Closing summary
Rachel Reeves has said the government has “got to get the balance right on taxation”, following a call by the former shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds for the Treasury to consider introducing a wealth tax. Asked about Dodds’ suggestion, the chancellor refused to be drawn on whether such a move would be introduced.
A new civil service internship scheme will be open only to working-class students as part of a drive to make Whitehall better reflect the country, the government has said. The programme will give students from lower-income backgrounds the chance to apply for paid government placements. The definition of working class will be based on what jobs applicants’ parents held when they were 14 and replaces an existing programme open to all.
Private companies running special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) schools should face a cap on their profits to curb “shameless profiteering,” the Liberal Democrats have said. The party commissioned research revealing that some firms are raking in tens of millions of pounds a year, with profit margins topping 20%, BBC News reported.
The government should greatly expand family centres under the Sure Start brand to help win back Reform voters in former Labour heartlands, a commission backed by Labour politicians has said. Hilary Armstrong, the Labour peer and former cabinet minister, was among those pressing for a fuller reintroduction of family centres under the Sure Start label, saying it would help to rebuild trust in neighbourhoods damaged by austerity.
The Green Party’s occasionally fractious leadership contest has entered its final stages as members begin voting on Friday. The party’s more than 60,000 members face a choice between MPs Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns, and an insurgent campaign led by London Assembly member Zack Polanski.
Planned changes to the way funding allocations for children’s services are calculated would have a “devastating impact” on key services in London and beyond, councils have warned. They say the new approach, which is part of adjustments to the process of setting authorities’ overall annual core funding, risks “dramatically underestimating levels of need” across the country.
The build up of “anger, prejudice and misinformation” that led to the disorder last year is still there and could escalate again under the right circumstances, an anti-fascist organisation has warned. Hope Not Hate’s director of research Joe Mulhall said it is a “very, very febrile time”, as he described the 2024 summer disorder as the “most widespread period” of far-right violence in post-war Britain.
Keir Starmer and Volodymyr Zelenskyy “welcomed” Donald Trump’s new deadline on Russia during a call between the two leaders on Friday. A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “The prime minister spoke to president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy this afternoon. The prime minister began by sharing his condolences for the deadly attack on Kyiv in recent days. It was a bitter reminder of the human cost of the awful conflict perpetrated by Russia, the prime minister added.”
Heathrow has submitted its “shovel-ready” plans for a third runway as part of a £50bn investment, as the government said expanding Europe’s largest airport could create 100,000 jobs and drive growth. The 2-mile (3.2km) runway expansion would cross a diverted M25 and allow more than 750 additional flights a day over London, helping bring the total annual number of passengers to 150 million.
Heathrow’s third runway “is going to be empty” if high charges are levied on airlines and passengers to foot the bill, the airport’s biggest customer has warned. British Airways’ owner, International Airlines Group (IAG), said the price paid per passenger could double under plans revealed on Thursday by Heathrow to invest almost £50bn in expansion and upgrades, including a £21bn third runway and new terminals.
Confucius Institutes at universities across England are under threat from new free speech rules, setting off urgent talks between ministers, vice-chancellors and regulators over the fate of the China-backed language and culture centres. Universities fear that the new regulations imposed by the Office for Students (OfS) this month will cause legal headaches with their Chinese partners, including the government in Beijing, and could lead to some being closed.
Keir Starmer and Volodymyr Zelenskyy “welcomed” Donald Trump’s new deadline on Russia during a call between the two leaders on Friday.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “The prime minister spoke to president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy this afternoon.
“The prime minister began by sharing his condolences for the deadly attack on Kyiv in recent days. It was a bitter reminder of the human cost of the awful conflict perpetrated by Russia, the prime minister added.
“The prime minister then updated on president Trump’s visit to the UK and both leaders welcomed the president’s new deadline on Russia to stop their stalling tactics and make meaningful progress on a peace deal. It was clear Russia was the only barrier to peace, the leaders agreed.
“Turning to the landmark agreement to share battlefield technology and scale up the production of drones that the prime minister and president agreed in June, the prime minister updated on the strong progress being made at rapid pace.
“The prime minister also welcomed the passing of Ukraine’s anti-corruption Bill earlier this week. The leaders looked forward to speaking again soon.”
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