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Labour Party commits to junk food advertising ban

Why do our bodies craves junk food?.(photo:IANSLIFE)

Labour will stop short of requiring food manufacturers to change the fat, salt or sugar content of their products, but Ashworth hoped it would encourage a change, as the sugar tax had done with soft drinks…reports Asian Lite News

Labour would ban junk food adverts from primetime TV shows such as the X Factor until after the 9pm watershed as part of a manifesto pledge to halve childhood obesity within five years.

The shadow health secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, said the party wanted to make the next British generation “the healthiest in the world” with a package of reforms that would also include a £250m-a-year fund to invest in school nurses and counselling services in primary and secondary schools.

“We are going to apply the rules currently applied to children’s TV and apply that to TV more generally, so when you’re sat down with your children, as I do, watching X Factor or Britain’s Got Talent, you’re not going to be seeing adverts for junk food,” Ashworth told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“This isn’t the only measure to help us tackle obesity, but a number of children are watching these shows and there is research that children see the adverts for McDonald’s and hassle their parents to go there. I do take my children to McDonald’s, but it’s all about doing it in moderation.”

Labour will stop short of requiring food manufacturers to change the fat, salt or sugar content of their products, but Ashworth hoped it would encourage a change, as the sugar tax had done with soft drinks.

“I think Ribena, for example, are changing their sugar content [in response to the sugar tax], so there’s no reason why food companies cannot do similar. If they want to advertise their foods on Britain’s Got Talent, they can reduce the salt, the sugar, the fat content,” he said.

“We think this is an important place to start, I don’t want to be overly heavy-handed but we have to do something, this is costing the NHS £6bn and if we can reduce that bill then we can be putting that money to frontline care.”

Ashworth said the party would also consider changes to food labelling to make it clearer about fat content, but there were no plans to propose cigarette packet-style warnings.

Adverts for unhealthy products high in fat, salt or sugar are already banned on children’s television. Labour’s plans would extend the prohibition to cover all programmes before the 9pm watershed.

Campaigners have argued that the existing ban does not cover TV programmes popular with youngsters but not specifically aimed at them. The party said the ban would reduce children’s viewing of junk food adverts by 82%.

The party said it would propose a new child health bill, which would write into law the ambition for the UK’s children to be the healthiest in the world and require all government departments to have a child health strategy.

ALSO READ-Labour party wants to scrap House of Lords

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Labour party wants to scrap House of Lords

Sir Keir Starmer says that the House of Lords is “indefensible” and it must be replaced with an elected upper chamber…reports Asian Lite News

Sir Keir Starmer will promise the “biggest ever transfer of power from Westminster to the British people”, as the Labour leader launches a report recommending handing new economic, taxation and law-making powers to mayors and devolved governments.

The report on the UK’s future, carried out by former prime minister Gordon Brown, also recommends sweeping constitutional reform in an attempt to “clean up politics”.

It includes replacing the House of Lords with a democratic chamber, banning almost all second jobs for MPs, and moving 50,000 civil servants – 10% of the workforce – out of London.

The decentralisation of power and money away from Westminster will be pitched as a continuation of Tony Blair’s reforms and Labour’s answer to the Tories’ levelling up agenda – as Sir Keir looks to pitch himself as a prime minister-in-waiting with a serious plan for Britain.

But the Labour leader will not accept any of the recommendations on Monday when he launches the report, arguing instead that they will now be consulted on, raising obvious questions as to whether policy proposals will match the rhetoric should Labour win the next election.

However, a source close to the Labour leader insisted that Sir Keir wouldn’t have let recommendations reach the final report if he wasn’t minded on implementing them.

He described the report as a “blueprint” to address these issues and “work out where to go in the next two years”.

“We’re serious about implementation,” said a Labour figure. “This is methodical, Keir Starmer working through how you pull the levers.”

Labour’s view is that George Osborne’s Northern Powerhouse or Boris Johnson’s levelling up agenda were the right ambition but failed to grasp that it only works if power is devolved away from Westminster, rather than handing out pots of money from London.

As such, one key recommendation of the commission will be to end the system of distributing funds from Whitehall, with money instead being devolved to local areas to make those decisions.

Within the 40 recommendations in the report are plans to give devolved governments, mayors and local authorities new powers over transport and housing, economic development and job creation.

Sir Keir also wants to develop 300 “economic clusters” around the country – from precision medicine in Glasgow to creative media in Bristol and Bath – with the aim of doubling growth in the UK.

The report, commissioned by Sir Keir two years ago, will also recommend transferring 50,000 civil servants – just over 10% of the current workforce – out of Whitehall in order to devolve decision-making and jobs out of London.

Sir Keir also wants to “clean up” politics and bring in reform.

As such, he’s likely to back proposals to end MPs from having second jobs and introduce new rules to “end the undue influence of wealth and foreign money” in politics.

The Labour leader also wants to “get rid of the indefensible House of Lords” with the report recommending a new, democratically elected second chamber to represent the regions and nations of the UK.

However, the Labour leader has suggested he might not be able to do this until Labour wins a second term, raising questions as to whether such a commitment would appear in the next Labour manifesto.

Speaking at the launch of this report in Leeds on Monday, Sir Keir is expected to say that the “centre hasn’t delivered” as he pledges to “rebalance the economy and bring about higher standards in public life”.

The Labour leader will also frame this report as a response to both the Brexit and Scottish independence referendums.

“I argued for remain. But I couldn’t disagree with the basic case that many leave voters made to me. They wanted democratic control over their lives,” Sir Keir will say, arguing these frustrations of “a Westminster system that seems remote” was also a drive for the 2014 independence referendum.

“People know Britain needs change. But they are never going to get it from the Tories.

“I am determined that, with Labour, people will get the change they deserve.”

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Labour Party mounts attack on Sunak

She also attacked Hunt’s statement, which had, it is widely believed, Sunak’s direct imprint on it. “The current Prime Minister and Chancellor”, she stated, “have given up on growth altogether”…reports Asian Lite News

The British opposition Labour Party’s shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves on Thursday mounted a withering attack on the Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for allegedly allowing fraud during his tenure as Chancellor.

Reeves tore into Sunak in the House of Commons, while responding to Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt’s “autumn statement”, which was nothing but a full budget announcement, following the catastrophic impact of the previous Conservative government’s economic policy pronouncements.

Reeves said: “The latest Prime Minister, spent so much time as Chancellor practicing his signature for his glossy Instagram graphics that he failed to put even the most simple checks on Covid support schemes.”

She went on: “The Prime Minister left the doors to the vaults wide open to organised criminals and drugs gangs. They helped themselves to 6.7 billion pounds of public money. Money that this government is failing to retrieve.”

She also attacked Hunt’s statement, which had, it is widely believed, Sunak’s direct imprint on it. “The current Prime Minister and Chancellor”, she stated, “have given up on growth altogether”.

Meanwhile, the BBC played a video clip from a debate between Sunak and Liz Truss in August during the summer’s leadership contest between the two (which Sunak lost). Here he is heard promising tax cuts, if he became Prime Minister. There was no such relief in Hunt’s statement. The Guardian reported that the “tax burden (is) set to reach (the) highest level since WW2”.

On Wednesday, the British government’s Office for National Statistics calculated that the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) “rose by 11.1 per cent in the 12 months to October 2022”. This is the worst inflation in Britain since December 1980.

The UK pound fell from $1.19 to below $1.18 after Hunt’s statement. The FTSE index reflecting the London stock market was also down since Thursday morning.

Earlier, Sunak made a statement on the G20 summit in Indonesia, which he attended. “I met Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi, when we reviewed progress on our forthcoming free trade agreement,” he confirmed.

Negotiations on this have been stuck since Home Secretary Suella Braverman appeared to be opposed to a greater flow of Indians into Britain, which the Department of Trade was considering whether or not to concede.

Following Sunak’s update, Labour’s Sikh MP Tan Dhesi asked: “At the G20, the Prime Minister agreed with his Indian counterpart to allow an additional 3,000 Indians into the UK every year, which in the fullness of time will inevitably lead to an increase in immigration. At the same time, the Home Secretary has been busy spouting anti-immigrant and anti-refugees dog-whistle rhetoric, including her incendiary remarks against international students that so incensed people in India. Who exactly is in charge of immigration policy? Is it the Prime Minister or the wannabe Prime Minister?”

Sunak replied: “I am disappointed with the honourable Gentleman’s comments, because I know he does not believe that. He can take comfort from the announcement, which is good for both Indian students and British students who want to go back and forth – that is a good thing.”

He, however, added: “The Home Secretary is rightly focussed – there is nothing ‘dog-whistle’ about it – on clamping down on illegal migration, which the British people rightly expect and demand, and it is something that she and this Government will deliver.”

ALSO READ-Why Asian voters flock to Labour?

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Sunak Overtakes Starmer in Popularity Poll

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visits Croydon University Hospital where he met staff and patients. South London. Picture by Simon Walker / No 10 Downing Street

In a poll conducted on the UK’s new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s first two days in office, 39 per cent of respondents picked the Indian-origin leader over Keir Starmer, chief of the opposition Labour Party.

The poll, conducted by Redfield and Wilton, asked 1,500 people who they thought would be a better Prime Minister.

Some 39 per cent of respondents picked Sunak, up 6 per cent from the start of September, and 38 per cent said they would prefer Starmer, down 4 per cent, the Daily Express reported.

Another weekly tracker poll by Techne UK showed Labour’s lead over the Conservatives was down from 31 to 24 points.

Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer speaks after Rishi Sunak’s Budget speech. (UK Parliament_Jessica Taylor)

The poll of 1,624 voters showed support for Labour at 50 per cent, a drop of three points from last week.

The Conservatives, meanwhile, were up four points with their new Prime Minister at the helm from 22 per cent a week ago to 26 per cent on October 27, the Daily Express reported.

Sunak faced Starmer in his first Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons on October 26 — a day after being appointed as Britain’s first Asian and first Hindu Prime Minister.

Despite the popularity polls, calls for a general election have escalated with more than 891,000 people signing a petition to Parliament

According to a modelling sample of 12,000 people by YouGov last week, Sunak would suffer a crushing defeat at the hands of Starmer if a general election were to take place immediately.

It said Starmer would win 389 constituencies, and Sunak just 127.

The next general election in the UK is scheduled for May 2024, under the Fixed Term Parliament Act 2011, which holds that an poll must be held at least once every five years.

According to experts, the Conservatives are likely to resist early election calls unless absolutely necessary because any new election is expected to flip around the sizable 71-seat majority in the House of Commons, which the party enjoys at the moment.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak holds his first Cabinet meeting in 10 Downing Street the morning after assuming office

After being elected as the Conservative leader, Sunak told supporters that the party must “unite or die” after the recent wave of controversy and infighting.

In a speech at Conservative Party headquarters, he said: “We now need stability and unity and I will make it my utmost priority to bring our party and our country together.”

ALSO READ: Britons slam Noah’s ‘racist backlash’ claims against Sunak

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Labour party appoints Sahota to House of Lords

He has also served as chair of the West Midlands Labour Party Regional Board and has stood as Labour candidate for police and crime Commissioner…reports Asian Lite News

India-born Kuldip Singh Sahota has become the first turban-wearing Labour peer and the only Sikh on the Labour benches in the House of Lords.

Sahota, 71, who has served as Councillor at Telford and Wrekin council since 2001 for 21 years, was nominated by Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer and will thus be addressed as Lord Sahota.

Sahota was on former UK PM Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list for his public service. In the UK, peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister to serve for their life.

“Kuldip becomes the first-ever dastar-wearing Sikh on the Labour benches in the House of Lords and will serve as a role model for Sikhs across the community,” said Neena Gill, Chair of Sikhs for Labour, a group that promotes shared values of the Labour Party and the Sikh community.

He has also served as chair of the West Midlands Labour Party Regional Board and has stood as Labour candidate for police and crime Commissioner.

Sahota was born in Garhdiwala, in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur and moved to the UK in 1966 to join his father. He is married with two grown-up sons and two grandchildren, all of whom live in Telford.

Sahota has also been volunteering in a number of roles across the community in the West Midlands in addition to being a member and activist of the Labour Party for over 25 years.

Members of the House of Lords are sometimes referred to as peers. Most members are Life Peers although 92 sit by virtue of hereditary title.

Lord Singh (Indrajit Singh) of Wimbledon was the first peer to wear a turban. He was made a cross-bench life peer in 2011 and Lord Suri (Ranbir Singh Suri) was the second when he was made a Conservative life peer in 2014.

ALSO READ-Labour Calls For General Election

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Labour surge to biggest lead over Tories since 2001

The Labour leader will tell party delegates in Liverpool that Labour’s Green Prosperity Plan will create a million new jobs in towns and cities across the country, as well as bring down energy bills and raise living standards…reports Asian Lite News

Sir Keir Starmer will claim a “changed” Labour can turn the UK into a “growth superpower” in his keynote conference speech – as a new poll gave the party its largest lead over the Conservatives in more than two decades.

The Labour leader will tell party delegates in Liverpool on Tuesday that Labour’s Green Prosperity Plan will create a million new jobs in towns and cities across the country, as well as bring down energy bills and raise living standards.

He will declare that under his leadership, Labour is now “the party of the centre-ground” and ready to form the next government after 12 years of the Conservatives in power.

Making his leader’s speech at the party’s annual conference, Sir Keir will pledge to “fight the Tories on economic growth” through “ambitious” and “practical” plans for jobs, skills and tackling the climate crisis.

It comes as a new poll by YouGov on Monday night revealed the party has surged to its largest lead over the Conservatives since Tony Blair’s landslide victory in 2001 – putting Labour 17 points clear of Liz Truss’s party.

The survey also reveals widespread public opposition to Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s tax-cutting mini-budget, with the decision to scrap the 45% rate of tax for those earning more than £150,000 opposed by 72% of voters – including 69% of those who backed the Conservatives in 2019.

‘Time for Britain to stand tall again’

The promising poll for Labour comes as Sir Keir prepares to commit to kicking off his ambition for growth within the first 100 days of becoming PM.

“We will require a different way of working – the biggest partnership between government, business, and communities this country has ever seen,” Sir Keir will say.

Sir Keir will contrast Labour’s plan for growth with the Conservative Party’s “shambolic” mini-budget.

The Labour leader will say his party is the party of “sound money” and will double-down on his pledge to introduce an Office for Value for Money to ensure taxpayers’ money is spent in the national interest.

“What we’ve seen from the government in the past few days has no precedent. They’ve lost control of the British economy – and for what? For tax cuts for the richest one per cent in our society,” Sir Keir will say.

He will add that it is “time for Britain to stand tall again”.

It is not known how long Sir Keir’s keynote speech is likely to last, but last year he spoke for around 90 minutes.

It is expected he will celebrate the changes his party has made to become more centre-ground since the tenure of Jeremy Corbyn – exemplified by the singing of the national anthem at the start of conference.

During his address, Sir Keir will say his party is the “political wing of the British people” – a direct reference to former Labour PM Blair.

On the second day of Labour’s conference, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said the government is putting the economy in danger and attacked Truss’s plan of “trickle-down economics” after the pound sank to a record low against the dollar.

It came as a new YouGov poll found a total of 72% of voters do not have confidence in the prime minister’s plans to tackle the rising cost of living.

Reeves promised a new deal for working people, with strengthened rights, saying the “minimum wage will be set at a level that reflects the real cost of living”.

She added that Labour would prioritise doubling the number of medical school places and district nurses, as well as create 10,000 more nursing and midwife places every year.

Labour’s conference will conclude on Wednesday, with the Conservative Party holding its event in Birmingham next week.

ALSO READ-Starmer sets out plan for economic growth

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Mordaunt gains momentum

And a poll on Wednesday, perhaps pointing to the desire for a fresh break from the recent part, caused an earth tremor among political journalists…reports Asian Lite News

Mordaunt, 49, campaigned for Brexit and was the first woman to serve as defence secretary, although Johnson sacked her shortly after he became prime minister in 2019 because she had backed another candidate for party leader, Jeremy Hunt. She also held the international development brief in cabinet, and is currently a junior trade minister.

The MP for Portsmouth North since 2010, Mordaunt’s career before politics was largely in public relations. The colourful aspects of her background include a stint as magician’s assistant while at college, serving as a Royal Navy reservist and appearing on the Tom Daley-fronted diving show, Splash.

She is seen as a safe bet, or a compromise candidate that marries Brexiteer bona fides with the kind of socially liberal views that were ushered in by David Cameron as leader, having spoken at a pro-Leave LGBT event during the referendum.

While never a rank outsider, Mordaunt has been put in the second-tier of leadership hopefuls because of better name recognition among other candidates. But what might have started as a curse may turn into a blessing if the likes of one-time chancellor Sunak and foreign secretary Liz Truss are tarnished by their association with the Johnson era.

And a poll on Wednesday, perhaps pointing to the desire for a fresh break from the recent part, caused an earth tremor among political journalists.

Let’s remember, once MPs have whittled the field down to two candidates, it’s up to between 100,000 and 200,000 party members to choose the winner. And the YouGov survey showed Mordaunt is now the clear favourite for leader among these Conservative members.

Some 27% responded that they would favour Mordaunt as Johnson’s replacement, with former minister Kemi Badenoch second on 15%, and Sunak and Truss tied on 13%. Perhaps more significant was how she would beat every rival – comfortably – in head-to-heads.

The poll’s revelations – which came after her campaign’s launch event – were followed by the second place in the ballot and a handy advantage over Truss, who was seen as a candidate more likely to unite the party’s factions.

Backroom negotiations will now take place before the next round of voting, and any number of pacts and promises could yet deny Mordaunt a spot in the final two. Her higher profile will also bring much more scrutiny than she has experienced before.

But once they’ve finished telling you about “momentum”, commentators will doubtless recall how David Cameron and Iain Duncan Smith were also not supposed to win the Tory leadership. In other words, all to play for.

ALSO READ-Brexit will cost workers £470 a year, study predicts

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LABOUR SMELLS VICTORY

Labour Party leader Keir Starmer and wife Victoria Starmer leave a polling station (Photo by Tim Ireland/Xinhua)

‘The tectonic plates of British politics are shifting beneath Boris Johnson’s feet. And now it’s time for Conservative MPs to plunge him into the abyss’…reports Asian Lite News

Opposition Labour party is gearing up to face the 2024 general election as Labour taken three symbolic London councils from the Conservatives.

Westminster had been controlled by the Tories since 1964; Wandsworth since 1978; and Labour have won Barnet for the first time

Labour leader Keir Starmer hails a “big turning point” for his party.  The Liberal Democrats have gained a net 58 council seats so far – the most of any party – and the Greens are also doing well.  Counting has begun in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper welcomes the results,

“We do see this as a turning point for Labour because particularly since the 2019 election we’ve had a real rebuilding of support right across the country in different areas,” she said.

She also claims if Labour’s vote share were to be replicated in the next general election it would win dozens of constituencies back from the Conservatives.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has described the local election results as “an almighty shockwave that will bring this Conservative Government tumbling down”.

Ed Davey made the comments at a victory rally in the ultra-marginal constituency of Wimbledon, where the party has gained 12 seats in the Merton Borough elections.

The Liberal Democrats have also gained ground in Cheadle (Stockport), Witney (West Oxfordshire) and Eastleigh – all seats where the party is in a strong second place to the Conservatives. The Liberal Democrats have won control of Hull City Council from Labour, as well as gaining a further nine seats in Richmond-upon-Thames, where they took control from the Conservatives in 2018.

Ed Davey said the results show people “have had enough of being ignored and taken for granted by this Conservative Government.”

He said the Liberal Democrats are winning “because we are listening to people, because we are standing up for our communities and fighting for a fair deal.”

“What began as a tremor in Chesham and Amersham, became an earthquake in North Shropshire, and is now an almighty shockwave that will bring this Conservative Government tumbling down,” said Ed Davey. “It is the movement of millions of people who are saying loud and clear: We have had enough. Enough of seeing our energy bills go up, our tax bills go up, and our standard of living go down.

“The tectonic plates of British politics are shifting beneath Boris Johnson’s feet. And now it’s time for Conservative MPs to plunge him into the abyss. So our message to Conservative MPs here in Wimbledon and across the Blue Wall is this: If you don’t get rid of Boris Johnson. If you don’t give struggling families and pensioners more help with the cost-of-living crisis If you don’t start listening to people and stop taking them for granted.”

Labour’s national campaign co-ordinator Shabana Mahmood says the party has “much more work to do” to be back on track for a win at the next general election but she is positive about what she has seen so far at the counts.

Shabana tells Today’s programme that Labour “always had a mountain to climb” after their 2019 general election losses but says: “What the early results are showing… is we have made huge progress on that 2019 election result and on the results we saw last year.”

Shabana says the aggregate vote share shows Labour would win seats in the “Red Wall” area if these votes were translated to a general election, taking places like Workington, Grimsby, Leeds and West Bromwich.

“So we have a solid foundation to build on as we look ahead to the next general election,” she says.

ALSO READ-Boris loses London strongholds

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Starmer vows to get Labour back in business

Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer speaks after Chancellor Rishi Sunak's Budget speech. (UK Parliament_Jessica Taylor)

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer will set out his principles and urge his party to show more discipline to beat the ruling Conservatives, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer will promise to get Labour “back in business” when he delivers his first speech as leader to the party’s full conference, media reported.

Urging activists to unite to win the next election, he will launch an attack on Boris Johnson over his handling of the pandemic and the fuel crisis, the BBC reported.

Sir Keir will also pledge to train thousands of teachers and cut waiting times for mental health services.

Meanwhile, the issues between the leadership and left-wingers have overshadowed the conference. They have clashed over the nationalisation of energy industries, leadership election rules and the level of the minimum wage, it was reported.

The Labour leader is under pressure to unite his party and set out a vision that appeals to voters that have turned away from Labour, it was reported.

It will be the first time he has addressed a full conference since becoming leader last April, because last year’s event was held online due to Covid.

Motion against AUKUS

Labour Party has also passed an emergency motion that described the new security pact among the US, the UK and Australia, known as AUKUS, as a “dangerous move that will undermine world peace”.

During the party’s annual conference held on Monday, delegates passed the emergency motion by 70.35 per cent to 29.65 per cent.

“AUKUS is starting a new nuclear arms race and cold war. We must keep speaking out against it,” said former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on Twitter on Monday.

The AUKUS pact, announced earlier this month, has triggered widespread concerns and criticism.

The three countries announced that the first initiative under AUKUS is to deliver a nuclear-powered submarine fleet to Australia.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a global nuclear watchdog, has voiced concern amid international worries about the proliferation of nuclear materials and technologies in response to the trilateral deal.

“The IAEA will engage with them (Australia, the US and Britain) on this matter in line with its statutory mandate, and in accordance with their respective safeguards agreements with the Agency,” it said in a recent statement.

Minimum wage row

Sir Keir Starmer faced a further row with party’s left wing after the party conference voted on proposals to raise the minimum wage to £15 an hour.

The Labour leadership had earlier said it will not encourage party members to back or reject the motion.

But, shadow cabinet member Andy McDonald on Monday quit Labour’s front bench with a massive attack against Sir Keir Starmer. McDonald said Sir Keir had ordered him to oppose the rise and calling his position “untenable”.

Meanwhile, leading left-wingers have accused Sir Keir of abandoning party principles. However, the Labour leader has said his focus was on winning the next general election.

Arguments between the left, including supporters of former leader Jeremy Corbyn, and Labour members loyal to the present leader have dominated the conference in Brighton.

Now, the Unite union is putting the motion calling for the minimum wage to increase to £15 to a vote on Tuesday. The package of measures also include demands for an end to zero-hour contracts and calls for a “better work-life balance”.

Labour’s existing policy is that the minimum wage should be “at least” £10 per hour.

According to BBC, raising the minimum wage was not one of the 10 pledges Sir Keir made when running for the Labour leadership last year, but he supported a campaign in 2019 – before he was leader – for McDonald’s to improve their workers’ pay and conditions.

But, in a scathing resignation letter, Mr McDonald claimed the leader’s office had instructed him go to a meeting at the party conference and “argue against a national minimum wage of £15 an hour and against statutory sick pay at the living wage”, the BBC reported.

In his resignation letter – published in the middle of Labour’s party conference in Brighton – the MP said his party leader had made Labour “more divided than ever”.

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Row Over Minimum Wage Rocks Labour

On Monday, shadow cabinet member Andy McDonald has resigned from his position leaving a scathing attack on party leader Sir Keir Starmer, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk

Leader of the UK’s Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer faces a further row with party’s left wing later as the party conference votes on proposals to raise the minimum wage to £15 an hour.

The Labour leadership has said it will not encourage party members to back or reject the motion, the BBC reported.

But, shadow cabinet member Andy McDonald on Monday quit Labour’s front bench with a massive attack against Sir Keir Starmer. McDonald said Sir Keir had ordered him to oppose the rise and calling his position “untenable”.

Meanwhile, leading left-wingers have accused Sir Keir of abandoning party principles. However, the Labour leader has said his focus was on winning the next general election.

Arguments between the left, including supporters of former leader Jeremy Corbyn, and Labour members loyal to the present leader have dominated the conference in Brighton.

Now, the Unite union is putting the motion calling for the minimum wage to increase to £15 to a vote on Tuesday. The package of measures also include demands for an end to zero-hour contracts and calls for a “better work-life balance”.

Labour’s existing policy is that the minimum wage should be “at least” £10 per hour.

According to BBC, raising the minimum wage was not one of the 10 pledges Sir Keir made when running for the Labour leadership last year, but he supported a campaign in 2019 – before he was leader – for McDonald’s to improve their workers’ pay and conditions.

But, in a scathing resignation letter, Mr McDonald claimed the leader’s office had instructed him go to a meeting at the party conference and “argue against a national minimum wage of £15 an hour and against statutory sick pay at the living wage”, the BBC reported.

“After many months of a pandemic when we made commitments to stand by key workers, I cannot now look those same workers in the eye and tell them they are not worth a wage that is enough to live on, or that they don’t deserve security when they are ill,” he added.

In his resignation letter – published in the middle of Labour’s party conference in Brighton – the MP said his party leader had made Labour “more divided than ever”.

McDonald previously served as shadow transport secretary on Jeremy Corbyn’s front bench, but he became one of the few members to survive the handover of power to Sir Keir, and stayed in the top team as shadow secretary for employment rights and protections.

Supply chain crisis

The UK government on Monday announced further measures to help further ease supply chain pressures and spikes in localised demand for fuel, including the approval to put on standby a pool of military drivers and extension to specific HGV licences.

British Army tanker drivers will be brought to a state of readiness in order to be deployed if required to deliver fuel to where it is needed most and providing further reassurance that fuel supplies remain strong, the government has announced.

The military drivers will now receive specialised training before deploying, enabling them to seamlessly work with industry to address the supply chain pressures.

The Military Aid to the Civil Authorities (MACA) request was issued by Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng on Monday. “While the fuel industry expects demand will return to its normal levels in the coming days, it’s right that we take this sensible, precautionary step,” Kwarteng said.

“The UK continues to have strong supplies of fuel, however we are aware of supply chain issues at fuel station forecourts and are taking steps to ease these as a matter of priority.”

“If required, the deployment of military personnel will provide the supply chain with additional capacity as a temporary measure to help ease pressures caused by spikes in localised demand for fuel,” he added.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has authorised an extension to ADR driver licences, which allow drivers to transport goods, such as fuel.

The measure will apply to licences expiring between 27 September 2021 and 31 December 2021, and extend their validity until 31 January 2022. This will provide immediate relief to the shortage of fuel drivers by permitting affected drivers to maximise their available capacity instead of being taken out of circulation for refresher training purposes.

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