Chris Whiteside's Blog

This week it was announced that there will be  a package of measures to support the pig industry , helping the sector to navigate temporary global challenges as we build back better. Unique temporary circumstances have meant that farmers are facing challenges in the processing and exportation of pork, so the government has put forward plans to help the industry navigate global challenges until these circumstances abate.   The package of measures proposed to support the pork industry includes funding a private storage aid scheme to enable meat processors to store slaughtered pigs for up to six months, suspending levy payments on farmers and producers, and allowing up to 800 pork butchers into the UK through our existing Seasonal Workers Pilot Scheme.   These measures will back British farmers, abattoirs and the wider pork industry as they navigate temporary challenges, ensuring they are able to contribute to our economy as we build back better.

 

Despite the fact that the full council has voted not to pursue a judicial review over local government reform, and that the Scrutiny Management Board asked them to think again, the County Council's cabinet has voted to go ahead with it. This is not just an irresponsible waste of money: it makes life more difficult for the officers of the county council and other councils in working on a very tight timescale to set up the new authorities. It is also a very cruel thing to do to those who disagree with the form of local government which the former Secretary of State opted for, because it is holding out false hope. Judicial Review is not something which you are supposed to use just because you disagree with a decision. To win a judicial review you have to prove in court - not just express an opinion in the council chamber or a press release - prove in court - that the person or body who made the decision you object to made a material error in the process they followed sufficiently seri...

The government has announced a  consultation to temporarily amend cabotage rules , allowing thousands more HGV deliveries to be made each month and bolstering the resilience of our supply chains as we build a high-skill, high wage economy. A global shortage of HGV drivers is affecting countries around the world, so we must take decisive action to bolster our supply chains and support industries.    That is why the government has announced proposals to relax rules on international drivers entering the UK – meaning they can make an unlimited number of deliveries within the UK during a two week period, rather than up to two times per seven days under pre-existing rules.    This temporary measure will give time to work with the industry to build a resilient British HGV workforce – and there are encouraging signs that progress is being made,  with a 300 per cent increase in the number of people looking to become HGV drivers.

 

I am utterly horrified and shocked to learn of the murder of Sir David Amess, MP first for Basildon and then for Southend West, who was rushed to hospital after being stabbed while conducting a constituency surgery but has died from his injuries. Similar attacks have been made on MPs of all parties - the most recent and most similar tragedy was when Jo Cox MP was killed while attending a constituency surgery. I knew David Amess slightly from my time as a Conservative activist in the East of England Region. Regardless of what you thought of his politics, he was a nice man who worked hard for his constituents - and he was working on behalf of those constituents when someone murdered him. All MPs take the risk that something like this could happen to them. CCHQ has instructed that all Conservative campaigns should be suspended until further notice as a mark of respect and so we can be assured that the campaign workers who would have taken part are safe. I presume other parties will take s...

Patients should be able to see their GP in the way they want, no matter where they live, and GPs should not face barriers to doing their vital work.   That is why the government has set out a new plan, including a £250 million winter access fund, to increase the number of face-to-face appointments and help tackle underperformance, as well as setting out more measures to tackle abuse at GP surgeries to make sure staff can work without fear for their safety.   This is part of a major drive to support GPs, level up performance, and ensure that everyone can see their GP in the way they want as we build back better. This will be achieved by : Publishing a plan for improving access to GP appointments with a £250 million fund so that patients can see their GP in the way they want, no matter where they live.   This plan, including a £250 million winter access fund, provides general practice teams with targeted support to help tackle underperformance, taking pressure off staf...

"Like many Asian parents, my mum always wanted me to be a GP. When I told her I’d been made Health and Social Care Secretary, she said: ‘Well, you didn’t quite make it to GP, but at least you’re working in healthcare!’ In truth, she was only half joking. There’s a reason why people such as my mum have such high regard for GPs: their powerful blend of expertise and empathy has made generations of communities happier and healthier. So I want to say a huge thank you to GPs and their teams across the country for their commitment to patients during the most challenging of times." (Health Secretary Sajid Javid , opening words of a piece on improving access to GP services which you can read in full here .)

“The fight against antisemitism is vast, but I hope today’s news goes a long way to showing positive change can be made and that we should never settle for anything less than a society free from all forms of hatred.” The president of Bristol Jewish Society, Edward Isaacs , one of the individual Jewish students at Bristol University who were publicly attacked by Professor David Miller, responding to the decision by the University to dismiss Professor Miller because this “ did not meet the standards of behaviour we expect from our staff ” Because of ACAS guidelines - not least to ensure fairness and integrity of the process if Professor Miller appeals the decision as he has the right to do - the University of Bristol was not able to go into detail about the precise grounds on which they made the decision. The University's statement on the issue can be found here . Professor Miller has previously defended Ken Livingston's comments about Hitler , and, eventually resigned from the ...

The government is making blood donation more inclusive, allowing people from a wider range of backgrounds to donate blood  – protecting and saving more lives as we build back better from the pandemic.   Creating a fairer and more inclusive blood donation service helps to incentivise blood donation whilst increasing the amount of blood donated from rarer blood groups – helping to improve and save lives in the UK.   As part of this policy and following scientific advice, the government is updating and improving the donor safety check form – removing questions which had been seen as discriminatory.    Creating a wider and fairer system will not only improve services for everyone but helps to remove unease felt by some who were prevented from donating – saving more lives as we recover from the pandemic.

 "The county council is the Millwall of local government in Cumbria - everyone hates us, we don't care." ( Cllr Stewart Young , Labour leader of Cumbria County Council, at the Scrutiny Management Board meeting in Kendal yesterday 

Until the government actually made a decision about what sort of unitary authorities it wanted, there was a high degree of consensus among County and District councillors in support of the principle of replacing the present County and District councils with a unitary council system.  Not everyone agreed that now is the time to do it, and there was no consensus about the best model, but the vast majority of county councillors voted in favour of going for a unitary system and so did many district councillors. However, when the government decided to replace the county council and the six district councils with two unitary councils rather than the single unitary council he preferred, the Leader of Cumbria County Council authorised the start of a process which could lead to a legal challenge. A special meeting of the full council was called for the end of August, and voted that it would be a waste of time and money to pursue such a legal challenge and that it would be better to concentr...

The Government  will continue to engage with energy intensive industries affected by the global gas spike . At the same time, consumers will continue to be protected by the  Energy Price Cap action will be taken to ensure that everyone will get the gas supply they need over the winter months. Rising global gas prices are understandably causing anxiety, but thanks to the safety net – the Energy Price Cap – people will be protected.   The Energy Price Cap will remain at the same level this winter, particularly protecting those on lower incomes. We can be confident in our energy supply, and we benefit from both resilient gas supplies from British waters and a diverse renewables and nuclear sector.

 

This coming week, during a speech in Lisbon, Lord Frost will repeat the need for significant changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol. There is widespread consensus that the Northern Ireland Protocol is not working as it should, and no one should be in any doubt about the seriousness of the situation. That is why the UK government is working to fix this and to reflect the concerns of everyone in Northern Ireland, from all sides of the political spectrum, to make sure the peace process is not undermined, and why Britain is calling on the EU to show ambition and willingness to tackle the fundamental issues at the heart of the Protocol head on.  The UK government is ready to work intensively and rapidly to find a solution to this problem, and in doing so we hope for a stronger UK-EU relationship with a focus on the future. However, if we are unable to reach agreement then Britain has warned that it may be necessary to take Article 16 safeguard measures to address the serious problems ...

Today the government announced  2,000 additional places on the HGV training scheme  as we work to tackle the worldwide HGV driver shortage. HGV drivers are helping to keep the whole country running, as they have been throughout the pandemic – but there is a global shortage of drivers.    That is why the government is expanding Britain's HGV training scheme to allow up to 5,000 people, 2,000 more than when the scheme opened, to participate in free courses to gain the skills they need to be road ready, and to help those with previous experiences refresh their skills to get back on the road.    This will help more people to kickstart their career as a well-paid HGV driver as we take the lead tackling this long-standing challenge faced by countries around the world.

Today  the Business Secretary outlined how the government is protecting consumers with our Energy Price Cap , and reaffirmed that everyone will get the gas supply they need over the winter months. Rising global gas prices are understandably causing anxiety, but thanks to the safety net provided by the Energy Price Cap, vulnerable consumers  will be protected.   Our Energy Price Cap will remain at the same level this winter, protecting people, particularly those on lower incomes. We can be confident in our energy supply, and we benefit from both resilient gas supplies from British waters and a diverse renewables and nuclear sector.

There is always a political bookshop among the commercial stalls at party conferences, and I don't often manage to attend a party conference without coming away with a book or five, often including one or two signed by the author. The first of the books I bought this year at Conservative Party conference and have been reading is "How to fight Anti-Semitism" by Bari Weiss.  It is a wake-up call to anyone who imagines that with the defeat of Nazi Germany and the exposure of the Nazi's vile crimes against humanity the kinds of prejudice which led them to attempt genocide are so discredited that they are doomed to the dustbin of history.  Weiss's book looks at the three main groups spreading modern Anti-Semitic racism - the extreme right, the extreme left, and radical islamists - and discusses how in many cases these ideas are in common or are mirror-images of one another. She also looks at the historical roots of prejudice against Jewish people and Jewish culture and...

"The curfew tolls the knell of parting day,     The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea, The ploughman homeward plods his weary way,     And leaves the world to darkness and to me." ( Thomas Grey , first verse of his " Elegy written in a country churchyard ," published 1751. The contemporary illustration below is by William Blake.)

The NHS and the UK government have now  launched a new campaign to encourage those eligible to take their free flu-jab and booster COVID-19 vaccination , to protect the most vulnerable this winter.   Following the continuing success of Britain's vaccination programme – saving almost 130,000 lives – health experts are encouraging eligible individuals to get their free flu-jab and booster vaccine to protect as many lives as possible this winter.   The UK has now launched the biggest flu programme in history for 2021/22, in partnership with charities and healthcare organisations, to further the success and protection of our vaccine programme and mitigate the effects of combined flu and coronavirus this winter.   It is thanks to Britain's incredible vaccination programme, and our amazing NHS, that we are able to reunite with friends and family this year – we must protect progress already made and continue to protect the most vulnerable from coronavirus.

On Thursday the UK government  updated international travel guidance by removing 47 countries from the red list , thanks to the success of Britain's vaccination programme we can now safely reunite friends and families across the world.  After taking the necessary steps to keep our country and borders safe, the UK is now able to continue simplifying international travel guidance.   So the government has removed 47 countries and territories from the red list - meaning from next week vaccinated Brits can travel almost anywhere in the world without having to do pre-departure or day 8 tests, or any form of isolation, when they return. The UK will now also We recognise vaccines from an additional 37 countries, including India and Pakistan, meaning their vaccinated citizens can now travel to the UK under the relaxed rules.    It is thanks to the continued success of vaccination efforts both home and abroad, that we have been able to simplify travel guidance and signifi...

"No one is immune to failure,   All have tasted the bitterness of defeat and disappointment A warrior must not dwell on that failure, but must learn from it and continue on. But not all learn from their errors. That is something which those who seek to dominate other know very well, and know how to exploit. If an opponent has failed once at a logic problem, his opponent will first try the same type of problem,  hoping the failure will be repeated. What the manipulator sometimes forgets, and what a warrior must always remember, is that no two sets of circumstances are alike. The would-be victim may have learned from the mistake." ( Grand Admiral Thrawn , from Star Wars Rebels) Good advice for a politician or election candidate as much as for a sailor, soldier or airman.  

The Rt Hon James Brokenshire, MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup and a former cabinet minister, has lost a long battle with cancer; he died peacefully at Darent Valley hospital on Thursday evening with family members by his bedside. He was 53 years old and leaves a widow, Cathy, and three children. James had been in hospital since Sunday after his condition rapidly deteriorated. His family said “We would like to thank all the NHS staff, particularly those at Guy’s and St Thomas’ in London, who cared for James with such warmth, diligence and professionalism over the past three-and-a-half years. We would also ask that our privacy as a family is respected at this time.” James and I went back a long way: he was my successor but one as Chairman of the East of England area Young Conservatives a quarter of a century ago. I attended his and Cathy's wedding and a year or two later they came to mine. James was a highly intelligent, kind, practical and reasonable man and a dedicated public servant....

 

Yesterday the Prime Minister announced a  new levelling up premium to boost and retain the number of specialist teachers , making a real difference to schools across the country as we build back better. Disadvantaged schools are more likely to face teacher supply and retention issues – we are determined to correct that by offering targeted investment for teachers to drive up quality.   That is why the PM announced a new levelling up premium worth up to £3,000 per teacher – which will support the recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in shortage subjects and in the schools and areas that need them most.   As we level up and build back better from the pandemic, this will help to boost school standards so that every child can get the world class education they deserve.