Grade inflation at English universities has fallen for the first time in a decade, but half of the top degrees awarded to students last year cannot be explained by their prior attainment or choice of subject, according to the UK’s higher education regulator. In a report published on Thursday, the Office for Students (OfS) said…
Grade Inflation Falling but Half of Top Grades ‘Unexplained’: Universities Regulator
Population Expert Says UK Needs to Raise Fertility Rates or Face a Stark Choice Between Decline and Immigration
Britain needs to raise its fertility rates or face a stark choice between economic decline or rising levels of immigrant labour, says one of the country’s most prominent population experts. Demographer and author Paul Morland said if British people did not start having more children the country faced a “demographic nightmare” like Japan, which has…
Government Borrowing Falls Unexpectedly as Tax Receipts Grow
The government borrowed less than expected last month, official figures show. According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), public sector net borrowing hit £18.5 billion in June. It is a fall from May’s £20 billion and lower than expected by economists, who had forecast borrowing to hit £22 billion, according…
Tories Avoid By-election Wipeout but Remain in ‘Deep Electoral Trouble’
The Conservatives have lost two parliamentary seats in Thursday’s by-elections but unexpectedly retained Boris Johnson’s old constituency in a setback for the opposition Labour Party. The Tories—who are trailing in the polls following a series of scandals—lost two traditional safe seats to Labour and the Liberal Democrats respectively, but held on to the marginal Uxbridge…
Coutts Apologises to Nigel Farage After Bank Account Closure
Natwest’s chief executive, owner of the prestigious bank Coutts, has apologised to Nigel Farage and has promised a full review of the bank’s processes after a dossier said that his views “were at odds with our position as an inclusive organisation.” On Thursday, Alison Rose, chief executive of NatWest Group, of which Coutts is part…
How Britain’s Secret Cyber Unit Targets Russia and China Online
Details of how Britain’s most secretive disinformation unit has been targeting “hostile states” such as China and Russia online have been revealed in a new report. The National Cyber Force (NCF), staffed by the intelligence services and the Ministry of Defence (MoD), has been carrying out “cyber operations on a daily basis” to not only…
COVID-19 Disruptions to Healthcare Access Linked to 80 Higher Risk of Hospitalisation, Study Finds
Patients whose access to health care was disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic are 80 percent more likely to be hospitalised, a study found. The study, published in medical journal BMJ by researchers led by University of Liverpool lecturer Mark Green, said more than a third of people (35 percent) in England were estimated to have experienced…
EU Signs Deal With Argentina Calling Falklands ‘Malvinas Islands’
The Foreign Office has dealt a blow following an apparent recognition by the European Union of the Argentine name for the Falkland Islands. EU chiefs met with 33 Latin American countries, known as the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), in Brussels earlier this week and signed the EU-CELAC summit declaration (pdf). The…
Defence Committee Chairman Tobias Ellwood Backtracks on Taliban Video
The chairman of the House of Commons defence select committee, Tobias Ellwood, has admitted he “got it wrong” and has deleted a video filmed in Afghanistan, in which he praised the Taliban. On Monday night Mr. Ellwood posted the video on Twitter and wrote: “Hold your breath—but this is a country transformed. Security vastly improved….
Education Secretary Confirms Trans Guidance to Schools will be Delayed
Long-awaited transgender guidance for schools will be delayed, the education secretary has confirmed. Gillian Keegan said on Wednesday that the government advice won’t be in place ahead of Parliament’s summer recess, but did say schools will be required to get parental consent for pupils to identify as a different gender. It followed reports that the…
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