Link. He's only posted this on Twitter for whatever reason, here's what he wrote:

Puberty Blockers. A 🧵

Children’s healthcare must always be led by evidence.

Medicine given to children must always be proven safe and effective first.

I know there’s lots of fear and anxiety.

Let me explain why this decision was taken.

Cass Review found there is not enough evidence about the long-term impact of puberty blockers for gender incongruence to know whether they are safe or not, nor which children might benefit from them.

The evidence should have been established before they were ever prescribed.

The NHS took the decision to stop the routine use of puberty blockers for gender incongruence/dysphoria in children.

They are establishing a clinical trial with NIHR to ensure the effects of puberty blockers can be safely monitored and provide the evidence we need.

The former Health Secretary issued an emergency order to extend the restriction on prescription to the private sector, which I am defending.

Puberty blockers have been used to delay puberty in children and young people who start puberty much too early.

Use in those cases has been extensively tested (a very different indication from use in gender dysphoria) and has met strict safety requirements.

This is because the puberty blockers are suppressing hormone levels that are abnormally high for the age of the child.

This is different to stopping the normal surge of hormones that occur in puberty. This affects children’s psychological and brain development.

We don’t yet know the risks of stopping pubertal hormones at this critical life stage.

That is the basis upon which I am making decisions.

I am treading cautiously in this area because the safety of children must come first.

Some of the public statements being made are highly irresponsible and could put vulnerable young people at risk.

I know there’s lots of fear and anxiety. I am determined to improve the quality of, and access to, care for trans people.

I hope this thread provides some context for the caution and care I am taking when it comes to this vulnerable group of young people.

The decisions I am taking will always be based on evidence, rather than politics or political pressure.

Archive link for us on benefits.

The US Air Force has been sending unmarked planes from Britain’s base on Cyprus to Israel since it began bombing Gaza, it can be revealed.

The planes are all C-295 and CN-235 aircraft, which are believed to be used by American special forces.

Declassified has found 18 of these aircraft which have gone from the sprawling British air base on Cyprus, RAF Akrotiri, to Israel’s coastal city Tel Aviv since October 7.

[RAF] Akrotiri is the key node in the international effort to arm and provide logistical support for Israel’s assault on Gaza.

But the UK government has always refused to divulge any information about US activities at Akrotiri, which is known to include transporting weapons to Israel.

Asked in May how many US Air Force (USAF) flights had taken off from the base since October 7, [then] defence minister Leo Docherty said: “The Ministry of Defence does not comment on the operations of our Allies.”

But Declassified discovered the unmarked planes that flew from Akrotiri to Israel from November to June have a serial number showing they are operated by the USAF. Most of these journeys had the flight number GONZO62.

Six more unmarked C-130 planes have gone from Akrotiri to Tel Aviv since the bombing of Gaza began, which are believed to be USAF, but it was not possible for Declassified to locate their operator.
[…]
A spokesperson for the UK Ministry of Defence would only tell Declassified: “In response to the situation in Israel and Gaza, we are working with international partners to de-escalate the conflict, reinforce stability and support humanitarian efforts in the region. Any use of UK bases will be in line with these objectives.”

This gave me a big belly laugh:

Another Conservative said: “The answer is we need to find a way to appeal to voters we lost to all parties. I don’t know how you do that on policy, but Keir Starmer showed you can do it by looking competent and serious. But I don’t know if any of the candidates we have at the moment can do that.”

Sir Keir Starmer has told the Ukrainian president that British missiles can be used for defensive strikes against targets inside Russia.

The announcement came as the new British prime minister met Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit in Washington DC on Wednesday.

The decision over the Storm Shadow missiles, which has been welcomed by Ukraine, represents a hawkish shift in policy from the stance taken by the former Conservative government.

...

In a post on X after the meeting with Sir Keir, President Zelenskyy said: "This morning, I learned about the permission to use Storm Shadow miss­iles against military targets in Russian territory.

"Today we had the opportunity to discuss the practical implementation of this decision. I'm grateful to the UK for its unwavering support for Ukraine and our people."

However, reacting to the news, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said: "If this is so then, of course, this is another absolutely irresponsible step towards escalating tensions and seriously escalating the situation."

Dimitry Peskov told Reuters: "We will be watching this very thoroughly and respond accordingly."

The new health secretary said the service has been “wrecked” by the Conservatives and launched an independent investigation.

He has appointed Lord Ara Darzi, a health minister in the last Labour government, to carry out the review and ordered officials to hand over whatever information is needed.

Writing in The Sun, Mr Streeting said: “Honesty is the best policy, and this report will provide patients, staff and myself with a full and frank assessment of the state of the NHS, warts and all.

“It’s going to take time to turn the NHS around - we were honest about that before the election.

"Sticking plasters won’t be enough to heal it. It will require fundamental reform.” It comes after Mr Streeting declared the NHS “broken” on his first day as Britain’s health secretary.

He went on to declare the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) is “no longer simply a public service department” but an “economic growth department”, because health and the economy are “inextricably linked” and improving the health of the nation can help to “drive the economic growth of the country”.

“That is a major shift in mindset,” he said. “It’s a rethinking of the role of the department.

“It also means ending the begging bowl culture, where the only interaction the Treasury has with DHSC is that we need more money for X, Y and Z.

“The starting point has got to be, ‘We will help you achieve your mission for growth and improve the prosperity and lives of everyone in this country by making sure that we are with you lockstep in driving growth’.”
[…]
Experts from the Nuffield Trust point out that Labour has inherited a waiting list for pre-planned hospital treatment of around 7.5 million in England – a 66% increase since the start of the pandemic.

While progress has been made in some areas, such as cataract surgery, waits for some major surgeries have been slower to get back to pre-Covid levels, experts said.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/24835541

Labour officials at the weekend told the Guardian that in opposition Labour had rejected the Conservative legal challenge to the ICC jurisdiction and its policy remained unchanged in government, but did not say if the claim was being withdrawn as a result.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/14500755

In an unusual move, the Energy Secretary – a committed opponent of oil and gas – has told regulators not to approve a new round of drilling that was slated for confirmation in the coming weeks.

It means companies have potentially wasted millions on preparing their bids, with experts warning legal action is likely.

The decision follows crisis meetings held this week between Miliband and his aides after questions were asked by journalists about outstanding drilling applications.

Applications were submitted by 76 oil and gas companies as part of the 33rd offshore oil and gas licensing round initiated by the last government in autumn 2023.

Bids for up to 35 areas of the North Sea were still awaiting a decision from the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) when the election was called.

In a statement late on Wednesday, Miliband's spokesman said: “We will not issue new licences to explore new fields, and will not revoke existing oil and gas licences. We will manage existing fields for the entirety of their lifespan.”

Archive link for us cheapskates.

As a Thames Water “customer” (given the complete lack of competition maybe “hostage” is a better term) who will have a £20 rise per year, and as someone with no money I’m fine with paying an extra £1.65 a month for water, but not to Thames Water who will inevitably use that money to pay shareholders dividends.

If it stops us from dumping raw sewage into the rivers and oceans I’ll happily pay ten times as much, but it’s clear that Thames Water is just corrupt, and cannot be trusted with any extra money.

Sky News worked with Prose, an open source intelligence company, which analysed data from 10,000 Telegram accounts that regularly post conspiracist and extremist content, to identify accounts posting about the UK general election.

Compared to Labour and the Conservatives, Mr Farage's return as leader of Reform UK appears to have attracted conspiracist groups, leading to a sharp and sustained surge of interest - with Mr Farage and Reform UK dominating the conversation.

...

"When we first started looking at how conspiracists were talking about the British general election, they weren't talking about it very much at all," Al Baker, managing director of Prose, told Sky News.

"However, as soon as Nigel Farage announced his intention to stand as the leader of Reform UK, interest in the election in conspiracy circles jumped enormously.

"It is very important to say that the fact conspiracists and extremists are supporting Mr Farage and Reform UK doesn't mean that Mr Farage and Reform UK supporters are all conspiracists and extremists.

"However, it is clear that if you are a conspiracist or an extremist, you are far more likely to support Reform UK than other parties."

One of the most prominent groups that focuses on the QAnon conspiracy theory - which believes that Trump is fighting a powerful group of Satan-worshipping paedophiles and whose supporters were part of the crowd that stormed the US Capitol in 2021 - said it would be launching a Reform UK based group on Facebook with QAnon content in order to "bring a lot of traffic to the group".

"We will still be posting about Q and Trump and tying it all into Reform UK…" the organiser wrote.

...

"We're seeing the beginnings of election denial narratives focused on the UK," Mr Baker told Sky News.

"There appears to be groups of people online who are anticipating some kind of electoral fraud being perpetrated, in the 2024 general election.

"So, potentially, we're leading up to a situation where the legitimacy of the election is in danger of being questioned by supporters of one of the more prominent parties at the election."

...

There is some crossover between conspiracist and right-wing, nationalist groups on Telegram. Several nationalist groups endorsed Reform UK.

Activist Tommy Robinson said Mr Farage is "putting across our arguments to the nation very skillfully and in a great way. There is only one option at this election and that is Reform UK".

Mark Collett, another former BNP member and founder of far-right nationalist group Patriotic Alternative, encouraged his followers to vote for nationalist parties standing in the election if possible.

But if it was a choice between mainstream political parties, he said: "I suggest you vote Reform and help them to completely wipe out the Conservative Party."

Collett added the old campaign leaflets put out by the BNP were "actually markedly tamer than Farage's current rhetoric".

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/14454897

Labour has appointed one of the country’s foremost climate experts to lead a “mission control centre” on clean energy.

Chris Stark, the former head of the UK’s climate watchdog, will head a Covid vaccine-style taskforce aimed at delivering clean and cheaper power by 2030.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said the centre would work with energy companies and regulators and would be the first of its kind in Whitehall, following Keir Starmer’s plan for mission-driven government.

According to this model, ministers will focus on tackling five of the biggest challenges facing the country, one of which is clean energy.

Stark said: “Tackling the climate crisis and accelerating the transition to clean power is the country’s biggest challenge, and its greatest opportunity. By taking action now, we can put the UK at the forefront of the global race to net zero.”

Whatever we might think of the new Labour government's leadership, I think this shows why we need a successful few years. Perhaps I'm being paranoid but if the country is disappointed with Labour I don't want them to resort to electing an even more right wing version of the Tories further down the line.

James Dyson who famously championed Brexit then moved his company’s head office to Singapore, and finally lost a libel case when papers pointed he was a massive hypocrite, has now announced he is cutting 1/4 of the UK workforce.

All this while parliament is busy swearing in all the new members.

In case you needed another reason to avoid his crap vacuum cleaners other than the horrible repairability and quality of failure prone components.