News

Gillian Keegan said she would have “probably punched” rude Ofsted staff as she spoke at the Association of School and College Leaders annual conference on Friday, 8 March.The education secretary appeared to shock Q&A host Pepe Di’Iasio with a frank admission about a “fantastic” school she had recently visited.Ms Keegan said: “They told me how their Ofsted experience had gone and I was shocked. I was actually shocked.“I thought: God if I had met these people, I would have probably punched them. They were really rude.”Mike Short, head of education at Unison, said: “To suggest punching people is an appropriate reaction is not becoming of a government minister.” More

Theresa May has announced she will not stand as an MP in the next general election, bringing her 27-year career in Parliament to an end.The former prime minister, 67, revealed her decision to stand down as MP for Maidenhead on Friday (8 March), saying she would focus on championing causes including the fight against modern slavery.The Independent has taken a look at Ms May’s most memorable television moments over the last three decades, from being elected the Conservative Party leader, to dancing to Abba and stepping down as prime minister. More

David Cameron has urged Hamas to accept the hostage deal as he reiterated a call for a “permanent sustainable ceasefire”.The foreign secretary’s remarks in Berlin on Thursday, 7 March, came after Hamas’s delegation left talks in Cairo without a deal for a Gaza ceasefire ahead of Ramadan.Lord Cameron also called for 500 aid trucks a day to prevent famine in Gaza as he downplayed a diplomatic rift with Germany.”No-one is doing more than Britain and Germany to pile that pressure on, let’s remember that there’s a group of people that could stop this conflict right now. And that is Hamas,” Lord Cameron said. More

Jeremy Hunt refuses to tell Robert Peston how many houses he owns as the pair clashed in a post-Budget interview broadcast on Wednesday, 6 March.The chancellor has seven apartments in Southampton, a half-share of holiday house in Italy, and a half-share of an office building in London, according to the register of interests.It comes after he mocked Angela Rayner, who has faced questions about selling her former council house, while announcing a capital gains tax cut.Mr Hunt would not be drawn on how many properties he owns, telling Mr Peston: “These are personal questions.” More

An ITV presenter mispronounced Jeremy Hunt’s name during a live broadcast on Thursday, 7 March, prompting an urgent correction for her accidental use of a swear word.Broadcaster Nina Hossain was speaking to a correspondent in Greater Manchester, when she mispronounced the chancellor’s surname.”You spoke to Mr c***”,” the presenter said before immediately correcting her mistake.”Mr Hunt, how did he respond to calls for her to resign?” she said afterward.It’s not the first time a newsreader has slipped up with Mr Hunt’s name – BBC presenter Victoria Derbyshire made the same mistake in 2019. More

Jeremy Hunt has claimed an autumn general election is the government’s “working assumption”.The chancellor dropped a hint about when the nation will next take to the polls during an appearance on Sky News on Thursday 7 March, the morning after delivering his Budget.“When it comes to the choices voters make in an election, it’s about trust,” Mr Hunt said.“Do they see a Conservative government taking responsible, difficult decisions for the long term? Whether [the prime minister] chooses to have the election early, or chooses – which is the working assumption – to do it in the autumn, a Budget has to be responsible.” More

Jeremy Hunt said he has not been called a “drag queen before” after being dubbed “the fiscal drag queen” due to frozen thresholds pulling people into higher tax rates.The chancellor was a guest on Radio 4’s Today programme on Thursday (7 March), when presenter Amol Rajan informed him he had been called “the fiscal drag queen”.“I want to make a start on bringing down taxes. I’ve never said for one moment that I can bring them right down all in one go,” he said.“I don’t think I’ve ever been called a drag queen before, by the way.” More

Jeremy Hunt clashed with BBC Breakfast presenter Charlie Stayt as the chancellor was forced to defend his spring Budget.The presenter quizzed the chancellor over his Budget on Thursday’s show (7 March) and asked: “Is it true that if you are earning £15,000, because of your decisions yesterday, you will be £400 a year worse off?“Hang on, you’re taking one figure in isolation,” Mr Hunt said. The chancellor then went on to explain how he had increased benefit payments, local housing allowance and extended household support to help people on a low income.The presenter said: “One thing you don’t seem to be able to do is say that is true.” More