Latest news with #Conservativegovernment
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Surrey council plots ‘pointless' second homes tax raid
Councillors have agreed to launch a 'pointless' tax raid on second home owners in Staines, despite concerns no one will pay up. Spelthorne Borough Council has just 76 second home owners on its books, yet it has agreed to bring in a 100pc council tax premium from April 2027. Critics argued the small share of second home owners – which equates to 0.2pc of the Surrey borough's housing stock – will avoid paying the levy by making use of exemptions. Owners can swerve the additional rate for 12 months by listing their property for sale, without having to commit to a transaction. The home can also be marketed for let. Spelthorne Council, which was more than £1bn in debt as of January, became the latest local authority to tax second home owners following a meeting on Thursday. Local authorities in England were given the power to charge a double tax premium from April 1 under laws passed by the previous Conservative government.
The Independent
17-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Britain will lower its voting age to 16 in a bid to strengthen democracy
Britain will lower the voting age from 18 to 16 by the next national election as part of measures to increase democratic participation, the government announced Thursday. The center-left Labour Party pledged before it was elected in July 2024 to lower the voting age for elections to Britain's Parliament. Scotland and Wales already let 16- and 17-year-olds vote in local and regional elections. Britain will join the short list of countries where the voting age is 16, alongside the likes of Austria, Brazil and Ecuador. A handful of European Union countries, including Belgium, Germany and Malta, allow 16-year-olds to vote in elections to the European Parliament. The move comes alongside wider reforms that include tightening campaign financing rules to stop shell companies with murky ownership from donating to political parties. Democracy Minister Rushanara Ali said the change would strengthen safeguards against foreign interference in British politics. There will also be tougher sentences for people convicted of intimidating candidates. Additionally, the government said it will introduce automatic voter registration and allow voters to use bank cards as a form of identification at polling stations. The previous Conservative government introduced a requirement for voters to show photo identification in 2022, a measure it said would combat fraud. Critics argued it could disenfranchise millions of voters, particularly the young, the poor and members of ethnic minorities. Elections watchdog the Electoral Commission estimates that about 750,000 people did not vote in last year's election because they lacked ID. Turnout in the 2024 election was 59.7%, the lowest level in more than two decades. Harry Quilter-Pinner, head of left-leaning think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research, said the changes were 'the biggest reform to our electoral system since 1969," when the voting age was lowered to 18 from 21. The changes must be approved by Parliament. The next national election must be held by 2029. 'For too long, public trust in our democracy has been damaged and faith in our institutions has been allowed to decline,' Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said. 'We are taking action to break down barriers to participation that will ensure more people have the opportunity to engage in U.K. democracy.' Stuart Fox, a politics lecturer at the University of Exeter who has studied youth voting, said it's 'far from clear' whether lowering the voting age actually increases youth engagement. 'It is right to help young people be heard,' he said. 'But there are other measures which are more effective at getting young people to vote — particularly those from the poorest backgrounds who are by far the least likely to vote — such as beefing up the citizenship curriculum or expanding the provision of volunteering programs in schools.'
The Independent
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Schools told to make sex education ‘stage appropriate' as age limit plans axed
Schools in England should ensure relationships and sex education lessons are 'age and stage appropriate', the Government said as it scrapped proposals to impose age limits on certain topics. The Labour Government has recommended that primary schools teach sex education in Year 5 or Year 6, in line with what pupils learn about conception and birth, but it is not compulsory. Primary school teachers may decide to discuss the sharing of naked images or online sexual content if it is affecting their pupils and they know that children have seen pornography, according to the final statutory Government guidance on relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) in schools. Proposals to impose strict age limits on topics in the RSHE curriculum, proposed by the previous Conservative government, will not go ahead. Draft guidance, published in May last year under the Conservatives, had suggested sex education should be taught no earlier than Year 5. It had proposed for issues like sexual harassment, revenge porn, upskirting and sexual exploitation and abuse to not be taught before Year 7 (age 11), and for explicit discussion of sexual violence, including rape and sexual assault, to not take place before Year 9 (age 13). The draft guidance also said schools should not teach pupils about the concept of 'gender identity'. The final guidance on RSHE, which has been published a year after a consultation over the draft Conservative guidance closed, has not assigned specific ages to certain RSHE topics. Instead, it said schools should develop the RSHE curriculum to be 'relevant, age and stage appropriate and accessible to pupils in their area'. The Government guidance, published on Tuesday, said pupils should be taught the facts and the law about biological sex and gender reassignment. But on the debate around biological sex and gender reassignment, it told schools to be 'careful not to endorse any particular view or teach it as fact'. It said schools should avoid materials that use cartoons or diagrams that 'oversimplify' the topic, or which 'encourage pupils to question their gender'. The Department for Education (DfE) has said revised guidance for schools and colleges on gender questioning children is due to be published this summer. In her foreword to the updated RSHE guidance, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: 'The depth and breadth of views is clear, and there are understandable and legitimate areas of contention. 'Our guiding principles have been that all of the compulsory subject content must be age appropriate and developmentally appropriate. 'It must be taught sensitively and inclusively, with respect to the backgrounds and beliefs of pupils and parents while always with the aim of providing pupils with the knowledge they need of the law.' The guidance said pupils should be given the opportunity to discuss the sexual norms endorsed by so-called 'involuntary celibates' (incels) or online influencers by the end of secondary school. It added that secondary school pupils should be taught about the prevalence of 'deepfakes' and how pornography can portray 'misogynistic' attitudes. The guidance has also advised secondary schools to work closely with mental health professionals to discuss suicide prevention in an age-appropriate way. It added that schools should continue to share RSHE curriculum materials with parents on request. Since September 2020, relationships and sex education has been compulsory in secondary schools in England, while relationships education has been compulsory in primary schools. In March 2023, then-prime minister Rishi Sunak brought forward a review of RSHE guidance for schools after hearing concerns that children were being exposed to 'inappropriate' content. Schools in England will have to follow the statutory RSHE guidance from September 2026. Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders' union NAHT, said: 'We are pleased to see that there are no age 'limits' included in this new guidance. 'Schools already work hard to ensure that teaching is age-appropriate and this approach gives them the vital flexibility to respond to their own community and the needs of pupils in their schools.' But he added: 'NAHT has particular concerns that the inclusion of suicide prevention content has not been accompanied by a commitment from the Government to provide funded training for all teachers to give them both the knowledge and the confidence they need to discuss suicide prevention and self-harm with young people. 'The provision of training is vital before this content becomes statutory and it is unacceptable that the guidance simply says that schools should work with mental health professionals to discuss how this sensitive content should be tackled in the classroom.' Margaret Mulholland, Send and inclusion specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: 'We welcome the clarity over biological sex and gender reassignment in the guidance. 'There are strongly held and sometimes polarised views over these issues and it is important to have a clear set of national guidelines to follow. 'We hope soon to see specific guidance on supporting gender questioning children – something for which we have been calling for several years.' She added: 'We also welcome the focus on suicide prevention and pay tribute to campaigners for their work on highlighting this issue and the risks to young people. 'Schools already have a great deal of experience in supporting the wellbeing of pupils – and many have seen a rising number of young people struggling with their mental health in recent years. 'Unfortunately, there is still not enough external support available and we would like to see more work done to ensure that young people can access specialist services in a timely manner.' Laura Mackay, chief executive officer of LGBT+ young people's charity Just Like Us, said: 'Some teachers still struggle to discuss LGBT+ topics with their pupils. So it's good to see the new RSHE guidance strongly encouraging primary schools to teach about diverse families, including same-sex parents. 'However, there are aspects of the new guidance that could make teachers feel even more anxious about what they can do or say to support all LGBT+ young people. 'If schools treat gender identity as something that is taboo, trans and gender diverse young people across the UK will feel further alienated and unsafe at school.'
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
New electric car grants of up to £3,750 aims to drive sales
The taxpayer is to help drive the switch to non-polluting vehicles through a new grant of up to £3,750, but some of the cheapest electric cars are to be excluded. The Department for Transport (DfT) said a £650m fund was being made available for the Electric Car Grant, which is due to get into gear from Wednesday. Users of the scheme - the first of its kind since the last Conservative government scrapped grants for new electric vehicles three years ago - will be able to secure discounts based on the "sustainability" of the car. Money latest: easyJet bereavement policy faces refund question It will apply only to vehicles with a list price of £37,000 or below - with only the greenest models eligible for the highest grant. Buyers of so-called 'Band two' vehicles can receive up to £1,500. The qualification criteria includes a recognition of a vehicle's carbon footprint from manufacture to showroom so UK-produced EVs, costing less than £37,000, would be expected to qualify for the top grant. It is understood that Chinese-produced EVs - often the cheapest in the market - would not. DfT said 33 new electric car models were currently available for less than £30,000. The government has been encouraged to act as sales of new electric vehicles are struggling to keep pace with what is needed to meet emissions targets. Challenges include the high prices for electric cars when compared to conventionally powered models. At the same time, consumer and business budgets have been squeezed since the 2022 cost of living crisis - and households and businesses are continuing to feel the pinch to this day. Another key concern is the state of the public charging network. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: "This EV grant will not only allow people to keep more of their hard-earned money - it'll help our automotive sector seize one of the biggest opportunities of the 21st century. "And with over 82,000 public charge points now available across the UK, we've built the infrastructure families need to make the switch with confidence." The Government has pledged to ban the sale of new fully petrol or diesel cars and vans from 2030 but has allowed non-plug in hybrid sales to continue until 2025. It is hoped the grants will enable the industry to meet and even exceed the current zero emission vehicle mandate. Under the rules, at least 28% of new cars sold by each manufacturer in the UK this year must be zero emission. The figure stood at 21.6% during the first half of the year. Read more from Sky News: The car industry has long complained that it has had to foot a multi-billion pound bill to woo buyers for electric cars through "unsustainable" discounting. Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said the grants sent a "clear signal to consumers that now is the time to switch". He went on: "Rapid deployment and availability of this grant over the next few years will help provide the momentum that is essential to take the EV market from just one in four today, to four in five by the end of the decade." But the Conservatives questioned whether taxpayers should be footing the bill. Shadow transport secretary Gareth Bacon said: "Last week, the Office for Budget Responsibility made clear the transition to EVs comes at a cost, and this scheme only adds to it. "Make no mistake: more tax rises are coming in the autumn."
Sky News
15-07-2025
- Automotive
- Sky News
New electric car grants of up to £3,750 aims to drive sales
The taxpayer is to help drive the switch to non-polluting vehicles through a new grant of up to £3,750, but some of the cheapest electric cars are to be excluded. The Department for Transport (DfT) said a £650m fund was being made available for the Electric Car Grant, which is due to get into gear from Wednesday. Users of the scheme - the first of its kind since the last Conservative government scrapped grants for new electric vehicles three years ago - will be able to secure discounts based on the "sustainability" of the car. It will apply only to vehicles with a list price of £37,000 or below - with only the greenest models eligible for the highest grant. Buyers of so-called 'Band two' vehicles can receive up to £1,500. The qualification criteria includes a recognition of a vehicle's carbon footprint from manufacture to showroom so UK-produced EVs, costing less than £37,000, would be expected to qualify for the top grant. It is understood that Chinese-produced EVs - often the cheapest in the market - would not. DfT said 33 new electric car models were currently available for less than £30,000. The government has been encouraged to act as sales of new electric vehicles are struggling to keep pace with what is needed to meet emissions targets. Challenges include the high prices for electric cars when compared to conventionally-powered models. At the same time, consumer and business budgets have been squeezed since the 2022 cost of living crisis - and households and businesses are continuing to feel the pinch to this day. 3:29 Another key concern is the state of the public charging network. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: "This EV grant will not only allow people to keep more of their hard-earned money - it'll help our automotive sector seize one of the biggest opportunities of the 21st century. "And with over 82,000 public chargepoints now available across the UK, we've built the infrastructure families need to make the switch with confidence." The Government has pledged to ban the sale of new fully petrol or diesel cars and vans from 2030 but has allowed non-plug in hybrid sales to continue until 2025. It is hoped that the grants will enable the industry to meet and even exceed the current zero emission vehicle mandate. Under the rules, at least 28% of new cars sold by each manufacturer in the UK this year must be zero emission. The figure stood at 21.6% during the first half of the year. The car industry has long complained that it has had to foot a multi-billion pound bill to woo buyers for electric cars through "unsustainable" discounting. Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said the grants sent a "clear signal to consumers that now is the time to switch". He went on: "Rapid deployment and availability of this grant over the next few years will help provide the momentum that is essential to take the EV market from just one in four today, to four in five by the end of the decade." But the Conservatives questioned whether taxpayers should be footing the bill. Shadow transport secretary Gareth Bacon said: "Last week, the Office for Budget Responsibility made clear the transition to EVs comes at a cost, and this scheme only adds to it.
