Farage says Trump should respect Greenlanders’ right to self-determination, even if world would be safer if they joined US
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, has said that the world would be “better” and “more secure” place if Greenland was part of the US. But he has also said that, as a believer in self-determination, he was opposed to Donald Trump suggesting the US should have it regardless of the wishes of Greenlanders. “You must respect the rights and views of the Greenlanders, because that is what national self-determination is,” he said.
Speaking at an event at Davos, he said:
I have no doubt that the world would be a better, more secure place if a strong America was in Greenland, because of the geopolitics of the High North, because of the retreating ice caps and because of the continued expansionism of Russian icebreakers, of Chinese investment.
So yes, would America owning in Greenland be better for the world in terms of safety and stronger for Nato? It would.
However, if you believe in Brexit, and if you believe in celebrating America’s 250th birthday, if you believe in the nation states and not globalist structures, you believe in sovereignty.
And if you believe in sovereignty, you believe in the principle of national self-determination.
Farage went on:
That’s a key part for those of us at Davos that are fighting the globalists: belief in national self-determination is at the root of what people like me, albeit the minority here, believe in.
Farage, a big supporter and ideological ally of Trump, also made a point of saying that he disagreed with the US president on another point – Trump’s claim in his speech this afternoon that Nato members would not support the US if it were attacked.
Farage said:
[Trump] said Nato have never given us anything back. I would object to that politely by saying this: when the decision was made to go into Afghanistan, we went in with America and the coalition of the willing.
We stayed by America for the whole 20 years, we proportionately spent the same money as America, we lost the same number of lives as America pro rata, and the same applies actually to Denmark and other countries too.
So it’s not quite fair. Yes, in money terms, America has provided more. In terms of surveillance equipment et cetera, America still provides more, but we have when it comes to honouring our commitments to America more than done our bit in terms of action over the last 20 years.
Key events
Government’s consultation on social media ban for teens ‘unnecessary’ and ‘misconceived’, peers told
The government has launched a consultation on a social media ban.
But Nash said that this was “unnecessary, misconceived and clearly a last minute attempt to kick the can down the road”.
He said a ban was needed now.
Every day which passes, more damage is being done to children.
Nash says children are also in favour of a ban.
78% of Gen Z say they would try to delay their child using social media for as long as possible.
And polling published today shows that 60% of 16 to 24-year-olds, those who have most recently have the experience of social media as teenagers support, a 16-year-old age limit.
And also over half 13 to 24-year-olds say social media is fairly or completely responsible for increasing misogyny or violence against women and girls.
Nash says peers have been sent a document by him citing 50 studies from aroundd the world “showing a clear link between excessive use of social media and harm to our children”.
Since 2016 has been a 477% increase in children’s contact with mental health services and eating disorders among 17 to 19 year olds have risen 16-fold.
There’s been seven-fold rise in young girls admitted to hospital with these disorders.
And the evidence is clear that there is a strong link between this and the substantial increase in rates of ADHD, suicide, depression, anxiety and self-harm among teenagers with overexposure to social media.
Nash says teachers says social media is the main cause of disruptive behaviour.
Our children are turning up at school sleep deprived. It’s clear that many are going to sleep on many nights of the week in the small hours.
And he says children are being radicalised by social media.
Britain facing ‘nothing short of catastrophe’ because of children being addicted to social media, peers told
Nash goes on to make the case for a ban.
We have reached an inflection point. We are facing nothing short of a societal catastrophe caused by the fact that so many of our children are addicted to social media.
Many teenagers are spending long hours – five, six, seven or more a day – on social media. The evidence is now overwhelming as to the damage that this is causing. We have long passed the point of correlation or causation.
There is now so much evidence from across the world that it is clear that by every metric – health, cognitive ability, educational attainment, crime, economic productivity, – children are being harmed.
In the Lords Lord Nash is speaking now.
He says he has three amendments.
He says amendment 94A would raise age for social media use to 16. But it would also do other things, he says.
Firstly, it raises the age limit.
Secondly, it requires social media companies to put in place highly effective age assurance. Currently, many if not most social media companies have no really effective age assurance at 13.
Thirdly, the amendment would direct the chief medical officer to prepare and publish advice to parents and carers on the use of social media by children.
Fourthly, the amendment sends a message that draws a line in the sand for parents, carers and others to use when discussing social media with children which they are crying out for.
And fifthly, it allows 12 months for implementation.
Peers debate proposed ban on under-16s using social media
In the House of Lords peers are just starting the debate covering the amendment to the children’s wellbeing and schools bill that would ban children under the age of 16 from having a social media account. The amendment has been tabled by Lord Nash, a Tory former education minister, but another signatory of the amendment is Hilary Cass, the crossbencher and paediatrician who compiled a landmark report on transgender services for young people.
Nash’s amendment is number 94A. All the amendments are on this paper.
The amendments are grouped, and 94A is being debated with 11 other amendments. The debate on this group has just begun, and is set to run for about an hour.
JoJo Penn, a former aide to Theresa May, is the first speaker. She is proposing an amendment that would require the government to produce statutory guidance on screen time for use by nurseries.
Reeves claims deals agreed at Davos show government’s economic plan working
Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, has secured deals at Davos that will benefit the UK, the Treasury says. In a news release, it says:
Britain’s reputation as one of the best places in the world to invest was bolstered today as the chancellor announced major new private investments at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
225 places across Britain – including in the North, Midlands, Wales and the South East – have been identified by savings and investment giant M&G as places where communities could benefit from a landmark £1 billion investment fund, announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves today in Davos.
The new UK Social Investment Fund will invest in areas facing housing and transport shortages and in communities needing town-centre renewal, new education and health facilities, and low-carbon or digital infrastructure to support the UK’s net zero transition.
In a further vote of confidence, global biopharmaceutical company UCB confirmed its £500 million investment in UK R&D and manufacturing, in Surrey.
And Reeves said:
I came to Davos to champion Britain as one of the best places in the world to invest, grow a business, and deploy capital – and that plan is working.
Ben Riley-Smith from the Telegraph points out that there was a win of sorts for Keir Starmer in Donald Trump’s rambling speech at Davos today.
Nestled in Trump’s 90 minute appearance in Davos is what No10 may well see as a victory of sorts: The President said he won’t use the military to grab Greenland. Starmer on Monday called his bluff publicly by saying military action wouldn’t happen.
Riley-Smith is referring to this answer Starmer gave at his press conference on Monday.
Badenoch tells Starmer to ‘just get on’ with under-16s social media ban
Kemi Badenoch has written an article for the Guardian calling on Keir Starmer to “just get on” with a ban on social media for under-16s, saying delay is a dereliction of duty that is harming children’s mental health.
Here is the article.
And here is an extract.
We will not be bought off with vague promises of a “national conversation” about whether we should get children off these adult platforms. The prime minister must set out how he will act and by when. The crossbench peer Lady Kidron, who supports Conservative peer Lord Nash’s amendment in the House of Lords, is right to say Starmer’s approach “is not leading; it is not governing”. He is “doing nothing – slowly”, which is “the very epitome of party before country”.
Let’s just get on with it.
Today, the House of Lords will vote on measures to get children off adult social media platforms and I am proud that it is the Conservative party that is driving this change. Putting our children’s mental health first is the right thing to do. How much longer will we have to wait until the government agrees?
The debate on the Nash amendment will be starting in the Lords any minute now.
Farage says Trump should respect Greenlanders’ right to self-determination, even if world would be safer if they joined US
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, has said that the world would be “better” and “more secure” place if Greenland was part of the US. But he has also said that, as a believer in self-determination, he was opposed to Donald Trump suggesting the US should have it regardless of the wishes of Greenlanders. “You must respect the rights and views of the Greenlanders, because that is what national self-determination is,” he said.
Speaking at an event at Davos, he said:
I have no doubt that the world would be a better, more secure place if a strong America was in Greenland, because of the geopolitics of the High North, because of the retreating ice caps and because of the continued expansionism of Russian icebreakers, of Chinese investment.
So yes, would America owning in Greenland be better for the world in terms of safety and stronger for Nato? It would.
However, if you believe in Brexit, and if you believe in celebrating America’s 250th birthday, if you believe in the nation states and not globalist structures, you believe in sovereignty.
And if you believe in sovereignty, you believe in the principle of national self-determination.
Farage went on:
That’s a key part for those of us at Davos that are fighting the globalists: belief in national self-determination is at the root of what people like me, albeit the minority here, believe in.
Farage, a big supporter and ideological ally of Trump, also made a point of saying that he disagreed with the US president on another point – Trump’s claim in his speech this afternoon that Nato members would not support the US if it were attacked.
Farage said:
[Trump] said Nato have never given us anything back. I would object to that politely by saying this: when the decision was made to go into Afghanistan, we went in with America and the coalition of the willing.
We stayed by America for the whole 20 years, we proportionately spent the same money as America, we lost the same number of lives as America pro rata, and the same applies actually to Denmark and other countries too.
So it’s not quite fair. Yes, in money terms, America has provided more. In terms of surveillance equipment et cetera, America still provides more, but we have when it comes to honouring our commitments to America more than done our bit in terms of action over the last 20 years.
Plaid Cymru says it’s ‘ridiculous’ that Northern Powerhouse Rail counts as ‘England and Wales’ spending under Treasury rules
Plaid Cymru has complained about the fact that the government is classifying the Northern Powerhouse Rail upgrade announced last week and an “England and Wales” project – meaning that Wales won’t a proportionate share of the investment.
Raising this in the Commons, the Plaid MP Ann Davies said this could cost Wales £1bn.
Under a system known as Barnett consequentials, when the government allocates money just for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland get a proportionate equivalent.
Plaid argue that Barnett consequentials should apply to the Northern Powerhouse Rail project, which just involves proposed infrastructure in England. But, when Davies raised this in the Commons today, she was told by the Welsh secretary Jo Stevens that it is standard practice for “heavy rail” projects to be classified as England and Wales spending.
Afterward Davies said:
The secretary of state for Wales is defending a situation that people across Wales can see for exactly what it is – ridiculous and deeply unfair. Projects built entirely in England are being paid for in Wales’ name, while communities here are told to accept stagnation and broken promises.
These are about political choices by Labour. Choices that leave stations unbuilt, lines unelectrified and whole regions written off. Wales should not be subsidising rail infrastructure elsewhere while our own network remains chronically underfunded.
Greens most popular party for voters under age of 30, poll suggests
If you are interested in electoral behaviour, this YouGov report is well worth reading. It has data on voting behaviour adjusted according to multiple factors, including age, gender and class.
This chart shows voting intention by age. It shows that the Green party is now the most popular party amongst people under the age of 30.
And this chart shows voting intention by age and gender. It shows that almost half of women under the age of 25 say they would vote Green, and almost half of men age 65 or over say they would vote for Reform UK.
And here, from YouGov, are some more takeaways from the figures.
-Reform UK support is highest among Leave voters, those with lower levels of education, and those from routine and manual occupations, while peaking among those in their 60s
-Greens now lead among the under 30s, including holding a 37% vote share among 18-24 year olds
-Just 38% of 2024 Labour voters still support the party, with 15% switching to the Greens, 9% to the Lib Dems and 8% to Reform UK, while 17% are unsure who they would back
-Support for the Conservatives remains highest among oldest Britons
-Liberal Democrat support is highest among Remainers, those with degrees and those in higher-earning households
-Only one party – the Conservatives – is polling in double-digits among both Leave (26%) and Remain voters (15%)
Tories claim families could be locked into heat pump schemes with high costs under Labour’s warm homes plan
Families could be locked into heat pump schemes with “sky-high” costs under the government’s warm homes plan, the Tories have claimed. PA Media says:
Low and zero-interest loans to install solar panels, heat pumps and batteries are included in Labour’s bid to deliver energy efficiency and technology upgrades to British homes. [See 11.07am.]
Announcing the £15bn package, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (Desnz) said it aims to cut bills and reliance on fossil fuels, reduce carbon emissions, and lift people out of fuel poverty.
Shadow energy minister Andrew Bowie criticised the plan’s focus on heat pumps, arguing the public is “becoming more sceptical” of them.
However, energy secretary Ed Miliband said the plan “will help families living in social housing and low income owner occupiers to have warmer homes and lower bills”.
Under the proposal, £2.7bn is earmarked for the “boiler upgrade scheme” for heat pump grants.
Speaking in the Commons, Bowie said: “Between winter 2024 and spring 2025 the share of people saying that they were unlikely to install an air source heat pump increased from 38% to 45%.
“And if you ask anyone why they don’t want a heat pump, they will tell you it’s the high upfront cost … but it’s also the high ongoing running costs, which often make them more expensive to run than a gas boiler.
“There is a serious risk that this government’s legally binding targets are forcing them to push people into buying heat pumps, but those families will all be locked into sky-high running costs, because this government has a political target which is pushing up their electricity bills at the same time.
“Yet this plan does nothing to address those high ongoing running costs.”
Miliband had earlier claimed heat pumps are “one of the fastest growing markets in Europe” and “sales in Britain have grown by around 50% annually”.
He set an aim for “at least 70% of heat pumps installed in the UK, being made in the UK, backed by a trebling of public investment in heat pump manufacturing, with £90 million set aside today”.
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