8 bits of unhealthy information snuck out in Keir Starmer’s final week as Prime Minister from MI5 to delivery charges
A grim list of threats the UK faces, new rules for MI5 chiefs, a police pay spat and alarming figures for school leaders have been released as the government takes out the trash before the summer break
The government has released a lot of news in the final days before the summer recess
The sun has nearly set on Keir Starmer’s time as PM – but one time-honoured Westminster tradition lasted until the very end.
In the last couple of days we’ve seen a flurry of government announcements as Parliament heads into its six-week summer break. These range from a run-down of the threats the country faces, an announcement over schools being affected by falling births and new rules for MI5 chiefs.
Mr Starmer will depart No10 on Monday to be succeeded by Andy Burnham, who is expected to shake-up his top team.
Here we look at some of the last-minute announcements that were slipped out before summer recess.
1. All the ways we’re under threat
One of the most grim statements we saw from a minister over the past couple of days was from key Starmer aide Darren Jones.
The PM’s chief secretary announced that a national resilience public awareness campaign will be launched this year. This will keep us informed of the multiple ways we’re all under threat – from hostile states, deadly diseases and soaring temperatures.
The government has identified a total of 95 risks, his statement said. One bleak paragraph read: “As we saw with temperatures across the UK breaking records in May, only to be exceeded again in June, the risks we face from climate change cannot be underestimated, from our infrastructure, food and water systems or people’s immediate health.
“Climate change is also exacerbating the spread of high-consequence infectious diseases, alongside the changing boundaries of the human-animal interface. The incidence of highly pathogenic avian influenza, Ebola, and Andes hantavirus are examples from the last few months alone.”
Not the most cheery note to start the summer on.
2. Spat over police pay
Rank-and-file police officers have lashed out at the government after it announced a lower pay award than the figure recommended by an independent review body.
The Police Federation of England and Wales voiced its fury over a 3.5% rise announced on Wednesday. This was despite the Police Remuneration Review Body suggesting a 3.9% increase.
Police Federation National Secretary John Partington said: “This is a pay rise on paper only, not in officers’ pockets. In going against the advice of its own expert pay review body, the Home Office has sent a clear message to police officers that it will ignore the evidence that shows police officers are long overdue a pay award that reflects their service and sacrifice.”
In a written statement Shabana Mahmood said: “The Government has given very careful consideration to the recommendations and has decided to award a consolidated increase of 3.5% to all ranks and pay points. This is the highest award that is manageable within existing police force and Home Office budgets, while enabling the continued delivery of the Government’s crime and policing priorities…”
3. Concerns about learning disability data
Disability rights experts reacted with concern after the Government slipped out changes to the way data is collected on people with learning disabilities this week.
Grim stats from the annual Health and Care of People with Learning Disabilities report this week found that 78.8% of adults with Down syndrome died before the age of 65. And it said that the most common category of cause of death for autistic adults without a learning disability remains suicide, misadventure or accidental death.
But ministers also announced this will be the last Learning from Lives and Deaths of people with a learning disability and autistic people (LeDeR) report. Health minister Preet Kaur Gill said LeDeR data will be incorporated within a new patient level dataset to bring together, which she said will help better understand disparities.
Jon Sparkes OBE, chief executive of learning disability charity Mencap, said: “We urgently need to know how the Government will maintain independent scrutiny and, importantly, understand and tackle the causes of avoidable deaths. People with a learning disability need to know their lives are valued. Bereaved families need confidence lessons will be learned from their loved one’s death, and that other families will not have to face the same loss in future.”
4. Huge MI5 failings leads to new measures
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced “decisive action” to deal with MI5 failings after it emerged chiefs knew an agent was a misogynist obsessed with violence.
Ms Mahmood unveiled a new package of measures to hold the Director General to account. It came after revelations about a neo-Nazi informant, known publicly as Agent X, who used his position to coercively control his girlfriend, including attacking her with a machete.
An investigation concluded MI5 gave false information to a court. Ms Mahmood said she would increase independent senior-level challenge and accountability of MI5’s internal reform and improvement programmes. She said: “MI5 plays a critical role in keeping our country, and the public, safe. I am deeply grateful for the commitment and dedication of its staff. However, given the significance of its responsibilities, it is imperative that the Service maintains the highest standards of integrity, accountability and rigour, particularly in its engagement with the courts.
“This case demonstrates the damage to public, parliamentary and judicial confidence in our security services when MI5 gets it wrong.”
5. School fears over falling birth rates
The number of pupils in state-funded schools will plummet by more than 9% by 2031 due to falling birth rates, worrying stats released by the Department for Education showed on Thursday.
Stats show the actual population in state-funded schools was 7,809,000 in 2026 but is projected to decrease by 726,000 (9.3%) by 2031.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, raised concerns about school finances as funding is “heavily linked” to pupil numbers. “Falling school rolls are a real issue in many parts of the country due to declining birth rates,” he said.
“Where pupil intake is dwindling, this puts pressure on schools’ finances given that their funding is heavily linked to pupil numbers and their fixed staffing costs do not fall in line with numbers on roll. This can affect their ability to support existing staffing and curriculum breadth, and potentially affect their long-term viability, with small and rural schools especially vulnerable.”
6. Fury over aid cuts for Africa
Ministers have been accused of “abandoning” some of the world’s poorest countries after announcing major cuts to aid spending in Africa.
Plans published on Thursday will see regional aid spending slashed by 42% over the next three years, equivalent to more than £1 billion. Spending on aid to Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Malawi is set to fall by 90% or more, reaching just £5 million each by 2029.
Other African countries expected to suffer significant cuts include Ghana (52%), Rwanda (82%), Sierra Leone (69%), Zambia (83%) and Zimbabwe (72%).
Aid network Bond said the cuts represented a “shredding of decades long partnerships and programmes” and warned the UK was “ceding it’s leadership and role across the continent”.
Spending on Somalia, Syria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is expected to fall by more than a third.
7. More work needed on fraud
On Tuesday independent reviewer Jonathan Fisher released a report on the way the UK handles online fraud. This warned that fraud now accounts for half of all surveyed crime, and called for more work to be done in a “decisive shift in posture”.
It said the current system is reactive, but there must be more proactive work to improve work with the private sector and data sharing. The document made 47 recommendations, which ministers are considering.
Responding to the report, Security Minister Dame Angela Eagle wrote: “The report’s recommendations cut across the responsibilities of multiple departments, agencies and sectors. The Government will now consider them carefully and will respond in due course.
“Tackling fraud requires sustained collaboration between Government, law enforcement, regulators, industry and civil society. This Government is determined to build momentum in the fight against fraud: to support victims, to pursue those who profit from deception, to strengthen deterrence, and to make the UK a safer place to live, work and do business.”
8. Backlash over shake-up of councils
Local Government Secretary Steve Reed faced fury from some of his own MPs after confirming the details of a major shake-up of local councils. There’s debate over whether this one is bad news or not, but it’s certainly a controversial policy – and has sparked anger on the Labour benches.
On the final day of Parliament before the summer recess, he announced that a reorganisation of local councils in England “will have cut the number of councils from 317 to a maximum of 173” in England.
During a Commons Statement on Friday, Mr Reed said: “This Government is driving the most ambitious programme of local government reform in a generation, replacing the inefficient two-tier system with new unitary councils so that all parts of our country are ready for devolution.”
But he faced anger from MPs across parties – including from his own benches. Labour MP for Gedling Michael Payne asked Mr Reed “what on earth” made sense for his area in Nottingham, while Labour MP for Burnley Oliver Ryan said he was “so angry” with proposals to create an East Lancashire local authority, which he said could be one of the poorest in the country.
