UK

Children will need to be given democracy lessons in schools from the age of 11 to help prepare them to vote at age 16, the head of the UK elections watchdog has said.Democratic education will be rolled out to those aged 14 and over first, said Vijay Rangarajan, the chief executive of the Electoral Commission – but added that this will need to be expanded to make sure young people are ready to cast their vote. He also said teachers will be asked to leave their politics at the classroom door in order to make sure students get the broadest understanding of the political system, and are not swayed on how to vote. Labour’s manifesto committed the party to lowering the voting age for parliamentary elections to 16, in line with Scottish and Welsh elections More

The courts would probably block Nigel Farage’s attempts at mass deportation using British common law, even if he “unpicked Britain” from international human rights laws, former attorney general Dominic Grieve has warned.The shot across the bows for Reform UK’s extreme proposals comes as Mr Farage prepares to lay out details on his plan on Tuesday morning.Mr Grieve, who recently led the UK Governance Project, a commission which set out recommendations to restore confidence in decision-makers, has issued a scathing critique of Reform’s plans to crack down on the small boats and illegal immigration.It comes as polling by YouGov has revealed that the public is losing confidence in Sir Keir Starmer to tackle the migration crisis, with 71 per cent saying he is handling it “badly” amid record numbers of small boats crossing the Channel, despite a new returns deal with France.Dominic Grieve said Reform’s deportation plan could be blocked by the courts More

A second day of demonstrations outside asylum hotels saw protesters clash with police on Sunday as the government set out plans to accelerate the appeals process for refugees whose claims are rejected. Under the “Abolish Asylum System” banner, demonstrators gathered in Solihull, Dudley, Epping, Stevenage, London, Manchester, and Norwich.Yvette Cooper said a new fast-track appeals system would see decisions made more quickly, curtailing the spiralling backlog in the courts and helping Labour meet its promise to end the use of asylum hotels. While the backlog of initial decisions has been cut under Labour, there are about 51,000 asylum appeals waiting to be heard, more than a year on average to reach a decision.Decisions will be prioritised for foreign national offenders and those in asylum accommodation under the plans, with professionally trained adjudicators replacing judges to remove cases from the backed-up justice system. Home secretary Yvette Cooper vowed to speed up the appeals process More

Angela Rayner has purchased an £800,000 seaside apartment in Hove, which will be a third home for the deputy prime minister. Critics called on Ms Rayner to answer questions about the properties she owns and where she pays council tax after she purchased the property. Shadow housing secretary James Cleverly said: “Angela Rayner is responsible for housing policy, yet she won’t even be straight about her own.” “Time and again she’s been asked to declare exactly what properties she owns and where she pays council tax, and time and again she’s dodged those questions,” he told The Mail on Sunday. He added: “We’ve done everything possible to get answers, but she still refuses to come clean. That matters, because this is the same deputy prime minister who’s hiked taxes on family homes across the country. If she’s not prepared to be open about her own affairs while taxing everyone else, the public will wonder what she has to hide.”Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner is also housing secretary More

Labour will abolish most short prison sentences and roll out a Texas-style scheme under which inmates can earn early release through good behaviour, it has emerged. The government will next month legislate for the changes, as well as toughening up community punishments. As it seeks to avoid a fresh prison capacity crisis, it will seek to pass a bill containing the changes when parliament returns from recess in September. Shabana Mahmood is pressing ahead with the Texas-style plans More

Sir Keir Starmer’s winter fuel cuts will hit around 600,000 disabled pensioners, the government’s analysis of the policy found.The prime minister’s decision to restrict the payment to those earning £35,000 or less will see more than two million pensioners miss out on the allowance, worth up to £300.Of those, more than a quarter are disabled and will be forced to hand back the £300 payment through the tax system. Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves were forced to change course on winter fuel cuts More

Angela Rayner has been accused of a bid to block Sir Sadiq Khan from a return to parliament through new legislation. A bill tabled by the deputy prime minister would prevent the mayor of London from becoming an MP while still in office. The bill would thwart any chance of Sir Sadiq returning to parliament before the next general election, ending the prospect of a bid for the leadership if Sir Keir Starmer steps down.Ms Rayner’s department said the change, which would apply to other mayors including Andy Burnham, would ensure they are focussed on serving their cities. Angela Rayner has been accused of seeking to block Sadiq Khan’s path to potential Labour leadership More

Police and protesters clashed on Saturday as demonstrations against asylum hotels unfolded across the country.Protesters and counterprotesters gathered for demonstrations in towns and cities around England, including Bristol, Exeter, Tamworth, Cannock, Nuneaton, Liverpool, Wakefield, Newcastle, and Horley in Surrey, and at Canary Wharf in central London.There were also protests at Aberdeen and Perth in Scotland, and Mold in Flintshire, Wales.Demonstrators gathered outside asylum hotels on Saturday More