DWP chief accused of overseeing ‘culture of complacency’ that led to carer’s allowance scandal

The government’s most senior welfare official has been accused of presiding over a “culture of complacency” that led to thousands of unpaid carers inadvertently running up huge benefit debts.Debbie Abrahams, the chair of the work and pensions select committee, said the Department for Work and Pensions had repeatedly failed to prioritise vulnerable people, was unwilling to learn from its mistakes, and was slow to fix errors.Abrahams said she found it “difficult to have confidence” in the DWP’s permanent secretary, Sir Peter Schofield, who had promised MPs more than six years ago that he would fix critical flaws in the carer’s allowance benefit but had failed to do so.An award-winning Guardian investigation revealed hundreds of thousands of unpaid carers, most already in poverty, were landed with large bills for overpayments running into thousands of pounds as a result of DWP shortcomings. Several hundred carers are estimated to have also received fraud convictions

PE funding and the true cost of obesity | Letter

The possible cuts to Whitehall’s physical education funding left one misty-eyed for that jargonistic catchphrase of the Blair era: joined-up government (Government row breaks out over plan to cut spending for PE in England’s schools, 27 January).Coincidentally, your story appeared hours after the NHS published data from its Health Survey England. Inevitably, the 2024 data revealed another rise in the percentage of adults in England who were obese or overweight – reaching 66%, compared with 53% in 1993. About 30% of adults were obese. The survey again illustrated the links between deprivation, obesity and ill-health

Pentagon threatens to cut ties with Scouting America over ‘core values’

The Pentagon is again threatening to sever ties with Scouting America unless the organization formerly known as the Boy Scouts of America reverts to “core values” and realigns itself with service to “God and country”.A warning to end the US military’s longstanding partnership with one of the nation’s largest and most popular youth organizations came in a Monday night post to social media by the Pentagon spokesperson, Sean Parnell, who insisted the scouting movement “lost its way” in a 2025 rebrand that promoted inclusivity and included admitting girls and LBGTQ+ members.Donald Trump’s defense department under its head, Pete Hegseth, has previously railed against being “woke” in the US military, including diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, and suggested that women lack the physical strength to be effective combat troops.Hegseth first proposed withdrawing government support for the scouting movement in a memo to Congress in November. The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that a separate draft memo outlining the plan has been circulating in recent days

Three-quarters of cancer patients in England will survive by 2035, government pledges

Three in four cancer patients in England will beat cancer under government plans to raise survival rates, as figures reveal someone is now diagnosed every 75 seconds in the UK.Cancer is the country’s biggest killer, causing about one in four deaths, and survival rates lag behind several European countries, including Romania and Poland. Three-quarters of NHS hospital trusts are failing cancer patients, a Guardian analysis found last year, prompting experts to declare a “national emergency”.In a new plan to be published on Wednesday, ministers will pledge £2bn to resolve the crisis by transforming cancer services, with millions of patients promised faster diagnoses, quicker treatment and more support to live well.Some cancer performance targets have not been met by the NHS since 2015

Ministers to crack down on profiteering in care sector and make renewed fostering push

Private providers of child social care in England will be pushed out of the system if they are found to be profiteering, the children’s minister has said.Josh MacAlister, who is in charge of overhauling the care system for children, also called for a fostering equivalent of the Homes for Ukraine scheme to provide homes for tens of thousands of children.Announcing a major push to find homes for 10,000 foster children as part of a bid to rebalance child social care away from private providers, MacAlister said the state was “failing to provide the lifelong, loving relationships that these kids need”.MacAlister led an independent review of child social care under the last Tory government before becoming an MP and then minister. He said his message to private providers was: “If you want to be part of this system in the future, don’t price-gouge; don’t profiteer

‘Supermax-style units’ for most dangerous criminals to be introduced in England and Wales

The most dangerous extremist prisoners in England and Wales will be held in “supermax-style units” similar to those used in US jails, David Lammy has told MPs.The deputy prime minister also said he would consider drawing up legislation to stop prisoners from using human rights laws to challenge tougher conditions in jail.Jonathan Hall KC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, was commissioned to carry out a review on separation units in May. His report was published on Tuesday.Lammy said he would accept Hall’s 13 recommendations in full