BBC News - 2007

[Macmillan]

News in the round from the year 2007

[Macmillan]

September 4th

Northern Rock Bank Bailed Out

• Governor of the Bank of England, Sir Mervyn King, confirms that the Bank of England has been asked to lend Northern Rock £3.5bn
• The loan will be repaid with punitive interest (Base Rate + 1%)
• Governor urges public not to panic, says this is the system working as it was designed to
• Minor panic but no massive queues, couple of ATMs run dry but they are quickly refilled
• Tory Councillors and the MP for Tynemouth singled out for praise in leading local response in the North East in keeping people calm

[Macmillan]

BNP Rally Marred by Racist Fighting

• BNP Leader, and MP for Dagenham and Rainham, Nick Griffin hosted a victory rally attended by around 4,000 people according to estimates.
• Rally was marred by racist chants and slogans from the crowd. The "N-Word" was liberally used by a couple of individuals who were arrested for hate crime related offences
• The nastiest incident of the day came when five men attacked black British police officer Andres Knight beating him into a critical condition, he is currently at an undisclosed hospital fighting for life. The Prime Minister has spoken to the family.
  • 4 arrests have been made, including the ring leader. Derek Cross, one of the assailants, has fled London and gone to ground. Police have issued a general plea to find him
• A counter-rally from Greenwich tried to cross the river but police prevented them from doing so. Among the attendees of this rally were Caroline Lucas, Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, and George Galloway, Respect MP from Poplar and Limehouse
• In all 24 arrests have been made with charges to follow.

[Dan]

Southern England hit by Cyclone Dirk as 100,000 without power and thousands affected by floods

Southern England has been hit by Cyclone Dirk, leaving 100,000 people without power and flooding in areas including Leatherhead, Dorking and Guildford. 

The Met Office issued an amber warning with 60mm of rain reported to fall in some areas. Early this morning the River Mole and the River Way burst their banks on some areas, flooding local areas and devastating communities. A major incident was declared by the emergency services across Leatherhead, Dorking and Guildford as thousands faced flooding and the prospect of a bleak Christmas. 

Local teams are attempting to evacuate people from their homes but have been struggling with the weather conditions. In the last few hours a Government source has confirmed that the Royal Engineers has been dispatched to inspect the river banks to determine what can be done to prevent further flooding. The Royal Air Corps is also assisting with evacuations for the vulnerable.

A spokesman for the Met Office has described the weather and the subsequent flooding as a “1 in a 100 year event” . The spokesman indicated that the country had not yet seen the worst of the storm, but Met Office officials are indicating they are expecting the weather to subside over the next few days. 

Meanwhile, across the south of England 100,000 people are without power as the storm has damaged power lines. A spokeswoman for UK Power Networks, who own and maintain the electricity supply across the south of England has said that “operations teams are attempting to fix the issues but are being hampered by the severe weather conditions”. The BBC understands teams have been struggling to reach some areas as roads to the power lines are blocked by fallen trees and debris.  

 

It has been confirmed in the last few minutes that the Prime Minister has convened COBRA and will be chairing in response to the crisis. 

[Macmillan]

Lisbon Agreement Reached With Final Alterations

• Foreign Secretary, William Croft, declares victory after a marathon 72hrs of talks with Brussels securing the United Kingdom a series of opt-outs from the Lisbon Treaty including an opt-out from the Charter of Fundamental Rights, this was strengthened from an original text which may not have been fully binding for the UK, and a case-by-case opt out of the new Area of Freedom, Security, and Justice.
  • "When I became Foreign Secretary, the outcome of these negotiations and their implication for Britain was anything but clear," Mr. Croft said. "The Prime Minister made it clear that I was to head to Portugal to fight for the best deal possible for the British people, and that is what this Government has achieved."
• It wasn't all smooth sailing for the British delegation wh had requested a larger scope for the Charter of Fundamental Rights opt-out, possibly including the right to opt out of freedom of movement (unconfirmed) but this was rebuffed by Brussels
• Experts warn we should wait and see the finished text before popping the champagne corks
• Nigel Farage of UKIP said: "Forget treaty opt-outs, the entire European superstate project is a dead end for Britain and a complete non-starter. We don't need opt-outs from Lisbon, we need an opt-out from Brussels, let's get on with it and prepare the way for an in/out referendum on the European Union"
• In response the Labour Party have said: "Any future treaties with the European Union must clearly advance British interests and British values. [...] It is clear that the government's renegotiation efforts have failed to achieve meaningful reforms along these lines and a future Labour government must have the strength and courage to have the tough conversations and make the difficult decisions necessary to keep the EU working in our interests."