Wednesday, September 11, 2024

UK primary class sizes among biggest in industrialised world, report finds

Sally Weale Education correspondent
Tue 10 September 2024

The Guardian

The OECD average primary school class size is 21, while in Luxembourg and Croatia it is just 15.Photograph: Joel Goodman/The Guardian

UK primary class sizes are among the biggest in the industrialised world, larger than Mexico, Turkey and Colombia, according to an international report.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) study, which compares the state of education in about 50 countries, found primary school teachers in the UK face bumper classes of 27 children.

Only classes in Chile are bigger with 28 pupils, while in Japan classes at primary level are also 27-strong. Luxembourg and Croatia by comparison have just 15 children a class, while the OECD average is 21.

The report also shows the UK’s ratio of pupils to teachers is the fifth highest behind only India, Mexico, Colombia and Brazil.

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said of the findings: “This is consequential to every child.

“Packed classes mean less contact time with individual pupils and directly makes it harder to support each student.”

The OECD study also found the UK is lagging behind comparable nations on investment in early-years education, with spending on the youngest children “well below” average.

The annual report, which focused this year on issues of equity, also found regional disparities in educational attainment were bigger in the UK than many other OECD countries. While 71% of 25- to 64-year-olds in London have a degree-level qualification, in north-east England it is 42%, it said.

It found teachers in the UK are younger, and therefore less experienced, than their counterparts in most other countries. It also highlighted teacher retention problems in England, with 9% of teachers quitting the profession in 2022-23, which is at the top end of the scale when compared with other countries featured in the report.

The OECD highlighted a sharp difference in spending choices between the UK and other countries, claiming spending on a full-time student in tertiary education in the UK is “almost twice” the OECD average, while in early years it is “well below the OECD average and is among the lowest of all OECD countries for which data [is] available”. Some experts attending the launch of the report on Tuesday challenged the figures for higher-education spending.

On early-years spending, the OECD research was conducted before the government’s expansion of funded childcare for working parents began to be rolled out in England in April this year.

The report highlighted a 27 percentage point difference in participation between children from families in the top and bottom thirds in the UK, while the OECD average is 19 percentage points

Speaking at the launch of the report, the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said: “We need to get early education and childcare right so that all children get the very best start in life and all parents get the power to pursue their careers. But as your report shows, the gap in enrolment in childcare between rich families and poor families in the UK is one of the biggest in the OECD.

“All of early-years education is vital for our mission, not just childcare. Those first steps into education are so important for a child’s life chances and the sad truth is that a significant part of the attainment gap is already baked in by the age of five.”

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: “The fact that the UK is among the lowest of all OECD countries when it comes to per-pupil expenditure in early childhood education should be a source of deep concern.”

“High-quality early education remains one of the closest things we have to a silver bullet when it comes to addressing the attainment gap and should be a high national priority.”

Kebede said: “Fourteen years of Conservative cuts to real-terms education budgets are coming home to roost. The OECD’s authoritative annual report can leave the world in no doubt that UK policymakers have been damaging our international standing.”

Dozens of MPs refuse to back plans to cut winter fuel payments

Sir Keir Starmer has survived his second Commons rebellion in weeks. With his massive majority it was a comfortable win and only one Labour MP voted against the leadership – but there were more than fifty abstentions.

We don’t yet know how many of them were deliberate rebellions and how many were allowed to stay away for work or private reasons. Ministers accused the Conservatives of faking outrage at the cut.

Only one Labour MP votes against cutting winter fuel payment for pensioners as more than 50 absentees revealed

10 September 2024, 20:18

By Will Conroy

Only one Labour MP voted against cutting the winter fuel payment for all but the country's poorest pensioners

Jon Trickett, the MP for Normanton and Hemsworth, said he voted against Sir Keir Starmer’s government over concerns about more pensioners falling into poverty.

Despite a further 52 Labour MPs not recording a vote, the Conservative motion to block the measure was defeated by 348 to 288 votes - a majority of 120.

Labour had previously said they would not hold a vote on the decision but u-turned after facing a backlash over the move that will see 10 million people stripped of their fuel allowance this winter.

Jon Trickett, the MP for Normanton and Hemsworth, said he voted against Sir Keir Starmer’s government. Picture: Alamy

The number of recipients is expected to reduce from 11.4 million to 1.5 million, saving the exchequer around £1.4bn this year.

Shouts of "shame" could be heard in the House of Commons chamber as the result of the vote was announced.

It is unclear how many Labour MPs actively abstained as not voting does not automatically equate to an abstention given they may have received permission to miss it for reasons, such as travel, medical appointments, or official meetings.

But among the 52 Labour MPs to note vote were Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn, Paymaster General Nick Thomas-Symonds, Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty, Defence minister Maria Eagle and Home Office minister Dame Diana Johnson.

A Labour source is claiming that only a dozen of the MPs who did not vote were “not authorised”.

Labour suggest the numbers not present in the vote are typical and say the average number of Labour MPs absent is 51.

Five of the seven Labour MPs suspended from the Parliamentary party for voting against the government over the two-child benefit cap also backed the Tory motion, as did former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and other members of his independent alliance.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was among those to vote against the measure. Picture: Alamy

Mr Trickett's rebellion means he could also be suspended from Labour given the vote was subject to a three-line whip, which means MPs should vote according to their party's position.

In a statement on social media, he said: "This winter will be extremely difficult for my constituents of all ages. After years of obscene profiteering by energy companies, they are hiking bills once again."

He said that pensioner poverty "can be a matter of life and death" and he has worked "behind the scenes to try and change the government's position, but to no avail".

"I could not in good conscience vote to make my constituents poorer," he added.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the squeeze in July. Picture: Alamy

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the measure in July as part of a series of measures to fill a “£22bn black hole” in the public finances.

However, some MPs from Labour's side, as well as charities and opposition MPs, have been calling for a U-turn, saying the policy will leave less well-off pensioners with "a heart-breaking choice between heating and eating this winter".

Among the Labour MPs who spoke out against the cut ultimately abstained from the vote was Rachel Maskell, who said pensioners will be "frightened" to turn on the lights in case they cannot pay their bills.

Two others, Imran Hussain and Rebecca Long-Bailey, abstained.

Mine water could heat thousands of Welsh homes

BBC
Mine water at the former Six Bells colliery in Abertillery is pumped 40m [131ft] to the surface where it is cleaned and treated

Energy bills could be cut by low carbon heat schemes which use water from abandoned Welsh coal mines.

One in five properties in Wales lies above an area which has the potential for a mine water heat scheme, the Coal Authority said.

The temperature of accessible mine water ranges between 10 and 20C depending on the depth.

Work is under way to look at developing mine water heat projects in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Caerphilly and north east Wales.

The Welsh government said it was investing in different types of low carbon heat projects to meet the energy demand of the future.

Wales' only thermal spring could help heat school

Most homes will need heat pumps, Welsh government says

The Coal Authority estimates about two trillion litres of warm water occupy old mine shafts across the UK.

As a result, it considers mine water to be one of the best options to help with the decarbonisation of heating.

Natural gas remains the primary source for heating but the Welsh government has committed itself to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050.

Research has been carried by the Coal Authority on old mine workings across 11 local authority areas to asses the potential for mine water heat projects.

Coal Authority
The Coal Authority has identified communities in the south Wales coalfield where mine water heat networks are most viable

Gareth Farr, who leads the Coal Authority's mine water heat project in Wales, said they hope to replicate the success of the UK's first large scale mine water heat scheme in Gateshead.

"Since the closure of a lot of the collieries, they've filled up with water so these schemes operate by us drilling bore holes down to intercept that water," he said.

"It's then brought to the surface and heat exchangers recover heat from the water which is returned safely below ground. The heat we recover is distributed through heat networks to homes, offices or industrial units.

"From mine water heat in the north east of England, it has shown to be delivering heat at 5% below the gas heat price to customers, so that is really important especially during a cost of living crisis."

Water from the natural thermal spring in Taff's Well, Rondda Cynon Taf, is used to heat a local primary school and a park's pavilion

Ffynnon Taf primary school in Taff's Well, Rhondda Cynon Taf, is an example of a small-scale local heat scheme where the village's natural thermal spring is used to heat the school's building and a pavilion in the park.

But other community based heat schemes in Wales have not had the same success to date.

A feasibility study for a project in Caerau, Bridgend, was carried out a few years ago in the hope it would benefit homes and a school, but the local authority scrapped the project due to cost. It said it would look at alternative options in the future.

The Coal Authority said it was important to learn from national projects which have succeeded.

Tyneside Photographic
Glasshouse International Centre for Music in Gateshead has benefited from the town's mine water heat scheme since 2023

Scott Morrison, from the Glasshouse International Centre for Music in Gateshead, said it has saved tens of thousands of pounds since it joined the town's mine water heat scheme in spring 2023.

Five kilometres of pipes supplies homes, businesses and public buildings with heat throughout the year.

"Because we're a large building, our energy bills are one of our biggest annual costs.

"The other benefit is we're also aiming to be net zero by 2030 so we're trying to make a serious response to the climate crisis and this really helps us reach that target," Mr Morrison said.

Coal Authority
An energy centre boosts the temperature of mine water before it is pumped to heat properties within the network

In a statement Ken Skates, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Transport and North Wales, said: "With heating accounting for 50% of energy use in the Wales, mine water heat could improve the sustainability of the places where we live and work.

"Mine water heat could also play a part in our necessary efforts to tackle climate change and support decarbonisation.

"By looking at projects such as mine water heating, as well continuing to make strides in the delivery of a swathe of other renewable energy schemes, there is every reason to be optimistic about our future as global leaders both in the adoption and creation of cleaner energy and the technology that facilitates it.”

AUSTRALIA

Greens claim Aukus nuclear waste loophole remains despite Albanese government amendments

Daniel Hurst Foreign affairs and defence correspondent

THE GUARDIAN AUSTRALIA
Tue 10 September 2024

Aukus legislation before parliament covers the way Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine program will be regulated, with Labor insisting it ensures nuclear waste from US and UK submarines will not be permitted to be dumped in Australia.Photograph: Richard Wainwright/AAP

The Albanese government has bowed to pressure to close an Aukus loophole, insisting newly revealed changes will ensure Australia will not become a dumping ground for nuclear waste from US and UK submarines.

But the Greens argued the government’s latest amendments did not go far enough and it was becoming increasingly clear the Aukus security pact was “sinking”.

The legislation before the Australian parliament covers the way the country’s nuclear-powered submarine program will be regulated. It includes the creation of a new statutory agency, the Australian Naval Nuclear Power Safety Regulator.

The bill – in its original form – talked about “managing, storing or disposing of radioactive waste from an Aukus submarine”, which it defined broadly as Australian, UK or US submarines.

This prompted concerns from critics the bill could pave the way for Australia to eventually nuclear store waste from other countries, regardless of a political commitment from the incumbent government not to do so.

In May, a Labor-chaired inquiry called for a legislative safeguard to specifically rule out accepting high-level nuclear waste from the US and the UK.

New amendments circulated by the government on Wednesday include a “prohibition on storage and disposal of spent nuclear fuel that is not from an Australian submarine”.

The wording says the regulator “must not issue a licence” for the storage or disposal in Australia “of spent nuclear fuel that is not from an Australian submarine”.

The government is also amending the bill to prevent appearances of conflicts of interest at the new naval nuclear safety regulator.

The legislation will ensure anyone who has worked in the Australian defence force or the Department of Defence in the previous 12 months cannot be appointed to be the director general or deputy of the new regulator.

The defence minister, Richard Marles, said the amendments would “reaffirm the government’s already-established commitment that Australia will not be responsible for the storage or disposal of high-level radioactive waste from the US, UK or other countries”.

He said the government would “continue to build the foundations to safely and securely build, maintain and operate conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines”.

But the Greens defence spokesperson, David Shoebridge, said the amendments were “far from clear”.

“The Albanese Labor government tried to sneak through a loophole that would allow the UK and US to dump their nuclear waste in Australia,” Shoebridge said.

“We called the government out and people around Australia pushed back, now Albanese is quickly putting through a half-measure to shut everyone up.”

Shoebridge said the amendment did not specifically mention “high-level radioactive waste” and it “still allows the US and UK to dump intermediate-level waste, and Australian high-level waste, anywhere in Australia”.

“Everyone can see Aukus is sinking,” he said.

One of the members of a Senate committee that reviewed the draft laws, the independent senator Lidia Thorpe, said in May the legislation “should be setting off alarm bells” because “it could mean that Australia becomes the world’s nuclear waste dump”.

On Wednesday, a government source familiar with the amendments said the new wording was intended to “put the matter beyond doubt”.

“Since announcing the Aukus pathway, the government has stated that Australia will not be responsible for the storage or disposal of spent nuclear fuel from the US, UK or other countries (that is, the part of the submarine that generates high-level radioactive waste),” the source said.

“As responsible nuclear stewards, we will only be responsible for high-level radioactive waste from our own, sovereign nuclear-powered submarines.”

WAIT, WHAT?!

Death of man in hospital oven 'not suspicious'

Matthew Cooper
PA Media

Sam Read/BBC

Police said the patient was found dead inside a catering oven at Kettering General Hospital

A police force has said it is not treating the death of a patient found in a hospital catering oven as suspicious.

The man was found dead at Kettering General Hospital in Northamptonshire.

Northamptonshire Police said a report was being prepared for a coroner.

The hospital said staff were working with the police.

Northamptonshire Police said it was called to the "sudden death" of the man at the hospital on Friday.

It added in a statement: "We are not treating this death as suspicious and will be preparing a report for the coroner."

Julie Hogg, the chief nurse at the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group, said: "We are working with Northamptonshire Police so that they can complete a report for the coroner into the circumstances of this tragic incident."

ANOMALY (OR GUY WITH CAR)

Dead fox found on island with no known population of animal

The young female animal was discovered in Kirkwall next to the Balfour Hospital on Tuesday.

SHE WAS LOOKING FOR HELP

iStockThe council confirmed the discovery was reported to police.

Andrew Stewart
8 hours ago
Posted in Orkney Islands
Wildlife & Animals

A dead fox has been discovered in Orkney, which is believed to have no known population of the animal.

The young female animal was discovered in Kirkwall next to the Balfour Hospital on Tuesday by NHS staff as they arrived for work.

Orkney Islands Council removed the animal and took it to a local vet where a post-mortem showed it had likely been hit by a vehicle and had been dead for at least a day.

The council confirmed the discovery was reported to police.

LDRSThe young female animal was discovered in Kirkwall next to the Balfour Hospital on Tuesday
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Katie Walker who works at the hospital told the LDRS she was “surprised and confused as to why a fox would be on the pavement in the middle of Kirkwall.”

Rhona Ley, a vet who was involved in the process of carrying out a post-mortem, said: “It wasn’t freshly dead.

“There were changes there that suggest it’s been dead for a wee while, probably due to a road traffic accident.

“It has at least three broken legs but they were broken after it died. When the legs are broken before death they get a lot of bruising but there was nothing.”

Orkney isn’t known to be home to the animals but a dead fox was found on the island in 2007, with the belief that it died on the mainland.

It was thought to have been brought to Orkney, and then dumped on the roadside.
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Orkney Islands Council’s Trading Standards Manager, Gary Foubister said: “It is a serious offence to release non-native species, dead or alive.

“Anyone with information should get in touch with Police Scotland on 101.”

Mick Lynch: Partial ban on arms sales to Israel like wanting to abolish only ‘some slavery’

Chris Jarvis

Yesterday

Left Foot Forward

The RMT General Secretary made the comments at a fringe meeting at the TUC Congress

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch has slammed the government’s decision to only suspend some arms sales to Israel, suggesting it is akin to someone in the 1840s saying they only intended to ‘abolish some slavery’. Lynch made the remarks at a fringe meeting hosted by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) at this year’s TUC Congress in Brighton.

Speaking at the meeting, Lynch said: “We’ve got to put the Labour government under pressure. I saw David Lammy making this major intervention last week – some licenses will not be renewed or will be revoked. Some licenses – what was it 30 out of 150 or something of that number?

“This is like somebody standing up in front of you in the 1840s and saying ‘I’m going to abolish some slavery. I’m going to liberate some people. I’m going to do this measure, but it’s only going to apply in a very small way.”

At the meeting, Lynch and other leading trade unionists explained what they think the labour movement should be doing to act in solidarity with the Palestinian people in response to Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza. UCU general secretary Jo Grady, PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote and NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede all spoke on the panel. There was a broad consensus among the speakers that the government should be ending all arms sales to Israel.

Heathcote told the meeting: “We should be asking our government: Where are the sanctions? Where is the arms embargo? Where is the expulsion of Israeli diplomats? Our PCS members work in government departments that grant weapons licenses and if the government doesn’t respect international law, we will continue to explore the possibility of taking legal action in defence of those members.”

Kebede, meanwhile, said “we should all welcome” the partial suspension of arms sales to Israel, but acknowledged that the suspension does not include British made parts for F-35 fighter jets that have been used in operations in Gaza. He went on to say “the UK must also implement a complete ban on the sale of arms to Israel”.

At another point of the meeting, Grady – who’s union represents academic staff – said: “Israel has systematically, physically eliminated the Palestinian higher education system – deliberately destroying every single university in Gaza, assassinating leading Palestinian intellectuals. It is a core strategy of destroying education.”

Closing the meeting was Palestine Solidarity Campaign director Ben Jamal, who opened his remarks by saying: “I will always say that as a Palestinian and as a director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign I am grateful for the solidarity of the trade union movement and never take it for granted”, but called on trade unions to do “more” to campaign in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward

Labour gives renters the right to have pets as it ends no-fault evictions

In the biggest set of reforms of the sector for three decades, Labour is ending no-fault evictions and will give tenants the right to request a pet

Archie Mitchell

THE INDEPENDENT

Sept. 10,2024

Labour will give renters the right to have pets and end no-fault evictions as it revives a package of rental reforms abandoned by the Tories.

In a major overhaul of renters rights to be introduced to Parliament on Wednesday, the government has vowed to “clean up the mess” in the rental market left behind by the Conservatives.

Sir Keir Starmer’s party will abolish Section 21 so-called no-fault evictions, under which tenants can be removed from rented housing when a fixed-term tenancy ends or during a rolling tenancy.

Angela Rayner said renters have been let down for too long as the government published plans to ban no-fault evictions (PA Wire)

Last year alone, nearly 26,000 households faced homelessness as a result of a Section 21 eviction orders and were forced to turn to their local councils for support.

And it will give tenants the right to request a pet, with landlords unable to “unreasonably refuse” and able to request insurance to cover potential damage from pets if needed.

Other measures in the Renters’ Rights Bill include moves to strengthen tenants’ rights, with renters empowered to challenge unfair rent increases and plans to outlaw rental bidding wars by landlords and letting agents.

Under the bill, Labour will also make it illegal for landlords to discriminate against tenants in receipt of benefits or with children when choosing to rent out their property.

The party accused the Tories of having “repeatedly refused to stand up fro private renters”, with a ban on no-fault evictions first announced by Theresa May in 2019.

Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner said: “Renters have been let down for too long and too many are stuck in disgraceful conditions, powerless to act because of the threat of a retaliatory eviction hanging over them.

“Most landlords act in a responsible way but a small number of unscrupulous ones are tarnishing the reputation of the whole sector by making the most of the housing crisis and forcing tenants into bidding wars.

The Renters Rights’ Bill will seek abolish so-called ‘no fault’ evictions by removing Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 (PA Wire)

“There can be no more dither and delay. We must overhaul renting and rebalance the relationship between tenant and landlord.”

The Renters Reform Coalition praised ministers and officials for ensuring the bill was one of the first major overhauls pursued by the new government.

Group chairman Tom Darling said: “We renter groups have been consistent in calling for these, and though there are still areas for improvement, the fact that this government has listened means that a lot of renters will benefit from increased security of tenure.”

The government said the bill is a crucial step toward ending the UK’s housing crisis, linking it to a drive to deliver 1.5 million new homes over the course of the parliament.

Labour also says the bill will also drive up standards in the rental sector, with a “decent homes standard” implemented to ensure tenants can expect safe, well-maintained, and secure living conditions.

It hopes the change will prevent rogue landlords from undercutting the market with substandard rental properties. And the Renters’ Rights Bill will apply Awaab’s Law, which will set a legal timeframe within which landlords must make homes containing serious hazards safe.

The National Rental Landlords Association (NRLA) said it is vital the measures contained within the bill are fair to both tenants and landlords.

Chief executive Ben Beadle said the ending of no-fault evictions is the biggest change facing the sector for three decades, warning that it could lead to backlogs in courts as landlords need to file repossession claims where landlords have legitimate reasons to evict tenants.

He added: “Once the Bill is passed, it is vital that sufficient time is provided to enable the sector to properly prepare.”

And Mr Beadle welcomed plans to ensure rented housing meets a minimum standard, adding: “Too often the actions of a minority of rogue and criminal landlords have brought the sector into disrepute.”

WASTED CAPITAL

UK arms donated to Ukraine would cost £2.71bn to replace, says watchdog

Dan Sabbagh
Tue 10 September 2024

Weapons donated by the UK to Ukraine include 14 Challenger 2 tanks.Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images

Britain has donated arms and equipment to Ukraine that would cost £2.71bn to replace, largely in addition to the £7.8bn committed by prime ministers since Russia’s full-scale invasion, according to a National Audit Office report.

The cost of replacing missiles, artillery and other munitions also significantly exceeds their £171.5m value on the government’s books, because the Ministry of Defence wants to replace the old weapons supplied at current prices.

But, the auditors add, the rate of UK weapons donations has slowed dramatically because surplus stockpiles are nearly exhausted. The Army warned in January last year that donations risked leaving it “temporarily weaker”.

Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, said the MoD now has to “balance the UK’s strategic interests with maintaining the UK’s own military capabilities” – and ensure there are appropriate stockpiles in case of any future military crisis.

The figures are contained in the first audit into UK military spending in support of Ukraine, in a review of the cash and donations allocated by successive prime ministers since the full-scale invasion by Russia in February 2022.

It does not ask whether the war in Ukraine represents value for money, as that would amount to a commentary on government policy beyond the audit office’s remit, but it does highlight the additional costs of replenishing stockpiles.

The value of the donations is not included in previously announced Ukraine war budgets, and the costs are only accounted for as replenishment contracts are issued. That means that the UK will have spent more than the £2.46bn budgeted for Ukraine in 2022/23, because that year only included £75m for replacing kit donated.

Using a different calculation, the cash cost of all military operations was £2.9bn in 2022/23. That is the largest sum spent on war by the UK in any year since 2011/12, a high point of the fighting in Afghanistan. In the year after, when the UK was also engaged in bombing Houthi rebels in Yemen, the total dipped to £2.57bn.

Weapons donated by the UK to Ukraine include 14 Challenger 2 tanks, 700 armoured vehicles, 140 howitzers, at least 3,100 missiles – though the number of long range Storm Shadow weapons is a secret – and more than 10m rounds of ammunition.

Donations of arms to Ukraine have tumbled since the start of the invasion. The value fell from £130m in 2022/23 to £15.9m in 2023/4 and in future the UK will have to manufacture the bulk of any weapons it wants to send to Ukraine.

Funding for replenishment will come in future years, at least initially, from contingency reserves allocated by the Treasury. So far, replenishment contracts to replace £1bn of arms have been allocated out of a total request of £2.71bn.

The UK has also trained more than 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers, though the auditor noted there have been complaints of a lack of training in drones. Military and civil aviation restrictions largely prevent the use of large numbers of drones in the UK, even on military sites.

The MoD wants to replace equipment at a time when there are shortfalls in its overall equipment budget of £3bn this year and £3.9bn in 2025/6, part of a cumulative £16.9bn 10-year deficit the auditors have previously described as “unaffordable”.

Labour is expected to hold its first budget on 30 October, with the MoD also facing a further cost pressure of about £1.1bn to meet a 6% pay deal announced by the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, in late July. The Treasury may fund those cost pressures, though this has not yet been announced.

John Healey, the defence secretary, told MPs that Labour “will increase spending on defence” from the existing level of 2.32% of GDP to about 2.5% of GDP, in a debate on Ukraine held before the report was published. But he would not commit to extra spending on Ukraine if Donald Trump was elected to the White House in November.

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for PERMANENT ARMS ECONOMY

Call to boost agriculture budget to ‘value’ food security amid fears of cuts

National Farmers’ Union says sector needs £5.6 billion a year UK-wide to produce sustainable, affordable food and deliver for nature and climate.

Farming leaders have called for a boost to agricultural budget (Steve Parsons/PA)

Emily Beament

Evening Standard

Farming leaders have called on the Government to “truly value” food security by raising the UK’s agricultural budget to £5.6 billion a year, amid concerns over potential cuts.

The National Farmers’ Union (NFU), which is holding a reception in Parliament on Wednesday to mark Back British Farming Day, is urging ministers to deliver a “renewed and enhanced” multi-year agricultural funding pot in the Budget in October

The NFU says increased funding – of £4 billion for England, equating to £5.6 billion UK-wide – is essential to give farmers the confidence to invest in the future, produce sustainable and affordable food and deliver for nature, energy security and climate-friendly farming.

Under the previous government, there was a £2.4 billion annual agriculture budget for England, which was being shifted from EU-era subsidies mostly for land farmed, to environmental land management scheme (Elms) payments for public goods such as healthy soil and water and habitat creation.

This budget is essential in giving Britain’s farmers and growers the confidence they desperately need to invest for the future
Tom Bradshaw, NFU president

The NFU’s call follows reports that a £100 million underspend in the budget could be handed back to the Treasury, as part of efforts to fill what the Government has labelled a £22 billion “black hole” in the country’s finances.

It comes as Labour criticised the former Tory government for failing to provide farmers promised funding after the Environment Department (Defra’s) farming and countryside programme’s annual report revealed a £130 million underspend in the budget in 2023/2024.

That comes after under-spending of more than £100 million in each of the previous two years.

Daniel Zeichner, minister for food security and rural affairs, said: “Time and time again the previous Conservative government broke their promises to farmers.

“They sold them out in dodgy trade deals and then failed to pay them the funds they were promised.”

“The Labour Government will restore confidence and stability to farmers to boost rural economic growth and strengthen our food security,” he pledged.

But ministers have also warned of the dire state of the UK’s finances, setting up a clash with countryside organisations over agricultural funding, as wildlife groups line up with farmers to call for an increase in the budget for nature-friendly farming and delivering goals to tackle the nature and climate crises.

Speaking ahead of the reception, NFU president Tom Bradshaw said British farmers and growers were “proud” to produce the raw ingredients for the UK’s £148 billion food and drink sector, but there were huge challenges for the industry.

“Over the past 18 months we have seen a collapse in farmer confidence, driven by record inflation, falls in farm income and a changing climate with unprecedented weather patterns delivering relentless rain which left thousands of acres of farmland under water,” he said.

“While in opposition we heard consistently from Labour that food security is national security.

“The Prime Minister, speaking at NFU conference last year, pledged that Labour ‘aspires to govern for every corner of our country, and will seek a new relationship with the countryside and farming communities on this basis, a relationship based on respect and on genuine partnership’.”

“We now need to see those ambitions realised,” he urged.

Farmers say a boost to the budget is needed to deliver environmental and economic goals (Steve Parsons/PA)
PA Archive

“Today we’re calling on Government to truly value UK food security by delivering a renewed and enhanced multi-annual agriculture budget of £5.6 billion on October 30.

“This budget is essential in giving Britain’s farmers and growers the confidence they desperately need to invest for the future and deliver on our joint ambitions on producing more sustainable, affordable homegrown food while creating more jobs and delivering for nature, energy security and climate-friendly farming,” he said.

The NFU says independent work it has commissioned from the Andersons Centre suggests an annual budget of £4 billion is needed for England.

That includes £2.7 billion to meet the Government’s environmental goals, as well as £615 million for driving productivity and £720 million to support the economic stability of agricultural businesses.

The NFU estimates that would translate to a UK-wide budget of around £5.6 billion.

The union also wants to see the Defra be more transparent, publishing its impact assessment for the transition, including the uplands which could be particularly adversely affected, sharing annual budget plans and urgently reviewing Elms to make sure they can be accessed by all farmers.

Mr Bradshaw described the £130 million underspend as a “kick in the teeth”, and warned it had not been spent not because it was not needed, but because the new land management schemes were not completed in time.

He urged the Government to roll forward the unspent funding into the future budget to invest in sustainable food production and deliver legislated environmental targets.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed acknowledged confidence among farmers was at “record lows, with costs spiralling, flooding hitting their bottom line and red tape holding them back”.

He said: “The new Government will restore stability and confidence in the sector, introducing a new deal for farmers to boost rural economic growth and strengthen our food security.

“We will protect farmers from being undercut in trade deals, cut energy bills by switching on GB Energy, better protect them from flooding and use the Government’s own purchasing power to back British produce.”

The Government said there were “difficult decisions” ahead, and spending on Defra’s priorities would be confirmed as part of the forthcoming spending review.

Tom Bradshaw