\n<\/p>\n
The Green party is backing resident doctors who are on strike. This morning the party issued a statement on the dispute from its co-deputy leader, Mothin Ali<\/strong>, saying:<\/p>\n double quotation markRather than shifting goalposts or arm twisting resident doctors with threats over training places, Wes Streeting needs to get serious about resolving resident doctors long term concerns over pay, training and working conditions. The government\u2019s 10-year plan for the NHS will go nowhere if the workforce feels unappreciated, devalued and demotivated.<\/p>\n Share<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n <\/span>Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>Severin Carrell<\/span><\/p>\n Severin Carrell is the Guardian\u2019s Scotland editor.<\/em><\/p>\n The Campaign Against Antisemitism<\/strong> has criticised John Swinney\u2019s comments this morning about Kanye West. (See 11.50am.) A spokesperson for the campaign said>><\/p>\n double quotation markJohn Swinney just announced a task force to address surging antisemitism, so it\u2019s jarring to see him brush off Kanye West so casually.<\/p>\n Mr West is possibly the biggest promoter of antisemitic tropes in the world, so feting him in the UK is hardly going to help turn the tide against anti-Jewish racism.<\/p>\n Yes, people have a right to listen to whatever music they want, but one would hope our politicians would discourage them from singing along to \u2018Heil Hitler\u2019, one of Mr West\u2019s most recent releases.<\/p>\n Diageo is one of a number of brands that has dropped Wireless over Mr West\u2019s invitation. They have shown more principle than the festival, and more sense than Mr Swinney.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Sally Weale<\/span><\/p>\n Sally Weale is the Guardian\u2019s education correspondent.<\/em><\/p>\n The National Union of Students<\/strong> has welcomed the government\u2019s decision to cap the interest paid on some students loans at 6% \u2013 although the NUS, and other campaigners, have said that wider reform of the student loan system is still urgently needed.<\/p>\n Commenting on today\u2019s announcement (see 11.16am), the NUS president, Amira Campbell, said that this was a \u201chuge win\u201d, but that the government needed to go further. She explained:<\/p>\n double quotation markThis government have woken up to the unfairness of student loans, and are taking action to prevent our debts from spiralling further out of control.<\/p>\n For too many years, we\u2019ve been forced to weather these economic shocks, and finally a government have listened to our concerns. This is a huge win, for the over 5 million people on plan 2 loans, the NUS and students\u2019 unions across the country.<\/p>\n But this change cannot come alone. For most graduates, the impact on their day to day lives is felt through the repayment thresholds, which are being frozen for three years and will get very close to the minimum wage by 2030.<\/p>\n We still need to see the chancellor stick by the terms we signed at 17 years old, and raise the threshold in line with our incomes. The government have said they will look into the unfairness of the student loan system, and we will continue to hold them to that.<\/p>\n Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute<\/strong> thinktank, said the cap would provide some certainty for graduates but the move was little more than a stopgap. He went on:<\/p>\n double quotation markEach year\u2019s student loan repayments are generally based on inflation in the March of the preceding year. So, until we know the inflation rate for March 2026 [which will be announced on 22 April], we do not know how significant a change this really is.<\/p>\n The maximum current interest rate [based on inflation in March 2025] is 6.2% so, even after this announcement, interest in 2026\/27 will actually be very similar to the unpopular level it has been in 2025\/26.<\/p>\n Current undergraduate students will not benefit as they are on plan 5 rather than plan 2. Moreover, the higher interest rates – the portion above RPI inflation – is not levied on poorer graduates, so [depending on what inflation was in March 2026] this announcement is unlikely to affect them at all.<\/p>\n No one is likely to oppose this new policy but it just a stopgap. It is unlikely to assuage the recently expressed deep concerns of many 20-something and 30-something graduates. So it is no accident the new policy has been made in a quiet week at Westminster, nor that it has been accompanied by a clear signal that there might be more help to come in future.<\/p>\n Oliver Gardner, founder of Rethink Repayment<\/strong> grassroots campaign for student loan reforms, said the cap announced today was not a solution to the student loans crisis. He said:<\/p>\n double quotation markIt is merely a stopgap to help protect graduates with plan 2 and plan 3 loans from some of the most egregious aspects of the system – in particular, the maximum interest rate of up to RPI + 3% that can be charged on these loans.<\/p>\n In contrast, Rethink Repayment is calling for \u201ca fairer student loan system that works for young people and gives them a realistic chance of paying back what they initially borrowed, rather than watching their balances soar despite making significant monthly repayments.\u201d<\/p>\n Tom Allingham, student loans expert at Save the Student<\/strong>, a student money website, welcomed the cap, but said the announcement was short on detail and called for more radical reform to the system. He said:<\/p>\n double quotation markAmid the ongoing student loan inquiry [announced last month by the Commons Treasury committee] and growing cries from students and graduates for reform, we\u2019re calling on the government to announce far more substantial changes that create a truly fair system.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.18 EDT<\/p>\n The Green party is backing resident doctors who are on strike. This morning the party issued a statement on the dispute from its co-deputy leader, Mothin Ali<\/strong>, saying:<\/p>\n double quotation markRather than shifting goalposts or arm twisting resident doctors with threats over training places, Wes Streeting needs to get serious about resolving resident doctors long term concerns over pay, training and working conditions. The government\u2019s 10-year plan for the NHS will go nowhere if the workforce feels unappreciated, devalued and demotivated.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Severin Carrell<\/span><\/p>\n Severin Carrell is the Guardian\u2019s Scotland editor.<\/em><\/p>\n John Swinney<\/strong> has refused to back calls for Kanye West\u2019s concert in London to be cancelled, saying people \u201cwe live in a free country … Let\u2019s just let people listen to the music they want to.\u201d<\/p>\n The first minister was questioned about the intensifying backlash after the rapper\u2019s booking to headline the Wireless festival despite his repeated anti-semitism and his admiration for Adolf Hitler, including offering a swastika-emblazoned tee shirt on his website.<\/p>\n Legally known as Ye, the rapper insists he has recanted, blamed bipolar disorder, and has offered to meet Jewish representatives in London. Wes Streeting, the health secretary, had objected to his appearance, while the Home Office is investigating a ban.<\/p>\n Talking to reporters at a Holyrood election campaign event in Edinburgh, Swinney was asked whether Ye should be allowed to perform in the UK or whether he\u2019d be welcomed to appear at a Scottish festival.<\/p>\n He told LBC:<\/p>\n double quotation markI think I\u2019m going to stay out of the selection of music by different bands. We live in a free country; people are going to say things. Let\u2019s just let people listen to the music they want to.<\/p>\n Swinney indicated he was reluctant to comment after coming under fire after demanding last year that the Northern Irish band Kneecap should be banned from a Scottish festival after appearing to sanction the murder of Tory MPs. Swinney indicated on Tuesday he now feels he should not have intervened in that controversy.<\/p>\n Pressed by reporters about that stance, he said:<\/p>\n double quotation markPeople should choose their music and they don\u2019t really they need advice from John Swinney unless they want to listen to The Jam or Amy McDonald.<\/p>\n Noting Ye had recorded songs praising Hitler and the prospect of a UK government ban, a Record reporter asked again: \u201cYou\u2019re telling us that people should just be allowed to hear the music?\u201d<\/p>\n Swinney replied:<\/p>\n double quotation markWell, the government should go on and take their decisions within their powers, but I\u2019m not going to give a running commentary on music taste.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Donald Trump\u2019s comments about Iran have becoming increasingly extreme and unhinged. Lucy Campbell<\/strong> has more on that here.<\/p>\n Speaking to reporters at a campaign event this morning, John Swinney<\/strong>, the SNP leader and Scottish first minister, said that the threats being made by Trump against Iran were \u201cunconscionable\u201d. He said:<\/p>\n double quotation markThe entire conflict in Iran should not be taking place.<\/p>\n This is an unwarranted and illegal intervention by the United States and Israel and what has been started by President Trump, very clearly, cannot be concluded by Donald Trump.<\/p>\n The threats that are now being made, of the language and of the nature of what has been suggested in recent days, is unconscionable and it will cause enormous, enormous hardship and suffering for people who are already suffering under the Iranian regime.<\/p>\n The need for de-escalation, for a solution that avoids any further military activity in Iran is absolutely essential, and the international community, other governments, have got to work to encourage and to enable such an approach to be taken.<\/p>\n <\/span>John Swinney speaking to reporters this morning at a campaign event.<\/span> Photograph: Murdo MacLeod\/The GuardianShare<\/p>\n The Department for Education<\/strong> has announced that that it will cap the interest paid on plan 2 and plan 3 student loans at 6% for the 2026\/27 academic years. This will protect students and graduates from England and Wales with these loans from a potential inflation spike caused by the Iran war.<\/p>\n In a news release, the DfE says:<\/p>\n double quotation markGraduates will not pay the price for a war which the UK has no direct involvement in.<\/p>\n This reform removes the risk of any temporary increase in inflation causing loan balances to compound at an unsustainable rate and is in line with actions taken in the past to secure stability in the student finance system.<\/p>\n Graduates with Plan 2 loans currently pay interest rates of between RPI and RPI plus 3%, depending on their earnings. Current students on Plan 2 and Plan 3 also attract an interest rate of RPI +3% while they are studying.<\/p>\n Interest on Plan 2 and 3 student loans will be capped at 6% instead of RPI+3% to protect borrowers. This will ensure no Plan 2 or Plan 3 borrower faces an interest rate of above 6%, protecting them from any short-term increase in RPI due to global shocks, such as temporary spikes in oil prices, outside the government\u2019s control. The government is clear this is not our war and the UK will not be dragged into conflict, but the impacts will affect the future of our country.<\/p>\n There is further coverage here.<\/p>\n There are five types of student loan repayment plan in operation in the UK, and they vary depending on where in the UK people are from, when they started studing, and what sort of degree they were or are doing. There is a good guide to all five plans here.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.18 EDT<\/p>\n In his interviews this morning, Wes Streeting<\/strong> also joined those criticising Wireless festival for its decision to invite Kanye West to peform.<\/p>\n Streeting told the Today programme that, given West\u2019s history of antisemitic and pro-Hitler comments, the decision was inexplicable.<\/p>\n double quotation markI cannot for the life of me understand why Wireless still have him as a headliner.<\/p>\n There are plenty of other talented artists in this country, let alone internationally, who would benefit from the exposure and who in turn would help drive ticket sales.<\/p>\n To provide this kind of platform and opportunity to Kanye West against this backdrop of behaviour I think is a very bad error of judgment.<\/p>\n Streeting also said that for West to blame what he had done on his mental health was also appalling.<\/p>\n double quotation markWhen Kanye West uses bipolar disorder to justify his actions, I think that is equally appalling, by the way.<\/p>\n I would ask people to consider, does using bipolar disorder as an excuse to write and release a song called Heil Hitler and plaster it across T-shirts, does bipolar disorder really justify that? Or is it an excuse to justify rotten behaviour?<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Here are some more lines from Wes Streeting<\/strong>\u2019s interviews this morning about the resident doctors\u2019 strike.<\/p>\n double quotation markWe don\u2019t want strike action to put people off from coming forward if they need medical attention if they need it \u2013 emergency services are running. We\u2019ve managed to maintain we think about 95% of planned care due to take place today, so things like tests and scans, surgeries, procedures.<\/p>\n But I\u2019m not going to pretend that there aren\u2019t consequences to this disruption, if you\u2019re someone who\u2019s waited for your test or scan or your operation, chances are you\u2019ve been waiting a lot longer than I would like you to, and so psyching yourself up for that moment and then getting the cancellation can be both bitterly disappointing, and in some cases, will leave people waiting in pain or anxiety longer than is necessary.<\/p>\n double quotation markI have never closed the door to the BMA and their representatives.<\/p>\n In fact, last Friday, Good Friday morning, I met with the resident doctors committee officers and asked them directly: \u2018What would it take to end these strikes? You\u2019ve rejected the offer we\u2019ve put to you, what is your counter proposal?\u2019 And they didn\u2019t have one.<\/p>\n double quotation markResident doctors are, by a country mile, the standout winners of the entire public sector workforce when it comes to the pay rises they have received from this Government, and this was a good deal, they have rejected it.<\/p>\n The day they rejected it, they rushed straight to six days of strike action, which will cost the NHS \u00a3300m.<\/p>\n And in that context of the whopping pay rise they received when we came in and the generous deal that they have rejected. I\u2019ll leave your viewers to decide who in this dispute has been most unreasonable.<\/p>\n double quotation markThere aren\u2019t fewer jobs as a result of this, because what we were doing is converting locally employed doctor posts into training places.<\/p>\n The reason why resident doctors will be disappointed, and many of them are, is because those training places come with more pay and career progression opportunities for those doctors.<\/p>\n I have not had NHS leaders banging on my door demanding more of these places, the reason why we negotiated these training places is because I recognised there were bottlenecks affecting resident doctors.<\/p>\n I haven\u2019t taken those places away. The BMA rejected them.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n The Labour party has described Reform UK\u2019s reparations announcement (see 9.56am) as \u201ca desperate gimmick\u201d. A Labour spokesperson<\/strong> said:<\/p>\n double quotation markThis is a desperate gimmick from Reform that would do nothing to restore order and control to Britain\u2019s borders.<\/p>\n That\u2019s this Labour government\u2019s focus and that\u2019s why we are taking decisive action to tackle surges in asylum claims by imposing an emergency brake on study and work visas from countries abusing the system, slashing \u00a31bn from the asylum support bill, and halving the length of refugee protection to 30 months.<\/p>\n Nobody will take Nigel Farage seriously on this when his party is full of opportunistic Tories who failed on immigration when they were in government.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Eric Williams<\/strong>, who wrote a landmark history of the slave trade and who subsequently became the first prime minister of Trindad and Tobago after indepndence, once famously wrote:<\/p>\n double quotation markBritish historians write almost as if Britain had introduced Negro slavery merely for the satisfaction of abolishing it.<\/p>\n He died in 1981 but he might have been gratified to learn that, more than 40 years on, his insight remains as valid as ever \u2013 at least judging by what Reform UK is up to today.<\/p>\n Slavery reparations are not a pressing issue in UK politics; given that none of the mainstream parties as ever proposed paying reparations, they should not even make the top 100 as a matter of pressing political dispute. But they are powerful ammunition for the right in the culture wars, and fail-safe clickbait, and today Reform UK<\/strong> is announcing that, if it were in government, it would refuse to issue visa to countries demaning reparations from the UK. Jamie Grierson<\/strong> has the details.<\/p>\n While the mainstream parties do not back reparations, the Green party is in favour. After the UN general assembly passed a resolution last month condemning slavery as a crime against humanity, the Green party<\/strong> issued a statement saying:<\/p>\n double quotation markMany Green party activists have over the years been working hard towards establishing Reparative Justice in the UK and this United Nations motion will go a long way in supporting the global reparations movement.<\/p>\n It is not just problematic, but deeply sad that the countries most involved in the trans-Atlantic trafficking of African people were the countries to either vote against, or abstain from the motion, giving underhanded, loophole excuses to fight against accountability.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n In his interviews this morning Wes Streeting<\/strong>, the health secretary, accused the BMA of hypocrisy over pay because the organisation is offering its own staff far less than the resident doctors are demanding.<\/p>\n He told BBC Breakfast:<\/p>\n double quotation markAnd here\u2019s the real kicker; having rejected this deal because the pay offer apparently wasn\u2019t good enough at 4.9%, the BMA are offering their own staff 2.75% on affordability grounds.<\/p>\n Why does the BMA think they can get away with telling their own staff they only get 2.75% because that\u2019s all they can afford, whilst rejecting a 4.9% offer because that\u2019s all the government can afford.<\/p>\n It seems to me, the BMA aren\u2019t willing to put their hands in their own pockets to pay their own staff, but they\u2019re very happy to try and fleece your viewers, asking them to pay even more in tax than I think this country can afford.<\/p>\n He made the same point in an interview on Today, explaining what the BMA was doing and adding: \u201cThere\u2019s a word for that.\u201d<\/p>\n In a separate interview on the Today programme, Jack Fletcher, chair of its resident doctors committee, said that he was not responsible for what the BMA paid its staff and that he supported their right to go on strike.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Good morning. Resident doctors in English hospitals started a six-day strike at 7am this morning. Many of them will continue to work, but there will be enough of them joining the strike to have a significant impact on the care hospitals can deliver. It is the 15th resident doctors (who used to be known as junior doctors) have been on stage since they launched a campaign in 2023 to get their pay back to the equivalent level it used to be before austerity kicked in after the financial crash.<\/p>\n This morning Wes Streeting<\/strong>, the health secretary, deployed a new statistic in his PR battle against the BMA, the doctors\u2019 union organised the strikes. He confirmed a figure highlighted in the Daily Mail\u2019s splash saying strikes by resident doctors have now cost the country \u00a33bn.<\/p>\n In an interview with the Today programme, asked if that was an official government figure, Streeting replied:<\/p>\n double quotation markWe think that strikes cost \u00a350m a day. And so that is, an accurate reflection of the cost of these strikes.<\/p>\n But, when it was put to him the BMA is saying that \u00a33bn is about what it would have cost to give the resident doctors the pay rise they are demaning, Streeting would not accept this. He replied:<\/p>\n double quotation markWhat is true is that in order to deliver a full pay restoration back to 2008 levels, using the RPI account of inflation, it would cost in the order of \u00a33bn a year.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s then assume that other NHS staff would understandably demand the same. Then that cost would be more like \u00a330bn a year. That is more than the entire cost of the Ministry of Justice\u2019s entire budget for running the criminal justice system.<\/p>\n Now, this goes to the heart of the intransigence of the BMA. Despite being the biggest winner by a country mile of public sector pay increases \u2013 since this government came in, 28.9% is what they got from us \u2013 within weeks of taking office, they still went out on strike.<\/p>\n Andrew Gregory <\/strong>and Peter Walker<\/strong> have more from what Streeting has been saying about the strike here.<\/p>\n I will post more from Streeting\u2019s broadcast interviews this morning shortly.<\/p>\n Here is the agenda for the day.<\/p>\n 7am:<\/em> Resident doctors started a six-day strike in England. (Rather, some of them did \u2013 in the past, many doctors have chosen to work rather than to join the BMA strike.)<\/p>\n 9.15am:<\/em> John Swinney, SNP leader and Scottish first minister, holds a campaign event focused on fuel prices. Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, is holding a campaign event focused on pothole policy (at 9.30am), and Russell Findlay, the Scottish Conservative leader, is launching his manifesto (at 2pm).<\/p>\n Morning:<\/em> Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, is campaigning in Newcastle.<\/p>\n Noon:<\/em> Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.<\/p>\n 12.30pm:<\/em> Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, is holding a press conference in Warwickshire.<\/p>\n Afternoon:<\/em> Military planners from around 35 countries interested in plans to keep the strait of Hormuz open after the Iran war ends meet to discuss options at the UK\u2019s Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood, north-west London.<\/p>\n If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line when comments are open (between 10am and 3pm), or message me on social media. I can\u2019t read all the messages BTL, but if you put \u201cAndrew\u201d in a message aimed at me, I am more likely to see it because I search for posts containing that word.<\/p>\n If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social. The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X, but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary.<\/p>\n I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos. No error is too small to correct. And I find your questions very interesting too. I can\u2019t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a005.29 EDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Greens urge Streeting to ‘get serious’ about concerns of resident doctors who are on strike The Green party is backing resident doctors who are on strike. This morning the party issued a statement on the dispute from its co-deputy leader, Mothin Ali, saying: double quotation markRather than shifting goalposts or arm twisting resident doctors with<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47998,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[2974,366,1601,132,124,3001,1225,1763],"class_list":{"0":"post-47997","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-concerns","9":"tag-doctors","10":"tag-greens","11":"tag-live","12":"tag-politics","13":"tag-resident","14":"tag-streeting","15":"tag-urge"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47997","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=47997"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47997\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/47998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=47997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=47997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=47997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Campaigners give qualified welcome to student loans interest rates cap, but call for bigger changes to make system fairer<\/h2>\n
Greens urge Streeting to ‘get serious’ about concerns of resident doctors who are on strike<\/h2>\n
Swinney refuses to back calls for Kanye West to dropped from Wireless festival<\/h2>\n
John Swinney denounces Trump’s threats to Iran as ‘unconscionable’<\/h2>\n
DfE caps student loans interest rate at 6% to protect students and graduates from impact of potential Iran war inflation spike<\/h2>\n
Streeting says inviting Kanye West to perform at Wireless was ‘very bad error of judgment’<\/h2>\n
Streeting says resident doctors’ strike will leave some patients in pain for ‘longer than is necessary’<\/h2>\n
Labour dismisses Reform UK’s slavery reparations announcement as ‘desperate gimmick’<\/h2>\n
Reform UK would stop visas for people from countries seeking slavery reparations<\/h2>\n
Streeting accuses BMA of hypocrisy, saying it’s giving its staff pay rise well below what resident doctors offered<\/h2>\n
Wes Streeting says strikes by resident doctors have cost country \u00a33bn over past 3 years as fresh walkout starts<\/h2>\n