PCC’s new chairman is Conservative peer, and former MP, with experience in regulatory affairs Lord Hunt of Wirral, who served in government under Margaret Thatcher and John Major, has been named as the next chairman of the Press Complaints Commission (PCC). The 69-year-old Conservative peer and former MP will take over from Baroness Buscombe on 17 October. Hunt is also a lawyer specialising in regulatory affairs, with political links and specialist expertise deemed attractive for the £170,000 a year job. Lord Hunt signalled that his chairmanship would not just amount to business as usual. He said that he hoped to lead “wholesale regeneration and renewal of the system of independent self-regulation of the press”. Critics have argued that the PCC is a better mediator rather than an effective regulator. He added: “There is a real appetite for change, however, and it is my intention to drive forward the creation of a reinvigorated and respected standards body, funded by the industry but operationally independent from both the industry and the state.” Interviews were held by the Press Standards Board of Finance, which is chaired by Lord Black of Brentwood, the former spokesman for Michael Howard when he was leader of the Conservative party – who now works for the publishers of the Daily and Sunday Telegraph. Lord Black said: “David Hunt’s wide-ranging experience in politics, in the law and in regulation and above all his unshakeable commitment to the principles of press freedom and self-regulation make him the ideal person to lead the process of renewal and regeneration which is now essential.” David Hunt was a member of the Thatcher and Major cabinets for five years from 1990, as Welsh secretary, then employment secretary and finally chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, where he co-ordinated government policy. He stepped down in 1995 and lost his Wirral West seat in 1997. He rejoined the Conservative front bench to shadow Lord Mandelson in the upper house, but did not get a government appointment when the coalition was formed, and returned to legal practice. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly “for publication”. • To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook Press Complaints Commission Newspapers & magazines Press freedom National newspapers Newspapers Dan Sabbagh guardian.co.uk
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Friends of landscape architect killed by Vincent Tabak tell murder trial jury how Yeates planned to spend weekend baking Joanna Yeates had been her usual “jovial” self on the night she was allegedly murdered by her next door neighbour, Vincent Tabak, friends have told a jury. The Bristol landscape architect visited a pub in the early evening, where she told one work colleague she planned to spend the weekend baking and had a jokey bet with a second over who would win the TV programme The Apprentice. She then walked home and was allegedly murdered by Tabak, her next door neighbour, shortly after getting back to her flat in Clifton, Bristol. Tabak, 33, denies murder but has admitted manslaughter. The first witnesses to give evidence at Tabak’s trial told how Yeates spent the early part of the evening of 17 December in the Ram pub on Park Street, near Bristol city centre. Darragh Bellew, a colleague, said Yeates bought him a pint of beer at the Ram and told him she was planning to bake cakes and bread over the weekend. Bellew said Yeates had been in good spirits. When the prosecution barrister Nicholas Rowland asked him whether she was drunk, Bellew told the jury: “Not at all, just jovial, her usual self.” Bellew told how colleagues and friends from an Irish Gaelic football team were joining them in the pub, which was packed with Christmas revellers. When asked whether she left before other drinkers, Bellew said: “She would always leave before most of us – when we would go on drinking she would go to be with Greg [Reardon, her boyfriend] really.” Bellew said he had asked her what she had planned for the weekend. “She replied that she was going to bake some cakes and bread over the weekend because Greg was away,” he told the court. “We had a joke and said she was going to bring them into the office on Monday morning.” In a written statement, Michael Brown, who also worked with Yeates, said he had spoken to her in the Ram about her plans for Christmas and about who would win the final of The Apprentice, which was being aired on the Sunday night. In a statement read to the jury, the architect Samuel Huscroft said he had planned to go to the Ram but he was not feeling well and went home. He said that later on he received a text from Yeates, which said: “Where are you this fine evening?” Huscroft texted back but did not receive a reply. The trial continues. Joanna Yeates Crime Steven Morris guardian.co.uk
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Friends of landscape architect killed by Vincent Tabak tell murder trial jury how Yeates planned to spend weekend baking Joanna Yeates had been her usual “jovial” self on the night she was allegedly murdered by her next door neighbour, Vincent Tabak, friends have told a jury. The Bristol landscape architect visited a pub in the early evening, where she told one work colleague she planned to spend the weekend baking and had a jokey bet with a second over who would win the TV programme The Apprentice. She then walked home and was allegedly murdered by Tabak, her next door neighbour, shortly after getting back to her flat in Clifton, Bristol. Tabak, 33, denies murder but has admitted manslaughter. The first witnesses to give evidence at Tabak’s trial told how Yeates spent the early part of the evening of 17 December in the Ram pub on Park Street, near Bristol city centre. Darragh Bellew, a colleague, said Yeates bought him a pint of beer at the Ram and told him she was planning to bake cakes and bread over the weekend. Bellew said Yeates had been in good spirits. When the prosecution barrister Nicholas Rowland asked him whether she was drunk, Bellew told the jury: “Not at all, just jovial, her usual self.” Bellew told how colleagues and friends from an Irish Gaelic football team were joining them in the pub, which was packed with Christmas revellers. When asked whether she left before other drinkers, Bellew said: “She would always leave before most of us – when we would go on drinking she would go to be with Greg [Reardon, her boyfriend] really.” Bellew said he had asked her what she had planned for the weekend. “She replied that she was going to bake some cakes and bread over the weekend because Greg was away,” he told the court. “We had a joke and said she was going to bring them into the office on Monday morning.” In a written statement, Michael Brown, who also worked with Yeates, said he had spoken to her in the Ram about her plans for Christmas and about who would win the final of The Apprentice, which was being aired on the Sunday night. In a statement read to the jury, the architect Samuel Huscroft said he had planned to go to the Ram but he was not feeling well and went home. He said that later on he received a text from Yeates, which said: “Where are you this fine evening?” Huscroft texted back but did not receive a reply. The trial continues. Joanna Yeates Crime Steven Morris guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Friends of landscape architect killed by Vincent Tabak tell murder trial jury how Yeates planned to spend weekend baking Joanna Yeates had been her usual “jovial” self on the night she was allegedly murdered by her next door neighbour, Vincent Tabak, friends have told a jury. The Bristol landscape architect visited a pub in the early evening, where she told one work colleague she planned to spend the weekend baking and had a jokey bet with a second over who would win the TV programme The Apprentice. She then walked home and was allegedly murdered by Tabak, her next door neighbour, shortly after getting back to her flat in Clifton, Bristol. Tabak, 33, denies murder but has admitted manslaughter. The first witnesses to give evidence at Tabak’s trial told how Yeates spent the early part of the evening of 17 December in the Ram pub on Park Street, near Bristol city centre. Darragh Bellew, a colleague, said Yeates bought him a pint of beer at the Ram and told him she was planning to bake cakes and bread over the weekend. Bellew said Yeates had been in good spirits. When the prosecution barrister Nicholas Rowland asked him whether she was drunk, Bellew told the jury: “Not at all, just jovial, her usual self.” Bellew told how colleagues and friends from an Irish Gaelic football team were joining them in the pub, which was packed with Christmas revellers. When asked whether she left before other drinkers, Bellew said: “She would always leave before most of us – when we would go on drinking she would go to be with Greg [Reardon, her boyfriend] really.” Bellew said he had asked her what she had planned for the weekend. “She replied that she was going to bake some cakes and bread over the weekend because Greg was away,” he told the court. “We had a joke and said she was going to bring them into the office on Monday morning.” In a written statement, Michael Brown, who also worked with Yeates, said he had spoken to her in the Ram about her plans for Christmas and about who would win the final of The Apprentice, which was being aired on the Sunday night. In a statement read to the jury, the architect Samuel Huscroft said he had planned to go to the Ram but he was not feeling well and went home. He said that later on he received a text from Yeates, which said: “Where are you this fine evening?” Huscroft texted back but did not receive a reply. The trial continues. Joanna Yeates Crime Steven Morris guardian.co.uk
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Author’s account of sex attack by man appearing to be Dominique Strauss-Kahn is latest salvo in vitriolic battle of words The French writer who has accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn of attempting to rape her when she went to interview him has written a book in which she appears to refer to him as a “baboon”. Tristane Banon, 32, described the former IMF head as behaving like a “rutting chimpanzee” during the alleged attack at an unfurnished Paris apartment in February 2003. Strauss-Kahn has described the allegations, currently under police investigation, as “imaginary”. Banon’s book, Le Bal des Hypocrites (The Hypocrites’ Ball), described as a 128-page “novelisation” of events in her life, would appear to be the latest salvo in a vitriolic battle of words between the young woman and the veteran politician, once tipped to become the next president of France. Banon does not directly name Strauss-Kahn, but describes a man who lured her to his flat and who she claims she had to fight off as he forced his fingers into her mouth and his hands into her jeans, as the “pig” or “baboon”. Strauss-Kahn, 62, has admitted to police investigating Banon’s claims that he made a pass at Banon and tried to kiss her, but denies any violence. He has lodged a countersuit for defamation. After Strauss-Kahn, once the French Socialist Party’s presidential hope, was arrested and accused of the sexual assault and attempted rape of a New York hotel maid in May, Banon spent several weeks deciding whether to press charges. When the US case against Strauss-Kahn collapsed in August because of doubts about the accuser Nafissatou Diallo’s credibility, she made a formal complaint to the Paris prosecutor. Strauss-Kahn returned to France, but his hopes of leading the country were finished. In her book, an extract of which was published by Paris Match magazine, Banon writes of feeling sick when the man, assumed to be referring to Strauss-Kahn, was being hailed as the next president before his arrest in New York. “It was nine o’clock that Saturday morning and they were talking about the baboon on the television. He is a superhero, a Messiah, saviour … capable of everything. He would revive the country, lower taxes, understand the weakest and bring happiness and calm to each French household. “They showed pictures of him; in action in the four corners of the world. Superman. When I saw him his stare made me freeze, the television screen could not protect me, his smile was only for me it forced its way into my stomach and the image only disappeared when I threw up my lunch. Suddenly his message on my telephone came back to me: “So, I scared you?”. That was eight years ago. “The years have passed, but nothing has completely effaced the memory.” Banon, whose mother, Anne Mansouret is a Socialist politician and god daughter to Strauss-Kahn’s ex-wife, first revealed the alleged attack on a French TV chat show in 2007. “I eventually spoke about it but I was too smiling when I did. I should have cried so that people understood the real ravages it had caused,” she writes. “But alcohol had given my cheeks a rosy tint and, like Molière, I wanted to laugh about what had made me cry inside.” Banon says the show’s other guests had waited until the cameras and microphones were off to say: “We knew, but…” “But what? Nobody must make any waves, and above all not let the public know. Only the elite must know, only those of the elite know how to hold their tongues.” In response to why she had not complained to the police at the time, Banon writes: “Put yourself in my place.” It was widely reported that Banon’s mother had dissuaded her from going to the police telling her she would be known for the rest of her life as “the girl who had a problem with the politician”. Banon wrote that her decision in June to make an official complaint for “attempted rape”, currently under preliminary investigation was “taking the combat to the enemy”. In the book, published on Thursday, she also expresses shock that supporters have abandoned her. “How many promised to give evidence if, in future, they were called to do so? How many assured me of unwavering support? How many, suddenly disappeared the moment they were asked to sign a written declaration, when they had to photocopy their identity card to authenticate the statement?” The Paris prosecutor’s office is currently examining Banon’s accusation of attempted rape against Strauss-Kahn to decide whether there is a case for him to answer. Dominique Strauss-Kahn France Europe Kim Willsher guardian.co.uk
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Author’s account of sex attack by man appearing to be Dominique Strauss-Kahn is latest salvo in vitriolic battle of words The French writer who has accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn of attempting to rape her when she went to interview him has written a book in which she appears to refer to him as a “baboon”. Tristane Banon, 32, described the former IMF head as behaving like a “rutting chimpanzee” during the alleged attack at an unfurnished Paris apartment in February 2003. Strauss-Kahn has described the allegations, currently under police investigation, as “imaginary”. Banon’s book, Le Bal des Hypocrites (The Hypocrites’ Ball), described as a 128-page “novelisation” of events in her life, would appear to be the latest salvo in a vitriolic battle of words between the young woman and the veteran politician, once tipped to become the next president of France. Banon does not directly name Strauss-Kahn, but describes a man who lured her to his flat and who she claims she had to fight off as he forced his fingers into her mouth and his hands into her jeans, as the “pig” or “baboon”. Strauss-Kahn, 62, has admitted to police investigating Banon’s claims that he made a pass at Banon and tried to kiss her, but denies any violence. He has lodged a countersuit for defamation. After Strauss-Kahn, once the French Socialist Party’s presidential hope, was arrested and accused of the sexual assault and attempted rape of a New York hotel maid in May, Banon spent several weeks deciding whether to press charges. When the US case against Strauss-Kahn collapsed in August because of doubts about the accuser Nafissatou Diallo’s credibility, she made a formal complaint to the Paris prosecutor. Strauss-Kahn returned to France, but his hopes of leading the country were finished. In her book, an extract of which was published by Paris Match magazine, Banon writes of feeling sick when the man, assumed to be referring to Strauss-Kahn, was being hailed as the next president before his arrest in New York. “It was nine o’clock that Saturday morning and they were talking about the baboon on the television. He is a superhero, a Messiah, saviour … capable of everything. He would revive the country, lower taxes, understand the weakest and bring happiness and calm to each French household. “They showed pictures of him; in action in the four corners of the world. Superman. When I saw him his stare made me freeze, the television screen could not protect me, his smile was only for me it forced its way into my stomach and the image only disappeared when I threw up my lunch. Suddenly his message on my telephone came back to me: “So, I scared you?”. That was eight years ago. “The years have passed, but nothing has completely effaced the memory.” Banon, whose mother, Anne Mansouret is a Socialist politician and god daughter to Strauss-Kahn’s ex-wife, first revealed the alleged attack on a French TV chat show in 2007. “I eventually spoke about it but I was too smiling when I did. I should have cried so that people understood the real ravages it had caused,” she writes. “But alcohol had given my cheeks a rosy tint and, like Molière, I wanted to laugh about what had made me cry inside.” Banon says the show’s other guests had waited until the cameras and microphones were off to say: “We knew, but…” “But what? Nobody must make any waves, and above all not let the public know. Only the elite must know, only those of the elite know how to hold their tongues.” In response to why she had not complained to the police at the time, Banon writes: “Put yourself in my place.” It was widely reported that Banon’s mother had dissuaded her from going to the police telling her she would be known for the rest of her life as “the girl who had a problem with the politician”. Banon wrote that her decision in June to make an official complaint for “attempted rape”, currently under preliminary investigation was “taking the combat to the enemy”. In the book, published on Thursday, she also expresses shock that supporters have abandoned her. “How many promised to give evidence if, in future, they were called to do so? How many assured me of unwavering support? How many, suddenly disappeared the moment they were asked to sign a written declaration, when they had to photocopy their identity card to authenticate the statement?” The Paris prosecutor’s office is currently examining Banon’s accusation of attempted rape against Strauss-Kahn to decide whether there is a case for him to answer. Dominique Strauss-Kahn France Europe Kim Willsher guardian.co.uk
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Government says increase in state pension age to 66 will happen in October 2020 – six months later than was planned Women who would have endured a two-year increase in their state pension age will now wait 18 months instead, following an amendment to the pensions bill. The welfare secretary, Ian Duncan Smith, has announced that the timetable included in the bill currently going through parliament will be changed, with the rise in the state pension age to 66 delayed until October 2020. The increase was previously planned for April 2020. The move should go some way towards mollifying the 500,000 women born in 1953 and 1954, who previously faced a speeded up increase in their state pension age to 65 by November 2018, followed by a further one-year increase to 66 by April 2020. Some 40,000 faced a two-year delay before they could claim the state pension, compared with their previous expected state pension age. The previous Labour government had intended to equalise the state pension age for men and women at age 65 by 2020 before raising the age for both to 66 by 2026, but the current government’s Pensions Bill outlined plans to bring forward those changes. Both men and women will now benefit from the six-month delay. Iain Duncan Smith: “We have listened to the concerns of those women most affected by the proposed rise in state pension age to 66 and so we will cap the increase to a maximum of 18 months. We have always made clear that we would manage any change fairly and ensure any transition is as smooth as possible.” Campaigners have bombarded ministers, MPs and the media with letters demanding that the decision to speed up a rise in the state pension age be deferred. They argue that the affected women, most of whom are aged 57, need more time to plan their finances or ensure they have work to cover any shortfall in retirement income caused by the later pension payments. The minister for pensions, Steve Webb, said: “We want to end the uncertainty for women waiting to learn what their State Pension Age is and we will be communicating with those affected so that they can properly plan for their future.” 13 October is the last day that amendments could be tabled for the bill. The Report Stage and Third Reading of the Pensions Bill are scheduled for 18 October. In a statement, the government said it had brought forward the increase in state pension age to 66 because of dramatic increases in life expectancy and the need to ensure that no unfair burden is placed on the next generation. It added that it would spend £45bn extra on pensioners by 2025 because of the triple guarantee to uprate the basic State Pension by the highest of earnings, prices or 2.5%. When the State Pension Age was set at 65 in1926 there were nine people of working age for every pensioner. There are now three people of working age for every pensioner and that is set to fall to nearer two by the end of this century. Michelle Mitchell, the charity director of Age UK, said: “We welcome the changes that have been made, they have listened to our concerns and we appreciate that it is a significant financial commitment from the government at a difficult time. This will give a much needed six-month respite to all the women who would have had to work an extra two years. “We would have liked the changes being made to have gone further. Having faced uncertainty twice already these women must not be affected by any further changes to their state pension age again without sufficient notice.” Retirement age State pensions Pensions Work & careers Retirement planning Employee benefits Family finances Jill Insley guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Government says increase in state pension age to 66 will happen in October 2020 – six months later than was planned Women who would have endured a two-year increase in their state pension age will now wait 18 months instead, following an amendment to the pensions bill. The welfare secretary, Ian Duncan Smith, has announced that the timetable included in the bill currently going through parliament will be changed, with the rise in the state pension age to 66 delayed until October 2020. The increase was previously planned for April 2020. The move should go some way towards mollifying the 500,000 women born in 1953 and 1954, who previously faced a speeded up increase in their state pension age to 65 by November 2018, followed by a further one-year increase to 66 by April 2020. Some 40,000 faced a two-year delay before they could claim the state pension, compared with their previous expected state pension age. The previous Labour government had intended to equalise the state pension age for men and women at age 65 by 2020 before raising the age for both to 66 by 2026, but the current government’s Pensions Bill outlined plans to bring forward those changes. Both men and women will now benefit from the six-month delay. Iain Duncan Smith: “We have listened to the concerns of those women most affected by the proposed rise in state pension age to 66 and so we will cap the increase to a maximum of 18 months. We have always made clear that we would manage any change fairly and ensure any transition is as smooth as possible.” Campaigners have bombarded ministers, MPs and the media with letters demanding that the decision to speed up a rise in the state pension age be deferred. They argue that the affected women, most of whom are aged 57, need more time to plan their finances or ensure they have work to cover any shortfall in retirement income caused by the later pension payments. The minister for pensions, Steve Webb, said: “We want to end the uncertainty for women waiting to learn what their State Pension Age is and we will be communicating with those affected so that they can properly plan for their future.” 13 October is the last day that amendments could be tabled for the bill. The Report Stage and Third Reading of the Pensions Bill are scheduled for 18 October. In a statement, the government said it had brought forward the increase in state pension age to 66 because of dramatic increases in life expectancy and the need to ensure that no unfair burden is placed on the next generation. It added that it would spend £45bn extra on pensioners by 2025 because of the triple guarantee to uprate the basic State Pension by the highest of earnings, prices or 2.5%. When the State Pension Age was set at 65 in1926 there were nine people of working age for every pensioner. There are now three people of working age for every pensioner and that is set to fall to nearer two by the end of this century. Michelle Mitchell, the charity director of Age UK, said: “We welcome the changes that have been made, they have listened to our concerns and we appreciate that it is a significant financial commitment from the government at a difficult time. This will give a much needed six-month respite to all the women who would have had to work an extra two years. “We would have liked the changes being made to have gone further. Having faced uncertainty twice already these women must not be affected by any further changes to their state pension age again without sufficient notice.” Retirement age State pensions Pensions Work & careers Retirement planning Employee benefits Family finances Jill Insley guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Cornish student who stole family yacht jailed after mother presses charges
October 13, 2011 No Comment
Annabel Sloley says decision to report son Oliver for joyride in £10,000 yacht was horrible, ‘but you have to do what is right’ A student who stole his family’s £10,000 yacht and needed to be rescued by a lifeboat crew has been jailed for nine months after his mother reported him to police. Oliver Sloley, 22, took the 9m (30ft) vessel before getting into difficulty off the coast of Cornwall. Lifeboat crews found him after he fired a flare and he was towed to shore, where he faced the wrath of his mother. Sloley, who was in his second year studying geology at Plymouth university, was jailed for nine months at Truro crown court after admitting taking the yacht without consent and a string of other charges. Speaking after his conviction, Sloley’s mother, Annabel, 47, of Penzance, Cornwall, said she felt duty-bound to go to the police but described the decision to do so as “horrible”. “That’s the only way I can describe it, absolute hell,” she said. “It’s not what you want as a parent but have to do what you feel is right. “It’s not even the fact it was my boat, it was the fact the lifeboat crew got involved and spent three hours searching for them when they should be saving people’s lives who have got in difficulty through no fault of their own.” Mrs Sloley was away for the weekend when her son took the boat from its moorings at Restronguet, near Falmouth, south Cornwall, last August despite the engine being faulty. Sloley and a friend – neither of whom had any sailing experience or lifejackets – managed to sail several miles along the coast and navigate around the treacherous Lizard peninsula. They got into a difficulty a few hours later and called for help but were unable to read their global positioning system and tell rescuers where they were. A lifeboat located them when they fired a flare and the yacht was towed back into Newlyn harbour. The boat, which had been in the family for seven years, was in a state of disrepair at the time and has now been sold. Mrs Sloley added: “The Lizard is not a place to play. Had someone fallen in it could have been very different. I was not in Cornwall at the time and it was quite a shock to be told your son has stolen your boat and had to be rescued. “I know it was August, the sun was shining and the wind may have died down but there is no excuse. Taking him to court was very difficult. It was horrible, but I am of the mind that once my mind is made up then that’s it.” Asked about her relationship with her son, she added: “We are fine about it. It’s been dragging on for 14 months so we’ve got used to it. We will be fine. He has accepted he was in the wrong and that’s it as far as we’re concerned. I told him ‘sorry mate, but I’m going to have to report this’. He accepted it, what else could he do?” When the boat was brought ashore two stolen outboards and two fuel tanks were found on board, for which he pleaded guilty to two counts of receiving stolen goods. He also admitted stealing two cheques from his mother and making off without payment for food and drink from four pubs in Cornwall. Philip Lee, prosecuting, told Monday’s hearing: “The last thing Mrs Sloley wanted to do was to see her son prosecuted, but as a sensible mother she felt it right to make a complaint.” Joss Ticehurst, defending, said: “He has wasted his future to a very great extent.” Sentencing him, Judge Christopher Elwen said: “For some reason best known to yourself you decided to wreck your life, and possibly your prospects for the future. The most serious thing you did was to take your mother’s boat to sea without her permission and as a result of your inexperience the Penlee lifeboat had to be launched and you had to be rescued.” The judge imposed jail sentences totalling nine months to be served concurrently. Crime Steven Morris guardian.co.uk
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• Trade deficit came in at £7.8bn, down from £8.2bn in July • Exports rise to £25.5bn • Goods to non-EU countries behind the rise • US remains the biggest export market Britain’s exporters shrugged off the global downturn to push sales of goods to a record high in August, news that will be a welcome boost to chancellor George Osborne. Britain’s trade deficit with the rest of the world narrowed more than expected as exports rose and imports fell slightly, reflecting softer domestic demand. The deficit came in at £7.8bn, down from £8.2bn in July and well below economists’ consensus forecast for £8.8bn. The Office for National Statistics said export values stood at £25.5bn, up 0.6% from July and the highest since monthly records began in 1998. That will bring some respite to the government as it looks to exports to pick up the slack from lacklustre domestic demand. The data contrasts with business surveys suggesting export orders have been softening as key trading partners in the eurozone grapple with the sovereign debt crisis and stalling growth. Economists cautioned against reading too much into one month of trade numbers, which can be volatile, but said there was no denying the positive surprise. “The UK’s trade numbers are very strong,” said James Knightley at ING Financial Markets. “Goods exports have risen to an all-time high, despite intensifying recession fears, while imports fell marginally. We struggle to see this lasting given intensifying recession fears in the eurozone and a generally weak global growth environment, but it is good news for now.” The ONS said the rise in exports of goods was driven by exports of fuels to non-EU countries, followed by exports of intermediate goods such as components and unfinished products and then food, drink and tobacco, mainly to EU countries. The British Chambers of Commerce welcomed the data. “The figures provide a welcome contrast to the steady flow of negative news we have recently,” said BCC chief economist David Kern. “However we cannot underestimate the challenges ahead for exporters, particularly in the face of the serious problems facing the eurozone, which remains our major trading partner. “The government must support a national export drive. Unless we accelerate the pace of export growth and we gain market share from imports in the domestic market, it will be difficult to sustain UK growth. The government must strengthen its backing for SME exporters in key areas such as trade finance, insurance and promotion … On their part, Britain’s exporters must make every effort to diversify their sales towards fast growing economies such as India, China and Brazil.” The United States remained by far the biggest export market for the UK in August and exports to the US continued to rise. But exports to the next three biggest partners – Germany, France and the Netherlands – fell in value terms. It was Ireland that saw the biggest rise in UK export values during the month, with an increase of £0.2bn. International trade Economics Global economy European debt crisis Katie Allen guardian.co.uk
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