Tag: News Story

STORY

The Women and Equalities Committee has questioned ministers and health officials over access to reconstructive surgery for survivors of female genital mutilation.

The session followed the committee’s earlier recommendation that ministers facilitate and fund research into the effectiveness of reconstructive surgery for FGM survivors. The committee had said that, if evidence showed the surgery was effective, the NHS should provide it.

The committee heard from Women’s Health Minister Baroness Merron, the Department of Health and Social Care’s chief scientific adviser Professor Lucy Chappell and NHS England representatives. MPs were expected to examine research funding, international comparisons, health services and mental health support.

STORY

The public is being asked to help shape how National Lottery funding for good causes should be distributed in future.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has opened a 12-week call for evidence, saying no Government had asked the public for two decades how National Lottery good-cause money should be spent. The review will consider where future investment can have the greatest impact and how access to funding can be improved.

The Government said the National Lottery generated more than £8 billion in ticket sales in 2025, with at least £1.7 billion going to good causes. Funding is currently split across arts and culture, sport, heritage and community projects.

STORY

The Government is seeking to expand UK services exports to China as part of renewed trade engagement between the two countries.

Business Secretary Peter Kyle told a UK-China event that recent meetings had helped rebuild a relationship that had been dormant for too long. He said previous engagement had unlocked £2.2 billion in new export deals and £2.3 billion in market access wins over five years.

Officials have also discussed a Joint Feasibility Study on a possible Trade in Services Agreement. The Department for Business and Trade said the talks reflected a pragmatic, business-focused approach intended to support jobs, growth and investment.

STORY

More than 60 universities and research organisations have signed a new Women in Research Charter intended to improve family leave, flexible working and protections against harassment.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said the charter would require signatories to strengthen support for doctoral researchers, including at least 52 weeks of maternity leave with a full stipend for the first 26 weeks and a minimum of two weeks’ paid leave for partners.

Science Secretary Liz Kendall said the aim was to ensure women did not have to choose between a career and family life. The Government said women remain under-represented in senior research roles despite making up a majority of science undergraduates.

STORY

New welfare reforms affecting the Motability scheme have come into force, with ministers saying the changes will save taxpayers £1 billion by 2030.

VAT will now apply to advance payments on some new Motability car leases, while Insurance Premium Tax will apply to new leases. The Department for Work and Pensions said the changes followed the removal of luxury vehicles, including BMW and Mercedes models, from the scheme after the Budget.

The Government said disabled people on enhanced mobility benefits would continue to receive their full award and remain eligible for the scheme. It also said the changes would not apply to Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles and would not affect existing leases.

STORY

Councils are being given additional support to identify vulnerable teenagers who may be missing from official education, employment or training records.

The Department for Education said new data showed 32,100 so-called ‘Phantom NEETs’ were unaccounted for, with some councils missing information for large numbers of 16 and 17-year-olds. Official statistics published in March estimated that 57,000 young people aged 16 and 17 were not in education, employment or training.

Bridget Phillipson is writing to all councils setting out expectations for improving identification and support. The Government is also rolling out a Risk of NEET Indicator tool, using factors such as poor attendance, special educational needs and care experience to help councils intervene earlier.

STORY

School teachers and leaders are to receive a 6.5% pay increase over two years after the Education Secretary accepted the School Teachers Review Body recommendations in full.

The Department for Education said teachers would receive a 3.5% rise from September 2026 and a further 3% from September 2027. The Government said the settlement would mean a cumulative 17% increase since the general election, with additional school funding of £1.8 billion over two years.

The Government is also placing new curbs on academy trust executive pay. From September, trusts will need Government approval before advertising posts above £174,000, and executive pay rises will be expected to remain in line with the wider school workforce.

STORY

Andy Burnham is expected to inherit a significant defence funding challenge if, as expected, he becomes Prime Minister later this month.

It is reported that Keir Starmer’s defence investment plan includes a £4.7 billion gap which will need to be addressed through future tax decisions, spending cuts or other budget choices. The plan committed an additional £15 billion for defence, but documents showed that around a third of the funding was still to be found.

The issue is likely to become an early test for Burnham, who has not yet set out his own detailed position on the plan. Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis said he had confidence that Burnham would secure the investment needed for national security.

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Keir Starmer has warned that racism and intolerance have worsened in Britain over the last decade, saying that the trend is damaging social cohesion and discouraging people from taking part in public life.

The Prime Minister made the comments in Parliament after being asked about concerns that racist language and incitement were becoming normalised. He said racism and intolerance were tearing society apart and should be called out by politicians at every level.

Starmer also referred to the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016, saying that on reflection he believed the position had deteriorated rather than improved since then. His comments come amid wider concern about the impact of anti-migrant rhetoric and the tone of political debate.

STORY

Keir Starmer is expected to issue a formal state apology in the House of Commons to mothers and children affected by historic forced adoption policies in England and Wales.

The apology relates to the period between 1949 and 1976, when an estimated 185,000 babies born to unmarried mothers were placed for adoption. Campaigners have long argued that women were coerced by a culture of shame and by the actions of public bodies, religious organisations and other institutions.

The statement follows calls from parliamentary committees for the Government to acknowledge responsibility for the harm caused. The apology will put England and Wales closer to the position already taken by administrations in Wales and Scotland, where formal apologies were issued in 2023.