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A distraught mother-of-two who is infuriated by the cost of feeding her baby has backed the idea of a price cap on all infant formula milk.

Hertfordshire mum Kerry Redmond, 27, spoke to Sky News about the dread she now feels walking into a supermarket to buy formula.

Kerry Redmond
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Kerry Redmond

It comes as:

  • British brand Kendamil calls for more transparency on pricing
  • A leading MP proposes a price cap on baby formula
  • Charities and baby banks demand further action
  • Calls for a UK Government inquiry continue

Ms Redmond told Sky News: “You feel uncomfortable even walking down the baby aisle looking at the baby milk because the staff think ‘oh they are going to nick that’.”

“It happened recently… I paid for my milk, and I went out the shop and the security guard followed me to the car because he thought I had nicked that milk and I had the receipt in my hand.

“You are treated as a criminal just because you want to go and buy baby milk.”

The mum-of-two is so infuriated by the situations where some families are resorting to unsafe feeding that she has started a petition calling on the government to intervene to help UK parents.

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“When your child is hungry,” she said, “I would go to the end of the world and back to feed my kids but with everything going up it’s just not physically possible.

“It’s disgusting, I’m appalled by it. They have to do something.”

baby formula
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A Sky News investigation into the effects of price rises for formula milk found that parents are taking more extreme steps to feed their babies – including watering down feeds, substituting formula with condensed milk, stealing from the shops or buying open second-hand tubs of formula online.

Charities and infant feeding specialists warned that the UK is on the “brink of a public health crisis”.

Alison Thewliss MP, the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Infant Feeding, told Sky News: “The net effect is children growing up with developmental issues because they haven’t had the proper nutrition that is needed.

“That’s the kind of thing you see in countries where there has been famine or malnutrition or war. That should not be happening in the United Kingdom in 2023.”

The Glasgow Central SNP MP called for the UK government to conduct an immediate review into formula price increases and said: “I think it’s also important to see if the government could do something around a ceiling on the cost of infant formula because it is rising – rising significantly.

“The government have a role here and their role should be to make sure that babies get fed.”

She added: “There’s no reason why one (formula tub) should cost £10 and one should cost £15. And £10, I would say, is already too much for many families.”

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The ‘crisis’ in baby formula prices will lead to ‘consequences’ – Alison Thewliss

The baby formula industry finds itself under scrutiny and Kendamil, the only manufacturer based in the UK, has told Sky News companies could be doing more.

Every manufacturer we’ve spoken to blames significantly higher production costs for the price rises.

Kendamil’s commercial director, Will McMahon, spoke to Sky News inside their Cumbria factory.

He said: “We can’t ignore the macroeconomic shocks that we’ve had and the COVID disruptions to supply chains, the war in Ukraine and the massive impact on raw material inflation, energy price inflation. It is real.

“It’s been toughest on parents and it’s devastating to see… but it is the result of consistent cost price inflation led by the multinational conglomerates that control this market.

“Where we would like more transparency is about the enormous price discrepancies between very similar baby formulas.”

Read more:
What can you do if you’re struggling to buy baby formula?
The supermarket products which have doubled in price year on year
Soaring cost of baby formula leading to unsafe feeding practices

When pressed on whether the industry is truly trying to keep cost rises to a minimum, Mr McMahon said: “I don’t think that they are pricing those products as cheap as they could price them for families.”

New data from First Steps Nutrition shows average prices have risen 24% over the past two years.

The cheapest brand of formula milk, Aldi’s Mamia, has risen by 45% in the same time period.

Other brands have risen between 17% and 31% over two years.

The latest on the cost of living crisis

In response, Danone – the company which makes Aptamil and Cow&Gate formula – told Sky News it is trying to minimise price rises.

The firm added: “To help parents, we are working with key retailers to offer bigger format value packs, which we have also committed to keep at the same price to retailers throughout 2023.

“Ultimately, individual retailers set the selling price in their stores for all products.”

Nestle, which makes the SMA formula brands, said: “We are open to a discussion with government about how best to ensure that parents have reliable and safe access to formula for their babies.”

Aldi did not respond to our request for comment.

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When Sky News asked the prime minister about the prices of baby formula, Rishi Sunak said: “I know the cost of living is the number one challenge facing British families at the moment.

“With food in particular, which of course, is something we want to help with, we’ve got to recognise right now there are challenges across Europe, inflation rates in most European countries similar to ours.

“We have particular support for young families, something called Healthy Start vouchers, which provide money to young, young families with the costs of fresh food.

“But also the household support fund is £1bn that we’ve given to local councils that families can go and talk to their council about to get that extra support that’s specific there to help them.”

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‘I know it’s theft, but I think it’s criminal how much they charge for this stuff’

Campaigners and charities say the value of a Healthy Start voucher no longer covers the cost of a tub of formula milk and have called for it to be raised.

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Care whistleblower ‘who saw elderly resident being punched’ could face removal from Britain

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Care whistleblower 'who saw elderly resident being punched' could face removal from Britain

A care worker who reported the alleged abuse of an elderly care home resident, which triggered a criminal investigation, is facing destitution and potential removal from Britain after speaking up.

“Meera”, whose name we have changed to protect her identity, said she witnessed an elderly male resident being punched several times in the back by a carer at the home where she worked.

Sky News is unable to name the care home for legal reasons because of the ongoing police investigation.

“I was [a] whistleblower there,” said Meera, who came to the UK from India last year to work at the home.

“Instead of addressing things, they fired me… I told them everything and they made me feel like I am criminal. I am not criminal, I am saving lives,” she added.

Meera
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‘Meera’ spoke up about abuse she said she witnessed in the care home where she worked

Like thousands of foreign care workers, Meera’s employer sponsored her visa. Unless she can find another sponsor, she now faces the prospect of removal from the country.

“I am in trouble right now and no one is trying to help me,” she said.

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Meera said she reported the alleged abuse to her bosses, but was called to a meeting with a manager and told to “change your statement, otherwise we will dismiss you”.

She refused. The following month, she was sacked.

The care home claimed she failed to perform to the required standard in the job.

She went to the police to report the alleged abuse and since then, a number of people from the care home have been arrested. They remain under investigation.

‘Migrants recruited because many are too afraid to speak out’

The home has capacity for over 60 residents. It is unclear if the care home residents or their relatives know about the police investigation or claim of physical abuse.

Since the arrests, the regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), carried out an investigation at the home triggered by the concerns – but the home retained its ‘good’ rating.

Meera has had no reassurance from the authorities that she will be allowed to remain in Britain.

In order to stay, she’ll need to find another care home to sponsor her which she believes will be impossible without references from her previous employer.

She warned families: “I just want to know people in care homes like these… your person, your father, your parents, is not safe.”

She claimed some care homes have preferred to recruit migrants because many are too afraid to speak out.

“You hire local staff, they know the legal rights,” she said. “They can complain, they can work anywhere… they can raise [their] voice,” she said.

Becky Johnson
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Sky’s Becky Johnson spoke to ‘Meera’

Sky News has reported widespread exploitation of care visas and migrant care workers.

Read more:
More than 100 migrants face being in UK illegally
Immigration crackdown will fuel ‘exodus’ of nurses
New English language and UK citizenship requirements for migrants

Currently migrants make up around a third of the adult social care workforce, with the majority here on visas that are sponsored by their employers.

As part of measures announced in April in the government’s immigration white paper, the care visa route will be closed, meaning care homes will no longer be able to recruit abroad.

‘Whole system is based on power imbalance’

But the chief executive of the Work Rights Centre, a charity that helps migrants with employment issues, is warning that little will change for the tens of thousands of foreign care workers already here.

“The whole system is based on power imbalance and the government announcement doesn’t change that,” Dr Dora-Olivia Vicol told Sky News.

She linked the conditions for workers to poor care for residents.

Dr Dora
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Work Rights Centre CEO Dr Dora-Olivia Vicol

“I think the power that employers have over migrant workers’ visas really makes a terrible contribution to the quality of care,” she said.

Imran agrees. He came to the UK from Bangladesh, sponsored by a care company unrelated to the one Meera worked for. He says he frequently had to work 14-hour shifts with no break because there weren’t enough staff. He too believes vulnerable people are being put at risk by the working conditions of their carers.

Migrant workers ‘threatened’ over visas

“For four clients, there is [a] minimum requirement for two or three staff. I was doing [it] alone,” he said, in broken English.

“When I try to speak, they just directly threaten me about my visa,” he said.

“I knew two or three of my colleagues, they are facing the same issue like me. But they’re still afraid to speak up because of the visa.”

Meera

A government spokesperson called what happened to Imran and Meera “shocking”.

“No one should go to work in fear of their employer, and all employees have a right to speak up if they witness poor practice and care.”

James Bullion, from the CQC, told Sky News it acts on intelligence passed to it to ensure people stay safe in care settings.

Additional research by Leah Adin

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Donald Trump may be denied privilege of addressing parliament on UK state visit

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Donald Trump may be denied privilege of addressing parliament on UK state visit

Donald Trump may be denied the honour of addressing parliament on his state visit to the UK later this year, with no formal request yet submitted for him to be given that privilege.

It comes after President Macron’s successful state visit this week, in which he was invited to speak in front of both Houses of Parliament.

Sky News has been told the Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, hasn’t so far received a request to invite the US president to speak in parliament when he is expected to visit in September.

It was confirmed to MPs who have raised concerns about the US president being allowed to address both houses.

Kate Osborne, Labour MP for Jarrow and Gateshead East, wrote to the speaker in April asking him to stop Mr Trump from addressing parliament, and tabled an early-day motion outlining her concerns.

“I was happy to see Macron here but feel very differently about Trump,” she said.

“Trump has made some very uncomfortable and worrying comments around the UK government, democracy, the Middle East, particularly around equalities and, of course, Ukraine.

“So, I think there are many reasons why, when we’re looking at a state visit, we should be looking at why they’re being afforded that privilege. Because, of course, it is a privilege for somebody to come and address both of the houses.”

But the timing of the visit may mean that any diplomatic sensitivities, or perceptions of a snub, could be avoided.

Macron addressing Parliament
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France’s President Emmanuel Macron addressed parliament during his state visit this month

Lord Ricketts, a former UK ambassador to France, pointed out that parliament isn’t sitting for much of September, and that could help resolve the issue.

In 2017, he wrote a public letter questioning the decision to give Donald Trump his first state visit, saying it put Queen Elizabeth II in a “very difficult position”.

Parliament rises from 16 September until 13 October due to party conferences.

The dates for the state visit haven’t yet been confirmed by Buckingham Palace or the government.

However, they have not denied that it will take place in September, after Mr Trump appeared to confirm they were planning to hold the state visit that month. The palace confirmed this week that the formal planning for his arrival had begun.

With the King likely to still be in Scotland in early September for events such as the Braemar Gathering, and the anniversary of his accession and the death of Queen Elizabeth on the 8th September, it may be expected that the visit would take place sometime from mid to the end of September, also taking into consideration the dates of the Labour Party conference starting on the 28th September and possibly the Lib Dem’s conference from the 20th-23rd.

Donald Trump. Pic: Reuters
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Mr Trump has said he believes the trip to the UK will take place in September. Pic: Reuters

When asked about parliamentary recess potentially solving the issue, Ms Osborne said: “It may be a way of dealing with it in a very diplomatic way… I don’t know how much control we have over Trump’s diary.

“But if we can manoeuvre it in a way that means that the House isn’t sitting, then that seems like a good solution, maybe not perfect, because I’d actually like him to know that he’s not welcome.”

A message from the speaker’s office, seen by Sky News, says: “Formal addresses to both Houses of Parliament are not automatically included in the itinerary of such a state visit.

“Whether a foreign head of state addresses parliament, during a state visit or otherwise, is part of the planning decisions.”

The King and Mr Trump raising a toast in 2019. Pic: Reuters
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Mr Trump made his first state visit to the UK in June 2019 during his first presidency. File pic: Reuters

It’s understood that if the government agrees to a joint address to parliament, the Lord Chamberlain’s office writes to the two speakers, on behalf of the King, to ask them to host this.

It will be Mr Trump’s second state visit.

During his first, in 2019, he didn’t address parliament, despite the fact that his predecessor, Barack Obama, was asked to do so.

It was unclear if this was due to the fact John Bercow, the speaker at the time, made it clear he wasn’t welcome to do so.

However, it didn’t appear to dampen Mr Trump’s excitement about his time with the Royal Family.

Read more from Sky News:
Two women killed as BMW crashes into care home
Officers who confronted Southport killer win bravery award

Speaking earlier this year, he described his state visit as “a fest” adding “it’s an honour… I’m a friend of Charles, I have great respect for King Charles and the family, William; we have really just a great respect for the family. And I think they’re setting a date for September.”

It is expected that, like Mr Macron, the pageantry for his trip this time will revolve around Windsor, with refurbishment taking place at Buckingham Palace.

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Liverpool retires number 20 shirt at all levels in honour of Diogo Jota

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Liverpool retires number 20 shirt at all levels in honour of Diogo Jota

Liverpool have retired the number 20 shirt in honour of Diogo Jota – the first time it has made such a gesture.

The club said it was a “unique tribute to a uniquely wonderful person” and the decision was made in consultation with his wife and family.

The number 20 will be retired at all levels, including the men’s and women’s first teams and academy squads.

A statement said: “It was the number he wore with pride and distinction, leading us to countless victories in the process – and Diogo Jota will forever be Liverpool Football Club’s number 20.”

The club called it a “recognition of not only the immeasurable contribution our lad from Portugal made to the Reds’ on-pitch successes over the last five years, but also the profound personal impact he had on his teammates, colleagues and supporters and the everlasting connections he built with them”.

Jota's wife joined Liverpool players to view tributes at Anfield on Friday. Pic: Liverpool FC
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Jota’s wife joined Liverpool players to view tributes at Anfield on Friday. Pic: Liverpool FC

Pic: Liverpool FC
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Pic: Liverpool FC

Newly-married Jota died alongside his brother when his Lamborghini crashed in northern Spain on 3 July.

Police said this week that all the evidence so far suggests Jota was the one driving the vehicle.

Liverpool teammates joined members of Jota’s family, including his wife Rute, at a huge memorial site outside Anfield on Friday.

Read more from Sky News:
Mystery in space is most likely ‘oldest comet ever seen’
Trump may be denied privilege of addressing parliament

A fan looks at messages written onto a memorial wall created near Anfield Stadium. Pic: Reuters
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A fan looks at messages on a memorial wall near Anfield. Pic: Reuters


Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk and Liverpool's player Andrew Robertson arrive on the day of the funeral ceremony of Liverpool's Portug
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Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson were among players at the funeral. Pic: Reuters

The star’s funeral took place last weekend, with Liverpool colleagues and members of the Portuguese national team in attendance.

Reds captain Virgil van Dijk carried a shirt bearing the number 20 made from flowers.

Liverpool players returned to the club’s training ground for the start of pre-season on Tuesday.

Their first game since Jota’s death will be on Sunday when they play a friendly away against Preston North End.

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