Markus Andrews

A policing minister has rejected a suggestion from the HM chief inspector of constabulary that officers should use “discretion” when deciding whether to prosecute desperate shoppers during the cost-of-living crisis.Kit Malthouse said that “justice should be blind” and said he had written to chief constables last year to stress that they “should not be ignoring those seemingly small crimes”, and highlighted government support.As inflation hit a 40-year high, Andy Cooke, the HM chief inspector of constabulary and former chief constable of Merseyside Police, suggested on Wednesday the cost-of-living crisis will “invariably” fuel a rise in crime.“I think whenever you see an increase in the cost-of-living or whenever more people dropping into poverty, I think you invariably see a rise in crime,” he said. “And that’s going to be a challenge for policing to deal with”.Speaking about his advice for officers, Mr Cooke added: “What they’ve got to bear in mind is what is the best thing for the community, and that individual, in the way they deal with those issue.“And I certainly fully support police officers using their discretion — and they need to use discretion more often.”Mr Cooke told The Guardian he was not “giving a carte blanche for people to go out shoplifting”, but wanted officers to ensure cases were “dealt with in the best way possible”.But asked about the discretion comments on LBC Radio, Mr Malthouse said on Thursday he had “a lot of respect” for Mr Cooke, “but I’m afraid I find it a bit old fashioned thinking”.He stressed: “We first of all believe that the law should be blind and police officers should operate without fear of favour in the prosecution of the law.“Secondly, that it’s not quite right to say as the economy fluctuates so does crime. We’ve seen economic problems in the past when crime has risen or not.Cost of living: how to get helpThe cost of living crisis has touched every corner of the UK, pushing families to the brink with rising food and fuel prices.Citizens Advice provides free help to people in need. The organisation can help you find grants or benefits, or advise on rent, debt and budgeting.If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email, [email protected] or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.“We actually think there’s a growing body of evidence that says poverty doesn’t cause crime, actually crime and violence cause poverty and where you remove the crime and the violence very often people and neighbourhoods fly and prosper.“That’s not to say there isn’t a cost-of-living challenge, of course there is, but our job is to make sure we drive down crime, not withstanding that challenge for everybody”.Asked whether business owners should be assured the police will not turn a “blind eye” to those stealing food, he said: “Absolutely right. I wrote to chief constables just a year ago saying they should not be ignoring those seemingly small crimes.”He also told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “The broad rule is that justice should be blind and I hope and believe that is in the principle that sits behind not just the police, but the operation of the courts as well.“But what should we be doing? Well people should be turning to the comprehensive package of measures we’ve put in place to help with the cost-of-living.” More

New Zealand’s government said Thursday it will hand out an extra few hundred dollars to more than 2 million lower-income adults to help them navigate what it describes as “the peak of the global inflation storm.”The payments are part of a package of new measures announced in the government’s annual budget. Other plans include increasing health spending by a record amount, putting more money into reducing greenhouse gas emissions and boosting defense spending.A report by Treasury painted a rosy picture of the nation’s economy through next year but warned growth would slow markedly from 2024 due to rising interest rates, a reduction in the government’s pandemic spending, and supply issues made worse by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.A Treasury report forecast unemployment would hit a low of 3.1% this year before rising to 4.7% by 2026. It predicted inflation would fall from its current 30-year high of 6.9% to 2.2% over the next four years.The inflation payments of 350 New Zealand dollars ($220) over three months begin in August and are targeted at the half of all adults who earn less than 70,000 New Zealand dollars ($44,000) per year. The government also decided to extend some other temporary measures aimed at combatting spiraling living costs, including a cut to gas taxes and half-price public transportation fares.“Our economy has come through the COVID-19 shock better than almost anywhere else in the world,” said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in a statement. “But as the pandemic subsides, other challenges both long-term and more immediate have come to the fore.”Ardern has been isolating at her Wellington residence this week after catching the virus. Her office said she’d experienced moderate symptoms and was improving, and at this point still planned to travel to the U.S. next week for a trade trip and to give the commencement speech at Harvard University.The record 1.8 billion New Zealand dollar ($1.1 billion) boost to health spending next year comes as New Zealand overhauls its publicly funded system by getting rid of a patchwork of 20 district health authorities in favor of a single system. The extra money will help pay off the debts of the district authorities, rebuild three hospitals and boost medicine spending.“This is going to make a massive difference to every New Zealander, in terms of the health care that they get,” said Finance Minister Grant Robertson. Treasury predicted the government’s books would return to the black by 2025 after it borrowed heavily during the pandemic. New Zealand’s net government debt is forecast to remain much lower than in most developed nations, peaking at 20% of GDP in 2024 before dropping to 15% two years later.Earlier this week, the government announced a new initiative to help pay for lower-income families to scrap their old gas guzzlers and replace them with cleaner hybrid or electric cars as part of a sweeping plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The budget plan also included a boost of 660 million New Zealand dollars to defense spending over four years to cover the cost of depreciating assets.Conservative opposition leader Christopher Luxon said the governing liberal Labour Party had an addiction to spending and the budget plans would put the economy into reverse, with New Zealanders experiencing the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.The budget plan was expected to be quickly approved by lawmakers since the Labour Party holds a majority of seats in the Parliament. More

The cost-of-living crisis will “invariably” fuel a rise in crime and police should use “discretion” when deciding whether to prosecute people desperate to eat, the new HM chief inspector of constabulary has said.As inflation hit a 40-year high on Wednesday, which experts warned was unevenly impacting poorer households, Andy Cooke said that he expected a corresponding rise in petty crime will “be a challenge for policing to deal with”.“I think whenever you see an increase in the cost of living or whenever you see more people dropping into poverty, I think you’ll invariably see a rise in crime,” said Mr Cooke, a former chief constable of Merseyside Police who has worked in policing since 1985.His prediction will come as a political blow to Boris Johnson, whose desire to appear tough and effective on crime has seen him accused by the statistics watchdog of making “misleading” claims that levels of criminality have fallen under his leadership – when in fact the opposite was true.Asked how police could avoid being viewed as an extension of an uncaring state, Mr Cooke told The Guardian: “What they’ve got to bear in mind is what is the best thing for the community, and that individual, in the way they deal with those issue.“I certainly fully support police officers using their discretion – and they need to use discretion more often.”Mr Cooke said that he was not “giving a carte blanche for people to go out shoplifting”, but wanted officers to ensure cases were “dealt with in the best way possible”.Elsewhere in the interview, Mr Cooke – who took over as chief inspector of the constabulary last month – said that he hoped to pull the current charge rate of 6 per cent for recorded offences up to 20 per cent, and to ensure that every burglarly victim is visited by the police.He also reportedly lamented that policing was still recovering from Conservative-led cuts, and warned that surges in inflation and fuel prices were likely to impact police budgets.His comments came as Rishi Sunak resisted increasing pressure from his own benches to do more to help households struggling with soaring prices, including calls from Tory MPs for a windfall tax on energy firms’ profits, the immediate reinstatement of the £20 Universal Credit uplift and a trebling of the Winter Fuel Payment.But Conservative MPs nevertheless obeyed orders to vote down Labour’s demands for an emergency budget to tackle the crisis, as well as Liberal Democrat proposals to slash VAT from 20 to 17.5 per cent to save the average family £600.At PMQs, Sir Keir Starmer urged Mr Johnson to stop dithering and make an “inevitable U-turn” on a windfall tax on energy firms, highlighting differing views within Cabinet and describing their position as “clear as mud”. The prime minister said that “all sensible measures” will be looked at.Moving Labour’s amendment to the Queen’s Speech shortly afterwards, which included the call for an emergency budget, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves claimed the crisis was a “consequence of Conservative decisions and the direction that they have taken our economy in over the last 12 years”.Ms Reeves accused the government of being “increasingly a rudderless ship heading to the rocks, while it is willing to watch people financially drown in the process”.Speaking at the CBI’s annual dinner hours later, the chancellor spoke of a “perfect storm” of supply shocks rocking Britain and warned that “the next few months will be tough”.Mr Sunak told businesses “we are on your side” as he urged them to “invest, train and innovate more”, promising to “cut your taxes to encourage you to do all those things” in the autumn budget.He added: “Our role in government is to cut costs for families. I cannot pretend this will be easy. The next few months will be tough, but where we can act, we will.”Additional reporting by PA More

International law should be applied to cyberspace to make it clear when a nation state has acted unlawfully and what action can be legally taken in response to a cyberattack, the Attorney General will say.Suella Braverman will speak on Thursday at the Chatham House foreign affairs think tank to set out the UK’s position on cybersecurity and international law and how it can help inform decisions on what constitutes unlawful action.Ms Braverman is expected to use the speech to highlight how a united international approach to the issue would help establish and shape such a framework, highlighting the global response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as an example.“The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has demonstrated, on the part of Russia, a callous disregard for established international rules,” she will say.

Commentators often talk in hushed tones of cyber weapons, with little understanding of what they are, or of the rules which govern how they are usedAttorney General Suella Braverman“However, the unprecedented and united international response in support of Ukraine has also reinforced the value of having a framework that makes clear when state action is unlawful.“Commentators often talk in hushed tones of cyber weapons, with little understanding of what they are, or of the rules which govern how they are used.“This misunderstanding means we can see every cyber incident as an act of warfare which threatens to bring down the modern world around us and it’s not uncommon for even seasoned observers to think in this way, as they speak of cyber as a new battlespace where no rules apply.“But cyberspace is not a lawless ‘grey zone’. International law governs and plays a fundamental role in regulating cyberspace.”The Attorney General will highlight the need for “leadership and partnerships” between the UK and its partners to shape and strengthen international cyber governance, with the aim of promoting a “free, open, peaceful and secure cyberspace”.Ms Braverman is expected to say the Government’s position is that the international principle of non-intervention – that every state has the right to sovereignty and territorial and political independence – should also be the approach in cyberspace, and that breaching these rules would give nations the right to retaliate.Her stance builds on one first made by the Government in 2018.“The UK’s position is that the rule on non-intervention provides a clearly established basis in international law for assessing the legality of state conduct in cyberspace during peacetime,” she will say.

It is therefore important to bring the non-intervention rule to life in the cyber context, through examples of what kinds of cyber behaviours could be unlawful in peacetimeAttorney General Suella Braverman“It serves as a benchmark by which to assess lawfulness, to hold those responsible to account, and to calibrate responses.“It is therefore important to bring the non-intervention rule to life in the cyber context, through examples of what kinds of cyber behaviours could be unlawful in peacetime.“To move the focus to the types of coercive and disruptive behaviours that responsible states should be clear are unlawful when it comes to the conduct of international affairs in peacetime.“And being clear on what is unlawful means we can then be clearer on the range of potential options that can lawfully be taken in response.“That is, the kinds of activities which would require legal justification, for example, as a proportionate response to prior illegality by another state.“This is crucial in enabling states to act within the law whilst taking robust and decisive action.”The approach will encourage “more agile and decisive international action in response to specific threats” and will help “avoid inadvertent or damaging escalations”, Ms Braverman will say. More

Former Labour leader Lord Kinnock has said the hardest part of being married to someone with dementia is “the knowledge that the change is going to continue and they are ceasing, very gradually, to be the person that they have been”.Baroness Kinnock, 77, herself a former minister, was diagnosed in 2017 with Alzheimer’s disease, it was revealed earlier this year.Talking of his wife’s condition, he said: “Glenys is a highly articulate, immensely lively, funny woman, a brilliant cook, wonderful mother and grandmother – and in all of those areas she has lost capability.“She would meet every challenge, whether it was border guards in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or a new recipe, she would take it on.He told TalkTV: “She’d get away with immensely challenging sometimes very dangerous situations with this hint of mischief – a special magic.“For that to be ebbing, gradually being erased by this disease, makes it difficult for her, sometimes makes her extremely frustrated and is a challenge to me. But I deal with it out of love.”The ex-Labour Party leader, 80, said he and his wife were lucky enough to have family support and to be able to afford carers for up to five hours each day.But, he added, for millions of others without resources the disease “can be quite devastating”.The couple learnt of her condition after a holiday when she had got her words confused. Lord Kinnock said: “She has supported me for 50 years and I’ve been helping her out for five so I’ve got a way to go to catch her up. But it doesn’t work like that as people who deal with the reality of dementia will tell you. You cope with it in a way that’s as near to normality as achievable.” More

Legal action taken against the government’s decision to continue working with a PPE manufacturer accused of labour abuses is set to proceed to a full judicial hearing, in the first case of its kind to consider the presence of modern slavery in the UK’s supply chain.The High Court granted permission for The Citizens, a non-profit group, to proceed in challenging the decision to continue using the UK subsidiary of the Malaysian company, Supermax, as an approved supplier of disposable gloves for NHS workers.Supermax has faced multiple allegations of modern slavery, stretching back to 2019. The US has banned imports from the company after an investigation found “ample evidence” of forced labour within its factories, while Canada has also ceased business with the firm over similar concerns.In November 2021, the UK government said it would investigate the claims of modern slavery made against Supermax.Despite this, a month later an agreement was awarded to Supermax Heathcare Limited, the UK-based subsidiary of Supermax Corporation, and other suppliers in a contract deal worth £6bn.As a result, The Citizens launched a legal case against the government claiming it had failed to tackle alleged modern slavery abuse in the NHS supply chain.The lawsuit has been prepared by Wilson Solicitors LLP, which represents several current and former workers of Malaysian glove factories, including those run by Supermax. These workers have detailed allegations of debt bondage, physical abuse and forced labour while working at Supermax.Nusrat Uddin, the lead solicitor for the case, said: “The High Court’s order outlines that there is an arguable claim of a grave breach of public law obligations to answer and thus permission for the case to proceed to a full judicial review hearing has been allowed.“Whilst the High Court’s decision to grant permission is only the first stage of these legal proceedings, it is significant in that it is the first case in the English courts to consider the use of modern slavery in the government’s own procurement processes.”The Independent’s investigations into alleged labour abuses within the NHS supply chain have been used to help shape The Citizen’s legal case.Leaked documents, obtained by The Independent, showed Whitehall officials identified companies suspected of forced labour as long ago as November 2019 – with further concerns about suppliers highlighted by a UK diplomat over the summer of 2020.But tens of millions of items were still purchased from the firms, including Supermax, for use by NHS staff during the height of pandemic as demand soared in hospitals pushed to the brink by Covid-19.Wilson Solicitors said it had asked the government to reconsider its decision to continue awarding contracts to Supermax, arguing that public procurement legislation in the UK allowed for the authorities to discontinue relationships with suppliers on the basis of evidence of labour abuses.Workers in its factories claimed in 2019 that they had been forced to work up to 12 hours a day, for as many as 30 days in a row. Supermax has denied the allegations. It also declined to comment on the ongoing legal action being taken against the UK government.At the start of the pandemic, the Department of Health purchased hundreds of millions of gloves from Supermax’s UK subsidiary, in a deal worth £316 million. A further 135 million gloves were obtained for £7.9 million in July 2021.A spokesperson for The Citizens said: “We are extremely pleased that the court has recognised our potential position as an NGO with standing to bring such as challenge. We are grossly concerned with the government’s response during the pandemic and how it has awarded contracts particularly to PPE providers.”Addressing the legal case earlier this year, a spokesperson for the Department of Health, which was responsible for procuring PPE during the pandemic, said: “We have made strong commitments to eradicate modern slavery from all contracts in the government supply chain.“We take any allegations of this nature very seriously and do not hesitate to investigate claims made against manufacturers. A proper due-diligence process is carried out for all contracts and our suppliers are required to follow the highest legal and ethical standards. We cannot comment further at this stage.” More

Ken Clarke has attacked Rishi Sunak’s efforts to ease the cost of living crisis, warning they are failing to help the poor while rewarding the better-off. The former Conservative chancellor called the 5p fuel duty cut a “complete waste of time” and the £150 council tax rebate to help with soaring energy bills badly targeted.Instead, Mr Sunak should increase universal credit (UC) payments as the best route to helping “the poor and the lowest paid”, Lord Clarke said – instead of slashing it by £20 a week.“I would cut out all the tax cutting. I have already got all the tax breaks I need,” the Tory peer told LBC.“The people who you’ve got to protect from falling living standards if you can are, of course, the poorest of the poor and the lowest paid.Instead, Mr Sunak had cut UC, Lord Clarke said, adding: “And it’s there where people are genuinely choosing between feeding and other bills.”He said: “I get my cheque to save me from fuel poverty. I stopped playing national insurance when I was 65.”And he added: “I didn’t need the loan I apparently received through my council tax in order to pay my heating bills – although, of course, my heating bills are going up alarmingly.”In the interview, the peer also:* Attacked Boris Johnson’s plan to tear up the Northern Ireland protocol, which would provoke “a trade war with our biggest trading partner”.* Criticised weak cabinet ministers who parrot “slogans” from someone from a think-tank “now working in Downing Street”.* Came out against a windfall tax on excess profits of energy firms, arguing it would deter investment in new renewable energy sources.The criticism came after the cost of living crisis dominated Prime Minister’s Questions, as Keir Starmer taunted Mr Johnson over the government’s paralysis.Earlier, the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rate of inflation hit its highest rate since 1982 – with forecasts it will reach 10 per cent by the end of the year.The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said emergency help for people in hardship and vulnerable firms is “critical”, while the British Chambers of Commerce echoed Labour calls for an emergency Budget. Sir Keir accused Mr Johnson of having “his head in the sand in the middle of an economic crisis”, adding: “The prime minister keeps saying more help is coming, but we’ve heard it all before.“The working people across the country can’t afford to wait while he vacillates. It’s time to make his mind,” the Labour leader said. More

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has announced that inflation hit 9.1 per cent in the year to April – the highest rate in 40 years.The Bank of England (BoE) has the mandate to keep Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation below 2 per cent. But governor Andrew Bailey said the bank is “helpless” in the face of global issues exacerbated by Russia’s war in Ukraine, including runaway energy costs and higher food prices.The consumer crisis has also been made worse by inconsistent wage growth that has failed to keep up with rising costs of living. Mr Bailey’s warning of rising unemployment has also triggered fears of “stagflation” – a combination of a stagnant economy and rising inflation.Chancellor Rishi Sunak is being urged to help people with their bills, amid warnings that the situation is set to get worse. The BoE expects the annual rate will peak at 10.25 per cent – more than five times its target – during the final quarter of the year, which could lead to the tightest squeeze on incomes since records began in the 1950s.CPI inflation reached 9.1 per cent in April, the highest rate since 1982.Between February – the month Russia invaded Ukraine – and March, inflation had risen by just 0.8 per cent. Then there was a jump of 2 per cent between March and April.April’s 9.1 per cent rate is more than quadruple the BoE’s 2 per cent target, that was last reported less than a year ago in July 2021.For three years, between 2019 and 2021, the rate of inflation largely stayed below 2 per cent.While the cost-of-living is increasing, people have not enjoyed similar boosts in their incomes to keep up with inflation. In terms of wages, growth of total pay – which means regular earnings or base salary, plus overtime and bonuses – had risen to 7 per cent as of April, after it had reached a high of 9 per cent in June last year.Growth of regular pay on its own has risen by just 4 per cent, after a high of 7 per cent last June.This leaves workers worse-off overall as they have to cope with the double-whammy of lower wages and inflation leaving them with less buying power.Fuel cap:
In April, Ofcom increased the energy price cap by 54 per cent – representing an average rise of about £700 – to £1,971.PM Boris Johnson has suggested that part of the rise in energy prices was because of the “tough” decision to sanction Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.As well as high gas and energy costs, fuel pump prices have reached new records, of 167.64p for petrol and 180.88p for diesel. The chancellor has been called on to do more to help people cope with the cost-of-living crisis.In response, Mr Sunak has claimed that the government is helping people by “saving the average worker £330 a year through reducing National Insurance contributions, changing Universal Credit to save over a million families around £1,000 a year, and providing millions of families with £350 each this year to help with their energy bills.”Measures including increasing the warm home discount by up to £600 – to help vulnerable people and pensioners pay rising energy bills – are reportedly under consideration.It comes after the government has dodged calls from opposition parties to impose a one-off windfall tax on energy and oil companies. Labour, Liberal Democrats, and SNP have said that the tax could fund financial aid for those struggling to pay bills.Cost of living: how to get helpThe cost of living crisis has touched every corner of the UK, pushing families to the brink with rising food and fuel prices.The Independent has asked experts to explain small ways you can stretch your money, including managing debt and obtaining items for free. If you need to access a food bank, find your local council’s website using gov.uk, and then use the local authority’s site to locate your nearest centre. The Trussell Trust, which runs many foodbanks, has a similar tool. Citizens Advice provides free help to people in need. The organisation can help you find grants or benefits, or advise on rent, debt and budgeting.If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email [email protected], or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. More