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If I was nervous, how must our two guests have been feeling?

The last time they’d met, one was blocking a road and the other looked like she was trying to run her over in a Range Rover.

“I have to hold my hands up. I did do wrong,” says Sherrilyn Speid, the driver, to Lou Lancaster the protester from Insulate Britain who we’d both persuaded to come together and talk about the day in question.

“I have no right to block you, personally… I absolutely agree with that,” says Lou.

It was, thankfully, a conciliatory start to our journey exploring why the UK appears to be becoming so divided over environmental issues.

Divided at the very moment that our changing climate and fossil fuel dependency is hitting crisis point.

This year is on track to be the warmest year ever recorded, off the back of one in which consumers saw the highest increases in energy bills in a generation or more.

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But this is the same moment in which the government decided to slow down, rather than accelerate, its net zero agenda just a few weeks ahead of global climate negotiations.

What the people we spoke to for this report have shown (and polling supports this) is that most agree we need to tackle environmental issues without delay.

But the enormous gap between the UK’s environmental obligations and workable policies to make them happen puts us in a precarious situation.

Take London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) designed to improve air quality in the capital by charging older, more polluting cars to use the capital’s roads.

Its expansion to London’s outer boroughs led to a vocal and costly opposition campaign. Whether or not the policy is flawed, or even that unpopular, it prompted a loud, political backlash.

ULEZ opposition is credited with helping the conservatives win a by-election in Uxbridge in July.

And few policies led to the formation of vigilante groups calling themselves Blade Runners.

UK climate change ahead of COP28. Pic from Tom Clarke
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‘Blade Runner’ tells Tom Clarke: ‘We will not stop until they stop’

We spoke to one of these anti-ULEZ protesters – hooded and masked to conceal his identity – who is out at night cutting down enforcement cameras.

“We will not stop until they stop,” he told me.

According to police, almost 1,000 ULEZ cameras have been vandalised or destroyed – some 200 disappearing completely. Estimates vary, but the bill for the Blade Runners’ actions could run into the millions.

“We are removing what the taxpayer didn’t want bought in the first place,” the Blade Runner tells me.

There’s plenty of Londoners who’d disagree with that – especially those that have long campaigned for cleaner air.

The Blade Runners are no less popular, however, than road-blocking climate protesters like Just Stop Oil and Insulate Britain – the other extreme in the clash over climate.

Members like Lou Lancaster say every other means of persuading the government to do more has failed, so maximum disruption is all that’s left.

“You need to get the message out there – and unfortunately, the media is a way we get the message out and they only like drama,” said Lou.

Lou Lancaster (left) protester from Insulate Britain and Sherrilyn Speede, driver of Land Rover
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Insulate Britain protester Lou Lancaster (left) and Range Rover driver Sherrilyn Speid come together

But Sherrilyn, whose assault on the protesters with her car went viral, wonders, like many people, whether the tactic is backfiring.

“I feel like I had more coverage than anyone. Like I was in every single newspaper, every single TV show.”

And then there are policies like Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs).

Until I visited one, I was all for the idea. What’s not to like about a scheme that encourages more “active travel” like cycling and walking and reduces air pollution and congestion at the same time.

However, I now have some sympathy for their detractors. In parts of Oxford, say campaigners, cars have been restricted by LTNs, but public transport options have not been improved in return.

Cars have been taken off backstreets – to the understandable relief of residents – but then concentrated, along with their pollution – on main roads.

Read more:
What is COP28, who is going, and what’s at stake?
Planet racing toward ‘dead-end 3C temperature rise’, UN chief warns

The result, according to Clinton Pugh, a vocal anti-LTN campaigner in the Cowley area of Oxford, is conflict.

“Society has been split,” he told me. “And this is the problem if you don’t get people on board and embracing what you want to do, how do you expect it to end up getting the result you want?”

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Oxfordshire County Council disputes that claim. It told us it consulted on the Cowley LTN three times. It also says it is modifying parts of the scheme to improve it – blaming the lack of public transport improvement on repair works in another part of the city.

But frustrations among voters with green policies that are unfair – or even just appear to be unfair – lead to political fall-out.

“It cannot be right for Westminster to impose such significant costs on working people, especially those who are already struggling to make ends meet,” said Rishi Sunak in his September net zero speech.

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Sunak: ‘I won’t take lectures’ on net zero

And this – if you care about progress on climate change, lowering bills and improving economic prospects for the UK in general – is the rub.

Ambitious green targets can only be met if policies to deliver them accommodate the needs of those impacted the most. On top of that they have to be well funded and well communicated enough to demonstrate benefits.

If they’re not, the frustration and resistance that’s currently filling the gap between net zero ambition and reality will only get wider, and more urgent.

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British Steel: Raw materials needed for Scunthorpe plant ‘paid for’ amid race against time to avert shutdown

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British Steel: Raw materials needed for Scunthorpe plant 'paid for' amid race against time to avert shutdown

The raw materials needed to keep British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant operating have been paid for, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has said – but she would not be drawn on when they would arrive.

Officials have been racing to obtain enough iron and coal to keep the furnaces at the UK’s last virgin steel-producing plant going – because if they cool down too much, the molten iron solidifies and blocks the furnaces.

It comes after ministers rushed through an emergency bill on Saturday to take over the facility after talks with Chinese owners Jingye broke down.

Politics latest: Chinese embassy urges UK to act with ‘fairness’ on British Steel

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the government had been prompted into action after learning that the firm had stopped ordering new raw materials to keep the plant running and planned on selling off supplies it already had.

Speaking to reporters from the site in Scunthorpe on Monday afternoon, Ms Rayner said: “We’ve got the raw materials, they’ve been paid for, and we’re confident that the furnaces will continue to fire.”

Asked whether the materials would be arriving on Monday, the deputy PM only said: “As I say, we’ve got the raw materials, and everything’s in place, and we’re confident that the furnaces will continue.”

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner views blast furnaces during her visit to the British Steel site in Scunthorpe. Pic: PA
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Angela Rayner views blast furnaces during her visit to the British Steel site in Scunthorpe. Pic: PA

Earlier, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury James Murray told Sky News the raw materials were “in the UK” and “nearby” the Lincolnshire site.

He said there were “limits to what I can say” because there were “commercial operations going on here”.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said there were two ships carrying materials docked at Immingham port in North Lincolnshire, with “a third ship which is currently en route off the coast of Africa, which will be making its way to the UK”.

Ministers have faced questions over why they are only just acting now, given unions warned earlier this month that Jingye decided to cancel future orders for the iron ore, coal and other raw materials needed to keep the furnaces running.

Parliament was recalled on Saturday so that emergency legislation could be passed bringing the steelworks into effective government control and officials were on site as soon as the new legislation came into force.

Read more:
What next for British Steel?
How Trump, China and Reform played their part as government steps in

Ms Rayner would not be drawn on the long-term plan, nor whether other buyers were interested or whether it would come down to nationalisation.

She said: “We’ve taken nothing off the table. We’d like to see private investment going forward… we’re confident of the future of British Steel.”

‘No evidence of sabotage’

Ms Rayner said the government “hasn’t seen any evidence” of sabotage, when asked about suggestions that Jingye might have purposefully attempted to shut the blast furnaces down.

The Chinese company stepped in with a deal to buy British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant out of insolvency five years ago.

Mr Reynolds told MPs on Saturday that the intention of Jingye… “was to cancel and refuse to pay for existing orders” which would have “irrevocably and unilaterally closed down primary steelmaking at British Steel”.

Appearing on Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, the business secretary said he would not bring a Chinese company into the “sensitive” steel sector again.

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British Steel: What happens next?

Commenting on the situation for the first time on Monday, a Chinese embassy spokesperson urged the British government to act with “fairness, impartiality and non-discrimination… to make sure the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese company be protected”.

“It is an objective fact that British steel companies have generally encountered difficulties in recent years,” it added.

Companies including Tata – which ran the now-closed Port Talbot steelworks – and Rainham Steel have offered managerial support and materials to keep the Lincolnshire site running.

Union officials have said they are “hopeful” that the materials required at the North Lincolnshire works will arrive within the next 48 hours.

However Andy Prendergast, national secretary at the GMB, said there still needs to be “a deal to be done for the future” and their preference is “nationalisation of what is a key national asset”.

The Conservatives accused the government of acting “too late” and implementing a “botched nationalisation” after ignoring warnings about the risk to the steelworks.

Shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith said: “The Labour government have landed themselves in a steel crisis entirely of their own making.

“They’ve made poor decisions and let the unions dictate their actions.”

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Birmingham bin strike to continue after refuse workers reject council’s offer

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Birmingham bin strike to continue after refuse workers reject council's offer

A long-running strike by bin workers, that has left rubbish piling up on Birmingham’s streets, will continue after union members “overwhelmingly rejected” the city council’s offer in a fresh ballot.

The action by members of Unite, which began on 11 March as part of a dispute over pay, has seen thousands of tonnes of rubbish go uncollected and warnings of a public health emergency.

Hundreds of workers have been on all-out strike for a month, and residents have complained about “rats as big as cats”.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner visited Birmingham last week and called on the union to accept a “significantly improved” deal for workers.

Rubbish bags lie on the street, as the strike action by Birmingham bin workers represented by the Unite union enters its fifth week in Birmingham, Britain, April 11, 2025. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
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Pic: Reuters

However, the union said hundreds of its members had rejected the “totally inadequate” offer.

The offer, if it had been accepted, would have included “substantial pay cuts for workers” and “did not address potential pay cuts for 200 drivers”, according to Unite.

The latest ballot comes after previous talks failed.

Unite has been campaigning against plans to cut the post of waste recycling and collection officer (WRCO) from the city’s refuse and recycling service.

The union claims it will lead to around 150 of its members having their pay cut by up to £8,000 a year.

But the council has disputed the figures, saying only 17 workers will be affected, losing far less than Unite is claiming.

Local government minister Jim McMahon said the union’s rejection of the pay offer will be “deeply disappointing for Birmingham residents who have already endured weeks of disruption”.

“There is a fair and reasonable offer on the table and I would urge Unite to end the strikes and return to talks to reach the resolution that is fair to the workers and residents of the city,” he added.

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‘The bin strike has been good for us’

‘Rejection of the offer is no surprise’

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The rejection of the offer is no surprise as these workers simply cannot afford to take pay cuts of this magnitude to pay the price for bad decision after bad decision.”

Unite national lead Onay Kasab told Sky News: “The proposal from the employers was completely and utterly inadequate. It still included a pay cut. It included a sharp cliff-edge drop in pay for our members.

“Unfortunately, the biggest thing about the proposal was what it didn’t include. It didn’t include the details of how and when the drivers are going to have their pay cut and what’s going to be done to mitigate that. It didn’t include issues around what happens if people finish their training and there are no vacancies for them.

“But what it did show up was this so-called figure of only 17 people being impacted is complete and utter nonsense. The proposal itself, that we’ve got in paper, impacts more than 17 people.”

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Wendy Morton, a Conservative MP whose Aldridge-Brownhills constituency is in the Walsall borough, said rats in Birmingham – labelled Squeaky Blinders – “must be dancing in the streets”.

She said: “This really shows yet again Labour-led Birmingham Council and this Labour government are failing residents and our region.

“They need to get a grip, stop blaming others, and face the unions – their paymasters. The Squeaky Blinders must be dancing in the streets.”

Rats have been seen scurrying around mounting piles of rubbish, food waste and bin bags outside homes, shops and restaurants in the city since the strike began.

‘It has been really bad’

A Birmingham resident whose car was wrecked by rats in a street where piles of rubbish were “as tall as” him is “disappointed” bin workers have rejected the council’s offer.

Adam Yasin, 33, from the Balsall Heath area of the city, said: “It’s more to do with hygiene on the streets. I take my son to the nursery and I use a specific street and honestly it was blocked. It’s just annoying, and when the kids are there they like to touch things as well.”

He said his Mercedes was “completely written off” just weeks ago because rats had chewed through wires in the engine.

He said: “It has been really bad, especially where I live, there are a lot of restaurants there. I swear there was a pile (of rubbish) as tall as me, I kid you not.

“Today they collected the rubbish that was on the floor, so the bags that were on the floor, but the bins are still left.”

Read more:
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Rayner urges Unite to suspend bin strikes

What has the council said?

Birmingham City Council said: “It is incredibly disappointing, that despite several weeks of extensive negotiations, Unite have rejected a second offer of settlement. However, our door remains open.

“The council must deliver improved waste services for our citizens – who simply deserve better.

“We must also guard against future equal pay claims, and while we have sought throughout the negotiations to protect pay for individuals, Unite’s proposals focus solely on retaining a role that does not exist in other councils and represents an equal pay risk for Birmingham.

“We have made a fair and reasonable offer and every employee affected by the removal of the WRCO role could take an equivalent graded role in the council, LGV Driver training or voluntary redundancy packages.”

It comes as the government called in military planners to help tackle the mounting piles of rubbish in Birmingham.

Amid an “ongoing public health risk” posed by the mounds of waste, the planners have been assigned to provide logistical support for a short period. The move has not involved soldiers being deployed to collect rubbish.

‘Army logistics deployed’

Ms Rayner insisted there were “no boots on the ground”.

She said “we’ve deployed a couple of army logistics to help with the logistical operation of clearing up the rubbish”.

“We’ve got over two-thirds of the rubbish cleared off the streets now, this week we’ll start to see cleaning up the pavements and streets as well as the clearance of all of that rubbish, I’m very pleased about that. The kids are off school, obviously it’s Easter holidays, we want that rubbish cleared.”

Waste collections have been disrupted since January, before the all-out strike started last month.

Birmingham City Council declared a major incident on 31 March in response to public health concerns.

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Warwick Davis’s wife Samantha died hours before she was due to be discharged from hospital, inquest hears

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Warwick Davis's wife Samantha died hours before she was due to be discharged from hospital, inquest hears

Actress Samantha Davis, the wife of Warwick Davis, died after suffering a cardiac arrest hours before she was due to be discharged from hospital, an inquest has found.

Mrs Davis, 53, died at London’s University College Hospital on 24 March last year.

She had been admitted six and a half weeks earlier, after a disc prolapse caused a sudden loss of mobility in her lower limbs.

She then underwent a thoracotomy operation – a surgical procedure where the chest wall is opened – on 20 February.

Following a second thoracotomy on 14 March, Mrs Davis’s condition improved and the hospital was planning to discharge her, the inquest at Inner West London Coroner’s Court heard.

However, she went into cardiac arrest at 11.25pm on 23 March, and was pronounced dead at 0.28am on 24 March, after a failed attempt to resuscitate her.

Harrison Davis, Samantha Davis, Warwick Davis and Annabelle Davis attending the premiere of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker held at the Vue Leicester Square in London. PA Photo. Picture date: Wednesday December 18, 2019. See PA story SHOWBIZ Skywalker. Photo credit should read: Isabel Infantes/PA Wire.
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Warwick and Samantha with their children Harrison and Annabelle in 2019. Pic: PA

Senior coroner Professor Fiona Wilcox said she was satisfied the cause of death “should be arrhythmic cardiac arrest and complications following left thoracotomies”.

Mrs Davis had achondroplasia, a bone growth disorder which results in dwarfism, “complicated by very severe spinal problems” requiring multiple surgeries from 2016, the coroner added.

The hospital delivered “nothing but excellent care” and all of Mrs Davis’s “complications were appropriately managed”, Prof Wilcox said.

“It is frankly heartbreaking that the surgery itself was successful only for complications to arise and to cause her death,” she added.

David Lawrence, a cardiothoracic surgeon at University College London Hospitals, said Mrs Davis’s condition had been “progressing well”.

During her hospital stay, she had two surgical chest drains removed – the second on the day she suffered the cardiac arrest, he said.

“Very sadly, on the night this happened, the original plan had been that she would be discharged home the following day,” he told the inquest.

“We had good evidence that this patient had a chest x-ray that was acceptable, very stable observations and this patient did not bleed during the day.”

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Mr Davis, known for his film roles in the Star Wars and Harry Potter series, dedicated his BAFTA film fellowship award to Mrs Davis during an emotional tribute at the ceremony in February.

The couple met on the set of 1988 film Willow. They married three years later and have two children.

They founded the charity Little People UK in 2012 to help individuals with dwarfism and their families.

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