Latest news with #MP
Bloomberg
31 minutes ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
UK Lawmakers Set Final Vote on Legalization of Assisted Dying
The UK's House of Commons will hold a final vote on Friday on whether to allow assisted dying, a move that could usher in a significant cultural shift over how to handle those with terminal illnesses. The measure will go through its third reading with members of Parliament, with the outcome of the vote expected by 2.30 pm. While Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP behind the bill, said she was 'confident' it would pass, several of her colleagues said the result would be too close to call.
Sky News
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Labour MP Vicky Foxcroft quits as government whip over cuts to disability benefits
Labour MP Vicky Foxcroft has quit her job as a government whip in opposition to the government's plans to cut disability benefits. She wrote in a letter to the prime minister that she could not vote "for reforms which include cuts to disabled people's finances". The former shadow minister for disabled people becomes the first MP to quit a government job over the controversial welfare reform plans that have seen over 100 Labour MPs publicly express concern over the proposals. A government spokesperson defended the reforms as "principled" and insisted they will protect the vulnerable. The MP for Lewisham North wrote that the benefits system is in "desperate need of reform", but argued this is not the way to do it. She said: "I absolutely understand the need to address the ever-increasing welfare bill in these difficult economic times, but I have always believed this could and should be done by supporting more disabled people into work. "I do not believe that cuts to personal independence payment (PIP) and the health element of Universal Credit should be part of the solution." Ms Foxcroft said she has "wrestled" with the decision over whether to resign, but said: "Sadly it now seems that we are not going to get the changes I desperately wanted to see. "I therefore tender my resignation as I know I will not be able to do the job that is required of me and whip - or indeed vote - for reforms which include cuts to disabled people's finances." She has received public support from a number of fellow Labour MPs, who praised her "principled" stand on this issue. 'Moral case for change' The government published its bill earlier this week to tighten the eligibility for PIP benefits, and also cuts to the sickness-related portion of Universal Credit. Ministers say these plans will cut £5bn from the welfare budget that is ballooning. 2:47 The cost of long-term sickness and disability benefits for working-age people has risen by £20bn since the pandemic and is forecast to hit £70bn over the next five years. Ministers have said there is also a moral case for change, with one in eight young people not in education, training, or employment - prompting fears of a "wasted generation". But disability groups say they fear an increase in suicides and mental health conditions. The government's own assessment forecast an extra 250,000 people could be pushed into poverty - including 50,000 children. It did not include the impact of people moving into work. A government spokesperson said: "This Labour government was elected to deliver change. The broken welfare system we inherited is failing the sick and most vulnerable and holding too many young people back. It is fair and responsible to fix it. "Our principled reforms will ensure those who can work should, that those who want to work are properly supported, and that those with most severe disabilities and health conditions are protected."
ABC News
10 hours ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Moira Deeming speaks to journalists while on her way to a party meeting
Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming has accused her party colleagues of trying to 'annihilate' her after she sued John Pesutto for defamation.
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Time of India
MP first to use hi-tech system to flag ideal spots for ponds & wells
Bhopal: Setting an example of how technology can change lives, Madhya Pradesh has become the only state to use AI, real-time data analytics and integrated satellite and mapping tools to select locations to construct waterbodies under Jal Ganga Samvardhan Abhiyan — a drive under MNREGS to build waterbodies for groundwater recharge. With these scientific technological interventions, the chances of waterbodies remaining dry become negligible, said officials, adding that it will not only improve groundwater levels but also bring prosperity to rural areas. The MP initiative has been appreciated by Union govt and several states have approached MP to understand the working of these systems, they added. MP is also the first state to integrate MNREGS works with these advanced scientific tools. Ponds and wells often remained dry as they were not dug in ideal spots, lacked correct slopes, or natural water recharges, pointed out officials. Now, these approvals are linked to the Software For Identification and Planning Of Rural Infrastructure (SIPRI) — which has all topographical data, mapped to the level of khasra numbers in each village. It is only after the spot selected for the waterbody is vetted by SIPRI that work goes ahead. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Преносим лазерен заваръчен пистолет, 50% отстъпка в нов магазин HEO Купете сега Undo All this is integrated into the system to ensure seamless and timely evaluation, with just a few clicks. Explaining the system, an official said that once a site for a pond or well is proposed, the khasra number is entered into the system and SIPRI determines if it will be feasible. Parameters like slope, natural water recharges, and other topographical features are shown by the software. It is only after all the parameters check out that the approval process can be further extended. SIPRI uses hundreds of sources, including revenue records, GPS, satellite images, drone surveys, a large number of govt organisations, and even private satellite imagery and data providers, to ensure real-time data. The software even analyses scientific features like lineament — a linear feature on the earth's surface, such as a fault — which are normally not identifiable, and their presence leads to ponds drying up. So far, under Jal Ganga Samvardhan, more than 81,000 farm ponds, 1,200 Amrit Sarovar ponds, and more than 1 lakh wells have been approved. All these have been approved after checking each and every topographical feature in the least possible time. "It's a question of millions and millions of litres of water, and it's related to the lives of crores of rural people. Normally, farmers who do not have access to irrigation water opt for ponds or lakes. If these lakes are functional, it will bring about changes not only in the groundwater levels but also in farm output. Thus, it will have multiple benefits, environmentally as well as in uplifting the living conditions of the people," MNREGS commissioner Avi Prasad told TOI. "We worked for several months on these technological interventions, and it has been developed inhouse. Data from numerous sources is being pulled for this purpose. It took several months to develop the system. Every waterbody approved under Jal Ganga Samvardhan Abhiyan has been approved after due diligence to ensure it is as per the appropriate topography. This not only increases efficiency, but technical intervention has also reduced the time of approvals from a few days to a few minutes. Ideally, a proposal for a water body can now get technical sanction in just 15 minutes," Prasad added.
The Independent
14 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
Moment of truth for the assisted dying bill: all you need to know
Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP who came top in the private members' bill ballot last year, and was therefore given a chance of getting her own law onto the statute book, is 'confident' that her Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will complete its Commons stages on Friday. The bill has been through an arduous and often bad-tempered journey since MPs voted to give it the go-ahead in principle in November by 330 votes to 275, a majority of 55. It was debated by a committee of MPs in 29 sittings between January and March. The committee considered 500 amendments and about one-third were agreed. The bill came back to the Commons last Friday, when further amendments were debated. Tomorrow will be its last day in the Commons, when more amendments will be debated and a final vote held. If it passes, it will then go to the House of Lords. How has the bill been amended? The main change is that, instead of a court having to approve a request, supported by two doctors, for an assisted death, it will be decided by a panel consisting of a lawyer, a consultant psychiatrist and a social worker. Other amendments include: • requiring the doctors assessing assisted dying requests to have undertaken detailed training on domestic abuse, including coercive control and financial abuse; • making independent advocates available for those who 'may experience substantial difficulty in understanding the processes or information relevant' to the assisted dying process; and • increasing the commencement period from two years to four years in England, meaning that the majority of the bill's provisions must be implemented within four years of the bill becoming law. Is the bill going to pass? Almost certainly. The majority of 55 in November was larger than expected, and although some MPs have changed their minds since then, it seems unlikely that there are 28 of them – the number required to change the outcome. Indeed, some of those changing their minds have gone from abstaining last time to supporting the bill, saying that they are now satisfied with the safeguards in the bill. However, it is MPs switching from support or a neutral position to opposition who tend to attract the most attention. Four Labour MPs who supported the bill in November but who will vote against it tomorrow have written to their colleagues urging them to do the same. 'This is not a normal bill,' they write. 'It fundamentally alters the relationship between doctor and patient. It strips power away from parliament and concentrates it in the hands of future health secretaries.' They conclude: 'The bill before us simply does not do enough to safeguard people who may want to choose to live.' The opposition from outside parliament has been forceful. Some MPs are particularly disconcerted by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, which continues to oppose the bill. Although it says it is not opposed to the principle of assisted dying, it is worried about the implications for mental health and says that there are not enough consultant psychiatrists to sit on the expert panels. Even so, Leadbeater's confidence appears to be justified. Where do cabinet ministers stand? Assisted dying is an issue of conscience, and so by convention, the government has allowed a free vote. The government does not have a view on the issue, and collective ministerial responsibility does not apply. That means that some ministers will vote in favour and some against. Seven ministers who attend cabinet are opposed to the bill: Darren Jones, David Lammy, Shabana Mahmood, Bridget Phillipson, Angela Rayner, Jonathan Reynolds and Wes Streeting. Streeting has changed his mind: he said last year that the poor state of NHS palliative care meant that he could not support the bill. All the rest support the bill, including the prime minister, who reaffirmed his support this week – apart from Ian Murray, the Scottish secretary, who will not vote on the grounds that the issue is devolved. The Scottish parliament voted for a similar bill at its first stage last month.
