Burnham to chair ‘growth situation room’ call at No 10 North today
Hello and welcome to the UK politics live blog.
Prime minister Andy Burnham will be working from No 10 North in Manchester today, where he will chair what some in government are referring to as the “growth situation room”.
He will be working alongside his chancellor John Healey, first secretary of state Lou Haigh, housing secretary Angela Rayner and housing minister Sally Jameson, while regional mayors and exchequer secretary Dan Tomlinson will be expected to dial in.
It comes as the government ran a larger than expected £1.8bn deficit in July. City economists had expected a shortfall of zero for July, a month when Treasury receipts tend to be swollen by self-assessment income tax payments.
At £17.1bn, the self-assessment tax paid in July was £1.7bn higher than the same month last year. However, the Office for National Statistics said the government still ran a £1.8bn deficit, as “spending growth outpaced receipts”.
In the first four months of this financial year the cumulative deficit was £56.7bn – lower than last year but still running £2.3bn ahead of the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast.
Although Burnham is not expected to do any media following the meeting at No 10 North, Politico reports that announcements are expected. We will bring you news of those if that is indeed the case.
In other developments:
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Burnham said yesterday that fly-tippers will be forced to pay for the clean-up when they dump waste illegally. The prime minister laid out his plans to crackdown on waste crimes as he visited an illegal dump in West Yorkshire.
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Racism and sexism have become normalised in Britain, the equalities minister has said, as she warned that young men were being sucked into violent misogyny by the “cesspit” of social media. Bridget Phillipson said she was increasingly worried about how commonplace misogyny and racism had become, fuelled by online interactions and statements by politicians she said would not have been acceptable a few years ago.
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Phillipson suggested her sweeping reforms to special educational needs provision could be adapted to give parents greater protections if they are unhappy about the service being provided for their children. The former education secretary told the Guardian ministers were open to making changes to the plans, which were announced earlier this year but which have since been subject to consultation.
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Education Lucy Powell on Thursday addressed the GCSE gender gap, which shrank to its narrowest point this century. Almost one in four boys in England received top grades in maths while results in English improved across the board. “The white working-class review that was recently done, that was one things it found, that more boys need to see the purpose of education, they need to see the line of sight into work,” Powell told the Press Association.
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Meanwhile, Burnham told reporters that funding for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s security arrangements on their return to the UK was a “private matter”, the Press Association reports. Harry and Meghan are expected to return to live in Britain later this month. After six years in the US, they will be moving with their two children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, to a non-royal residence outside London.
Key events
Footage shows French police clashing with people on beach
Footage has captured the moment French police officers clashed with people on a beach in northern France as the authorities attempted to intercept a dinghy attempting to reach the UK.
Men wearing lifejackets appear to throw objects at the police to try to keep them away from their dinghy. The officers then use Pava spray before slashing the inflatable boat with a knife.
The footage has emerged as the French government said it has prevented 185 “small boat crossing events” in the three months since a new £660m UK-France deal.
A small boat event is defined as stopping launches, seizing equipment including boats, engines and lifejackets, and arresting smugglers.
Since the signing of the deal in April, extra police units have been active on French beaches, including a 50-person riot squad.
Police action has included interceptions on beaches and at sea, the UK Home Office said.
Since March, 12 “taxi boats” have been stopped from moving further up the coast and loading more migrants.
More resources have also been dedicated to seizing boats and engines before they can be used in the Channel.
Heather Stewart
The UK government ran a larger than expected £1.8bn deficit in July, underlining the challenges facing the chancellor, John Healey, as he draws up his first budget.
City economists had expected a shortfall of zero for July, a month when Treasury receipts tend to be swollen by self-assessment income tax payments.
At £17.1bn, the self-assessment tax paid in July was £1.7bn higher than the same month last year. However, the Office for National Statistics said the government still ran a £1.8bn deficit, as “spending growth outpaced receipts”.
In the first four months of this financial year the cumulative deficit was £56.7bn – lower than last year but still running £2.3bn ahead of the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast.
Healey will announce his budget on 28 October. The public finances are expected to be gloomier than forecast at Rachel Reeves’s spring statement in March, when the Iran war had only just begun.
Burnham to chair ‘growth situation room’ call at No 10 North today
Hello and welcome to the UK politics live blog.
Prime minister Andy Burnham will be working from No 10 North in Manchester today, where he will chair what some in government are referring to as the “growth situation room”.
He will be working alongside his chancellor John Healey, first secretary of state Lou Haigh, housing secretary Angela Rayner and housing minister Sally Jameson, while regional mayors and exchequer secretary Dan Tomlinson will be expected to dial in.
It comes as the government ran a larger than expected £1.8bn deficit in July. City economists had expected a shortfall of zero for July, a month when Treasury receipts tend to be swollen by self-assessment income tax payments.
At £17.1bn, the self-assessment tax paid in July was £1.7bn higher than the same month last year. However, the Office for National Statistics said the government still ran a £1.8bn deficit, as “spending growth outpaced receipts”.
In the first four months of this financial year the cumulative deficit was £56.7bn – lower than last year but still running £2.3bn ahead of the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast.
Although Burnham is not expected to do any media following the meeting at No 10 North, Politico reports that announcements are expected. We will bring you news of those if that is indeed the case.
In other developments:
-
Burnham said yesterday that fly-tippers will be forced to pay for the clean-up when they dump waste illegally. The prime minister laid out his plans to crackdown on waste crimes as he visited an illegal dump in West Yorkshire.
-
Racism and sexism have become normalised in Britain, the equalities minister has said, as she warned that young men were being sucked into violent misogyny by the “cesspit” of social media. Bridget Phillipson said she was increasingly worried about how commonplace misogyny and racism had become, fuelled by online interactions and statements by politicians she said would not have been acceptable a few years ago.
-
Phillipson suggested her sweeping reforms to special educational needs provision could be adapted to give parents greater protections if they are unhappy about the service being provided for their children. The former education secretary told the Guardian ministers were open to making changes to the plans, which were announced earlier this year but which have since been subject to consultation.
-
Education Lucy Powell on Thursday addressed the GCSE gender gap, which shrank to its narrowest point this century. Almost one in four boys in England received top grades in maths while results in English improved across the board. “The white working-class review that was recently done, that was one things it found, that more boys need to see the purpose of education, they need to see the line of sight into work,” Powell told the Press Association.
-
Meanwhile, Burnham told reporters that funding for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s security arrangements on their return to the UK was a “private matter”, the Press Association reports. Harry and Meghan are expected to return to live in Britain later this month. After six years in the US, they will be moving with their two children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, to a non-royal residence outside London.
