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A Tory minister said the “trans debate” is a “contested political issue and shouldn’t be taught as fact” as a report suggested education secretary Gillian Keegan will announce plans to prevent children from being taught they can change their gender identity until they are aged 13.Schools will be told not to teach children any sex education until year 5, when pupils are aged nine, the Times reported.Measures will rule out any explicit conversations about sex until they are aged 13, the newspaper said.Responding to the report on Wednesday, 15 May, policing minister Chris Philp added said he does not want children to be “exposed to inappropriate, sexual material at school.” More

Grant Shapps has claimed the UK is experiencing a “golden age” of shipbuilding, with up to 28 Royal Navy vessels either being constructed or planned.The defence secretary confirmed that up to six multi-role support ships (MRSS) – designed to deliver commandos onto coastlines around the world to conduct special operations – would be built.New drone-carrying ships for the Royal Marines will draw on lessons learned from the Ukraine war and the Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea.Meanwhile, Type 23 frigates HMS Argyll and HMS Westminster will be retired. More

Grant Shapps was pressed on whether the up to six ships the government has pledged to build are from a Conservative pledge two years ago.The defence secretary has claimed the UK was experiencing a “golden age” of shipbuilding, with “up to” 28 Royal Navy vessels either being constructed or planned.When questioned if the vessels are “the same ones the government pledged to build two years ago”, Mr Shapps said: “Yes, we’ve signalled that we’d want to build new ships for our commandos. And that’s something we’ve said all along. What’s changed is we’re now able to do it because we’ve increased our defense spending.” More

Esther McVey has defended her role as the “minister for common sense” – an unofficial title bestowed after her appointment to the Cabinet Office in Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle – in a speech quoting Aristotle on Monday, 13 May.The Conservative MP for Tatton referenced the Greek philosopher in a speech at the right-wing Centre for Policy Studies think tank as she announced there would be no more spending on external equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) contracts without an explicit sign-off from a minister.”Aristotle thought common sense helped us form coherent thoughts and make rational decisions. It’s as important [as] a sense of sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell,” Ms McVey said. More

Rishi Sunak ruled out a January election in a speech on Monday, 12 May, after the Conservatives suffered blows in local and regional elections earlier this month.In a pre-election pitch to voters, the prime minister said: “At some point in the second half of this year, we will all go to the polls… I remain confident that my party can prevail, not because of our record alone, but because we will be the only party really talking about the future.”It came as the Tories dropped behind Labour in the polls.Mr Sunak has previously declined to rule out an election in July, repeatedly saying his “working assumption” is that it would be later this year. More

Lord David Cameron said it would be “absolutely right” for Rishi Sunak to call a general election in the second half of the year because it would give voters time to see “the plan is working”.The foreign secretary told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme today (12 May): “I think the prime minister is a good man doing a great job at a difficult time.“And I think you’ve got a very clear choice opening up, and that’s what happens as you get to the end of a parliament. It stops being a referendum on the government every day and it starts being a choice between two teams.”Lord Cameron added: “Labour is desperate for an election because the longer you look at it you can see the plan is working.” More

Sir Keir Starmer said the UK’s failed asylum system has turned refugee camps into a “job-centre for modern slavery” as he outlined Labour’s plan to stop small boat crossings on Friday 10 May.The Labour leader delivered a speech on the Kent coast in which he attacked the government’s current approach as “rank incompetence” and dismissed the Rwanda scheme.Sir Keir also recalled a visit to a refugee camp on the outskirts of Calais in 2016 and described the situation as a “monumental failure”.“People had been brutally let down,” he said.“Not just in terms of the truly awful conditions but also because the failure of our asylum system had encouraged a false hope.” More

Tory minister Claire Coutinho has defended Rishi Sunak’s recent poor party election results as she insisted the Conservatives have got a “very positive agenda”.The Conservative Party suffered its worst electoral defeat in years last week, losing more than half of its councillors who stood for re-election across England.The energy secretary defended the Conservative Party’s results when she appeared on ITV’s Peston show on Wednesday night (8 May) and was asked if the prime minister should change his plans. More