Markus Andrews

A national education programme for Black students should be implemented as soon as possible, the education secretary has been told.In a letter seen by The Independent, Diane Abbott and Lord Simon Woolley – chair and vice-chair for All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Race Equality in Education –have written to Gavin Williamson to ask to discuss the proposal with him. This follows previous correspondence sent on 2 August which went unanswered.Similar to that of the £1 million education programme announced this year for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children, which the APPG has welcomed, the initiative would be geared towards reducing exclusions and drop-out rates and helping improve pupils’ “pathways to employment” among Black pupils.“Like you, we believe that education is the key to levelling up the nation,” the letter, sent on Monday, reads.“As you have rightly said, by driving up the skills base of a community, we drive up what it will achieve. We would welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss these principles further, and we would also be happy to discuss whether we can provide any practical assistance. “For example, in helping to implement such a programme that provides further support to children and students of colour.”“The government should embrace the UN International Decade for People of African Descent and harness the unprecedented opportunity to address educational injustice, whilst appreciating the gains to the entire education family of a more racially inclusive system,” Ms Abbott wrote in an article earlier this month.“This must start with a national education initiative for our Black African and Caribbean children,” the Hackney MP added.In May, Ms Abbott tabled a written question to the Department for Education, asking whether the Department is planning to take specific steps to support the educational experiences and outcomes of Caribbean heritage students, “other than the measures that your Department is taking to support disadvantaged pupils generally.” The Department responded by saying it “does not design education policy to exclusively target certain groups of pupils based on ethnicity,” but Gypsy and some Traveller ethnicities have been recognised in law as being ethnic groups protected against discrimination by the Equality Act 2010.Campaigners, along with the APPG, are now requesting the same approach across the board.Fresh analysis shows that A-level attainment gaps for Black students, pupils on free school meals and ones with a high level of deprivation have “significantly” widened in the past year.Similarly, the gap between Black pupils and their white counterparts has widened across this year’s GCSE results too.The latest annual report by the Social Metrics Commission found that nearly half of Black African Caribbean households were in poverty, and that Black ethnic groups in total have a higher percentage of children living in low-income households (30 per cent) than the national average (15 per cent.)Fixed-term exclusion rates for Black Caribbean pupils is more than six times higher than the rate for white British pupils in some local authorities, while Black Caribbean pupils have the lowest GCSE Attainment 8 scores on average, are the highest proportion of children eligible for free school meals alongside mixed white and are frequently the least likely group to go to university.The government has been approached for comment. More

UK border force jet skis conduct exercises at seaBoris Johnson’s plan for what a former aide described as “the world’s most stupid tunnel” between Scotland and Northern Ireland has been ditched as the Treasury clamps down on spending.The prime minister initially proposed a 28-mile bridge connecting Stranraer in Scotland to Larne in Northern Ireland in 2018, but the £15bn project was widely derided by engineers because of the practical obstacles to construction in a stretch of water which is more than 1,000 feet deep in places.An unnamed government official with knowledge of Treasury spending negotiations told the Financial Times the plans are “dead, at least for now”.Elsewhere, the government will push back a number of post-Brexit border controls from October and January next year until July 2022, David Frost has confirmed. It came after the Brexit minister issued a fresh warning to the EU that Britain is not afraid to unilaterally suspend the Northern Ireland (NI) protocol agreed by Mr Johnson last year if officials continue to dismiss renegotiations.Show latest update

1631603023Good morning, and welcome to The Independent’s rolling UK politics coverage. Stay tuned as we bring you the latest Brexit fallout and goings-on from inside Parliament. Sam Hancock14 September 2021 08:031631603824‘Take renegotiations seriously or we will abandon Protocol,’ Frost warns EUThe row over Brexit and Northern Ireland (NI) has escalated after Britain warned last night it is prepared to unilaterally suspend the NI protocol trading agreement with the EU.Lord Frost, the Brexit minister, told the House of Lords on Monday night that his July command paper had set out the tests the UK would apply to trigger Article 16 of the Protocol, which allows either side to suspend the Protocol if it is deemed as having a significant impact on everyday life.“I urge the EU to take this seriously. They would be making a significant mistake if they thought that we were not ready to use Article 16 safeguards, if that is our only choice to deal with the situation in front of us. If we are to avoid Article 16, there must be a real negotiation between us and the EU.”It is not the first time the government has issued such a warning. Back in June, while the G7 summit was underway in Cornwall, Boris Johnson told Sky News he would do “whatever it takes” to make things right for Northern Ireland – including invoking Article 16.The EU has repeatedly responded to such claims by saying it will not be “bullied” into changing its mind. “We will not agree to a renegotiation of the Protocol,” said Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission’s vice president, in an official statement in July.Britain’s demands include abandoning full Irish Sea trade checks – due to start later this year, when “grace periods” expire – and for Brussels to shelve legal action for non-implementation of existing terms.Sam Hancock14 September 2021 08:171631604278PM’s mother dies ‘suddenly and peacefully’ aged 79Boris Johnson is mourning the loss of his mother, the artist Charlotte Johnson Wahl, who has died at the age of 79.She was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease at the age of 40 and later became president of the European Commission for Human Rights.The prime minister once described her as the “supreme authority” in his family, reports our deputy news editor Alastair Jamieson.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was among the first politicians to offer his condolences. “I’m very sorry to learn of the prime minister’s loss. My condolences to him and his family,” he tweeted.Sam Hancock14 September 2021 08:241631605123Ocado to spend £5m on pay rises for HGV drivers due to Brexit shortagesOnline grocer Ocado is set to spend an additional £5m this year in pay rises, recruitment and signing-on bonuses for HGV drivers.The shortage, caused by Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic, has become “an increasingly important issue for the industry” and that it will try to mitigate costs where possible, the company said. Bosses also revealed they will face a further £10m hit this year due to a fire at the company’s warehouse in Erith, southeast London, in the summer which led to around 300,000 customer orders worth £35m being cancelled.Sales fell 10.6 per cent to £517.5m in the 13 weeks to 29 August, in part due to the fire but also because of strong comparisons last year at the height of the pandemic.However, bosses are confident the company can continue its “strong growth”.Tim Steiner, chairman of Ocado Retail, said: “Despite the challenges we faced in the period, I am delighted to report that Ocado Retail is performing well, improving the customer experience even further and continuing to grow the business in a post-lockdown environment.”Additional reporting by PASam Hancock14 September 2021 08:381631605801Minister criticised for telling MPs government ‘can’t help stranded Afghans’The minister for Afghan resettlement has told MPs to stop asking for help on behalf of people stranded in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan – as the government will not be able to respond to their requests.In a letter to MPs, seen by The Independent, Victoria Atkins told her parliamentary colleagues instead to tell desperate people seeking their help to visit the government website, reports Andy Gregory. Describing the move as “utterly disgraceful”, the Liberal Democrats warned that Afghans trapped in their homes in fear of the Taliban had “lost one of their last lifelines”.But the Home Office minister said that Britain’s lack of troops or an embassy in Afghanistan represent a “new reality”, meaning the government now “cannot provide to MPs assessments or updates on those individuals who remain in Afghanistan and whose cases they have raised”.Sam Hancock14 September 2021 08:501631606983UK government threatens to suspend NI protocolBoris Johnson hailed the signing of the Northern Ireland protocol and withdrawal agreement as a “fantastic moment” for the UK in January last year, but now says it is not working and that it must be changed.Speaking in the House of Lords on Monday evening, David Frost, the government’s Brexit minister, said the EU should come to the table to make changes to the accord.Lord Frost, who negotiated the agreement as a special advisor with wide ranging executive powers but who has since been appointed to the legislature and made a government minister, said: “A real negotiation does not mean the EU coming up with its own plans for solutions, within the framework of the existing Protocol, and presenting them to us as ‘take it or leave it’.”Here’s our policy correspondent Jon Stone with more on Britain’s warning to the EU.Sam Hancock14 September 2021 09:091631608268Post-Covid employment boom sees worker numbers at pre-pandemic levelsUK worker numbers have returned to pre-pandemic levels after the “biggest jump in employment since 2014,” according to figures analysed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).Jonathan Athow, ONS deputy national statistician for economic statistics, said: “Early estimates from payroll data suggest that in August the total number of employees is around the same level as before the pandemic, though our surveys show well over a million are still on furlough.“However, this recovery isn’t even: in hard-hit areas such as London, and sectors such as hospitality and arts and leisure, the numbers of workers remain well down on pre-pandemic levels.“The overall employment rate continues to recover, particularly among groups such as young workers who were hard hit at the outset of the pandemic, while unemployment has fallen.“Vacancies reached a new record high.“Not surprisingly, this is driven above all by hospitality, the sector with the highest proportion of employers reporting their job openings are hard to fill.”Sam Hancock14 September 2021 09:311631609388Welfare and immigration policies driving racial disparity in housing – studyBlack, Asian and minority ethnic communities are more likely to face unaffordable housing costs because of poverty, the benefit cap, immigration policies such as ‘No Recourse To Public Funds’ (NRPF) and racism in the labour market, new research has revealed.One quarter of these groups, excluding Indian employees who are overrepresented as homeowners, are paying housing costs that are unaffordable (25 per cent), compared with 10 per cent of white workers, the study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has shown.Khem Rogaly, one of the report’s authors, said: “Our research lays bare the shameful reality that people from ethnic minority communities are much more likely to be living in unaffordable housing that has a detrimental impact on their living standards.”Our race correspondent Nadine White reports:Sam Hancock14 September 2021 09:491631610001Watch: Border Force carries out ‘pushback drills’ using jet skisUK border force jet skis conduct exercises at seaSam Hancock14 September 2021 10:001631610901Recap: Footage shows officials practicing ‘pushback drills’ to divert migrant boatsIn case you missed this yesterday, Border Force staff were spotted using jet skis to turn around dinghies in the English Channel as part of a training exercise.Photographs and video footage taken by charity Channel Rescue on Monday morning shows large Border Force vessels with what appears to be three jet skis trying to turn around rubber boats.“We saw the jet skis either side and at the rear of the boat and then collide with the vessel to actually spin it around. It looked dangerous,” Channel Rescue coordinator Steven, who recorded the video off the coast of Kingsdown, in Dover, told The Independent.Read our social correspondent May Bulman’s report in full here:Sam Hancock14 September 2021 10:15 More

German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Albania on Tuesday to urge the leaders of the six western Balkan states to strengthen their regional cooperation in their strive for European Union membership.Merkel hailed the cooperation intiative, saying “the more cooperation you have, the stronger the Berlin Process will be.” The Berlin Process is a program she started in 2014 to boost regional cooperation among the western Balkan countries.“From the geo-strategic viewpoint, the EU, or concretely Germany, has its own interest in the membership of the (western Balkan) countries into the EU,” she said at a news conference.The western Balkan states — which include Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia — are at different stages on the EU membership path. Their progress in integration has been delayed recently due to the bloc’s stalled interest in enlargement and the years of diplomatic turmoil the EU faced as Britain left the bloc. Following a veto from EU-member Bulgaria, the launch of EU membership negotiations for Albania and North Macedonia has been postponed, though they already have fulfilled the criteria.“The EU must keep its word and not always come up with new conditions again and again because it doesn’t have any interest — perhaps due to domestic reasons in some countries — to push forward the process of accession. That causes disappointment and I can understand that disappointment,” Merkel said. “We should trust each other.”In the Serbian capital of Belgrade, which Merkel visited on Monday, she noted the presence of other suitors for the Balkan nations, such as Russia and China.Merkel will be missed much in the region, according to Albania’s leader.“In the history of this region, Angela Merkel has set a milestone for decades to come,” said Prime Minister Edi Rama But Merkel assured her audience that “every German chancellor will have a heart for this region” as many people from the region now live and work in Germany, the EU’s largest economy.Merkel did not run for reelection this year after leading Germany since 2005. Germany is holding a general election on Sept. 26.___Kristen Grieshaber contributed from Berlin. More

Workers have been promised a higher minimum wage, collective pay bargaining and basic rights from day one in a job, if Labour wins power.In a highly-personal speech to trade unions, Keir Starmer stressed the importance of “dignity at work” – referring to his own father and how people “looked down on him because he worked on the factory floor”.The Labour leader also said sick pay would rise if he was in Downing Street, as part of a “new deal for workers”, although he declined to say by how much before a consultation.Zero-hours contracts would be banned, parental leave extended and “fire and hire” – the practice of sacking staff before rehiring them on worse terms – would be outlawed.On his own upbringing, Sir Keir told the Trades Union Congress: “When I think about a new deal for workers I think of my dad.“He worked on the factory floor all his life. Going to work at 8 in the morning, home for tea at 5, back to work 6 till 10 o’clock at night, 5 days a week. He did that to provide for our family.“So the starting point is a job to raise a family on. That means a real living wage. Dignity at work, the theme of this congress, runs through our new deal. This is personal to me.”The package of policies reiterated by the Labour leader included:* Increasing the minimum wage to at least £10 per hour – up from £8.91, for over-22s – giving a carer on the minimum wage a pay rise of at least £2,500 a year.* Expanding collectively-agreed pay deals to more workers – to boost their bargaining power.* Giving workers basic rights from day one in the job.* Replacing zero-hours contracts with regular working terms.* Making parental leave and the right to flexible working available to workers from day one.On sick pay, Sir Keir said: “We have one of the lowest rates of sick pay in Europe. That’s not good enough, so as well as guaranteeing sick pay, Labour’s new deal will increase it as well.”The speech, to a TUC conference held online due to the Covid pandemic, comes ahead of the leader’s first, crucial in-person address to Labour’s conference later this month.The TUC passed a motion to campaign for a three-day weekend and a four-day working week, following the announcement that the Scottish Government will launch four-day week trials.It was tabled by the University and College Union (UCU) with supporting amendments added by the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT). More

A range of measures could be implemented if numbers of Covid-19 cases surge this winter, Sajid Javid has said.The Health Secretary said the measures are part of a “Plan B” if attempts to control the spread of coronavirus – that include a massive booster vaccination programme – are not effective.The contingency plans will only come into force if there is “unsustainable” pressure on the NHS in England, Mr Javid said.Those measures could include public warnings that the level of risk has increased, the legal requirement to wear face masks in some settings, and advice for people to work from home if they can.The government is also considering as part of the “Plan B” measures to introduce mandatory vaccine-only Covid passes to access settings such as indoor venues with 500 or more attendees, outdoor settings with 4,000 or more people, and any settings with 10,000 or more people.The Covid passes would be proof that the bearer has been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.Ministers shelved plans to introduce mandatory Covid passes by the end of September, but the possibility of them being used – along with mandatory face masks – risks a backbench revolt from Tory MPs that are opposed to the plans.Mr Javid’s statement detailing England’s autumn and winter plan came after experts set out the case for a booster vaccination programme.Third jabs will be offered to people aged 50 and over, those in care homes, and frontline health and social care workers from next week.The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine will be used as the booster dose for around 30 million people, with experts saying it is safe to be given alongside the usual winter flu jab and to those who have previously had AstraZeneca Covid vaccines.People will be able to get their Covid and flu vaccines on the same day, preferably with one shot in each arm.Wales has also said it will begin a rollout of booster vaccines. Updates are expected from Scotland and Northern Ireland later on Tuesday. All those who are clinically extremely vulnerable and anyone aged 16 to 65 in an at-risk group for Covid (who were included in priority groups one to nine during the initial vaccine rollout) will also be eligible for a jab.The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) set out its findings, recommending that booster doses should be administered six months after the second jab.When there is more data, the JCVI also plans to look at whether boosters should also be offered to healthy people under the age of 50.Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, deputy chief medical officer for England, told a Downing Street briefing: “We know that this pandemic is still active, we are not past the pandemic, we are in an active phase still.“We know this winter could be bumpy at times and we know that winter viruses such as flu and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) are highly likely to make their returns.” More

People who are not fully-vaccinated will be barred from indoor events with crowds of 500 or more, under a ‘Plan B’ if there is a Covid surge this winter.Sajid Javid, the health secretary, confirmed the controversial “vaccine passports” plan – which he announced had been dropped last weekend – will be held in reserve.The first details of the move revealed it would be introduced for “indoor crowded settings with 500 or more attendees such as music venues or large receptions”, including all nightclubs.The events would be those where people “are likely to be in close proximity to people from other households”, a document set out.The vaccination rule would also be introduced for “outdoor, crowded settings with 4,000 or more attendees” and “any settings with 10,000 or more attendees, such as large sports and music stadia” – covering top football matches.But places of worship, wedding ceremonies, funerals and “other commemorative events” would be exempt, as would protests and “mass participation sporting events”.In a statement to MPs, Mr Javid declined to set out the exact “trigger” for moving to Plan B – but said it would be enacted if pressures on the NHS became “unsustainable”.Another “potential trigger” was the arrival of a “vaccine escape variant”, that would hit immunity from jabs, telling MPs: “No one can rule that out.”The other restrictions to be introduced would compulsory face coverings in crowded places – the rule ministers controversially axed in July – and guidance to work from home.Asked if MPs would be given a vote before any vaccine certification scheme was introduced, Mr Javid replied: “Of course.”Legislation would be required both for certification or for the introduction of mandatory face-masks rules in any specific setting. And the law would have to be changed if a sharp deterioration in the pandemic forced the government to introduce a regional or national lockdown – something which does not feature in Plan B.The document states that ministers believe their existing plans – including vaccines for 12 to 15-year-olds and booster jabs for adults – “should be sufficient to reverse a resurgence in autumn or winter”.But it adds: “The government remains committed to taking whatever action is necessary to protect the NHS from being overwhelmed, but more harmful economic and social restrictions would only be considered as a last resort.”The Night Time Industries Association reacted with dismay to the announcement, saying its “rejoicing” of just a few days ago had been dashed.“Today, businesses up and down the country are once again thinking they may have to make an enormous and detrimental change to their operating model in the future, if infection rates increase,” said chief executive Michael Kill.Mr Javid, who had said Britons should not have “show your papers” to gain entry, played down the likelihood of a U-turn, saying: “If we keep making progress in the way we are, we won’t need any of those measures.”He also all-but confirmed that expensive day 2 PCR tests for travellers returning from abroad will be dropped – ahead of an expected announcement on Thursday – saying supporters of the move would be “pleased”.MPs will be asked in October to approve a further six-month extension for coronavirus measures permitting accelerated recruitment of NHS staff and requiring self-isolation for those testing positive for Covid-19 and their unvaccinated contacts. And legislation allowing local councils to shut down premises posing an immediate threat to public health will also be rolled over. More

Boris Johnson’s plan for what a former aide described as “the world’s most stupid tunnel” between Scotland and Northern Ireland has been ditched as the Treasury clamps down on spending.The prime minister initially proposed a 28-mile bridge connecting Stranraer in Scotland to Larne in Northern Ireland in 2018, but the £15bn project was widely derided by engineers because of the practical obstacles to construction in a stretch of water which is more than 1,000 feet deep in places.More recently, he floated the alternative of a tunnel either from Stranraer to Larne or – in a more ambitious proposal – an underground hub beneath the Isle of Man.The proposed link joining Northern Ireland to the British mainland is being considered by a transport connectivity review led by the Network Rail chair Sir Peter Hendy, with a feasibility study looking into the options of a bridge or tunnel.But it was branded “the world’s most stupid tunnel” by Mr Johnson’s former chief adviser Dominic Cummings.And the Financial Times today reported that it has fallen victim to chancellor Rishi Sunak’s crackdown on expenditure commitments ahead of next month’s spending review.An unnamed government official with knowledge of Treasury spending negotiations told the FT the plans are “dead, at least for now”.It is not yet known how much public money has been spent on considering the PM’s proposals for a fixed link crossing the Irish Sea.An earlier plan for a garden bridge in London, vigorously promoted by Mr Johnson as the city’s mayor, was ditched in 2017 at a cost of £43m to the taxpayer.A government spokesperson said: “We recognise the importance of a connected transport network to economic growth, job creation and to the levelling up agenda and that is why the prime minister asked Sir Peter Hendy to lead the Union Connectivity Review (UCR).“The review will look at future transport priorities based on the wider strategic case for investment and the benefit it will bring to people and businesses across the UK. The full report and government response will be published in due course.” More

Almost a quarter of families in England’s biggest cities are facing a £1,000-a-year hit to their incomes at the end of this month due to Boris Johnson’s plan to cut Universal Credit payments, mayors from some of the countries’ major urban areas have warned.The eight Labour metro mayors – representing areas including London, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, the West of England and West and South Yorkshire – wrote a joint letter to the prime minister urging him to cancel the removal of the £20-a-week UC “uplift” introduced at the start of the Covid-19 outbreak.The letter comes a day ahead of a House of Commons debate on Wednesday called by Labour to preserve the uplift.It warned that the benefit cut will affect nearly 2 million families in the areas they represent, many of them in low-paid employment and including thousands of key workers who helped Britain through the pandemic.And they said that the blow to household incomes will take more than £2 billion out of their local economies at at time when cities are struggling to revive from the impact of lockdowns.Many of those affected will also face a financial hit from the prime minister’s 1.25 percentage point rise in National Insurance contributions, which are paid by workers earning as little as £9,500 a year.The mayors – including London’s Sadiq Khan and Greater Manchester’s Andy Burnham – warned Mr Johnson: “Time is running out for your government to cancel this cut and the devastating consequences it will bring.“On behalf of the millions of families we represent, we implore all MPs to do the right thing and vote next week to keep the uplift in place.”The letter – also signed by Tracy Brabin of West Yorkshire, Jamie Driscoll of the North of Tyne, Dan Jarvis of South Yorkshire, Nik Johnson of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Dan Norris of the West of England and Steve Rotheram of the Liverpool City Region – described the removal of the £20 payment on 6 October as “the biggest overnight cut to social security in the history of our social security system”.And it warned that the cut will “disproportionately” impact on urban areas.It cited new analysis by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, showing that some 23 per cent of families in the mayoral areas will lose out from the UC cut – rising to 26 per cent in Greater Manchester and 25 per cent in the Liverpool City Region and West Yorkshire.Some 931,950 families in London, 312,290 in Greater Manchester and 242,340 in West Yorkshire will lose the £1,040-a-year payments, the research found.“Many families have spent the last 18 months worried about how they will make ends to meet – they simply cannot shoulder this cut,” the mayors told Mr Johnson.“We have all been contacted by people telling us that that this £20 is what enables them to keep food on the table at the end of the week. We cannot simply stand by and allow your government to proceed with a cut that will push hundreds of thousands more of our constituents into poverty and debt.” More