A Tory government will open hundreds of new free schools across England by 2020 under a major expansion of the policy, David Cameron will declare today.
The plan to open at least 500 of the schools, which can be set up by community groups including parents, charities or teachers, will mean an extra 270,000 places at the institutions which were introduced as part of former education secretary Michael Gove's reforms.
Mr Cameron's plans for a major extension of the policy if he remains in Number 10 come as the Government announced that 49 more free schools have been given the green light in the final wave of approvals before the election.
UK economy can beat Germany - Clegg
The UK will overtake France and Germany to become Europe's biggest economy within 20 years under Liberal Democrat plans for growth, Nick Clegg will say today.
The Deputy Prime Minister will say that Britain can become the "powerhouse of Europe" under the proposals, which would involve protecting the science budget and doubling the amount of public money spent on innovation.
Business Secretary Vince Cable will highlight his commitment to the European Union and encouraging international students to come to the UK - both issues the Lib Dems have clashed with the Conservatives over in government.
Mystery surrounds Crufts dog death
One of the owners of a prize-winning dog allegedly poisoned while at the world-famous Crufts show said they have lost "our love, family member and best friend to our son".
Three-year-old Irish setter Thendara Satisfaction, known as Jagger, collapsed and died after returning to Belgium from the show at Birmingham's NEC.
Jagger, who came second in his class at the show on Thursday, is co-owned by Belgian Aleksandra Lauwers and Leicester-based breeder Dee Milligan-Bott.
Prevent strategy 'toxic brand'
A former senior Muslim police officer has said the Government's anti-radicalisation Prevent strategy is "a toxic brand".
Dal Babu, who was a chief superintendent with the Metropolitan Police before he retired two years ago, told the BBC most Muslims are suspicious of the scheme and see it as something used for spying on them.
The strategy has come under the spotlight after hundreds of Britons travelled to Syria to fight alongside Islamic State (IS), the latest of whom are three London schoolgirls.
Solar power plane begins global bid
A Swiss solar-powered plane has taken off from Abu Dhabi at the start of the first ever attempt to fly around the world without using a drop of fuel.
Solar Impulse founder Andre Borschberg was at the controls of the single-seater when it took off from the Al Bateen Executive Airport.
Mr Borschberg will swap piloting duties with Solar Impulse co-founder Bertrand Piccard during stop-overs.
Boys killed in car accident named
Two teenagers killed after the car they were travelling in left the road "at speed" and hit a tree have been named as George Wharton, 14, and Rhys Baker, 13.
Two other teenagers, Kameron Walters, 14, and 15-year-old Joshua Van Veen, remained in a critical condition in hospital last night.
The boys are thought to have been picked up by a 21-year-old without the permission of their parents. The driver is seriously ill in hospital.
More Armed Forces cuts predicted
Thousands more soldiers, sailors and airmen will face the axe in the next parliament whichever party wins the general election, a defence think-tank has warned.
A report by the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) said it was inevitable that Britain's defence spending would drop below the Nato target of 2% of GDP in the face of continuing austerity cuts.
It warned that up to 30,000 service personnel could go - with the Army likely to bear the heaviest cuts - leaving the armed forces with a combined strength of just 115,000 by the end of the decade.
Osborne cuts 'extreme and risky'
Austerity measures planned under George Osborne will mean "extreme, risky and unprecedented" cuts to policing and social care, Ed Balls will claim today.
The shadow chancellor will say that, if the Tories remain in power, the next four years will see deeper cuts than those implemented since 2010.
Ahead of next week's Budget, Mr Balls will warn that the Chancellor's plans involve spending cuts "larger than any time in post-war history".
Key financial lessons 'not learned'
The Treasury may not be prepared to deal with another major financial crisis, MPs have warned following an inquiry into the Government's capacity to tackle future challenges.
The MPs said the Government and the City needed to do more to prepare for a "worst-case scenario" in the financial system.
A cross-party report found there was a "surprising and urgent gap" in the Treasury and the MPs said they had "not seen sufficient evidence" to show that officials had learnt a key lesson from the 2007-8 crash about the need to be prepared.
Smith records Comic Relief single
British pop sensation Sam Smith has recorded a special version of his single Lay Me Down with John Legend for Comic Relief.
The Brit Award winner recorded the single in Los Angeles with American-born Legend earlier this year.
They will perform the ballad on Comic Relief - Face The Funny on Friday March 13 on BBC One. The one-off performance will be broadcast live from the London Palladium.
No comments:
Post a Comment