[ad_1] A so-called "Romeo and Juliet" clause has been added to new plans for mandatory reporting of concerns around child sexual abuse.The Crime and Policing Bill puts a new duty on teachers, GPs, and other professionals to report concerns or face criminal sanctions. Mandatory reporting was one of the 20 recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) following the grooming gangs scandal. However, an exclusion has been
[ad_1] Joshua NevettPolitical reporterPA MediaConservative leader Kemi Badenoch has laughed off being added to a WhatsApp group mistakenly set up by shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick to promote his London Marathon run.Hundreds of contacts, including Conservative MPs, peers and political journalists, were among those added to group chat on Thursday morning.A source said Jenrick had announced he was running in the London Marathon and "in a technical mix-up, a message
[ad_1] New guidance for public bodies on single-sex spaces will be issued, after the UK Supreme Court unanimously ruled a woman is defined by biological sex under equalities law.The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) says it is "working at pace" to provide an updated code of conduct for services, including the NHS and prisons. The ruling could have implications for spaces such as hospital wards, changing rooms and domestic
[ad_1] Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and top diplomat Marco Rubio will hold talks with European counterparts in Paris later on Thursday to discuss efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Ukraine's foreign minister and defence minister have arrived in the French capital to take part in the discussions. The talks, which UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy will also attend, form the highest level of transatlantic engagement about the
[ad_1] Vikki IrwinBBC political reporter, SuffolkVikki Irwin/BBCTherese Coffey said wearing scarves would help avoid repeats of an infamous photographBaroness Coffey has spoken of the trauma of losing her Commons seat in July's general election and just hours later finding out her mother had only a month to live. The former Conservative MP for Suffolk Coastal had held her seat since 2010 and lost it to Labour's Jenny Riddell-Carpenter in the
[ad_1] Sam FrancisPolitical ReporterHelen CattPolitical correspondentGetty ImagesThe five biggest business groups in the UK have written an open letter calling for urgent changes to the government's Employment Rights Bill.The proposed new law, due to be scrutinised by the House of Lords this month, includes a right to guaranteed hours and cracks down on zero-hour contracts without the offer of work.But the British Chambers of Commerce, Confederation of British Industry, Institute
[ad_1] Ben WrightPolitical correspondentBrian WheelerPolitical reporterGetty ImagesWhat is a woman?In recent years it is a question that has caused political punch-ups, party splits and despatch box spats. A complex, emotionally-charged and fiercely contested argument around gender, trans rights and women's sex-based rights has often left politicians at Westminster floundering to answer a seemingly straightforward question. Today's Supreme Court ruling may, just may, calm a political row that has produced all
[ad_1] The European Union has identified seven countries it considers safe countries of origin, as part of proposals to speed up asylum applications, especially from those countries involved.Citizens from Kosovo, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Morocco and Tunisia would all have their claims fast-tracked within three months on the assumption that they were likely to fail.Markus Lammert of the European Commission said it would be a "dynamic list" that could be
[ad_1] Phil SimBBC Scotland political correspondentPA MediaWomen's campaigners open a bottle of champagne outside the Supreme CourtThe UK Supreme Court has unanimously and unambiguously backed the argument that the definition of a woman in the Equality Act should be based on biological sex.Reading out the ruling, Lord Hodge cautioned that it should not be taken as a triumph for one group in society over another.But there were scenes of jubilation
[ad_1] The UK government is in negotiations with France on a scheme to return illegal migrants who have crossed the Channel in small boats.In return, the British government would accept legal migrants seeking family reunion in the UK.The French interior ministry told the BBC this would be a pilot scheme based on "a one-for-one principle", with the aim of discouraging smuggling networks.The Conservatives said Labour's decision to scrap the Rwanda
