Writing to the Health Secretary ,Wes Streeting, this Wednesday [9th April], Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Kevin Hollinrake pointed out the public health risk of the seemingly exponentially growing rodent population in the city.

He said the release of public health warnings is “clearly in the public interest”, with the growing risk of rodent carried diseases such as “Leptospirosis, Hantavirus, Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis and rat-bite fever” providing a threat to the population.

Talks remain ongoing to resolve the crisis, however the latest round of discussions between Birmingham City Council and bin men belong to the Unite union ended yesterday [8th April] without a resolution.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has conceded the situation now poses a risk to public health in Birmingham, acknowledging the risk posed in an interview with Times Radio.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has also issued guidance to Birmingham City council warning of the “public health risk associated with household waste.”

The Birmingham Conservatives have tabled a Public Health Emergency motion calling upon Labour to adopt their plan to end the strike and remove the uncollected waste. The Conservative-run Lichfield Council has also proposed sending crews to “cross the Unite pick line and tackle waste backlog”.

Birmingham City Council had already declared a major incident on Monday 31st March to attempt to address the impact of the industrial action on waste collection.

The industrial dispute began when more than 350 Unite trade union workers began walkouts in January 2025, with an indefinite strike declared on Tuesday 11th March. Unite have stated the disputes will not finish until “hugely damaging cuts” to bin collectors wages are scraped, claiming the cuts will leave 150 members £8,000 worse off.

It is estimated the wastage backlog is growing by 1,000 tonnes a week, with the total backlog already reaching 21,000 tonnes of waste.

Set to open in 2031, the 476-acre development will mark Universal’s first theme park and resort in Europe. It is expected to generate a £50 billion boost to the UK economy by 2055 and attract approximately 8 million visitors in its opening year.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the park will create nearly 20,000 jobs during the construction phase, with an additional 8,000 jobs in the hospitality and creative sectors once it opens.

“It’s not just about the numbers; it’s about creating real opportunities for people across our country,” adding that Universal’s investment will make Bedford “home to one of the biggest entertainment parks in Europe, firmly putting the county on the global stage”.

Under the proposed plans, the government says the resort will include “immersive storytelling, thrilling rides, innovative attractions and exciting entertainment”, as well as a 500-room hotel and a retail, dining and entertainment complex.

The proposals remain subject to a planning decision from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, with construction to start in 2026 if approved.

Nearby residents have been sent a letter by Universal, stating the announcement and timeline, with construction expected to begin in 2026 if planning permission is approved pic.twitter.com/41vN3Af2Ie

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) April 8, 2025

Mike Cavanagh, president of Comcast Corporation – the owner of Universal – praised the government’s role in securing the deal, saying the company appreciated the “leadership and support” of Keir Starmer, Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Minister for Investment Poppy Gustafsson and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy.

“We could not be more excited to take this very important step in our plan to create and deliver an incredible Universal theme park and resort in the heart of the United Kingdom,” he added.

The project will also deliver a boost to the regional economy, with around 80 per cent of the workforce expected to come from Bedfordshire and surrounding areas. Infrastructure upgrades are also planned, including a new A421 slip road and an expansion of Wixams station to improve transport links. The theme park resort will be built on the former Kempston Hardwick brickworks.

Shadow Business and Trade Secretary Andrew Griffith welcomed the investment, calling it “a major opportunity to boost economic growth and attract private sector investment”.

He added: “That’s why the Conservative government worked closely with Universal Studios to secure the land and help bring forward plans for the new park.

“We’re pleased that, despite Labour’s economic mismanagement, Universal Studios has committed to investing in Bedfordshire. But Labour’s punishing jobs tax – which will cost every working household £3,500 – and their job-destroying Employment Rights Bill risk putting this transformative project in jeopardy.”

Universal, known for producing films like Minions and Wicked, currently operates theme parks in Orlando and Los Angeles in the US, as well as in Japan, Singapore and China.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said that at a time of “global change”, the company’s investment “is a vote of confidence in Britain as a place to do business”.

On Wednesday US President Donald Trump announced his “liberation day” tariff packages, with a 10% tariff on all U.K. imports. These tariffs mark what Primer Minister Keir Starmer describes as “the beginning of a new era” in global trade.

Reynolds maintains a UK-US trade deal is still possible and the most “favourable” outcome but conceded that retaliatory measures now need to be considered with the likelihood of a deal seemingly more distant.

Speaking to the house yesterday afternoon, Reynolds said: “To enable the UK to have every option open to us in future, I am today launching a request for input on the implications for British businesses of possible retaliatory action.”

There are still hopes inside the government that the U.K. can avoid the tariff charges. During yesterday’s PMQ’s, Starmer maintained that talks remained “constructive” between US and U.K. officials. The UK can take encouragement that the U.K. saw the lowest flat tariff imposed, with the EU seeing a 20% imposed on its exports to the US.

The lower tariff imposed on the UK justified Starmer’s approach to Trump, a No 10 source told The Guardian “a lower levy than others vindicate our approach. It matters because the difference between 10% and 20% is thousands of jobs.”

Labour is keen to avoid a trade war with the US as they are the UK’s largest export partner, with economist forecasting the tariffs will likely add to the UK’s sluggish growth and result in job losses. The Institute for Public Policy Research estimates that 25,000 jobs in the UK car manufacturing sector are now at risk because of the tariffs.

The tariffs are likely to add further inflationary pressure and weaken the UK’s GDP growth.  OBR member David Miles estimates tariffs could knock between 0.6% to 1% off the UK’s GDP. This will add further woes to the economic picture inside the UK, with the OBR already downgrading its growth projection for the U.K. economy from 2% to 1% in 2025 last week.

Her spring statement next week is anticipated to outline reductions in spending across a multitude of government departments, with specific spending plans for individual departments announced at June’s spending review. There are hopes inside the Treasury this will keep Labour aligned with manifesto pledges, with the OBR soon to provide an assessment of Reeve’s promise of a balanced budget and falling debt by 2029-30, 

Reeves spending cuts will arrive to a backdrop anxiety over the state of the UK economy, with concerns growing over increased government borrowing costs and stubbornly weak economic growth. The UK Government borrowing costs have risen significantly, reaching their highest levels since the banking crisis of 2007-2008. 

The cuts to government departments are compounded by DWP Secretary Liz Kendall’s announcement of £5billion in cuts to welfare spending, primarily from disability payments. There are fears growing amongst critics of Labour’s spending plans that these cuts will exacerbate the UK’s existing inequalities and provide additional strain to its public services. 

The Institute for Fiscal Studies has said departments such as the Home Office and local government could already see their budgets fall by around 7% over the current parliamentary term. 

Economists fear that these cuts will come at a time when public services are already under considerable strain. Departments have been asked to prepare existing models for a 20% reduction in day-to-day spending, impacting infrastructure projects such as the Lower Thames Crossing Road tunnel. 

Many Labour MPs are concerned that these cuts will alienate them from their traditional support base who had hopes of increased investment in public services. Richard Burgon, Labour MP for Leeds East, told the Commons during PMQs last week that disabled people in his constituency were “frightened” of the cuts impact. The Resolution Foundation found that disabled people could lose up to £10,000 a year by 2030 under new welfare spending plans. 

Reeves is expected to defend her announcement through the lens of a changing economic outlook. She will point to global economic instability such as Donald Trump’s tariff plans and weaker than expected growth narrowing the fiscal wiggle room in her possession.

Musk’s comments over the more than decade old British grooming gangs scandal and the freedom rally cries for imprisoned Tommy Robinson dominated the British news cycle for the best part of a week. The resurrection of this scandal represents a modern hijacking of public opinion Keir Starmer has yet to tackle. While British political discourse has always been shaped and moulded by the capital of wealthy individuals like Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper empire and Arron Banks Brexit Campaign, Musk has a far more scattergun and unpredictable approach. Musk, much like Trump, will without warning publicly throw venomous political darts to see what sticks on the board. His personal and emotionally charged attacks on politicians, such as labelling Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey a snivelling cretin, and his rehashing of old scandals make it hard for Labour to predict and disarm the emotionally charged discourse he wants to shape.

Musk in the last six months has called for Keir Starmer to resign, warned of an English Civil War over the summer riots, and encouraged the toppling of the Labour Government. This indicates his complicity and willingness to emotionally charge and poison politics within British without much care for the consequences. According to the Financial Times, Musk has been meeting with trusted aids to discuss ways for Starmer to be removed before the next election, exhibiting a total disregard for democratic process. Additionally, his praise of Labour MP Dan Carden breaking rank from Starmer’s grooming scandal stance seems to indicate his desire to encourage parliamentary rebellion.

His ownership of X, one of the most important public spheres in political discourse, and position as the richest person in the world means this problem will not go away even if British politicians currently wish to stick their head in the sand.

Why this type of discourse is corrosive is because it signifies agenda setting dynamics in British politics being transferred away from UK based actors and institutions to a wealthy foreign individual. The power to hijack debate also threatens principle of equal representation in British politics. A distortion of democratic processes and public opinion forming threatens to create a crowding out effect from other parties who can’t hope to have as much limelight or coverage. The inflammatory nature of his rhetoric also threatens to further polarise British Politics in a manner seen in the United States, without any meaningful accountability.

While our more inflammatory figures like Nigel Farage also pride themselves on not adhering to political norms, he is bound by our own parliamentary and Ofcom rules along with an electorate who hold him to account. Musk has no such accountability and therefore responsibility in politics. As a result, this encourages him to spread lies with impunity, such as suggesting Tommy Robinson was in prison for “telling the truth”, wilfully ignoring Robinson’s own admission to contempt of court. Meta’s recent announcement that they are abandoning their own fact checking process signifies the online public sphere will be increasingly shaped in Musk’s image. While the introduction of the Online Safety Act will attempt to address the ‘Wild West’ landscape of X, this current lack of accountability enables Musk to hurl pot shots over the pond without much concern over where or how they land.

British politicians may shrug their shoulders at this external pressure, but Musk’s position in the second Donald Trump administration means this form of discourse will receive added legitimacy. His lead role in the Department of Government Efficiency will embolden Musk to aggressively lobby his interests into the British system. Equally Musk may use his considerable influence over Trump via his $250 million donation to influence American foreign policy towards Britain.

It’s not a big leap to picture Musk using X as an auxiliary force alongside Trumps word of mouth to exert immense pressure on British politicians to reshape their foreign policy stance. Should Trump push for a ceasefire in Ukraine and be met with resistance by NATO allies, Musk could use X as a platform to lobby the UK to halt their aid spending to Ukraine. Musk has indicated a similar desire to end the Russia-Ukraine war as soon as possible, with the possibility of relinquishing Ukrainian territory, a position the British Government have so far declined to accept

Trump’s recent bully tactics of refusing rule out military action in Greenland and the Panama Canal must further concern officials within 10 Downing Street. They must be beginning to wonder if Britain will experience similar bully tactics when America attempts to exercise its influence over it’s foreign policy direction, should a schism arise in their doctrines.

The USA heavily influencing Britain’s political direction is certainly nothing new in the ‘special relationship’. However, Musk’s unpredictable and unaccountable personal attacks on X alongside Trumps bully tactics will create a painful headache for the Labour Government over how their relationship and dealings with the USA will be impacted. Starmer must be privately hoping Trump and Musk’s relationship ends in a spectacular divorce like many of Trumps high profile appointments, rather than a long and fruitful alliance.