Markus Andrews

The UK’s foreign secretary has said it was “highly unlikely” he would go to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, and said there were great sensitivities around the situation in Xinjiang.Boris Johnson’s government has resisted opposition calls for a political boycott of the event in China, but Dominic Raab suggested ministers could decide to reduce Britain’s political “representation”.Asked by Sky News on Thursday if he would attend the Beijing games next year, Mr Raab said: “I doubt it.”The foreign secretary added: “Of course, there are great sensitivities around Xinjiang and things like that. We’ll decide our level of representation at a political-diplomatic level in due course … It’s highly unlikely I would go.”Last week, MPs made a non-binding vote in parliament calling on the government to stage a diplomatic boycott of next year’s winter games hosted by China.Labour has called for ministers and members of the royal family to boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics unless China allows UN investigators to examine alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang province.Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy wrote to Mr Raab earlier this month, arguing that a political response was needed to deny China a “PR coup” next year.But the foreign secretary said on Thursday the government was reluctant to “over-politicise” the sporting event by announcing a political boycott.Mr Raab said: “In general we’re mindful not to over-politicise the Olympics … I think over-politicising what is a sporting event doesn’t have a lot of currency among other countries.”He previously said it wanted to “separate sport from diplomacy and politics” but there may “come a point where that might not be possible”.The Lib Dems have called for a sporting boycott of the Winter Olympics. Leader Sir Ed Davey urged the government to send a clear message about the “genocide happening in front of our eyes”.But Mr Raab claimed the decision over a sporting boycott would lie with International Olympic Committee (IOC). “In this country questions like whether the athletes participate are decided as a matter of law independently by the IOC.”In March the foreign secretary announced announced sanctions against four Chinese officials accused over atrocities committed against Uygher Muslims, in coordinated action with the EU and US. More

Around one in five teachers at schools in wealthier parts of England say parents have pressured them over their child’s exam grades this year, a new survey has revealed.Nearly one in four (23%) of teachers at private schools and 17% at state schools in advantaged areas have been approached or pressured by parents over grades, according to a Sutton Trust report.Just over one in ten (11%) of state school teachers in poorer areas reported being put under pressure, the poll has found.The findings come after teachers in England have now submitted their decisions on pupils’ GCSE and A-level grades for this year. They will be released in two weeks time.It comes after Ofqual last year ditched its algorithm for A-level and GCSE results after large numbers of results were downgraded, prompting fury among pupils, teachers and parents.This summer’s exams were cancelled for the second year in a row due to the pandemic. Grades will be decided by teachers after drawing on a wide range of evidence such as coursework and mock exams.However the report identifies a big variation in the number of assessments being taken by A-level students to determine their grades this summer.Almost two in five (38%) teachers said their pupils were doing three to four “mini-exams” or in-class assessments per subject, according to the survey.But the poll of more than 3,000 teachers in England suggests that 18% reported two or fewer and 18% reported more than six.Also for the research, a poll of more than 400 university applicants suggests that nearly half (47%) believe the pandemic disruption will negatively impact their chance of getting into their first-choice university.A majority of applicants (53%) are worried about being ready to start university this autumn, and around a third (34%) feel unprepared to start university, the survey suggests.Those from a state school (36%) are more than twice as likely to feel unprepared for starting university compared to their independent school peers (17%).Sir Peter Lampl, founder and chairman of the Sutton Trust, said: “This year’s cohort of university applicants have faced almost two years of disrupted education. As we approach results day, it’s vital that poorer students are not disadvantaged by the greater impact of the pandemic on them.“Universities should give additional consideration to disadvantaged students who have just missed out on their offer grades.”Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “Many teachers have had the additional strain of coping with pressure from parents.“We know these parents think they are doing the best for their children. But it is yet another issue which has added to the stress of an extremely stressful period. And grades are of course based on evidence of student performance rather than whose parents have the sharpest elbows.”Kate Green, Labour’s shadow education secretary, said: “Come results day every pupil must be supported to progress with their education, training or employment, not just the most privileged.“The Conservatives have treated children and young people as an afterthought throughout this pandemic.“Ministers must now urgently set out the support that will be available to pupils, parents and teachers on results day to ensure no young person loses out on future opportunities due to their failed pandemic response.”Dr Michelle Meadows, deputy chief regulator at England’s exams regulator Ofqual, said: “Although exams didn’t take place, students will receive grades so they can move on with their lives.“Those parents who tried to influence teachers’ judgments behaved wrongly.”A Department for Education (DfE) spokeswoman said: “There is no one better placed to judge young people’s abilities than their teachers. Students have only been assessed on what they had been taught, supporting students who may not have had the opportunity to learn as much as they would do in a normal year and meaning that teachers have effectively made their assessments based on every student having their best day.“No teacher should be put under undue pressure and grades are subject to wider internal checks in schools and external checks by exam boards to make sure they are a fair reflection of students’ work.”Additional reporting by PA More

Councillors in Newmarket have passed a vote of no confidence in local MP and former health secretary Matt Hancock.Mr Hancock resigned last month after he was captured on camera kissing his close aide Gina Coladangelo in his ministerial office.The motion was passed at a meeting of Newmarket Town Council, with five voting for, five against and four abstentions. No Conservative councillor supported the motion.Mayor of Newmarket Michael Jefferys, who is a member of the Labour Party, used his casting vote to pass the vote.The passed resolution states that West Suffolk MP Mr Hancock has “neglected the best interests of his constituents” and, as health secretary, “demonstrated hypocrisy and hubris in the pursuit of his own interests”.Mr Jefferys said he has been “dismayed” at Mr Hancock‘s performance as an MP and as health secretary, adding: “For someone in such a responsible position to then behave in the way that he has is for me the last straw.”Mr Hancock was replaced by Sajid Javid who quit last year as Chancellor last year and is now one of the more experienced members of the Cabinet, having also worked at the Home Office.West Suffolk Conservative Association said after Mr Hancock‘s resignation that it had received a “heartfelt apology” from him, and formally backed him to continue representing the constituency.A spokesman for the association said in a statement on Wednesday: “Even the Labour/Independent-controlled local town council couldn’t find a majority against Matt Hancock.“We are very grateful for the strong local support Matt is receiving.”Additional reporting by PA More

Labour has accused the government of a “staggering lack of ambition” after ministers unveiled their plan for Covid catch-up summer schools.The government’s own catch-up tsar previously said the plan was underfunded and that more assistance was needed if it was to close a growing attainment gap that worsened during lockdown.Schools minister Nick Gibb on Thursday announced that 74 per cent of “eligible mainstream secondary schools” in England would take part in the government’s programme, with over 500,000 pupils set to benefit.But Labour pointed out that this amounts to just one in 15 state school pupils and is even less than the 560,000 pupils expected to leave school this summer without any catch-up support.“The Conservatives are showing a staggering lack of ambition for our children’s futures,” said Kate Green, Labour’s shadow education secretary. “More children are leaving school without any catch-up support than will attend a summer school this year, providing yet more evidence of the Conservatives’ failure to deliver on their promises on children’s recovery. “Labour has set out a bold plan to invest in our children’s futures to compensate for the Conservatives’ failures over the last year, and ensure all children can play, learn and develop post-pandemic. It’s time for the Conservatives to get behind Labour’s plan and match our ambition for children’s futures.” The government says 2820 secondary schools have signed up to participate, equivalent to just under three quarters of those eligible.The scheme has been backed by over £200 million investment from the Department for Education.Sir Kevan Collins, the government’s catch-up tsar, resigned last month over a lack of funding for the programme. In his resignation statement he warned of “a half-hearted approach” that “risks failing hundreds of thousands of pupils”.”The support announced by government so far does not come close to meeting the scale of the challenge and is why I have no option but to resign from my post,” he added at the time.Announcing the latest figures from the scheme on Thursday, Schools Minister, Nick Gibb, said: “It’s very good to see so many children will now have the opportunity to enjoy clubs and activities this summer, building friendships and supporting their mental and physical health, alongside their educational progress.”“We have invested £3 billion so far in helping children catch up ahead of the next academic year and summer schools are an integral part of the overall effort to recover from the disruption caused by the pandemic.” More

The health secretary has warned the public not to be “too optimistic” that the UK’s battle against Covid is coming to an end, as the number of infections rose once again.The latest government data showed that Covid cases increased slightly to 27,734 on Wednesday, after seven consecutive days of falling figures.“The truth is, when it comes to case numbers, no one really knows where they are going to go next,” Sajid Javid said on a visit to a vaccination site in London.“We’ve already seen with the Delta variant, a new variant that emerged over the last year, that’s more infectious than the previous one, that things can change. And so, I think it’s important to remain cautious, not get too optimistic.”It follows comments from an unnamed minister who told the Daily Mail that the Covid crisis was “all over bar the shouting” and was on the verge of becoming “something you live with”.But Boris Johnson insisted it was “far, far too early to draw any conclusions” from the recent fall in cases, telling LBC on Wednesday that the spread of the virus “still presents a significant risk”.And vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi confirmed that self-isolation rules for Covid-19 contacts would definitely be staying in place until 16 August. He argued that the requirement was “an important precautionary measure” that would be needed until vaccine coverage was higher.But despite calls for further caution, the government has decided to allow US and EU travellers who are fully vaccinated to enter without the need to quarantine – a move condemned as “reckless” by Labour.Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “Each individual US state does things differently. They don’t have a National Health Service that has a vaccine programme like we do with the certifications.She added: “We risk going backwards again and our economy will suffer as a result of that. And we saw that with the Delta variant that came into the country.”Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford also warned there was a “risk” of increased transmission from the UK government’s decision to let people from the US and the EU visit England. “We would have taken a different approach to international travel,” he said.However, Mr Javid said he did not have “any concerns” about the move, claiming the success of the UK’s vaccine rollout had helped build up a “wall of defence”.The health secretary added: “The countries that are part of today’s announcement, the US and European countries, they also have very successful vaccination programmes.“I think it’s very sensible, therefore, to say that if you have been double-jabbed – that’s going to be a clear requirement, it will be checked – you can come into the UK from amber list countries and not have to self-isolate.”Meanwhile, Mr Javid and Mr Johnson both said the government would end the requirement for Covid contacts to self-isolate when “pinged” on 16 August. The prime minister said the timetable was “nailed on”, with no possibility of a review date.But questions were raised about the government’s plan to ease the “pingdemic” by expanding testing sites aimed at allowing key workers to avoid self-isolation.Only around 200 of the 2,000 daily testing sites promised by the government are in operation, and hundreds of them will not be in place until the end of next month – two weeks after the 16 August date when the requirement will be lifted.The Road Haulage Association’s managing director for policy and public affairs, Rod McKenzie, told The Independent it made the scheme “entirely pointless” and accused the government of “running the clock down” to 16 August.The row comes as the health secretary insisted that young adults view vaccination as “liberating”. Ministers distanced themselves from Michael Gove’s suggestion that people who refuse jabs are “selfish”.Asked if the Cabinet Office minister was right to say it was “selfish” to avoid getting jabbed, Mr Javid said: “What I’d say is: why not get vaccinated? For young people, they should think of vaccines as being liberating.“Everyone wants to see a return to normal. But for young people who want to travel, it really helps you to get vaccinated, and that’s the way things are heading and those young people who want those vaccines, they can get them right here and now across the country.”Mr Johnson also rejected Mr Gove’s claim. Asked if vaccine refuseniks were “selfish”, the prime minister told LBC: “No. I think that I would put it the other way round and say that if you get one you are doing something massively positive for yourself, for your family.” More

Only around 200 of the 2,000 daily testing sites for key workers promised by Boris Johnson to beat the “pingdemic” are in operation and hundreds of them will not be in place until the end of next month – two weeks after the 16 August date when the requirement to self-isolate will be lifted.The delay was blasted by business figures, with one haulage industry leader telling The Independent it made the scheme “entirely pointless” and accusing the government of “running the clock down” to 16 August rather than helping truckers get back to work.Facilities to allow key workers to carry on working after being identified as contacts of Covid-positive people were first announced last week, following warnings that the economy risked grinding to a halt with as many as 600,000 employees a week being told to stay home.But companies have complained that they are unable to register workers or access testing sites, with the Road Haulage Association on Tuesday branding the scheme a “shambles”.Now official Department of Health figures show that little more than one-tenth of the 2,000 sites planned across the UK are up and running.The figures reveal that 800 sites have been identified for use and are being prepared for mobilisation as fast as possible, with something over 200 of them currently conducting testing.But a further 1,200 are yet to be “onboarded” in the first step towards preparation for operations, and the department does not expect the full complement of 2,000 sites to be in operation until the end of August.By that time, the “pingdemic” is expected to be over anyway, as there will no longer be any requirement from 16 August for fully-vaccinated people – currently more than 70 per cent of the adult population – to self-isolate if identified as a contact by NHS Test and Trace or pinged by the smartphone. Only unvaccinated workers, those with one jab or those waiting to complete two weeks after their second jab, will need to use the sites.RHA managing director for policy and public affairs Rod McKenzie told The Independent: “This follows the pattern of the government’s actions ever since these measures were announced – confusing, badly thought-through and, as many of our members are saying, entirely pointless.”The haulage industry has been lobbying for double-jabbed and negative-testing drivers to be automatically exempted from self-isolation instructions in order to keep supermarket shelves full and factories supplied, he said. The industry regarded the government’s solution to the pingdemic as “unworkable” from the start.“Now it seems that what they have been doing is running down the clock to 16 August in the hope of being seen to do something, even if it’s completely impractical,” he said.Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Munira Wilson said: “The government needs to get a grip so we can get our lives back to normal. Businesses are on their knees as staff self-isolate and millions of kids have missed school due to Covid.“Our priority needs to be making sure schools can return in September and businesses can operate safely. The government’s inability to get more testing centres up and running puts that in jeopardy.”Daily testing was first announced on 19 July, after a week in which half a million people were off work self-isolating as contacts, with the scheme initially open only to critical workers including railway signallers and air traffic controllers who were fully vaccinated.Three days later on Thursday last week, amid growing clamour from businesses for employees to be allowed to go to work, the scheme was extended to an estimated 10,000 food industry workers, with no requirement to be inoculated and the number of planned sites increased to 800. Then on Monday, another expansion was announced, with a further 1,200 testing sites promised at workplaces around the country in sectors such as prisons, waste collection and defence.Health secretary Sajid Javid said at the time that daily contact testing would play a “vital role” in helping minimise the potential for disruption caused by rising cases of Covid-19 while keeping staff protected.Until now, however, there has been no official timetable for how soon all 2,000 would be in operation, with Downing Street saying only that they believed 500 would be up and running by the end of this week.A scientist advising the government on Covid-19 testing has said he would have moved towards a test and release system from self-isolation from January this year.Immunologist Professor Sir John Bell, of the University of Oxford, said he had been advising the government since January to release Covid contacts from self-isolation if they test negative for the disease, rather than requiring 10 days’ self-isolation.Prof Bell told BBC Radio 4’s World At One : “We knew by January we had a number of tests that were highly effective at this and that they should have been more widely used in this space.“If I was the one making the decisions, I would have thought to move much more aggressively from January to make that happen but obviously there is a complex set of issues that lead to political decision making and I am not involved in any of that.” More

Boris Johnson has denied his plan to spend up to £250m on a new royal yacht is a waste of money – claiming it would let Britain “show off” to the world.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has urged the prime minister to ditch plans for the luxury vessel and spend create the money on a fund to tackle anti-social behaviour.But Mr Johnson said on Wednesday that building a “flagship” boat would act as a hub for attracting wealthy investors.“We need somewhere where the UK can show itself off to the world and attract investment and that will drive jobs and growth in the UK – not just in shipbuilding but across every sector of the UK,” he told LBC.Mr Johnson said he expected that the royal yacht to be a “forum” allowing British business bosses to seek international investment opportunities.“We need a forum, a place where the best of British business and industry can come together to showcase what we have to offer, and … you know what I mean by, by MIPIM, the world trade fairs, the expos,” he said.The prime minister added: “It is a project that will not only help to revive the ship building industry in this country, drive immediate jobs and growth for young people, immediate job opportunities for young people in a sector in which this country used to lead the world.”A new “flagship” vessel to succeed the Royal Yacht Britannia could cost as much as £250m, the defence secretary said on Wednesday.Ben Wallace said the costs of the “floating embassy” could be a £50m increase on previously reported estimates of £200m.At a speech in Greenwich, Mr Wallace said: “There has been a lot of reporting around this ship. Not all of it accurate … I aim to commission the ship for between £200m and £250m on a firm price.”He said the competition will run until the end of October, winners would be announced in December and construction could begin next year, with the aim of getting a ship in the water by 2024 or 2025.But last week’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) tender document showed the department’s budget for the project to be only £150m.Labour’s shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds, responding to Mr Wallace’s remarks, said: “Boris Johnson has lost control of his vanity yacht. It is absolutely staggering that costs have rocketed by £100m in a week.”“Labour would scrap the government’s latest pet project and invest taxpayers’ money wisely to tackle crime and the surge in antisocial behaviour under this Conservative government.”Downing Street has previously said the MoD would be responsible for the “initial cost of taking the flagship through the procurement process” – but it remains unclear how it will be fully funded.Scotland’s first minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has called the project a “ludicrous” waste of money. Among the other critics, former Tory chancellor Ken Clarke dismissed it as “silly populist nonsense”.Last month one leading naval architect said the government’s vision of a new national flagship to replace the royal yacht looked like a “1950s fishing trawler”. Stephen Payne said he was far from impressed by the artist’s impression issued by Downing Street in June. More

Related video: Boris Johnson says stop and search policy is ‘kind and loving’Boris Johnson has claimed his plan to spend more than £200m on a new royal yacht will let Britain “show off” to the world.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has urged the prime minister to ditch plans for the luxury vessel and spend create the money on a fund to tackle anti-social behaviour.But Mr Johnson insisted building a “flagship” boat would act as a hub for attracting wealthy investors.Meanwhile, it has emerged the government failed to consult Britain’s most senior police officers about Mr Johnson’s new crime plan – and some were not even aware it was being drawn up.The measures include electronic tags on burglars, longer sentences for some crimes, and an extension of controversial blanket stop-and-search powers.But police bodies and victims’ advocates say they were only sent the full details on Tuesday – a day after it had been distributed to members of the media.Show latest update

1627484127Priti Patel arrives in Birmingham to meet families of 1974 pub bombings victimsThe home secretary has arrived in Birmingham to meet the families of the 1974 pub bombings victims.Boris Johnson’s government had been urged by a group of city MPs to explain why it wants to “close the book” on the blasts, which killed 21 people.Priti Patel arrived at the West Midlands Combined Authority offices to meet with the victims’ families after Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis set out plans this month to introduce legislation to create a statute of limitations – ending all prosecutions for incidents up to April 1998, including of military veterans as well as ex-paramilitaries.Chiara Giordano28 July 2021 15:551627482856Alex Cole-Hamilton launches Lib Dem leadership bid to ‘offer new hope’Alex Cole-Hamilton has launched his campaign to become the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats.The Edinburgh Western MSP, who was first elected to Holyrood in 2016, said he has witnessed Scotland going backwards on the key issues of education, child poverty, mental health, drug deaths and cancelled operations during his time in parliament.Speaking to PA news agency at his campaign launch outside the Boardwalk Beach Club in Edinburgh, Mr Cole-Hamilton said Scotland was “gripped” by the nationalisms of the SNP and “Boris Johnson’s Brexiteers”.The leadership contest was triggered after Willie Rennie announced he was standing down after 10 years at the top of the Scottish Liberal Democrats.Chiara Giordano28 July 2021 15:341627480942PM has ‘lost control’ of yacht costs, claims LabourResponding to Ben Wallace’s remarks revealing a new royal yacht will cost as much as £250m, Labour’s shadow home secretary said: “Boris Johnson has lost control of his vanity yacht.”Referring to last week’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) tender document – which showed the department’s budget for the project to be £150m – Nick Thomas-Symonds added: “It is absolutely staggering that costs have rocketed by £100m in a week.“Labour would scrap the government’s latest pet project and invest taxpayers’ money wisely to tackle crime and the surge in antisocial behaviour under this Conservative government.”Chiara Giordano28 July 2021 15:021627478829Royal yacht could cost £50m than previously estimates, says defence secretaryA new “national flagship” to succeed the Royal Yacht Britannia could cost as much as £250 million, the defence secretary has said.Ben Wallace said the costs of the “floating embassy” could be a £50 million increase on previously reported estimates.The vessel is due to be paid for out of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) budget, even though No 10 has confirmed the ship will be for trade rather than defence purposes.Chiara Giordano28 July 2021 14:271627476648Cabinet split grows over China’s role in UK’s electric car industryA growing Cabinet split is developing over China’s role in the UK electric car supply chain as the Government wrestles over how to handle economic ties to the superpower, The Independent can reveal.Senior Conservatives fear the UK is “falling into a trap” by handing over sensitive aspects of a green industrial revolution to a regime that threatens British security.Anna Isaac has the full details in this exclusive report:Chiara Giordano28 July 2021 13:501627475208Historic steel company bought by Ministry of DefenceUnions have welcomed moves to nationalise a historic steel company, saying it ends years of instability.The Ministry of Defence will buy Sheffield Forgemasters, saying it intends to invest up to £400 million into the firm for defence-critical plant, equipment and infrastructure over the next decade.The cost of the acquisition is £2.56m for the entire share capital of the company plus debt assumed.Chiara Giordano28 July 2021 13:261627474008People should get vaccinated out of ‘self-interest’, says Dominic Raab Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said people should get vaccinated out of “self-interest”.It comes after Cabinet colleague Michael Gove said it was “selfish” not to take up the offer a vaccine, with the UK government set to make being double-jabbed a condition of entry to nightclubs in September in a bid to increase the number of young people coming forward for inoculation.Asked by the PA news agency what he made of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster’s comments, Mr Raab said: “Look, I think people should get vaccinated for their own self-interest because it is far safer to do so, and I would encourage everyone to do so.“But it is true that it is also the best way to protect your family, your friends, your neighbourhood, your community and the country at large as we try and boost the rate beyond the 70% of the adult population who have been vaccinated.“So I certainly encourage and urge anyone who hasn’t yet got vaccinated and is eligible to do so.”Chiara Giordano28 July 2021 13:061627472808Generals call for faster efforts to resettle Afghan interpreters in UKLeading former generals have warned “time is of the utmost essence” to help Afghans who served alongside British forces to settle in the UK.More than 40 former military commanders have signed an open letter calling for efforts to resettle Afghan interpreters in the UK to be stepped up in the face of a “resurgent Taliban”.Those who have signed the letter include leading former military commanders Lord Dannatt, Lord Boyce and Lord Houghton.Former National Security Adviser Lord Ricketts is also a signatory, as is Plymouth Moor View MP Johnny Mercer, a former Defence minister who also served in Helmand Province.The letter reads: “We remain gravely concerned about the situation faced by our former interpreters and the supporting staff who stood shoulder to shoulder with us on the battlefield, despite recent initiatives from the Government.”Chiara Giordano28 July 2021 12:461627471572UK government to face legal challenge over support for oil and gas in North SeaThe UK is to face a legal challenge over its continued support for fossil fuel production in the North Sea after a case brought by a trio of climate activists was given the green light by the High Court.Our climate correspondent Daisy Dunne has more on this story:Chiara Giordano28 July 2021 12:261627469611Join the Green Party to save planet, says Boris Johnson’s climate spokespersonBoris Johnson’s spokesperson for the upcoming COP26 summit in Glasgow has said people can “join the Green Party” if they want to help tackle climate change.Allegra Stratton, former Downing Street press secretary, told The Independent joining the Greens was one of the ways Britons could help protect the planet from rising carbon emissions.Harry Cockburn and Adam Forrest have more details in this exclusive report:Chiara Giordano28 July 2021 11:53 More