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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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Pest controllers ‘feel like fourth emergency service’

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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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Why many assume interest rates will fall further – but no one really has a clue

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Why many assume interest rates will fall further - but no one really has a clue

Let’s deal, first of all, with the question many of you will have: after today’s reduction to 4.25% will there be more interest rate cuts to come?

Today, the Bank of England did nothing to sway you – or the financial markets that bet on such things – from the assumption that after today’s quarter percentage point cut there will be further reductions in the cost of borrowing.

Indeed, right now, financial markets assume the Bank will cut UK interest rates down to 3.5% by early next year, and the Bank didn’t contradict that today.

Money blog: What interest rate cut means for your money

But (this being economics, there’s always a “but”) if there was one theme that overarched the Bank’s latest set of forecasts, it was that it’s becoming fiendishly difficult to predict the future.

Take tariffs. In theory, the Bank thinks they’ll actually be much less damaging than many had assumed, with the total impact not enough to push the UK into recession.

But that’s based on a few important assumptions, chief among them that Donald Trump doesn’t re-impose the reciprocal tariffs announced on 2 April – despite the fact that he’s explicitly said they are only temporarily paused. It was based on the assumption that the UK wouldn’t get a trade deal with the US, an assumption that was already out of date by the time the document was published.

More on Interest Rates

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No one really has a clue

The Bank’s forecasts are, in other words, even more uncertain than usual.

Perhaps that helps explain why the nine members of the Monetary Policy Committee had a rare three-way split in their vote this month, with two members voting to leave rates on hold, two voting to cut them by half a percentage point, and the remaining five carrying the decision and reducing them by 0.25%.

Now, even taking this uncertainty into account, there are a few things one can take from today’s Bank of England news, and the update from its American counterpart, the Federal Reserve, yesterday.

While tariffs are expected to push inflation up in the US, they are expected to push inflation down in the UK. The upshot is while the Federal Reserve is pausing its interest rate cuts, UK rates are coming down.

Every Bank of England forecast is, by definition, a historic document. Such things take time to model and write so, by the time they come out, they are always a little bit out of date. But never has this been more true of a Bank forecast than the one published today.

The big picture, however, is that no one really has a clue. No one knows what Donald Trump will do next. No one knows what the impact of his tariffs will be on the UK or, indeed, elsewhere. No one knows what this all spells for inflation or unemployment.

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VE Day anniversary: Veteran who lost three brothers in Second World War hopes celebrations offer people the chance to ‘learn from history’

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VE Day anniversary: Veteran who lost three brothers in Second World War hopes celebrations offer people the chance to 'learn from history'

A 101-year-old veteran, who has never publicly talked about her wartime experience, wants the VE Day 80th anniversary events to be a chance to reflect on the “unnecessary” conflicts we see today that she says are driven by “pure greed”.

Pauline Alexander was one of five siblings who all served in the Second World War – with three of them among the four family members she lost during the conflict.

She was encouraged to talk about what she went through by her daughter after she saw the Royal British Legion appealing for more surviving veterans to tell their stories.

80 years ago, as Sir Winston Churchill declared there was finally victory in Europe and the celebrations erupted in London, Ms Alexander was in Chelmsford with her mother and sister-in-law.

Sir Winston Churchill announces 'victory in Europe' in 1945
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Sir Winston Churchill announces ‘victory in Europe’ in 1945

“I was at home on leave,” she said.

“We joined in the celebrations, the singing and dancing. It was very exciting. Everyone in Chelmsford had turned out, well those who were still there. But it was very… how can I put it? A feeling of what next… life had changed completely.

“We started [the war] as a family of seven, we ended as three.”

Like so many, Ms Alexander’s war was punctuated by loss.

Her father died while running the family surgical instrument business in 1943, and three of her brothers were killed.

Peter Kipling, an Army dispatch rider, died in a bike accident delivering a message to the war office in London. He was about to be sent to the front in preparation for D-Day.

Guy and Bernard Kipling, who were twins, were both navigators on RAF bombers.

They were shot down in 1941 and 1943, their bodies never came home.

All three are remembered on Peter’s gravestone in Broomfield Cemetery.

Pauline Alexander with her brother Peter Kipling who died before he was due to be sent to the front for D-Day
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Pauline Alexander with her brother Peter Kipling who died before he was due to be sent to the front for D-Day

Pauline Alexander with her brother Guy Kipling who died in the conflict
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Pauline Alexander with her brother Guy Kipling who died in the conflict

Looking at photographs of her brothers, Ms Alexander quietly said: “That’s just how I remember them all, just like that.”

When I asked her how she felt when she heard they had died serving their country, she replied: “In those days of war you just had to accept these things.

“It was bound to happen at some time or other. Bernard served on Whitley bombers, and they were known as flying coffins.”

Ms Alexander’s story about her family, and the clerical work she did in the Women’s Royal Air Force (WRAF) from 1942-1946, including at bomber command at RAF Waddington, only came to light because of the Royal British Legion appeal.

She said she previously just thought: “It was our duty to do what we could and that was life, everyone was losing family… it was just something that happened.

“All part of life and living.”

Children wave flags from the ruins of their homes in Battersea, south London. as they celebrate VE Day. Pic: PA
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Children wave flags from the ruins of their homes in Battersea, south London, as they celebrate VE Day in 1945. Pic: PA

Families fly flags and bunting in the street. Pic: PA
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Families fly flags and bunting in the street on VE Day in 1945. Pic: PA

I asked her how her mother reacted when she said she wanted to sign up.

Ms Alexander replied: “She said yes. It would do me good. I was getting too spoilt at home.”

She added: “If my brothers were in, I had to be in to do my bit too.”

Her mother, Rosa Kipling, was also a remarkable woman.

She lived until 105 and was recognised for bravery in the first honours list to feature MBEs in 1918, after surviving an explosion during the First World War in a munitions factory.

It is no wonder then that her children were all so committed to do their bit.

An elderly woman gets a hug from a sailor in London on VE Day. Pic: AP
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An elderly woman gets a hug from a GI in London on VE Day. Pic: AP

Sky's Rhiannon Mills with Pauline Alexander
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Sky’s Rhiannon Mills with Pauline Alexander

The sense of service and the acceptance of the sacrifices that had to be made now feel more important than ever, especially in the context of ongoing global conflicts.

That was something that Ms Alexander was keen to talk about from her home in March, Cambridgeshire, where she will be watching today’s events.

Read more:
New photos show how wartime films were made
Why King’s message to veterans is very personal
VE Day 80th anniversary celebration in pictures

Asked why she believes it is so important that we take time to remember today, she said: “Because it’s all part of history, and history is very important, because we learn from history.

“When you think of all the conflicts that are going on now and how it’s all unnecessary in a sense, just pure greed. Because what they went through [in the Second World War] was absolute hell.”

As I reflected with her that they truly are an amazing generation, Ms Alexander simply replied: “Yes, there’ll never be another one like it.”

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King and Queen attend VE Day 80th anniversary service at Westminster Abbey

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King and Queen attend VE Day 80th anniversary service at Westminster Abbey

The King and Queen have paid their respects to Britain’s war dead at a service to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

The royal couple were among 2,000 people – including 78 veterans – who attended the ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London.

The thanksgiving service, which included music and readings, paused at midday for a national two-minute silence in memory of those who died.

The King and Queen lead a two minute silence at Westminster Abbey and across the UK
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Poppies surrounded the grave of the Unknown Warrior in the abbey

King Charles lays a wreath at the grave of the Unknown Warrior during a service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey in London on the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Picture date: Thursday May 8, 2025.   Jordan Pettitt/Pool via REUTERS
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King Charles lays a wreath at the grave of the Unknown Warrior. Pic: Reuters

The Prince of Wales lays a wreath at the grave of the Unknown Warrior during a service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey in London on the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Picture date: Thursday May 8, 2025.  Jordan Pettitt/Pool via REUTERS
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Followed by his son, the Prince of Wales. Pic: Reuters

State Trumpeters play a fanfare during a service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey
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State trumpeters play a fanfare during the service. Pic: Reuters

Other attendees included the Prince and Princess of Wales, along with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and some of his Downing Street predecessors, including David Cameron and Boris Johnson.

The King laid a wreath, which featured the message “We will never forget”, at the grave of the Unknown Warrior, followed by the Prince of Wales.

William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales arrive at Westminster Abbey to attend the Service of Thanksgiving as part of commemorations for the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day in London, Britain, May 8, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble
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The Princess and Prince of Wales also paid their respects. Pic: Reuters

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrives at Westminster Abbey to attend the Service of Thanksgiving as part of commemorations for the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day in London, Britain, May 8, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble
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Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer were among the dignitaries. Pic: Reuters

Former British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife arrive at Westminster Abbey to attend the Service of Thanksgiving as part of commemorations for the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day in London, Britain, May 8, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble
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David Cameron, pictured arriving at the abbey with his wife Samantha, was one of several former prime ministers who attended. Pic: Reuters

At their side, watching from his wheelchair, was veteran Ken Hay, 99, who served in the infantry regiment.

Actor Josh Dylan read a letter from Lance Corporal Fredrick Burgess to his seven-year-old son Freddie, written while he was serving in Italy.

He quoted the serviceman, whose granddaughter Susan was among those in the abbey, as writing: “When I do come home, and it will not be very long now, I’m going to buy you something extra specially nice for being such a good boy.”

The Prince and Princess of Wales and King Charles and Queen Camilla attend a Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey.
Pic: Reuters
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Members of the royal family at the thanksgiving service.
Pic: Reuters

A general view of the Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey in London on the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Picture date: Thursday May 8, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story MEMORIAL VEDay. Photo credit should read: Aaron Chown/PA Wire
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Pic: PA

RAF veterans Kathleen, 101, and Roy Lawrence, 101, who have been married for 74 years, at the National Memorial Arboretum, ahead of a memorial event hosted by the Royal British Legion to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, in Alrewas, Staffordshire.
Pic: PA
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RAF veterans Kathleen, 101, and Roy Lawrence, 101, who have been married for 74 years, share a kiss at a VE Day anniversary event in Staffordshire. Pic: PA

Lance Corporal Burgess also described the rain in Italy and how his small tank, which he named Freddie II after his son, had been damaged with a “whacking big hole” by a bomb.

Dylan revealed: “Seven months after writing this letter, Lance Corporal Burgess was killed.”

An excerpt of wartime prime minister Sir Winston Churchill‘s 1945 victory speech, in which he declared the war in Europe was over, was also played.

His great-great-grandson Alexander Churchill, aged 10, lit a peace candle and later read a prayer for “peace in Europe and across the world”.

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