Not much seems to be the answer. Today Betts released the letter he sent to Clark on behalf of his committee giving an assessment of the bill and here is the key paragraph. The committee’s view is that the main tool to achieve the rise will be appropriate funding in those areas that need it most. This funding will help deliver progress in streamlining missions related to public transport and local connectivity. transforming digital connectivity; improving educational outcomes; increasing the number of adults completing high-quality skills education; and increasing healthy life expectancy. None of the provisions in the bill will directly contribute to making progress towards achieving these missions – other than to define them. There is also no equalization funding associated with the bill. Like all select committees, this one has a narrow conservative majority. And in a statement to reporters, Betts said: In its current form, the bill does little to reassure that the rise will prove to be more than a slogan and that we will see real change in local communities across the country. In key areas, it is unclear how the government intends to drive change and they have not yet committed to the spending necessary to raise the country’s standard. Our research focused on the Bill’s design provisions, which can be described as loosely coupled proposals to address the current system, with the hope of achieving some improvement. It was difficult to check because many details of the provisions have not yet been published. Updated at 15.16 BST Important events BETA filters Key Facts (10) Liz Truss (5) Boris Johnson (3) Boris Johnson took a walk in Kyiv with President Zelensky. Kyiv Independent has some photos. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was seen walking in central Kyiv with President Volodymyr Zelensky on August 24. Johnson’s visit was not announced. Ukraine celebrates its 31st Independence Day and exactly six months since Russia’s total war on August 24. 📷Kostyantyn Chernichkin pic.twitter.com/ksLJJqvNmT — The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) August 24, 2022 And Visegrad 24 has some video footage. FRACTURE: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrived in Kyiv for a surprise visit to celebrate Ukraine’s Independence Day with Zelensky. It looks like the Russians will have to call off any plans to strike government buildings today. pic.twitter.com/5XoY0bcQP5 — Visegrad 24 (@visegrad24) August 24, 2022
The UK will supply Ukraine with a £54m package of drones and missiles
Boris Johnson announced a further package of military support to Ukraine during his visit. The UK is contributing a £54m package of drones and “roaming munitions”, missiles that remain airborne until they locate a target to strike. In the press release for the pack, No 10 said: This package of unmanned aerial systems will be a step up to the current Ukrainian capability, improving long-range surveillance and defensive targeting capability. It includes 850 hand-held Black Hornet micro-drones, which are specially designed for use in cities and villages and have been deployed to detect approaching enemy forces. Military personnel can be trained to fly the helicopter drones, which are smaller than a mobile phone, in less than 20 minutes. Each drone feeds back live video and still images to enable forces on the ground to defend urban areas safely. In a statement, Johnson said: Today’s support package will give the brave and resilient Ukrainian armed forces another capability boost, allowing them to continue to repel Russian forces and fight for their freedom. What happens in Ukraine matters to all of us, which is why I am here today to send the message that the UK is with you and will be with you for the coming days and months, and you can and will win. This is Johnson’s third visit to Kyiv since the Russian invasion in February. To signal his support for Ukraine, Johnson was awarded the Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest award for foreign nationals. Updated at 15.29 BST
Johnson visits Kyiv to reaffirm UK support for Ukraine
Boris Johnson has revealed he is in Kyiv for what will almost certainly be his last meeting as prime minister with Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president. What happens in Ukraine matters to all of us. That is why I am in Kyiv today. This is why the UK will continue to stand by our Ukrainian friends. I believe Ukraine can and will win this war. pic.twitter.com/FIovnqJGTS — Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) August 24, 2022
Leveling bill does not include funding needed to make leveling happen, lawmakers say
Although the House of Commons is not in session for the summer, MPs who chair select committees are still doing some work and some of them are sending letters. Clive Betts, the Labor MP who chairs the leveling committee, says that when Greg Clark replaced Michael Gove as upgrade secretary in July, he asked Betts to tell him over the summer what the committee thought about the bill for leveling and regeneration. Not much seems to be the answer. Today Betts released the letter he sent to Clark on behalf of his committee giving an assessment of the bill and here is the key paragraph. The committee’s view is that the main tool to achieve the rise will be appropriate funding in those areas that need it most. This funding will help deliver progress in streamlining missions related to public transport and local connectivity. transforming digital connectivity; improving educational outcomes; increasing the number of adults completing high-quality skills education; and increasing healthy life expectancy. None of the provisions in the bill will directly contribute to making progress towards achieving these missions – other than to define them. There is also no equalization funding associated with the bill. Like all select committees, this one has a narrow conservative majority. And in a statement to reporters, Betts said: In its current form, the bill does little to reassure that the rise will prove to be more than a slogan and that we will see real change in local communities across the country. In key areas, it is unclear how the government intends to drive change and they have not yet committed to the spending necessary to raise the country’s standard. Our research focused on the Bill’s design provisions, which can be described as loosely coupled proposals to address the current system, with the hope of achieving some improvement. It was difficult to check because many details of the provisions have not yet been published. Updated at 15.16 BST The Institute for Fiscal Studies has published its own assessment of the significance of today’s Government Expenditure and Revenue for Scotland (GERS) report for 2021-22. (See 12.02pm) He says underlying public finances are improving in Scotland due to oil and gas revenues, but long-term challenges remain. Summarizing the IFS analysis, David Phillips, deputy director at the thinktank, says: Today’s GERS figures are a tale of two stories. The headline figures show that Scotland’s deficit is falling more in relation to GDP than the UK as a whole, due to a recovery in oil and gas revenues and a rebound in GDP from its biggest fall during the peak of pandemic. However, deeper research shows that land incomes have risen less rapidly than the UK as a whole: they are now £800 lower per person, compared to around £500 lower in the previous five years, and broadly similar to the UK average Vassiliou in the early 2010s. Government spending also fell less in Scotland last year than in the UK as a whole. The figures for the current financial year, 2022-23, will come just before the date the Scottish Government hopes to hold a referendum on independence. The timing could be fortuitous for the yes camp as further rises in oil and gas prices, along with the windfall tax on oil and gas producers’ profits, mean Scotland’s overall deficit could be at a similar or even lower level than the UK as a whole for the first time in over 10 years. But the long-term decline in North Sea production means that even if these higher prices are maintained, at best they would buy the government of an independent Scotland more time to stimulate economic growth and onshore revenues. Without it, an independent Scotland would still face bigger tax rises or spending cuts in the coming decades. Updated at 13.58 BST
Starmer insists Labor is just as committed to supporting Ukraine as the government, saying the UK is “united” in this
Keir Starmer insisted the Labor party is just as committed to supporting Ukraine as the government. On a visit to Salisbury Plain, where he met British and Ukrainian soldiers, he told reporters that Britain is united on this issue. He said: Six months after the start of the conflict in Ukraine, I am here on Salisbury Plain watching Ukrainian troops being trained by British troops with live rounds, simulating the situation they are about to face. This gave me the opportunity to say and reiterate Labour’s commitment and support to the Ukrainian people and our unwavering support for NATO and our allies. I have been so impressed with the training I have seen here, the global reputation of the British forces is of excellent quality…
