British Banter

Cherries are ok, as are apples and 'normal' pears, but I'm certainly not keen on eating soap - errrrggghhh yuk !!!

 

Ewww no one likes to eat soap.haha you might burp bubbles ....could you imagine asking for a piece of fruit and getting a tomato or eggplant ...still wonder how those are considered fruit

 

Psssst - anyone wanna buy several thousand tons of marine diesel ??? - Royal Navy have managed to lose £250,000 worth from what should have been a 'secure' naval base


Devonport diesel fuel theft investigation launched
Published

7 hours ago



Image caption,
The stolen fuel was found in a tanker truck while HMS Bulwark was being refitted, said the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence police and navy contractors Babcock are investigating diesel theft from a naval dockyard.

It follows a report in The Sun that £250,000 of fuel was stolen from Devonport dockyard in Plymouth.

The stolen fuel was found in a tanker truck while assault ship HMS Bulwark was being refitted last September, said the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Shadow Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard, Labour MP for Sutton and Devonport, said it was "embarrassing".


Image caption,
The base is the largest of its type in Europe and covers 650 acres
"The team in Babcock are investigating it," said an MoD spokesperson.

"It was a theft of their fuel and they have assistance from Ministry of Defence police in their investigations.

"The fuel was in a fuel lorry (tanker) which was tasked to fill a fuel tank on a generator in the navy base.

"The driver was a civilian.

"This generator was likely to provide electricity to HMS Bulwark whilst she is in extended upkeep period."

The MoD said in a statement that it was "aware of an incident last year involving the alleged theft of fuel from a contractor within HMNB Devonport".

It continued: "There was no disruption to defence operations and the MoD has no further comment."

Mr Pollard said: "The theft of fuel from a Royal Navy warship is not only criminal, it takes scarce resources away from our military in a time of national crisis.

"Having such a huge amount of fuel stolen is not only embarrassing but it also raises serious questions about the security at one of our most secure naval bases."

Babcock declined to comment.

Devonport is the largest naval base in Western Europe and has been supporting the Royal Navy since 1691.

The site covers more than 650 acres and has 15 dry docks, four miles of waterfront, 25 tidal berths and five basins.

 

Yet again this bastard government and the scumbag 'nasty sleaze party' ministers are guilty of double standards. They will not help those struggling to meet household bills, but yet defends his wife having non-dom status to protect the millions she would be liable for in tax otherwise.

Rishi Sunak himself is apparently also a non-dom, having permanent domicile in the US.

Hypocritical and double standards !!!


Rishi Sunak vetoed government plan to ease pain from soaring energy bills, leak reveals
Chancellor rejected calls to rethink £200 ‘heat now, pay later’ loan – despite fears it will pile up further debt

Rob Merrick
Deputy Political Editor
15 hours ago
10 Comments

How To Keep Your Energy Bills Low

Rishi Sunak rejected proposals from a fellow cabinet minister to give more help to families hit by soaring home energy bills, a leaked document reveals.

The chancellor was urged to rethink a £200 loan that households will receive in the autumn, amid widespread criticism that the “heat now, pay later” scheme will pile up further debt.


The Department for Business put forward three options to ease the cost of living crisis, as part of the energy security strategy that aims to wean the UK off foreign fossil fuels.


Kwasi Kwarteng’s department suggested increasing the £200 payment to “£500 or more”, either for all households or for the poorest, an early draft obtained by the i newspaper shows. A second option would have delayed repayment of the £200, which the Treasury is saying must be repaid at the rate of £40 a year over the following five years.

Third, the business secretary’s officials proposed exempting the poorest homes from the need to repay at all, turning the loan into a grant.

A Treasury spokesperson did not dispute that the proposals had been rejected, after they did not appear in the strategy – which is under fire for failing to offer any immediate help with bills.


Mr Kwarteng admitted it would be at least “two or three years” before new infrastructure investments would have any impact on soaring fuel costs.

The price cap on annual domestic bills leapt by almost £700 this month to nearly £2000, and is expected to soar by up to a further £1,000 in the autumn.


Analysts have warned that the UK is heading for the worst plunge in living standards since the 1950s, along with an explosion in poverty that will push 500,000 more children below the breadline.


The End Fuel Poverty Coalition has warned that vulnerable families will be pushed further into debt by the loan, and criticised the decision to make it compulsory.


Labour has branded the loan a “scam”, arguing that around a million people who will not receive it – first-time buyers, separated couples, students and care leavers – will still be liable for the future charges.

Asked if Mr Sunak had rejected the proposed rethink, a Treasury spokesperson told The Independent: “We are not commenting on leaked documents.”

The leak also revealed that Mr Kwarteng’s hopes of dramatically increasing onshore wind farm investment had also bitten the dust amid the Whitehall wrangling.

The early draft proposed increasing output to 45GW by 2035, saying: “Onshore wind is currently the second-cheapest form of electricity generation.”

But Boris Johnson bowed to pressure from Tory MPs to keep the strict planning rules that act as an effective ban on new onshore wind farms.

Asked why, the prime minister said: “People feel that they affect the beauty of the countryside. I understand that.”





Rishi Sunak ‘was declared permanent US resident’ while being chancellor of UK
Chancellor and his wife reportedly had US green cards which require tax to be paid in US

Jon Stone
Policy Correspondent
2 hours ago
60 Comments

Rishi Sunak’s wife avoids tax through non-dom status

Rishi Sunak and his wife were legally declared to be "permanent US residents" while he was chancellor of the UK, it has been reported.

The claim comes after The Independent revealed that the Chancellor's spouse Akhshata Murty has non-domiciled status despite residing in Downing Street – potentially letting her off the hook for around £4.4 million in tax.


Now Sky News reports claims that the Downing Street couple held US "green cards" permitting them residence in the United States until more than a year into his chancellorship.


Holders of the green card are required to file US tax returns on their worldwide income – and also to make a legal commitment to "make the US your permanent home".

The pledge would seemingly be at odds with Mr Sunak's position as Chancellor of the United Kingdom, being a member of parliament since 2015 and minister since 2018, and the fact he lives on Downing Street.

A source told the broadcaster that "neither of them have green cards" currently – but would not be drawn on whether the pair had held the US residence cards since Mr Sunak had been chancellor. Mr Sunak and his wife both initially lived in California after their wedding in 2009.


The Independent has approached the Treasury for further comment but not yet received a response at the time of publication.

Mr Sunak lives in the flat above No 10 Downing Street with his wife and two daughters, while Boris Johnson and his family live at No 11, which was until recently the traditional home of the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
It comes as senior Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood calls for a review of non-dom tax rules in the wake of revelations about Mr Sunak's household finances.


The select committee chair and ex minister said the current rules "are out of date" and "do need to be reviewed".


Opposition parties last night joined forces to demand answers from the chancellor after it emerged Ms Murty pays no UK tax on her huge foreign earnings.

Tax lawyers also dismissed Ms Murty’s claim that her non-dom status is a consequence of her Indian citizenship, pointing out that she has chosen to adopt it.

Condemning what he said was “breathtaking hypocrisy”, Sir Keir Starmer called for answers about “what schemes she may have been using to reduce her own tax”, a demand echoed by the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party.


Ministers earlier attempted a fightback, condemning what one called “malicious attacks” on a private citizen, while another accused Labour of believing that “wives are merely an extension of their husbands”.

Mr Sunak broke his silence on Thursday night to accuse Labour of running a smear campaign against his family, adding: “To smear my wife to get at me is awful, right?”

The chancellor told The Sun: “I appreciate that in the past British people were trying to use [non-dom status] to basically not pay any tax in the UK. I can see that from my inbox, right? That’s a very clear perception.

“But that’s not the case here. She’s not a British citizen. She’s from another country. She’s from India. That’s where her family is... that’s where she, you know, ultimately will want to go and look after her parents as they get older.

 

Oh my!

 

Yes Candy darlin' these bastards are getting away with blue murder !!! - there's more scams and fiddles than the total number of scumbag 'nasty sleaze party' members !!!

 

Without a paddle is the funniest movie ..every scene has me laughing so much

 

NOT bANTER AND VERY SAD!
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/breaking-elle-est-belle-aintree-26674871

 

^^ very sad for horse


Boris is being praised a hero for visiting Zelensky so this may defer away from the confetti of partygate

 

Yes thought it was interesting ..How long has he been in office

 

Too bloody long !!!

 

Another one of bastard Boris' 'red wall' been found guilty of 'kiddy fiddling'


Tory MP found guilty of sexually assaulting 15-year-old boy

Henry Vaughan
11 April 2022, 4:21 pm

British MP Imran Ahmad Khan arrives at Southwark Crown Court to stand trial over sex offence claims, in London, Britain, April 8, 2022. REUTERS/Peter Cziborra

A Tory MP has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy after forcing him to drink gin at a party 14 years ago.

The victim said he wasn’t “taken very seriously” when he made the allegation to the Conservative Party press office days before Imran Ahmad Khan, 48, was elected as the MP for Wakefield in West Yorkshire in the December 2019 general election.

He made a complaint to police days after Khan helped Prime Minister Boris Johnson win a large Commons majority by taking Wakefield in the so-called “red wall” that had formed Labour’s heartlands in the Midlands and northern England.

Southwark Crown Court heard how Khan forced the teenager to drink gin and tonic, dragged him upstairs, pushed him onto a bed and asked him to watch pornography before the attack at a house in Staffordshire in January 2008.

The victim, now 29, told a jury he was left feeling “scared, vulnerable, numb, shocked and surprised” after Khan touched his feet and legs, coming within “a hair’s breadth” of his privates, as he went to sleep in a top bunkbed.

He ran to his parents and a police report was made at the time, but no further action was taken because the youngster did not want to make a formal complaint.

But he told jurors “it all came flooding back” when he learned Khan was standing in the December 2019 general election.

The Tory hopeful was literally parachuted into the constituency in a skydiving stunt after he was selected to replace Antony Calvert weeks before the election.

Days ahead of the poll, the victim said he contacted the Conservative Party press office, to tell them what Khan had done to him, but added: “I wasn’t taken very seriously.”

Khan, who was sent a questionnaire by Staffordshire Police rather than being interviewed under caution at a station because of “Covid protocols in place at the time”, denied sexual assault.

The MP, who is gay and a Muslim, claims he only touched the Catholic teenager’s elbow when he “became extremely upset” after a conversation about his confused sexuality.

Khan, then 34, said he was trying to be “kind” and “helpful”, but the teenager became upset and “bolted” when the topic of pornography was raised.

But Khan, who has been suspended by the Conservative Party, was found guilty by a jury at Southwark Crown Court on Monday by a jury after around five hours of deliberations.

The judge, Mr Justice Baker said he will sentence Khan at a date to be fixed.

He will be thrown out of the House of Commons if he is handed a prison sentence of more than a year, or otherwise could be subject to a petition to oust him in the recall process.

 

GOT the Bastard !!!

Partygate: Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak face calls to quit for breaking COVID laws

Kate Buck
12 April 2022, 1:51 pm

Watch: Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak to be fined over lockdown parties

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak are facing calls to resign after they were fined for breaching COVID lockdown rules as part of the Partygate investigation.

The fines handed to the prime minister and chancellor are among more than 50 fixed penalty notices which have been issued over illegal gatherings in Downing Street and Whitehall during COVID restrictions.

Downing confirmed the prime minister's fine was in connection to a birthday held in the Cabinet room on his birthday on 19 June 2020.

Sir Keir Starmer lead a chorus of calls for both men to resign immediately.
A No 10 spokesperson said: “The prime minister and chancellor of the exchequer have today received notification that the Metropolitan police intend to issue them with fixed penalty notices.

"We have no further details, but we will update you again when we do.”

The PM, who is on holiday at his country residence, is yet to respond personally.

It is understood Johnson was at six of the 12 events being investigated by the Metropolitan Police.
Johnson's wife, Carrie Johnson, is also being fined, her spokesperson confirmed.

A spokesperson for Mrs Johnson said: “In the interests of transparency, Mrs Johnson can confirm she has been notified that she will receive a Fixed Penalty Notice.

"She has not yet received any further details about the nature of the FPN.”

Responding to the news, the Labour leader said: "Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have broken the law and repeatedly lied to the British public. They must both resign.

"The Conservatives are totally unfit to govern.

"Britain deserves better."

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan also called for Johnson’s resignation.

He tweeted: “A prime minister who breaks the laws his government makes and then lies about it isn’t fit for office.

“Families made huge sacrifices and obeyed the law. Many said their last goodbyes to loved ones on the phone while the prime minister partied.

“Boris Johnson must resign.”
Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: “Boris Johnson must resign. He broke the law and repeatedly lied to parliament about it.

“The basic values of integrity and decency – essential to the proper working of any parliamentary democracy – demand that he go.

“And he should take his out of touch chancellor with him.”

Johnson repeatedly denied that any rule-breaking events took place in Downing Street, or that he himself had broken restrictions.

Watch: Boris Johnson admits he went to No10 party during lockdown


On 8 December, he told the House of Commons: "I apologise for the impression that has been given that staff in Downing Street take this less than seriously. I am sickened myself and furious about that, but I repeat what I have said to him: I have been repeatedly assured that the rules were not broken.

"I repeat that I have been repeatedly assured since these allegations emerged that there was no party and that no COVID rules were broken.”

Just a month later he issued a grovelling apology to a packed House of Commons, admitting he attended an event where No 10 staff were invited to "bring their own booze" to make the "most of the lovely weather".

He said he believed it had been a “work event”.

Sunak has also repeatedly denied taking part in any lockdown breaking events, and in February said he didn't believe the police would be in touch with him.

The chancellor explicitly denied having ever attended any parties but was later sent a legal form to complete and has been told to expect an FPN.

Sunak was asked by Labour MP Karl Turner on 7 December if “he or any of his officials or spads attended any of the Downing Street Christmas parties on 27 November or 18 December last year?

The chancellor replied: “No, I did not attend any parties.”

News of the fines is the latest in a line of scandals for Sunak, who faced headlines last week of his wife's non-dom status, and then it was revealed he is a permanent US resident.
What could happen next?

Johnson and Sunak have yet to respond to the news.

Tuesday's news has sparked new speculation that the PM could face a new wave of attempts to oust him from office, although it is not yet known if Tory MPs will try and trigger a vote of no confidence by submitting letters to the 1922 Committee.

Conservative MPs have been relatively quiet on the matter, although Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross - who previously called for Johnson to go - said it is not the right time for him to leave as PM, citing the escalating crisis in Ukraine.

In a statement he said: "The public are rightly furious at what happened in Downing Street during the pandemic.

"I understand why they are angry and share their fury. The behaviour was unacceptable. The prime minister needs to respond to these fines being issued.

"However, as I've made very clear, in the middle of a war in Europe, when Vladimir Putin is committing war crimes and the UK is Ukraine's biggest ally, as President Zelenskyy said at the weekend, it wouldn't be right to remove the prime minister at this time.

"It would destabilise the UK government when we need to be united in the face of Russian aggression and the murdering of innocent Ukrainians."

A report by Sue Gray into Downing Street parties and gatherings that took place during lockdown will be published in full, Johnson has previously said.

The report by the senior civil servant has not been made fully public, following the Met's decision to launched their own criminal investigation.

A brief copy of her report found there were "failures of leadership and judgement" at the top ranks of government.

 

Tactical and practical masters of the universe ..such a fine sight to see