UPDATING: The bad news ministers want you to miss on 'taking out the trash' day
2 min read
It’s the last day of parliament before the summer recess, which means ministers are slipping out bad news to avoid proper scrutiny. Find the key announcements here.
CRIME SOARS
Recorded crime has risen to its highest level in a decade, with police in England and Wales logging nearly 5 million offences in the year up to March - a hike of 10%. Some would say it serves as a reminder that the UK needs appropriate police numbers. But…
FEWER FRONTLINE POLICE
The number of frontline police officers has dropped again, continuing the trend since a peak in 2009. The number of officers in crime-fighting roles has gone down by 1%, or 840, in a year, while there has been an overall drop in police staff of 2,237. Maybe the armed forces can step in if need be. Except…
FEWER ARMED FORCES PERSONNEL
Full-time, fully-trained members of the Navy, RAF and Army are down 1,860 on this time last year, at 138,130. The number is down by about 7,000 since Michael Fallon became Defence Secretary in 2014.
RAIL ELECTRIFICATION DELAY
Plans for the long-awaited electrification of rail lines around the country have been scrapped. It’s part of the latest saga in the rail electrification U-turn, which has seen as many delays and eye-watering price hikes as your average commuter service.
NO FINAL DECISION ON SKY TAKEOVER
Karen Bradley said the controversial decision over whether media tycoon Rupert Murdoch can buy the chunk of Sky he doesn’t already own might not happen for a while. The Culture Secretary said she had had so many emails about the bid - including 10,000 in a single day - she hadn’t had chance to read them all.
LITTLE PROGRESS IN JUDICIAL DIVERSITY
Only 28% of court judges are female and just 7% are BAME. The number for women is the same as a year ago while the number for BAME has increased slightly. So not a lot of progress there - although the trend over the past few years is upwards.
SCHOOL EXCLUSIONS ON THE RISE
The number of permanent and temporary exclusions across state schools has risen in a year, with 200 kids kicked out of primary schools for sexual misconduct, 400 due to bullying and 35 due to drug and alcohol abuse. 50 pupils aged four or younger were among them.
ALCOHOL RISK IN ARMED FORCES
61% of armed forces personnel were deemed "potentially at increasing risk or above" of alcohol related harm. 2% were such high risk they should go and see their GP, according to a survey by the MoD.
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