the independent 13 march 2016

8/18/2019 The Independent 13 March 2016

1/64

£2

NO 1,358

9

7

7

0

9

5

8

1

7

2

9

7

5

1

0

‘Vote Stay’:Obama

ies in to

backthe EU

::: It’s the ultimate endorsementfor Remain. The US President

will use a visit to the UK next monthto support Cameron’s campaign

– in a move already causingfury among Brexiteers

HIGHRISE TO CAMPER VANPROPERTY ON FILM Arts

The clever, conciseweekend packageNews • Comment •

Travel • Money •Arts&Books •

Sport • Magazine

ALL THIS,JUST £2.20

13 March 2016 | independent.co.uk

HOP TO IT!Chef Robin Gill’s

rabbit recipes,plus Britain’s booming ale crops

In the magazine

EXCLUSIVEBY MARK LEFTLY P4

MEANWHILE, OBAMA IS TURNING HIS BACK ON SAUDI ARABIASPECIAL REPORT BY PATRICK COCKBURN P29


2/64

2

COMRES INTERVIEWED 2,059 GB ADULTS ONLINE, 9 AND 10 MARCH 2016. FULL TABLES AT COMRES.CO.UK

IoS Poll

Boris versus Dave on Europe

Conservative

Labour

Ukip

Green

Lib Dem

38%(-3)

29% (+2)

16%(+1)

7%(-2)

4%(+1)

Voting intention

(CHANGE SINCE LAST MONTH)

35%34%

Who do you trust more

to do what is best for

Britain?

say the best

way to deal

with the

refugee crisis is to quit the EU

41% say Boris Johnson is

campaigning to leave the

EU because it’s best for

Britain, 39% because it’s

best for his career

EU referendum I expect the

majority of voters to vote

for Britain to ...

remain

48%

leave

30%

46%

THE INDEPENDENT ON

13 MAR

Homeless crisis is test of ourbasic humanity, says Labour

Nearly a million men, women andchildren are set to become home-less by 2020 unless the Govern-ment takes action to address a cri-sis described by Labour as a “testof our basic humanity”.

Speaking before this week’sBudget, which The Independent onSunday can reveal will include apackage of measures to tacklehomelessness, the shadowHousing minister John Healey saidthat the soaring numbers should

“shake the Chancellor from hiscomplacency”.

According to a broader defini-tion of homelessness used bycharities, 275,000 families in Eng-land were affected last year – upfrom 200,000 in 2010. Labour point-ed out that if the numbers continueto rise at the current rate, there willbe more than 391,000 homelessfamilies by 2020/21.

The latest estimate for roughsleepers, who are not included inthe homelessness statistics, foundthere were 3,659 individuals on thestreets of England on one night inthe autumn last year – double thenumber in 2010.

Assuming homeless families arethe same size as the average house-hold, this means that in five years’time more than 950,000 people willbe living in hostels and B&Bs, sleep-ing on the sofas of friends, sleepingrough or otherwise without a homeof their own, if the trend persists.

The Treasury refused to com-ment on the Budget, but onewell-placed charity source saidthey believed Mr Osborne couldbe “about to do something incred-ibly good” to address homelessness.“We are incredibly nervous butexcited,” the insider added.

However, Labour listed a string

By Tom McTague

and Ian Johnston

of government policies and otherfactors since 2010 that it said hadcontributed to the problem. Theseincluded cuts of £5bn to housingbenefit support over the past fiveyears, such the bedroom tax, and 45per cent cuts to financial support forhomelessness services.

Private sector rents are expectedto rise by 16.5 per cent over the nextfive years, while the number of coun-cil houses has fallen by more than100,000 since 2010.

Labour also said that over the nextfive years housing benefit cuts wouldtotal nearly £11bn, while council budg-ets would face 7 per cent cuts, furtherreducing their ability to help.

Mr Healey said: “This spirallingscale of homelessness shames us allwhen Britain is one of the richestcountries in the world. It is a test of

our basic humanity. It should shakethe Chancellor from his complacencyabout the growing homeless crisisand shock him into action.

“The homeless figures hide per-sonal stories of hurt and hopelessness;thousands of people whose ordinarylives have fallen apart from illness,debt, family break-up, addiction orredundancy.”

He pointed to Wales, where the La-bour administration has introduceda statutory duty requiring councilsto take steps to prevent homeless-ness. In 2014-15, there were more than14,100 people without a home, downfrom 15,800 the previous year.

In Scotland, the number of peopleapplying to be treated as homelesshas also fallen, from more than 15,100in the second quarter of 2010 to about8,100 in the same period of last year.

The homelessness charitproduced a report in Januarfound that there were 275,00of homeless families in 20England.

It warned: “With recent pocisions leaving major questiohanging over the future suand access to, social and affrented housing, coupled wicuts in welfare that are makinto both rental sectors incredifficult for low income houthe question ‘Who will hopoorest?’ is becoming an iingly urgent one.”

Councillor Peter Box, thGovernment Association’s man for housing, said ther“desperate” need for more affhousing. “As the housing ctensifies, councils are facidifficulties in finding emergefor all homeless people anpand the range of accommfor homeless people, partithose who are young, vulnerwith families,” he said.

Angela Barratt, who runSupport Salford and Mancpainted a shambolic picturhelp on offer to people wihome. She said: “It’s really agency situation, because getting worse and worse.

“The Government needs taction plan into place.”

A government source did pute the figures, but caution“the data in this area is not th

A spokesman for the Depfor Communities and Local Gment said: “Homelessnesthan half its peak in 2003, person without a home is many. That’s why we have incentral government funding homelessness over the neyears to £139m, and protectelessness prevention funding authorities at £315m by 2019

Rising rents, benefit cuts and reduced services are blamed for homelessness GETTY

By 2020, nearly a million could be in living in B&Bs, sofa-surfing, on the streets, or in hostels

NEWS

CONTENTS

13|03|16

WEATHER

Dry, light winds,

sun in southP45

LOTTO

13, 21, 30, 39,

51, 56 (B) 1

CROSSWORDS

Prize and

Concise P45

Beelzebub,

The New

Review P37

Recycled paper made up 78% of the raw

material for UK newspapers in 2012

NEWSOsborne’s Budget set topostpone further austeritymeasures until 2018P6

SPORT

Six Nations: Bring on theFrench, as Triple CrownEngland edge past WalesP1-7

COMMENT

Sex and the middle-agedwoman. Alison Shepherd onHappy Valley ’s bright spotP42

Arts

Books

How we met: DramatistAlan Bleasdale and actorand TV host Les Dennis

Movie magic: How theyshot a two-hour thrillerin just a single take

MONEY

Secret society: Why weare a nation of clandestinesavers and borrowersP58

TRAVEL

Vive le weekend: Fiveglorious spring city breaks

to take in FranceP48

Poll boost for Johnson after decision to back Leav

More voters think Boris Johnsonopted to campaign for Leave“because he believes it is best forBritain” than “because he thinksit is best for his career”, saysTheIoS ComRes opinion poll.

Opinion is fairly evenlydivided – 41 per cent to 39 percent – but the level of supportfor the Mayor of London is unu-sual, given popular scepticismabout politicians’ motives andthe Prime Minister’s codedattack on Johnson: “I have noother agenda than what is bestfor our country.”

By John RentoulThe poll reflects the impa

Mr Johnson’s decision to leLeavers. Asked who they trmore to do what’s best for Bthe PM and his rival are evematched: 35 per cent say Caeron, 34 per cent say Johns

The poll finds 46 per centhe best way to “deal with tugee situation” is to leave t33 per cent say staying in isOn national security 42 pesay Britain is stronger in, w

per cent say out. Turkey’s jthe EU is opposed by 50 peand backed by only 18 per c

MORE POLL FINDINGS PAGES 4-7


3/64

NEWS

HE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

3 MARCH 2016

There was atime whenlooking forlove online wasconsidered a little

embarrassing. Nowadays, it seemsevery man and his dog is logging onin hopes of finding The One.

Take Elvis, for example. Sensitiveand affectionate, his favourite activi-ties include long walks in the parkand cosy nights in. Elvis is lookingfor both mental and physical stimu-lation, although he has a bad habitof licking people’s faces beforethey’ve been formally introduced.

Elvis is a dog, of course: a three-year-old collie crossbreed whoresides at the Wood Green animalshelter in Godmanchester, Cam-bridgeshire. This weekend, he anda group of his abandoned friendstook part in an intense bout ofcomputer dating at the Crufts 2016dog show.

Perusing a doggy database insearch of a new pet is not new. ButWood Green believes it is breakingthe mould by taking inspiration frommore conventional computer dating

services that place a heavy emphasison matching the personalities ofprospective partners.

Many rescue dogs are adopted ona whim, it seems, their owners smit-ten by a pretty face or strategicallywagged tail.

That’s all well and good says SarahEtherington, who works at WoodGreen, but harmonious relationshipsare based on more than instant at-traction – it’s vital that owner anddog are a perfect match.

“People have a lot of pre-conceptions and basethings on looks, but per-sonality is so important,”she says.

“Matchmaking dogsand owners on a per-sonality basis ratherthan looks has huge po-tential. You understand thedog and know you are a goodmatch from the off.”

To achieve a high degree of human-canine harmony, prospective ownersare invited to peruse the shelter’savailable dogs online where theirhistory, preferences and personalitytraits are chronicled in detail.

The shelter’s staff also probrequirements and preferencetheir human visitors before seup an appointment to meet wcould turn out to be the mutt of dreams.

“Instead of people coming with an idea of the dog they wanask as much as we can about theple who are potentially rehomdog – questions about their lifesfamily, home, garden and we mthe person with the dog that besthat,” Ms Etherington says. “Soone might have their heart setparticular breed of dog – oftenhave done their research – but sotimes it’s not the right dog for thWe like to be really in-depth and msure that is the right fit.”

Visitors to the Wood Gstand at Crufts yeste

included Leza and MGreenop and tfour-year-old dater, Alice. Theysearching for a

family pet to fill“void” in their life

lowing the death of

previous dog last year.“One of the reasons we cam

Crufts was to research rescue dMrs Greenop says. “For a whildidn’t think we’d be able to putselves through it again but the fais not the same without a dog.”

Alice is eager to get a smallshe can play with. Jasmine, a dWest Highland terrier, appearsthe bill. Aged one, she is at around young children and lcuddles. The Greenops aren’t rto commit just yet, though.

“We want to explore all outions,” Mrs Greenop muses, becontinuing to scroll throughimages on-screen. “It’s just a mof finding the right one.”

Crufts, which is celebratin125th anniversary, is the world’s est dog show and an event teemwith potential owners. More 150,000 dog lovers and 22immaculately turned-out poowill pass through Birmingham’s during the four-day extravagwhich ends today.

The big question for Elvis, anfriends, is whether one of theThe One.

ELLIE

Ag e: 3 years 1 month

Breed: Staffordshire bull terrier

crossbreed

Charac ter: Loving

Would like to mee t: Owners living

in a fun, active home

E LV IS

Ag e : 3 years 4 monthsBr e e d: Collie crossbreedC har ac t e r : SensitiveW o uld lik e t o me e t : Owners who show him lif e isn’t so dang erous

ABB Y

Ag e: 4 years 5 months

Breed: Mongrel

Charac ter: Energetic and soppy

Would like to mee t: Owners who

can pay her plenty of attention

Now Leza, Alice and Mark Greenop want a real live dog ANDREW FOX

Pedigree

charmA doggy lonely hearts site aims to matchpets with would-be owners – a Rin-Tin-Tinderif you like. Katie Grant reports from Crufts


4/64

4 THE INDEPENDENT ON13 MAR

New red tape after a Leave vote would be a ‘regulationfest’, top

If the UK leaves the EuropeanUnion it would face a lengthyand expensive “regulationfest”as the civil service and privatesector scramble to set up vastlyexpanded bureaucracies to copewith replacing long-establishedtrade and other legal regula-tions linked to Brussels, leadinglawyers have warned.

A report by Lawyers infor Britain (LIFB), which iscampaigning for the UK toremain part of the EU, claimsthat “misconceptions” on

By James Cusick

POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

everything from cutting red tapeto the environment and accessto international markets, are

playing “a pivotal role” in theRemain/Stay debate.

John Davies, chair of LIFB, saidthe aim of the 300-page reportwas to bypass the “great dealof misinformation” currentlydominating the EU debate.

The document’s evidence, hesaid, had been sourced from theUK government’s own figures,studies by the Bank of Eng-land, the UK’s Office for BudgetResponsibility, and leading UKuniversities. Mr Davies added:“The words we hear most from

those yet to make up their mindsare ‘Give us the facts.’ We havedone that – and our conclusion isthat the UK is safer, stronger and

better off in the EU.”The LIFB analysis states that

a “more informed discussion” isneeded before Britain votes in

June. Three former EU judges, 24law professors, 30 QCs and 250lawyers and academics, includ-ing partners in some of the UK’sleading firms, have concludedthat the “benefits of EU member-ship outweigh the burdens”.

Among the lengthy list of mis-conceptions discussed, is theassumption that a Brexit would

mean a reduction in rules, ulations and red tape. “Thithe biggest misconceptionsaid Martin Coleman, one the LIFB lawyers who contuted to the report. “Thousupon thousands of new UKand regulations will be neethe UK leaves. Separate inttional, bilateral and indivitrade deals will need to be ated and drafted.

“New UK rules will still comply with many of the eEuropean rules. Far from oa reduction in rules, the UK

be engaged in a ‘regulationneeding a swollen Whiteha

Ukip leader Nigel Farage campaigning

for a ‘Brexit’ in Essex yesterday

Exclusive Pro-EU President will address Britishvoters before the referendum. By Mark Leftly

Obama weighsin to Remain

campaign

The President of the United States,Barack Obama, will fly to Londonnext month and seek to persuadeBritish voters to remain membersof the European Union.

The timing of the US President’s

intervention, a major coup for theRemain campaign, is revealed byThe Independent on Sunday, as afresh poll suggests that the refer-endum could be extremely closelyfought. A No 10 source confirmedthat Mr Obama will make his inter-vention and visit the UK as an extraleg of a trip to Germany next month.He is scheduled to open theHannover Messe 2016 technologyfair on 24 April. The source said:“Barack Obama is coming over ataround that time. You wouldn’tlook stupid saying that [the Presi-dent is going to tell British votersto stay in the EU]. It would be prettyshocking if he didn’t ask voters tostay in the EU.”

Rumours have circulated formonths that Mr Obama, who is con-sidered the greatest electoralcampaigner of his generation afterbecoming the first black person towin the White House in 2008,would intervene on the EU vote.

Bob Corker, the chairman of theUS Senate foreign relations com-mittee, suggested last month thatMr Obama was planning “a big,public reach-out” to persuade Brit-ish voters of the merits of stayingin the EU. But several governmentand Remain campaign sources havenow confirmed the timing and

added that he will fly into the UK tomake a direct appeal to theBritish electorate.

The IoS can also reveal a host ofhigh-profile names who have joinedthe Women In campaign, led by the

public relations executive JennyHalpern Prince. These are journal-ist and television presenter MariellaFrostrup, award-winning computerscientist Dr Sue Black, and authorKathy Lette.

Brexiteers are furious at the pros-pect of Mr Obama swaying undecidedBritish voters. A pre-emptive onlinepetition has nearly 16,000 signato-ries, who want to “Stop PresidentObama from speaking inside our Westminster Parliament concerningBritain staying inside the EuropeanUnion”. Steve Baker, the Conserva-tive MP who said Britain’s recent EUmembership renegotiations wereakin to “polishing poo”, told the IoS:“Whenever a US president inter-venes in our constitutional future, Ialways reread the US Declaration ofIndependence. We will solve peace-fully at the ballot box the problemfor which their nation fought abloody war of insurrection.

“I will take lessons from the USpresident when the US accepts a su-preme court over its own, and freemovement from Canada to CentralAmerica – but God bless America!”

Peter Bone, another ConservativeMP who is prominent in the Leavecampaign, added: “Why shouldPresident Obama tell the UK wheth-er we should be part of a European

superstate or a sovereign nation? Heshould keep his comments, hisviews, to himself.”

But Tim Farron, leader of the pro-EU Liberal Democrats, said MrObama’s visit was “welcome”. Headded: “This is a reminder that ifBritain wants to be a big player onthe world stage, then being in the EUis one of the ways we achieve it.

“Sometimes our friends from out-side have a clear picture on wherewe stand. People often refer to thefact that we’re the fifth biggest econ-omy in the world, but they forget wewere only the seventh biggest econ-omy when we joined the EuropeanCommunity [in 1973]. Our politicalrelevance is enhanced by the EU.”

Mr Farron’s pro-EU stance hastaken a surprising knock by the es-tablishment of a Liberal DemocratBrexit campaign, headed by formerMP Paul Keetch. Mr Farron said: “Itwouldn’t be the Lib Dems if some-one didn’t oppose what 99.5 per centof the party agree with.”

Mr Obama’s visit is also lbe used to help restore relatioDavid Cameron, whose poLibya after the 2011 unseating nel Geddafi has been criticsome observers. In an intervweek, the US president accuPrime Minister of having betracted”, appearing to suggMr Cameron had not done to help oversee Libya’s transa stable government. The Preadvisers have since insistednot mean to be critical.

A White House spokesmthere was no UK visit to an“at this time”. A ComRes polnewspaper today reveals th

Johnson, unofficia l leaderLeave campaign, all but matcCameron on “trust”. Asked wthe two they trust more to dobest for Britain, 35 per centCameron and 34 per ce

Johnson.

WORLD NEWS PAGES 29-30

‘If Britain wants to be a bigplayer on the world stage,being in the EU is one way’ ‘An online petition with16,000 names would stopthe President speaking here’

STAR POW

Barack O

expectedthe UK in

to speak

Brexit GET

NEWS


5/64


3 MARCH 2016

“It usually befalls the foreigner toexplain to the natives what theyhave and what they are about tolose,” says Labour’s German-bornMP Gisela Stuart – the unlikely newhead of the campaign for Britain toleave the European Union.

It is a powerful sentiment from

a woman who moved to Britain in1974 – a year before the UK’s firstreferendum on Europe.

In her first interview since beingnamed chair of Vote Leave, the cam-paign group backed by BorisJohnson, Ms Stuart reveals how shefeels a “duty” to reassure ordinaryvoters they are not “bad” people forbeing worried about the EU.

“There is this idea that if you areliberal and internationalist and out-ward looking and educated and ... agood person then you must be proEurope. If you’re not, you’re say-ing things about yourself which areinward looking, a little Englanderand all those kind of things.

“I just thought that unless peoplelike me actually stand up and say,no, this is about options – both ofwhich are equally outward looking– then I think we diminish the rangeof the debate.”

She says that, unlike many Euro-pean countries, Britain does notneed Brussels to escape the “narrownationalism” which has blightedthe Continent.

“A lot of continental countriesstuck for a very long time with thisnationality principle based onbloodlines,” she says. In contrast:“For 300 years, these isles had asupranational identity – being

n expansion in government law-yers, advisers and bureaucrats.”

Although UK lawyers wouldhave a short-term surge in work,

s the UK decouples from 40years of legal links to Brussels,one of the report’s authors said:

It would be like doctors sayinghat a plague was keeping them

busy. But ultimately, the outlookon patient numbers would not be

ood.”Other misconceptions, the

eport says, includes the notionhat the EU prevents the UK from

making its own laws. The reportays the UK parliament hasemained sovereign, and that the

“common rules” of the EU ensureUK businesses and citizens arenot discriminated against.

The report also identifiesconfusion over the role of theEuropean Convention on HumanRights and the European Coun-cil, which would not be altered

by Brexit.On the notion that Brussels

limits the reach of London’s Citymarkets, and that freeing theUK from the EU would increaseBritain’s international tradeinfluence, the report says a mini-mum of 50 EU trade agreementswith other countries would needimmediate renegotiation.

lawyers warn

British.” Few countries have that, sheadds, which is why to “a lot of Euro-peans – and the Germans in particular– being European is so important”.

She rejects any suggestion thatBritain will become a hostile placefor foreigners after a vote to leave.In fact, Ms Stuart believes many ofthe concerns about European immi-gration are reasonable.

“When my Pakistani newspaper

man, who has spent the past 40 yearsof his life getting up at 5am, has aproblem getting in his mother for afamily wedding, but finds a Bulgar-ian taxi driver can claim child benefitfor children who are not even here,it’s very easy to say, this is racism,but they cannot understand why thebias is to a particular place in theworld which they find it difficult tohave an allegiance to.”

Ms Stuart believes there are moredangers in remaining in the EU thanin leaving. “A Yes vote also has con-sequences. It will mean that we, theBritish people, have just democratical-ly endorsed a structure and a politicalconstruct which, if there is one thingyou can say is consistent, it goes fordeeper political integration.”

Ms Stuart is one of just a handfulof Labour MPs who support UK with-drawal. Privately, many believe herleader Jeremy Corbyn is another.

At the moment, she believes he isbeing loyal to the party ahead of May’selections, but, tantalisingly, suggeststhis could change. “I don’t know whathappens after that, but at the momentI think he just feels he owes a loyaltyto the mainstream of his MPs.”

Vote Leave has confirmed that theEducation Secretary Michael Govewill “co-convene” the campaign toquit the EU, alongside Ms Stuart.

And it’s not about liberal vs little Englander, saysGisela Stuart, the German-born Vote Leave head

‘Backing Brexitdoesn’t make

us bad people’

Labour MP

Gisela Stuart

will co-conve

Vote Leave w

Justice Minis

Michael Gov

JUSTIN SUTCLIF

By Tom McTague

POLITICAL EDITOR

NEWS


6/64


Thousands face higher taxes as ‘off the books’ loophole ends

George Osborne will unveila crackdown this week on acontroversial loophole whichallows thousands of civil serv-ants, NHS contractors and BBC

presenters to slash their tax bills by being paid “off the books”.

The Treasury estimates thereare some 20,000 “disguisedemployees” in the public sec-tor who avoid more than £3,500a year each in income tax andNational Insurance contribu-tions by getting their wagesfunnelled into a “personal

By Tom McTague

and Serina Sandhu

service company”. They then paycorporation tax at 20 per cent –rather than the 40 or 45 per centhigher rate of income tax.

Those taking advantage of theset-up can then pay themselvesa lower “wage” while also tak-ing dividends from the company.In this way it is possible to savetax and even keep some welfare

payments – such as child benefits– which are means tested.

There was a public outcryin the last parliament after itemerged that many BBC present-ers – including Jeremy Paxmanand Fiona Bruce – were takingadvantage of the system.

Mr Osborne is expected tounveil measures in this week’sBudget to force those abusing thesystem to pay the same rates oftax as those individuals whosewages are paid normally.

The crackdown – whichexperts said could raise about£400m a year – will apply acrossthe public sector, including gov-ernment departments, police,local authorities and the NHS. Itwill also hit the BBC, Channel 4,Transport for London, the Bankof England and Network Rail.

A government source said:“Personal service companies can

be legitimate, but we estimate

that 90 per cent of people wshould comply with the rudon’t. You have situations wsomeone working in a pub

body pays thousands of poless in tax than someone doexactly the same job alongthem who’s taxed as an emThat can’t be fair – either otaxpayer or their fellow woWe are going to put a stop t

In February 2012, it wasrevealed that Ed Lester, theexecutive of the Student LoCompany, had been paid £1through a private firm thatestablished, meaning thereno deductions for tax.

Many BBC presenters had been using

the scheme to reduce their tax GETTY

The Chancellor is expected to postpone further austerity measures until the second half of thisParliament when he delivers his Budget on Wednesday. Political Editor Tom McTague reports

Osborne plays on post-EUeconomy fears in Budget

George Osboexpected topone fresh aumeasures thiuntil 2018 as p

highly political Budget whemphasise the dangers to theconomy ahead of the EU rdum this summer.

The Chancellor will tell Msombre statement dominwarnings about “global preand “risks” to the UK, thspending cuts will be nee“maintain Britain’s economrity”. But Mr Osborne wilimposing any new spending cyear or next, The IndepenSunday understands. It comclaims – not rejected by theury – that an £18bn black hopened up in the Governfinances because of the ecoweaker than projected state

Mr Osborne’s stark messasparking accusations that hethis week’s set-piece Commoto drive home the Govern“Project Fear” campaign whilights the dangers of leaving

Yesterday Eurosceptic Towent as far as to warn Mr Opublicly not to “play refergames” with the Budget.

However, an exclusive poll IoS today reveals widespreadisfaction with Mr Osborne’sas Chancellor and growing cabout the state of the econommajority of the public – 51 pesays the British economy is nnow than it was this time lawith only one third disagree

Two-thirds of the public alstheir personal financial situanot improved over the pmonths, compared with 26 pwho say it has.

The public concern about tof the economy – five years aOsborne took over as Chancreflected in growing dissatiswith his record. People are nolikely to believe he has donjob in the Treasury than a goOverall, four out of 10 say tunhappy with his record as Clor, compared with less thanwho are satisfied.

However, in a blow to Lhopes of capitalising on pubcern, the public is still far moto trust the Conservativeseconomy than Labour.

Nearly half – 45 per cent – s

NEWS | SPECIAL REPORT THE BUDGET


7/64

The Chancellor, George Osborne,is being pressed to exemptmore small businesses from

paying business rates beforeWednesday’s Budget.

The Government announceda review into business rates ayear ago, with its response to asubsequent consultation processto be announced this week.

Business rates are a tax oncommercial property valuesthat can be traced back to theElizabethan Poor Law of 1601.The measure particularly hurtssmall shops, factories and officesthat have struggled through thefinancial crisis, and critics arguethat it is an outdated system.

Tax revenue raised via the

rates rose from £15.6bn to £21.8bn between 2002/03 and 2012/13, atime when shops were starting tostruggle with customers buyingmore products online. The Gov-ernment asked interested partieswhat changes should be made toexemptions from business rates.

A submission to the reviewfrom the Booksellers Association,


3 MARCH 2016

‘PROJECT FEAR’

George Osborne (far left)

is expected to highlight

the lack of public trust

in Labour and Shadow

Chancellor John McDonnell

(inset) to run the economy

GETTY

EU. He said: “The Chancellor shouldconcentrate on the day job or run-ning the economy. He’s got enoughon his plate without playing refer-endum games with the economy.”

Mr Osborne will attempt to pla-cate Tory MPs by raising thethreshold at which people start pay-ing the 40p tax rate – a key manifestocommitment. The Tories pledged toraise the threshold for the 40p rateto £50,000 by 2020. The Governmentis also committed to raising the pointat which low earners start payingincome tax to £12,500.

However, a senior governmentsource played down the Govern-ment’s ability to make significant taxcuts, saying: “It’s all quite tight interms of room for manoeuvre.”

Mr Osborne is also expected to setout a series of “stealth” taxes to helpto raise funds to plug the growinghole in the public finances, includ-ing an increase on fuel duty of up to2p a litre and a hike in the tax on in-surance. Millions of householdscould face an increase in insurancecosts, following a warning that theChancellor may target premiums in

next week’s Budget.Welfare cuts for disabled people

could also raise up to £1bn accord-ing to some estimates. There isspeculation Mr Osborne could findthe cash for a headline-grabbing cuton beer duty.

JOHN RENTOUL PAGE 37; LEADING ARTICLE

PAGE 39; MONEY PAGE 57

rust David Cameron and Mr Os-orne more than Jeremy Corbyn andohn McDonnell to run the economy,ompared with 29 per cent who sayhe same of the Labour pair.

Mr Osborne is expected to use thisBudget to expose Labour’s difficul-ies in winning back public trust toun the economy, emphasising Mr

McDonnell’s plan last week to bor-ow billions of pounds to invest innfrastructure projects while run-

ning a balanced day-to-day budget.A senior government source told

The IoS that this week’s Budget wouldnot be could not be characterised asan austerity budget” – with thepending plans for 2016 and 2017 out-ined in last year’s statement set toemain broadly unchanged. The sav-ngs expected to be outlined by Mr

Osborne will come “at the end of thepending review period” closer tohe next election.

The source said: “The overall feelf the Budget will be about globalressures, slowing growth, com-

modity prices … the referendum too.This is a risky period we are in andwe have to be ahead of that. Britain

an’t be immune from what is goingn in the rest of the world. Every

major country has been downgrad-d. We need to respond to what’s

happening, to make sure we canmaintain economic security.”

The senior Conservative MP Ber-nard Jenkin warned the Chancellornot to use the Budget as a c am-

aigning tool to keep Britain in the

Small rms press Chancelloto waive business rates

which represents more than 8 businesses, said: “[After staff] property costs represent thesecond largest overhead for a

bookseller …. One way to immately [ease] pressure points w

be to exempt SMEs completelfrom the rates scheme.” It addthat the “trade suffers particulfrom showrooming ... customgo into a bookshop to inspect a

book, then go and [buy it] onliThe Government has doubl

small business rate relief for twyears, so 385,000 firms have nohad to pay it since 2014. But thFederation of Small Businessewants this to be made perman

Business rates are devolvedScotland, Northern Ireland anWales, and Mr Osborne wantsdo the same for local governmin England by 2020. Councils a

city regions would then be ablkeep the money for local servi

The Policy Network, a centrleft thinktank, argued in itssubmission that the rates shounot be devolved in “their currform”, because the system’sstructure has been “partiallyresponsible for higher levels ounemployment and insolvenc

By Mark LeftlyDEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR

SPECIAL REPORT THE BUDGET | NEWS


8/64

NEWS


Tories relax sleaze rules

A controversial plan to water downstrict anti-sleaze rules introducedto stop ministers giving top jobs tofriends and donors has been con-demned by the head of the govern-ment watchdog that tackles crony-ism in public life.

The Commissioner for PublicAppointments, Sir David Norm-ington, said proposals set out in anofficial government report would“largely remove” checks and bal-ances governing the appointmentof major public officials.

The report was quietly publishedonline last Friday, and sets out aseries of recommendations forspeeding up public appointments

to senior positions, such as theGovernor of the Bank of Englandor the chair of the BBC Trust.

It calls for strict procedures in-troduced in 1995 at the height of theTory sleaze scandals – known asthe “Nolan principles” – to be over-hauled, giving more power toministers to appoint their preferredcandidates.

By Tom McTaguePOLITICAL EDITOR

The report accepts that “theseprinciples have stood the test oftime”. But it says new structures are

needed to ensure appointments arenot “unduly cumbersome”, stating:“Present processes can generate ahuge amount of frustration amongcandidates.”

The report sets out a series of rec-ommendations to “strengthenexisting processes”, which have beenaccepted by the Cabinet Officeminister Matthew Hancock.

However, Sir David – who is stand-ing down at the end of the month – saidthe report’s recommendations were“a step in the wrong direction”.

In a blistering assessment he said:“Their cumulative effect would belargely to remove the checks and bal-ances recommended by Lord Nolan20 years ago. There are serious ques-tions to be asked about whether itgets the balance right between thepower of ministers to appoint and theNolan principle of appointment onmerit after fair and open process.”

Labour MP Anna Turley warned theGovernment not to return to the samelax rules which damaged public trustin government appointments duringthe 1990s. She said: “The checks andbalances set out by Lord Nolan ...should be strengthened rather than

dismantled or diluted. To do otherwisewould be to risk returning to the dayswhen political cronies were handedjobs they didn’t deserve.”

Mr Hancock insisted, however,the Nolan principles would stay “atthe heart of the system”. He said: “Ul-timately choice, responsibility andaccountability for making appoint-ments must rest with ministers.”

Government proposals risk a return to Nineties cronyism, says Labour

Tory donor’s agency win£3.9m Treasury contrac

By Serina Sandhu

The chief executive of amedia and digital marketingcompany that received £3.9mfrom the Treasury to adver-tise government policies is aConservative Party donor, ithas been revealed.

Jerry Buhlmann, of DentsuAegis Network, has donated£7,000 to the Justice SecretaryMichael Gove’s constituencysince 2012, according to theElectoral Commission.

Since the election the Treas-ury has given Carat, a mediaagency in Mr Buhlmann’scompany, more than £3.9m for

“advertising and publicaccording to paymentson its website.

The Labour MP TulipSiddiq said the case rais“serious questions aboway in which governmecontracts for flagship pare handed out”.

A Cabinet Office spokman said: “The Governmedia buying contract awarded in an open, com

petitive process in 2014 Justice Secretary had ninvolvement in this pro

A Dentsu Aegis Netwspokesman said: “This sand suggestion is untrue

Hancock: Accepted report’s proposals

NETW

Jerry

Buhlm

has do

£7,000

Micha

Gove’s

const

VISUAL


9/64

NEWS


3 MARCH 2016

Lib Dems’ conference decision is a totemic policy thatwould also raise £1bn tax, says MP Norman Lamb

‘Smash drug crime bylegalising cannabis’

evidence-based and rational, andalso acutely liberal – is the sort ofthing we should be doing to developan identity for ourselves that peoplecan identify with.”

The review concluded that a reg-ulated cannabis market would helpsmash criminal cartels that run theBritish drugs trade. Mr Lamb deniedthis was a “whacky” plan, given relax-ation of cannabis laws was passed inCanada last year and that several USstates have legalised the drug.

Mr Lamb stood for the Lib Demleadership last year, but was defeatedby Tim Farron, a former party presi-dent. Unlike Mr Lamb, Mr Farron was

unscarred by the Lib Dems’ bruisingexperience in coalition, because hedid not serve as a minister duringthose five years in government.

Mr Farron told The IoS: “This isabout being really grown up abouta massive issue and looking at theevidence. It contributes hugely to acriminal network that thrives off theillegality of the substance.

“We’re trying to help those peoplewho might have problematic use.We’re trying to help society by un-dermining the criminal fraternitywho make billions out of this. In doingthat, you can look at how to betterfocus resources on catching the real

criminals. And, let’s be honest, £1bnin tax could be used to invest inpolicing, education, and in health.”

Mr Farron will make his leader’saddress today, when he is expectedto launch a strong attack on HealthSecretary Jeremy Hunt and his ac-tions during the junior doctors crisis.These doctors have gone on strikeover changes to pay and conditions,while Mr Lamb predicts that the NHScould need a government bail-outdue to its deteriorating finances.

The Lib Dem leader will also saythat Chancellor George Osborne is“taking an unnecessary politicalchoice” to continue with public

NHS budget to drop by £20bn in four years’ time

Labour has accused GeorgeOsborne of being on course topreside over a decade of the“largest sustained fundingsqueeze in NHS history”.

Analysis from the House ofCommons’ Library estimateshow much would have beenspent on the health service hadLabour’s spending levels beenmaintained: based on a percent-age of overall spending, therewill been an aggregate fall ofalmost £90bn by 2020.

The figure is based on

By James Cusick

POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

spending levels set during the lastyear of Gordon Brown’s admin-istration, when 6.28 per cent ofGDP was spent on the NHS. Givencurrent forecasts for UK eco-nomic growth and the presentlevel of NHS spending, it is esti-mated that £20bn less a year will

be being spent on health by 2020.Although health spending in

the first six years of David Cam-eron’s premiership has beenconstant, as a proportion ofGDP it has been falling. The UKis currently spending less onhealth than many of its largerEuropean neighbours.

Heidi Alexander, Labour’s

shadow Health Secretary, saidthat throughout both the Blairand Brown years, chronic NHSunderfunding was addressed. Sheaccused both the current PM andthe Chancellor of presiding over“a new NHS spending crisis – oneof their own making”.

She said: “Patients are facinglonger waits and poorer care,with hospitals overcrowded,understaffed and facing financialcrises. Ministers have failed togive the NHS the money it needs.”

Ms Alexander said the Chan-cellor should acknowledge inhis Budget speech this weekthat unless there is a substantial

change of course, “patients wcontinue to pay a high price”.

Before last year’s election, Osborne pledged to protect “

precious NHS” by guaranteeing an £8bn increase in real te

by 2020. The Government latconfirmed that by 2020-21 thewould effectively be an addi-tional annual boost of £10bn.

Last week Lord Kerslake, thformer head of the civil serv-ice, said that current financia

pressures on the NHS meant tGovernment needed to bringhealth spending back “in linewith GDP”, and potentiallyincrease income tax to pay fo

spending cuts. The Lib Dems bepublic-sector workers neesubstantial pay increases after yof seeing their wages squeezed

Mr Farron is also angry thaGovernment has reversed the ction’s green energy subsidies.

He will argue: “It is time to btive and ambitious by investincapital spending on housing, brband and public transport. It’s to make the tax system work for sbusinesses. It’s time to supporskills people want and need ....it’s time to condemn the Toryproach to green energy that is kjobs, killing innovation, and puour future in peril. It’s time to renewables.”

The Lib Dems also adopted aicy to ban fracking yesterday. Enand climate change spokeswoBaroness Featherstone said: “Fring is not the solution to the counenergy problems. We need to fon long-term, sustainable goalsachieving a zero carbon Britai2050, not carving up the countryfor short-term gains.”

The Liberal Democrats havebecome the first major party tosupport the legalisation of canna-bis, a move, they argue, that willreduce drug-related crime andraise around £1bn in tax revenue.

The policy was overwhelminglyapproved by delegates at theLib Dems’ spring conference inYork yesterday.

It follows a review of soft drugsset up by the former health ministerNorman Lamb, one of the eightMPs who survived the party’s gen-eral-election rout last year, andchaired by Steve Rolles, a seniorpolicy analyst from the TransformDrug Policy Foundation.

Mr Lamb told The Independenton Sunday, that the vote would be“totemic” for the party.

The party’s former leader LordAshdown built up the Lib Demsthrough the 1990s by taking on un-usual causes that neverthelessappealed to a substantial sub-

section of the electorate. Thisincluded allowing Hong Kong na-tionals British passports to relocateto the UK when the former colonywas handed back to the Chinese.

Mr Lamb said the Lib Dems aresimilarly “out on our own” on le-galising and regulating cannabis.

He added: “The frontbenchersof the other parties, I think, arefrightened of the issue. The hypoc-risy of it is extraordinary.

“I guess if people in governmentare anything like the broader popu-lation, probably 50 per cent of thegovernment has taken cannabis atsome stage.”

Mr Lamb, who has never takenillegal drugs, added: “The strategicchallenge we [the Lib Dems] haveis that a great chunk of people inthe country, including probablymany readers of The Independenton Sunday and The Independent,regard themselves as liberal in theirinstincts, in their attitudes, in theirphilosophical position, but theydon’t necessarily associate them-selves with the Lib Dems.

“Our task, if we are to build elec-toral support, is to convince peoplethat we’re the party that representsthose liberal values. I think totemicpolicies like the cannabis motion– which has the great value of being

By Mark Leftly

DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR

George Osborne and Jeremy Hunt are

accused of creating a spending crisis

JUDICIALREVIEW

NHS staff and patients have

launched a campaign for a judic

review of the impact the new

junior doctors’ contract will hav

on patient safety and the NHS’s

stability.

Today the group will begin

raising money on CrowdJustice

co.uk to fund the investigation,

which is being carried out by

Bindmans solicitors.

“We must challenge this cont

in the High Court,” said Dr Ben

White, one of the doctors behin

the challenge. “A judicial review

would consider all relevant

factors and hold the Governme

accountable for decisions it has

made. Ultimately, this is about

public safety.”

The British Medical Associati

launched a legal challenge of its

own last month, over whether tGovernment carried out an Equ

Impact Assessment.

Serina Sa

LOOKING AHEAD

Norman Lamb

says other

parties’ MPs are

frightened of

the issue CHARLIE

FORGHAM-BAILEY


10/64

NEWS


Charity urges Health Secretary to improve cand treatment, and to end a postcode lottery

‘Nearly half ofepilepsy deaths

are avoidable’

The Epilepsy Society has launcheda new campaign calling on theHealth Secretary Jeremy Hunt toact against avoidable deaths fromthe condition.

Although sufferers are at greaterrisk of premature death, almost fourin 10 of those deaths are avoidable,according to the charity, which saysbetter care, treatment and services

are urgently needed. It has alsolaunched an online campaign urgingMPs to write to Mr Hunt requestingthat a National Clinical Audit intothe condition take place – for the firsttime since 2002.

The charity’s campaign comes afterthe Hollywood star Harrison Fordrevealed last week that his 25-year-old daughter Georgia has epilepsy.The 73-year-old actor explained howlong it took for his daughter, from hismarriage to the screenwriter MelissaMathison, to be correctly diagnosedafter initially taking medicine foracute migraines.

During a speech in New York , hesaid: “Dr Orrin Devinsky, who is adear friend, made the diagnosis:epilepsy. He prescribed the rightmedication and therapy; she has nothad a seizure in eight years.”

In an interview with TalkAboutIt.org, an organisation that aims to endmisconceptions about epilepsy andseizure disorders, Mr Ford said: “Itnot only affects the person who hasepilepsy, but it affects the wholefamily. It’s really important to talkabout it and find out about it.”

The Epilepsy Society said the mostworrying aspect is the postcodelottery for the 500,000 people in Eng-land living with the condition. Datafrom the Office for National Statis-tics shows that rates of prematuredeath vary vastly: for example, some-one with epilepsy is 49 per cent morelikely to die prematurely in WestYorkshire than in Cheshire.

The Department of Health’s

removal of two of the epilepsy per-formance indicators that are used toevaluate local commissioners hasleft local health decision-makers inthe dark about how services areperforming in averting prematuredeath in epilepsy, the charity said.

The family and friends of Saman-tha Ahearn, who suffered suddenunexpected death in epilepsy(Sudep) in July 2009, when she was19 and seven months after being di-agnosed, are only too aware of theconsequences of poor treatment anda lack of information.

Samantha’s mother, Lynn McGoff,51, from Manchester , said althoughthey were conscious of the cautionneeded with epilepsy, they had neverheard of Sudep and were at no pointmade aware of the potential for it.

They were told by heaprofessionals after her deaSamantha had not been “notof”Sudep, when the oppostrue. The potential seveSamantha’s condition was m

Professor Ley Sander, a epilepsy neurologist, said: “ture death is an issue not othose directly affected but fety as a whole. Those that araffected are young. There i

gent need to take action to eravoidable deaths.”

Epilepsy Society said ounderstanding more about rent weaknesses in care manacan care can be directed whneeded, which will “stop dying needlessly”.

Neurological care in Englaheavily criticised last monPublic Accounts Committewhich revealed that almosthree (32 per cent) patien

neurological conditions arre-admitted more than five temergency departments in before seeing a specialist.

The committee stated thalogical conditions are not a pfor the Department of HeaNHS England, and the rephighlighted the “wide vaacross the country in accecomes and patient experienaffected people. The DepartHealth said it would consirecommendations.

David Marshall, of the Epile

ciety, said: “By identifying whpeople of greatest need are land which factors contribavoidable deaths, a new nationcal audit will provide a spur tavoidable deaths more efficieeliminate regional disparitie

Health officials are said tothe indicator for epilepsy, lo“Unplanned hospitalisatasthma, diabetes and epilunder 19s”, is a good sign of hyoung people are supportedby services.

The Royal College of Paeand Child Health, with a nupartners, undertook a paeepilepsy audit, called Epilewhich reported in 2014.

The Department of Hdeclined to comment.

By Paul Gallagher

Harrison Ford

with his

daughter

Georgia;

far right,

Samantha

Ahearn,

pictured with

her stepfather

Bill McGoff

GETTY IMAGES

‘Epilepsy affects not othe person who has thcondition but all the fa

‘Premature death is anfor society as a whole. affected are often youn


11/64

NEWS


3 MARCH 2016

First Sweden was the country toemulate, when former educa-tion secretary Michael Gove wasenthused by free schools. Thenattention turned to Shanghai, andan initiative to improve the stand-ard of maths in primary schoolsby bringing Chinese teachers tothe UK.

Now, though, we are taking a leafout of Russia’s book as ministersseek to improve the supply of top-quality mathematicians by settingup specialist maths colleges for 16-to 18-year-olds.

The first specialist maths collegewas opened in the former SovietUnion about 50 years ago by thedistinguished mathematicianAndrey Kolmogorov. His aim – toensure “the next generation ofmathematicians are excellent” –was successful, and the idea caught

on. More specialist schools were setup in the Soviet Union, and theinitiative was copied in other eastEuropean countries.

A key figure in the establishmentof specialist maths institutions in theUK was Baroness (Alison) Wolf, aprofessor at King’s College London.She knew about Russian maths skillsbecause of her work in universities,where maths departments often at-tract a fair few Russian academics.

Initially, the idea in the UK was foruniversities to set up a nationwidenetwork of specialist maths schools.However, only King’s College Londonand Exeter have taken the plunge.

Dan Abramson, head of the King’sCollege London Mathematics Schoolin south London, suspects that “some[universities] might be waiting forour exam results to see if we are suc-cessful”. The portents are good – 97per cent of students at the King’s Col-lege school achieved an A grade inAS-level maths last summer and 11

of the 65 students in one year grouphave been offered places at Oxfordand Cambridge, the highest percent-age of Oxbridge offers of any institutionin the country. The first intake will sittheir A-levels this summer.

The school is oversubscribed,with more than three students ap-plying for every place, and has nocatchment area as such. “Anybodywho can get here can apply,” said MrAbramson. But it works with localschools in Lambeth, south London,on the site of a former public wash-house and training centre for medicalstudents, to ensure that the most dis-advantaged students who show atalent for maths can gain access. Anenrichment programme which takesin about 100 students from around50 schools and offers two hours oftraining once a fortnight, plus a placeat a maths summer school.

“Our aim is twofold,” said MrAbramson. “We want to encouragethe brightest and best, and widen

participation in maths. It’s not justto be an alternative to independentschools. We look at postcodes, welook at whether a student is eligiblefor free school meals, the parentalhistory of higher education.”

Students at the school say one ofthe big attractions is the ability todiscuss maths with others who arekeen on the subject. In their previousschools, there may have been justone or two pupils on the samewavelength.

Andrea Cozza, 18, from CamdenTown, north-west London, said: “Ireally wanted to do medicine at mylast school, but I learnt that I actu-ally didn’t like the subject. What Ireally wanted to do was maths.

“It’s good here to be studyingalongside people who are just askeen on the subject.”

The school’s main curriculumareas are maths, science, engineeringand economics, but students can alsodo an extended project (essay) on a

in any field that they are passioabout. “I’m doing an essay on Gtragedy,” she said.

Libby Walker, also 18, said: “Evbody is doing the same subjectsthat’s really good because we cahelp each other. There are 10 dient people to help you out withproblem you might have.

“It’s also nice being with pewho are maths-y,” she said. “Tcan lead to developing a deepederstanding of the subject.”

The school, which opened intember 2014, has been set up as aschool – and ministers haveabandoned the idea of similarleges being set up in the future

Nick Timothy, chief executithe New Schools Network, the city which supports free schools,“If the best universities are serabout taking on more pupils need to take direct action to msure schools are giving childreright opportunities.”

Figures prove that the first students at a specialist maths sixth form, copied from a Soviet idea, are top of the table

From Russia, with a love of maths

By Richard Garner

EDUCATION EDITOR

IT ALL ADDS UP

Andrew Dean

(far left), at the

school run by

Dan Abramson

TERI PENGILLEY


12/64

Right now in Syria, thousands of children like Fatima*

are in danger, with bombs and bullets destroying theirhomes and bringing untold horror to their fragile lives.

After five years of war, the attacks are getting worse. Andnow the conflict has brought another dangerous threat tochildren’s survival.

Food is scarce. Children are forced to eat whatever they canfind, including animal feed and leaves. They urgently needyour help.

You could help feed a scared, hungry child today. The gift offood will do more than just save a life, it will bring comfortand hope.

Save the Children is in Syria right now, and has already helpedprovide life-saving aid to over one million children. But morechildren like Fatima still urgently need your support.

You can help feed a child like Fatima right now.Please give today.

NO CHILD DIEBORN TO£82

CALLCLICK TEXT

COULD BUY A FOODPARCEL TO FEED AFAMILY FOR A MONTH

0800 038 0205savethechildren.org.uk/iosGIVE to 61144 to give £5

*

SA2

Card Number

Card Start Date Card Expiry Date Maestro Issue No.

(Maestro

I enclose a cheque payable to Save the Children

Please debit my: Mastercard/Visa/CAF Charity Card/MaestroPlease accept my gift of: £41 £82 £164 Other £_____

INCREASE THE VALUE OF YOUR GIFT BY 25%If you are a UK taxpayer and if you tick the gift aid box when you make a donation,HMRC will add an extra 25p for every pound you donate.

I am a UK taxpayer and would like Save the Children to treat all donations I have made over the past fouryears and all donations I make in the future (unless I notify you otherwise) as Gift Aid donations.For each tax year covered by this declaration, I understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital GainsTax in the current tax year than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations it is my responsibility to payany difference.

Save the Children will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 you have given. If you tick the Gift Aid box your additionalsupport will help to fund Save the Children’s vital work across the world.

To donate by post, please address your envelope to our new, short freepost:FREEPOST, SAVE THE CHILDREN – EMERGENCY.Thank you. For security reasons, please do not put cash in the post.

*You’ll be billed £5 plus standard rate text message. We receive 100% of your donation.Include NO INFO in your text to stop further communications.

Your donation will support communities directly affected by this crisis and any future emergenciesin the region. Where donations exceed the appeal target they will be used to support our workwith children worldwide.

Registered charity England and Wales (213890) Scotland (SC039570)

Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Initials

Surname

Address

Postcode

Signature Date / /Email

Telephone/Mobile

You are changing children’s lives – thank you.

We would like to use the information provided above to keep youupdated about our work and how you can help.

I don’t want to be updated by post.I don’t want to be updated by phone.I do want updates by email.I do want updates by text message (SMS).

Don’t forget you can change how you hear from us at any timeby calling our Supporter Care team on 0207 012 6400 oremailing [email protected].

We promise never to sell your data.Visit www.savethechildren.org.uk/privacy.

SYRIA CRISIS APPEAL

SHE’S SURVIVED

THE BOMBS.

HELP HERSURVIVETHE HUNGER.

*Name changed to protect her identity

SYRIA’S CHILDREN URGENTLY NEED YOU


13/64


3 MARCH 2016

are not to blame for the strikes, but we haveto take responsibility and accept that we arethe third party in this dispute.

Talk-talk better than walk-walk

On Friday, the Labour MP Paula Sherriffpulled out of a meeting featuring a radi-cal imam, Shaikh Sulaiman Ghani, who hasextremist views and refers to women as“subservient”. Not only that, the rally willbe segregated along gender lines – an unac-ceptable practice in the 21st century.

It would be easy to think that only politi-cal meetings that feature extremist speak-ers use sex segregation, but unfortunately itis also a regular occurrence in more moder-ate settings.

One Labour MP told me of her attemptsto organise a meeting with members ofthe local Muslim community in her con-stituency to talk about tackling extrem-

ism. It took weeks of delicate organisation,but when this MP turned up she found theroom split in half by a curtain, with womenon one side and men on the other.

It would have been understandable if shehad walked out – to stay would be sendinga message that this was an acceptable prac-tice. But she stayed because she wantedto talk to both the men and women aboutextremism – she judged that quitting theplatform would have been worse. If intoler-ant views are to be overcome, then the bestapproach is to talk, not to walk away.

Why can’t a caged bird sing?

Is it a coincidence that days after PrinceWilliam gave a speech hinting at supportfor Britain remaining as a member of theEuropean Union he was criticised by Euro-sceptic newspapers for being “work-shy”

and a “part-time royal”? It is ludicrous texpect the second in line to the throne tdo a normal week’s work. It is true that puts in a few shifts as an air ambulancepilot and has a sparse diary of engagemeto fulfil, but we either have to demand ththe entire royal family resigns or acceptthey are not like the rest of us.

Like the Queen, whose views on Brexcan be twisted to suit either side, PrinceWilliam is trapped in aspic with no realfreedom to quit his duties without causa constitutional crisis. We should sympthise with, not criticise, these poor royastuck in their gilded cage, whose abilityhave a public point of view is limited bytheir gargantuan privilege.

It’s time for Sir Ringo

The death of Sir George Martin is a remithat the Fifth Beatle – as well as the Secon

Sir Paul McCartney – both received knighoods. But what about the Fourth and onother surviving Beatle, Ringo Starr? I knohe only wrote one or two of the songs, bucontribution to music, as one of the Fab Fis nevertheless legendary, particularly githe lesser stars who have received a big K

We can assume Starr hasn’t turned onedown, because he accepted an MBE. Starhas also campaigned to save homes in hinative Toxteth from demolition, which msurely count as a contribution to society.Why, then, has he been overlooked?

Twitter: @janemerrick23

Doctors’ strikehints at a cureWe must engageextremistsPity this poor,trapped princeGive our Ringo

a special K

JANEMERRICK ON POLITICS

How we can save the NHS

No one would choose to go to hospital onthe day of a junior doctors’ strike. Opera-

tions cancelled, all but emergency careshelved, even longer waiting times in A&E– of all the days to be a patient, it wouldseem this was not one of them. But lastWednesday I had no choice: I was referredby my doctor to hospital for a routine testthat morning. “Surely there will be no onethere?”, I joked to my GP, who didn’t see thefunny side.

As it turned out, I was almost right. WhenI got to hospital, I had mixed feelings as Iwalked through the picket line of earnest-looking junior doctors handing out stick-ers. This long-running dispute is causingmajor disruption to the NHS, and agony topatients whose operations are postponed.It is disappointing that the Health Secre-tary, Jeremy Hunt, won’t back down on thenew contract that is opposed by the BritishMedical Association, but doctors have toacknowledge that patients need a seven-dayNHS. For the sake of patients, both sidesmust be more flexible.

Once inside, as I made my way past A&Eto the X-ray ward, I saw far fewer patientsthan on a normal day at this busy south Lon-don hospital. I bumped into a friend, whohad been in for a check-up and, becausethere were no junior doctors, was seen by

a senior consultant within five minutes.Me? I had my X-ray within 20 minutes

of arriving. Of course, radiographersweren’t on strike – but there were justa handful of patients in the waiting

room, next door to casualty.It has long been recognised

that part of the problem with A&Ewaiting times is the unnecessary

pressure from people who turn up whenthey could instead see their GP or go to awalk-in centre. And I have some sympathy

– they’re not all time-wasters but often wor-ried parents who can’t get a GP appoint-ment for three weeks when their child hasa fever and swollen glands. But the 48-hourstoppage has highlighted what happens tothe NHS when people are forced to regardhospitals as a last resort, not the first port ofcall. There’s not much that we patients cando about a lack of GP appointments – sur-geries need to be more efficient: if someonecan’t get a same-day or next-day appoint-ment with a doctor, they should be foundone with another surgery in the local area,like an Uber for primary care.

But we can be more responsible aboutusing the precious resources of the NHSby using pharmacies and walk-in centres.I don’t want to see another junior doctors’strike, but the stoppages show what is pos-sible when the words “accident and emer-gency” are taken for what they are. Patients

Striking junior doctors last week helped to define what A&E really means AFP/GETTY


14/64

NEWS


Sturgeon signals new independence referendum with appeal t

A fresh drive for Scottishindependence will be launched

by the SNP this summer as the party seeks to capitalise onits popularity and win over asignificant portion of those whovoted No in 2014, leader NicolaSturgeon announced yesterday.

In a speech to her party’sspring conference in Glasgow,the First Minister dramaticallyreopened the issue of Scotland’sfuture in the United Kingdom

by promising to “embark on anew initiative to build support

By Chris Green

SCOTLAND EDITOR

for independence” after the EUreferendum in June.

The grassroots campaignwill be aimed primarily at “softNo voters” who were willingto be persuaded of the benefitsof independence at the 2014referendum but remainedunconvinced by polling day, SNPsources told The Independenton Sunday . It is likely to featurea national tour by Ms Sturgeon,who remains extremely popularin Scotland.

The First Minister stressedthat the drive would “not be anattempt to browbeat anyone”who is still staunchly in favour

of the Union, but would intake the form of a nationalconversation on the subjecThe announcement earnedan immediate standing ovafrom the 3,500 SNP supporgathered in the hall.

“I know that many acrosScotland support the Uniostrongly as we do independ– I respect that,” Ms Sturgesaid. “But I also know that wanted to be persuaded in

but ultimately didn’t find oarguments compelling enoSo we will listen to what yohave to say. We will hear yoconcerns and address yourNicola Sturgeon after giving her speech at the SNP conference in Glasgow PA

N O R F O L K

Norwich

GreatYarmouth

Bacton

Wroxham

RiverYare

Whi tlingham G r e a t B r oad

Y ARMOUT H RD

Jenner’s Basin

North

Sea

200m

The age-old pastime of messing about in boatsis at risk from gentrification, say mariners

Choppy watersin the Battle

of the Broads

following the legal threat. More than4,000 people have signed a petitioncalling for the BA to end its movesagainst the marina residents.

However, last Friday the BA wasgranted a temporary High Court in-junction which prevents any more

boats from mooring at the basin.Opponents have accused the BA

of taking an “authoritarian, heavy-handed and costly legalistic”approach. During heated meetings,the chair of the authority, Professor

Jacquie Burgess, was accused of de-scribing the boat dwellers as “feral”and likening the marina to a “shantytown”. Professor Burgess denies call-ing anyone “feral” and says theshanty town remark was solely inrelation to the physical look of thearea rather than its residents.

One woman who lives on the is-land said: “Some of the neighbours,and worse still, some of those on theBroads Authority itself, have the im-pression we are some sort of ‘lawless’community of New Age mariners.They think those of us living on boatsare against all rules and regulationsand the whole lifestyle is all aboutavoiding all officialdom and any re-strictions. That we are travellerswith boats, not caravans.

“That couldn’t be further from thetruth. We work locally. We pay ourtaxes. We dispose of our rubbishresponsibly, but the sad thing is thattheir minds seem to be made up. Theyhave gone down the legal route andare wasting an awful lot of publicmoney, to what end I’m not sure. Thisisn’t really about planning – it’s about

lifestyle and our lifestyle doesn’t ac-cord with their idea of the Broads.”

Mr Wood, who says he bought thesite as a retirement project, not adevelopment opportunity, insistsexperts told him the site had “privatemooring rights” when he purchasedit in 2006. He successfully challengedone planning inspector’s decision hecould berth 12 boats at the site on thegrounds of legal errors and a secondinspector increased the number ofberths to 25 subject to certain plan-ning conditions being met. The BAsay the conditions have not been metand is taking enforcement action toend the “unlawful development”.

Mr Woods says the 25-boat limitis uneconomic and that BA’s ap-proach to the problem has left himout of pocket and threatens to takeaway his livelihood completely.

When businessman James Knight,former vice-chair of the BA’s naviga-tion committee, began to question itsapproach, he was dismissed by whathe describes as a “kangaroo court”.

Roger Wood, owner of Jenner’s Basin marina in Norwich, is fighting to retain his mooring rights SIMON FINLAY

Mr Knight, who runs his owncompany, believes the legal apto the matter, which has nomore than £100,000, is unhelpcounterproductive. He said clifestyle prejudice against tdents were not without foun

The BA has defended its apIt insists it does not have poevict the boats already mothe marina, but acknowledgthose living there have receiters warning them of the legait was taking against the owsaid in a statement: “We havesympathy for Mr Wood’s te Jenner’s Basin who are caughdispute, but as a planning auwe are bound by law to uphoning legislation and these ru

“The situation has been misrepresented. It is absoluan attempt to ‘gentrify’ or ‘cleanse’ an area. If this was twe would be going against oplanning policies that defineas a conservation area.”

They are billed as an ideal placefor “messing around in boats”, butthe Norfolk Broads have becomethe focus of an increasingly bitterand divisive battle between boat

dwellers and land lovers.A row over mooring rights in a

marina has escalated into an ex-pensive six-year legal dispute.Allegations of “social cleansing”and “gentrification” have beenlevelled at the Broads Authority,the body responsible for managingthe picturesque waterways.

At the heart of the row is a disa-greement over planning rights at

Jenner’s Basin marina on ThorpeIsland in Norwich. The marina’sowner, Roger Wood, insists he hasthe right to private moorings at theformer boatyard in the river Yare.The Broads Authority (BA) disputesthis, claiming that the historic rightslapsed before Mr Wood, a formerpilot boat skipper, bought the plot.Some residents whose homes over-look the site have complained aboutnoise and the unattractiveness ofthe boats moored opposite.

The BA is taking Mr Wood tocourt to enforce planning condi-tions, a move which threatens a40-strong “liveaboard community”which has developed in the marina.The enforcement action couldclose down the moorings unlessspecific planning conditions aremet. Residents have received legalletters warning them they may haveto move. Some have already left

By David Connett


15/64

NEWS


3 MARCH 2016

questions, and in the process,we will be prepared to challengeome of our own answers. And,

patiently and respectfully, wewill seek to convince you thatndependence really does offerhe best future for Scotland.”

Describing independence as“beautiful dream”, she added:Our success will depend on thetrength of our arguments andhe clarity of our vision. It will

mean convincing the people ofhis country that independence isight, not for yesterday’s world,

but for the complex, challengingnd increasingly interdependent

world that we live in today.”

The SNP’s strategists believethey only need to convincearound 15 per cent of waveringScots to back independence to

be confident of winning a secondreferendum, having secured 45

per cent of the national vote in2014. Recent opinion polls on thesubject show that the country isstill divided down the middle onthe issue.

The new drive will be fundedentirely by the SNP, to avoidaccusations that the party isusing Scottish taxpayers’ moneyto bring about the break-up of theUnion. Campaigning is unlikelyto begin before July, so it does not

interfere with the build-up to theScottish Parliament election on5 May and the EU referendum on23 June.

The announcement will gosome way to placating thoseSNP supporters who are keenfor the party to push for a secondreferendum as soon as possible,

but will also leave it open tocriticism that it is obsessed withthe issue of independence.

The Scottish Conservativeleader, Ruth Davidson, said thenew campaign proved that theSNP “just isn’t prepared to let thisgo”, while Scottish Labour saidthe economic case for leaving

the Union was “dead” due to collapse in the price of North oil. “Most Scots don’t want tothrough another referendumLabour spokesman added.

With less than two monthsuntil the Holyrood election – which the SNP is expected toachieve a comfortably majoriMs Sturgeon also used her spto outline the detail of severa

policies. The most significanwas a pledge to channel moremoney into schools throughreforms to the council tax, in attempt to close the so-called“attainment gap” between ricand poor pupils.

‘Many in 2014 wanted to bepersuaded, but didn’t ndour arguments compelling’ ‘We will try to convince youthat independence offersthe best future for Scotland’

those who weren’t quite convinced last time

When MI6 explodes or a posh Venetian palazzo crumbles, no one is more delighted than the UK’s top visual effects design

The name’s Begg. Licensed to thrill

driven by visual effects, she said, “yetvery few know who the artists are.We want to highlight these achieve-ments and give the stars of visualeffects worldwide recognition.”

The UK visual effects sector hasexpanded from a cottage industry toa global powerhouse. Adrian Woot-ton, the chief executive of the BritishFilm Commission and Film London,said the UK industry had “grownexponentially over the last 15 years.British teams have been nominatedfor the Best Visual Effects AcademyAward in 10 out of the last 11 years,winning six times.”

Most recently, the London com-panies Double Negative and Milkwon the visual effects Oscar lastmonth for their work on the robot-ics thriller Ex Machina.

During his three-decade career,

said Begg, visual effects “hchanged beyond recognition”.visual effects supervisor he ivolved in a movie from pre-produto delivery of the finished film: “Iaround all departments.”

His job includes liaising withdirector before the cameras hstarted rolling, and working clowith the art department. He remon set throughout the shoot, oversees the visual trickerystarts in post-production, whichvary from 10 weeks to six mont

The best CGI practitioners shbe regarded as artists, he said. “of people smugly dismiss it as ping buttons. But to get the best oall that software you need an areye – it’s a very creative busines

The Thunderbirds creator GAnderson gave Begg his big bworking on the British TV seTerrahawks in 1984 after he shoAnderson effects he had put toghimself. “I got a crash course in ptical miniature effects from the mand I still use a lot of those efftoday on the Bond films,” he sai

His first big credit as visual effsupervisor was on Lara Croft: T Raider in 2001 and he would work on Batman Begins as miniaunit supervisor.

Casino Royale (the 2006 vernot the 1967 spoof) was a bigment for Mr Begg. “I became thscale visual effects supervisoCasino Royale. What’s great aBond films are they’re highly prcal, with stunts and special effaugmented by visual effects.

“I like to mix the tricks of spand visual effects. I like the beboth worlds” he said. “CGI effhave got so good you can’t tell mof the time, but I like to integrreal element in there to helpillusion. It can’t look lightweig

The increasing reliance on veffects is neatly illustrated byBond movies. In 2006, Casino ale used about 800 visual effshots; Spectre, released last yemployed about 1,600.

The man who blew up the MI6headquarters in central Londonwill receive a groundbreakinghonour this week.

Steve Begg, a visual effects mas-ter whose work includes thespectacular destruction of thelandmark Vauxhall Cross buildingin the James Bond movie Skyfall,will receive one of two awards atthe inaugural UK Visual EffectsSociety Awards.

Begg, who has been creatingmagical movie effects for morethan 30 years, will receive theaward, for leadership and the

advancement of visual effects inthe UK, at a glitzy ceremony inLondon on Wednesday.

The other recipient is the actorJim Broadbent, who is to be recog-nised for promoting awareness ofvisual effects through work thatinlcudes The Borrowers and Pad-dington, and the Harry Potterfranchise. While the Visual EffectsSociety has held awards ceremo-nies in Los Angeles for 14 years, thisweek marks its first awards eventin the UK.

Begg, who is to be honoured forhis work on the Bond franchise,told The Independent on Sunday:“I’m obviously flattered to receivethe award. I’ve been in the visualeffects business for a long time andI’m delighted they have decided tohonour me.”

Special effects are created on setduring filming while visual effectsare added in post-production usingcomputers. Sophisticated compu-ter generated imagery (CGI) allowslandscapes, characters and, yes,explosions to be added after film-ing has finished.

The society’s UK chair, BrookeLyndon-Stanford, said the awardswere designed to raise the profileof its members. Many of the biggestbox office hits of recent years were

By Nick Clark

ARTS CORRESPONDENT

Steve Begg with a one-third scale model of Bond’s

Aston Martin DB5 (left); the studio MI5 building

explosion (top), and how it looked in Skyfall

Skyfall

Begg said he was “particularly

proud” of the moment the MI6

building explodes in front of a horri-

fied M, played by Dame Judi Dench.

After filming the real building, the

effects team blew up a small model

at Pinewood (see above) and digit-

ally mapped the two.

Casino Royale

At the end of Daniel Craig’s first

outing as Bond a fight takes place

in a Venetian palazzo which crum-

bles into the Grand Canal. Begg was

delighted at the mixture of digital

effects and the use of a miniature.

“Everyone knew it had to be fake.

You couldn’t do it for real, but it had

a tangible feel that you wouldn’t get

if it was entirely CGI.”

Spectre

The most recent 007 film included

a “very un-Bond like opening”. Begg

hailed the first shot, which runs

for something like four minutes

at a packed carnival. “We blended

together six shots, some in Mexico

City and some in Pinewood into one.”

SHAKEN AND STIRRED:THE BEST OF BEGG


16/64

NEWS


NEWSIN BRIEF

Police shoot man‘armed with crossbow’

:: SCOTLAND

A man was shot by police yesterday

after reportedly firing a crossbow

at officers following a seven-hour

stand-off in Ayrshire. The 24-year-

old, who had barricaded himself into

a house in Kilbirnie early yesterday

morning, was being treated in

hospital in Kilmarnock last night.

His injuries are said not to be life

threatening. Assistant chief constable

Malcolm Graham said there had been

an “alleged discharge of a crossbow”.

Members of the 1970s band Spizzenergi were at the Museum of Londonyesterday as they donated memorabilia to the Punk London exhibition,

marking 40 years of ‘punk subculture’ PICTURE: GEOFF CADDICK/PA

Two-year-old twin boysdrown in garden pond

:: ACCIDENT

Two-year-old twins died yesterday

after apparently falling into a garden

pond in Fife. Emergency services

took the boys to Victoria Hospital in

Kirkcaldy early on Saturday, but the

they were later pronounced dead.

They had reportedly been found in a

fish pond at a house in Dalgety Bay.

A police spokesman said: “Officers

are supporting the family at this time.

Inquiries to establish the full circum-

stances are ongoing.”

Britons’ details found inleaked Islamic State da

:: TERROR

Details relating to up to 64 Brit

– or people with links to the UK

reportedly contained among th

sands of leaked Islamic State d

ments. Among those listed in t

of documents being examined

intelligence agencies are two y

men from Manchester, Sky New

said. The news channel added

it obtained the data from a me

stick handed to the broadcaste

former recruit to the group.

2.6%NURDLES

Up to 53 billionnurdles – the

building blocks of theplastic industry – aresaid to escape fromBritain’s manufac-

turing plantseach year.

of all beach l

3-5mmin size

PLASTIC BAGS

Before the 5p charge, eight billion werehanded out by Britain’s supermarketseach year. The situation has improvedsubstantially, with Tesco reporting inDecember that the charge had cut baguse by 80 per cent.

0.0004-1.24mmin diameter

MICROBEADS Minuscule plastic

beads used to texturisecosmetics, a single use

of toothpaste can resultin 100,000 going down thesink – the US is estimated

to flush eight trillion aday into its water

system.

COTTON BUDS

Many use stems made from plastic whpass through the majority of sewagetreatment works into the sea. A surveof Britain’s beaches found 62.9 per kmrepresenting 2.6 per cent of all litter.

8bnper year

SOURCES — MARINE CONSERVATION SOCIETY, E

RALPH KERPA/IMAGEBROKER/REX

From Barbie dolls to smartphones, industry depends on specks of plastic of varying sizes, but they’re doing a lot of damToxic pellets imperil British sea lifeNurdles are a similar size and

shape to fish eggs, so they are oftenmistaken for food by fish. They arealso highly absorbent, so they cansuck in dangerous chemicals suchas DDT insecticide, which can leachout into the fish and potentially passalong the food chain – all the way tothe dinner plate, experts warn.

“The sheer volume of nurdles thatwe appear to be releasing into ouroceans is mind-boggling. These tinyplastics are being eaten by aquaticlife at all stages of the food chain andare highly toxic,” said Louise Edge,the senior oceans campaigner atGreenpeace. “The potential impactson human health are as yet unknown,but if we’re eating fish that couldhave ingested plastic that’s clearlycause for concern.”

Dr Madeleine Berg, of Fidra, theenvironmental charity that commis-sioned the research, is also concernedabout the dangers posed by nurdles.“Countless pellets already litter UKbeaches and unfortunately there isno way to clean them up once at sea,”

she said. “Pellet loss is an entirelyavoidable source of pollution, so wemust make sure no further pelletsare released.”

UK factories use 7.3 million tonsof plastic each year, most of it madeup of tiny pellets between 3mm and5mm wide and weighing about 20mgeach. About 600 nurdles are used tomake a small plastic water bottle.

Although only a tiny fraction – lessthan 0.01 per cent – are thought toescape, so many nurdles pass throughthe UK’s factories that as many as53 billion are spilled into the widerenvironment each year, accordingto the report by the research groupEunomia. To put that in context: 53billion nurdles is equivalent to 35tanker-loads of pellets weighingmore than 1,000 tons.

The estimate is based on a reviewof studies into the extent of pellet lossin other European countries, factor-ing in the rate of loss in those countriesand the number of nurdles used inthe UK manufacturing process. Itcomes after a study last year found

that nurdles posed a risk to a fin colony on the Isle of MaFirth of Forth. It found the tlets in the stomachs of manbirds, adding to the soup offragments that have become alent in the sea that 9 out obirds already have some lotheir stomachs.

Fidra is calling on plastics nies to get more heavily invoan initiative by the British Federation to tackle the nurdlem. Named Operation Cleanit is a voluntary scheme thcompanies “to recognise thetance of preventing the loss pellets into the environmenstrive towards zero pellet lo

A spokesman for the Brititics Federation said: “Thepellets into the wider enviris not acceptable and the indworking with a range of staers to identify the sources offound on some beaches, whicalso be from foreign shoshipping incidents.”

Billions of lentil-sized plasticpellets, known as nurdles, arespewing out of Britain’s factoriesinto the environment each year andposing a significant risk to wildlife,according to an alarming study.

Plastic fragments, which comein varying sizes, are the buildingblocks of industry, delivered tofactories in monumental quanti-ties, where they are welded togetherto make everything from Barbiedolls and smart phones.

However, a huge number of themwork their way free from theirpackaging, escaping from manu-facturing plants and distributiontrucks into the surrounding area.

Many get washed into rivers andmake their way to the sea, wherethey pose a threat to fish, birds and,potentially, humans, according tothe report, which is the first to es-timate the number of nurdlesspilling into the environment.

By Tom Bawden

ENVIRONMENT EDITOR ‘If we are eating sh thathave ingested plastic, that’sclearly cause for concern’ ‘Nine out of 10 sea birdshave some form of plasticlodged in their stomachs’


17/64

NEWS


3 MARCH 2016

It’s only a week until theFood Made Good awards arehanded out, and the short-list is announced today.The Independent on Sunday has

partnered with the SustainableRestaurant Association to supportthese awards, which take place on

the independent 13 march 2016

Documents