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Rachel Reeves has pushed back at suggestions ministers are considering ending universal free school meals for primary school children.

The chancellor said she did not “recognise” reports in The Times that Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, had suggested making free school meals for younger pupils means tested instead of universal, as is the case for older children.

Currently, all children in reception, year one and year two are entitled to free school meals, but according to the newspaper, Ms Phillipson made the recommendation as part of a package to reduce school spending by £500m.

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A source close to Ms Phillipson told Sky News the reports were “complete rubbish” while the chancellor pointed to the government’s decision to roll out free breakfast clubs in all primary schools from April.

Ms Reeves told broadcasters: “This government is rolling out free breakfast clubs in all primary schools from April.

“I don’t recognise those claims that the government are looking at means-testing free school meals.

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“In fact, this government are ensuring that all children get a good start to the day with a breakfast club, helping working parents and helping all children get a good start in life.

“That is what this government is determined to do after 14 years of Conservative failure.”

On Wednesday the chancellor is expected to deliver a spring statement that sets out savings of around £10bn, including the £5bn of welfare savings announced last week.

Ms Reeves has also confirmed the civil service will be forced to cut £2bn a year by slashing administration costs by the end of the decade – although the savings will be used to protect frontline services from cutbacks.

The proposed cuts follow a speech by the prime minister in which he announced the abolition of NHS England, the administrative body that runs the national health service, in a bid to slash red tape and cut costs.

Today Sir Keir Starmer said the government was “looking across the board” at making cuts to unprotected departmental budgets.

“We’re not going to alter the basics, but we are going to look across and one of the areas that we will be looking at is: can we run the government more efficiently?” he told the BBC.

As well as suggestions that free school meals could be curtailed, The Times also said Ms Phillipson had offered to stop funding for free period products in schools as well as dance, music and PE schemes.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson arrives in Downing Street, London, for a Cabinet meeting. Picture date: Tuesday February 11, 2025.
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Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson. Pic: NetStorage

The source close to Ms Phillipson also denied those claims, saying: “It’s no secret that there are some tough choices coming down the track – but if people don’t think Bridget is going to fight tooth and nail to protect programmes that support the most disadvantaged children, they don’t know Bridget very well.

“Any suggestions those things are being ‘offered up’ is complete rubbish.”

At the same time, Ms Reeves has drawn criticism for hinting she could abolish or slash the digital services tax paid by tech companies while reducing benefits for ill and disabled people.

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The levy, introduced in 2020 under former Conservative prime minister Rishi Sunak, ensures that digital companies with global sales exceeding £500m and with at least £25m worth of UK sales pay a tax of 2% on those UK sales.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said changing the policy would amount to “appeasement” of Donald Trump following reports the government could alter or abandon the tax in a bid to avoid punitive US tariffs.

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Chancellor’s Spring Statement preview

Asked if the government was also considering abolishing or slashing the digital services tax paid by tech companies, Ms Reeves said: “Digital services tax is hugely important, it brings in around £800m a year and ensures that companies pay tax in the country that they are operating in.

“So we will continue to make sure that businesses pay their fair share of tax, including businesses in the digital sector.”

Addressing the cuts that are expected in Wednesday’s spring statement, the prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “The whole cabinet is focused on delivering high quality public services.

“This is shown in fixing the NHS and giving our kids the best opportunities and doing it to give taxpayers the best value for money.”

Turning to the suggestions the digital services tax could be axed, the spokesman added the UK would only do a deal with the US that was “in this country’s national interest”.

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‘Shameful’ that black boys in London more likely to die than white boys, says Met Police chief

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'Shameful' that black boys in London more likely to die than white boys, says Met Police chief

It is “shameful” that black boys growing up in London are “far more likely” to die than white boys, Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley has told Sky News.

The commissioner told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips that relations with minority communities “is difficult for us”.

Sir Mark, who came out of retirement to become head of the UK’s largest police force in 2022, said: “We can’t pretend otherwise that we’ve got a history between policing and black communities where policing has got a lot wrong.

“And we get a lot more right today, but we do still make mistakes. That’s not in doubt. I’m being as relentless in that as it can be.”

He said the “vast majority” of the force are “good people”.

However, he added: “But that legacy, combined with the tragedy that some of this crime falls most heavily in black communities, that creates a real problem because the legacy creates concern.”

Sir Mark, who also leads the UK’s counter-terrorism policing, said it is “not right” that black boys growing up in London “are far more likely to be dead by the time they’re 18” than white boys.

“That’s, I think, shameful for the city,” he admitted.

The Met Police chief’s admission comes two years after an official report found the force is institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic.

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Police chase suspected phone thief

Baroness Casey was commissioned in 2021 to look into the Met Police after serving police officer Wayne Couzens abducted, raped and murdered Sarah Everard.

She pinned the primary blame for the Met’s culture on its past leadership and found that stop and search and the use of force against black people was excessive.

At the time, Sir Mark, who had been commissioner for six months when the report was published, said he would not use the labels of institutionally racist, institutionally misogynistic and institutionally homophobic, which Casey insisted the Met deserved.

However, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who helped hire Sir Mark – and could fire him – made it clear the commissioner agreed with Baroness Casey’s verdict.

After the report was released, Sir Mark said “institutional” was political language so he was not going to use it, but he accepted “we have racists, misogynists…systematic failings, management failings, cultural failings”.

A few months after the report, Sir Mark launched a two-year £366m plan to overhaul the Met, including increased emphasis on neighbourhood policing to rebuild public trust and plans to recruit 500 more community support officers and an extra 565 people to work with teams investigating domestic violence, sexual offences and child sexual abuse and exploitation.

Watch the full interview on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips from 8.30am on Sunday.

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Unite votes to suspend Angela Rayner over Birmingham bin strike

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Unite votes to suspend Angela Rayner over Birmingham bin strike

Labour’s largest union donor, Unite, has voted to suspend Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner over her role in the Birmingham bin strike row.

Members of the trade union, one of the UK’s largest, also “overwhelmingly” voted to “re-examine its relationship” with Labour over the issue.

They said Ms Rayner, who is also housing, communities and local government secretary, Birmingham Council’s leader, John Cotton, and other Labour councillors had been suspended for “bringing the union into disrepute”.

There was confusion over Ms Rayner’s membership of Unite, with her office having said she was no longer a member and resigned months ago and therefore could not be suspended.

But Unite said she was registered as a member. Parliament’s latest register of interests had her down as a member in May.

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The union said an emergency motion was put to members at its policy conference in Brighton on Friday.

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Unite is one of the Labour Party’s largest union donors, donating £414,610 in the first quarter of 2025 – the highest amount in that period by a union, company or individual.

The union condemned Birmingham’s Labour council and the government for “attacking the bin workers”.

Mountains of rubbish have been piling up in the city since January after workers first went on strike over changes to their pay, with all-out strike action starting in March. An agreement has still not been made.

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Rat catcher tackling Birmingham’s bins problem

Ms Rayner and the councillors had their membership suspended for “effectively firing and rehiring the workers, who are striking over pay cuts of up to £8,000”, the union added.

‘Missing in action’

General secretary Sharon Graham told Sky News on Saturday morning: “Angela Rayner, who has the power to solve this dispute, has been missing in action, has not been involved, is refusing to come to the table.”

She had earlier said: “Unite is crystal clear, it will call out bad employers regardless of the colour of their rosette.

“Angela Rayner has had every opportunity to intervene and resolve this dispute but has instead backed a rogue council that has peddled lies and smeared its workers fighting huge pay cuts.

“The disgraceful actions of the government and a so-called Labour council, is essentially fire and rehire and makes a joke of the Employment Relations Act promises.

“People up and down the country are asking whose side is the Labour government on and coming up with the answer not workers.”

SN pics from 10/04/25 Tyseley Lane, Tyseley, Birmingham showing some rubbish piling up because of bin strikes
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Piles of rubbish built up around Birmingham because of the strike over pay

Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesman said the government’s “priority is and always has been the residents of Birmingham”.

He said the decision by Unite workers to go on strike had “caused disruption” to the city.

“We’ve worked to clean up streets and remain in close contact with the council […] as we support its recovery,” he added.

A total of 800 Unite delegates voted on the motion.

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Binance’s CZ threatens to sue Bloomberg over Trump stablecoin report

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Binance’s CZ threatens to sue Bloomberg over Trump stablecoin report

Binance’s CZ threatens to sue Bloomberg over Trump stablecoin report

Binance co-founder CZ has dismissed a Bloomberg report linking him to the Trump-backed USD1 stablecoin, threatening legal action over alleged defamation.

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