25 June 2015
Week in Brief: UK NEWS
WAGES: According to figures published by the Office of National Statistics, the rate of increase in wages has now climbed to 2.7% per annum, the highest level since 2007. Private sector wages are rising at 3.3% and wages in the public sector are rising at 0.3%. Although unemployment is steady, employment has dropped slightly.
CHILCOTT ENQUIRY: It now appears that the conclusions of the Chilcott enquiry into the Iraq war will be delayed by a further year. Currently there is no publication date, something which makes it difficult to assess the achievements or otherwise of those involved in the conflict.
CHILD POVERTY ACT: The government is proposing to revise or repeal provisions of the Child Poverty Act which commit it to ensuring that by 2020 not more than 10% of children live in relative poverty, i.e. in a home whose income is below 60% of the average. The nature of the existing definition means that any increase in pensions moves more children into relative poverty.
TROOP CARRIER CRASH: A collision between troop carriers on Salisbury Plain has left two soldiers critically injured among other casualties.
ED BALLS: Mr Balls will take up a fellowship at Harvard where he was previously a postgraduate student. It is understood that his work will focus on “financial stability”.
MOTHER ATTACKED: A pregnant woman was attacked in south London, the assault having been intended to kill, and having the effect of killing, her unborn child. It is not thought to have been a random attack.
TOP GEAR: Chris Evans is to be the new host of top gear. Neither Mr May nor Mr Hammond will appear on the show.
MATHS TEACHING: Trials run by Cambridge University and University College London indicate that the use of Asian teaching methods, which include a variety of approaches to the same concepts, materially improve children’s maths performance.
REFURBISHMENT OF PARLIAMENT: A report prepared by Deloittes sets out a range of options for refurbishing the Palace of Westminster. The most expensive option is for a rolling refurbishment program with MPs and peers continuing to work in the building. This is estimated to take thirty-two years and cost £5.7 billion. In contrast, if the building was empty, a radical overhaul could be carried out in six years at a cost of £3.9 billion.
SELECT COMMITTEES: The chairmen and chairwomen of the twenty-seven Commons select committees have now been appointed. They include Jesse Norman (culture media and sport), Frank Field (work and pensions), Keith Vaz (home affairs), and Meg Hilier (public accounts committee).
WATERLOO: Thursday 18 June was the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. Among various re-enactments and celebrations, a service was held at St Paul’s Cathedral at which the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were present. There was a reading by Count Blucher von Wahlstatt, a direct descendant of the Prussian general.
RAIL STRIKE: members of ASLEF, the railway union, will strike on Wednesday, July 8 in a dispute over pay.
SIR TIM HUNT: There has been widespread criticism of University College London for forcing Sir Tim Hunt to resign because of a joke he made about women in the laboratory. A number of Nobel prize winners have come to Sir Tim’s defence and a leaked document written by a European Commission Official casts doubts on original reports of what Sir Tim actually said.
CANCER: Analysis by Norwegian scientists has revealed a high level of fraud or error in published papers concerning cancer.
New guidelines issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence are expected to increase the patients referred for cancer tests to near 2 million in the next year. Currently Britain has more cancer deaths per head of population than other European countries and it is thought that this may be a consequence of poor diagnosis.
RSPCA: Peter Watson-Smith, who compares the slaughter of animals to the Holocaust and believes that the public should follow a wholly plant-based diet, has been elected to the ruling council of the RSPCA. Also appointed is Mr Lyons who believes that pet owners should have to sit exams.
BARRISTER ARRESTED: Mohammed Khan, who is alleged to have advised his client to feign illness, has been arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. Mr Khan, who denies the allegations, has been released on bail.
MANSLAUGHTER CONVICTION: The manager of a farm owned by the Earl of Selbourne has been convicted of manslaughter following the death of two workers who entered a low-oxygen cooler to choose perfect apples to exhibit at a fruit show.
STRAND BUILDINGS SAVED: King’s College London has withdrawn the application for planning permission which would have involved the demolition of a historic row of Georgian buildings in the Strand. A revised plan will be submitted in due course.
STOP AND SEARCH: An increase of 23% in the number of London stabbings in the year to May is being linked to the reduction in Stop and Search undertaken last year and may result in a targeted increase in its use.
BBC: Mr Mosey, now Master of Selwyn College Cambridge, has published memoirs, serialised in “The Times”, describing his career in the BBC, including as editorial director and as editor of the Today program. The memoirs – which deal with political bias, the Jiimmy Savile affair, remuneration policies and disjointed management – may be unhelpful to the BBC when its charter comes up for renewal next year
GOVE’S GRAMMAR: Mr Gove, newly appointed Lord Chancellor, has circulated “Ministerial Correspondence Preferences” setting standards for grammar to be used in his letters and briefing papers. This is normal practice for a new minister but some of his requirements, such as his insistence that the noun “impact” should not be used as a verb, have given rise to controversy amongst grammarians.
NURSING SHORTFALL: The Royal College of Nursing is concerned that new rules, under which people from outside the European Economic Area must earn £35,000 per annum if they are to stay in the UK beyond six years, will force many nurses recruited by the NHS from overseas to leave. Replacing the nurses would involve considerable additional expenditure on hiring and training.
SCHOOL DISCIPLINE: New guidance is being drawn up to help teachers to deal with disruptive behaviour in the classroom. OFSTED believes that schools can lose up to 1 hour a day to disruptive behaviour.
RED DEVILS: Corporal Wayne Shorthouse of the Red Devils parachute team rescued a colleague, whose chute was not fully open, by holding on to it until the two men landed in Whitehaven harbour in Cumbria.
EXAM CHEATING: A study conducted by The Student Room indicates that one in ten candidates cheated in the last round of public and university examinations.
TENNIS: Andy Murray won the Aegon Championship at Queen’s, beating Kevin Anderson 6-3,6-4.
CRICKET: England beat New Zealand by three wickets in the last of the 5 one-day internationals to win the series 3:2.
