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PRESS RELEASE : Every care leaver to have someone in their corner after review [August 2026]

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 25 August 2026.

£25 million investment to help thousands more care leavers access homes with support and connection.

Thousands more young people leaving care will have people around them when they move into adulthood, as the government begins the national rollout of a strengthened housing programme backed by £25 million this year alone. The programme will grow high quality and innovative housing models that build connection around those leaving care.

It comes as a government-commissioned independent review into the early deaths of young people who left care is published today, led by author and broadcaster Ashley John-Baptiste and social work leader Clare Chamberlain.

The review tells the stories of six young people who died between the ages of 18 and 24. Those who knew them describe them as devoted, bubbly, kind, and deeply loved. They were also, in the words of one young person quoted in the report, ‘on their own’.

Its central finding is that young people leaving care are profoundly isolated. Services often respond to a young person’s understandable wish for their own place, but independence can arrive with an unexpected loneliness and no one close enough to notice when things go wrong.

The report sets out three things that must change: how young people are prepared for adulthood, the sharp drop in help at age 18, and the skills of the workforce supporting them.

In response, government is driving forward the national rollout of connected housing options for those leaving care, starting with £25 million this year alone. This marks a major change that will make the Staying Close programme focused on expanding housing models akin to Shared Lives Plus, The House Project and Supported Lodgings to every part of the country. For young people, this will significantly increase their chances of being offered a home that provides them with community and connection rather than leaving them isolated in inappropriate accommodation.

Children’s Minister Josh MacAlister said:

Every one of these young lives mattered, and behind each of them lies a story of enormous loss – for their families, for their friends, and for the people who cared for them.

We owe it to these young people, and to every care experienced person, to change care so that we make enduring relationships the central obsession of the care system. Care must build and not break the relationships that young people need, and this must be the new north star.

I am incredibly grateful to Ashley and Clare for their work on this review. The tragic stories they have captured must galvanise us to make sure that no one leaving care is left isolated and alone. This will be a whole society effort, so I urge everyone to play their part.

Author and broadcaster Ashley John-Baptise said:

As a care experienced broadcaster, I’ve been privileged to cover many aspects of the care system. That said, nothing could have prepared me for the devastating stories we’ve come across whilst doing this work.

The lives of these care leavers mattered. I really hope our review shines a light on who they were, how they were failed and serves as a useful report to stir us all.

Social work leader, Clare Chamberlain said:

This review has reinforced what care leavers have told us for years: the state is no substitute for family. We need to do more to prevent the acute loneliness that the most vulnerable experience after leaving care

In 2025, 112 deaths of care leavers aged 18 to 24 were notified to the Department for Education. That is an estimated 130 per 100,000, around three to four times the rate for others the same age. Ashley and Clare were commissioned to undertake this review by the Children’s Minister after he identified repeated patterns in the reports of these early deaths.

Through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act, more public bodies will become corporate parents, meaning the NHS, jobcentres, prisons, and probation must weigh what care leavers need when they design services. New duties from 30 September require councils to publish how they will support care leavers into independent living, and from that date a care leaver can no longer be found intentionally homeless.

25/08/2026
PRESS RELEASE : PM meeting with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine [August 2026]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 24 August 2026.

The Prime Minister met the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Kyiv today following a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing.

The Prime Minister started by thanking President Zelenskyy for the warm welcome he had been given by the Ukrainian people on his first visit.

It had been an honest and productive conversation during the Coalition of the Willing, the leaders agreed, and it was clear the international community needed to step up and ensure Ukraine got the support it needed to defend itself from Russia’s barbaric attacks going into the winter.

The Prime Minister emphasised the strength of unity among coalition members and reiterated that there would be no change in the UK’s steadfast support.

That was further symbolised by the announcement that the UK had agreed that defence firm MBDA could release classified information on UK components for the long-range missile, SCALP, the Prime Minister said.

Turning to the economic situation, the leaders discussed the need to work with the insurance industry to support the resilience of Ukraine’s critical infrastructure and businesses.

The leaders also welcomed the new AI partnership between the UK and Ukraine, which would bring opportunity and potential to revolutionise aspects of public life in both countries.

The leaders agreed to stay in close touch.

25/08/2026
PRESS RELEASE : Historic council housebuilding comeback to help families into secure homes [August 2026]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing on 24 August 2026.

The government announces its first wave of funding from its £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme.
- Families stuck without a secure home to benefit from the first wave of funding from the government’s £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme
- Councils backed to build more homes as ministers drive the biggest council housebuilding revival in decades
- More decisions over housing investment to move closer to local communities
Families trapped in temporary accommodation or stuck on housing waiting lists will be helped into safe, secure homes as the government kickstarts its record £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme.

Today (25 August) the Prime Minister and Secretary of State, Angela Rayner, are announcing nearly £10 billion of allocations to build thousands more quality council, social and affordable homes.

The first wave of funding announced today will support the delivery of more than 70,000 homes across England. It will go to 33 Strategic Partners – councils, housing associations and other providers that have secured long-term funding certainty to deliver homes at scale. Today’s announcement also marks a major step in the ambition to getting councils building at scale again.

Alongside housing associations, councils will be awarded Strategic Partner status with Homes England, helping put them firmly back at the heart of housebuilding. Around 60% of homes delivered through these partnerships are expected to be for Social Rent, the most affordable form of rented housing, helping more families access a secure home.

With almost 180,000 children growing up without a permanent home, the government is putting councils at the heart of housebuilding.  

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: 

No child should be raised in a hostel room and no family should wait ten years for a front door of their own. I have said from my first day in this job that everything starts with a good home.

Nearly £10 billion will go to councils and housing associations to build genuinely affordable homes, most of them for social rent, in the places where families are waiting longest.

Councils built this country out of a housing crisis once before. Backed properly, and trusted to get on with it, they will do it again.

Secretary of State Angela Rayner said:

Families can’t be left raising children without a place to call home, and none of us should spend years waiting for somewhere safe and affordable to live.

I know how important fixing this is – because I’ve been there. A safe and secure home was the foundation for a better life – I couldn’t have got to where I have today without it.

That’s why the Prime Minister and I are doing everything we can to get councils building once again – it’s fundamental to turning the housing crisis around, helping families out of temporary accommodation and into a secure home.

Over £2 billion of today’s funding is expected to be spent in Mayoral areas outside of London. As part of the government’s wider devolution agenda, Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities are setting the strategic direction for the programme in their areas, helping ensure investment reflects local priorities.

Over time, more funding is expected to flow directly to mayoral authorities as the programme develops, building on the Government’s commitment to move power and decision-making out of Whitehall.

Today’s allocation is only the first stage of the ten-year programme. More than £16 billion remains to be allocated outside London and in allocating this funding, we intend to prioritise Social Rent homes and council housebuilding, helping deliver the largest expansion of council housing in decades.

Amy Rees, Chief Executive Officer at Homes England said:

Today’s announcement marks an important step in delivering the government’s £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme. Through these strategic partnerships and continuous market engagement, alongside Homes England’s wider investment including through the National Housing Bank, we can help unlock thousands of much-needed homes across England. By working with councils, mayors, housing associations and local partners, we can support the return of council housebuilding at scale, increase the supply of social rent homes and create thriving places that people are proud to call home.

Today’s package goes further by helping councils access more of the funding available to the programme and make full use of Right to Buy receipts – with £1.61 billion raised from sales alone in the last financial year – and other available funding streams.

To support this ambition, the government is investing a further £46 million over the next three years to strengthen councils’ skills, expertise and capacity to bring forward ambitious housebuilding plans.

London will receive a major boost for housebuilding, reflecting the acute need for affordable housing in the capital.

The Greater London Authority intends to offer at least £6 billion through the programme, with councils expected to deliver more than half of the homes funded in London. The capital is already demonstrating what can be achieved when local leaders have greater control over housing investment and delivery.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:

Tackling the housing crisis is one of my top priorities and I’m doing everything I can to deliver more affordable homes that Londoners desperately need. We’ve built record numbers of council homes in London, but the number of families and children without a permanent home stuck on housing waiting lists is still unacceptable. I want to work with this new Government to deliver a step change in how many council homes we can deliver across the capital.

Thousands of Londoners will benefit from this new wave of new social and affordable homes, which will help people out of temporary accommodation and provide good, affordable homes to live in for the long-term, as we build a fairer, better London for everyone.

Housing associations and other providers will continue to play a vital role in delivering the social and affordable homes the country needs.

Alongside councils, they will be central to delivering the Government’s ambition to increase housebuilding and expand access to genuinely affordable homes.

Kate Henderson, Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation, said:

It is hugely welcome to see this much-anticipated funding confirmed, something we have been calling for to kickstart construction on tens of thousands of desperately needed new social homes.

This is a major vote of confidence in not-for-profit housing associations and in the vital and distinct role they play in this country, as organisations that work for the long-term benefit of their communities.

Housing associations have risen to the challenge of delivering the governments ambitions. Working in partnership with government, councils and mayors, they have used the support and certainty provided by government to rebuild their development capacity, invest in skills, and be the strong and reliable partners needed to build a new generation of social and affordable homes, alongside increasing investment in their existing homes. This is no better demonstrated than in the scale and ambition of the bids submitted to this Social and Affordable Homes Programme.

We will continue work with national and local government to maximise housing associations’ potential to deliver new social rented homes during this parliament and over the next decade, meeting the housing needs of local people in every part of the country.

The package builds on the government’s commitment to deliver 1.5 million homes this Parliament, including the biggest boost to council, social and affordable housing in a generation.

Gavin Smart, Chief Executive at the Chartered Institute of Housing, said:

It’s very welcome to see funding from last year’s Spending Review now being allocated and getting into the hands of Strategic Partners across the country, turning the government’s long-term commitment into homes that can make a real difference for families. We welcome the strong focus on homes for social rent and the ambition for council housebuilding, and the recognition of the vital role that councils, housing associations and other providers will play in delivering the next generation of genuinely affordable homes. If delivered at pace, this investment has the potential to reduce homelessness, ease pressure on temporary accommodation and help more people access a safe, secure and affordable home.

Cllr Liam Robinson, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Inclusive Growth Committee, said:

Councils have long called for a sustained return to building genuinely affordable homes and stand ready to work with government to deliver the revival in social housebuilding.

The confirmed allocation of the first phase of the £39 billion fund and the increased Capacity to Build funding are positive steps to achieving this ambition.

Given the key role for councils in delivering these homes, it is crucial they remain at the heart of delivery. Mayors should work closely with local authorities in their areas to achieve the most from this money, with councils also having sustained access to preferential borrowing rates to support viability.

Notes to editors: 
- The Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) is a £39 billion investment programme over ten years. The programme has a target for at least 60% of homes delivered through it to be for Social Rent.
- £9.58 billion is being allocated to 33 Strategic Partners outside of London, including housing associations and other providers, to support the delivery of 73,600 new social and affordable homes across England over the next ten years. Nearly two-thirds of homes delivered through these partnerships are expected to be for Social Rent. This is the first major wave of funding allocations under the programme. Further funding will be allocated over the lifetime of the programme.
- Outside London, the Social and Affordable Homes Programme is administered by Homes England.
- Section 106 (S106) agreements are, and will remain, an essential mechanism for delivering social and affordable housing in addition to grant-funded delivery, through the Social and Affordable Homes Programme
- In 2025/26, councils received £1.61 billion in Right to Buy sales, all of which can now be retained and reinvested in new social and affordable homes.
- The £46m ‘Capacity to Build’ funding forms a package of support to strengthen councils’ skills, capacity and capability to deliver and acquire new council homes. Building on the success of 2025-26, the £46m will fund the continuation of: 
o   The Council Housebuilding Support Fund – delivered with Homes England, providing revenue funding for early-stage development activity to help councils bring forward ambitious bids to the SAHP; 

o   The Council Housebuilding Support Service – delivered by the Local Government Association, providing bespoke no-cost support, advice and expertise to help councils deliver more homes; 
- An expansion to the Pathways to Planning graduate scheme – delivered by the Local Government Association, helping councils recruit and retain graduates in specialist housebuilding roles, including surveying and construction project management. 
- The Government has set out its long-term direction for the Social and Affordable Homes Programme, with more funding expected to flow directly to Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities (EMSAs) outside London as the programme progresses.
- In allocating remaining funding, the government intends to prioritise Social Rent and council homes, alongside a continued focus on local decision-making and delivery.
- Social Rent is the most affordable form of social housing. It is usually provided by councils or housing associations, with rents typically set well below private market rents. This makes it one of the most affordable housing options for people on low incomes.
Regional funding breakdown 
- For the following Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities outside of London, the estimated Strategic Partnership spend in each area is as follows: 
o    Greater Manchester: £529m estimated spend to support c. 4,400 homes  

o    West Midlands: £409m estimated spend to support c. 3,200 homes  

o    North East: £445m estimated spend to support c. 3,400 homes  

o    West Yorkshire: £441m estimated spend to support c. 4,000 homes  

o    Liverpool City Region: £380m estimated spend to support c. 3,100 homes  

o    South Yorkshire: £249m estimated spend to support c. 2,200 homes 
- Following the designation of four new Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities (EMSAs), they will now also be able to set the strategic direction of the Programme in their areas. Those EMSAs are: Cambridgeshire and Peterborough; East Midlands; West of England; York and North Yorkshire 
- Today’s announcement comes as the final National Planning Policy Framework is published last week that encourages a more diverse mix of housing, including more affordable homes for rural communities, and stricter rules to maximise social and affordable housing delivery on low-quality grey belt land.
25/08/2026
NEWS STORY : UK to help Ukraine manufacture long range missiles

STORY

The UK is to allow classified information about British missile components to be released to help Ukraine establish production lines for long range weapons, following Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s first overseas visit since taking office.

The Government said defence company MBDA would be permitted to share information relating to British components used in the SCALP long range cruise missile. The agreement is intended to allow more of the weapons to be assembled in Ukraine and strengthen the country’s ability to maintain its own missile supply.

Burnham announced the move during a visit to Kyiv for Ukrainian Independence Day, where he met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and chaired a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing. Russia criticised the decision and warned that missile production facilities would be considered military targets, while Burnham said Britain would continue supporting Ukraine despite what he described as threats from Moscow.

25/08/2026
NEWS STORY : Government tells social media companies to remove dangerous driving videos

STORY

The Government has called on social media companies to remove material which glorifies dangerous driving following the A66 collision near Middlesbrough in which seven people died.

Two police officers and five occupants of another vehicle were killed when a car travelling on the wrong side of the dual carriageway collided with a police vehicle. Police have subsequently made 12 arrests as part of an investigation into suspected organised crime connected with events surrounding the collision.

Downing Street described the online glorification of dangerous driving for entertainment as disgraceful, while ministers said platforms should enforce their existing rules against harmful content. There is no evidence that the fatal collision itself was being filmed for social media, but the incident has renewed concern about videos showing high speed driving, police pursuits and other dangerous behaviour being circulated online.

25/08/2026
NEWS STORY : Treasury launches review into pub and hotel business rates

STORY

The Treasury has launched an independent review of the way pubs and hotels are valued for business rates following concerns from businesses about sharp increases in rateable values.

Business rates specialist Jerry Schurder will lead the review, which will examine whether the existing valuation methodology remains appropriate and how the system could be made clearer and fairer. Publicans, brewers, hotel operators and other interested groups have been invited to submit evidence before the consultation closes on 16 October.

The review will report by the end of March 2027, although any accepted changes would not affect current business rates bills and would instead be introduced at the next revaluation. The Government has said pubs, social clubs and live music venues will separately receive a 20% reduction in business rates bills from April 2027.

25/08/2026
NEWS STORY : NHS to offer millions of women cervical screening tests at home

STORY

Millions of women in England are to be offered free home testing kits for the virus that causes almost all cervical cancers as the NHS attempts to increase screening rates.

Women aged between 30 and 65 who are not up to date with cervical screening will be able to carry out a vaginal swab themselves before returning the sample to an NHS laboratory. Kits will be available through the NHS app and website, while some eligible women will receive invitations by text, email or letter.

Around four million eligible women are currently not up to date with cervical screening and uptake is below the NHS target. The programme is intended to remove some of the practical and personal barriers associated with attending a conventional screening appointment and forms part of the NHS ambition to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem by 2040.

25/08/2026
NEWS STORY : Government unveils first wave of £39 billion affordable homes programme

STORY

The Government has announced the first allocations from its £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme, with councils and housing associations set to receive funding to build thousands of new homes across England.

Ministers say the programme will represent the biggest increase in investment in social and affordable housing for a generation. The first phase includes around £10 billion of investment and is expected to support approximately 70,000 homes, with around 60% intended for social rent. Three councils will also become strategic partners in the programme, allowing them to plan longer term building programmes rather than bidding separately for individual schemes.

The wider programme is intended to deliver around 300,000 affordable homes over the next decade. The Government says increasing the supply of social rented housing will provide greater security for families struggling with high private rents, although ministers will remain under pressure to demonstrate that the promised homes can be delivered quickly enough to address existing waiting lists.

25/08/2026
NEWS STORY : 21 Week Driving Test Backlog Is Blocking Young People from Jobs CSJ Warns

STORY

Young people are being prevented from taking up jobs because of lengthy waits for driving tests, according to new research from the Centre for Social Justice. Analysis of Department for Transport data by the think tank found that learners in England faced an average wait of 20.8 weeks for a practical car test in July 2026, compared with around five weeks in 2020. The CSJ said test availability remained extremely limited, with only 7.7% of slots across English test centres available on average during 2026.

The organisation said the backlog was particularly significant for young people who are not in employment, education or training because many jobs require applicants to hold a driving licence. Research cited by the CSJ found that 17.4% of job vacancies required applicants to be able to drive, rising to 34% of roles in care and social work and 68% of plumbing vacancies. Nearly one in five unemployed people also reported having turned down a job or decided not to apply because of transport difficulties. The proportion of 17 to 20 year olds in England holding a full car licence has fallen from 48% in 1994 to 29% in 2024.

The CSJ has called for accredited employers to be allowed to conduct car driving tests for employees who require a licence for their work, through an expansion of the existing Delegated Examiner Scheme. It also proposed regional testing hubs involving employers and further education colleges and allowing vocational and apprenticeship funding to help cover the cost of driving tests. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has been recruiting additional examiners and changing booking rules in an attempt to reduce waiting times, with 1,604 full time equivalent examiners in post by April 2026, its highest level since March 2018.

24/08/2026
PRESS RELEASE : Joint Declaration of Intent between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ukraine on a UK-Ukraine Artificial Intelligence Partnership [August 2026]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 24 August 2026.

Joint Declaration of intent between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ukraine on a UK-Ukraine Artificial Intelligence Partnership.

We, the President of Ukraine and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, meeting at a decisive moment for European security, and united in our resolve to shape the transformation of modern warfare,

ACKNOWLEDGING the profound impact of artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and network-enabled capability, and the strategic imperative for our two nations to lead in the safe, responsible, and operationally decisive application of Defence AI,

RESOLVED that the technological edge of democracies must be preserved as a foundation of deterrence;

RECOGNISING that Ukraine’s defence, resilience, and unparalleled operational experience represent a crucial contribution not only to its own sovereignty and territorial integrity, but also to the stability and security of the eastern flank of Europe, NATO, and the Euro-Atlantic community,

RECALLING the existing framework of bilateral commitments between our two nations, in particular the 100-Year Partnership Agreement and the Agreement on Security Co-operation,

DETERMINED that the United Kingdom and Ukraine should advance together — combining Ukraine’s unrivalled battlefield experience with the United Kingdom’s technological, industrial and research strength to build the AI-era armed forces our two nations, and our allies, will depend on,

AFFIRMING our shared and existing determination to deepen our defence partnership and jointly contribute to the development of future European defence capabilities,

Declare the following intent:

I. Strategic Vision. We will act as close partners in developing next-generation, AI-enabled armed forces – leveraging our engineering, industry, academic capacity and defence organisations’ expertise to accelerate the development and deployment of AI-enabled military capabilities that strengthen Ukraine’s battlefield advantage and support the development of next-generation AI-driven Armed Forces powered by rapid innovation, autonomous systems, and network advantage.

II. Cooperation Model. Our cooperation will proceed through three interlocking pillars: (1) Government-to-Government collaboration on co-developed models, secure data and compute pathways, and joint assurance; (2) Industry, coordinated through government-to-government arrangements to develop, test and deploy AI-enabled capabilities linked to agreed operational problem sets; and (3) Academia and Research, on autonomy, AI assurance, cyber security and synthetic data. Together, we will establish a model for developing and fielding AI-enabled military capabilities that others can follow.

III. Principles. Cooperation will respect the sovereignty of each Party’s assets and data; be underpinned by trusted safeguards on data, IP and export controls in line with the national legislation; combine agility with proportionate governance; and deliver mutual strategic benefit and NATO interoperability. By mutual agreement, we will extend the outputs of this Partnership to trusted allies and partners.

IV. Leadership and Oversight. We will steward this Partnership at the highest political level, with senior Defence leads empowered to drive delivery in line with the mutually agreed objectives.

V. Framework for Implementation. We resolve to proceed on a pilot-first basis, giving priority to practical cooperation already underway. Further arrangements will be brought forward within the next few months, ensuring that this Partnership takes a tangible form from the outset and moves at the pace that our shared security requires.

This Declaration reflects our shared political intent and does not create legally binding obligations.

24/08/2026