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31 January 2018

The Green Party has called on the Government to scrap nuclear weapons for good after Government figures revealed the costs rose by £575.5 million in 12 months.

Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party, said the Government’s failure to deliver the weapons on time or in budget “reveals the lie behind its claims to be economically competent”.

Bartley made the call in response to a National Audit Office report which found the Ministry of Defence’s Equipment Plan for 2017-2017 to have a spending shortfall of between £4bn and £20bn [1].

Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party, said:

“The spiralling cost of nuclear should be the final nail in the Trident coffin. It is unacceptable that the Government is set to spend an estimated £575.5 million more on nuclear weapons it will never use, while inflicting cuts on an NHS and public services already in crisis. The fact the Government cannot deliver these weapons on time or in budget reveals the lie behind its claims to be economically competent. It’s time Trident was scrapped for good.”

ENDS.

For more information contact: press@greenparty.org.uk / 0203 691 9401

Notes:

1.       The National Audit Office states that the MoD’s Equipment Plan 2017-2027 is not affordable: “At present the affordability gap ranges from a minimum of £4.9bn to £20.8bn if financial risks materialise and ambitious savings are not achieved”: https://www.nao.org.uk/report/ministry-of-defence-the-equipment-plan-2017-to-2027/

Point 2.13 on page 19 states the forecast 10-year costs of the Dreadnought project increased again, by £575.5 million: https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/The-Equipment-Plan-2017-to-2027.pdf

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Updated: Amended to clarify sentence.

Mr Grant Polson, aged 30 of Cheltenham, was sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court today following a guilty plea on seven counts of the unlawful importation and distribution of medicinal products.

MHRA investigators seized more than 80,000 doses of steroids, and unlicensed and counterfeit erectile dysfunction medicines as well as illegal slimming tablets. They are estimated to be worth more than £38,800.

Importing the medicines from India and Turkey, Polson was selling them illegally online through social media like Twitter and Facebook, investigators discovered. He had customers across the UK, as well as Europe and North America.

Polson received an 8-month sentence, suspended for 18 months. In sentencing the judge noted he was only spared prison because of his early guilty plea. Polson was also ordered to pay £10,000 towards investigation costs.

Alastair Jeffrey, MHRA Head of Enforcement said:

Make no mistake, we are committed to identifying and prosecuting criminals who put peoples’ lives at risk by selling medicines illegally.

Medicines purchased outside the regulated supply chain can be dangerous, and there is no assurance of quality and standards. There can be devastating consequences to your health.

Criminals have no interest in your health and wellbeing; they are only concerned about making money at your expense.

We are cracking down on perpetrators to make sure this type of crime does not pay.

MHRA is currently running the #FakeMeds campaign to warn people against buying potentially dangerous or useless unlicensed medicines sold by illegal online suppliers.

Visit www.gov.uk/fakemeds for tips on buying medicines safely online and how to avoid unscrupulous sites.

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The Maiden Lane Post Office will  be closing temporarily on March 17 this year on the retirement of the Postmaster.

The Post Office are now looking for a retail partner interested in running the Post Office. They can be contacted on 0845 601 6260  by anyone interested.  They might set up a new style Post Office local where the Post Office runs alongside an established local shop.  It depends on future customer interest and who comes forward to run the Post Office.

Anyone wishing to tell the Post Office what they would like to see as users of the Post Office can email comments@postoffice.co.uk stating it is about Maiden Lane.