Poll: Brits' immigration fears at highest level since Brexit referendum
Labour has been struggling to counter the threat from Reform as Nigel Farage vows to take a tough approach on immigration. The insurgent party has been recording a clear lead in polls.
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Reuters
14 minutes ago
- Reuters
China confirms Xi meeting with EU's von der Leyen, Costa
BEIJING, July 21 (Reuters) - China confirmed on Monday it will hold a top-level summit with the European Union in Beijing this week marking 50 years of diplomatic ties as both sides seek to navigate trade disputes amid broader global trade uncertainties. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa will visit China on Thursday and meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday. China's Premier Li Qiang will be co-chairing the 25th China-EU summit with the EU leaders the same day. The meeting comes as global trade frictions heat up, with Beijing seeking to secure closer economic and political ties with the bloc to hedge against uncertainties in its relations with the United States. EU-China relations deteriorated sharply in 2021 when Brussels sanctioned Chinese officials over alleged human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region, a move that saw swift retaliatory sanctions from Beijing, halting much of bilateral exchanges. Relations have also been marred by various trade disputes in recent years, including those over Chinese-made electric vehicles, European brandy and pork, government purchases of medical devices, and rare earths. In a recent speech, von der Leyen praised China's economic progress but said the country had flooded global markets with its overcapacity, limited access to its market, and de-facto enabled Russia's war economy. The bloc, which calls China "a partner for cooperation, an economic competitor and a systemic rival," has also said it saw the need to thaw ties amid global trade uncertainties. After U.S. President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs in April, von der Leyen told China's Premier Li in a phone call that it was EU and China's responsibility "to support a strong reformed trading system, free, fair and founded on a level playing field."
Spectator
43 minutes ago
- Spectator
Labour's end-of-year school report is dire
As we approach the end of a long, hot summer term, it is a good time to reflect on the state of schools after one year of this Labour government. I teach in both the independent and state sectors and it is fair to say that both are feeling bruised and bewildered by the events of the last twelve months. Schools are poorer than they have been for a long time, facing huge and complex challenges. They also feel there is no leadership or vision to make the reforms necessary to bring lasting improvement. It's an F for Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary. The calendar year began in acrimony with the levy of 20 per cent VAT on school fees (which was brought forward from this coming September to January). It was rushed and ill-thought-through legislation which would bring little real benefit to state schools; most saw it as a deliberately spiteful act intended to hurt schools and families in the middle of the academic year. Irrespective of what you think of fee-paying schools, the decision to make them more expensive has been both disingenuous and self-defeating. Instead of the (disputed) £1.5 billion Labour claimed they would raise through VAT on fees going to state schools, Keir Starmer suggested in June that, actually, this money will go on affordable housing. It was a breathtaking admission of deception. Furthermore, teacher recruitment has fallen sharply since Labour gained power; there are record numbers of unfilled vacancies and the lowest number of newly qualified teachers are graduating since 2010. Starmer's VAT legislation was also self-defeating because it has placed more strain on the state sector: over 70 independent schools have closed since it was passed, and many of these children have enrolled at their local state schools. Expect far more private school closures next year. But if the government's policies for independent schools are characterised by vindictiveness, there is, at the very least, a clear intent. When it comes to state schools, there is nothing more than confusion and indecision. Look no further than the utterly pointless and damaging decision to scrap the Latin Excellence Programme, an act rightly described by Kristina Murkett in The Spectator as 'cultural vandalism'. It was a spiteful, unnecessary move which nobody in schools could defend or explain. Perhaps it was done because those currently in charge of school policy are fundamentally suspicious of anything that smells of elitism. This might also explain the decision to appoint Professor Becky Francis to oversee the review of the national curriculum. Francis is a well-known educationalist activist, and left-wing progressives were delighted by her appointment – only to be disappointed by her rather tepid interim report, published in March, which promised 'evolution not revolution'. Under this Labour government, it is becoming customary to hear bold statements but to see indecision and obfuscation. But it is in the botched 'reforms' to Ofsted where the lack of leadership at the Department for Education (DfE) is most evident. It takes incompetence to an astonishing level if the changes introduced to inspections are felt to be worse than those they have replaced. But when the new report cards – which replaced a 'single-word judgement' in favour of a five-point grading scale – were unveiled in February, many parents found them confusing. These have now been delayed until September for further consultation, leaving schools completely in the dark about how they will be inspected. Fundamentally, the government doesn't know what Ofsted should be or who is it for: is it for parents? For schools? For pupils? For politicians and civil servants? If you can't answer that, then you don't have a mechanism for assessing schools. The whole situation is a mess, branded by union leaders as 'reckless' and 'nonsensical'. Worse, it is potentially dangerous because without effective inspections children are at risk. Getting this wrong is a dereliction of duty by Phillipson. But the opprobrium that greeted the reforms to Ofsted are positively benign compared to the reception the current Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill has been met with. This has been described by the head teacher Katharine Birbalsingh as 'insane'. Others, such as the Children's Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, have warned that ministers are 'legislating against the things we know work in schools'. It is, indeed, a sclerotic bill, which has no unifying logic, other than to take autonomy away from academies, give more power to the Secretary of State and make recruitment even more difficult for schools. Such things remain, largely, outside the daily lives of those teachers who are, this week, looking forward to their well-earned breaks. What is very real, and what they grapple with, daily in too many cases, is appalling behaviour by pupils. Here, again, the picture is gloomy. Earlier this month, the DfE published data which showed that suspensions and permanent exclusions from schools resulting from physical assaults on teachers are at an all-time high. The breakdown in authority figures, both in school and across society, no doubt contributes to these depressing statistics and makes recruiting and retaining staff even more difficult. There are many more battles ahead. Some, like the guidance on relationships, sex and health education, will generate a lot of debate around gender identity and age-appropriate teaching. It seems to be a landscape filled with attritional culture war skirmishes, which will only add to the sense that Labour, in government, are still acting like a group of activists, not ministers. But this will pale into insignificance when the government faces another struggle to reform the bloated and hugely inefficient Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision. This currently costs the taxpayer £12 billion a year, and the bill is growing all the time. You would get very poor odds on Starmer getting any meaningful reforms through Parliament. The verdict on this government is that there is no vision and no clear sense of what they want or how they will go about getting it. This is nowhere more in evidence than in education, where personal prejudices, coupled with uncoordinated decisions, have had a hugely damaging impact on both the independent and private sectors. If you make a mistake with a piece of legislation, such as the winter fuel allowance, you can quickly reverse it. But changes made to how schools work take time and have lasting consequences. At the end of this difficult academic year, the impression is that Labour has learnt nothing, and that next year will be even more difficult for anyone who works in schools. Happy holidays, everyone.
BBC News
44 minutes ago
- BBC News
Final report into 'broken' water industry in England and Wales to be released
Update: Date: 04:52 BST Title: Key timings to be across this morning Content: We'll be hearing from Environment Secretary Steve Reed this morning It's not long now until the report into the water system is released. Here's how we're expecting the key moments this morning to play out: Update: Date: 04:48 BST Title: Join us as we dive into major review of 'broken' water industry Content: Mark PoyntingClimate reporter Last October, the government set up the independent Water Commission, led by former Bank of England deputy governor Sir Jon Cunliffe, to conduct a major review into the water industry in England and Wales. Today, we're getting the final report. It was sparked by growing public concern about sewage spills and rising bills, as well as decades of underinvestment in the sector, with climate change and population growth straining it further. Environment Secretary Steve Reed, who has described the water industry as "broken", said that this is the biggest review of the industry since 1989 – when it was privatised. This is 'our opportunity to clean up our water once and for all", he said. But the commission won't consider the idea of nationalising private water companies, Reed said, arguing that it would be too expensive and wouldn't necessarily lead to improvements. So, today's report will only give recommendations. It will ultimately be up to the government to decide what changes it wants to make. The report is due to be released in about an hour's time - we'll be diving into it and bringing you the key findings along with expert analysis throughout the morning, so stay with us.
