Markus Andrews

New proposals for air pollution are too “weak” when people’s lives are at stake, the mother of a nine-year-old girl whose death was linked to toxic air has said. The mother of Ella Kissi-Debrah, the first person in the UK to have air pollution on their death certificate, told The Independent she was “incredibly disappointed” by the government’s plans to toughen up legal limits by 2040, saying this was too far in the future. “The whole thing about this is to save lives, so children won’t continue to die,” Rosamund Kissi-Debrah, now a clean air campaigner, said. Ella, who lived in Lewisham in south London, died nine years ago from an asthma attack. In 2020, a coroner ruled excessive exposure to air pollution contributed to her death in a landmark inquest. In spring last year, the coroner said the UK needed to bring its “far higher” threshold for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) – a type of air pollutant – in line with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) to reduce the number of air pollution deaths.The government has now proposed matching these levels by 2040 in a consultation published on Wednesday.But speaking about this target, Ms Kissi-Debrah said: “It’s too weak.” More

Boris Johnson has failed to secure commitments from Saudi Arabia to step up oil production to ease cost-of-living pressures, on a visit that was overshadowed by the announcement of three further executions in the desert kingdom.The prime minister said he had obtained an “understanding” from the Saudis that instability in world markets from a spike in energy prices caused by the Ukraine war was not in their interests.But asked whether he had secured assurances that the oil-rich Gulf state would turn on the taps, he could say only that it was a decision for them.“I think there’s certainly an understanding that there’s an interest for Saudi Arabia – for all oil-producing and exporting countries – in making sure that the global economy is not damaged by the current spikes, that we don’t get the kind of inflation that we saw in the 1970s, we don’t see the stagflation,” he said.“So it was a very productive conversation.”Asked if this meant an agreement had been reached, he replied: “I think you need to talk to the Saudis about that, but I think there was an understanding of the need to ensure stability in global oil markets and gas markets and the need to avoid damaging price spikes.”Mr Johnson faced criticism for meeting crown prince Mohammed bin Salman on a one-day trip – also taking in the United Arab Emirates – just days after Saudi Arabia announced the mass execution of 81 people on Saturday. Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner accused him of “begging” one dictator to bail him out after another had thrown his energy plans into disarray.And the furore was heightened when the state-run Saudi Press Agency said three more individuals had been executed while Mr Johnson was there.Maya Foa, the director of human rights advocacy group Reprieve, said: “By travelling to meet Mohammed bin Salman so soon after a mass execution, Boris Johnson clearly signalled that in return for oil, the UK will tolerate even the gravest human rights abuses.“Carrying out these executions while the leader of a western power is on Saudi soil was a provocative act, designed to flaunt the crown prince’s power and impunity to the world.”Ms Rayner blasted: “Last week the leader of the opposition [Keir Starmer] said that Britain should never again be at the mercy of a foreign dictatorship for our energy and fuel security.“This week, the prime minister has gone cap in hand from one dictator to another on a begging mission to the Saudi prince to bail him out.”Mr Johnson said he had raised human rights with his hosts, and insisted that “things are changing in Saudi Arabia” and he would continue to engage with the Gulf kingdom.“I think you can also see that – in spite of that news today – things are changing in Saudi Arabia,” he said.“We want to see them continue to change. And that’s why we see value in engaging with Saudi Arabia and why we see value in the partnership.”Mr Johnson said the crown prince had agreed with him that it was essential to see an end to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.Speaking at a manufacturing facility in Riyadh after a meeting with the prince which lasted around an hour and 45 minutes, he said: “We discussed everything that you would expect, so I raised human rights, but we also talked about what we can do to stabilise oil prices, to fight inflation, to help consumers, to help people at the gas pumps, at the petrol pumps.“A lot of agreement that it’s important to avoid inflation, to avoid the damaging economic consequences, an agreement that we need to work together to bring peace to Ukraine.“We both agreed that we need to see an end to Putin’s war.” More

David Frost has admitted his Brexit trade deal failed touring musicians and other artists by inflicting punishing costs and red tape, in an extraordinary U-turn.The negotiator of the agreement had staunchly defended the agreement – blamed for making many tours unaffordable – and refused to get involved in attempts to improve it.But, in a lecture delivered three months after he quit as Brexit minister, Lord Frost has now admitted it was a mistake not to compromise with the EU and called for a rethink.“We should take another look at mobility issues,” he said, 15 months after The Independent revealed he rejected such a deal in the Brexit talks.“There is a whole set of problems here that is making life difficult on both sides: youth mobility, movement of specialists like musicians and artists.”Lord Frost argued “these problems can be solved” without crossing the UK’s red line of ending free movement of EU citizens – despite ministers repeatedly insisting that is not possible.And he admitted he had been “too purist”, saying a deal removing “excessive paperwork and process requirements” is needed, adding: “We should try to get to it.”The peer also revealed the government did consider shifting to “a more pragmatic position” last year, claiming the “vaccine wars” with the EU made that “impossible”, but adding: “This time we should try harder.”The astonishing mea culpa comes amid continuing fears about the plight of musicians, denied the chance to further their careers, after the Brexit deal broke a promise to save visa-free touring.The UK rejected an EU offer to retain visa and permit-free tours, leaving artists mired in red tape, and no effort has been made to begin fresh talks with Brussels.Instead, ministers have made “misleading” claims about the paperwork involved – despite Boris Johnson’s vow to “fix” the crisis, made a year ago.Elton John has led criticism of the government for claiming 21 of the 27 EU countries are offering visa and work permit-free access, when severe restrictions still exist.Lord Frost’s comments were condemned as “an astonishing admission of guilt” by Labour MP Kevin Brennan, who has pursued the controversy as a member of the Commons culture committee.“Purist dogma has ruined successful British businesses and hit artists income hard –they will rightly be furious with an incompetent government that sacrificed them for no good reason.”Deborah Annetts, chief executive of the Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM), asked what ministers are “going to do to fix the problem”, following the admission. “So Lord Frost has finally admitted that the government may have been too purist and that the trade deal with Europe is making life difficult for musicians,” she said – adding it was, in fact, “a disaster”.Naomi Pohl, deputy general secretary of the Musicians Union, said: “This is a long overdue admission from Lord Frost that an arrangement to facilitate musicians touring would not undermine the government’s immigration policy.“What we need is an EU-wide deal which enables our members to tour in Europe or bilateral agreements with individual territories.”And Jamie Njoku-Goodwin, chief executive of UK Music, said: “These comments confirm everything the music industry has been warning about for more than a year now, and should be a call to action for ministers.“If even the chief negotiator believes we should look at mobility issues again, there is no excuse for government not to act on this.” More

Boris Johnson’s ministers are at risk of failing to deliver on their levelling up agenda and net zero target unless they “pick up the pace”, the government’s own infrastructure advisory body has warned.The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) said the government was making only “slow progress” with plans to boost investment in deprived parts of the country and shift Britain’s energy use to achieve the goal of net zero emissions by 2050.A highly-critical report by the commission said strategies over the last year in these crucial areas “lack detailed delivery policy, leave key gaps, or simply do not go far enough”.The commission’s report urged the government not to put off big decisions on how the net zero transition away from fossil fuels will be funded – saying delays were “holding up” vital investment.“Ultimately, that will either be taxpayers, consumers, or a combination of both. But ensuring the costs are distributed fairly is critical,” the NIC report stated.It added: “Delays to decisions on who pays are now holding up delivering infrastructure, including low carbon heat and energy efficiency. Open and honest conversations, followed by clear decisions, are needed to address this.”The commission urged the government to commit to ten key priorities for the year ahead – including the urgent need for a comprehensive energy efficiency push to insulate Britain’s homes, and accelerate the roll out of electric vehicle charging points.The experts also said it was vital to support more local authorities in developing plans for major urban transport schemes in a number of priority cities – including plans to develop a mass transit system for West Yorkshire.Commission chair Sir John Armitt said: “At a time of significant global volatility alongside concerns about rising living costs, we appreciate that sticking to a long term strategy is not easy.”Sir John added: “But it is the only way to address the stubbornly difficult problems that will not become any easier or cheaper to solve by delaying action – and the quicker we tackle them, the quicker society and our environment will reap the benefits.”Mr Johnson has promised to set out an “energy supply strategy” this month, as dependence on oil and gas comes under growing scrutiny during the Ukraine crisis and sanctions imposed on Russia.The prime minister is reportedly set to announce plans for new drilling in the North Sea for the first time in three years amid rising energy prices after the Russian invasion.Some Conservative MPs are pushing the PM for a rethink on the “new religion” of the net zero target, but Labour has urged Mr Johnson to commit to a faster transition to renewable energy.Last month cabinet minister Michael Gove outlined the government flagship levelling up policy’s 12 missions, which range from skills to transport and lay out how small amounts of cash have been given to different areas.Opposition parties and council chiefs criticised a lack of detailed funding commitments, clear timelines and new powers for local leaders in the levelling up white paper.The NIC review did give the government credit for its £100bn pledge to infrastructure plans over the next three years, alongside a commitment of increased spending in the long term. More

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s daughter Gabriella is “beyond excited at the prospect of being reunited with her mummy” when the detainee arrives back in the UK this evening after six years of wrongful detention in Iran, her family’s lawyer has said.Lawyer Penny Madden said that the family had gone through “a roller-coaster of emotions” in the past few days, with husband Richard Ratcliffe unable to be sure until the last moment that his wife was in fact being released.It was only when he received a message from Nazanin with a picture of herself on board a plane – and when they got confirmation that her flight had actually taken off from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Airport – that he was able to enjoy the “enormous relief and celebration” of knowing her ordeal was finally over.After initially following government advice to keep quite about his wife’s detention, Richard conducted a long and public campaign for her release, including two hunger strikes, outside the Iranian Embassy and the Foreign Office.Ms Madden, who spoke with Mr Ratcliffe shortly after his wife left Iran, said he felt”jJust enormous relief”.She told Sky News: “Even at the very end, there was a long wait. We knew that Nazanin was at the airport and couldn’t understand why things weren’t moving.“And then finally he got the confirmation and a photograph that Nazanin sent through to Richard that she was on the plane and you could see the plane windows behind. And then final confirmation of wheels up and they were in the air.“I think at that point the enormity that this ordeal of six years has come to an end has really hit everybody involved.”Ms Madden said it was possible Mr Ratcliffe might eventually seek an investigation into the handling of his wife’s case, but added: “Not today. What today is about is celebration and enormous relief.”She said: “Richard is the most remarkable person and Nazanin has been so strong, so stoic, both of them have been through absolute hell over the last six years, and I think they just need to have that time and space now to be reunited as a family and to be back together with Gabriella.”Seven-year-old Gabriella – who was with her mother as a toddler visiting grandparents when she was first arrested in Iran in 2016 and has been able to see her only sporadically since then – was being told about her mother’s journey home, said Ms Madden“She is obviously hugely excited,” she said. “Beyond excited at the prospect of being reunited with her mummy.“I think she will definitely be staying up and be allowed to stay up past her bedtime.”Ms Madden said it was “a real wrench” for Nazinin to leave her parents behind in Iran, knowing that it will be very for her to return.She had lived with them during periods of house arrest, and they were “hugely supportive and of course absolutely relieved to see their daughter reunited with her family,” she said.Asked whether the Ratcliffe family would push for an investigation, Ms Madden said: “I think it’s far too early to really speculate in relation to that.“I think there are clearly questions that need to be answered They are questions that we’ve been asking for many years now. I think ultimately, that’s a question for the Ratcliffe family, but I’m sure that there will be called for those questions to be answered and for those investigations to be made.“But not today. What today is about is celebration and enormous relief.” More

No 10 has refused to deny that Boris Johnson uses WhatsApp to communicate with Mohammed bin Salman – despite messages exchanged with the Saudi crown prince being blamed for the hacking of Jeff Bezos’ phone.The prime minister is in Saudi Arabia, hoping to exploit his “personal relationship” with the controversial leader to persuade him to open the oil taps, to ease the energy crisis sparked by the Ukraine war.The pair are reported to still be in “regular WhatsApp contact”, in stark contrast to the prince refusing to take a phone call from Joe Biden, because of fierce US criticism of him.Ministers have repeatedly been criticised, including by the Information Commissioner, for using private emails and social media to carry out official government business.And there is particular alarm over the use of WhatsApp to talk with bin Salman – after the Amazon founder was apparently sent a video containing a malicious file to infiltrate his phone.Asked if it is correct that Mr Johnson, nevertheless, has kept open his WhatsApp link, his spokesman claimed “security matters” prevented him from answering.“What I can say is I’ve talked, on a number of occasions, about the rules around how ministers, including the prime minister, uses those forms of communication,” he said.“The substantive government business is passed on through the private office – that that is what takes place.”The spokesman said it is “beneficial to the UK that we have strong relations with world leaders”, but added: “Beyond that, I won’t get into that in more detail.”The two leaders are known to have communicated privately as bin Salman sought to apply pressure to allow the Saudi-financed takeover of Newcastle United football club, last year.The prince urged Mr Johnson to intervene to “correct” the Premier League’s “wrong” decision to block the deal – reportedly threatening that UK-Saudi Arabian relations would be damaged otherwise.The prime minister asked Edward Lister, his special envoy for the Gulf, to take up the issue, who reportedly then told the prime minister: “I’m on the case. I will investigate.”Mr Bezos is thought to have been having a conversation with bin Salman when he was sent the video that contained the malicious file.It was claimed “large amounts of data” were acquired within hours, according to the investigation into the hacking which was reportedly carried out on the businessman’s behalf.In February 2019, Mr Bezos accused the National Enquirer of “extortion and Blackmail”, after the tabloid published texts between the billionaire and his girlfriend.Mr Johnson has promised to raise human rights concerns in his talks with the prince – but Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, said the UK “cannot afford” to turn its back on Saudi oil. More

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and another British-Iranian national wrongly imprisoned in Iran have been freed and are returning to the UK today, foreign secretary Liz Truss has confirmed.A third dual-national citizen, London-born wildlife conservationist Morad Tahbaz, has been temporarily released from prison “on furlough”. A fourth detainee, British-Iranian Mehran Raoof, does not appear to form part of the deal.In a co-ordinated move, the UK has made a payment of £393.8m in settlement of a 40-year-old debt for Chieftain tanks bought by the former Shah of Iran but never delivered after the 1979 Islamic Revolution which removed him from power.Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe and fellow detainee Anousheh Ashoori are flying home from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport via Oman to the UK.They are expected to arrive at an unnamed UK airport late this evening, when Nazanin will be reunited with seven-year-old daughter Gabriella and husband Richard, who has conducted a long and very public campaign for her freedom.Ms Truss made the announcement in a tweet, saying: “I can confirm Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori will return to the UK today, and Morad Tahbaz has been released from prison on furlough. They will be reunited with their families later today. We will continue to work to secure Morad’s departure from Iran.”Prime minister Boris Johnson – who was accused of worsening Nazanin’s plight as foreign secretary when he wrongly told MPs she had been working as a journalist in Iran – welcomed the development.He said: “The UK has worked intensively to secure their release and I am delighted they will be reunited with their families and loved ones.”It comes almost six years after Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 43, was first detained in the country during a Nowruz (Persian new year) visit to family with her daughter, and five years since the arrest of Mr Ashouri, a retired civil engineer from London.The Ratcliffe’s lawyer Penny Madden said the family had been through “a roller-coaster of emotions” over recent days as her release appeared at last to be drawing near, and were now feeling “enormous relief”. Gabriella was “beyond excited at the prospect of being reunited with her mummy”, said Ms Madden.But she said it was a “big wrench” for Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe to leave her parents behind in Iran, knowing that it will be all but impossible for her to return to the countryIran sentenced Nazanin – a project manager for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of the Reuters news agency – to five years in prison in September 2016 after accusing her of “plotting to topple the Iranian regime”, a charge she has always denied.Britain has always insisted that the dispute over the unpaid could not be linked to the unfair detentions.But it is clear that the settlement of the long-standing debt was central to securing agreement from Iran’s clerical government to the releases.UK officials are refusing to discuss the details of the payment, which were agreed on condition of confidentiality. But it is understood that it has not been made in cash and may be in the form of credit for purchases of humanitarian supplies such as vaccines.In a statement, Ms Truss said the release was “the result of tenacious and creative British diplomacy”.She said: “We have the deepest admiration for the resolve, courage and determination Nazanin, Anoosheh and Morad, and their families, have shown. They have faced hardship that no family should ever experience and this is a moment of great relief.”Ms Truss said that the historic debt had been settled “in parallel” with the negotiations over the detainees and “in full compliance with UK and international sanctions and all legal obligations”. She added: “These funds will be ring-fenced solely for the purchase of humanitarian goods.”Concluding the deal has required lengthy negotiations to find a way for the payment to be made without Britain breaching UK or international sanctions and remaining within its international obligations.Former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said that it had been decided during his term of office in 2018 that the UK would repay the money, put “practical difficulties” relating to Iran’s sanctions had prevented progress.“Why did it take so long?” he said on Sky News. “Of course people want answers to those questions.“There were all sorts of factors, such as the reality that to pay this money we had to have a waiver from the United States, because any bank used to pay the money would get sanctioned by the US and be unable to do business in the US. Whether that was the route that was taken, I don’t know, but there was a lot of complexity in sorting this out.”Since the detentions began, a series of prime ministers and Foreign Office ministers have spoken directly to their Iranian counterparts on 35 occasions to press for their release and spoken 75 times to detainees’ families.Ms Truss said that she made it her “top priority” on arrival at the Foreign Office last September to resolve the two issues, and the intensity of talks has stepped up in recent months.Her meeting with Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in New York in September was the first face-to-face contact at this level for three years, and delivered an agreement to work towards finding a solution to the disputes “in parallel”.Ms Truss sent a team of experienced negotiators to Tehran in October and spoke again with the Iranian foreign minister that month.The offer of Oman being used as a transit point for the released detainees to join a plane to the UK was secured when she hosted the Gulf state’s foreign minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi at her country retreat Chevening in December.A further meeting with Amir-Abdollahian in Muscat in February allowed the final agreement to secure the release of Nazanin and Anousheh.Over the year leading up to the release, UK officials had lobbied Tehran no less than 100 times. It is understood that the current crisis in Ukraine played no part in negotiations, though it is thought that Russia’s indication on Tuesday that it wants a swift resumption of Iran’s nuclear deal helped get agreement over the line. Amnesty International UK’s chief executive Sacha Deshmukh said: “Nazanin and Anoosheh have unquestionably been used as political pawns by the Iranian authorities – and the Iranian authorities have acted with calculated cruelty, seeking to wring the maximum diplomatic value out of their captivity.“The government needs to follow up on Nazanin and Anoosheh’s release by immediately renewing its calls for the release of the UK nationals Mehran Raoof and Morad Tahbaz, both of whom are still going through an ordeal all too similar to Nazanin and Anoosheh’s.“It’s been clear for years that the Iranian authorities are targeting foreign nationals with spurious national security-related charges to exert diplomatic pressure, and it’s more important than ever that Britain works multilaterally to combat this insidious practice.” More

Boris Johnson’s government has been urged to remove red tape preventing a Scottish charity from bringing a group of 48 Ukrainian orphans to safety in the UK.The SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford said the Home Office was the main “obstacle” to getting the vulnerable children from Ukraine on a flight out of Poland.“There is a plane ready and waiting in Poland to bring these orphans to the UK on Friday,” the senior MP told deputy prime minister Dominic Raab. “But that flight will be leaving empty without the necessary paperwork from the Home Office.”Mr Blackford said Edinburgh charity Dnipro Kids, Edinburgh City Council and the Scottish government were all trying to get the matter resolved – but home secretary Priti Patel’s department was acting as a barrier.“The Home Office is still proving to be the only obstacle in the way, and it risks leaving thses children stranded,” the SNP chief told the Commons.He added “I’m pleading with the deputy prime minister – remove these obstructions before it’s too late. Will he work with me, and the Ukrainian authorities to guarantee, that those 48 orphans will get on this plane this Friday?”Mr Raab replied: “This is a heart-rendering situation, and we want to do everything we can.”The deputy PM and justice secretary said there were range of “safeguarding” issues in the case – including whether “necessary permissions have been sought from the Ukrainian and Polish governments”.Mr Raab added: “This isn’t actually about bureaucracy, it’s about genuine safeguarding issues. But I certainly want to work with him in the best interests of those children.”Dnipro Kids, set up by fans of Hibernian FC, managed to help the group of 48 Ukrainian orphans across border to immediate safety in Poland, but has struggled to clear the paperwork to welcome them to Edinburgh.Children between the ages of six and 17 came from orphanages around Dnipro were able to cross the border in a bus organised by the Scottish charity last Thursday.First minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said charity’s efforts were “amazing” and said the Scottish government was “pressing hard” for UK government to help the children come to UK“When they do, I’ve no doubt Scotland will surround them with love,” said Ms Sturgeon.Earlier on Wednesday, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer urged government to “up its game” in supporting Ukrainian refugees, calling their approach “too narrow, too slow and too mean”.Ukrainians have described the government’s Ukraine family visa application process as “a shambles” after spending the past fortnight trying to get loved ones to the UK.On Tuesday new measures were brought in, meaning Ukrainians with passports will no longer have to go to a visa application centre to give their biometrics before they come to the UK.It came as refugee minister Lord Harrington told MPs he expects “thousands of people” to arrive next week under the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme – but warned it “may not be possible” for all accommodation being offered to be checked beforehand.Asked by the Commons Home Affairs Committee if he could give assurances that Ukrainian refugees will not be housed in hotels, Lord Harrington replied: “I honestly can’t give you that undertaking.The refugees minister added: “I’d like to but it’s not our intention. But if all else fails, it’s our duty to make sure they’ve got a roof over their head and they’re fed properly.” More