Starmer welcomes Zelenskyy to Downing Avenue forward of Friday’s Putin-Trump assembly
Keir Starmer has welcomed Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Downing Avenue as Europe braces for Donald Trump’s face-to-face discussions with Vladimir Putin on Friday.
The Ukrainian president and the prime minister embraced and posed for the cameras in entrance of Quantity 10 with a handshake as he arrived in Westminster on Thursday morning whereas gathered media in Downing Avenue shouted questions. A pink carpet had been rolled out for his arrival.
The prime minister’s assembly with Zelenskyy comes after he mentioned Britain stands able to “improve stress” on Russia if crucial.
Keir Starmer (left) and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy within the backyard of Quantity 10 Downing Avenue on Thursday. {Photograph}: Ben Stansall/PAKeir Starmer (L) greets Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy at 10 Downing Avenue in London. {Photograph}: Tolga Akmen/EPAShare
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Jane Clinton
Schooling secretary Bridget Phillipson has vowed to sort out the “yawning inequalities” in academic attainment.
Chatting with BBC Radio 4’s In the present day Programme, she mentioned:
Alongside the post-16 white paper that we’ll be publishing afterward this 12 months, I can even convey an enormous focus via our faculties white paper on how we sort out these thorny generational challenges the place white working-class children throughout our nation don’t get the beginning that they deserve.
Now the college system is a crucial a part of how we reply to that, however I’d say alongside it a lot of this develops and opens up within the early years.
“The attainment hole that we see between much less well-off college students and better-off college students opens up earlier than the age of 5.
It’s why early years has been such a precedence, as a result of if we get that proper then we arrange kids to succeed, however we are going to take extra motion within the college system to make sure that these gaps that we see, these yawning inequalities, are addressed.
It’s one thing the final authorities didn’t sort out. It’s one thing this authorities will grasp.
You possibly can observe the Guardian’s A-level stay weblog right here:
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Up to date at 05.22 EDT
Starmer welcomes Zelenskyy to Downing Avenue forward of Friday’s Putin-Trump assembly
Keir Starmer has welcomed Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Downing Avenue as Europe braces for Donald Trump’s face-to-face discussions with Vladimir Putin on Friday.
The Ukrainian president and the prime minister embraced and posed for the cameras in entrance of Quantity 10 with a handshake as he arrived in Westminster on Thursday morning whereas gathered media in Downing Avenue shouted questions. A pink carpet had been rolled out for his arrival.
The prime minister’s assembly with Zelenskyy comes after he mentioned Britain stands able to “improve stress” on Russia if crucial.
Keir Starmer (left) and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy within the backyard of Quantity 10 Downing Avenue on Thursday. {Photograph}: Ben Stansall/PAKeir Starmer (L) greets Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy at 10 Downing Avenue in London. {Photograph}: Tolga Akmen/EPAShare
Schooling secretary Bridget Phillipson mentioned that the federal government is “taking our time” to ensure it will get proper its steering on gender-questioning kids in faculties.
She advised Occasions Radio this morning:
The final Conservative authorities revealed a draft model of the steering, as a result of the session on that concluded after the election in July. What additionally has occurred is that we had the ultimate assessment from Dr Hillary Cass within the intervening interval. And subsequently I believe it’s proper that any steering to colleges on gender-questioning kids aligns absolutely with the suggestions put ahead by Dr Hillary Cass.
She added:
We’re taking our time to get this proper.
I perceive the necessity for steering, and we do imagine that’s essential, however critically, we’re speaking about fairly delicate points of kids’s wellbeing and we need to ensure that any steering that’s revealed displays the essential have to get this proper for kids and younger individuals, but in addition ensures that faculties have the readability that they need on this essential, however fairly delicate, matter.
Phillipson additionally mentioned there’s “no obligation” for individuals to name non-binary academics Mx as an alternative of Miss or Sir, stories the PA information company.
She mentioned:
They can make that request, however they’re not capable of insist that individuals use that time period. A instructor can, after all, make that request, however you’ll be able to’t insist that it’s adopted.
Requested whether or not she would name somebody Mx, Phillipson advised Occasions Radio:
I believe that’s a hypothetical state of affairs. I’ve by no means been requested to try this.
As a matter of precept, on a wider level, I’d often search to answer somebody in a means that they would favor, however there isn’t a obligation for individuals to try this.
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Schooling secretary Bridget Phillipson has mentioned there was a “steadying of the ship” after the disruption from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Chatting with BBC Breakfast, she mentioned:
What we’ve seen is a steadying of the ship, each this 12 months and final following among the disruption that we noticed throughout the pandemic.
These are younger individuals who haven’t had disruption in current instances, however have had the total regular evaluation course of. These are additionally younger individuals who would have been the primary to take a seat GCSEs beneath regular circumstances. So that they’ve gone via the total common GCSE cycle that you’d have anticipated earlier than the pandemic.
So, this can be a regular 12 months, the type of 12 months that we might have seen earlier than the pandemic hit.
Based on the PA information company, Phillipson additionally spoke to Sky Information concerning the authorities’s funding in technical and vocational studying routes. She mentioned:
As a authorities, we’re additionally investing extra in technical and vocational schooling as properly.
Simply this week, I launched 10 new building technical excellence schools, one in each area, as a result of there are additionally nice routes which are on the market, together with apprenticeship alternatives the place, , younger individuals can have unbelievable careers.
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Rachel Reeves has mentioned that Thursday’s GDP figures “present that the financial system beat expectations within the second quarter of this 12 months”.
Talking at a building website in Doncaster, the chancellor mentioned “there’s nonetheless extra to do to ensure that individuals in all elements of the nation profit” from progress.
Based on the PA information company, she mentioned:
We’re the fastest-growing financial system within the G7 for the primary half of this 12 months, with a GDP progress of 0.3% this quarter, and that’s after GDP progress of 0.7% the quarter earlier than that.
I recognise there’s nonetheless extra to do to ensure that individuals in all elements of the nation profit from that progress, however because the common election, after I grew to become chancellor, the financial system has grown by 1.2% and GDP per capita – so for each particular person within the nation – GDP per capita is up by 0.7%.
So, encouraging numbers in the present day however, after all, we have to construct on that to ensure individuals in all elements of the nation are better-off.
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Preparations have been beneath means at 10 Downing Avenue this morning for the go to of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Importantly, Larry the cat is prepared.
Larry the cat stands exterior 10 Downing Avenue forward of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s go to on Thursday. {Photograph}: Isabel Infantes/ReutersShare
Up to date at 04.35 EDT
UK financial system posts shock 0.3% progress in three months to June
Richard Partington
The UK financial system grew at a quicker price than anticipated within the second quarter, official figures present, regardless of a slowdown from a powerful begin to the 12 months amid stress from tax will increase and Donald Trump’s world commerce warfare.
Figures from the Workplace for Nationwide Statistics (ONS) confirmed progress in gross home product slowed to 0.3% within the three months to the top of June, down from a price of 0.7% within the first quarter.
Though beating forecasts for a slowdown to 0.1% progress made by Metropolis economists and the Financial institution of England, the most recent snapshot underscores the problem for the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, as she considers choices for enhancing the financial system and elevating revenues at her autumn price range.
Liz McKeown, an ONS director of financial statistics, mentioned:
Progress slowed within the second quarter after a powerful begin to the 12 months. The financial system was weak throughout April and Could, with some exercise having been introduced ahead to February and March forward of stamp obligation and tariff adjustments, however then recovered strongly in June.
The most recent snapshot confirmed the financial system grew at a quicker price than anticipated in June of 0.4%, after two consecutive months of shrinking output. The ONS additionally revised its preliminary estimate for April’s GDP contraction from -0.3% to -0.1%.
Reeves mentioned the quarterly figures have been constructive because it confirmed that Britain had recorded a powerful begin to the 12 months and continued progress within the second quarter, “however there’s extra to do to ship an financial system that works for working individuals”.
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Worldwide college students ‘all the time welcome’ says schooling secretary, however provides some universities have ‘turn out to be too dependent’ on them
Schooling secretary Bridget Phillipson has mentioned that the federal government has taken motion to assist universities, however that there’s extra to do, stories the PA information company.
Requested about universities’ monetary struggles, Phillipson advised Occasions Radio:
I’ve made it a precedence to place our universities on a extra sustainable footing.
The motion that we’ve taken in turning across the regulator, the Workplace for College students, [has] way more of a concentrate on universities’ monetary well being, but in addition the tough however crucial resolution that we took fairly early on as a authorities to extend tuition charges to ensure that universities have a extra secure funding stream into the longer term.
There’s extra to do and afterward this 12 months we’ll be setting out our plans for post-16 schooling total, together with universities, via a white paper we’ll be publishing.
On worldwide college students, the schooling secretary mentioned they made an “essential contribution” to the UK’s universities and financial system, and “will all the time be welcome within the UK”.
She added:
It is usually truthful to say that some establishments, their enterprise mannequin has allowed them to turn out to be too depending on worldwide college students, and subsequently too open to any fluctuations that will occur round that.
Worldwide college students will ‘all the time be welcome’ the schooling secretary mentioned on Thursday, however added that she thinks some universities have ‘turn out to be too dependent’ on them. {Photograph}: Dan Kitwood/Getty ImagesShare
Schooling secretary Bridget Phillipson has mentioned it’s a “day of celebration” for younger individuals forward of A-level outcomes on Thursday.
Chatting with Occasions Radio, she mentioned:
I’ll simply begin by saying that this can be a actually thrilling day for younger individuals. They’ve labored actually arduous. They’ve had sensible assist from their academics and fogeys. It’s a day for celebration for our younger individuals and there are many nice routes on the market.
College is one in every of them, however for younger people who find themselves contemplating different routes there are apprenticeships and loads of different alternatives out there too, and plenty of recommendation out there in case you haven’t fairly acquired what you wanted, via Ucas and clearing, and likewise via the Nationwide Profession Service.
Requested concerning the drop in pupils selecting to review arts and languages at A-level, Phillipson advised Occasions Radio:
I believe it’s a matter of non-public alternative.
I do assume it’s factor that extra younger individuals are finding out topics like maths. There are sometimes nice roots into careers. The identical is, after all, true of topics like languages, and that was my private ardour.
However we, after all, have a look at a few of these developments over time and preserve into account what among the causes is perhaps that we see adjustments in topic alternative.
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Keir Starmer to satisfy Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Downing Avenue
Keir Starmer shall be joined by the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Downing Avenue on Thursday morning, as Europe braces for the result of Donald Trump’s face-to-face discussions together with his Russian counterpart later this week.
The prime minister’s assembly with Zelenskyy comes after he mentioned Britain stood able to “improve stress” on Russia if crucial. In the meantime, Trump threatened Russia with “extreme penalties” if a ceasefire was rejected by its chief.
Throughout a name with the US president and European allies on Wednesday, Starmer praised Trump for his work to convey ahead a “viable” likelihood of an finish to the warfare.
Keir Starmer and Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy depart 10 Downing Avenue after a gathering in London on 23 June 2025. {Photograph}: Frank Augstein/AP
Issues have been raised over Zelenskyy’s exclusion from the assembly between Trump and Putin, which is scheduled to happen in Alaska.
Talking on Wednesday, Starmer mentioned:
This assembly on Friday that President Trump is attending is vastly essential. As I’ve mentioned personally to President Trump for the three-and-a-bit years this battle has been happening, we haven’t acquired anyplace close to a prospect of really a viable resolution, a viable means of bringing it to a ceasefire.
And now we do have that likelihood due to the work of that the president has put in.
Starmer is scheduled to satisfy Zelenskyy at 9.30am.
Additionally in the present day, schooling secretary Bridget Phillipson has been on the morning media rounds as college students in England, Wales and Northern Eire acquired their A-level examination outcomes. Phillipson can be anticipated to go to Trafford School in Altrincham, Better Manchester. The shadow secretary of state for enterprise and commerce Andrew Griffith has been on the morning media rounds for the Conservatives. I’ll convey you any traces from them in a second.
However first, in different developments:
The UK financial system grew at a quicker price than anticipated within the second quarter, official figures present, regardless of a slowdown from a powerful begin to the 12 months amid stress from tax will increase and Donald Trump’s world commerce warfare. Figures from the Workplace for Nationwide Statistics confirmed progress in gross home product (GDP) slowed to 0.3% within the three months to the top of June, down from a price of 0.7% within the first quarter.
Rachel Reeves has promised to make use of her autumn price range to prioritise fixing Britain’s dismal document on productiveness as she sought to downplay mounting tax hypothesis with a concentrate on financial progress. Writing completely for the Guardian, she mentioned: “If Labour’s first 12 months in energy was about fixing the foundations, then the second 12 months is about constructing a stronger financial system for a renewed Britain.”
David Lammy has referred himself to the atmosphere watchdog after going fishing with JD Vance with out the required licence throughout the US vice-president’s journey to the UK. The overseas secretary hosted Vance and his household at Chevening Home in Kent final week, the place the pair fished from the property’s non-public lake. Anglers aged 13 and over should maintain a rod licence to fish for freshwater species similar to carp in England and Wales.
The Scottish Greens must broaden their attraction past middle-class urbanites by speaking to voters in industrial cities going through wholesale job losses, a Inexperienced management candidate says. Gillian Mackay is one in every of 4 Scottish Greens bidding to win two co-leader posts after Patrick Harvie, the UK’s longest-serving social gathering chief, give up as co-convener earlier this 12 months.
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