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Labour government faces legal challenge over addition of VAT to private school fees | UK News

The government is facing a legal challenge by a parent claiming a breach of human rights over the introduction of VAT on private school fees.

Alexis Quinn, whose daughter Addison has special educational needs, has decided to take the government to court because she will not be able to afford the additional cost of her child’s private school fees from next year.

From January, Labour plans to scrap the VAT exemption and business rates relief for private schools in a bid to fund 6,500 new teachers in state schools.

Addison was refused an education health care plan (EHCP) by her local council.

Without the support of an EHCP, Ms Quinn told Sky News she was “between a rock and a hard place”.

“Addison would tear up every morning. And I felt awful. I was dragging her to a school that she couldn’t access because of her autistic needs,” she said.

“We entered the independent sector from the state sector out of desperation.”

Addison Quinn
Image:
Addison Quinn

Ms Quinn opted out of a state school in favour of a private one an hour away so Addison could better access an education.

“It’s a huge financial commitment. I’m living at home with my parents. It’s not easy,” Ms Quinn said.

“The state of the state sector isn’t okay for any child. My son’s in the state sector.”

Around 111,000 special educational needs and disabled (SEND) pupils are in private schools, but fewer than 8,000 have an EHCP.

When asked about her previous school, Addison said: “I kept on getting distracted by everything, because everyone just like yelling and getting annoyed with each other.”

“I used to get really upset when everyone was talking so Maths and English and all the other subjects [were] really hard,” she added.

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“I don’t agree that children with special educational [needs] having to choose between no education or state education, where they’ve been failed and traumatised,” Ms Quinn said.

“Schools are under-resourced. They’re in deficit. The government must fund the state sector, but it’s wrong to do that at the expense of children, this policy is flawed.”

Daniel Hood, headteacher of St Joseph’s Preparatory School
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Daniel Hood, headteacher of St Joseph’s Preparatory School

Daniel Hood is headteacher of St Joseph’s Preparatory School which will close its doors for good in December.

“St Joseph’s is a family school, and we strive to do the best for every single one of our pupils,” he said.

“We’re not an elite private school. We don’t make any profit and what we do is we provide an alternative for parents who aren’t able to get what they need in the state sector.”

Read more:
Eton warns VAT will hike annual fees
Government accused of ‘rushing’ VAT plan

Francis Green, Professor of Work and Education Economics at University College London, told Sky News there were “many more state school parents who are struggling to make ends meet for all sorts of reasons”.

“Anything which will bring more money and resources into the state school system, in my view, is to be supported,” he added.

The government says the money raised from the addition of VAT will help fund public services, including education priorities for the next academic year.

‘Hardest Geezer’ Russ Cook set to run London Marathon on Sunday – two weeks after finishing Africa challenge | UK News

Russ Cook, the British man nicknamed the Hardest Geezer who ran the length of Africa, has said he plans to run the London Marathon this Sunday. 

Mr Cook, from Worthing, West Sussex, finished his 352-day challenge on 7 April, in which he covered more than 16,000km.

The 27-year-old passed through 16 countries before crossing the finish line in Ras Angela, Tunisia‘s most northerly point.

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Russ Cook on his run through Africa

He has raised almost £950,000 to date for two charities, the Running Charity and Sandblast, since starting the venture last year.

Speaking about possible long-term injuries on YouTuber JaackMaate’s Happy Hour podcast, which was released on Thursday, Mr Cook said: “It’s hard to know until I’m back really.

"Hardest Geezer" sets off on final day of run.
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‘Hardest Geezer’ sets off on the final day of his run

“I’ll have probably a few days of not running, then we’ll see.

“I’ve got the London Marathon in two weeks, so I need to shape up for that.”

Mr Cook said he was entering the marathon with the Running Charity and would be happy to finish the run in under four hours.

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‘Hardest Geezer’s’ journey across Africa

He added he would “probably do some little bits and pieces in between” to “keep ticking over a bit”.

Mr Cook also confirmed he would be returning to Africa next year to run the Marathon des Sables – a six-day, 156-mile ultra-marathon in the Sahara desert.

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Asked if he had another continent-sized running challenge planned, Mr Cook said: “I’m not sure in terms of [the] next challenge, it’s going to be a hard one to kind of top.

“I don’t really want to be away for another year any time soon.”

Around 48,000 athletes took part in last year’s London Marathon, with the winner crossing the finish line in just over two hours.

Suella Braverman to challenge Met Police chief after man filmed chanting ‘jihad’ during protest | UK News

The home secretary will challenge the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police over the force’s decision not to arrest pro-Palestine protesters calling for a “jihad” against Israel.

Suella Braverman will tell Sir Mark Rowley later “there can be no place for incitement to hatred or violence” on UK streets and police should “crackdown on anyone breaking the law”.

Some ministers have condemned the police for their handling of rallies in London and other cities including Birmingham, Cardiff and Belfast over the weekend in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Politics latest: Terror arrests made in UK since start of Israel-Hamas war

The force said officers had also reviewed a video of a Hizb ut-Tahrir protest showing a man speaking into a microphone in front of a banner reading “Muslim Armies! Rescue the People of Palestine”.

The main speaker asks: “What is the solution to liberate people from the concentration camp called Palestine?”

A man standing to the side of the speaker, but neither on a platform nor speaking into the microphone, can then be heard chanting words including “jihad, jihad”, as can some others attending the rally.

Responding to the post on social media, the Met said specialist counter-terrorism officers had not identified any offences arising from the clip.

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Tensions over London protests

In a statement, the force said: “The word (jihad) has a number of meanings but we know the public will most commonly associate it with terrorism.

“Specialist officers have assessed the video and have not identified any offences arising from the specific clip. We have also sought advice from specialist Crown Prosecution Service lawyers, who have reached the same conclusion.

“However, recognising the way language like this will be interpreted by the public and the divisive impact it will have, officers identified the man involved and spoke to him to discourage any repeat of similar chanting.”

Jihad can mean struggle or effort, but it has also been taken to refer to holy war.

Read more:
Man arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred after London pro-Palestine march

What Hamas’s release of US hostages could mean for Israel’s expected invasion

Sir Mark was already scheduled to meet Ms Braverman later today.

A source close to the home secretary said: “The home secretary is already due to meet the Metropolitan Police commissioner tomorrow (Monday) to discuss the ongoing Israel-Gaza protests and will be asking for an explanation over the response to incidents which took place on Saturday.

“There can be no place for incitement to hatred or violence on Britain’s streets and, as the home secretary has made clear, the police are urged to crack down on anyone breaking the law.”

Earlier, immigration minister Robert Jenrick said people chanting “jihad” on the streets of the capital were “inciting terrorist violence”.

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‘Terror arrests made in UK’, says Jenrick

He told Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: “Chanting ‘jihad’ on the streets of London is completely reprehensible and I never want to see scenes like that. It is inciting terrorist violence and it needs to be tackled with the full force of the law.

“Ultimately, it’s an operational matter for the police and the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) whether to press charges.”

He added: “Arrests have been made… There have been arrests since the beginning of this situation… There have been arrests under terrorist legislation. And we want to do everything that we can to protect British Jews.

“But this is a broader question beyond just legality. It also is a question about values. And there should be a consensus in this country that chanting things like ‘jihad’ is completely reprehensible and wrong and we don’t ever want to see that in our country.”

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‘From the river to the sea’ explained

Jewish safety organisation the Community Security Trust criticised the Met, saying that “in trying to communicate complex and nuanced legal issues” on social media “they gave the impression of legitimising obnoxious and hateful behaviour that may or may not be criminal but nevertheless causes profound concern to British Jews and many other people”.

In a message on the Hizb ut-Tahrir website, explaining why it decided to hold demonstrations on Saturday outside the Egyptian and Turkish Embassies in London, the group said Palestinians have been subject to “brutal oppression” and called on Egypt and Turkey to unite in “rescuing their Palestinian brothers and sisters”.

UN refugee agency criticises Suella Braverman speech branding illegal migration ‘existential challenge’ | Politics News

The United Nations’ refugee agency has rebuked Home Secretary Suella Braverman after she claimed the current asylum system is no longer fit for purpose.

Ms Braverman called for a reform of the international system in a speech in Washington DC.

She outlined how she believed the current system was “outdated”, and branded the number of displaced people in the world as an “epoch-defining challenge”.

The senior cabinet minister – whose speech was signed off by Number 10 – called for reform of the 1951 UN Human Rights Convention, which forms the basis of the asylum system.

The UN’s refugee agency, the UNHCR, responded to Ms Braverman’s speech by saying the convention “remains as relevant today as when it was adopted in providing an indispensable framework for addressing those challenges, based on international co-operation”.

Sir Ed Davey announces big cancer plan – politics latest

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‘Being gay isn’t enough to claim asylum’

“The need is not for reform, or more restrictive interpretation, but for stronger and more consistent application of the convention and its underlying principle of responsibility sharing,” it added.

“An appropriate response to the increase in arrivals and to the UK’s current asylum backlog would include strengthening and expediting decision-making procedures.

“This would accelerate the integration of those found to be refugees and facilitate the swift return of those who have no legal basis to stay.

“UNHCR has presented the UK government with concrete and actionable proposals in this regard and continues to support constructive, ongoing efforts to clear the current asylum backlog.”

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Ms Braverman said uncontrolled and illegal migration is an “existential challenge for the political and cultural institutions of the West” – adding that “uncontrolled immigration, inadequate integration, and a misguided dogma of multiculturalism have proven a toxic combination for Europe over the last few decades”.

Part of her speech criticised how current levels of migration have led to “undermining the stability and threatening the security of society” in “extreme cases”.

“If people are not able to settle in our countries, and start to think of themselves as British, American, French, or German, then something is going badly wrong,” she added.

Ms Braverman said “we now live in a completely different time” to when the UN Human Rights Convention was signed.

She went on: “Is the Refugee Convention in need of reform?

“What would a revised global asylum framework look like?

“How can we better balance national rights and human rights, so that the latter do not undermine national sovereignty?”

Read more:
Braverman orders review into ‘political activism’ in policing
Govt not ruling out electronic tagging to control migrants

Ms Braverman also questioned whether courts have redefined asylum to be granted for people suffering “discrimination” instead of “persecution” – especially in the context of someone who is gay or a woman.

“Where individuals are being persecuted, it is right that we offer sanctuary.

“But we will not be able to sustain an asylum system if, in effect, simply being gay, or a woman, and fearful of discrimination in your country of origin, is sufficient to qualify for protection.”

Punchy home secretary landing blows ahead of party conference

It is no surprise to hear Suella Braverman talking tough on immigration.

Even so, today’s language is particularly punchy.

She talks about the “obvious threat to public safety and national security” illegal immigration poses and says “nobody entering the UK by boat from France is fleeing imminent peril”.

There has been backlash already, unsurprisingly, from charities and NGOs. One man who crossed the Channel in 2019 (fleeing Iran) told me the home secretary has “turned her back” on those in need.

It is criticism the home secretary is used to. Beyond the ethics, though, there is the question of whether anything she says will actually shift the dial.

The most eye-catching part of the home secretary’s speech was her call to reform the UN Refugee Convention. She says the convention, set up after the Second World War, needs to adapt for a “different time” and its application has shifted too far from helping people fleeing “persecution” to those fleeing “discrimination”.

It’s not clear there is any appetite to reform the convention from the 140+ other countries signed up to it. It won’t fix the small boats problem any time soon.

She also spoke about the importance of deterrents: Rwanda and the Illegal Migration Bill. The Rwanda plan has been bogged down in court, and there is no proof yet that government legislation will work. Small boat crossings are down from last year, but they are still much higher than 2021. Last month, more than 800 people crossed the Channel in a single day.

Suella Braverman pointed to polling showing most red wall voters want to stop small boat crossings “using any means necessary”. She did not point to the recent YouGov poll suggesting 86% believe the government is handling immigration badly.

Her speech may not distract from the perils of the government’s illegal migration policy, but it certainly sends a message ahead of the Conservative Party conference.

The speech and its contents were met with criticism from a range of charities, MPs and campaigners.

Ben Bradshaw, a gay Labour MP and former cabinet minister, asked if any “LGBT or any other Tories” were prepared to condemn the home secretary, adding that “being gay is enough to result in persecution or death in many countries”.

Michael Fabricant, a Tory MP and a patron of the Conservative LGBT+ group, said that “if someone simply claims to be gay in order to seek asylum, that should not lift the bar to entry to the UK”.

He added: “However, if someone has experienced persecution from the country from which they are escaping, it presents a different and far more persuasive case. Each application should be considered carefully on its merits.”

Read more:
Debate over Refugee Convention is vital to protect the most vulnerable

Braverman has leadership ambitions – but her rhetoric risks backfiring

‘Cynicism and xenophobia’

Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK’s chief executive, said: “The Refugee Convention is a cornerstone of the international legal system and we need to call out this assault on the convention for what it is – a display of cynicism and xenophobia.

“The Refugee Convention is just as relevant today as it was when it was created, and verbal assaults from the home secretary don’t alter the harsh realities that cause people from countries such as Sudan, Afghanistan and Iran to flee from conflict and persecution.”

He added: “Instead of making inflammatory speeches decrying the rights of people fleeing persecution and tyranny, Suella Braverman should focus on creating a functioning UK asylum system that tackles the massive backlog her policies have created, so as to be able to meet the limited refugee responsibilities that fall to the UK.”

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Josie Naughton, chief executive of Choose Love, said: “It is the home secretary, not the global refugee convention, that is out of touch with the modern age.

“The UN’s 1951 Refugee Convention was put in place to protect every human being searching for safety, fleeing war zones, danger and threats to their life and freedoms. More than ever, the world must come together and unite behind it. We cannot solve this problem by seeking to undermine fundamental human rights. Working together is the only solution.”

BioNTech cancer treatments deal is a coup for the government and a challenge for the NHS | Science & Tech News

BioNTech has signed a deal with the UK government to enrol up to 10,000 patients in clinical trials by the end of 2030 for personalised cancer therapies.

The deal is a big win for the UK, yet new cancer treatments will only work if the NHS does.

Vaccines based on mRNA were the standout success of the COVID-19 pandemic. And persuading BioNTech, the company which pioneered them, to come to the UK is a coup for the Department of Health.

But with even basic cancer services in the UK failing, experts are tempering their enthusiasm.

“This is really exciting,” says Sam Godfrey of Cancer Research UK. “But the government can’t just paper over the cracks with a shiny new announcement.”

More than 600 million of doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccine have now been administered worldwide saving millions of lives. During the pandemic, BioNTech proved mRNA vaccines’ time has come.

Which is why a deal with BioNTech is a strategic success for the government.

The pandemic exposed the UK’s lack of commercial expertise in mRNA vaccines. This deal, along with one last month with leading mRNA vaccine company Moderna, secures that talent base in the UK.

Designing mRNA vaccines against cancer is a very different challenge to COVID. But before the pandemic, cancer was the main area of research for BioNTech and Moderna.

Because mRNA is basically a re-coded form of DNA, it’s relatively quick and easy to convert a sample of DNA from a patient’s cancer into an mRNA vaccine to give them. But so far immunotherapies aren’t perfect.

For a few, they’re a miracle cure, but overall only 10 and 20% of patients see benefits.

For drug companies, the NHS offers a perfect environment to work out the scientific kinks in cancer vaccines.

Millions of patients centralised in one health system make them much easier to recruit and follow in potentially life-saving clinical trials.

Read more:
Pioneering cancer vaccine trials could start in UK by September
COVID cases: Infections leap to six-month high after Christmas as one in 20 test positive in England

Yet with delays to cancer diagnoses and treatment, the NHS is struggling to provide existing treatments, let alone have much hope of benefitting from new ones.

And the problem isn’t all down to the pandemic. NHS England’s target of getting 85% of patients on to treatment within 62 days of an urgent cancer referral hasn’t been met since 2015.

Leading the world in developing new cancer treatments requires a world-leading health service, which it is all too clear we currently don’t have.

UK High Court rules Saudi Arabia not immune from legal challenge over spyware against British resident | Science & Tech News

A human rights activist has been granted the ability to sue the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia after alleging Saudi agents assaulted him and infected his iPhones with spyware.

The High Court ruled on Friday that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) does not have immunity from facing the legal challenge under the State Immunity Act 1978.

Ghanem Al-Masarir, 41, is a satirist on YouTube and an activist who has lived in England since 2003.

He “has been prominently involved in campaigning for political reform and human rights in Saudi Arabia”, according to the High Court summary of his claim.

Mr Al-Masarir claims that the KSA hacked his phones using spyware developed by the Israeli company NSO Group, which has since been sanctioned by the US government for its involvement in alleged human rights abuses.

His claim is that the spyware allowed the Saudi regime’s staff “to access his microphone and camera to hear and record what he was doing”, say his lawyers at Leigh Day.

He was also assaulted in an attack outside Harrods in Knightsbridge, central London, on 31 August 2018 – the same year he was granted asylum in the UK – by people who he claims were acting on the behalf of the Saudi regime.

Lawyers representing the KSA argued there is no evidence that it was liable for the alleged phone infection or that the assault was committed on the kingdom’s behalf.

Mr Al-Masarir runs a YouTube channel
Image:
Mr Al-Masarir runs a YouTube channel

Mr Al-Masarir had been tipped off about the surveillance by staff at The Citizen Lab, an interdisciplinary laboratory based at the University of Toronto.

The Citizen Lab has brought many spyware cases and potential human rights abuses to light, including the tool’s alleged use inside Downing Street.

He described today’s ruling – which found against the KSA’s claim that it was immune from being hauled into an English court for the alleged actions – as a “huge relief”.

“The impact of the assault and the targeting with spyware, which I believe was orchestrated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has had a profound effect on my life,” he said in a statement following the ruling.

“I no longer feel safe and I am constantly looking over my shoulder. I no longer feel able to speak up for the oppressed Saudi people because I fear that any contact with people inside the Kingdom could put them in danger.

“I look forward to presenting my full case to the court in the hope that I can finally hold the Kingdom to account for the suffering I believe they have caused me,” he added.

Jeremy Paxman to step down as University Challenge host | Ents & Arts News

Jeremy Paxman is to step down as the host of University Challenge, the BBC has said.

The broadcaster, 72, has presented the programme for the past 28 years. It celebrates its 60th birthday this year and becomes the BBC’s longest-running quiz show.

Paxman will film his final episode in the autumn, with his final series airing between 29 August through to summer 2023.

His resignation comes after he revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in May last year.

Paxman said of his time on the show: “I’ve had a blast hosting this wonderful series for nearly 29 years.

“I’ve been lucky enough to work with an amazing team and to meet some of the swottier brains in the country. It gives me hope for the future.”

His replacement will be announced later this week, the BBC said.

Kate Phillips, the director of the corporation’s unscripted content department, said: “Since the BBC revived University Challenge in 1994 Jeremy has been at the front and centre of the show’s success and is without doubt one of the world’s finest and most formidable quizmasters.

“We are hugely grateful to Jeremy for his dedication to the programme for an incredible 28 years, he will be much missed by us all and the show’s millions of viewers.”