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Tue, 21 January 2025

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Matilda Martin

Matilda is a reporter at PoliticsHome. Previously she was a senior reporter at TES.

Parliament Bar To Close For Safety Review Following Alleged Spiking
Parliament
Parliament Bar To Close For Safety Review Following Alleged Spiking
A parliament bar has been closed for a safety review following an alleged spiking. 
Home Secretary Announces 'Rapid Audit' of Grooming Gangs Plus Backing For New Local Inquiries
Home affairs
Home Secretary Announces "Rapid Audit" of Grooming Gangs Plus Backing For New Local Inquiries
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced a "rapid three-month audit" of the scale and nature of grooming gangs in the UK, as well as "stronger national backing for local inquiries".
Ed Davey Is Wary That Leaving Elon Musk's X Could Let Opponents Dominate Platform
Political parties
Ed Davey Is Wary That Leaving Elon Musk's X Could Let Opponents Dominate Platform
Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey has said he would not rule out leaving Elon Musk's social media website X, but stressed that he did not want opponents to "dominate a particular platform".
A Sharp Fall In Overseas Students Is Hitting University Finances, Accounts Show
Education
A Sharp Fall In Overseas Students Is Hitting University Finances, Accounts Show
Some universities have seen income from overseas students drop by as much as £10m year-on-year as a result of a fall in applicants, PoliticsHome analysis of newly published accounts shows.
Universities Are Making Cuts To Pay For Rising Staff Pensions, Accounts Show
Education
Universities Are Making Cuts To Pay For Rising Staff Pensions, Accounts Show
Many universities are struggling with the cost of staff pensions at a time when the higher education sector is already under financial pressure, PoliticsHome analysis of their accounts suggests.
Largest Teachers Union To Launch Ballot Over Strike Action
Education
Largest Teachers Union To Launch Ballot Over Strike Action
The government faces the prospect of a teacher walkout later this year over an "inadequate" pay offer. 
MPs Share Their New Year's Resolutions For 2025
Parliament
MPs Share Their New Year's Resolutions For 2025
When well-slept and eager MPs return to Westminster in the New Year, what will they want to achieve?
2024 In Politics: A Seismic General Election And Much More
Political parties
2024 In Politics: A Seismic General Election And Much More
2024 will be remembered as a year when the tectonic plates of British plates shifted in a big way. 
Why 2025 Could Be A Pivotal Year For Universities
Education
Why 2025 Could Be A Pivotal Year For Universities
Securing the future of UK universities will be one of many major challenges for the Government next year.
All MPs Want For Christmas Is... A Warm Office, A Spaniel, And Sleep
Parliament
By Matilda Martin
All MPs Want For Christmas Is... A Warm Office, A Spaniel, And Sleep
As Westminster prepares to wind down after another historic year in British politics, MPs from across the political spectrum tell PoliticsHome what's on their Christmas wish list.
Immigration Is A Major Concern In Mayoral Contests Eyed By Reform, New Poll Shows
Communities
Immigration Is A Major Concern In Mayoral Contests Eyed By Reform, New Poll Shows
New polling shows immigration is a major concern in two mayoral battlegrounds that will go to the polls for the first time in 2025 and where Reform UK is hopeful of success.
Keir Starmer Gives Life Peerage To Former Chief Of Staff Sue Gray
Political parties
Keir Starmer Gives Life Peerage To Former Chief Of Staff Sue Gray
Keir Starmer has nominated former chief of staff Sue Gray for a life peerage, Downing Street announced on Friday.
Free Therapy Pilot For Jurors Receives Little Take Up
Home affairs
Free Therapy Pilot For Jurors Receives Little Take Up
Ministers are being urged to change the law to allow jurors to discuss their experiences with counsellors after a free therapy pilot scheme saw little take-up in the first month.
Labour MP Welcomes New Law To Criminalise 'Sophisticated' 3D Guns
Home affairs
Labour MP Welcomes New Law To Criminalise "Sophisticated" 3D Guns
A Labour MP who is leading calls to outlaw 3D guns has welcomed the news that the Home Office will introduce legislation to close what she described as a "really bizarre" and dangerous loophole.
The Budget Will Cost Some Nurseries £50,000 A Year, Early Years Sector Warns
Education
The Budget Will Cost Some Nurseries £50,000 A Year, Early Years Sector Warns
The early years sector has warned that the failure to fund private nurseries for Budget measures will cost the average setting an additional £50,000 a year.
Areas With Most Devolution Have More Confidence In Their Mayors, Research Shows
Communities
Areas With Most Devolution Have More Confidence In Their Mayors, Research Shows
People living in areas with greater devolution are more confident in their mayors and the model of devolution as a whole, according to research shared with PoliticsHome.
UK Cannot Be 'Complacent' About Russian Interference In General Elections
Foreign affairs
UK Cannot Be "Complacent" About Russian Interference In General Elections
The chair of the foreign affairs select committee has said the UK cannot be complacent about Russian attempts to influence its elections after a Romanian court annulled the country's presidential contest citing interference.
Create 10-Year 'Standalone Plan' To Fix Social Care, Say Local Leaders
Health
Create 10-Year "Standalone Plan" To Fix Social Care, Say Local Leaders
The Government must create a decade-long plan for social care if the long-term strategy for repairing the National Health Service hopes to succeed, local authority leaders have said.
Keir Starmer Says His Six Milestones Will Let Voters 'Hold Our Feet To The Fire'
Political parties
By Matilda Martin
Keir Starmer Says His Six Milestones Will Let Voters "Hold Our Feet To The Fire"
Keir Starmer has set out the Government’s “plan for change” which he said would allow the country to judge Labour on whether it has delivered its promises.
Plan To Put Nurseries In Schools Could Face Take Up Issues, Early Years Providers Warn
Education
Plan To Put Nurseries In Schools Could Face Take Up Issues, Early Years Providers Warn
Early years providers could be "discouraged" from taking part in the Government's push to increase the number of school-based nurseries, the sector has warned.
SEND Help: How to reform our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities system
Education
By Matilda Martin
SEND Help: How to reform our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities system
“Lose, lose, lose.” That is how former Conservative education secretary Gillian Keegan described the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system in England, widely described as broken.
Work From Home Push Yet To Make Difference In 'Understaffed' Schools
Education
Work From Home Push Yet To Make Difference In "Understaffed" Schools
A Department for Education push to give teachers more flexibility in terms of where they work has not led to a rise in home working, new data suggests.
Sir Chris Wormald Named As Next Cabinet Secretary
Political parties
By Matilda Martin
Sir Chris Wormald Named As Next Cabinet Secretary
Sir Chris Wormald has been appointed the next Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service.
Bill To Legalise Assisted Dying Passes First Vote
Health
Bill To Legalise Assisted Dying Passes First Vote
A Private Member’s Bill seeking to legalise assisted dying has passed its first House of Commons vote, moving closer towards becoming law. 
MoD Spending On Navy Recruitment Jumps 20 Per Cent
Defence
MoD Spending On Navy Recruitment Jumps 20 Per Cent
Government spending on Royal Navy recruitment increased by a fifth last year as the Ministry of Defence (MoD) tried to tackle personnel shortages, PoliticsHome can reveal.
There's 'Much More To Do' To Combat Misogyny In Schools, Says Minister
Education
There's "Much More To Do" To Combat Misogyny In Schools, Says Minister
The Government has "much more to do" to tackle misogyny in schools, the minister for early education has said.
Stephen Morgan: 'I’m really conscious that parents have had it pretty tough'
Education
By Matilda Martin
Stephen Morgan: 'I’m really conscious that parents have had it pretty tough'
The first-ever early education minister Stephen Morgan tells Matilda Martin what’s keeping him awake at night as he works to deliver a key election pledge
Oxbridge Should 'Move' Towards How US Universities Are Funded
Education
Oxbridge Should "Move" Towards How US Universities Are Funded
The country's most prestigious universities should become more like US colleges in how they are funded, candidate for next Oxford chancellor Dominic Grieve has said. 
Ofsted 'Culpable' For Poor Children Falling Further Behind, Says Body's Former Head
Education
Ofsted "Culpable" For Poor Children Falling Further Behind, Says Body's Former Head
Ofsted is "at fault and culpable" for disadvantaged pupils falling further behind their peers, the former chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw has told PoliticsHome.
Criminal Exploitation Of Children Rises By 55 Per Cent In Two Years, Data Suggests
Education
Criminal Exploitation Of Children Rises By 55 Per Cent In Two Years, Data Suggests
Cases of child criminal exploitation have increased sharply in the last two years, a new analysis shared with PoliticsHome shows.
Labour MP Warns Homeless Families Are Using Schools As 'Support Hubs'
Education
By Matilda Martin
Labour MP Warns Homeless Families Are Using Schools As "Support Hubs"
A new Labour MP who was a deputy head teacher before being elected says families are turning up to schools with their belongings having been evicted from their homes. 
Early Years Sector Writes To Chancellor Over Post-Budget Concerns
Education
By Matilda Martin
Early Years Sector Writes To Chancellor Over Post-Budget Concerns
Exclusive: "The silence from Treasury" in the aftermath of the Budget is "illogical and unacceptable", the early years sector has warned.
What Next For The University Crisis?
Education
By Matilda Martin
What Next For The University Crisis?
​The announcement this week that tuition fees will go up for the first time in eight years has received mixed reaction.
University Tuition Fees To Rise Next Year, Education Secretary Confirms
Education
By Matilda Martin
University Tuition Fees To Rise Next Year, Education Secretary Confirms
The Labour Government will raise university tuition fees to £9,535 per year in line with inflation.
Schools To Be Fully Reimbursed For National Insurance Rise
Education
By Matilda Martin
Schools To Be Fully Reimbursed For National Insurance Rise
State schools will be fully reimbursed for the rise in National Insurance for employers announced by Rachel Reeves in the Budget, PoliticsHome understands.
How Will Government Meet Its 6,500 New Teachers Pledge?
Education
By Matilda Martin
How Will Government Meet Its 6,500 New Teachers Pledge?
The pledge to recruit 6,500 teachers was a major element of Labour's General Election manifesto.