IRAN UNVEILS MISSILE CITY

The EXPRESS reports: Iran has unveiled a new missile city where it stores its launchers and missiles, a move that sparked fresh fears of an open conflict with the United States. In the latest footage released, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRCG) displays the bunker, which is purportedly mainly located underground. The facilities, which were officially inaugurated in a ceremony, also feature various silos which contain ballistic missiles.  According to Iran’s military, the installation boasts security against electronic warfare attacks. Earlier this month, war fears skyrocketed when Iran militia groups claimed to have active resistance cells set up in Washington and other US locations.

 

MORE PROBLEMS FOR METROPOLITAN POLICE COMMISSIONER

The Daily Mail reports: A Metropolitan police officer guarding the Sarah Everard murder scene allegedly sent colleagues inappropriate WhatsApp messages about her killing. The probationary Met constable, who had been deployed as a cordon officer supporting the search operation in Kent, is said to have shared a meme showing images of a uniformed officer abducting a woman. Horrified fellow officers reported the rookie officer’s actions because they were concerned by its content. The Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards was made aware on Friday. The latest incident adds to the pressure faced by Met Commissioner Cressida Dick as she battles calls to resign over her force’s ‘heavy handed’ crackdown on a vigil for Ms Everard on Clapham Common on Saturday and the investigation into murder suspect Wayne Couzens.

 

MET POLICE COMMISSIONER RETAINS FULL CONFIDENCE OF PM

The Guardian reports that Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, has insisted he has full confidence in Britain’s most senior police officer, Cressida Dick, despite anger at her force’s handling of a vigil for Sarah Everard at the weekend. The prime minister said he was very concerned about the images that surfaced from the event on Saturday night after Everard’s death, but promised the government would make sure women felt properly heard and addressed when they made complaints of sexual assault or harassment. He added that while he backed several reviews being carried out into the Metropolitan police’s behaviour and the direction they were given, people have got to have confidence in the police.

 

EU TENSIONS WITH THE UK OVER NORTHERN IRELAND  BORDER RISE

The Daily Mail reports: The EU ramped up the row over Northern Ireland yesterday as it formally launched action over the UK’s decision to suspend parts of the Brexit  protocol. Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic accused Britain of violating international law and undermining trust by unilaterally extending grace periods on trade. But Boris Johnson shot back that the protocol exists to protect the Good Friday agreement – and that meant east-west trade as well as with the Republic of Ireland. Concerns have been rising about sectarian tensions in the province with unionists furious at obstacles to trade with the UK mainland. The government has argued that its unilateral steps are needed to protect supermarket supplies and parcel deliveries. There are fears the dispute could end up in the European Court of Justice, while any attempt to impose huge penalties could throw relations into meltdown.

 

SCOTTISH CONSERVATIVES PUSH FOR STURGEON NO CONFIDENCE VOTE

The Daily Record reports that Scottish Conservatives will push forward with plans to bring forward a no-confidence vote in Nicola Sturgeon, the party’s leader has revealed. Douglas Ross said today that a timeline for a vote of no confidence in the First Minister will shortly be announced. The Tory MP insisted the SNP leader had lied to parliament over when she knew about allegations of  harassment against Alex Salmond which if proven would be a breach of the ministerial code – and he would look to oust her in the final weeks of the parliamentary session.

 

CROSS PARTY ANGER AT PROPOSED NEW POLICE POWERS

From the Express: Brexiteers and Remainers have united in anger to demand ministers drop its planned Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill “in its entirety”. In a surprising step, from across the political spectrum have turned on Home Secretary Priti Patel and Boris Johnson. It includes plans to give police more powers to tackle non-violent protests which cause significant disruption to the public or on access to Parliament. Powers would be also given to the police to ban protests which may result in “serious public disorder, serious damage to property or serious disruption to the life of the community”. Campaigners are concerned it means the high profile pro-Brexit and pro-EU demonstrations that have taken place since 2016 would be banned. They have accused the Bill of suppressing the right to speech and Richard Tice, leader of the Reform UK party has said: The most authoritarian government in living memory is rushing through new laws which will restrict and prevent legitimate peaceful protest in Westminster. There is no proper scrutiny of this Bill, nor appeal mechanisms. Rushed laws are usually bad laws.”

 

UK ARMED FORCES  UNDERFUNDED AND POORLY EQUIPPED

The Express reports that Boris Johnson is poised to unveil the most wide-ranging review of Britain’s defence capabilities since the end of the Cold War. However, an alarming new report published today by the Commons Defence Committee has warned the UK’s poorly equipped armed forces would currently be very heavily outgunned in any conflict with Putin’s Russia. The report reveals a woeful story of bureaucratic procrastination, military indecision, financial mismanagement and general ineptitude, which have continually bedevilled attempts to properly re-equip the British Army over the last two decades. As a result, were the British Army to have to fight a peer adversary – a euphemism for Russia – in Eastern Europe in the next few years, whist our soldiers would undoubtedly remain amongst the finest in the world, they would, disgracefully, be forced to go into battle in a combination of obsolescent or even obsolete armoured vehicles, most of them at least 30 years old or more, with poor mechanical reliability, very heavily outgunned by more modern missile and artillery systems and chronically lacking in adequate air defence.

 

UNIVERSAL CREDIT DOES NOT PROVIDE DEPENDABLE SAFETY NET

The Morning Star reports that a rare joint meeting of MPs and Lords will quiz the government  today (Tuesday) on its failure to reform universal credit (UC), which does not provide a dependable safety net for working people. The House of Commons work and pensions committee and the House of Lords economic affairs committee will question Welfare Minister Will Quince after the government gave a disappointing response to their reports on UC, which is supposed to help the poorest with living costs. Chairman of the Lords committee Lord Forsyth of Drumlean said that the committee’s July 2020 report, Universal Credit Isn’t Working: Proposals For Reform, had made it clear that UC was failing those it is supposed to be protecting and the government’s response failed to engage with many of the ideas we proposed for reform.

 

SWEET SORROW

The SUN reports that chocolate shop Thorntons is shutting all of its stores because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The retailer said it has been hit hard by the pandemic and has had to close during the busiest times of the shopping year. All 61 Thorntons stores will close putting 603 jobs at risk. Stores have been shut because of the  lockdowns over the past year including the  crucial shopping periods of Christmas and Easter. Sales have surged online and the choc shop will continue to sell its sweet treats on its website and will also continue to sell chocs through other shops where they are stocked, such as supermarkets.

 

VIRGIN ACTIVE GYMS COULD FACE CLOSURE

The SUN reports: Virgin Active’s 43 gyms in the UK could face closure if a restructuring plan isn’t agreed. The group, which is part owned by Sir Richard Branson, has 2,400 employees in the UK and without a deal their jobs would be at risk, Gyms have been closed for much of the pandemic due to lockdown and tier restrictions, which has hit operators such as Virgin Active. Virgin Active’s majority backer Brait, which owns 72% of the group alongside the 18% owned by founder Sir Richard Branson, said revenues halved last year due to the pandemic and by the end of February 2021, Brait said, Virgin Active UK  clubs had been closed or partially closed for nine of the previous 12 months. Without the go-ahead for the new deal, which needs £45million in new cash and extensions on existing loans, the group could fall into administration.

 

AND FINALLY

From The Times: Britain’s largest independent chain of petrol stations is to spend £400 million on installing 3,000 fast electric chargers across its nationwide estate. In one of the biggest boosts to the government’s plans to build infrastructure for battery-powered cars, Motor Fuel Group (MFG), which operates 918 forecourts in the UK, plans to install chargers enabling drivers to add 100 miles of range in less than ten minutes. MFG operates under brands including Esso, BP, Shell, Murco, Texaco and Jet. The forecourts include shops such as Londis, Budgens, Greggs, Subway and Costa, and the group and its franchisees employ 7,000 people. It is owned by the private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice and counts the former Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy among its directors.

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email