UK

Civil service hopefuls will have their fates decided by their parents’ jobs under a shakeup aimed at recruiting more staff from working class backgrounds. The government will tighten eligibility criteria for Whitehall internships as part of a broader push to make the civil service more representative of the working class.The main Whitehall internship scheme will be limited to students from “lower socio-economic backgrounds” and based on which occupations their parents held when they were 14.Pat McFadden said the civil service needs to be more representative of the country as a whole More

A government minister has reopened the door to a wealth tax, just days after the business secretary dismissed the idea as “daft”. Asked about a wealth tax, policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said it is “important… that all these issues are looked at and discussed and we look at the evidence about what will work and what won’t work”.But last week, business secretary Jonathan Reynolds slapped down the concept, urging his colleagues to stop calling for a “magic wealth tax” that does not exist and dismissing it as “daft”. It comes amid mounting questions over how the government will raise the money to fill the black hole in the public finances left by a series of major U-turns and spending commitments.Dame Diana Johnson left the door open to a wealth tax More

Marco Rubio has lashed out at Sir Keir Starmer, describing the prime minister as “clumsy” over his plan to recognise a Palestinian state in September. In the strongest condemnation yet from the Trump administration, the US secretary of state said the prime minister was “clumsy” for vowing to recognise Palestine before Hamas releases the remaining hostages taken during the October 7 attacks. Speaking to Fox News Radio, Mr Rubio said: “The UK is like, well, ‘if Israel doesn’t agree to a ceasefire by September, we’re going to recognise a Palestinian state’.“So if I’m Hamas, I say, ‘you know what, let’s not allow there to be a ceasefire.’ If Hamas refuses to agree to a ceasefire, it guarantees a Palestinian state will be recognised by all these countries in September.Marco Rubio (far right) pictured with Trump and Starmer in the Oval Office during the prime minister’s visit to the White House in February More

Yvette Cooper shed tears as she became emotional discussing the victim of a ninja sword stabbing in Wolverhampton.As a ban on the weapons came into effect, the home secretary described the mother of Ronan Kanda, 16, showing her the last moment she shared with her son before he was murdered. “His mother, Pooja, showed me the CCTV from outside her house. [It was] the last time she saw her son. It was the honour of her showing me their affectionate goodbye … then he goes off and she doesn’t see him again,” Ms Cooper told The Times as she wiped away tears.Yvette Cooper became emotional talking about the ninja sword ban More

Labour has been urged to launch a massive expansion of family centres under the Sure Start brand to fend off Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. A commission backed by Labour peer Hilary Armstrong has said a reintroduction of Sure Start family centres could rebuild faith in neighbourhoods blighted by Tory austerity. Her Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods found the reinstatement of Sure Start would be backed across the political spectrum, with two-thirds of potential Reform voters supporting the move.Bridget Phillipson has been urged to revive the Sure Start brand to fend off Reform More

Sir Sadiq Khan has threatened legal action against the government over its controversial plans to allow a third runway at Heathrow. The London mayor doubled down on his opposition to the plans, warning that it will have a “severe impact” in terms of noise and air pollution and leave Britain’s climate targets in jeopardy. Sir Sadiq said he will “carefully scrutinise” Heathrow’s expansion plans and the impact they will have on Londoners.Khan threatens legal action against the government More

Former Labour minister Anneliese Dodds has urged the government to consider a wealth tax at the next Budget in order to plug holes in the public finances. The former shadow chancellor – who quit Sir Keir Starmer’s government in February over the PM’s decision to cut the foreign aid budget to fund a boost in defence spending – warned that spending cuts will not “deliver the kind of fiscal room that is necessary”.It comes amid mounting questions over how the government will raise the money to fill the black hole in the public finances left by a series of major U-turns and spending commitments.Ministers have already squeezed significant savings out of their departments in cuts that were unveiled at last month’s spending review, meaning there is now a mounting expectation that the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, will be forced to raise taxes instead.Anneliese Dodds resigned over cuts to the aid budget earlier this year More

Fears have been raised about the future of an initiative launched by Angelina Jolie and William Hague to tackle sexual violence in warzones which has been plunged into chaos in the wake of Sir Keir Starmer’s aid cuts. A funding settlement for Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) was due to run out on Thursday, with critics of the prime minister’s decision to reduce international aid calling for him to urgently agree a new budget for the programme.An annual review of PSVI in October called for it to be extended as it “retains a strong strategic fit with current government priorities”. But Sir Keir’s cuts, which he used to fund a boost in the defence budget, came just four months later. William Hague launched the initiative championed by Angelina JolieGovernment officials insisted the programme will be funded until the end of 2026, with millions of pounds set aside for the next financial year. But the money appears to have come from stretching its initial settlement over a longer timeframe, with experts warning the programme faces months of uncertainty until a new multi-year deal is announced. October’s review said the programme had “demonstrated impressive results”, giving survivors of sexual violence access to medical, psychological and financial support to rebuild their lives. It also highlighted a need for PSVI to lean into current crises, including ongoing conflicts in Sudan and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.PSVI was founded in 2012 by former foreign secretary Lord Hague with the support of Hollywood actress and former UN special envoy Ms Jolie More