The first 100 days.

Thursday - day 13

House of Commons - Debate on Kings speech continues.

Blenheim Palace.

Sir Keir Starmer will host around 45 European leaders, at a summit he hopes will begin to reset Britain’s relationship with the continent.

“UK would have a “more active and greater convening role on the world stage”

“The EPC will fire the starting gun on this government’s new approach to Europe, one that will not just benefit us now, but for generations to come, from dismantling the people-smuggling webs trafficking people across Europe, to standing up to Putin’s barbaric actions in Ukraine and destabilising activity across Europe."

There will be greater European efforts to tackle people-smuggling gangs, and faster asylum decisions, with 100 Home Office staff redeployed to help return failed claimants to their country of origin.

Lord Ricketts, former national security adviser, said the summit would help “put Britain back at the centre of European diplomacy” although most discussions would be about the war in Ukraine,
The main headline will be European leaders coming together to show united support for Ukraine and Zelensky at a time of political uncertainty in the United States," he said.

Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, said the summit will allow Sir Keir to “hobnob and establish human connections” with European leaders he has never met. It will also give the PM a chance “to set out the direction and scope” of how he wants to reset UK-EU relations.

“Keir Starmer’s personality in itself will do more than people realise,” Mr Grant said. He is diligent, sensible, serious, he reads his briefs, he believes in the rule of law and international institutions. The Europeans will like that.”

The formal summit agenda involves separate discussions on tackling illegal migration and people trafficking, beefing up Europe’s energy security, and defending democracy and countering disinformation.

In informal bilateral talks on the margins of the summit, leaders are also expected to discuss how best to prepare Europe for a possible Donald Trump presidency, with the risk of a global trade war and declining US military support for Ukraine.

Whitewavemark2 this European Summit has been in the political diary for many months before the GE.

The PM is bound by the already established agenda, although no doubt he will endeavour to put his Government’s stamp on the proceedings.

Yes I’m not sure of your point though.

My point is that the new PM I going to reset the relationship with Europe over a number of issue, that the Tories could not possibly do given their current dogmatic stance towards various things.

Hunt recognised that this was a real issue with the Tory party as it currently is.

The atmosphere will be much more friendly and there is every hope that trade and maybe movement will be easier, however it will depend on us accepting their rules and standards.

I like your thread Whitewave thank you for starting it! A good way to take stock of what’s going on during the first 3 months. I foresee a lot of jockeying for positions and ideas further down the line. In the meantime I hope Labour really can make changes for the better away from “the chaos and division’ (which soundbite I’m sick of hearing now to be honest.

This, from the Telegraph this morning:

“ Sir Keir’s hopes of discussing an EU-wide returns agreement to send migrants back to European countries will be dashed by the absence of Ursula von der Leyen.

The European Commission president will skip the summit as she battles to be re-elected for a second term. Instead, the bloc will be represented by Charles Michel, the European Council president, and Josep Borrell, the foreign affairs commissioner, who are approaching the end of their terms.

An EU diplomat said Ms Von der Leyen’s absence “limits the scope of what can be discussed” on migration and closer trade ties. “I don’t think it’s the summit where we’ll be looking at any form of reset in the relationship,” the diplomat added.”

America has always been an aggressive country along with others, including the UK. I think it is in their dna. The question is really which side you are on, isn’t it ? The Russians are aggressive , too and it seems to us to be unfair and wicked but the rest of us condemning them have not been exactly Lily white over the years. Peace would be good but we seem to be incapable of it, there is always an enemy. George Orwell was spot on.

Mind you More spending power for local councils worries me a bit. When you have Labour Birmingham paying £17 million a year for a taxi company to take 200 children to school they need to be reined in, not unleashed further.

Urmstongran

Mind you More spending power for local councils worries me a bit. When you have Labour Birmingham paying £17 million a year for a taxi company to take 200 children to school they need to be reined in, not unleashed further.

I’m not sure where the figure of £17 million is sourced from.
Taxis are used to convey children and older pupils with SEND to educational settings, both mainstream and special provision.
Without this many young people would not be able to access education.
Older students 16+ with an EHCP will get transport to college, but parents will contribute to wards this between £750 - £1028per annum.
The lowest earning parents will contribute £390 per annum.
Source Birmingham City Council Educational Transport Policy.
So are you suggesting that these taxi provisions are cut?
The price for providing the transport will be put out to tender ( a legal requirement) and be set by the taxi companies themselves.

First meetings between the big leaders in Europe

What a huge relief

Starmer says in opening remarks to the summit that the Uk “ will never withdraw from the ECHR” - as threatened by Rishi Sunak.

He said it was “built on the blood bond of 1945”

He’s talking of the European Convention on Human Rights. Sunak talked of the European Court of Human Rights, which has caused us some grief.

Urmstongran

Mind you More spending power for local councils worries me a bit. When you have Labour Birmingham paying £17 million a year for a taxi company to take 200 children to school they need to be reined in, not unleashed further.

Just a thought Urms - are you sure these are not special needs children, I mean really disabled pshycially/mentally who have to attend far spaced primary and secondary special needs schools?

My Granddaughter has a taxi every day to collect her and one other child, as do nearly all of the children in the primary and secondary school serving the local area. and it costs that bit more as they have to be specially trained taxi workers, not just any old Uber.

news.sky.com/story/taxis-to-school-are-lifeline-for-children-with-special-needs-but-councils-face-unsustainable-transport-costs-13010311

not sure what alternatives there are.

Urmstongran

I like your thread Whitewave thank you for starting it! A good way to take stock of what’s going on during the first 3 months. I foresee a lot of jockeying for positions and ideas further down the line. In the meantime I hope Labour really can make changes for the better away from “the chaos and division’ (which soundbite I’m sick of hearing now to be honest.

This, from the Telegraph this morning:

“ Sir Keir’s hopes of discussing an EU-wide returns agreement to send migrants back to European countries will be dashed by the absence of Ursula von der Leyen.

The European Commission president will skip the summit as she battles to be re-elected for a second term. Instead, the bloc will be represented by Charles Michel, the European Council president, and Josep Borrell, the foreign affairs commissioner, who are approaching the end of their terms.

An EU diplomat said Ms Von der Leyen’s absence “limits the scope of what can be discussed” on migration and closer trade ties. “I don’t think it’s the summit where we’ll be looking at any form of reset in the relationship,” the diplomat added.”

I really dont see how the opinions of one diplomat and the actually purpose of the summit planned long ago before out week old elections will mean "Starmers hopes dashed".

It's just the Telegraph's take on it.

Starmer does have intentions for the conference but its to set a new tone in relationships between Europe and the UK, which has to come first

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgxqlz8l8plo

Oh Wyllow3 they’d have to be pretty special cases to use up £17 million in transport & help, surely?

Our local authority is cutting/means testing taxi provision for SEND children, the taxi method is costly and in my view not ideal for these children. They are looking at independent travel training for older cohort, paying parents to transport, efc.

Urmstongran

Oh Wyllow3 they’d have to be pretty special cases to use up £17 million in transport & help, surely?

I thought I’d explained the situation at 11.23 today.
Could you please provide the reference for where you quote £17 million.

The Sky article I referenced is quite helpful on this - does cost an awful lot. But yes, a breakdown of costs from Birmingham specifically would be helpful.

J52

Urmstongran

Oh Wyllow3 they’d have to be pretty special cases to use up £17 million in transport & help, surely?

I thought I’d explained the situation at 11.23 today.
Could you please provide the reference for where you quote £17 million.

The Telegraph 😊. The new red top!

J52

Urmstongran

Oh Wyllow3 they’d have to be pretty special cases to use up £17 million in transport & help, surely?

I thought I’d explained the situation at 11.23 today.
Could you please provide the reference for where you quote £17 million.

Sorry J52, I missed your post.

That’s ok 😊

If £17m is true, which is very doubtful the council need flogging in the street. No wonder Birmingham council is bankrupt

That is £85000 per student I would like to sign up for that gravy train please - where do I apply.

Urmstongran

Mind you More spending power for local councils worries me a bit. When you have Labour Birmingham paying £17 million a year for a taxi company to take 200 children to school they need to be reined in, not unleashed further.

Sorry, but I think there's an extra 0 on that figure.

17 million for 200 pupils works out at £447 a day, which is ridiculous.

An article from the BBC

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1072ylep5vo

claims that £230.000 a day is spent supporting 5177 pupils, which works out at £44.42 a day, which is much more realistic.

Bear in mind that some SEND pupils have to travel miles to go to school and usually have an escort, who needs to be paid.

Maybe if so many cuts to LAs and education were not made during austerity there would have been more local provision for this kids either in local special schools or within mainstream schools, and therefore no need to pay for expensive taxis.

Closing these down and making cuts was false economy really.

Keeping quiet
Special schools for children with specific problems, multiple learning difficulties with associated medical problems or complex needs are rarely in the local area for all the children who need them.
My nephew, with some needs like those above has to be collected from home to travel 20 miles each way to his school, but it was not a case of closing one down, there was never a school nearer catering for his needs.

Despite austerity, the number of support staff in all the schools I have links with, has increased over the last 10 years. I obviously can’t speak for all schools.

What hasn’t increased are the rooms in a school to provide space for working with children with SEND when they need to be out of the classroom, even if a school has room for such extensions.

We were lucky to achieve a small extension 5 years ago, but we still need more spaces for the increasing number of children with EHCPs.

I’m looking forward to this government allocating funds for provision of teaching spaces in existing schools and reviewing the provision for children with more severe issues.