Chris Whiteside's Blog

"Thousands of heart attacks and strokes could be prevented each year through simple health checks. This new digital check-up means people can do simple tests and get tailored advice from home. ◉ For people aged 40-74 ◉ Using tech to cut waiting times" (Health Secretary Stephen Barclay ) http:// gov.uk/government/new s/new-digital-health-check-to-tackle-deadly-cardiovascular-disease …

If the accounts of Russian aircraft shot down by the Wagner group during the abortive mutiny are correct, British intelligence suggests there may be a material impact on the use of Russian air power against Ukraine ...

The government has announced that   digital health checks will be made available on the NHS from Spring next year , easing pressure on GP services as we deliver on the five priorities and cut waiting lists.  Thousands of heart attacks and strokes could be prevented every year through simple health checks, which could save lives and ease pressure on the NHS.  That a new digital check-up service will be rolled out from Spring next year, ensuring more people can do simple tests and get tailored advice from home. Each digital check could save an estimated 20 minutes of NHS time – freeing up hundreds of thousands of appointments in primary care and delivering an additional one million checks every four years.  This programme is the latest example of how we are using technology to cut NHS waiting lists and improve treatment to help people live healthier and longer lives.

The UK government has confirmed that from today,   individuals and businesses linked to Putin’s regime will be blocked from accessing UK legal expertise , as we continue to crack down on Russia’s war machine.  The UK legal system underpins many international contracts – we must ensure that individuals and businesses linked to the Russian state do not benefit from our legal expertise.  That is why the UK government is strengthening British sanctions approach and blocking Russia from accessing UK legal advice. From today, UK lawyers will be prevented from advising on lending decisions to Russian companies, or on deals that could bolster the nation’s war chest.  We must continue to crack down on Russia’s war machine and ratchet up economic pressure, making it harder for Putin to inflict suffering on the innocent people of Ukraine.  

"It is this country – and your government – who should decide who comes here, not criminal gangs. My statement on today’s ruling "

 

The government is taking new measures to crack down on revenge porn   - protecting women and girls and putting abusers and predators in prison for longer. The unsolicited sharing of intimate photos has a devastating effect on victims, so we must do more to crack down on this abhorrent practice. So the government has announced today a raft of new measures to crack down on so-called "revenge porn," including removing the need to prove a distressing effect on victims, making manipulated ‘deep fake’ images and videos illegal, and ensuring that those who intend to cause distress or humiliation to victims spend up to two years in prison and are put on the sex offenders register. These changes will give police and prosecutors the powers they need to bring these cowards to justice, safeguarding women and girls from such vile abuse.

 

Councillor Keane Duncan, council cabinet member for Highways & Transport for North Yorkshire council, has announced   a new approach to setting speed limits in North Yorkshire: No to a default 20mph in every town and village A proactive, countywide review of limits on all roads - urban and rural 20mph limits and zones where there is community support, with schools and high-footfall areas prioritised Close cooperation with North Yorkshire Police to ensure speed limits are effective and enforceable He writes that "Our approach reflects North Yorkshire’s diversity, empowering our councillors and communities to find tailored solutions rather than imposing 20mph in every location." As a new resident of North Yorkshire who spent the last six years as a member of a highway authority in another area of Northern England facing some very similar issues, this seems to me a sensible approach reflecting the fact that the needs of the different towns, villages and countryside

Today the government announced   a £96 million investment in cutting-edge research and technology for our NHS , helping to deliver on the priority to cut waiting lists. Cutting waiting lists is one of the Prime Minister’s five priorities, and the Conservative Government is taking the tough decisions now for the long-term future of the country. That is why the government has announced today a £96 million investment in cutting-edge research and technology for our NHS, which will drive new scientific discoveries, help to improve the prevention and treatment of diseases, and pay for new equipment such as imaging devices, ultrasound machines, and mobile research vehicles. This plan will help to cut waiting lists for patients across the country and is one of a series of announcements we are making this week to help secure the future of the NHS – including training more nurses, more doctors, and delivering shorter waiting times.

Out in Selby West this evening campaigning for Claire Holmes the excellent Conservative candidate in the Selby & Ainsty by-election. Something nice to relax when I get home - a piece by Vivaldi so good that even Johann Sebastian Bach decided to copy it!

 

 

The government has announced   an expansion in the use of artificial intelligence across the NHS, helping diagnose patients more quickly , saving lives and delivering on our priority to cut NHS waiting lists. As we celebrate the NHS’s 75th birthday and look ahead to the future, it is essential to adopt the latest cutting-edge technology across our health and care system to deliver the best care for patients. So NHS staff will be able to apply to the £21 million AI Diagnostic Fund to access the most promising AI imaging and decision support tools to help diagnose patients more quickly for conditions such as cancer and heart disease, alongside rolling out AI stroke-diagnosis technology to all stroke networks by the end of 2023. Access to new technologies means earlier diagnosis, more effective treatments, and faster recovery, all helping to deliver better care for patients and cut waiting times, one of our five priorities.

 

  The mutiny by the Wagner group is   "the beginning of the end"   for Putin and   "he's in very big trouble right now." Mikhail Kasyanov Former Russian PM says mutiny marks ‘beginning of the end’ for Putin Mikhail Kasyanov, Russian Prime Minister under President Vladimir Putin from 2000 to 2004, but since leaving office a prominent critic of the current Kremlin regime, told the BBC that the events of this weekend mark “the beginning of the end” for the Russian president. Kasyanov further expressed his view that the Wagnar coup has affected Putin's political stability.

 

 

He is calling it a "March for Justice" but the leader of the Wagner group of Russian mercenaries appears to be attempting something close to a coup. Meanwhile Putin is accusing Prigozhin, formerly his favourite chef and now head of the Wagner group, of treason. Here is what the British MoD has to say. Note the end of the second paragraph - our intelligence boys and girls are suggesting that Wagner group troops have taken control of the site of the HQ which runs Russia's military operations in Ukraine.

"Our Armed Forces protect and defend our freedom every day of every year. Much of that service we do not see and take for granted. This #ArmedForcesDay we say thank you to every soldier, sailor and aviator, and their families, who represent the very best of this country." Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Twitter today

 

 

"We will not allow collaborations which compromise our national security." PM Rishi Sunak, announcing a probe into reports that scientists are collaborating with counterparts in Iran on military drone technology. The Prime Minister announced the inquiry following allegations that scientists at British universities have been helping Iran develop technology that could be used to upgrade its “suicide drone” programme. The probe was announced in response  to a JC investigation  revealing that academics at more than a dozen UK universities, including Imperial College London, were working alongside their Iranian counterparts on drone research in an apparent breach of sanctions against the brutal regime. The Prime Minister,  Rishi Sunak , confirmed the probe at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday. Government sources said the multi-departmental inquiry would involve officials from the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign Office, and science and technology experts. With Iran’s suicide

Today, the Prime Minister will reassure families and businesses that halving inflation this year remains his number one priority, whilst continuing to provide targeted support to alleviate cost of living pressures.  Inflation is the most invidious tax rise the British people are facing. Whist we are making progress on our target, there is much work to do to squeeze inflation out of our economy.   That is why today the Prime Minister will reiterate his commitment to halve inflation this year at a PM connect event. We will achieve this by supporting the Bank of England, taking a responsible approach to public finances, and easing pressures on the economy by securing our energy supply and getting more people back into work. Labour would fuel inflation with their  disastrous plan to scrap new North Sea oil and gas.  We are sticking with our plan to squeeze every last drop of high inflation out of our economy and reduce cost of living pressures for the British people.  Economies around the

The Conservative government remains committed to our plan to halve inflation this year and is supporting the Bank of England as it seeks to squeeze inflation out of our economy, while also providing targeted support with the cost of living in the meantime. Economies around the world are facing high inflation driven by Putin’s illegal war, higher energy prices and economies bouncing back from the pandemic – we know how much this high inflation hurts families and business across the country.  That is why one of our five promises is to halve inflation by the end of the year. The ONS confirmed this morning that inflation remained at 8.7 per cent, still lower than the 10.1 per cent at the start of the year – showing we are making progress towards our target, but we know there is much more work to do. We will not hesitate in our resolve to support the Bank of England as it seeks to squeeze inflation out of our economy, while also providing targeted support with the cost of living in the mean

The MoD also published two graphics showing where these defensive positions are on a map of Ukraine and showing the lines in detail.  

  "In the absence of any clear direction from Starmer, the BBC’s Justin Webb chose to bend the interview to his own will by focusing on stories in the morning papers. It had been reported that Labour was now planning to go back on  its promise to abolish university tuition fees . Was this yet another promise that had bitten the dust? Starmer sounded startled. As if he hadn’t expected to be asked about a news story in which he featured. It was like this: tuition fees were obviously unfair, but he would now be looking for a way of funding students that was more fair but which didn’t involve abolishing tuition fees. Was that clear? Er, yeah but no but yeah but no. The economy had moved on, so he would be moving on to something that he couldn’t yet talk about as it was all top secret and he basically hadn’t had time to give it a moment’s thought. He couldn’t say fairer or unfairer than that.  Tuition fees  would be both going and staying. Politics in a quantum universe. Schrödinger’s

For the avoidance of doubt, when I use the acronym MoD I am referring to the United Kingdom MoD unless otherwise stated. In the intelligence update summary below the UK Ministry of Defence is referring to the confrontation between the Russian Ministry of Defence and the Wagner group started by Putin's favourite chef which now runs mercenary armies in Ukraine and around the world for the Kremlin. It uses the acronym MoD to refer to the Russian Ministry of Defence.  

From today,   over six million disabled people will begin to receive £150 Cost of Living payments , helping families to keep the cost of living down as we continue working to halve inflation and grow the economy.  Although inflation is falling, global economic pressures from the war in Ukraine mean that the cost of living is still too high - so we must ensure we support the most vulnerable as we continue working to halve inflation. That is why the Conservative government announced today that, over the next two weeks, over six million disabled people will receive £150 Cost of Living payments, which will be made automatically to those in receipt of benefits such as the Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, and Attendance Allowance. This support will help to relieve financial pressures faced by disabled people and is part of a wider package of cost of living support worth an average of £3,300 per household over this year and last.

"We are stuck in a doom loop. People think all politicians are bad so good people shouldn’t go into it. This is precisely the wrong logic – and if we don’t change, it’ll only get worse." This was the conclusion of an excellent article by Adam Hawksbee, who is deputy director of the Onward think tank, in City AM,  " I’d love to be an MP, but Britain is still too ashamed of open political ambition - CityAM " He points out - correctly - that it has been a bad few weeks for politics, but argues that the only solution is for more good people to stand for office - not to smear anyone who even expresses any interest in politics with the behaviour of the worst.

This week the  PM will call on investors and business leaders to join the fight for Ukraine. (www.gov.uk)  He will ask them to  use their expertise to help Ukraine  recover fully and drive Russia back behind its borders. Economic recovery is just as important to Ukraine as its military strategy and the financial fight will ensure Ukraine is able to rebuild and form its own counteroffensive against Russia. That is why, this week the Prime Minister will address the Ukraine Recovery Conference, calling on global investors and British businesses to back Ukraine by investing in rapid innovation to rebuild the country. His call comes as the UK prepares to launch several agile digital tools to help Ukraine quickly harness overseas investment. A financially stronger and more technologically advanced Ukraine will bolster its ability to drive Russia back behind its borders and build a brighter future for a sovereign Ukraine. 

Nobody is above the law and the same rules should apply to everyone. During the covid pandemic I, and I believe most people in Britain including most members of the Conservative party, did our best to keep to the rules on social distancing and trying to beat the virus. I attended no social gatherings when they were banned, and kept to the rules when we were allowed to meet people only under strict conditions. The rules were meant to apply to everyone and it is not acceptable that prominent people did not think they had to obey them, whether those individuals were part of government, members of any political party, prominent people in the media, or scientists who had helped to draw up the rules. It was incredibly annoying when we found out that some of the very people in Downing Street who were involved in creating those rules did not obey the rules themselves. I fully share the exasperation which many people will have felt when it emerged two years ago that there had been a Christmas p

Today the Home Secretary urged police chiefs to use stop and search to save more lives, keep our streets safer and bring the dangerous culture of carrying a knife to an end.  Almost 100,000 weapons have been removed from British streets since 2019 and almost half of which have been seized through stop and search, but more must be done to ensure police have the confidence they need to use powers at their disposal.  That is why Home Secretary Suella Braverman has written to all 43 police forces in England and Wales, backing common sense policing and urging officers to use the full powers at their disposal to arrest an individual who obstructs a stop and search. She also called on police to publish their body-worn footage quickly – preventing innocent officers from facing trial by social media for their actions. There was a problem in the past with what was perceived as a lack of fairness in the application of "stop and search" which the then Home Secretary Theresa May urged pol

 

 

Many congratulations to Claire Holmes, selected this morning as our candidate for the Selby and Ainsty by-election.  Claire is Yorkshire born and bred, a lawyer by profession and a councillor for a neighbouring part of Yorkshire. We had a good team out this afternoon in Riccall, supported by the Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, campaigning for Claire.

 

"I will vote in support of the Privilege Committee’s recommendations on the former PM on Monday. This Conservative majority committee has done a serious investigation. We need to stand up in support of our democratic institutions and in support of high standards in public life." ( Anthony Browne , Conservative MP for South Cambridgeshire, on Twitter yesterday). 

Ben Helfgott, one of two known Holocaust survivors to go on to compete in the Olympics, died on Friday at the age of 93. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mervis wrote: "Sir Ben Helfgott was one of the most inspirational people I have known. He was a charismatic and passionate leader, who promoted the values of compassion, understanding, love and peaceful coexistence. His own horrific experiences inspired him to work tirelessly for a more peaceful and unified world and he inspired us to do likewise. Our thoughts today are with his wife Arza, sons Maurice, Michael and Nathan, and his inimitable sister Mala Tribich.  Our ultimate tribute to Sir Ben must be a renewed commitment to guaranteeing that the lessons of the Holocaust will never be forgotten." Rest in Peace.

 We had a good team out today campaigning for the Conservatives in Selby ahead of the forthcoming Selby & Ainsty by-election. About 30 people at both the 10 am and 1 pm sessions.

 

I was sorry to learn that David Southward MBE, who was my opposite number on the county council representing Egremont, died today after a battle with cancer. From May 2017 until the abolition of Cumbria County Council on 31st March  2023, David and myself represented respectively the Egremont division and the Egremont North & St Bees division on that council. We worked together rather better on local issues in the Egremont area than is often the case with councillors of different parties. I always found him helpful and polite, and he was often disarmingly honest to the point of being amusingly indiscreet. David had represented the Egremont division since it was created in the 2013 boundary changes and before that had represented a previous St Bees and Egremont division. David Southward, who devoted much of his spare time to running a youth club and supporting the church and local cricket club, was born in Maryport and lived with his parents at Flimby, until they moved to Carlisle w

"650 years ago today, the Anglo-Portuguese Treaty was signed, beginning a long union of friendship and cooperation. 🤝 Today, the UK and Portugal are #NATO allies working together for European security and stability." Ministry of Defence tweet , also showing UK Secretary of state Ben Wallace shaking hands with his Portugese opposite number to celebrate 650 years of friendship. It is something quite remarkable: first England, and then Britain, have been allies with Portugal for six and a half centuries.

The Prime Minister confirmed we are making progress on delivering on the five priorities:  halving inflation ,  growing the economy ,  reducing debt ,  cutting waiting list s  and  stopping the boats .  And Britain is making progress ensuring people are in work, which will help us grow the economy, afford better public services, and and recover the living standards which have been affected by the cost of living.  This week the ONS announced that employment is at a record level, with  four million more people in work since 2010 . The number of people out of work remains near record lows at 3.8 per cent, whilst the rate of people in work is the highest since the start of the pandemic (ONS,  Employment and employee types , 13 June 2023,   link ). No Labour government since World War II has left office with unemployment lower than it was when they came into power . Every Labour government since the 1945-51 administration has left office with unemployment higher than before they came into p

"Was that in your risk assessment?" Question asked on Radio 4's PM programme this afternoon of a nature documentary film director who was describing an attack by a 4 metre long shark on a boat containing his film crew. Luckily nobody was hurt. 

 

 

 

The MoD has stated today that "We are committed to supporting our LGBT+ personnel and fully accept that their treatment prior to 2000 was wrong and regrettable. Today the government’s disregard and pardons scheme has been widened, ensuring those who were unjustly criminalised can have their convictions wiped." This was accompanied by the following quote from Defence minister Dr Andrew Murrison MP:

 

 

"A stronger North means a stronger Britain.  We need to grow the economy and I want the North to be at the heart of our economic growth." (PM Rishi Sunak today)

This morning my wife and I attended the family Eucharist at St Wilfred's church, Brayton, in the Selby constituency.  It's a beautiful and very friendly church where we have been made most welcome. The choir performed Wesley's "Lead me, Lord" as a Communion anthem and to mark the occasion I thought I would post this version of that anthem here.

 

Whether you are a huge football fan or not, Manchester City's achievement today is an absolutely incredible one. When Manchester United won the treble in 1999, becoming the first team ever to win the Premier League, FA Cup and European Champions League in the same year, I never expected to see that again in my lifetime. But tonight by winning the European Champions League, Manchester City have done it too. Amazing performance. Congratulations.

 

Yesterday, in Washingto n DC  the Prime Minister discussed cooperation on economic security and announced the Atlantic Declaration with President Biden , delivering on our promise to grow the economy and creating thousands of new jobs in the UK. In recent months, the world has seen an increasing number of hostile states using economic coercion to their advantage. We need to build on our alliance with the United States to protect our economy. That is why the Prime Minister used his visit to Washington to drive forward cooperation, securing the Atlantic Declaration, a new approach to the economic relationship between our countries. This plan will see us embark on the deepest level of economic cooperation either of our two countries have ever had with another country.    An enhanced economic relationship with the US will help deliver on our promise to grow the economy, create new jobs, and keep our people safe for years to come.