Friday, March 13, 2026
BBC World Service under threat
The paper says that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has issued a scathing report into the state of the World Service, warning that Britain’s soft power on the international stage is being put at risk over “poor decision making”:
While the service, which is funded jointly by the BBC licence fee and the Foreign Office (FCDO), provided in 43 languages across the world has an average weekly audience of 313 million, MPs on the committee said there is a serious risk of it losing ground to its rivals, in part because of increased spending on international media by states such as Russia and China.
The two countries invested a combined total of about £6 billion to £8 billion a year in global media operations, at a time when the World Service has experienced spending cuts.
The committee also highlighted that trust scores have also "increased markedly" for Russian and Chinese state broadcasters in recent years, while the BBC's ratings have remained stable.
The World Service's total budget fell by 21 per cent in real terms between 2021 and 2026, mainly driven by reductions in contributions from the licence fee.
The report comes as the BBC prepares to negotiate the renewal of its charter with the government, with the size of the licence fee up for discussion. The last charter renewal in 2012 saw the BBC agree to pay for the World Service.
MPs said they were "deeply troubled" to learn that the BBC has not been told how much the government will provide in funding for the World Service in the coming year.
The corporation could also not provide the committee with "a single, transparent suite of value for money measures across the service's TV, radio and digital offerings".
The report added weaknesses in BBC governance had "led to poorly evidenced decisions and unclear lines of responsibility within the organisation".
The corporation's management of the World Service's digital upgrade was found to have had weaknesses that contributed to a fall in overall digital audiences of 11% since 2021.
MPs also raised concerns about the BBC's failure to "clearly document its rationale for key decisions made as part of savings programmes", alongside a lack of metrics to effectively track performance and impact on its audiences.
The World Service has been important in helping the UK maintain its influence in many key areas of foreign policy. It must not be allowed to wither in the vine.
Thursday, March 12, 2026
Reform in chaos over Iran war
The Mirror reports that Farage has shifted his stance on the Iran war as fears mount over the hit to energy bills:
The Reform UK leader initially hit out at the Government for failing to join the initial wave of US-Israeli strikes. But today, he performed a screeching U-turn, telling journalists: "Let’s not get involved in another foreign war:"
It comes after wider confusion about Reform's stance on military action against Tehran. Deputy leader Richard Tice and Reform member Nadhim Zahawi previously backed British involvement - while Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick has opposed it.
A Labour source said: "Nigel Farage and Reform spent the past week saying they would bomb Iran. Now they're backtracking as petrol prices rise, leaving their foreign policy in chaos. That's not serious leadership, that's panic."
Grilled on his position while visiting a petrol station in Derbyshire, Mr Farage said: "Given that we can't even send a Royal Navy vessel to defend British sovereign territory and an RAF base, we certainly don't have the capability to offer anything of any value to the Americans or the Israelis.
"There are differing opinions as to whether we should physically join the attacks. I, as leader, am saying to you, if we can't even defend Cyprus, let's not get ourselves involved in another foreign war."
Asked how he would respond to a potential US request for help from UK troops, Mr Farage said: "We don't have the soldiers anyway. Even if we did, I would say it's no to boots on the ground."
But his party's mayor in Greater Lincolnshire, Dame Andrea Jenkyns, has previously declined to rule out putting troops on the ground in the Middle East.
Kemi Badenoch has also toned down her bullish rhetoric, after blasting Mr Starmer for holding back. At PMQs last week, she said: "We are in this war whether they like it or not. What is the PM waiting for?”
But today, the Conservative leader said: "I said that we support their actions. I never said we should join. I did say that where British bases are being attacked, we should do more than catch the arrows. We should stop the people who are attacking us. Stop the archer."
Labour Party chair Anna Turley said: "Going to war is the most serious decision a prime minister can make. Nigel Farage spent the past week calling for escalation that would make cost-of-living pressures even worse.
"If he had been prime minister he would have already dragged our country into this war, and wouldn't be able to U-turn like he has done today. While Keir Starmer offers serious, level-headed leadership in the national interest, Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch have shown themselves to be unfit for office."
Is the real reason for Farage's change of heart that an overwhelming majority of UK voters are opposed to the country getting involved in this war? God forbid that the so-called man of the people might go up against public opinion.
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Lawyers call for rethink on plans to cut jury trials
The paper says that the letter to Keir Starmer, a former director of public prosecutions, from 3,200 lawyers, including 300 senior barristers, comes as his government faces the prospect of one of its most serious backbench revolts since coming to power:
Efforts by David Lammy, the justice secretary, to change the mind of one of the leading Labour figures opposed to the plans, the backbencher Karl Turner, failed after the men met on Monday night.
Turner, who had previously coordinated a letter from 38 Labour MPs urging the prime minister to reverse the plans, said he had “absolutely not” been convinced.
The Conservatives are expected to force a vote to try to block the second reading in parliament on Tuesday. However, the true scale of the Labour rebellion may not yet be evident.
More than 65 Labour MPs are thought to be considering voting against the bill, but it is understood that many may abstain and instead vote against it at a later stage of the legislative process, such as report stage.
Sarah Sackman, the courts minister, could not confirm in interviews on Tuesday morning whether Labour MPs who rebel against the vote would lose the whip.
“Nothing difficult or worth doing was ever easy and I don’t shy away from that debate. And indeed, some of those voices will be helping us to scrutinise and improve the bill as it goes through parliament,” she told Times Radio.
Nick Timothy, the shadow justice secretary, accused the government of mounting “an unacceptable attack on an ancient right”.
“Juries provide a safeguard between the citizen and the state. But Labour want to weaken it because Keir Starmer and David Lammy are putting what is politically expedient ahead of the hard yards of court reform,” he said.
It is quite clear that this outrageous proposal to remove juries from many court proceedings has no support amongst the legal profession and is losing support amongst Labour MPs as well.
If the government wants to reduce the backlog in the courts then they need to invest in them, not undermine the legaL system in this way.
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Labour target pensioners
The paper says that the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) forecast, published for chancellor Rachel Reeves’s spring statement on Tuesday, indicated that 600,000 more pensioners than previously estimated will face income tax by 2026-27. That figure is due to increase to 1 million by 2030-31:
While the state pension is subject to income tax, individuals whose sole income derives from it have historically avoided payments.
This is because the full state pension, currently £230.25 per week, falls below the annual personal tax allowance of £12,570.
In her November 2025 Budget, Ms Reeves extended a freeze on the personal allowance until 2031.
For the first time since its introduction, the full new state pension is set to exceed the personal allowance in the 2027-28 tax year under the triple-lock policy, which guarantees increases in line with inflation, earnings, or 2.5 per cent.
HM Revenue and Customs has updated its modelling of the impact of the threshold freezes on those whose main source of income is the state pension, the OBR said.
Some pensioners with additional income streams will already be paying tax ahead of 2027-28, according to the watchdog.
“The updated modelling of this population across all personal tax threshold freezes since April 2021 increases the estimate of the number of people brought into paying tax by 600,000 in 2026-27 and one million in 2030-31,” the OBR wrote.
“However, much of this population is projected to pay only very small additional amounts of tax due to the freezes, so this only increases the yield of the November 2025 Budget measures by £0.1bn in 2030-31.”
The OBR also said that the government has pledged to exempt those whose only income is the state pension from paying income tax on it in this parliament, but has yet to set out details.
The government confirmed its aim to exempt those relying on the state pension and to detail that policy well before the April 2027 change.
The Liberal Democrats said Ms Reeves must set out how pensioners will be protected from these stealth taxes immediately.
The party’s Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper said: “Buried in the small print of today’s spring statement is a shock stealth grab hitting another 1 million pensioners.
“For poorer pensioners, every penny counts, and these unfair tax hikes could be the final straw.
“Rachel Reeves must urgently explain how she will protect older, poorer pensioners from this stealth tax squeeze.
“Pensioners have worked hard all their lives, paid into the system and played by the rules. Poorer pensioners should not be made to pay the price for this Labour government’s economic failure.”
Labour may have come to power pledging not to increase income tax, but the way they have handled the personal allowance is a clear breach of that pledge. Many people will be worse off because of this stealth tax, one that proportionatley hits the poorest paid workers more than the rich.
Monday, March 09, 2026
A period of silence is called for
The paper says that the former prime minister told a private Jewish News event on Friday that Sir Keir should have let the Trump administration use British airbases to strike Iran:
He reportedly added: “If they are your ally and they are an indispensable cornerstone for your security ... you had better show up”.
Sir Tony’s comments were made in private on the understanding that he would not be quoted, but they have since appeared in the Mail on Sunday and The Sunday Times.
Asked about the former Labour prime minister’s comments on Sky News on Sunday morning, foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said: “I just disagree.”
She added: “We learn the lessons from some of the things that went wrong in Iraq, and I think that is exactly what Keir Starmer has done.”
The intervention came as Mr Trump again criticised Sir Keir over the UK’s approach to the Middle East conflict, saying that the US does not need anyone to “join wars after we’ve already won”.
Mr Trump was referring to reports that the UK is preparing an aircraft carrier for deployment to the Middle East.
The US president posted on his Truth Social platform: “The United Kingdom, our once great Ally, maybe the greatest of them all, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East.
“That’s OK, prime minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer — But we will remember. We don’t need people that join wars after we’ve already won!”
Sir Keir has defended his decision not to allow US forces to use British bases to support initial strikes on Iran, saying he needed to be satisfied that any military action was legal and well planned.
However Sir Tony told the Jewish News event: “I am not saying anything that I haven’t already said to the government ... I think we should have backed America from the very beginning.
“We have got to be very clear about this as a country. We’re depending on the American alliance for our country. They are not just an ally, they are an indispensable ally, right?”
He continued: “The American relationship matters. It matters particularly today. It’s not a question of whether it’s this president or that president. If they are your ally and they are an indispensable cornerstone for your security...you had better show up.”
I am not sure that Blair has the measure of public opinion here. Having once taken the UK into an illegal war, he seems keen for us to do it again. Thank goodness that the present government are learning from his mistakes.
Sunday, March 08, 2026
Major Cardiff tourist attraction to be dismantled
I first blogged on this phenomenon on 20 August 2009 just before I went on holiday. Over the next eight days my blog received 5,422 hits, most of them looking for that post. I revisited the issue a couple of times over the next two years and then moved on.
I was in Cardiff bay a few months ago and made a point of visiting the 'shrine', noting that not only is it still there but it has grown exponentially.
Now. the BBC report that the shrine is set to be taken down after nearly two decades:
The tribute was built by fans of the series to commemorate queer character Ianto Jones 17 years ago, near where the series was filmed in Mermaid Quay, Cardiff.
However, self-proclaimed shrine-keeper Carol-Anne Hillman said she was "devastated" to learn that the shrine would be taken down due to health and safety.
A spokesperson for Mermaid Quay confirmed it was exploring the possibility of a new plaque for Ianto once maintenance work had been completed.
Carol-Anne Hillman has been looking after the shrine since 2017 and is "devastated" that the tribute will be taken down.
She said: "It became part of my life in Cardiff.
"I've got a back bedroom that's got about 11 or 12 bags of decorations now that I can't use.
"I've spent hundreds buying all these decorations.
"There's loads of people now that won't get even the first look at the shrine."
More than 860 miles (1,384 km) from the shrine in Cardiff Bay, Claudia from Germany was sad to learn that the attraction would be taken down.
"I love Doctor Who, but Torchwood was something else. It was quirky, it was campy, it was just a lot of fun," she said.
"[But] let's face it, the area is dodgy.
"The metal is rusted, the wood is decaying, it's in desperate need of some refurbishing and renovation."
Having last visited the shrine in 2018, Claudia plans to spend her 60th birthday in the city this year but will not get the chance to see the shrine again before it is taken down.
It isn't just the fans who will lose out by this decision of course. The 'shrine' attracts a lot of people to Cardiff Bay, many of whom will be disappointed.
Labels: lochist
Saturday, March 07, 2026
Rock of the night
The castle was formerly owned by opera singer Adelina Patti, but is now a wedding venue. Its landscaped grounds are a country park, managed by the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority.
According to wikipedia, the main building was built between 1841 and 1843 by Captain Rhys Davies Powell, to designs by Thomas Henry Wyatt. It was bought by Morgan Morgan of Abercrave for £6,000 in 1876:
Captain Morgan and his family, plus his son also called Morgan Morgan and his family, lived jointly in the castle for several years. The family cleared a large plantation of 80-year-old fir trees which stood between the castle and the quarries above, which were said to be home to a local population of red squirrels.
Adelina Patti purchased the castle and surrounding park land for £3500 in 1878 to develop it as her own private estate. She spent the rest of her life at Craig-y-nos, leaving it only to sing in the premier opera houses of Europe and to tour the United States:
After her second marriage, to French tenor Ernesto Nicolini, she embarked on a major building programme at the castle, adding the North and South wings, the clock tower, conservatory, winter garden and theatre. After making her last public appearance in October 1914, when she sang for the Red Cross and filled the Albert Hall, she spent the rest of her life at Craig-y-nos with her third husband. The castle is a Grade II* listed building.
The Adelina Patti Theatre is a Grade I listed opera house. Built to be Patti's own private auditorium, it was designed by Swansea architects Bucknall and Jennings, with input from Sir Henry Irving. Briefed by Patti to be her miniature version of La Scala, Milan, it incorporates features from Wagner's Bayreuth Festspielhaus opera house in Bayreuth, and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London.
Able to seat 150 people, the back of the theatre houses a gallery where the domestic staff would sit, enabling them to enjoy the performances. The orchestra pit is separated from the seating area by a balustrade, and holds up to 24 musicians.
Invitations for the July 12, 1891, opening event went to two types of guest: those invited to stay at the castle, and those invited just for the performance. House guests included: the Spanish Ambassador; Baron and Baroness Julius De Reuter, founder of the Reuters news agency; and Lord and Lady Swansea. Journalists from international newspapers including The Daily Telegraph, Le Figaro and the Boston Herald were also invited as house guests to report on the opening.
Final rehearsals occurred in the afternoon with the Swansea Opera Company, before a specially chartered train arrived at Penwyllt with the performance guests. Due to start at 20:00, the performance eventually started at 20:30 after a light tea. Sir Henry Irving was to have given the opening address, but as he was unable to attend, leading actor William Terris deputised. Patti's performance included the prelude to act one of La traviata, and in the second half the Garden Scene from Faust. There then followed a buffet supper served in the conservatory, with a total of 450 bottles of champagne consumed at the party.
Today the theatre remains a time capsule, and the stage is probably the only surviving example of original 19th century backstage equipment. The opera house is licensed for weddings.
Naturally, the castle is said to be haunted and occasionally hosts ghost tours.
Today the theatre remains a time capsule, and the stage is probably the only surviving example of original 19th century backstage equipment. The opera house is licensed for weddings.
Naturally, the castle is said to be haunted and occasionally hosts ghost tours.
Labels: lochist
Friday, March 06, 2026
Renewables must form basis of UK energy security
The paper quotes research published on Thursday, which shows that the last fossil fuel energy crisis, caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, cost the EU and the UK $1.8tn between 2022 and 2025, driving up bills and fuelling a devastating cost of living crisis.
Now, the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, which started at the weekend, have resulted in fossil fuel prices surging again, with experts saying that the crisis underscores the need for the UK to end its dependance on such an unstable energy source:
Bob Ward, from the Grantham Research Institute at the London School of Economics, warned the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and subsequent surge in oil and gas prices “could translate into significantly higher energy bills for British households and consumers”.
“The UK is vulnerable to the volatility of international fossil fuel markets, and the only way to protect ourselves from these price increases is by speeding up the transition to domestic supplies of clean energy, namely renewables and nuclear power.”
The UN’s climate chief, Simon Stiell, said the latest upheaval in the Middle East “shows yet again that fossil fuel dependence leaves economies, businesses, markets and people at the mercy of each new conflict or trade policy lurch.”.
He added: “There is a clear solution to this fossil fuel cost chaos – renewables are now cheaper, safer and faster-to-market, making them the obvious pathway to energy security and sovereignty.”
Research published on Thursday by the Transition Security Project showed that the 2022 energy shock had cost the UK and the EU $1.8tn and left governments increasingly dependent on imports of liquid natural gas from the US, giving Donald Trump a stranglehold over EU and UK energy supplies.
The study found the rising costs came through higher household and business energy bills and from the cost of government policies such as price caps, rebates and tax cuts, which aimed to softened the direct impact on consumers of the fossil fuel crisis.
Kevin Cashman, author of the report, said the 2022 energy crisis “presented a fork in the road for Europe – double down on volatile fossil fuel markets, or pivot to homegrown clean energy and greater security”.
“The failure to do the latter has left people on ordinary incomes paying the price for an irresponsible and shortsighted energy policy,” he said.
This isn't just about the cost of energy and its impact on living standards. Energy security means that we have to generate our own power and reduce our dependence on others. It is about the security of the nation.
Thursday, March 05, 2026
Trump misreading history again
That comment demonstrates that once again Trump has shown that he does not understand history nor the nature of the special relationship between the UK and the USA.
The President has spent the last twelve months trashing his country's allies, abusing them for their over-reliance on the United States, imposing tariffs and trying to bully them into giving him what he wants.
In the last few months Trump has:
🔴 Threatened to seize Greenland — Danish sovereign territory
🔴 Threatened Canada with annexation
🔴 Undermined NATO's Article 5 mutual defence commitment
🔴 Backed Israel through ICC arrest warrants and genocide investigations
🔴 Bombed Iran without international mandate
🔴 Now following Spain's refusal to allow him to use their bases. he threatened to fly military aircraft into their territory, a NATO ally, without permission
Why should he be surprised then, when those same allies are reluctant to fall into line behind a campaign of agression against a country that offers no direct threat to them or the USA, has no clear objectives or end game and appears to be largely motivated by a desire to distract attention from the Epstein files?
And as for his view on Winston Churchill, Trump has got that wrong as well. Churchill pursued the 'special relationship' because it was in the UK's best interests to do so. He always put the UK's interests first, and whether you agree with him or not, that is what Starmer is doing as well.
Starmer is quite right to avoid dragging the UK into this conflict and he should continue to hold that position. After all there is a good chance that Churchill would have done the same.
Wednesday, March 04, 2026
Has the Home Secretary got it wrong on immigration?
Ms Mahmood argues that Denmark’s Social Democrats curbed inflows to protect the welfare state and won at the ballot box. A general election in Denmark later this month will test whether that policy remains popular. Her recent visit to Copenhagen kept the spotlight on asylum, the most politically charged part of the UK system. Yet asylum flows are a small fraction of overall migration and largely disconnected from the labour shortages that undergird Britain’s economic debate. Public concern about migration is real – shaped by pressures on housing, services and wages. But pollsters say that this is disproportionately driven by Reform UK supporters, who worry substantially more about immigration than voters backing far-right parties in Europe. That suggests that the politics of migration is more complex than headlines imply.
The home secretary may propose cutting migration to show that she is listening. But in ageing countries where migrant workers are concentrated in key sectors such as health and construction, the fallout is very real. In Britain, visas for overseas nurses have fallen by 93%, from 26,100 in 2022 to 1,777 in 2025. Care worker visas are down 97% over the same period. Social care providers are struggling to recruit; construction firms warn of delays; universities compete globally for talent. Clearly, imposing sudden restrictions would have consequences beyond the raw numbers.
The tension between tighter controls and reliance on migrant labour is evident across Europe. Far‑right Sweden Democrats support a government that raised repatriation grants from £800 to £30,000 per adult, only for local authorities to protest over fears that labour shortages would hit essential services. Migration policy ought to align political rhetoric with economic reality and workforce planning. Shouting about cultural threats may win votes, but it does not staff surgical wards, harvest crops or build homes.
Demographic arithmetic eventually trumps nationalist rhetoric. Italy’s far-right prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, cannot reverse a collapsing birthrate or a greying workforce, so her government last year issued record numbers of work visas to non-EU nationals. Britain faces similar constraints. Although the working-age population is not shrinking outright, the ratio of workers to dependents is tightening as society ages. Labour supply is a long-term workforce issue, not short-term politics – especially when anti‑migrant rhetoric fuels tensions.
Ministers may say they are borrowing from Denmark rather than bowing to Reform UK. Yet Denmark, too, relies on migrant labour: foreign workers there have accounted for more than a third of employment growth in recent years. Key public services depend on migrant staff. Needlessly tightening rules could damage community cohesion. Ministers would be wrong to extend the path to settlement to 10 years because this entrenches insecurity that weakens workers’ ability to assert rights and put down roots. A serious government would level with voters about the country’s needs, invest in training at home and design migration rules that reflect both democratic consent and economic requirement. Without that, sectoral shortages, not ministers, will drive policy.
Embracing popularism in this way has economic disaster all over it. We are dependent on migrant labour to deliver key public services. The impact of Brexit has been bad enough, this is just going to add to the country's economic pain.
