s share. UKEF offers a range of loans, insurance and guarantees to help British companies secure business abroad.”
4. The Fight to Ban ‘No-Fault’ Evictions-Tribune Magazine
Fredi Gentz has written a piece for Tribune Magazine on the fight against no-fault evictions and how section 21 notices are the leading cause of homelessness in the UK.
Housing minister Rachel Maclean has promised a ban on Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions would become law by Autumn. Fredi writes: “Section 21 powers allow landlords to evict tenants with only two months’ notice without providing a reason. At ACORN, we see the results of this cruel and dangerous practice every day.”
Fredi, who is London regional organiser for ACORN community union, says that tougher action is needed to protect renters, such as ‘the introduction of open-ended tenancies, the creation of a national landlord register, and closing existing loopholes, addressing affordability and ending housing discrimination’.
5. Water company bosses enjoy £15m bonuses despite sewage dumping
Water company bosses were paid almost £15 million in bonuses last year despite overseeing 825 unlawful sewage discharges a day, leaving every river in England and many coastal waters polluted, the Morning Star reports.
Campaign group 38 degrees has launched a petition demanding no bonuses for water CEOs.
The petition, which has gained over 60,000 signatures states: “Water companies released raw sewage into rivers 824 times a day last year. Our rivers and seas were polluted time and time again, because the Government and bodies like Ofwat and the Environment Agency are dragging their heels over taking real action.
“So we need to demand they do more – until these sewage spills stop, not a single penny in bonuses should be paid to CEOs of these companies.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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