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Gavin Williamson has named one of his policy advisers as his pick to lead England’s independent exams regulator.The education secretary has chosen Dr Jo Saxton, a former academy trust boss, as Ofqual’s new chief regulator.His recommendation still needs to be approved by prime minister Boris Johnson.Dr Saxton has worked as a policy adviser to ministers in the Department for Education – including Mr Williamson – since leaving her post as chief executive of Turner Schools Academy Trust in Kent.If appointed, she would take over from the interim chief regulator Simon Lebus – who took on the role in January – from September.It comes after the fiasco around grading of GCSE and A-level students in England last summer, when end-of-year exams were cancelled amid the coronavirus pandemic and school closures.Thousands of A-level students had their results downgraded from school estimates by a controversial algorithm, before Ofqual announced a U-turn, allowing them to use teachers’ predictions.In August, Ofqual’s chief regulator Sally Collier quit in the wake of the U-turn and she was replaced by her predecessor Dame Glenys Stacey.Mr Williamson faced calls to resign over the grading chaos.On the selection of Dr Saxton, Mr Williamson said: “I look forward to welcoming Jo Saxton to the role, whose wealth of experience makes her the ideal candidate to lead such an important organisation.”With a deep understanding of the education system and Ofqual, she will play a vital part in upholding standards and confidence in our exams and qualifications.”I am also grateful to Simon for his work as interim chief this year, helping the organisation to navigate the pandemic’s challenges.”Dr Saxton will attend a pre-appointment hearing before the Education Select Committee on 6 July. The MPs will then publish their recommendations.Simon Lebus, the former chief executive of Cambridge Assessment, has been in post in the top job on an interim basis since January and will leave in September.Additional reporting by Press Association More

Boris Johnson is headed for a clash with his chancellor Rishi Sunak over Treasury plans to suspend the pensions “triple lock” for a year, according to reports.The pair are also said to be at loggerheads over the prime minister’s desire to build a new royal yacht at a cost of £200m, cap social care costs at £50,000 and make further green pledges at the Cop26 climate summit in November.It follows days of speculation over the government’s spending plans after it emerged that a rise in average wages during the pandemic would result in a 6 per cent increase in the state pension – at a cost of £4bn.Mr Sunak confirmed on Thursday that he was prepared to keep his “triple lock” promise despite rejecting the £14bn Covid catch-up plan for schools to help pupils recover from lost lessons in the lockdown. Downing Street also insisted that Boris Johnson was “committed to the triple lock”.However The Sunday Times reported that Treasury officials are said to be examining plans to put any pensions rise on hold for a year to save money. A former minister has already suggested that the system could be “fudged” by applying the formula over a longer period or by accounting for the effect of the pandemic and the furlough scheme on earnings data.The Times reported that there was “growing consternation that Boris Johnson keeps announcing plans costing billions of pounds when there is no means to pay for them.”It claimed Mr Sunak is worried about increasing public borrowing in the event that interest rates start to rise to peg back inflation. The UK’s inflation rate jumped sharply from 1.5 per cent to 2.1 per cent in May.Officials also told the paper that the financing of the royal yacht was “a complete and utter sh**show” after Mr Sunak refused to fund the project – leaving the Ministry of Defence, the Cabinet Office and the Department of International Trade facing the bill.And the prime minister was accused of backing a “Marshall Plan” for climate change – which would involve the G7 helping developing countries meet carbon emissions targets – without telling the Treasury.The “triple lock” promise, which was a Conservative manifesto pledge in 2019, ensures pensions rise annually by whichever is the highest of average earnings growth, inflation or 2.5 per cent. More

Sir Keir Starmer’s top adviser has been moved out of his role as chief as staff following Labour’s worst ever by-election performance.Morgan McSweeney will instead take up a “strategic role” within the leader’s office, according to the party.”Morgan remains Keir’s number one adviser. He is staying on, staying in the top team and staying in LOTO (the Leader of the Opposition’s Office) focusing on getting Labour election-ready for 2023,” the source said.It follows the departure of communications director Ben Nunn and deputy communications director Paul Ovenden within hours of the Chesham and Amersham result.Concerns are now growing over Labour’s prospects in the by-election in Batley and Spen, which was murdered MP Jo Cox’s seat, on 1 July.A new poll put Ms Cox’s sister Kim Leadbetter on course to lose the Yorkshire constituency to the Conservatives by four per cent of the vote at 47 to 43.The by-election was triggered after Tracy Brabin, who won the seat for Labour in 2019 with a 3,525 majority over the Conservatives, was elected as the mayor of West Yorkshire in May.Labour came fourth in the Chesham and Amersham by-election with just 622 votes, or 1.6 per cent of the votes – meaning it lost its £500 deposit.Polling expert Sir John Curtice said it was the “worst Labour performance in any by-election”.Mr Starmer reshuffled his shadow cabinet after several disappointing results during the May elections, and is now overseeing a shake-up of his staff.In Mr Nunn’s departure email to staff, the aide said he was standing down from his role to “go forward and do something different”, but claimed that he believed Mr Starmer “will be a great prime minister”.By contrast Mr Ovenden left his job for family reasons. “It’s been an incredibly tough decision to step back from a job I love but at this difficult time, family comes first,” he tweeted. “I’ll be back digging up stories before you know it.” More

Robert Buckland must resign as Justice Secretary if he cannot reverse the plunging prosecution and conviction levels for rape within a year, Labour has demanded.Shadow justice secretary David Lammy accused Mr Buckland of shedding “crocodile tears” this week when he apologised for the downward trends in bringing sexual offenders to justice.Ministers set out plans for a “system and culture change” after convictions for rape and lesser offences in England and Wales hit a record low.Mr Buckland said sorry over the dire situation and accepted Government cuts to the legal system played a part in plunging conviction rates following the publication of an official review.But Mr Lammy said: “The Justice Secretary’s crocodile tears will mean nothing if the Government fails to reverse its disastrous failure of rape victims.“The Conservatives’ decade of cuts to the justice system has let rapists and other violent criminals off the hook while denying victims justice.“Rape convictions and prosecutions have more than halved in three years. If he cannot reverse these figures within a year of his apology, the Justice Secretary should do the honourable thing and resign.”The latest CPS figures for 2019-20 show 1,439 suspects were convicted of rape or lesser offences in England and Wales last year – the lowest level since records began.That figure was down from 1,925 the previous year, despite reports of adult rape to police almost doubling since 2015-16.There are an estimated 128,000 victims of rape and attempted rape a year, but only 1.6% of reported cases results in a charge.A Tory spokesman accused Mr Lammy of “continuing to play politics with such a serious issue”.“But more worryingly, It shows naivety and a poor understanding of the criminal justice system to think that five years of decline can be reversed at the drop of a hat,” the spokesman added.“We’re focused on delivering justice for victims, not headlines for newspapers.”Earlier this week, Mr Buckland said he was “deeply ashamed” by the downward trends and cited a raft of measures aimed at increasing the number of allegations to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).They are also intended to increase the number of suspects charged, and ensure the amount of cases reaching court return to 2016 levels by the end of this Parliament.Measures include a pilot scheme aimed at reducing cross-examination of victims in court by conducting pre-recorded interviews and a nationwide recognition that only evidence about the complainant that is pertinent to the case should be used.A new approach to investigations which ensures that there is an “early and robust assessment of suspect behaviour and offending patterns” is also planned.Press Association More

Labour is to force a vote in parliament on the government’s planning reforms and invite rebellious Tory MPs to vote against them.The opposition says the government’s plans to deregulate the planning system will see developers “set loose to bulldoze and concrete over neighbourhoods and green spaces”.It comes after the Tories were defeated in a parliamentary by-election in Buckinghamshire on the back of a campaign by the Liberal Democrats that opposed the planning reforms.Many residents of Amersham and Chesham, which had been Tory since the constituency’s creation, objected to plans to build homes near the towns’ two London Underground stations.Keir Starmer’s party, which won around two per cent of the vote at the by-election, is now pushing at Westminster to capitalise on Tory backbench opposition to the reforms.Many Conservative MPs, including the former prime minister, Theresa May, have already spoken out against the proposals included in the government’s white paper, which are yet to be turned into legislation. In a parliamentary debate on Monday Labour will argue that local residents should be able to object to “oversized developments in quiet residential neighbourhoods” and stop developers building on green spaces.“The Conservatives are selling out communities to pay back the developers who increasingly bankroll their party,” said Steve Reed, Labour’s shadow communities secretary.“Good development can only happen when developers and communities work together, but the Developers’ Charter will gag local residents from having their say. Developers will be set loose to bulldoze and concrete over neighbourhoods and green spaces at will. “Voters have shown Conservative MPs what they think of the Developers’ Charter. Those MPs now have the chance to join Labour in voting to kill off these perverse reforms once and for all.”Under the Conservative planning reforms certain parts of the country would be designated “growth” areas. In these places, any planning application confirming to agreed local plans would automatically given initial permission.Other areas would be split into “protected” places where development would largely be blocked, and “renewal” areas where local councils would have to generally look favourably on planning applications.A new housing algorithm would also introduce binding local housebuilding quotas as a way of meeting the government’s England-wide 300,000 homebuilding target.The government says its reforms are necessary to meet England’s housing shortage. Demand for homes is estimated to be around 345,000 per year, with just 244,000 homes in 2019-20, around 1 per cent higher than the year before.Labour says the fact over a million homes over the last decade have been given planning permission and never been built suggests the bottleneck is not due to the planning system.Levels of private housing development have stayed relatively stable since the 1950s, when housing demand was being met. However since the early 1980s a vast fall in the construction of council homes has seen demand for homes far exceed supply. More

Former Commons speaker John Bercow has announced he is joining Labour as he launched a scathing attack on Boris Johnson.Mr Bercow, an ex-Tory MP, said he had joined Labour a few weeks ago because he is motivated by the party’s values.Lashing out at the prime minister, he said the Conservatives today are a “reactionary, populist, nationalistic and sometimes even xenophobic” party.Professing his support for Keir Starmer’s party, Mr Bercow said: “I am motivated by support for equality, social justice and internationalism. That is the Labour brand.”After more than a decade in the chair, Mr Bercow stepped down from the speaker role in October 2019, following a tumultuous period in which he oversaw the final stages of the Brexit agreement.He was the subject of intense anger from Brexit-supporting MPs who believed a series of rulings he made during his time as speaker favoured remain-supporting MPs.The PM later broke with hundreds of years of precedent by refusing to give him a peerage when he stepped down and left parliament.He had also been accused of bullying by Commons clerks, which he denied. He claimed last year there was a “conspiracy” to stop him getting a seat in the House of Lords.In an explosive interview with The Observer, the former MP for Buckingham said the current government needed to be replaced and that Labour “is the only vehicle that can achieve that objective”.He also accused the PM of having no interest in anybody but himself, despite his so-called “levelling-up” agenda.“He is a successful campaigner but a lousy governor,” he told the paper. “I don’t think he has any vision of a more equitable society, any thirst for social mobility or any passion to better the lot of people less fortunate than he is.”He added: “I think increasingly people are sick of lies, sick of empty slogans, sick of a failure to deliver.”Asked if there is the possibility of being recommended for a peerage by Sir Keir Starmer, Mr Bercow said: “There has been no such discussion and I have asked for no such thing. This isn’t about revenge. That is not what motivates me.”The Labour leader’s office declined to comment on Mr Bercow joining the party.Shadow justice minister Karl Turner said he was unsurprised his “friend” had joined Labour, but was “delighted that he has”.On the Conservative side, however, pensions minister Guy Opperman said it was “from bad to worse for” Sir Kier, adding: “Labour are welcome to Bercow.”A senior government source said: “This will surprise nobody and shows Labour is still the party of remain.”Additional reporting by Press Association More

The government has been sent a “warning shot” by voters in Amersham and Chesham over planning reforms and the building of the HS2 railway, a senior Tory has said.Amanda Milling, co-chair of the Conservative Party, said her colleagues had heard the message from the constituency “loud and clear”.The Liberal Democrats captured the semi-rural seat at this week’s by-election following the death of its sitting MP Cheryl Gillian. The huge 25.2 per cent swing represented the first time the seat had been won by a party other than the Tories since its creation in 1974.Big issues at the election included the government’s planning reforms, plans to build houses near the towns’ pair of London Underground stations, and the HS2 railway, which is under construction nearby.”I am in no doubt that Thursday’s result is a warning shot and we are listening. And as co-chairman, I will ensure that we learn the lessons from this campaign,” Ms Milling said in an article in the Daily Telegraph.“Over the coming weeks and months, we will take stock of what happened in Chesham and Amersham and look at how we can regain the trust of voters there.”In a broadside at the victors, she added: “The concerns about planning and HS2 were loud and clear. These concerns were genuine but the Liberal Democrats employed their usual duplicitous tactics.“Despite the fact the Lib Dems stood on a manifesto in 2019 that backed HS2 they painted themselves as anti it. They also led a scaremongering campaign on planning, despite the fact the planning bill has not even been published yet.”Ms Milling also noted that “governments 11 years into power don’t win by-elections” and said the Conservative Party would direct money to “projects” in marginal seats.The result is unlikely to affect HS2, which is already under construction, but it could yet lead the government to rethink some of its planning reforms.Tory MPs in the party’s more rural heartlands have banded against the reforms, which the government says will encourage housebuilding.In the wake of the defeat Boris Johnson described the by-election result as “disappointing” and attributed the result to local issues.He insisted the government was focused on “uniting and levelling up within regions across the whole country”.The result of the by-election may not be indicative of a wider trend, as polls still suggest the Conservative have a commanding lead over the other parties.The Liberal Democrats are also accomplished by-election campaigners and have in recent years won many seats at standalone contests and then promptly lost them at ensuing general elections. More

Boris Johnson tells planning critics they’re wrong despite by-election humiliationThe government has been sent a “warning shot” by voters in the Chesham and Amersham by-election, the co-chairman of the Tories has said.Amanda Milling said voters’ concerns over planning reforms and HS2 were “loud and clear” following the party’s defeat to the Liberal Democrats.Boris Johnson has been warned more “blue wall” seats could be in danger following Thursday’s historic win for the Lib Dems.Senior Tories say the prime minister must change course or face more defeats in southern seats, with a warning the Lib Dems could become the “natural party for the home counties”.Former Cabinet ministers are among worried Conservatives calling on the prime minister to accept the danger that his “blue wall” will crumble – in a “mirror image” of Labour’s plight in the north. Show latest update

1624112030Opinion: Calls for the courts to narrow their remit are deeply troublingThere is much to absorb from the Lord Chancellor’s thoughtful speech to the conference on the constitutional reform agenda, hosted by UCL on 17 June…but for any Lord Chancellor to suggest that the courts are “reading too much into the rule of law” is perhaps startling, writes Sir Jonathan Jones KCB QC (Hon).Read more from the former Treasury Solicitor below:Chiara Giordano19 June 2021 15:131624109775Opinion: Extending the eviction ban is a cheap trick – UK businesses need real supportOffering up an extended eviction ban in an attempt to damp down the hospitality industry’s fury is a neat, some would say cheap, trick because it’s a concession that doesn’t put any more Treasury skin in the game, writes our chief business commentator.Read more on this from James Moore below:Chiara Giordano19 June 2021 14:361624107986Give all workers right to work from home after Covid, says LabourAll employees should be given the right to work from home after the Covid-19 pandemic ends, Labour has said.The party’s shadow employment rights secretary Angela Rayner said the government should introduce a “default presumption” that flexible working would be permitted in law.Our policy correspondent Jon Stone has more on this story below:Chiara Giordano19 June 2021 14:061624106330Royal British Legion responds to reports it will ‘stop selling poppies in EU due to Brexit’The Royal British Legion (RBL) has released a statement saying post-Brexit regulations will only affect sales to the EU from its online Poppy Shop and would not impact the distribution of poppies to RBL members in Europe for remembrance activities.It comes amid reports the charity sent an email to supporters stating it will “need to cease sales to customers in countries in the EU” for the foreseeable future until legislation surrounding Brexit is reviewed.A spokesperson for the RBL said: “The RBL’s distribution of paper poppies to the EU is not affected as a result of the UK leaving the European Union.“Goods sold by our online Poppy Shop to customers in the EU will be subject to the local rate of VAT and customs fees from 1 July.“These costs are often higher than the value of the goods themselves and to pass them on to customers is not reasonable, therefore regrettably we are ceasing sales to customers in countries in the EU until such time as that legislation is reviewed.”Chiara Giordano19 June 2021 13:381624105206Community divisions being stoked by outsiders in Batley by-election, says Jo Cox’s sisterOn the campaign trail in Batley, Kim Leadbeater, sister of murdered MP Jo Cox, has hit out at candidates who would only “cause problems for our community” in what appeared to be a swipe at rival George Galloway.Here, she talks exclusively to our north of England correspondent Colin Drury:Chiara Giordano19 June 2021 13:201624104034Former government legal chief blasts Justice Secretary for claiming judges are becoming politicisedThe former head of the government’s legal service has hit out at the justice secretary for suggesting judges are becoming “politicians by proxy”.Jonathan Jones, who quit in response to ministers’ plans to break international law over Brexit, said recent comments by Robert Buckland about a new balance being needed on rule of law were “startling”.Read our exclusive report by Kate Devlin and Jon Stone:Chiara Giordano19 June 2021 13:001624102235Labour ‘on course for more electoral humiliation’Keir Starmer is on course for another electoral battering at the Batley and Spen by-election next month, according to a new constituency poll.The new survey of the ‘red wall’ seat published by Survation found the Tories taking the West Yorkshire constituency with 47 per cent of the votePolicy correspondent Jon Stone looks at what lies ahead in next month’s vote.Alastair Jamieson19 June 2021 12:301624099854Chelsea Flower Show to feature garden with ‘strong political message’The Chelsea Flower Show will feature a garden with a “strong political message” this year that designers hope will attract the attention of government.The Royal Horticultural Society plot will aim to highlight how gardening can play a role in tackling climate change ahead of the United Nations climate summit (Cop26).My colleague Joanna Taylor explains more here:Chiara Giordano19 June 2021 11:501624098054Andrew Lloyd Webber rejects Boris Johnson’s offer of help for CinderellaAndrew Lloyd Webber has rejected Boris Johnson’s offer for his musical Cinderella to be included in a pilot scheme for live events.Earlier this week the PM said he was in talks with Lord Lloyd-Webber about including the West End show in the scheme, saying he will “do whatever we can to be helpful”.Lord Lloyd-Webber was criticised by a government source after he rejected the offer on Friday.Read more on this story below:Chiara Giordano19 June 2021 11:201624096854Businessman jailed for a year over ‘vile’ threats to MPs who criticised BrexitA businessman who sent death threats to MPs in a series of emails warning them not to block Brexit has been jailed for 12 months.Paul Ritchie, 35, targeted more than a dozen different politicians including ex-Commons speaker John Bercow, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, former home secretary Amber Rudd and current Lib Dem leader Ed Davey.My colleague Peter Stubley has the full story here:Chiara Giordano19 June 2021 11:00 More