Latest news with #Torygovernment
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Call to shorten the length of school summer holidays
The summer school holidays have kicked off, with students across the country set to enjoy six weeks of freedom and hopefully, plenty of sunshine. However, there's a growing debate over whether this lengthy break is beneficial, with factors such as educational attainment, childcare costs for parents, and increased screen time on tablets and mobile phones all playing into the discussion about potentially shortening the longest period of leisure that British youngsters receive. Have your say! Should the school holidays be shortened? Do you think it would help pupils to get higher grades? Is it worth it to reduce the burden on working parents? Comment below, and join in on the conversation. Earlier this year, Ofsted chief Sir Martyn Oliver suggested it might be time to reassess the duration of the school holidays. Speaking to LBC, he said: "I think 190 days of children going in out of 365 - I think the question should be 'is that long enough'?". READ MORE: Coventry police warning to all drivers over 'pinch-and-park' tactic READ MORE: Face of Exhall dealer caught in Bedworth just two days after starting out Sir Martyn warned that pupils could experience "dysregulation" - the loss of good habits, discipline, and structure built up over the academic year. This change could particularly impact vulnerable or disadvantaged children. As part of its recovery strategy following the Covid-19 pandemic, the Tory government contemplated reducing the summer holidays to help students recover from two years of disruption, but this idea was never implemented. Warnings have been issued that children's screen time is set to soar during the summer holidays. A study by Vodafone, as reported by the Daily Star, suggests that youngsters could spend up to four hours a day on mobile devices. This represents a 42% increase in scrolling time compared to when children are in school, according to the report. Parents' concerns range from the potential for devices to disrupt sleep and negatively impact their child's mental health, to the risk of exposure to harmful content. The six-week summer break can pose challenges for working parents who need to organise childcare. Reducing the length of the summer holiday could ease this burden and prove more cost-effective for families. However, such a move could have repercussions for the traditional summer family getaway. Condensing the demand for flights, hotels, and long car journeys into a shorter period could lead to disruption and price hikes, with the cost of family holidays already a contentious issue - not to mention the importance of quality family time. Have your say! Should the school holidays be shortened? Do you think it would help pupils to get higher grades? Is it worth it to reduce the burden on working parents? Comment below, and join in on the conversation.
Daily Mail
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
AI to catch Channel migrants pretending to be children: Labour launches trial of face recognition technology
The Government is set to trial AI-powered facial recognition technology to determine whether Channel migrants are being wrongly identified as children. The Home Office today announced testing on new technology will begin later this year with the hope it could be fully integrated into the asylum system in 2026. Ministers admitted that assessing the age of asylum seekers is 'an incredibly complex and difficult task' but said AI might soon provide quick and cost-effective results. There have long been fears that some of those who cross the Channel in small boats - who often don't carry official documents such as passports - are wrongly claiming to be children. Unaccompanied minors are more likely to be granted asylum than adults, with some suspected to be faking their ages in a bid to boost their chances of staying in the UK. In the first half of 2024, a total of 1,317 migrants claiming to be minors at the border were later judged to be adults. There were a total of 2,122 age disputes raised over the same period. Currently initial age decisions are made by Home Office staff based on a migrant's physical appearance and demeanour. The previous Tory government proposed using scientific methods - such as X-rays, CT scans or MRI imaging on key parts of the body - to assess the age of asylum seekers. Powers to conduct such assessments were passed by MPs as part of the 2022 Nationality and Borders Act, but were not put into practice. Home Office minister Angela Eagle today revealed the Labour Government has now concluded using AI technology is the most 'cost-effective option'. In a written statement to Parliament, Ms Eagle - the border security and asylum minister - said: 'Accurately assessing the age of individuals is an incredibly complex and difficult task. 'The Home Office has spent a number of years analysing which scientific and technological methods would best assist the current process, including looking at the role that Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology can play. 'Since coming into office, this Government has commissioned further tests and analysis to determine the most promising methods to pursue further. 'Based on this work, we have concluded that the most cost-effective option to pursue is likely to be Facial Age Estimation, whereby AI technology – trained on millions of images where an individual's age is verifiable– is able to produce an age estimate with a known degree of accuracy for an individual whose age is unknown or disputed. 'In a situation where those involved in the age assessment process are unsure whether an individual is aged over or under 18, or do not accept the age an individual is claiming to be, Facial Age Estimation offers a potentially rapid and simple means to test their judgements against the estimates produced by the technology.' Ms Eagle noted how online retailers, social media websites and other companies were increasingly adopting AI-powered facial recognition technology as part of online age verification tests. She added: 'Early assessments suggest that Facial Age Estimation could produce workable results much quicker than other potential methods of scientific or technological age assessment, such as bone X-rays or MRI scans, but at a fraction of the cost, and with no requirement for a physical medical procedure or accompanying medical supervision.' Labour previously watered down laws, introduced by the Tories, that gave ministers the power to treat asylum seekers who refused to undergo scientific age checks as adults. The announcement on Tuesday came as the borders watchdog report into Home Office age assessments said it is 'inevitable' that some decisions will be wrong without a 'foolproof test' of chronological age. The watchdog added this is 'clearly a cause for concern, especially where a child is denied the rights and protections to which they are entitled'.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Starmer says boosting living standards is central focus of his Government
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he wanted people to feel better-off and more secure by the time of the next election as he set out his priorities in government. Sir Keir said he also wanted people to feel that the National Health Service (NHS) is working better than it was when Labour came into office last year. He also highlighted the need for border security – at a time when small boat crossings of the English Channel are running at record levels – and improvements in defence. After a year in office, Sir Keir was asked what he wanted the UK to look like at the end of his first term in No 10. He told MPs on the Liaison Committee: 'I want people to feel better off and there has to be a central focus on living standards. 'I want them to feel – as they will – that the health service is working much better, is there for them and their families in a way that it hasn't been for many years. 'And I want them to feel safe and secure, both in their immediate neighbourhood and as a country, both our borders and national security and defence. 'So, they're the three things that I'm focused on more than anything else.' Sir Keir's drive to improve the NHS could be derailed if resident doctors in England go ahead with strike action which is due to begin on Friday. The Tory government faced waves of strike action in the NHS which contributed to care backlogs. The Prime Minister has put international co-operation, including a promised one in, one out deal to return small boat migrants to France, at the heart of measures to control the borders. But arrivals are running at record levels for this point in a year, with Home Office figures up to July 19 showed 23,474 people had crossed in small boats. The Liaison Committee, a panel made up of senior MPs who chair the various Commons select committees, was focusing on measures to tackle poverty. The Prime Minister, who is under pressure from within his own party to scrap the two-child benefits cap, said: 'People will not feel better-off or safe and secure if we haven't tackled poverty.' He said there were four 'limbs' to the Government's strategy: increasing incomes, decreasing costs, strengthening local support including measures to get people into work and boosting financial resilience. 'I'm very proud of the fact that the last Labour government drove down poverty and I'm determined this Government is going to as well,' Sir Keir said.
The Independent
21-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Starmer says boosting living standards is central focus of his Government
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he wanted people to feel better-off and more secure by the time of the next election as he set out his priorities in government. Sir Keir said he also wanted people to feel that the National Health Service (NHS) is working better than it was when Labour came into office last year. He also highlighted the need for border security – at a time when small boat crossings of the English Channel are running at record levels – and improvements in defence. After a year in office, Sir Keir was asked what he wanted the UK to look like at the end of his first term in No 10. He told MPs on the Liaison Committee: 'I want people to feel better off and there has to be a central focus on living standards. 'I want them to feel – as they will – that the health service is working much better, is there for them and their families in a way that it hasn't been for many years. 'And I want them to feel safe and secure, both in their immediate neighbourhood and as a country, both our borders and national security and defence. 'So, they're the three things that I'm focused on more than anything else.' Sir Keir's drive to improve the NHS could be derailed if resident doctors in England go ahead with strike action which is due to begin on Friday. The Tory government faced waves of strike action in the NHS which contributed to care backlogs. The Prime Minister has put international co-operation, including a promised one in, one out deal to return small boat migrants to France, at the heart of measures to control the borders. But arrivals are running at record levels for this point in a year, with Home Office figures up to July 19 showed 23,474 people had crossed in small boats. The Liaison Committee, a panel made up of senior MPs who chair the various Commons select committees, was focusing on measures to tackle poverty. The Prime Minister, who is under pressure from within his own party to scrap the two-child benefits cap, said: 'People will not feel better-off or safe and secure if we haven't tackled poverty.' He said there were four 'limbs' to the Government's strategy: increasing incomes, decreasing costs, strengthening local support including measures to get people into work and boosting financial resilience. 'I'm very proud of the fact that the last Labour government drove down poverty and I'm determined this Government is going to as well,' Sir Keir said.
Sky News
21-07-2025
- Business
- Sky News
£104bn of water industry investment will come from bill payers, environment secretary concedes
Steve Reed has conceded that the bulk of the £104bn of water industry investment which he boasts Labour has attracted since coming to office will come from bill payers. In an interview with Sky News, the environment secretary sought to blame the previous Tory government for a string of high profile investors walking away from the sector over the last year. Mr Reed does not accept claims that further threats to jail water bosses and promises to curb price rises have deterred investment. Instead, he told Sky News that "by bringing in the £104bn of private sector investment that we secured at the end of last year, we can make sure that the investment is going in to support" the industry. When challenged that the £104bn was total expenditure not total investment, and that bill payers would pay back this expenditure over the coming decades, Mr Reed conceded this was right - and the money ultimately is coming from bill payers. "The money comes in from investors up front so we can do that spending straight away," he said. "Over decades, the investors got a modest return from the bills that customers are paying. That's how investment works." Some investors have warned they do not think it viable to fund the UK water sector because of the hostile political tone of ministers and lack of certainty. Ministers have said the government does not want to renationalise water as it would mean years of legal wrangling and cost a lot of money. 2:50 Labour has launched a record 81 criminal investigations into water companies over sewage dumping since winning the election last year. Water company bosses could be jailed for up to five years and the companies fined hundreds of millions of pounds if they are found guilty. Mr Reed committed to not interfering with those prosecutions, saying it would be "highly inappropriate" for any minister to do so. He rejected suggestions ministers will be pressured to ensure water bosses do not serve jail time as this will deter investors. "It's a judicial process, it would be highly inappropriate for any ministerial interference in the process," Mr Reed said. "They will work their way through the court system, as they should do, and ministers will decide on sanctions after."
