Fred Done is investing millions in technology to improve horse racing yet he can't (or should I say won't) pay his employees sick pay when they're away from work through no fault of their own.  My friend has been non-weight bearing for at least 8 weeks after a necessary operation and all she can claim to keep her house going is SSP. We all know that no-one can run a house on £94 odd per week.  Everyone who works for an employer needs to feel safe that their family and outgoings will be taken care of if they get ill. Being ill and/or going into hospital is stressful enough without the worry of wondering how you're going to pay your bills. Please sign if you are or have been an employee who has/had to survive on SSP or want to support all those in that difficult position. 

This poll regards the issue of stoma-care in the UK and my firm belief that stoma supply manufacturers are taking financial advantage of the NHS at the expense of many stoma patients quality of life. A stoma is formed during a surgical procedure in which a piece of bowel is brought out onto the surface of the abdomen and a bag or pouch is attached to the skin with adhesive in order to collect bodily faeces. I have had a stoma for over 30 years and until quite recently virtually all makers of stoma bags gave patients a choice between a pouch with a filter or a pouch without a filter.  Essentially, the filter is a small hole pre cut into the pouch to allow gas to escape.  Now, whereas this can be a much valued feature for many stoma patients, unfortunately it is also well documented - even amongst Government approved stoma support charities - that these filters can regularly fail, sometimes within a matter of hours which then will allow not just offensive odour to seep through but in many instances even actual faeces which for these patients means having now to endure nothing short of a continual living nightmare.  Of course, when asked about this, the manufacturers of such products will simply advise changing the bag more frequently but as a disabled person who has to either allow up to an hour (plus) to perform this task or rely on the help of carers, this is not always practical.  This is before you take into account the extra financial cost to the NHS this approach places upon an already over burdened NHS. To better illustrate this point, prior to the stoma pouch I had successfully used for the better part of 30 years was discontinued, I was able to enjoy at least four days continual wear with no adverse effects. This came at a unit cost to the NHS of £3.17.  The replacement (now with in built filter) which, due to the odour and faeces regularly seeping through, affords me one days' wear has a unit cost to the NHS of £5.14 I calculate this alone equates to an increased cost to the NHS of some 548% over a four day period. As the NHS is already spending approximately 400 million pounds per annum on stoma supplies, is it really unreasonable to ask the Government to stop mollycoddling and increasing the profit margins of these manufacturers giving them carte blanche to force a medical product upon individuals which for a great many of us is simply not fit for purpose and instead direct that saved money back into the NHS where all users of the NHS (those with a stoma and those without a stoma) can reap the rewards? To further highlight this issue, a recent Parliamentary Report (Hansard 17 May 2023) stated that when it comes to stoma supplies a 'one size fits all" approach should not be adopted as this can impact greatly on a users quality of life yet until the Government steps in and forces stoma supply manufacturers to allow British stoma patients to be able to choose the stoma product suitable for their own individual medical needs in exactly the same way as American stoma patients are able to do, isn't this exactly what is happening?? At the end of the day, nobody ever asked to undergo stoma surgery which, by the very nature of the procedure means being dependent on what is essentially a thin plastic bag glued to the outside of your abdomen to collect your bodily faeces -  which in many cases such as my own, can be for the remainder of your life -  is challenging enough but now being denied the correct medical appliance to make our quality of life just that little bit better is nothing short of abhorrent.   Surely, even an animal has the right to basic human dignity😕 May I thank you in advance from the bottom of my heart for adding your name to the signature list and by doing so hopefully, make the Government act upon this issue.

Some 3,416 have lost their lives in terror atrocities in the UK since 1970, but as yet there is no focal point for loved ones and survivors to visit and pay their respects. As this May marks eight years since the Manchester arena bombing left 22 dead and thousands more injured, survivors and the bereaved say a memorial is vital to ensure their agony is never forgotten.  Survivors and grieving families of some of the UK's worst terror atrocities have also backed their call for a memorial - including MP Jo Cox' widow Brendan Cox, the co-founder of Survivors Against Terror. He said: "What we remember as a society matters - and the lack of a monument to honour victims of terror attacks has made many survivors feel like they don’t count." In March, security minister Dan Jarvis launched a consultation for a National Day of Remembrance for terror victims - but this does not extend to plans for a physical memorial. Manchester survivor Abi Quinn, who was just 12-years-old when she narrowly missed terrorist Salman Abedi's bomb, said: “As someone directly impacted by terrorism, and knowing how long the effects can last, we need a memorial to recognise the pain and the loss we’re still dealing with eight years on. It’s so important to keep the memory and our voices still alive. “It’s not just about remembering who we’ve lost, but it’s about knowing we’re not forgotten and we’ve not been cast aside and brushed under the carpet." Abi, a criminology student, said marking painful anniversaries should not be the responsibility of survivors and grieving families. “It’s hard enough for us to just come to terms with what happened, so we shouldn’t also be burdened with the pressure of figuring out a way to mark the day. It makes each anniversary that bit more difficult.” 

Energy is the foundation of all economies.  Independent control of energy determines the independence of a nation.  It channels all the political energy sucked out by the political right into a constructive direction to create jobs, cheaper energy and create a widespread base for economy to make the UK's industries more competitive and to reduce the UK' appalling balance of payment's deficit. The UK consumer economy is on a trajectory towards the increasing poverty of its citizens. The balance of work needs to be redirected towards genuinely value added activities rather than consumer, administrative or other non productive employment.  Value added activitities reduce dependence on goods supplied by foreign sources or create goods for export. An expanding economy creates jobs: a declining economy relies on cost cutting including putting people out of work and dependent on the state or their savings. Cost cutting has been the go to policy of private corporations, whereas prosperity relies on work and opportunity being widely spread throughout all classes in the community.   Innovation is needed and innovation requires nurturing rather than being for sale on the world market.  

 I care because youth clubs have been a lifeline for so many young people I know. They’re places to feel safe, have fun, and get support from adults who care. But not all young people are covered by existing funding — and that means some might miss out this summer. That’s not fair. With the cost of living what it is, families are already stretched. If we don’t act, too many young people could end up isolated, anxious, or at risk. I’m supporting this campaign because I want every child to have the same chances: fun, food, friendship — and a safe place to be. 

We strongly object to plans for an office block up to 18 storeys tall which threatens to stamp on Whitechapel High Street.   It would cast the Canon Barnett School into shadow and tower over the playground, harming pupils’ health and wellbeing and invading the school’s privacy.  It would cause a drastic loss of light for nearby residents.  A building of this scale, outside a Tall Building Zone, would tear through the Whitechapel High Street Conservation Area and the valuable character of the historic East End. Only the facades of these characterful Victorian and Edwardian buildings would survive demolition, reducing them to the wallpaper of an overscaled office block.  There has been strong local and national opposition to the plans, with 300 objections including from parents, residents, the Whitechapel Gallery, Toynbee Hall, the East End Preservation Society and national heritage groups. Despite this, Tower Hamlets Strategic Development Committee voted that they are minded to grant permission for the scheme on 15 January 2025.   We call on the Mayor of London to do the right thing and use your statutory powers to direct refusal of this application by the Local Planning Authority, or to take over the application and refuse it yourself, in line with Tower Hamlets’ planning officer’s recommendation.  It’s time to listen to the community, refuse this scheme and find a better way forward for Whitechapel and its conservation area. 

We cannot bear to see and hear the starving children without trying to do something to help. But no amount of money will help right now if none of the aid agencies are allowed in! It is left to those in power to act. Please join me in asking Keir Starmer to use his power and authority as Prime Minister to act for us and for the people of Gaza. 

  Gentrification is driving thousands of families, key workers, and minority communities out of their homes, eroding the fabric of our cities. We demand a new approach that puts people before profit, protects our diverse communities, and guarantees the right to remain for all.  

David Attenborough has during a long career revealed to us many of the wonders of the natural world. In "Ocean" he shows us the devastation resulting from indiscriminate, factory fishing.  Current practices will turn the seas into wet deserts without life. Factory fishing will have cut its own throat and leave much of the world's population gaping. But he also demonstrates why he, at the age of 99 years, still has hope.  The evidence presented makes it clear that the sea-bed if, undisturbed, can regrow its living partners and their full diversity in a few years. These areas spill over beyond their bounds to re-seed wider areas which can be fished. Fishing can become sustainable.  World leaders at The Ocean Conference must collectively agree on action. The UK must argue for this from the basis of having taken steps now to ensure a future for fishing. 

Reducing congestion inside the toilets, supports better hygiene practices, and is a more convenient and accessible solution to washing your hands before and after a climbing session.  

Are you fed up with companies claiming plastic is compostable or biodegradable when there is no way it can be? So are we! TL:DR  Compostable dog poo bags DO NOT break down in the open environment. As they are only sent for incineration or landfill, we do not believe manufacturers should claim they are compostable or biodegradable. Our ask We would like dog poo bag manufacturers and retailers to remove anything that suggests plastic dog poo bags will break down from all marketing; including, the bags themselves, websites and adverts. This includes but is not limited to the words “compostable”, “biodegradable”, and green claims like “eco”, “environmental” or “good for the planet”. Basically, we want all dog poo bag manufacturers and retailers to follow the guidance laid out in the Green Claims Code. Why? For three primary reasons: • Dog poo should not be composted (home or industrial) so suggestions that a dog poo bag will break down or be composted is false • We believe suggesting dog poo bags break down encourages littering as people believe the bag will disappear over time – it won’t • The better material for dog poo bags to be made from is recycled plastic, generating a market for flexible plastic recycling, which will have mandatory household collection from 2027. This will avoid flexible plastic going to incineration, which is the current trajectory, without a clear market for the output. The problem With 13 million dogs in the UK, and around 36 million bags used a day, this is a massive problem. Add into that the estimated 260,000 people who leave the poo bags lying around, according to Keep Britain Tidy who support the petition, and we feel this is a problem we need to sort out.   Aren’t compostables better? Elephant (or should that be dog) in the room, compostables must be better for the planet, right? Well… not quite. Here’s the thing; context matters. When it comes to plastic, how it’s used is just as important as what it’s made from. And in this case, dog poo should never be composted or recycled. So, why do companies claim it will be? Compostable plastic can be useful, it can reduce our reliance on oil-based plastic (although most compostables dog poo bags are not made of plants - see the FAQ on our website for more), and in specific applications could be better than traditional plastic. Examples of uses that could be better than non-compostable plastics include food waste liners, bags for fresh produce and meats, and even tea bags. We are not proposing to ban the use of compostable plastic in dog poo bags, as some companies may feel it is the best plastic to use and we do not want to restrict any innovation. However, we do not believe these products should be marketed to the public as such if there is no way for them to degrade in the UK.  Worse still, the word “compostable” creates confusion. A small but problematic number of dog owners assume that if the bag is compostable, it’s okay to leave it behind. That it, and the poo inside, will magically vanish. Spoiler: it won’t. But wait, aren’t compostable plastics made from plants? Doesn’t that make them better? Not necessarily. Any plastic can technically be made from plants, but making compostable plastics from bio-based sources doesn’t guarantee a lower carbon footprint. In fact, compostables and virgin plastic can have a carbon footprint around 30% - 80% higher than recycled plastic! To make matters worse, according to Pet Impact (another campaign supporter), most compostable poo bags are made with oil-derived plastics, see the FAQ on our website for more. The truth Here’s the bottom line; compostable dog poo bags will never be composted. They end up in landfill or incineration.  There is precedent for this. In 2019, the Advertising Standards Authority ruled that Ancol Pet Products Ltd could not use the line “these thick waste bags are biodegradable to lessen your dog’s impact on the environment” as claiming biodegradability on a bag that had no route to biodegrade was misleading. Despite this, most dog poo bags today are marketed as “compostable” or “biodegradable”, and many contain the word “eco”. This could not be further from the truth, and we believe is nothing more than greenwashing.  That’s why we’re calling for a ban on environmental claims on dog poo bags that don’t adhere to the Green Claims Code. Let’s keep it simple, sustainable, and honest, and save the word “compostable” for products that are actually compostable. The law The Advertising Standards Authority published new advice in April specifically addressing claims surrounding biodegradable and compostable products. The key tenets of this advice state that marketers should: • Ensure claims that products are biodegradable or compostable are genuine • Don’t exaggerate the biodegradeable content of the product • Don’t omit information material to a product’s ability to biodegrade or compost • Ensure absolute environmental claims apply to the product’s full lifecycle We believe that compostable dog poo bags fly in the face of each of these points. Yet the advice is just that - advice. It isn’t legally binding and producers are not compelled to act on it.

Right now, thousands of people seeking asylum in the UK are being housed in unsafe hotels and barges, cut off from communities and support. Some have faced serious harm - including abuse, racism, and even death. These are people fleeing war, violence, and persecution, but instead of safety, they’re met with isolation and fear. The Ministry of Justice is even currently preparing prisons in case of more far-right riots this summer, like we saw in August 2024. Hotels housing asylum seekers faced arson and violence last year, and remain vulnerable targets, yet there has been no update to evacuation or safety plans. In their 2024 manifesto, the Labour Party pledged to end the use of hotels and barges as housing. But since the election, hotel use has actually increased. Ultimately, the Government is spending millions on private contracts for accommodation that fails to meet even basic standards. This system doesn’t work - for people seeking asylum, for local communities, or for public funds. Why should you join us? Everyone deserves a safe place to call home. This campaign is about more than asylum - it’s about fairness, dignity, and the kind of society we want to live in. If we come together, we can demand a better system: one that houses people in our communities, invests in social housing, and treats everyone with respect. Add your name to call for change. Let’s build a future based on compassion, not contracts.