The Guardian – Tories woefully understated the cost of asylum, claims think tank
The Guardian reports the Home Office is accused of submitting “woeful” reports on the cost of asylum and immigration under Conservative ministers. In a report partially vindicating Rachel Reeves’s claim that the new Labour government inherited a far worse financial situation than initially thought, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) thinktank suggested the Home Office had repeatedly lowballed its budget estimates.
Elsewhere, the paper features a report saying more 15-year-olds are reporting low life satisfaction in the UK than anywhere else in Europe, amid what experts are describing as a “happiness recession” for British teenagers.
There is also a picture of the opening ceremony of the Paris Paralympics.
Home Office criticised over ‘woefully’ understated Tory asylum budgets
The Home Office has been accused of submitting “woeful” budget figures under successive Conservative ministers – which officials knew understated the ballooning cost of asylum and illegal immigration spending.
In a report partially vindicating Rachel Reeves’s claim that the new Labour government inherited a far worse financial situation than initially thought, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) thinktank suggested the Home Office had repeatedly lowballed its budget estimates.
It found ministers knew budgets it had submitted were insufficient and habitually drew on Treasury contingency reserves, a practice that one Labour source described as “like the wild west”.
Labour said it was proof the previous government had “covered up” the extent of the crisis in the asylum system and that ministers “ran away from the problem”.
‘Happiness recession’: UK 15-year-olds at bottom of European satisfaction league
More 15-year-olds are reporting low life satisfaction in the UK than anywhere else in Europe, amid what experts are describing as a “happiness recession” for British teenagers.
The group is at the bottom of European rankings in terms of life satisfaction across 27 nations, analysis by the Children’s Society reveals. In the UK 25% of 15-year-olds reported low life satisfaction, compared with 7% of Dutch children of the same age – the lowest level among any of the countries surveyed.
British girls are particularly affected, as are children from disadvantaged backgrounds, with food poverty highlighted as a key reason behind the poor wellbeing numbers.
“Alarm bells are ringing,” said Mark Russell, the chief executive of the Children’s Society. “UK teenagers are facing a happiness recession, with 15-year-olds recording the lowest life satisfaction on average across 27 European nations.”
Paris Paralympics make powerful start in journey from discord to concord
The 17th Paralympic Games began under blue skies then lit up the night as Paris made a powerful start in extending to disability sport the same energy and joy that has so far characterised its historic summer.
In the coming 11 days there will be new heroes made, new stories told and, just perhaps, the possibility of a legacy of positive change for people with disability. But in front of a crowd of 35,000 spectators at the Place de la Concorde, a ceremony threaded together by bold, expressive dance and featuring a parade of 128 often jubilant competing nations created a party atmosphere, and an image of a country still “en fete”.
As the head of the International Paralympic Committee, Andrew Parsons called for a “revolution of inclusion” in his speech and the president of Paris 2024, Tony Estanguet, praised the fans, “la public complètement fou”, there was space left for the French president, Emmanuel Macron, only to perform the briefest of ceremonial functions, declaring the Games open, as the energy of night swarmed elsewhere.
Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
If you are someone who reads every perspective of a story, here is a news summary of all of today’s front pages from today’s newspapers; summarised in a 2-minute read
Editorial 29 August 2024.
Most of Thursday’s newspapers lead on Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s trip to Europe this week where he aims to ‘reset’ Britain’s relationship with the EU. The prime minister said: “We must turn a corner on Brexit and fix the broken relationships left behind” but made clear it’s not a reversal of Brexit.
There is ongoing coverage of the upcoming Autumn Budget as the papers speculate on tax hikes and who will carry the burden of the £22bn black hole the government is looking to plug.
The back pages cover the latest from the Premier League and Emma Raducanu crashing out of the US Open.