Author: MoorningTimes

Badenoch says she expects Lib Dem motion demanding release of Andrew trade envoy documents to pass without need for voteQ: Are you going to back the Lib Dem motion calling for the release of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor documents?Badenoch says she does not think there will be a vote, because she thinks all MPs agree with this.But she goes on to criticise the second Lib Dem opposition day motion today, which is the one saying on Monday 9 March the Lib Dems should have control of the parliamentary timetable so they can pass a bill an online services (age restrictions) bill. She…

Manchester has always been a place shaped by solidarity, by the belief that what you contribute matters more than where you come from, and by a quiet but unshakeable pride in looking out for one another. Some people are born here, others are drawn here, but, after more than 30 years of calling Manchester home, I know its character is defined by fairness, inclusivity and a determination to get on together.That is the Manchester I know and loveand it is that Manchester that is on the ballot in the upcoming Gorton and Denton byelection.Because beneath the noise, the speculation and…

Just six months ago Peter Mandelson seemed unassailable as the UK’s ambassador to the US, one of the most vaunted positions in British diplomacy. As our man in Washington, Mandelson appeared to have used his skill for schmoozing, learned over years as a cabinet minister and a European commissioner, to secure a good relationship with the tricky Trump administration. He was considered instrumental in securing a relatively favourable US trade deal for the UK.He was also an influential voice in Labour politics with the ear of the prime minister and his inner circle, notably his friend and protege Morgan McSweeney,…

A cap on court sitting days is to be lifted as the government seeks to ease the cases backlog, David Lammy has announced.The justice secretary and deputy prime minister said every crown court in England and Wales would be funded to hear more cases in the next financial year.Criminal barristers welcomed the move, which followed discussions with the lady chief justice, Sue Carr, as significant. Lammy is preparing to make further announcements intended to ease a backlog of at least 80,000 criminal cases.The agreement guarantees there will be no limit on the number of days on which crown courts can…

With its education white paper, the key section of which concerns support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send), the government is returning to a more holistic view of schools. High standards and inclusion should be “two sides of the same coin”, the document states. The narrowing of the Department for Education’s focus under Michael Gove is being reversed – even if the New Labour name for the Department for Children, Schools and Families is not coming back.Ambitious targets on attendance and a halving of the attainment gap between richer and poorer pupils are meant to boost wellbeing…

The Cabinet Office minister at the centre of a growing scandal over an alleged smear campaign in which he falsely linked journalists to a “pro-Kremlin” network is facing mounting questions over the candour of his public statements.Josh Simons ran Labour Together, a thinktank that faced press scrutiny in November 2023 over £730,000 in undeclared political donations.Simons commissioned an American public affairs company – Apco – to investigate the sourcing of the story, which appeared in the Sunday Times. The story was based on documents obtained by the freelance journalist Paul Holden, which were due to feature in further stories published…

Phillipson seeks to reassure parents worried getting EHCPs will get harder, saying they shouldn’t be ‘only way’ to get helpPhillipson took questions from journalists after her speech.Q: What is your message for parents?Phillipson said: double quotation markMy message today to parents is that we are going to take away that fight that so many parents have had over such a long period of time to get the support that should be much more readily available to their children. Q: What reassurance can you give to parents who are worried that they will no longer be able to get an EHCP…

The advent of fully comprehensive education. Raising the school leaving age to 16. The introduction of a national curriculum. Each of these reforms reflected the growing value we placed on education as a society, and the growing sense that it was critical – not just for individuals, but for the country – that each and every young person was given the best possible chance to succeed.Opportunities to define the future of education don’t come around very often. That is the opportunity we have this week.Over the past decade, we have seen exponential growth in the number of children with special…

Reform UK would create an ICE-style agency dedicated to deporting hundreds of thousands of people, as well as terminating the status of those with indefinite leave to remain (ILR), the party will say.It would also ban the conversion of churches into mosques and fund a radical expansion of stop and search, the party’s new home affairs spokesperson, Zia Yusuf, will also say in a speech on Monday. The deradicalisation programme Prevent would also have its mandate redrawn to focus on Islamist extremism.Labour said the plans were divisive and showed that Reform was planning “to deport people who have followed the…

Ministers will unveil a “generational” overhaul of special educational needs and disabilities (Send) support, pledging £4bn to transform provision in schools in England and warning councils they could lose control of Send services if they fail to meet their legal duties.The reforms are expected to be a key policy moment for Keir Starmer and for the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson – who delayed the changes last autumn after a ferocious backlash from MPs and parents.Writing for the Guardian, Phillipson said it would be “improved support, not removed support” and said it was a once in a generation moment to “define…