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A Muslim student has lost a legal challenge against a school previously dubbed Britain’s strictest over its ban on “prayer rituals”.

The pupil, who cannot be named for legal reasons, took the action against Michaela Community School in Brent, north London, claiming the policy “uniquely” affects her faith, with prayer one of its five pillars.

The High Court heard in January how she alleged the school’s stance is “the kind of discrimination which makes religious minorities feel alienated from society”.

Defending the policy, lawyers for the school argued it is “justified” and “proportionate” after it faced death and bomb threats linked to religious observance.

During a two-day hearing, the school’s headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh – commonly referred to as Britain’s strictest – said on X it was defending an environment “where children of all races and religions can thrive”.

She welcomed the judgement as a “victory for all schools” and said they should not be forced to change because one pupil and her mother “don’t like something”, while education minister Gillian Keegan said headteachers are “best placed” to make decisions.

Katharine Birbalsingh.
Pic: Geoff Pugh/Shutterstock
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Katharine Birbalsingh.Pic: Geoff Pugh/Shutterstock

The school, which is rated as outstanding by regulator Ofsted, enforces a series of strict rules on students, including a ban on conversations in corridors and groups of more than four anywhere on site.

Around 700 pupils attend the school, half of whom are Muslim.

In a written judgement on Tuesday, Mr Justice Linden said: “She [the pupil] knew that the school is secular and her own evidence is that her mother wished her to go there because it was known to be strict.

“She herself says that, long before the prayer ritual policy was introduced, she and her friends believed that prayer was not permitted at school and she therefore made up for missed prayers when she got home.”

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Ms Birbalsingh, a former government social mobility tsar, introduced the policy in March 2023, after up to 30 students began praying in the school’s yard, using blazers to kneel on.

Lawyers for the school said students seen praying outside contributed to a “concerted campaign” on social media over the school’s approach to religion.

They added Muslim children were “observed to be applying peer pressure” to other Muslim pupils to “act in certain ways”.

The court also heard the school was targeted with a “bomb hoax”, death threats, abuse and “false” allegations of Islamophobia.

Reversing the school’s “emergency” ban would again expose it to “an unacceptable risk of threats”, lawyers said, adding it avoided “the logistical disruption and detriments to other school activities”.

A ‘modest’ request

But the court was also told the pupil is making a “modest” request for permission to pray for around five minutes at lunch time, on dates when faith rules required it – not during lessons.

The student also challenged allegedly unfair decisions to temporarily suspend her from school, which the judge upheld.

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The pupil said she doesn’t agree it would be “too hard” to accommodate pupils who “wished to pray in the lunchbreak”, adding the school is “very well run”.

“Even though I lost, I still feel that I did the right thing in seeking to challenge the ban,” she added. “I tried my best, and was true to myself and my religion.”

Her mother said the case was “rooted in the understanding that prayer isn’t just a desirable act for us – it’s an essential element that shapes our lives as Muslims”.

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Man arrested on suspicion of murder after woman shot dead in Talbot Green, South Wales

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Man arrested on suspicion of murder after woman shot dead in Talbot Green, South Wales

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 40-year-old woman was shot dead in South Wales.

The woman was found with serious injuries just after 6pm on Sunday and died at the scene despite the efforts of emergency services.

She was discovered in the Green Park area of Talbot Green, a town about 15 miles west of Cardiff.

A 42-year-old local man is in police custody.

Detective Chief Inspector James Morris said: “I understand the concern this will cause the local community, and I want to reassure people that a team of experienced detectives are already working at pace to piece together the events of last night.”

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South Wales Police said a number of crime scenes have been set up and road closures are in place.

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Drivers ‘confused’ by transition to electric vehicles, ministers warned

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Drivers 'confused' by transition to electric vehicles, ministers warned

UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.

Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA.

In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.

Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.

More than one in five said they would never buy an EV.

The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles.

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What you can do to reach net zero

In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric.

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Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans in 2030.

Manufacturers will face fines of £15,000 per vehicle if electric vehicle sales fall short of 28% of total production this year.

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By 2035, all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission, according to the Department for Transport.

Second-hand diesel and petrol cars will still be allowed to be sold after this date, and their fuel will still be available.

There are more EVs – but will people buy them?

In February, 25% of new cars were powered purely by battery and in January, they made up 21% of all new cars registered in the UK.

But despite the growth of electric sales, manufacturers continue to warn that the market will not support the growth required to hit government EV targets, and called for consumer incentives and the extension of tax breaks.

The AA suggested the government’s plan focuses on “supply but does little to encourage demand for EVs”.

It called on ministers to co-ordinate a public awareness campaign alongside the motoring industry which directly targets drivers who doubt the viability of EVs.

“Our message to government is more needs to be done to make EVs accessible for everyone,” said Jakob Pfaudler, AA chief executive.

Which? head of consumer rights Sue Davis said: “When it comes to making sustainable choices such as switching to an electric car, our research shows that people are often held back by high costs, complex choices or uncertainty.

“The government needs to provide the right information on electric vehicles and other sustainable choices so that people have the confidence to switch.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs.

“This includes installing a public charge point every 28 minutes, keeping EV incentives in the company car tax regime to 2030, and extending 100% first-year allowances for zero-emission cars for another year.

“Second-hand EVs are also becoming cheaper than ever, with one in three available under £20,000 and 21 brand new models available for less than £30,000.

“We’re seeing growing consumer confidence as a result.”

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Man charged after climbing Big Ben’s Elizabeth Tower

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Man charged after climbing Big Ben's Elizabeth Tower

A man has been charged after climbing up the tower of Big Ben, the Metropolitan Police has said.

Daniel Day, 29, of Palmerston Road, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, faces charges of intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance and trespassing on a protected site.

He will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court later today.

Police were called to reports of a man climbing up Elizabeth Tower at 7.24am on Saturday.

The man was carrying a Palestinian flag and remained barefoot on a ledge for more than 16 hours before being lifted to the ground in a cherry picker just after midnight.

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Westminster Bridge was forced to close to traffic during the morning, as tourists in central London stood around watching the spectacle.

Police said specialist officers worked with the fire brigade “to bring this incident to a close as quickly as possible whilst minimising risk to life”.

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