Latest news with #MarkFrancois
The Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Speaker accuses Government of ‘appalling' breaches of ministerial code
Sir Lindsay Hoyle would like to take the Government to task for 'appalling' ministerial code breaches, but he has 'not got the power', MPs have heard. The Commons Speaker said on Tuesday that the extent of his authority, 'if the House wishes, needs to change', because on his watch the situation 'would be different'. The Government's own code sets out the 'high standards of behaviour' which ministers are expected to maintain. According to the document, they should keep 'commercially sensitive material' under wraps until it is published, without letting the media see it first. But a row broke out over the Government's handling of the recent Strategic Defence Review (SDR), when journalists were allowed to see the document before MPs received their copies. 'At 10.30am on the Monday morning (June 2), journalists were invited to a reading room in Horse Guards Parade, where they were given access to the White Paper,' Conservative shadow defence minister Mark Francois said. He added that this was 'clearly a breach of the code' and continued: 'It was also seen by members of defence companies, trade associations, academics, think tanks and trade unionists at the same time that the markets were opening at eight o'clock.' Mr Francois said this raised 'a possibility of insider trading'. Sir Lindsay replied that he had raised this 'at the time'. The Speaker said: 'But what I would say is that I have no responsibility for the ministerial code. 'That, if the House wishes, needs to change because unfortunately, it makes a nonsense. 'There is a ministerial code there. The fact is that it is not being kept as we expect it to, but it is for this House, if it wishes to change the ministerial code – please do so. 'Or, I'm more than happy for the Government to change it, if they cannot accept it. 'But what we cannot have is this continuation of breaking the ministerial code. 'It is appalling. It is unacceptable, because in the end – it is not a political point – I am here to uphold the rights of the backbenchers. The backbenchers should be the ones that hear it first. 'The fact that documents are going to be given – they should be given to MPs. It is about me supporting MPs, but unfortunately, in this particular area I have not got the power. 'I wish I had, because it would be different.' Defence Secretary John Healey made a statement on the SDR in the Commons more than two weeks ago – on June 2 – when he told MPs it was 'a plan to meet the threats we face, a plan to step up on European security and lead in Nato, a plan that learns the lessons from Ukraine'. Sir Lindsay had criticised the Government for briefing out parts of the document the previous weekend. 'I'm disappointed once again that the Government appears to have breached the principle set out in paragraph 9.1 of the ministerial code – that when Parliament is in session, the most important announcements of Government policy should be made in the first instance in Parliament,' he said.
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
I'm fed up with the derogatory Nimby label says LEE BOYCE - I believe most of us are in the 'Cwibb' category instead
This week, yet another leaflet came through my letterbox asking for views on a development of 2,000 homes to be slapped up a few minutes away from said letterbox, encroaching on green belt land. Last month, it was a leaflet from a well-known German supermarket giant, asking for opinions on its plans to demolish an aquatics centre near-by and replace it with fish you buy for the dinner table, rather than ones for your tank, again a few minutes away from my front door. I've also been catching up on comments from our local MP, Mark Francois, who was rightly bringing numerous planned developments in the local area to public attention and questioning how infrastructure can cope with the scale of what is being suggested. He says 17,000-plus new homes planned by the local council is 'insane' and 'utterly unacceptable.' He said: 'With our local roads already maxed out, and hospitals full to bursting there is absolutely no way on earth our semi-rural district could possibly accommodate 17,000 new houses, including a new town on the Rochford-Southend border.' Say what you want about Mr Francois, but he speaks with passion about gargantuan local developments, and hopefully your local MP is equally as vocal. Whether concerns raised by MPs have any impact is another matter. The leaflets talk a good game. The housing development harps on about a new school, health facilities, and rather ironically, green space – but crucially, there is no concrete plan to deal with extremely heavy traffic that already exists on the roundabout near-by, the only route to get onto the main road. It's unlikely anything will be done about it – and with another couple of thousand residents added to the fray, it will, in a word, result in even more gridlock. That's because it is too far to walk to the train station that ferries commuters into London, which will mean more people driving to get there via the one single carriageway road that goes through the town, already at breaking point. This goes on top of another development well underway, where more than 1,000 homes are currently going up. I'm not sure how much more the town can cope, unless more services, facilities and roads are built, eating yet more green land. The thing many don't realise about large parts of Essex is the county is rural and semi-rural, the more so as you venture away from the capital. This means plenty of green space to eye up to build on, but the plans often don't take into account the already overwhelmed public services, amenities and transport networks. And this is a scenario replicated across the country. I get it. Homes need to be built. I own a home, so I'm labelled 'lucky' – I wouldn't be complaining if I was attempting to get onto the ladder, I know will be the cry. But no doubt what will go up are houses crammed in next to each other with postage stamp gardens, no real identity and a failure to grasp what people need. In my opinion, we need an increase in smaller one and two-bedroom bungalows in our area, to help people downsize. Will they be built? Nope. It'll be four and five bed monstrosities costing three quarters of a million pounds or more to help maximise the bottom line of the developer. I mentioned this to a friend the other day and he jokingly labelled me a Nimby – Not in My Back Yard. This catch-all, and quite derogatory term, has been forced onto local people just because they care about the community, traffic, overpopulation and essentially, having concerns about huge soulless developments. I wouldn't label myself a Nimby. No, I've invented a new term: Cwibb. It stands for: I Care What is Being Built. Us Cwibbs understand homes need to be built – don't want new ones to be blocked entirely - but with care and consideration to those who already live near-by, alongside the quality required for forking out huge sums to buy said homes. Is there anything wrong with that? Cwibbs know the area inside out – when the traffic is going to be bad to dodge it; how long it takes to get a doctor's appointment; how oversubscribed the best local schools are; how easy it is to get a loaf of bread and pint of milk, and from where, at any time of the day. We know more than the faceless developers, the people in government blindly sticking out building targets – we live and breathe the area, and fundamentally, we care about it. But ultimately, our concerns, our thoughts put down via the little QR code on the leaflet, won't count for anything. What is a developer going to do? Oh look, Mr Boyce has concerns about 2,000 homes going up, let's not do it. Oh, Mr Boyce says the roundabout is already a traffic nightmare, we'll drop a few million quid (and the rest) to build a junction that will manage traffic flow better. Oh, Mr Boyce says yet another supermarket isn't needed as he can already get to a dozen within 10 minutes, so let's not bother. Will I fill in the feedback form? Of course I will, it's my duty as a Cwibb. Will it make a blind bit of difference? I highly doubt it. But us Cwibbs and Nimbys are important, no matter who wants to berate us for caring – and the country would be a worse place without local people trying to help shape what we believe is best for an area we have chosen to reside, to put down roots, to start families, and to live and die in. This was published as our newsletter message on Thursday morning - get the weekly column before its published online, sent straight to your inbox, by signing up below: Best mortgage rates and how to find them Mortgage rates have risen substantially over recent years, meaning that those remortgaging or buying a home face higher costs. That makes it even more important to search out the best possible rate for you and get good mortgage advice. Quick mortgage finder links with This is Money's partner L&C > Mortgage rates calculator > Find the right mortgage for you To help our readers find the best mortgage, This is Money has partnered with the UK's leading fee-free broker L&C. This is Money and L&C's mortgage calculator can let you compare deals to see which ones suit your home's value and level of deposit. You can compare fixed rate lengths, from two-year fixes, to five-year fixes and ten-year fixes. 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The Independent
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
True cost of Chagos deal revealed for first time
Sir Keir Starmer has signed an agreement to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after a last-minute injunction to halt the move failed. The deal will see the UK give up sovereignty of the island territory to Mauritius and pay £101 million per year for 99 years to lease the US-UK military base on Diego Garcia back from the government. Thursday was the first time that the true cost of the deal – which Sir Keir said is vital for national security –was revealed. It could result in a total sum of £10bn being carved out of the UK's defence budget, but Sir Keir said that is cheaper than the running cost of running an aircraft carrier. Tory shadow defence minister Mark Francois said the deal is 'absolute madness' given recent cost-cutting measures by the Government.
Telegraph
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Watch out Israel! Lammy's lathering up for more inaction
David Lammy looked angry. Well, he would: he took a taxi from the canteen to the Commons and it cost him £4,000. But also, His Majesty's Government has finally decided that it's done with Israel. With Gaza bordering on starvation, and Gary Lineker unleashed on Instagram, something must be done. The PM dropped a hint of 'action will be announced' in an earlier statement on the UK/EU/Surrender deal – a spectacle that also confirmed a change in Tory policy. They now favour a second referendum on Kemi Badenoch. Her speech in opposition to the deal was oddly misaligned from the microphone; Conservative MPs listened to her whisper in silence, or texted old girlfriends, while the gigantic Kit Malthouse rolled up his order paper and chewed it like a Peperami. Mark Francois (the shadow Armed Forces minister) alone spoke for In-ger-land. He yelled 'YOU DON'T KNOW YOUR OWN DEAL!' at a stunned PM. But then neither do most voters, and precious few will care. Britain has moved on from Brexit. Proof? Nigel Farage didn't even attend the debate. He's figured out that the animating issue for the centre-Right is now immigration, and while Starmer's youth mobility scheme will no doubt be open to their partners, grandparents and Albanian pimps, Labour's deal isn't a vote loser. All change for Gaza! The Tories left the chamber, the hard-Left marched in (pubs fill, shisha bars empty). Cue a fight between Lammy and Priti Patel that was Ali vs Foreman, re-enacted with pillows (for both knew it was fake). Lammy worked himself up into a moral lather: Israel's blockade was 'unjustifiable,' he said, 'disproportionate' and 'must stop'. So what was Britain going to do about this 'indefensible' crime? Stop trade talks and call in the ambassador for a scolding. If Israel drops the A-bomb, we'll cut them off our Christmas card list, too. Lammy assured the House that should the situation worsen, more inaction will follow. 'What are you waiting for?' yelled Kit Malthouse. Worryingly, his order paper was nowhere to be seen. Why has Labour dragged its feet against Israel? The answer might lie in Jeremy Corbyn. The party is so scarred by past accusations of anti-Semitism that it's been slow to deploy the righteous indignation it normally trades in with ease. As for the Tories, Bibi can do no wrong. Up popped Priti, 'quite frankly', her hands waving like fists – to agree that the situation is regrettable but these actions could be counterproductive ('Something, something, Iran'). Portraying Lammy as reckless for doing almost nothing was a difficult argument to sustain, but Labour MPs threw her a lifeline by shouting insults, allowing Priti to demand to be allowed to speak, long after they'd stopped interrupting and she'd run out of things to say. Lammy cried: 'Shameful!' Priti took her seat muttering: 'Shame on you!' A little later, Malthouse spoke for Rafah and 'begged' the Foreign Secretary to do more to save Palestinian children, 'though he knows as well as I do that the Israelis couldn't give a damn' what ministers say 'in this chamber'.
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Plans for thousands of homes in Rochford district 'insane'
An MP has said a leaked version of a council's local plan is "insane" and "cannot possibly be allowed to continue".Mark Francois said Rochford District Council's report, which is due to be made public in weeks, plans for 17,000 new homes in the authority said government policy required it to build "at least 689 new homes per year every year" and it was considering the "feasibility" of the numbers government has said it is committed to delivering 1.5 million new homes this Parliament. The BBC has seen part of the council's 'Local plan workshop: progress update' report of 22 April lists dozens of sites for new homes up to 2040 and beyond in the would be 1500 homes to the north of Southend as part of a new town development with 3500 built after report includes 24 locations in Rayleigh for 3,679 new homes to be built. The largest sites would be 730 homes at Wolsey Park and 600 at Lubards would be 1500 homes at Dollyman's Farm in Rawreth with a further 500 to be built after 2040. Hullbridge could have 1000 new homes built over the next decade, as could Great Wakering with 820 homes being considered at Tithe Park off Poynters Lane. "This draft plan, a copy of which I have now seen, is utterly unacceptable," said Rayleigh and Wickford Conservative MP Francois."With our local roads already maxed out, and hospitals full to bursting there is absolutely no way on earth our semi-rural district could possibly accommodate 17,000 new houses, including a new town on the Rochford-Southend border." Targets 'more than double' Rochford Council, which is Lib Dem-controlled, said: "Options are currently being tested for their impacts on the environment, transport network and other facilities and this evidence will be presented to councillors who will make a decision on the draft local plan in due course."The council did not comment on whether 17,000 new homes were being planned for the district. Local authorities are legally obliged to have a local plan for new housing and current local plan for Rochford dates back to 2011 and includes plans for 250 new homes a year in the government has reintroduced mandatory housing targets for local authorities and it has more than doubled for Rochford compared to its target a decade areas like Southend and Basildon need to build around 1,000 new homes every council said there would be two rounds of public consultation on new housing plans before they go to government to be approved. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
