UK

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorPrivate schools at risk of closure as the government imposes 20 per cent VAT are already facing “big budget shortfalls”, education secretary Bridget Phillipson said.Labour has pledged to end the VAT exemption for private schools to raise an estimated £1.6bn, which the party said would be used to hire 6,500 teachers in the state sector. Ms Phillipson said the plan is aimed at “driving high standards in our state schools”. While concerns have been raised over the future of some independent schools as a result of the planned tax hike, the education secretary said issues facing schools that are struggling to survive come partly as a result of their own business choices. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson (Jordan Pettitt/PA) More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorLabour’s education secretary has confirmed that the government does not plan to lift visa restrictions imposed on international students by the previous Conservative administration. The restrictions, introduced in January, bar most overseas students from bringing family members to the UK. Bridget Phillipson was asked in an interview with Sky News whether the visa rules should be reversed. She responded: “We don’t intend to change that.” The cabinet minister praised the “tremendous contribution” international students make to the country, both economically and in local communities.She said: “In economic terms, into where it comes to the communities where they will come and live, Sunderland – where I’m a member of parliament – we have lots of students that come from around the world, often as postgraduate students, that study and make a contribution.“But it’s also a big part of our reach around the world, the impact that we can have as a country, the business links, the trading links, the opportunities and the bridges that we build between nations.”Universities have reported a sharp decline in applications from international students, following the introduction of the measures. The government’s recent review of the graduate visa route, which allows international students to work in the UK for two to three years after their studies, has fueled concerns that more restrictions could be on the horizon. In a joint letter to the home secretary Yvette Cooper, university groups including BUILA and the Russell Group cautioned that the additional restrictions could undermine the higher education sector, one of the country’s most successful export industries. They argued that the current visa rules are damaging the UK’s reputation as a premier destination for international students. The Home Office recently reported an almost 80 per cent reduction in the number of dependents accompanying international students to the UK. More than 26,000 fewer student visa applications were made between January and March 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, according to the report. More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorFormer Conservative minister Thérèse Coffey, a close ally of former prime minister Liz Truss, applied for a senior job in the Treasury after being defeated in her constituency at the general election.Ms Coffey, who served as Ms Truss’s deputy prime minister, tried to become the UK director at the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development (EBRD) but was rejected from the role.The Treasury oversees the application process, with chancellor Rachel Reeves ultimately deciding who is appointed to the position.The environment secretary backed the support of a herbicide which some studies have suggested could be harmful to wildlife (Jonathan Brady/PA) More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorThe vast majority of Labour voters support Keir Starmer moving the country to a shorter working week, according to a new poll.Nearly three-quarters, 72 per cent, back the idea, pollsters Survation found.Tory voters were less keen, with less than half, just 43 per cent, in favour.But, perhaps surprisingly, so were 59 per cent of those who voted for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, almost the same as the overall average of 60 per cent.Office workers crossing London bridge on the way to the City More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorLiz Truss has hit out on social media after a banner featuring a lettuce was unfurled behind her as part of a stunt by a campaign group, saying the prank was “not funny”. She dubbed the group behind the prank, Led by Donkeys, “far-left”, accusing them of attempting to “suppress free speech”. The former prime minister, who lasted just 49 days in office, stormed off stage at an event in Suffolk on Tuesday after the banner, emblazoned with the vegetable and carrying the words “I crashed the economy”, was unveiled.The stunt was a reference to the challenge set by the Daily Star newspaper in October 2022 to see if Ms Truss’s premiership could outlast the shelf life of a head of iceberg lettuce.Ms Truss left the stage after the banner was brought to her attention More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorSadiq Khan oversaw the completion of just 71 new affordable homes in London during the last economic quarter, falling hundreds short of his own target.The mayor’s Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) also only started work on a further 150 properties between April and June 2024, according to new figures released by the Greater London Authority (GLA) on Wednesday.The AHP, funded with £4billion of government money and managed by City Hall, was originally meant to deliver 35,000 dwellings across the capital between 2021 and 2026. But the target was cut last year to between 23,900 and 27,200. This amounts to a target of around 1,100 per quarter to hit the lower limit. Affordable homes are those sold or let through various public and private schemes at 20 per cent below local market value to help individuals who live in the area but may struggle to afford open market prices.The Tories have written to housing secretary Angela Rayner, demanding she put the GLA under “special measures”, saying the number of affordable homes being built in the capital are “unacceptably low”.Sadiq Khan (Jordan Pettitt/PA) More