Chancellor Rachel Reeves to pledge £1.4bn for crumbling schools and childcare in the budget
Rachel Reeves has promised £1.4bn to rebuild crumbling schools and triple funding for free breakfast clubs, as she gears up for her first budget.
The chancellor said children “should not suffer” due to the UK’s depleted public purse, despite the Labour government needing to plug what it calls a £22bn “black hole”.
However, economists said the funding would generally ensure existing plans keep going, rather than pay for many new initiatives, and teachers said much more cash was needed.
The Treasury said the £1.4bn would “ensure the delivery” of the school rebuilding programme, which was announced in 2020 under then prime minister Boris Johnson.
It aims to rebuild or refurbish about 500 schools in a decade, but progress has been slow.
The £1.4bn is understood to be a £550m increase on last year to support the programme.
Last year more than 100 schools, nurseries and colleges in England were forced to shut down days before the autumn term due to safety concerns over reinforced autoclaved concrete (Raac).
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Budget funding for nurseries, breakfast clubs childcare
The Treasury also confirmed £1.8bn would be allocated for the expansion of government-funded childcare, with a further £15m of capital funding for school-based nurseries.
The Treasury said the first stage of the plan would pay for 300 new or expanded nurseries across England.
Ms Reeves also said she would “triple” investment in free breakfast clubs to £30m in 2025-26, after she announced at Labour’s party conference in September a £7m trial across up to 750 schools starting in April.
Labour made a manifesto commitment to spend £315m on breakfast clubs by 2028-29.
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Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) researcher Christine Farquharson said the new £30m figure appears to be a “boost on the previously-announced £7m”.
“But this is still only a tenth of what the Labour manifesto plans to spend by 2028-29, so the bulk of the rollout lies ahead,” she added.
The chancellor said: “This government’s first budget will set out how we will fix the foundations of the country. It will mean tough decisions, but also the start of a new chapter for Britain.
“Protecting funding for education was one of the things I wanted to do first because our children are the future of this country. We might have inherited a mess, but they should not suffer for it.”
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New pilot seeks to support more ‘stable and loving homes’
Another £44m will help kinship and foster carers, including piloting a new kinship allowance to test whether it can increase the number of children taken in by family and friends.
The government hopes it will “keep more children in stable and loving homes”.
Ms Farquharson said that “in a tight fiscal context” the commitments “largely reflect decisions to continue programmes”.
She said: “Putting £1.4bn into the school rebuilding programme next year will be enough to keep what was always intended as a 10-year programme going in its sixth year.
“£1.8bn for the rollout of new childcare entitlements similarly confirms plans set out under the previous government.”
The Budget – a special programme on Sky News
School leaders outline what else is needed
School leaders warned that the funding announcement left a “significant shortfall in terms of what is needed to restore the school estate to a satisfactory condition”.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers union, said: “It is reassuring to hear that school funding will be protected next year and that education will continue to be prioritised as schools face continuing financial pressures.
“It is now important that the government is very clear about what it means by ‘protected’.
“We urge the government to use the reduction in pupil numbers some schools are facing to increase per pupil funding both in the short and longer term.”
He said the £1.4bn was “helpful” but urged the Treasury to use the spending review next spring to commit to a “major school rebuilding programme”.
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A Conservative Party spokesman said: “In government, the Conservatives had a relentless focus on giving every child the best start in life.
“We launched the largest-ever expansion of childcare, recruited 27,000 teachers and drove up school standards.
“On the other hand, Labour are breaking their promises to the public.
“Just like their broken promises on hiking taxes and fiddling the fiscal rules, they’ve broken their promises to students – introducing a new tax on education and plotting the cancellation of dozens of new schools projects.”
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Who will the tax rise hit?
What else can we expect from the budget?
Ms Reeves will also use her first budget on Wednesday to announce a change to the UK’s debt rule.
It is designed to pave the way for the government to spend billions more on long-term infrastructure projects.
She is also expected to hike employer national insurance by up to two percentage points and lower the threshold at which employers pay in – measures that would together raise around £20bn.
Capital gains tax, inheritance tax and fuel duty are other options to raise revenue Ms Reeves has on the table, as she seeks to put the economy on a firmer footing.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, deputy leader of Reform UK Richard Tice, former governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King, and director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies Paul Johnson will be on the Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips show on Sky News from 8.30am this morning.
Lucy Letby suggested she could give “tips” to a colleague on how to get away with murder, a public inquiry has heard.
The child serial killer exchanged WhatsApp messages in 2017 with union rep Hayley Griffiths about the US legal drama How To Get Away With Murder.
The discussion took place a year after the neonatal nurse was moved to clerical duties at the Countess of Chester Hospital following concerns she may have been deliberately harming babies.
In a message to Letby, Ms Griffiths wrote: “I’m currently watching a programme called how to get away with murder. I’m learning some good tips.”
Letby replied: “I could have given you some tips x”
Ms Griffiths said: “I need someone to practice on to see if I can get away with it.”
Letby wrote: “I can think of two people you could practice on and will help you cover it up x”
Ms Griffiths replied: “Deal. I will get thinking of a plan. Get the cruise booked as our getaway.”
The pair were working in the hospital’s risk and patient safety department a year before Letby was arrested on suspicion of multiple murders by Cheshire Police.
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How the police caught Lucy Letby
Ms Griffiths said she was aware of the concerns of foul play and the connection to Letby by September 2016.
Shahram Sharghy, representing some of the families of Letby’s victims, asked: “Given the severity of the allegations that were made, and would you agree they are possibly the most serious allegations that anybody could make against a healthcare professional, were you making light of those allegations when you were referring to potentially committing a crime?”
Ms Griffiths answered: “No.”
Mr Sharghy asked: “Can you even begin to imagine and put yourself in the position of the families of the babies who were harmed when they see those messages?”
Ms Griffiths said: “I know… I am so remorseful. As soon as I saw them myself I was upset and I can’t begin to imagine… I can only apologise and say I have learned. I can’t go back in time but I have reflected absolutely on it.”
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Earlier, Ms Griffiths told counsel to the inquiry Rachel Langdale KC: “It was nothing more than a conversation. However, I truly and deeply regret having started that conservation… this is completely unprofessional, poor judgement on my behalf and completely insensitive. And for that, I can only apologise from the bottom of my heart.”
Letby, 34, from Hereford, is currently serving 15 whole-life orders.
She was convicted at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder six others between June 2015 and June 2016.
The Thirlwall Inquiry into the events surrounding her crimes is expected to sit until early 2015. The findings are expected by late autumn that year.
UK
Newcastle: Three men arrested in connection with deadly house explosion and on suspicion of cannabis production
Three men have been arrested in connection with a deadly house explosion in Newcastle.
Seven-year-old Archie York and Jason Laws, who was in his 30s, were killed following the blast in Violet Close, in the Benwell and Elswick area of the city in October.
Police said at the time that six others were taken to hospital “with varying injuries” after the blast and subsequent fire.
Three men – two in their 30s and one in his 50s – have been arrested on suspicion of two counts of manslaughter, and the production of a Class B drug, namely cannabis, Northumbria Police said.
They all remain in police custody.
Detective Chief Inspector Katie Smith said: “This has been a truly tragic incident which resulted in the loss of two lives.
“As a result of our ongoing enquiries, three men have today been arrested in connection with the explosion.
“Our investigation will remain ongoing as we seek to provide answers to what has happened.
“We would continue to ask people to avoid speculation surrounding this incident both online and in the community.”
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From October: Deadly blast destroys Newcastle house
The blast tore through a row of six properties divided into two flats each.
Drone footage showed how six flats in the middle of the building appeared to have been completely destroyed by the explosion and fire, while piles of debris could be seen in the street outside.
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Superintendent Darren Adams, from Northumbria Police, said on the day of the fire: “As a result of the incident in the early hours of this morning, a seven-year-old boy has sadly passed away.
“Despite the efforts of the emergency services, he tragically died at the scene.
“This is a truly devastating outcome.”
Prince William has given an update on the Princess of Wales’s health, describing her as “amazing”.
Ahead of tonight’s Earthshot Prize awards in Cape Town, he was asked how his wife Kate was doing and replied: “She’s doing really well thanks. Hopefully she’s watching tonight and cheering me on.
“She’s been amazing this whole year and I know she’ll be really keen to see tonight be a success.”
Kate revealed in March she was having preventative chemotherapy following the discovery of pre-cancerous cells.
In September, she announced she had completed her treatment and said her focus now is on “staying cancer free”.
Throughout the year, Prince William hasn’t discussed his wife’s diagnosis, despite still continuing with his own public duties.
William and Kate at a community engagement last month. Pic: Andrew Parsons/Kensington Palace
William answered questions after taking part in rehearsals for tonight’s Earthshot Awards, the environmental prize he launched in 2021 to try to inject some optimism into the climate crisis debate.
Since he’s been in Cape Town he’s been spotted wearing a bracelet with the word ‘papa’ on it, given to him by his daughter Princess Charlotte.
He explained: “This is a relic from a Taylor Swift concert that my daughter decided that she wanted to create a bracelet for, and she gave it to me when I came away so I’ve promised her that I’d wear it and try not to lose it while I was out here.”
He also shared how he’s trying to make sure his three children feel involved in his environmental work, including doing things around the house.
The Prince of Wales in Cape Town today. Pic: PA
The prince said: “Every family tries to do what they can to help with the environment and we go through the basics of recycling and making sure we minimise water use, turning lights off when you leave the house. We’re sensible with what we do around the environment. I think every family has those conversations.
“The Earthshot is trying to be more global than that – we’re trying to do big-scale ambition and business. I’ve brought the children along on that journey and I hope they’re proud of what we are trying to do here which is to galvanise that energy and enthusiasm to make real impact.”
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Asked about the tough political climate for the environment right now, Prince William didn’t make any comment about the US election result and Donald Trump’s climate credentials, but said: “Everyone wants some hope and some optimism and Earthshot comes with urgent optimism.
“And as you’ll see tonight the amount of youth from Africa who will be in here – they’ll be letting you know and letting everyone know that it matters to them.
“Without them, the future is looking pretty bleak so these are the game changers, the innovators, the inventors who are going to make the world a better place for us in future.”
The annual Earthshot Prize awards five entrepreneurs, innovators, startups or conservationists with £1m each to help scale their ideas to tackle some of the world’s most pressing environmental issues.
This is the fourth year the awards have been held.
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