Labour calls for investigation into private school fees
Ahead of this morning's show the shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson has demanded an investigation
by the Competition and Markets Authority into private school fees.
She's been in the papers this week talking about Labour's plans to end tax breaks for private schools. Today the party says it has new
analysis which shows that schools’ fees have risen twice as fast as
average wages since 2005 while pupil numbers have remained constant.
Phillipson
accused Conservative MPs of “crying wolf” over “bogus” claims that ending
private schools’ tax exemptions would force hundreds of schools to close, after
the Chancellor cited figures from the Independent Schools Council during the
Autumn Statement that 90,000 private school pupils would join the state sector.
Data
from the Independent Schools Council shows average prices have now risen to
over £15,600 a year for day school pupils or a mammoth £37,000 a year for
boarding pupils – more than national average earnings.
Phillipson said: “The Education Secretary needs to commission the Competition and Markets
Authority to investigate whether the private schools market is working as it
should."
We'll be hearing more from her on this during the show.
Who needs to 'step up' to keep kids safe online?
Laura Kuenssberg
Presenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg
"My God, I don't know what I'm supposed to do at all." That's not an admission that you expect to hear from a movie megastar.
But that's how Kate Winslet described some moments of being a mum in the 21st Century, with parents "rendered utterly powerless" as their kids spend more and more time online.
Winslet's new film confronts that dilemma head on. She tells the story of a mother desperately trying to help her daughter, whose mental health has been shattered as she's sucked deeper and deeper into social media.
The drama - I am Ruth - is hard to watch, but hard to look away from. Without giving a terrible spoiler, it does also in the end offer hope.
It's all the more powerful because Winslet's on-screen child is played by her own daughter - Mia Threapleton.
But the Oscar winner hopes the film will prompt a wider conversation about how vulnerable children are.
Winslet plays a mother whose daughter’s mental health declines as she spends more and more time online.Image caption: Winslet plays a mother whose daughter’s mental health declines as she spends more and more time online.
In pictures: When Laura met Kate
We’ve been talking this morning about Kate Winslet’s thoughts on children’s safety online - prompted by her new film for Channel 4 called I am Ruth.
Kuenssberg recorded her interview with the Oscar-winning actress a couple of days ago and BBC photographer Jeff Overs was on hand to capture their conversation in pictures.
Jeff Overs/BBCCopyright: Jeff Overs/BBC
Kate said security checks could be more rigorousImage caption: Kate said security checks could be more rigorous
Jeff Overs/BBCCopyright: Jeff Overs/BBC
Kate said parents feel "utterly powerless" about how to help their children navigate social mediaImage caption: Kate said parents feel "utterly powerless" about how to help their children navigate social media
Jeff Overs/BBCCopyright: Jeff Overs/BBC
Kate said social media firms need to enforce age limits to protect children's mental healthImage caption: Kate said social media firms need to enforce age limits to protect children's mental health
Can age verification stop children seeing pornography?
Shiona McCallum
Senior technology reporter
The government is insisting its amendments to the Online Safety Bill will keep children safe on the internet. Powers to define legal but harmful content have been dropped - satisfying some free-speech advocates.
Safety groups say it's too easy for children to access pornography online.
But ministers reject criticism that the legislation has been watered down, pointing to what they say is better age verification for children.
Research by regulator Ofcom indicates that one in three children currently have access to adult content on social media. They simply lie about their date of birth to get around age restrictions on websites.
As part of the bill, all sites that publish pornography will have to put in enhanced checks to ensure their users really are 18 or over.
This could include adults using secure age verification technology to prove that they possess a credit card and are over 18, or having a third-party service confirm their age against government data.
Sites that fail to act could be fined up to 10% of their global turnover by Ofcom, and bosses of these websites could also be held criminally liable if they fail to co-operate.
Children's safety groups have long been calling for age verification on porn sites, over fears it is too easy for minors to access publicly available material online.
Controversial measures which would have forced big technology platforms to take down legal but harmful material have been axed from the Online Safety Bill.
Critics of the section in the bill claimed it posed a risk to free speech. Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan denied weakening laws protecting adult social media users and said they would have more control over what they saw.
The government argues that the changes do not undermine the protections for children.Technology companies will still have to stop children - defined as those under 18 - from seeing content that poses a risk of causing significant harm.
Many social media platforms have a minimum age and offer parental controls. Companies will have to explain how they will check their users' age - some like Instagram are using age-verification technology.
But some have criticised the latest changes, including Labour and the Samaritans who called it a hugely backward step.
Michelle Donelan/PA MediaCopyright: Michelle Donelan/PA Media
Michelle Donelan denied weakening laws protecting adult social media usersImage caption: Michelle Donelan denied weakening laws protecting adult social media users
Parents powerless over kids' social media, says Kate Winslet
Laura Kuenssberg
Presenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg
The government should make social media firms enforce age limits to help tackle their impact on children's mental health, actress Kate Winslet has said.
Speaking to the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, she said parents feel "utterly powerless" about how to help their children navigate social media.
Winslet said security checks could be more rigorous and those in power "should step up" to protect children.
She was speaking ahead of the launch of her new Channel 4 film I Am Ruth. The feature-length drama sees Winslet playing opposite her real-life daughter Mia Threapleton as the mother of a teenager whose mental health begins to suffer as she becomes increasingly consumed by the pressures of social media.
Winslet said the decision to focus on children's mental health followed a conversation with the film's creator Dominic Savage about how parents can help "when they can clearly see there's a problem".
Kate said those in power "should step up" to protect children.Image caption: Kate said those in power "should step up" to protect children.
Labour stepping up pressure over private school tax breaks
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson is also on the show this morning.
Ms Phillipson has been making headlines this week after Labour announced plans to charge VAT on private school fees. Currently private schools can claim charitable status so are eligible for tax relief. Labour say they could raise £1.7bn with the plans to add VAT on to independent school fees - funds which could be spent on state schools.
At PMQs, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called on the prime minister to end the false"scandal" of tax breaks for private schools. Speaking to Radio 4’s The World At One, Phillipson said: “Labour’s position is that we think it’s wrong and unjustifiable that private schools enjoy tax breaks when we know that there is real pressure at our state schools.”
“It’s a question of political priorities… a simple question of fairness.” The PM has said Labour is attacking “the hard-working aspiration of millions of people in this country”. Let’s hear what Phillipson has to say today.
Tory party chairman on Kuenssberg after big swing to Labour in by-election
EPACopyright: EPA
Conservative Party chairman Nadhim Zahawi is the first guest up on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. He is on his third government role in six months, having served as both Chancellor of the Exchequer and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster since July.
The MP for Stratford-on-Avon was appointed Minister without Portfolio in the Cabinet Office on 25 October, after Rishi Sunak was appointed prime minister. His appearance on the show comes after the Conservatives faced their first electoral test under Sunak’s leadership last week - the City of Chester by-election.
The seat was previously held by Labour’s Christian Matheson who resigned after Parliament's watchdog recommended his suspension for "serious sexual misconduct". The party held the seat with an increased majority thanks to a 13.6% swing from the Tories. If repeated nationally that kind of change would see Labour take power at Westminster.
Potentially related to the Conservatives’ position in the opinion polls is the number of its MPs who say they don’t want to contest the next election - with former Chancellor Sajid Javid one of the biggest names to say he won’t be standing. The deadline for current MPs to tell the party if they are seeking re-election is tomorrow. Can Zahawi reassure his troops about their chances of returning to Parliament? We’ll find out just after 9am.
Who else is on the show?
UK parliament/Getty Images/Currys PlcCopyright: UK parliament/Getty Images/Currys Plc
As well as the main guests, as ever Laura Kuenssberg will be joined by a panel of three key players from the worlds of politics, business and technology.
On her panel this week are Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, film-maker and children’s rights campaigner Baroness Kidron and Alex Baldock who is chief executive of electrical retailer Currys plc.
Jimmy Wales is probably best known for being the founder of the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia. He has gone on to develop other non-profit collaborative web projects including the ad-free news site WikiTribune and is head of the Wikimedia Foundation which aims to help others develop free-to-use content on the internet.
Beeban Kidron is a crossbench member of the House of Lords and a documentary film-maker. She is a passionate campaigner for improving the rights of children on the internet and pushed through the Age Appropriate Design Code which requires online platforms to consider children first when designing new games and apps.
Alex Baldock is the boss of high street technology retailer Currys PLC. He came to the firm in 2018 after working in online retailing and banking.
Welcome to our continuing live coverage in text and video of this week’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. On this morning’s programme we’ll hear from actress Kate Winslet. She’s been speaking to Laura Kuenssberg about her new film I Am Ruth. The feature-length drama sees Winslet playing opposite her real-life daughter Mia Threapleton as the mother of a teenager whose mental health begins to suffer as she becomes increasingly consumed by the pressures of social media. Winslet shares her worries and concerns about how the internet is affecting young people and how she thinks parents are often powerless to protect their children.
Also on the show is Labour’s shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson. The past week has seen Labour romp home in the Chester City by-election, and the party continues to enjoy strong leads in the opinion polls. And Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is getting ready this week for a big announcement on how his party would change the UK’s constitution should they get into power.
And we’ll hear from Conservative Party chairman Nadhim Zahawi. Let’s see if he’s asked about the number of Conservative MPs, including former Chancellor Sajid Javid, who’ve said they don’t want to fight for their seats at the next general election. All that and more to come when the programme goes on air at 9am.
Live Reporting
Edited by Sarah Fowler
All times stated are UK
Labour calls for investigation into private school fees
Ahead of this morning's show the shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson has demanded an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority into private school fees.
She's been in the papers this week talking about Labour's plans to end tax breaks for private schools. Today the party says it has new analysis which shows that schools’ fees have risen twice as fast as average wages since 2005 while pupil numbers have remained constant.
Phillipson accused Conservative MPs of “crying wolf” over “bogus” claims that ending private schools’ tax exemptions would force hundreds of schools to close, after the Chancellor cited figures from the Independent Schools Council during the Autumn Statement that 90,000 private school pupils would join the state sector.
Data from the Independent Schools Council shows average prices have now risen to over £15,600 a year for day school pupils or a mammoth £37,000 a year for boarding pupils – more than national average earnings.
Phillipson said: “The Education Secretary needs to commission the Competition and Markets Authority to investigate whether the private schools market is working as it should."
We'll be hearing more from her on this during the show.
Who needs to 'step up' to keep kids safe online?
Laura Kuenssberg
Presenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg
"My God, I don't know what I'm supposed to do at all." That's not an admission that you expect to hear from a movie megastar.
But that's how Kate Winslet described some moments of being a mum in the 21st Century, with parents "rendered utterly powerless" as their kids spend more and more time online.
Winslet's new film confronts that dilemma head on. She tells the story of a mother desperately trying to help her daughter, whose mental health has been shattered as she's sucked deeper and deeper into social media.
The drama - I am Ruth - is hard to watch, but hard to look away from. Without giving a terrible spoiler, it does also in the end offer hope.
It's all the more powerful because Winslet's on-screen child is played by her own daughter - Mia Threapleton.
But the Oscar winner hopes the film will prompt a wider conversation about how vulnerable children are.
She suggests some online platforms should be banned for kids and accuses the government and tech firms of "shirking responsibility".
"Whoever those people are, they know who they are, they should just step up and do better," she told me.
Read Laura’s full article here
In pictures: When Laura met Kate
We’ve been talking this morning about Kate Winslet’s thoughts on children’s safety online - prompted by her new film for Channel 4 called I am Ruth.
Kuenssberg recorded her interview with the Oscar-winning actress a couple of days ago and BBC photographer Jeff Overs was on hand to capture their conversation in pictures.
Can age verification stop children seeing pornography?
Shiona McCallum
Senior technology reporter
The government is insisting its amendments to the Online Safety Bill will keep children safe on the internet. Powers to define legal but harmful content have been dropped - satisfying some free-speech advocates.
Safety groups say it's too easy for children to access pornography online.
But ministers reject criticism that the legislation has been watered down, pointing to what they say is better age verification for children.
Research by regulator Ofcom indicates that one in three children currently have access to adult content on social media. They simply lie about their date of birth to get around age restrictions on websites.
As part of the bill, all sites that publish pornography will have to put in enhanced checks to ensure their users really are 18 or over.
This could include adults using secure age verification technology to prove that they possess a credit card and are over 18, or having a third-party service confirm their age against government data.
Sites that fail to act could be fined up to 10% of their global turnover by Ofcom, and bosses of these websites could also be held criminally liable if they fail to co-operate.
Children's safety groups have long been calling for age verification on porn sites, over fears it is too easy for minors to access publicly available material online.
Read more here
Plan to make big tech remove harmful content axed
Controversial measures which would have forced big technology platforms to take down legal but harmful material have been axed from the Online Safety Bill.
Critics of the section in the bill claimed it posed a risk to free speech. Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan denied weakening laws protecting adult social media users and said they would have more control over what they saw.
The bill - which aims to police the internet - is intended to become law in the UK before next summer.
The government argues that the changes do not undermine the protections for children.Technology companies will still have to stop children - defined as those under 18 - from seeing content that poses a risk of causing significant harm.
Many social media platforms have a minimum age and offer parental controls. Companies will have to explain how they will check their users' age - some like Instagram are using age-verification technology.
But some have criticised the latest changes, including Labour and the Samaritans who called it a hugely backward step.
Read the full story here
Parents powerless over kids' social media, says Kate Winslet
Laura Kuenssberg
Presenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg
The government should make social media firms enforce age limits to help tackle their impact on children's mental health, actress Kate Winslet has said.
Speaking to the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, she said parents feel "utterly powerless" about how to help their children navigate social media.
Winslet said security checks could be more rigorous and those in power "should step up" to protect children.
She was speaking ahead of the launch of her new Channel 4 film I Am Ruth. The feature-length drama sees Winslet playing opposite her real-life daughter Mia Threapleton as the mother of a teenager whose mental health begins to suffer as she becomes increasingly consumed by the pressures of social media.
Winslet said the decision to focus on children's mental health followed a conversation with the film's creator Dominic Savage about how parents can help "when they can clearly see there's a problem".
Read the full story here
Labour stepping up pressure over private school tax breaks
Shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson is also on the show this morning.
Ms Phillipson has been making headlines this week after Labour announced plans to charge VAT on private school fees. Currently private schools can claim charitable status so are eligible for tax relief. Labour say they could raise £1.7bn with the plans to add VAT on to independent school fees - funds which could be spent on state schools.
At PMQs, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called on the prime minister to end the false"scandal" of tax breaks for private schools. Speaking to Radio 4’s The World At One, Phillipson said: “Labour’s position is that we think it’s wrong and unjustifiable that private schools enjoy tax breaks when we know that there is real pressure at our state schools.”
“It’s a question of political priorities… a simple question of fairness.” The PM has said Labour is attacking “the hard-working aspiration of millions of people in this country”. Let’s hear what Phillipson has to say today.
Tory party chairman on Kuenssberg after big swing to Labour in by-election
Conservative Party chairman Nadhim Zahawi is the first guest up on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. He is on his third government role in six months, having served as both Chancellor of the Exchequer and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster since July.
The MP for Stratford-on-Avon was appointed Minister without Portfolio in the Cabinet Office on 25 October, after Rishi Sunak was appointed prime minister. His appearance on the show comes after the Conservatives faced their first electoral test under Sunak’s leadership last week - the City of Chester by-election.
The seat was previously held by Labour’s Christian Matheson who resigned after Parliament's watchdog recommended his suspension for "serious sexual misconduct". The party held the seat with an increased majority thanks to a 13.6% swing from the Tories. If repeated nationally that kind of change would see Labour take power at Westminster.
Potentially related to the Conservatives’ position in the opinion polls is the number of its MPs who say they don’t want to contest the next election - with former Chancellor Sajid Javid one of the biggest names to say he won’t be standing. The deadline for current MPs to tell the party if they are seeking re-election is tomorrow. Can Zahawi reassure his troops about their chances of returning to Parliament? We’ll find out just after 9am.
Who else is on the show?
As well as the main guests, as ever Laura Kuenssberg will be joined by a panel of three key players from the worlds of politics, business and technology.
On her panel this week are Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, film-maker and children’s rights campaigner Baroness Kidron and Alex Baldock who is chief executive of electrical retailer Currys plc.
Jimmy Wales is probably best known for being the founder of the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia. He has gone on to develop other non-profit collaborative web projects including the ad-free news site WikiTribune and is head of the Wikimedia Foundation which aims to help others develop free-to-use content on the internet.
Beeban Kidron is a crossbench member of the House of Lords and a documentary film-maker. She is a passionate campaigner for improving the rights of children on the internet and pushed through the Age Appropriate Design Code which requires online platforms to consider children first when designing new games and apps.
Alex Baldock is the boss of high street technology retailer Currys PLC. He came to the firm in 2018 after working in online retailing and banking.
Good morning
Welcome to our continuing live coverage in text and video of this week’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. On this morning’s programme we’ll hear from actress Kate Winslet. She’s been speaking to Laura Kuenssberg about her new film I Am Ruth. The feature-length drama sees Winslet playing opposite her real-life daughter Mia Threapleton as the mother of a teenager whose mental health begins to suffer as she becomes increasingly consumed by the pressures of social media. Winslet shares her worries and concerns about how the internet is affecting young people and how she thinks parents are often powerless to protect their children.
Also on the show is Labour’s shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson. The past week has seen Labour romp home in the Chester City by-election, and the party continues to enjoy strong leads in the opinion polls. And Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is getting ready this week for a big announcement on how his party would change the UK’s constitution should they get into power.
And we’ll hear from Conservative Party chairman Nadhim Zahawi. Let’s see if he’s asked about the number of Conservative MPs, including former Chancellor Sajid Javid, who’ve said they don’t want to fight for their seats at the next general election. All that and more to come when the programme goes on air at 9am.