General election 2017: Labour and Lib Dems pledge education windfall
Opposition parties turn up the heat on Tories with promises to boost school funding by billions

Labour and the Liberal Democrats have put education at the forefront of their campaigns, vowing to save schools from what the Lib Dems called the "biggest cuts in a generation".
In an announcement today, the party also promised to ring fence £7bn if it wins the general election to ensure "no child loses out" by cuts to per-pupil spending.
Education spokeswoman Sarah Olney said: "While funding per pupil is set to see the biggest cuts in a generation, billions of pounds are being spent on divisive plans to expand grammars and free schools."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Jeremy Corbyn, meanwhile, has pledged to raise corporation tax to fund a cash injection worth £20bn into the education system, including £335m to top up funding for schools that stand to lose out under a new funding formula.
Labour's "ambitious proposals" also include a promise to "ban 30-plus class sizes, scrap adult learners' course fees and bring back student grants," The Independent reports.
An estimate from the National Audit Office says schools "will have to cut £3bn from budgets by 2019-20 to meet rising cost pressures", the BBC reports, while a survey of 1,200 teachers last month revealed more than half of state schools in England had asked parents for some form of financial assistance in the past year.
The funding promises were welcomed by local branches of the Fair Funding for All Schools campaign, although some expressed concern as to whether they had been "fully costed".
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Independent says Corbyn's policy "throws down the gauntlet to Theresa May", adding the Prime Minister also faces a "Tory rebellion" over school funding.
However, Sky News reports Conservative politicians have scoffed at the plans and called the calculations "nonsensical".
David Gauke, chief secretary to the Treasury, said Corbyn had already committed his proposed corporation tax rise "on 12 different things".
He added: "The Lib Dems are no better and won't even tell people about the tax rises they would bring in."
-
Burkina Faso's misinformation war
Under The Radar The president of the West African country has quickly become the face of a viral, AI-powered propaganda campaign
-
Jeffrey Epstein's secrets
Feature Six years after his death, conspiracy theories still swirl around the sex trafficker. Why?
-
Voting: Trump's ominous war on mail ballots
Feature Donald Trump wants to sign an executive order banning mail-in ballots for the 2026 midterms
-
How should Keir Starmer right the Labour ship?
Today's Big Question Rightward shift on immigration and welfare not the answer to 'haemorrhaging of hope, trust and electoral support'
-
'Three Pads' Rayner: a housing hypocrite?
Talking Point As real estate moguls go, the Deputy PM is 'hardly Donald Trump'
-
Who will win the battle for the soul of the Green Party?
An ideological divide is taking root among the environmentalists
-
Are we facing a summer of riots?
Today's Big Question Anti-immigrant unrest in Essex has sparked fears of a summer of disorder
-
Who stands to gain – and lose – from 16-year-old voters?
Today's Big Question Many assume Labour will benefit but move could 'backfire' if Greens, a new hard-left party or Reform continue to pick up momentum
-
What difference will the 'historic' UK-Germany treaty make?
Today's Big Question Europe's two biggest economies sign first treaty since WWII, underscoring 'triangle alliance' with France amid growing Russian threat and US distance
-
Mortgage reform: is Rachel Reeves betting the house on City rules shake-up?
Today's Big Question Reforms could create up to 36,000 additional mortgages next year
-
Corbynism returns: a new party on the Left
Talking Point Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana's breakaway progressive party has already got off to a shaky start