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Sex education to be axed for under 9s as Sunak prepares to face Starmer at PMQs – UK politics live
‘Trans debate’ should not be taught as fact, says Tory minister
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Rishi Sunak has announced a fresh crackdown on culture war issues with a ban on children under 9 to be taught about sex education and gender identity.
Policing minister Chris Philp said the Education Secretary’s new measures are expected to come into force soon.
The guidance is part of the Government’s bid to tackle concerns that some children are receiving age-inappropriate relationships, sex and health education (RSHE).
Speaking today, Mr Philp also called on police forces to increase the use of stop and search as part to tougher measures to tackle knife crime.
The Primer Minister is preparing to face off Sir Keir Starmer in the first PMQs since the Elphicke’s defection last week.
Conservative members are resorting to desperate measures to make up for the Tory exodus with Jacob Rees-Mogg urging Rishi Sunak to forge a general election pact with Reform UK.
The deal would invite Nigel Farage and Richard Tice to become Tory candidates in a bid to “unite the Right of British politics and secure a victory”.
Key Points
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‘Conservative Party doesn’t do what it promises,’ Reform UK leader says
Responding to Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg’s call for an electoral pact Ben Habib says the Tories always fail to deliver their promises.
The deputy leader of Reform UK agreed that there was some common ground politically between the Tories and Reform.
But he has said on GB News: “The problem I’ve got is that no matter what you say your party doesn’t do what it promises. We’ve heard these promises for 14 years.”
“I would like nothing more than to be put out of politics by a resurgent centre-right, pro-British, pro-British people’s interest party that no longer necessitated people like me being in politics.
“I’m only here, frankly, because the Conservative Party hasn’t been conservative.”
Salma Ouaguira15 May 2024 10:17
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Watch: Policing minister Chris Philp plans to stop children learning about gender identity
A Tory minister said the “trans debate” is a “contested political issue and shouldn’t be taught as fact” as a report suggested education secretary Gillian Keegan will announce plans to prevent children from being taught they can change their gender identity until they are aged 13.
‘Trans debate’ should not be taught as fact, says Tory minister
Salma Ouaguira15 May 2024 10:13
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Tory sources rule out deal with Reform UK
Following Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg call for a Conservartive-Reform UK election deal, a Tory source is ruling out the pact.
The source said they “unequivocally” deny Nigel Farage and Richard Tice would be given the chance to stand as Conservative Party candidates.
Salma Ouaguira15 May 2024 10:03
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‘Ample opportunity’ for unemployed to find jobs, Jeremy Hunt says
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and work and pensions secretary Mel Stride said the economy is doing “far better than many would have you believe” and told people out of work there is no good reason to languish on benefits.
The reforms include benefits being stopped if someone does not comply with conditions set by a work coach, and a pledge to “tighten” the work capability assessment (WCA).
Salma Ouaguira15 May 2024 09:53
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In full: Ban on schools teaching children about gender identity under new sex education rules
Schools will be told not to teach children any form of sex education until year 5, when pupils are aged nine, according to newspaper reports.
Salma Ouaguira15 May 2024 09:45
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General election: Minister teases date
Policing Minister Chris Philp has confirmed there will be no election this summer as he will be away on holiday.
When asked to reveal an exact date, he insists he has no “inside information”.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4 Today programme, he says: “We have booked a summer holiday for the first couple of weeks in August.
“I am afraid I don’t have inside information. The Prime Minister has consistently said the second half of the year and I suspect that is as much as we are going to get for the time being.”
Salma Ouaguira15 May 2024 09:36
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Labour blames Tories for increase in food bank use
Shadow Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds says: “I would like to see a Britain that doesn’t need food banks any more.”
Blaming the Tories for the high rates in food bank use, he said they “were not a feature of the UK” during the 2010 Labour government and have “become so over the past 14 years”.
He adds: “We shouldn’t have reached a position in our country where the economic management has been so bad that we have ended up with people having to rely on food banks in that way.”
According to charity figures, a record 3.1 million emergency food parcels have been handed out this year (AFP via Getty Images)
Salma Ouaguira15 May 2024 09:31
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Conservatives defend rising food bank use
According to The Trussell Trust charity, a record of 31.million emergency food parcels have been handed in the last year.
That means a rise of a whopping 40% compared with five years ago.
Asked by Sky News about the skyrocketing figures, Chris Philp defended policies ministers have implemented.
He said: “We’ve seen food bank use grow across the Western world.
“What the government is doing is making sure that work pays, hence the huge increase in the minimum wage and making sure the benefits system is there to support people as a safety net.”
Salma Ouaguira15 May 2024 09:15
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Lib Dems demand Rishi Sunak to suspend Rees-Mogg over Reform UK deal
Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg’s Reform UK deal proposal hasn’t landed well among the Liberal Democrats.
Deputy leader Daisy Cooper is now calling Rishi Sunak to strip Rees-Mogg of Tory whip following the remarks.
Ms Cooper said: “The Conservative Party is a shambolic mess. Rishi Sunak’s MPs are in open revolt and he does not have the backbone to stand up to them.
“If the Prime Minister had any bottle he would suspend the whip from Rees-Mogg and rule out Nigel Farage being allowed into the Conservative Party.
“The public is sick to the back teeth of this endless Conservative soap opera as they watch the NHS crumble, filthy sewage pumped into their waterways and their mortgages spiral.
“Rishi Sunak should put us all out of our misery and call a general election.”
Salma Ouaguira15 May 2024 09:06
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Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg urges Sunak to make pact with Reform UK
Following a disastrous local election, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg has urged Rishi Sunak to forge a general election deal with Reform UK.
This would give Nigel Farage and Richard Tice the chance to become Tory candidates.
The former business secretary called the PM to make a “big, open and comprehensive offer to those in Reform” to join the Conservatives.
He told GB News: “With the help of Nigel Farage in a Conservative government, as a Conservative minister, with Boris Johnson probably returning as foreign secretary and welcoming the likes of Ben Habib and Richard Tice into our party, as well as pursuing genuinely conservative policies, winning the next election suddenly becomes within reach.”
Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg has opened the door for Nigel Farage to join the Conservative Party (Getty )
Salma Ouaguira15 May 2024 09:02
Read the full story on www.independent.co.uk
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