Tag: News Story

STORY

Attorney General Richard Hermer has launched free rule of law lesson plans for schools in England and Wales, produced with Oak National Academy and the Association for Citizenship Teaching.

The Attorney General and Advocate General for Scotland Catherine Smith visited Ark Blake Academy in Croydon on 2 July to mark the launch. The Government said the resources were intended to help pupils understand the legal protections, rights and responsibilities that shape civic life.

Oak National Academy is used by around three-quarters of schools in England. The Attorney General said the lessons would give teachers resources to explain the rule of law, which is identified by the Department for Education as a Fundamental British Value.

STORY

The Government has said almost 19,000 homes in areas served by Anglian Water are closer to being delivered after intervention by the Water Delivery Taskforce to resolve wastewater capacity issues.

Ministers said Anglian Water had previously objected to several large-scale developments because of concerns about wastewater treatment capacity. The taskforce brought together local planning authorities, regulators and the company to agree earlier engagement with developers and a phased approach to infrastructure upgrades.

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said the taskforce had now helped unblock more than 55,000 homes across different areas. The Government said the approach was intended to support housebuilding while maintaining protection for water supplies and environmental standards.

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The Cabinet Office has appointed Professor Sir Anthony Finkelstein as the independent reviewer of the use of non-corporate communications channels in Government, including personal messaging apps and email accounts used for official business.

The Government said the review would look at the human, organisational, legal and technical factors involved when ministers, advisers and officials use non-corporate channels. It will also consider disappearing messages, auto-deletion features, security risks and record-keeping.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Darren Jones said the review was part of work to maintain public trust in Government decision-making. The Cabinet Office said the review would seek to balance transparency, accountability, operational efficiency and information security.

STORY

Nearly 200 workplaces have signed up as vanguards under the Keep Britain Working programme, which is intended to stop more people leaving employment because of illness, disability or poor workplace support.

The Department for Work and Pensions said more than 250 employers, providers and organisations had worked with Sir Charlie Mayfield’s review into workplace health and disability support. The programme includes plans for a Workplace Health Intelligence Unit to collect more consistent data on sickness absence and return-to-work outcomes.

Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said employers had shown strong interest in improving support for their workforce. Health and Social Care Secretary James Murray said the Government wanted to help people stay in work or return safely, rather than focusing only on signing people off.

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Ofsted has served a Welfare Requirements Notice on Bright Horizons after safeguarding concerns across parts of the nursery group, following inspections, visits and engagement with senior leaders at the provider.

The regulator said it had looked at 172 of the group’s 247 nurseries after serious concerns came to light in September 2025. It said breaches of requirements were identified in 69 settings, with the group required to address welfare and safeguarding failures by 1 August 2026.

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector Sir Martyn Oliver said Ofsted would continue to monitor progress closely. He said parents should read the most recent report for their own nursery, while noting that most Bright Horizons settings continued to meet requirements.

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The Government has confirmed changes to the planning system which are intended to speed up the approval of nationally significant infrastructure projects, including wind farms, solar farms, nuclear power stations, reservoirs, roads, rail schemes and other transport links.

Ministers said the removal of mandatory pre-application consultation requirements from 24 July 2026 could reduce delays by up to 12 months and save industry up to £1 billion during this Parliament. The Government said the reforms formed part of its wider programme to increase the number of major infrastructure decisions.

Housing Secretary Steve Reed said the changes were intended to help the UK become a world leader in building infrastructure. Energy Minister Michael Shanks said faster approval of clean energy infrastructure was needed to improve energy security and support economic growth.

STORY

Jemima Gordon-Duff has been appointed as His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said Gordon-Duff will succeed Melanie Barlow, who is transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Gordon-Duff will take up the role in August 2026.

Gordon-Duff joins the post after serving as Deputy Director for International Climate Change in the Scottish Government from 2022 to 2026. Her previous diplomatic and international development roles include work in Accra, Jerusalem, Maputo, Islamabad, Quito and Kathmandu.

She was Head of Social Sectors in Accra from 2018 to 2021 and Head of Governance and Security in Jerusalem from 2016 to 2018. Earlier in her career, she worked as a governance adviser in Mozambique and Pakistan, Deputy Head of Mission in Quito, and Second Secretary Political in Kathmandu.

Gordon-Duff joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2003, initially working as a desk officer for Serbia and Montenegro. She later served as Head of Human Rights and Democracy in the Human Rights Department.

The ambassadorial role in Laos covers the UK’s diplomatic relationship with the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, including political engagement, development, climate, trade and regional issues. The FCDO said the appointment had been made in succession to Barlow, who has served as ambassador to Laos since 2021.

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The House of Lords Constitution Committee has published its legislative scrutiny report on the Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill.

The bill forms part of the Government’s wider legislative programme on digital resilience and network security. The committee’s publication adds constitutional scrutiny to a policy area increasingly linked to public services, critical infrastructure and national security.

The committee has also recently scrutinised the National Security (State Threats) Bill. Its work reflects continuing parliamentary concern over how the Government balances security, resilience and constitutional safeguards in new legislation.

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The House of Lords National Resilience Committee is taking evidence from emergency service, health and supply-chain experts as part of its inquiry into national preparedness.

The committee was scheduled to hear from senior representatives of the National Fire Chiefs Council, National Police Chiefs Council and St John Ambulance. It was also due to take evidence from NHS Supply Chain, the Centre for Health Security and Medicines UK.

The inquiry is considering national resilience, including the role of local resilience. It follows growing political attention on preparedness for major risks, including public health emergencies, supply disruption and wider national security challenges.

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The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee has begun taking oral evidence in its inquiry into reconciliation in Northern Ireland.

MPs questioned representatives from the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council and the Peace Summit Partnership on the meaning of reconciliation today and the role of social, cultural and political factors. Written evidence to the committee has highlighted links between reconciliation, racism and economic insecurity.

The inquiry is part of wider parliamentary scrutiny of legacy issues and follows the committee’s December report examining the Government’s approach in the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill. MPs are expected to examine social barriers such as housing segregation and peace walls.