Thursday briefing: Could a new plan to tackle the causes of crime help protect vulnerable youth?
In today's newsletter: With social services gutted under austerity and abuses of police power exposed, advocacy groups are calling for community-led ways to support young people
Good morning.
This week the advocacy group Liberty published a report calling for a community-led approach to tackle serious youth violence. Holding our own: A guide to non-policing solutions to serious youth violence" (pdf) was put together with nine organisations and community groups that specialise in youth services, racial justice, mental health and policing, and marks the start of a campaign calling for investment in social infrastructure and the reduction of police powers. The authors of the report make it clear that they believe that punitive measures are not curbing youth violence. Instead, they say, the focus should be shifted to community-led approaches that include investment in mental-health services and provision of youth services.
Conservatives | Officials at the Department of Health have raised concerns" about Steve Barclay's alleged conduct towards civil servants. Sources told the Guardian that senior civil servants in the department had informally complained about the health secretary and privately referred to bullying" and other bad behaviour" towards his staff. The alleged conduct has been denied by Barclay's allies.
Climate crisis | Ocean temperatures have hit unprecedented highs, with scientists stating the Earth has reached uncharted territory". The rapid acceleration in the last month is an anomaly that experts can't explain.
Immigration | The government's flagship illegal migration bill passed its third reading in the Commons last night by 289 votes to 230 and will go to the House of Lords where it is expected to face greater opposition.
Belize | Jasmine Hartin, the Canadian socialite and former partner of the son of billionaire and Conservative party grandee Lord Michael Ashcroft, has pleaded guilty in a court in Belize to the negligent manslaughter of police officer Henry Jemmott in 2021.
Politics | Former Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen has been expelled from the party after comparing the use of Covid vaccines to the Holocaust. Bridgen said his expulsion only confirms the culture of corruption, collusion and cover-ups which plagues our political system".
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