Latest news with #GeraldRonson
The Independent
14 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Why allegations of BBC bias on Israel are becoming hard to reconcile
In April 2006 I was visited in my office by Gerald Ronson, a businessman perhaps best known at the time for spending a stretch in jail on assorted charges of conspiracy, false accounting and theft. He did not pause to take his overcoat off before launching into a diatribe: 'I've always said opinions are like arseholes, everyone's got one,' he pronounced, before adding: 'I am in favour of free speech but there is a line which can't be crossed and, as far as I am concerned, you've crossed it, and you must stop this!' Ronson was not protesting about our analysis of his chequered business career, but about our coverage of Israel. With him was the then-president of the Board of Deputies, which is sometimes presented as representing the view of British Jews. It is not clear why anyone thought that Ronson would be a persuasive advocate. Over time attempts to influence British media became more sophisticated. A number of 'media monitoring groups' with bland-sounding names were established with the explicit purpose of microscopically examining every word, every picture, every inch of footage – and duly pronouncing much coverage to be biased against Israel. In parallel, selected journalists would be invited on all-expenses-paid trips to Israel to be 'briefed.' Not so long ago I myself was asked by a popular columnist if I'd like to go on such a trip – and gradually became aware that a number of distinguished journalists appeared to have seized a similar opportunity without declaring the source of funding or acknowledging the arrangements behind the briefings. The BBC has been a particular target. It is close to an article of faith for some – maybe even many – that the BBC is biased. Biased against the right, biased against Brexit, biased against ordinary working people. And biased against Israel. But not only the BBC. Sky TV is, according to one David Collier, 'a pro-terrorist propaganda channel.' But then Mr Collier has a dystopian view of the future of British Jews, tweeting recently: 'Relax. We will all be gone soon. British Jews, Israeli business. chased out by an increasingly hostile UK. And when you all sit here in a 3rd world country with an Islamic flag over Downing St. you can let us know whether it was a good idea or not.' Now Mr Collier is a dogged researcher, recently shedding light on serious flaws in a BBC documentary on Gaza. For many years he worked in hospitality and tourism, but is now an investigative journalist. He told the Times of Israel recently: 'What [The BBC] have is an engine room full of activist journalists all desperately falling over each other trying to outdo each other in finding new ways to demonise Israel.' Another prominent critic of the BBC is an English / Israeli lawyer called Trevor Asserson, who recently garnered headlines in the UK press after commissioning a report, compiled by Israeli lawyers which claimed to identify a total of 1,553 breaches of the BBC's editorial guidelines in its coverage of Israel. The report was seized on by former BBC executive Danny Cohen, as demonstrating an 'institutional crisis' at the corporation. Cohen himself has founded, and chairs, the blandly-titled UK Media Research Counc il [UKMRC}, which employs a number of former Mail on Sunday and Telegraph journalists. According to Private Eye, which has been unable to establish who funds the body, it admits to 'focusing particularly on antisemitism and what they consider to be an anti-Israel narrative in the media.' Cohen himself collaborated with yet another blandly-named media monitoring outfit, Camera UK, to produce yet one more report highlighting alleged BBC bias against Israel. All this stuff is lapped up by those news organisations which instinctively rally to the Israeli cause or (an overlapping group) despise the BBC. So it was a little uncomfortable for some journalists this week when a 188-page report was published claiming to show that, far from being biased against Israel, the BBC was, in fact, biased towards Israel. The report, published on Monday, was endorsed by a number of prominent figures, including the admirable Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, former chair of the Conservative Party and the first Muslim woman to serve in a British Cabinet. She wrote: 'This is no cherry-picked critique. It is a comprehensive, evidence-based indictment that cannot be ignored.' But, of course, it was ignored. The findings included claims that the BBC humanises Israeli casualties and dehumanises Palestinian ones; that Palestinian deaths make fewer headlines; that there is an extreme imbalance in reporting fatalities; that the BBC doesn't treat Palestinian sympathisers fairly; and that the context and history of the conflict is underplayed. It argues that the BBC suppresses or minimises allegations of genocide and underreports attacks on press freedom. And so on. You may agree, or disagree, with any of the above. But it's unlikely you will be aware of it. As far as I can tell no mainstream news organisation thought it was worth so much as an inch of coverage. It sank without trace. The report was praised by the former Mail and Telegraph political columnist and now award-winning blogger, Peter Oborne, as 'an outstanding and thorough examination off BBC coverage.' This cut no ice with David Collier, who tweeted: 'It is, at best, a piece of risible, inaccurate junk.' In another post, he noted that the bland-sounding organisation which had published it , The Centre for Media Monitoring, was funded by the Muslim Council for Britain (MCB). 'What a pile of absolute garbage,' he scoffed. Some critiqued that the authors had used large language models [LLMs] to help their research. They were less bothered by Trevor Asserson's use of ChatGPT to help produce his own report. Now, it would be surprising if the MCB were to sponsor a report showing the BBC was anti-Israel. Equally, hell might have to freeze over before Messrs Collier, Asserson or Cohen would come to the conclusion that the BBC was institutionally biased towards Israel. But there is some worrying asymmetry involved here. The bland-sounding pro-Israel groups are simply more numerous and better-resourced than any bland-sounding pro-Palestinian group. They have more willing amplifiers in the mainstream media. Over the years narratives are constructed and take root. And when someone comes along with a counter-narrative they are ignored. It would be unkind to call it GroupThink but there is, at the very least, a lack of balance. Which, of course, is the accusation thrown at the BBC. It all makes one rather nostalgic for Gerald Ronson and his homilies about arseholes. You knew where you were.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Net zero crashed the car industry – it's coming for the property market next
Walk past 110 Bishopsgate – a City of London office block commonly known as the Heron Tower that features panoramic glass lifts shooting up its side – and you would not think it could become redundant in five years. However, net zero rules for buildings such as 110 Bishopgate mean it is a real risk. At Heron Tower, the vast majority of its floors have an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of C, according to the Government's register. Similar ratings are logged for swathes of commercial premises in nearby areas of the Square Mile, from towers dotted around Leadenhall Street and Ropemaker Street, to blocks along Fenchurch Street. Under proposals drawn up in 2021, offices, shops and other commercial properties must have an energy efficiency rating of either A or B from 2030 onwards in order to be lawfully let out. Four years on, the Government has still has not indicated whether it will give those measures the go-ahead or rule them out, leaving commercial landlords in limbo. Some aren't waiting to find out. The Heron Tower's owners, which include Sir Gerald Ronson's Heron International and the State General Reserve Fund of Oman, are carrying out work to upgrade the whole building to the minimum B rating. However, thousands more commercial properties across Britain, owned by landlords without pockets that run as deep, could be at risk. Much like the car industry, which has been hit hard by the Government's enforced targets on electric vehicle sales, net zero threaten to upend the market. Andy Burnie, who oversees investment at 110 Bishopsgate, says: '[We] expect to achieve a minimum of EPC B well ahead of the deadline. However, this is a building that was completed in 2011, achieving BREEAM 'Excellent' [a sustainability rating within the industry] and incorporating a number of sustainable technologies, including PV cells and heat recovery systems. 'Yet, even for us, the process of achieving EPC A or B is not straightforward. The majority of the buildings around us are much older and will likely find this process significantly more difficult or, in many cases, impossible.' Research from the British Property Federation (BPF) shows that 83pc of commercial properties in England's biggest cities risk becoming unlettable by 2030 without significant investment. Bristol and Birmingham are the most exposed, with 85pc of properties needing to be raised to a B rating or higher in the next five years if the Government confirms the 2030 deadline. The 2021 proposals included an interim target of getting all commercial buildings up to a C rating by 2027, which the BPF has warned is 'unrealistic'. To raise a building's EPC rating, landlords need to give notice to the tenants, which would need to move out of the space. Owners would then need to apply for planning permission, which could take years for certain estates. Improvement works then need to be commissioned and completed, before final inspections are carried out. Rob Wall, of the BPF, says: 'It takes a long time, so to bring a building from an E rating to a C in two years would be very fast indeed.' Common upgrades include installing high-specification LED lighting with controls, replacing gas boilers with electric heat pumps, installing efficient fan systems for ventilation and improving insulation for external surfaces. Renovations can easily run into the millions of pounds and, in some cases, the costs could prove greater than the value of the property itself. 'There are 'low hanging fruit' items that can be simple and relatively cheap – lighting can often be considered in this category,' says Jennet Siebrets, head of UK research at CBRE. 'Then once the easy wins are exhausted, you get to central plant upgrades and the external building fabric, which can get very expensive and often require an empty building, or at best major disruption to tenants.' As with the Government's zero emission vehicle mandate – which requires an ever-increasing percentage of car sales to be carbon-free each year – the industry does not dispute that the goals are worthy. But what is causing alarm is the speed and scale of the changes needed, not to mention the lack of clarity. Peter Cosmetatos, of the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council (CREFC) Europe, says the industry supported the goals when they were drawn up in 2021 but decries the 'policy drifts and a lack of clarity ever since'. He says: 'Given the very different political mood music now and the more ominous environment economically, politically, geopolitically, it no longer feels that realistic.' For one thing, there are fears that the ongoing construction skills shortage in Britain means there are not enough workers to carry out the required upgrades. Then there is the question of whether it is affordable. Jackie Newstead, head of global real estate at law firm Hogan Lovells, said that smaller landlords would find it 'much more difficult to comply'. While there are exemptions for certain buildings under the proposals, even navigating this system may prove too much for smaller companies. 'It's the sort of thing that will put private investors off investing in real estate,' she says. Add to these concerns the question of what happens to buildings that can't be brought up to standard. Marks & Spencer has fought a protracted and costly battle that ultimately ended up in the courts over plans to demolish its Marble Arch store on Oxford Street and build a new shop in its place. The heart of its argument was its contention that the building could not be made environmentally friendly in its current state. How many more battles like this will we see? This is not simply an issue for landlords: it will affect the whole economy. The cost of building upgrades could be passed on to commercial tenants in the form of higher rents and service charges, says Jennet Siebrets, head of UK research at CBRE, an American real estate investment firm. If buildings become unlettable, tenants may have to find new buildings to occupy at short notice. Cosmetatos says: 'We need some real focus about what a realistic goal is, a goal that we can stick to, and that the government can support and understand [that] the whole supply chain needs to be in place.' The EPC rules – or the threat of them, at least – are casting a pall over the industry. 'When making investment decisions, it's at the forefront of our clients' minds,' says Mat Lown of property adviser TFT. 'They want to know the risks associated with investments with an eye on B in 2030 – everything that we're involved in now, due diligence wise, that question's being asked. There's a high market awareness among the [institutional investors] and developers.' Mr Cosmetatos says the government needs to come up with a plan and fast if it is serious about the 2030 target. Rather than simply setting targets and throwing up their hands, ministers must figure out a way to support financing, ensure Britain has enough builders to do the job and come up with a plan for tenants. He says: 'They all need to move together if you're going to achieve something as significant as upgrading 80pc of stock out there, but there is very little sign of that. That's troubling.' The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) will update the industry by summer. A spokesman said: 'We will ensure energy efficiency standards for non-domestic properties remain fair and proportionate for landlords and tenants. 'There are a number of exemptions in place so that landlords only have to install cost-effective measures that are appropriate for their building. Where a valid exemption is in place, the property can continue to be let.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
03-03-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Net zero crashed the car industry – it's coming for the property market next
Walk past 110 Bishopsgate – a City of London office block commonly known as the Heron Tower that features panoramic glass lifts shooting up its side – and you would not think it could become redundant in five years. However, net zero rules for buildings such as 110 Bishopgate mean it is a real risk. At Heron Tower, the vast majority of its floors have an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of C, according to the Government's register. Similar ratings are logged for swathes of commercial premises in nearby areas of the Square Mile, from towers dotted around Leadenhall Street and Ropemaker Street, to blocks along Fenchurch Street. Under proposals drawn up in 2021, offices, shops and other commercial properties must have an energy efficiency rating of either A or B from 2030 onwards in order to be lawfully let out. Four years on, the Government has still has not indicated whether it will give those measures the go-ahead or rule them out, leaving commercial landlords in limbo. Some aren't waiting to find out. The Heron Tower's owners, which include Sir Gerald Ronson's Heron International and the State General Reserve Fund of Oman, are carrying out work to upgrade the whole building to the minimum B rating. However, thousands more commercial properties across Britain, owned by landlords without pockets that run as deep, could be at risk. Much like the car industry, which has been hit hard by the Government's enforced targets on electric vehicle sales, net zero threaten to upend the market. Andy Burnie, who oversees investment at 110 Bishopsgate, says: '[We] expect to achieve a minimum of EPC B well ahead of the deadline. However, this is a building that was completed in 2011, achieving BREEAM 'Excellent' [a sustainability rating within the industry] and incorporating a number of sustainable technologies, including PV cells and heat recovery systems. 'Yet, even for us, the process of achieving EPC A or B is not straightforward. The majority of the buildings around us are much older and will likely find this process significantly more difficult or, in many cases, impossible.' Research from the British Property Federation (BPF) shows that 83pc of commercial properties in England's biggest cities risk becoming unlettable by 2030 without significant investment. Bristol and Birmingham are the most exposed, with 85pc of properties needing to be raised to a B rating or higher in the next five years if the Government confirms the 2030 deadline. The 2021 proposals included an interim target of getting all commercial buildings up to a C rating by 2027, which the BPF has warned is 'unrealistic'. To raise a building's EPC rating, landlords need to give notice to the tenants, which would need to move out of the space. Owners would then need to apply for planning permission, which could take years for certain estates. Improvement works then need to be commissioned and completed, before final inspections are carried out. Rob Wall, of the BPF, says: 'It takes a long time, so to bring a building from an E rating to a C in two years would be very fast indeed.' Common upgrades include installing high-specification LED lighting with controls, replacing gas boilers with electric heat pumps, installing efficient fan systems for ventilation and improving insulation for external surfaces. Renovations can easily run into the millions of pounds and, in some cases, the costs could prove greater than the value of the property itself. 'Low-hanging fruit' 'There are 'low hanging fruit' items that can be simple and relatively cheap – lighting can often be considered in this category,' says Jennet Siebrets, head of UK research at CBRE. 'Then once the easy wins are exhausted, you get to central plant upgrades and the external building fabric, which can get very expensive and often require an empty building, or at best major disruption to tenants.' As with the Government's zero emission vehicle mandate – which requires an ever-increasing percentage of car sales to be carbon-free each year – the industry does not dispute that the goals are worthy. But what is causing alarm is the speed and scale of the changes needed, not to mention the lack of clarity. Peter Cosmetatos, of the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council (CREFC) Europe, says the industry supported the goals when they were drawn up in 2021 but decries the 'policy drifts and a lack of clarity ever since'. He says: 'Given the very different political mood music now and the more ominous environment economically, politically, geopolitically, it no longer feels that realistic.' For one thing, there are fears that the ongoing construction skills shortage in Britain means there are not enough workers to carry out the required upgrades. Then there is the question of whether it is affordable. Jackie Newstead, head of global real estate at law firm Hogan Lovells, said that smaller landlords would find it 'much more difficult to comply'. While there are exemptions for certain buildings under the proposals, even navigating this system may prove too much for smaller companies. 'It's the sort of thing that will put private investors off investing in real estate,' she says. Add to these concerns the question of what happens to buildings that can't be brought up to standard. Marks & Spencer has fought a protracted and costly battle that ultimately ended up in the courts over plans to demolish its Marble Arch store on Oxford Street and build a new shop in its place. The heart of its argument was its contention that the building could not be made environmentally friendly in its current state. How many more battles like this will we see? This is not simply an issue for landlords: it will affect the whole economy. The cost of building upgrades could be passed on to commercial tenants in the form of higher rents and service charges, says Jennet Siebrets, head of UK research at CBRE, an American real estate investment firm. If buildings become unlettable, tenants may have to find new buildings to occupy at short notice. Cosmetatos says: 'We need some real focus about what a realistic goal is, a goal that we can stick to, and that the government can support and understand [that] the whole supply chain needs to be in place.' The EPC rules – or the threat of them, at least – are casting a pall over the industry. 'When making investment decisions, it's at the forefront of our clients' minds,' says Mat Lown of property adviser TFT. 'They want to know the risks associated with investments with an eye on B in 2030 – everything that we're involved in now, due diligence wise, that question's being asked. There's a high market awareness among the [institutional investors] and developers.' Mr Cosmetatos says the government needs to come up with a plan and fast if it is serious about the 2030 target. Rather than simply setting targets and throwing up their hands, ministers must figure out a way to support financing, ensure Britain has enough builders to do the job and come up with a plan for tenants. He says: 'They all need to move together if you're going to achieve something as significant as upgrading 80pc of stock out there, but there is very little sign of that. That's troubling.' The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) will update the industry by summer. A spokesman said: 'We will ensure energy efficiency standards for non-domestic properties remain fair and proportionate for landlords and tenants. 'There are a number of exemptions in place so that landlords only have to install cost-effective measures that are appropriate for their building. Where a valid exemption is in place, the property can continue to be let.'
