Sixteen English councils spend more than 80% of core funding on social care

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The Guardian·28m ago4 outlets

Andy Burnham says rejoining the EU among all ‘the options’ being considered – UK politics live

The prime minister says he wants to open a debate about the UK’s future relationship with Europe Burnham wants to review the UK’s relationship with the EU. What are the options? From Brexit to electoral reform: key takeaways from Andy Burnham’s conference speech Andy Burnham has said that it is not accurate to say that he is getting rid of the pensions triple lock. In interviews this morning, he challenged this description because the plan he announced yesterday means that the value of the state pension will continue to rise in line with prices, earnings or 2.5%. The decision on the triple lock, the adjustment – and it is an adjustment – it’s not getting rid of the whole concept of the triple lock. We’re thinking all of the time, ‘how do we take a bit of pressure off people, give them some breathing space?’ It’s why one of the first decisions I took as prime minister was to remove VAT of

The Guardian·1h ago

Edinburgh joins UK universities heading for strikes as cuts spread through entire sector

Students at Edinburgh, Dundee and Nottingham face a term without any teaching as sector struggles with rising financial uncertainty Welcome classes for students at the University of Edinburgh this year didn’t focus on the lectures, seminars and essays expected. Instead, students were told about how their education was going to fit in around the strikes planned for this year, which for many will effectively wipe out a term of teaching. “This term I’ve got two courses and my dissertation. Currently, I’ve got no teaching for five weeks,” said Theo Warshaw, 22, in his final year studying geography at Edinburgh, where staff are striking over budget cuts and compulsory redundancies needed to bridge what the university’s leaders have said is a £400m shortfall. Continue reading...

NPR Politics·1h ago

Trump says top tech firms have signed accord to 'self-police' AI development

President Trump on Tuesday said that he and a large group of leaders of artificial intelligence companies had signed a voluntary accord that will include internal and external reviews.

The Guardian·2h ago

Half a million trees to be planted in England in three years, says government

Exclusive: Environment secretary Angela Eagle to make pledge as part of efforts to protect against extreme weather Half a million trees will be planted across England in the next three years to protect against extreme weather, the environment secretary, Angela Eagle, will pledge on Wednesday morning. Mayors, local authorities, charities and grassroots groups will be given new funding and responsibilities for restoring natural landscapes such as wetlands, river edges and meadows, which can provide natural flood management and reduce the damage done by droughts. Continue reading...

BBC Politics·2h ago

Move to rejoin EU among options for UK, says Burnham

The prime minister tells the BBC the current Brexit settlement has caused "more harm than good".

The Guardian·3h ago

Nandy says children’s social media ban only ‘staging post’ in online safety drive

Exclusive: Culture secretary says UK will crack down further and be ‘pioneer of tech as a force for good’ Lisa Nandy has warned technology firms that the government’s online safety crackdown is not finished, saying that banning under-16s from social media platforms is only a “staging post”. Earlier this year the government announced that teenagers under the age of 16 would be banned from accessing “high-risk” social media apps, while safer platforms would be subjected to restrictions. Continue reading...