Top Stories – Care Appointments

Minister expects priority to be children’s life chances as Ofsted plans unveiled

By Caitlin Doherty, Helen Corbett, Eleanor Busby, Reporters3rd February 2025News England

Bridget Phillipson has said she expects the “first priority” of unions to be “children and their life chances”, after her new proposals for Ofsted inspections were criticised for being worse

Millions face higher than usual council tax hikes amid bid to stabilise services

By Jonathan Bunn, Reporter3rd February 2025News England

Millions of households are facing a council tax hike beyond normal thresholds this year, as Angela Rayner warned of further “tough decisions” to “rebuild and stabilise” local government. The Deputy

Bishop of Liverpool resigns after sexual assault and harassment claims

By Aine Fox and David Lynch, Reporters30th January 2025News England

The Bishop of Liverpool has resigned after allegations of sexual assault and harassment were made against him. The Right Reverend Dr John Perumbalath said he had decided to retire without

Government urged to introduce tougher sentences for grooming gang offenders

By Richard Wheeler and Will Durrant, Reporters28th January 2025News England

Grooming gang offenders should receive full-life prison sentences, Robert Jenrick has said as he requested a review into “disgracefully short” punishments handed to three men. The shadow justice secretary told

Seven child abuse ring members jailed and warned they may never be released

By The Press Association27th January 202527th January 2025News Scotland

Seven people convicted of being part of a child abuse ring which plunged to “the depths of human depravity” were sentenced to lifelong restriction orders and warned they may never

Family hail justice for little ones as mother jailed over four boys’ fire deaths

By Emily Pennink, Reporter24th January 2025News England

The family of four young boys killed in a house fire have said “justice has been done”, as their mother was jailed for 10 years for leaving them home alone.

Southport child-killer detained for at least 52 years for ‘sadistic’ murders of girls

By Josh Payne, Eleanor Barlow, Pat Hurst, Dave Higgens, Katie Dickinson, Sam Hall and Eleanor Barlow, Reporters23rd January 2025News England

Southport child-killer Axel Rudakubana is likely to die in jail after being detained for life with a minimum term of 52 years for the “sadistic” murders of three girls. The

Whitehall ‘group think’ and inter-departmental ‘open warfare’ slammed by vaccine tsar

By Ella Pickover, Jane Kirby and Storm Newton, Reporters21st January 2025News England

There was “open warfare” between government departments during the Covid-19 pandemic, the former head of the UK’s Vaccines Taskforce has said. Dame Kate Bingham (pictured), who helped the UK secure

Home Secretary announces inquiry into how Rudakubana ‘came to be so dangerous’

By Eleanor Barlow, Josh Payne, Pat Hurst, Flora Thompson and Christopher McKeon, Reporters20th January 2025News England

The Home Secretary has announced that there will be a public inquiry into how Southport child-killer Axel Rudakubana “came to be so dangerous” and why Prevent “failed to identify the