UK News and Discussions

[Time_Traveller]

Former Tory MP Scott Benton resigns from parliament, triggering by-election

Monday 25 March 2024 15:18, UK



A former Tory MP who was facing the prospect of being removed from his seat by voters has announced he is resigning from parliament - triggering another by-election.

Scott Benton, who represents Blackpool South, said it had been "the honour of a lifetime to represent our wonderful Blackpool community in parliament over the last four years".

"It's with a heavy heart that I have written to the chancellor this morning to tender my resignation as your MP," he said in a post on X.

His resignation will trigger a by-election unless Rishi Sunak calls a general election sooner - something that is unlikely after he ruled out holding an election on May 2 and said he is still aiming for the second half of the year.

Mr Benton, who was elected to the seat in 2019, was facing a recall petition after he was suspended from the Commons for 35 days over his role in a lobbying sting.

https://news.sky.com/story/former-tory- ... n-13101692

[Time_Traveller]

Papa Johns pizza to shut nearly a tenth of UK sites

31 minutes ago

Pizza chain Papa Johns has said it will close nearly a tenth of its UK restaurants - all of which it says are "underperforming".

The closures follow a review of the business which identified sites that were "no longer financially viable".

The chain, which has 450 restaurants plus others in service stations and holiday parks, will close 43 sites but has not said how many jobs will be hit.

Separately, Revolution Bars has said it could sell "all or part of the group".

Its announcement followed reports that said Revolution could shut about 20 bars, or a roughly a quarter of its outlets.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68663844

[Time_Traveller]

Education minister Robert Halfon quits government

15 minutes ago

Robert Halfon has quit his government role as a junior education minister.

The MP for Harlow announced he is stepping down in letter to Rishi Sunak posted on social media site X, and will also be standing down as an MP at the general election.

He is joined by the armed forces minister James Heappey, who has also resigned.

The Conservative MP for Wells, Somerset, announced his intention to quit as an MP earlier this month.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68669507

[Time_Traveller]

UK ministers vow to close loopholes in disposable vape ban

Mon 29 Jan 2024 08.25 GMT

UK ministers will aim to stop firms from skirting around an upcoming ban on disposable vapes by eliminating ruses such as attaching charging points to them, the health secretary has said.

The draft legislation, being introduced in parallel with an already announced ban on selling tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, would be put together with the help of experts who would try to anticipate possible loopholes, Victoria Atkins said.

“We will listen very carefully to suggestions that big tobacco and other vaping companies will somehow find a way around this,” she told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“The motivation here is to help ensure that children and young people are not dragged into this addiction to nicotine, which sadly, these vapes can mean for children, young people.”

Questioned about the possibility of vaping firms adding USB charging points to what remained un-refillable and cheap vapes to dodge the ban, Artkins said: “That’s incredibly cynical and it shows, if you like, the battle that the government is prepared to take on.”

https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... -loopholes

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Disposable bans will not work, says vape boss

18 hours ago



Banning disposable vapes will not be "effective", the boss of the UK's largest tobacco firm has told the BBC.

Tadeu Marroco, chief executive of British American Tobacco (BAT), also said raising the smoking age would have "non-intended consequences".

The government plans to outlaw disposable vapes next April as part of the "biggest public health measure in decades".

BAT is the UK's third-largest vape seller.

Sales of disposable vapes - which give a few hundred puffs of nicotine-containing liquid before being thrown away - have skyrocketed in recent years in Britain. It is estimated hundreds of millions are now sold every year, many of them illegal.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68656715

[wjfox]

[wjfox]

State pension warning as ex-ministers say retirement age could hit 68 sooner than planned

10:56, 27 Mar 2024

The state pension age could rise to 68 even sooner than originally planned to pay for the triple lock, ex-ministers have warned.

Former Tory MP, now a Tory peer and president of the Resolution Foundation think-tank, Lord Willetts told the i newspaper that “precedent and evidence so far” could likely lead to faster rises in the pension age. Currently, you can claim your state pension from aged 66 and the Government has already planned to increase this to 67 between 2026 and 2028. A further increase to 68 is also scheduled between 2044 and 48.

With the triple lock promise, Lord Willetts said it was "possible that the further increase could be sped up”. It comes as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed the triple lock would be in the Tory's upcoming election manifesto and would remain in place throughout the next Parliament if the Conservatives win. Due to these potential changes, people aged 47 to 48 expecting to retire in 2044 at 68 years could have to wait longer for their pension.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/state-pe ... s-32450398

[weatheriscool]

[Powers]

[Time_Traveller]

Laurence Fox barred from London mayor race after forms error

15 minutes ago

Actor Laurence Fox will not be a candidate at the London mayoral elections after failing to fill in the nomination forms properly.

London Elects, which administers the mayoral and London Assembly elections, said the Reclaim Party leader had submitted his nomination papers shortly before the deadline on Wednesday, but they were subsequently found to contain errors that it was then too late to correct.

In now-deleted tweets, Mr Fox said his party had “checked, double checked and then triple checked our nominations” and would appeal against the decision, which he claimed was the result of “political corruption”.

But in an email also tweeted by the actor, election officials said nomination papers from two boroughs did not have the 10 supporters required, while three supporters from other boroughs “could not be reconciled to voter register records”.

The email said Mr Fox’s nomination as a London-wide assembly member candidate was valid, and added his party would be refunded the £20,000 fee and deposit paid for the mayoral nomination, plus another £5,000 Reclaim had overpaid “in error”.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/h ... 20043.html

[Time_Traveller]

Thames Water boss says bills need to rise by 40%

16 minutes ago

The boss of Thames Water has told the BBC customer bills need to rise by 40% by 2030 to pay for improvements.

"That is the price customers have to pay for the investment in our infrastructure that's needed," he said.

The firm is in a race to find extra cash after its investors said they would not give the struggling water giant more money unless bills rise.

The regulator, whose approval is needed for any price rises, has so far pushed back on substantial bill increases.

Sources close to Ofwat say it plans to "stick to its guns" and won't raise bills to address shareholder problems.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68682198