time we are going to bejoined around this very set of microphones by the education secretary, gillian keeganshe's quite an interesting character even when she's not being the education secretary, so it'll be interesting to see what she has to say about a whole load of things. one of the things we'll ask her about is the government's new small boats policy, and that's something you're going to be talking about on friday because you're going to head off to paris to see president macron. yes, there is an anglo—french summit at the elysee palace, the home of the french president, hosted by emmanuel macron. the prime minister is going on friday morning and a whole load of ministers are going as well. there will be more than a dozen ministers if you add up the ministers on each side, gathering for a one—day get—together. it'll be about half an hour chat, i would have thought, bilateral, as they are known diplomatically, between the two leaders. lots on the agenda. ukraine, obviously, central. there's a sense that with the northern ireland brexit deal that the relationship is a bit better than it m

right, let's make some progress now and chat to gillian keegan, the education secretary, who is here.am, hello chris. and i think you used to listen to this podcast before you were too busy for podcasts? i always listen to it. still now? i record it and i watch it as well. wow. 0k. what do you have to drink while you're watching us? a glass of white wine, it's required. big, large, small? just a little one. 0k, loads of things we could ask you about. so bridget phillipson, your opposite number in labour, did a speech today and she said, oh, rishi sunak�*s five pledges, which we have all got to know, don't include any on education or children. what do you say to that? well, he said education is the silver bullet. obviously we got £2 billion in the autumn statement. i think underneath all of the five pledges, obviously grow the economy, education is hugely important to growing the economy. and the skills agenda, which we are very firmly focused on, technical education, apprenticeships, introducing new t—levels, new skills boot camps, now we've got the lifelong loan entitlement, really m

time we are going to bejoined around this very set of microphones by the education secretary, gillian keegan secretary, so it'll be interesting to see what she has to say about a whole load of things. one of the things we'll ask her about is the government's new small boats policy, and that's something you're

gillian keegan government keegan says the government is committed £2 billion in committed extra £2 billion england, real time england, taking real time spending on schools to its highest history. apparently spending on schools to its higigovernmenty. apparently spending on schools to its higigovernment ,. apparently spending on schools to its higigovernment , mostarently spending on schools to its higigovernment , most teachers the government, most teachers a 3% pay rise in 2023 and 2024, which the new the union says isn't enough . most state school isn't enough. most state school teachers in england had reported a 5% rise in 2020 to the claim that teacher pay has fallen by around 23. don't they ? in real around 23. don't they? in real terms , it's 2010 and 2022, but terms, it's 2010 and 2022, but this actually i think catherine could be a great a shot in the arm for who, of course, didn't allow anything about public sector pay to be put in jeremy hunfs sector pay to be put in jeremy hunt's budget was earlier this week today . yes that was very week today. yes that was very cunous.lt week

but the education secretary, gillian keegan , says secretary, gillian keegan, says this is the best offerchers will get. we're going into exam season. lots of young people and their parents are quite anxious at the moment. so we would very much hope that, you know , that much hope that, you know, that the unions do not call or strike. it's disruptive for our children. they've been through enough. if this is not accepted, then what we will do is we will both go to independent pay both go to the independent pay review then they'll review body. then they'll obviously things obviously look at things like retention recruitment. retention and recruitment. they look they'll look at inflation, and they'll come recommendation. come back with a recommendation. so be the normal so that will be the normal process we go through process which we go through every so revert to that every year. so we revert to that process . the former labour process. the former labour leader, jeremy corbyn says he has every intention of representing islington north at the next general election, adding he won't be intimid

we are going to be gillian keegan, _ forward. we are going to be gillian keegan, so — forward.r. so it is all positive, everything is going on the i’ili'it positive, everything is going on the right direction, and why wouldn't we want to— right direction, and why wouldn't we want to save young people's lives? mike, _ want to save young people's lives? mike. to _ want to save young people's lives? mike, to mention to the prime minister there. to hear your names read out in parliament by the prime minister, to hear your daughters' names, this is hugely emotional, and unexpected. names, this is hugely emotional, and unexpected-— unexpected. absolutely. this time three years _ unexpected. absolutely. this time three years ago. _ unexpected. absolutely. this time three years ago, my _ unexpected. absolutely. this time three years ago, my daughter - unexpected. absolutely. this time three years ago, my daughter was j three years ago, my daughter was still alive — three years ago, my daughter was still alive we _ three years ago, my daughter was still alive. we had _ three years ago,

teachers, nasuwt and the neu will all be involved in the talks with the education secretary, gillian keeganical association says it is willing to enter talks about pay for doctors in england after a breakthrough between her secretary and other unions yesterday. nurses, aramedics and other unions yesterday. nurses, paramedics and _ and other unions yesterday. nurses, paramedics and hospital _ and other unions yesterday. nurses, paramedics and hospital porters - and other unions yesterday. nurses, | paramedics and hospital porters have been offered a one—off payment covering last year and a 5% increase for the coming year. now on to the us where the irish taoiseach leo varadkar is due to mark st particks day with presdient biden. the two leaders will hold talks in washington and celebrate their shared history. i'm joined by the host of the eu confidential podcast for politico. thanks forjoining us. it's a pretty high proportion of americans that have irish ancestry but the political roots and the political interest from this white house is strong, isn't it?— interest from this white house is

but gillian keegan, the education secretary, says this is the best offer. the next general action. labour's national executive committee has approved. sir keir starmer's motion to stop mr. corbyn standing a candidate. mr. corbyn standing a candidate. mr. corbyn suspended from the parliamentary party in 2020 over his reaction to a report into antisemitism which found labour had broken law. he could run though as an independent . those though as an independent. those are your latest news headlines? just after full and bucket five with you now you see that . with you now you see that. okay. welcome back. now, just got a little bit of time to delve into my inbox. thank you very much. everyone has been getting in touch. gb views, who's our gbnews.uk knows prize that majority emails that the majority my emails i've been getting around been getting a bit around a couple of the stories relating to the rehoming of asylum are the first one is in uk where the people of cornwall some of them anyway are getting very, very annoyed about backlash to asylum seeker hotel. t

it's as soon as and the teachers strike as soon as gillian keegan's agreed to sit down then that's whatil delivery group has to negotiate with them. it's not the government's to be negotiating with them . to be negotiating with them. what who's hamstrung the with with due respect by what the government will allow them to do with respect, the maximum with due respect, the maximum issue here is inflation and increase in public sector pay . increase in public sector pay. and if unions like the us that are demanding at the passport office 10% increase on the government capital. so that kind of increase we fuel the flames of increase we fuel the flames of inflation that we all suffer from. so a negotiating from. so there is a negotiating that needs to happen and it needs reasonable. we have needs to be reasonable. we have to the bigger situation to look at the bigger situation that impacts every single one of us. so, yes, unions have every right and i believe in the right to strike. i believe in the right to take right to free people to take away labour when they are away their labour when t

it's as soon as and the teachers strike as soon as gillian keegan's agreed to sit down then that's whatoup has to negotiate with them. it's not the government's to be negotiating with them . to be negotiating with them. what who's hamstrung the with with due respect by what the government will allow them to do with respect, the maximum with due respect, the maximum issue here is inflation and increase in public sector pay . increase in public sector pay. and if unions like the us that are demanding at the passport office 10% increase on the government capital. so that kind of increase we fuel the flames of increase we fuel the flames of inflation that we all suffer from. so a negotiating from. so there is a negotiating that needs to happen and it needs reasonable. we have needs to be reasonable. we have to the bigger situation to look at the bigger situation that impacts every single one of us. so, yes, unions have every right and i believe in the right to strike. i believe in the right to take right to free people to take away labour when they are away their labour when they are being

so gillian keegan, the education secretary arrived for talks this at the department for education andow entering a tense of discussions with the education union for education have agreed for the next fortnight not to announce any further dates of course. parents many parents up and down the country will have had their kids off school yesterday and the day before. for these . hugely disruptive not for these. hugely disruptive not just towards parents so children's education also parents being allowed go to work and the wider economy . indeed. and the wider economy. indeed. so for the moment, and the wider economy. indeed. so for the moment , catherine, so for the moment, catherine, thank you for that. but let's actually update you on the joint statement issued by the teachers union and the department of education together saying that the talks are holding expect ated to continue now over weekend focusing on teacher conditions and workload reduction as they say but customers indicating no further strike from the end . national strike from the end. national education union at least annou

i very much hope gillian keegan, current secretary of state, will operate in a different way.can take place so we can progress things, but to try and shift the blame onto the shoulders of teaching trade unions and leadership trade unions actually just reveals there is a poverty of ideas, a lack of experience of industrial relations and how to deal with trade unions on the side of the government and we need to deal with it quickly. government and we need to deal with it cuickl . , ., government and we need to deal with itauickl. , . , . ._ government and we need to deal with it.uickl . , ., , . ., , ., it quickly. general secretary of the national association _ it quickly. general secretary of the national association of _ it quickly. general secretary of the national association of head - national association of head teachers, thank you very much. a postmortem examination is to be carried today out on the body of a baby found by police searching for the missing child of constance marten and mark gordon. the couple disappeared in earlyjanuary and were arrested earlier this week

gillian keegan being too soft perhaps on what's. the work department for education has already been doing. and the messaging has changed on on on the dft website , an independent the dft website, an independent panel to now that it's an expert panel to now that it's an expert panel and that a education group called national is going to be producing new materials in conjunction with the materials already exist. so the problem with that is the is the national the chapter of trustees of the board of a national is in balcombe is the original adviser that the department for education use to introduce compulsory rca in the first place. so we learned that this is going to rehashing the same material and we need to know how these independent and independent panel experts is going to be chosen and are really independent would be all question well, that'll be the thing. and i think some would say it's a bit of a step in the right direction. and look, i apologise for how short and sweet just wanted to sweet this was. i just wanted to get up fo

and i had a very frank conversation with gillian keegan, the education secretary , about that, educationas not was not what it should be. well, there's a number of things you talk about. there increasing . and one of the there increasing. and one of the things that the chancellor said he was worried about was demand for more this type of care provision increasing as well, that in fact, that would be so popular, so needed that so many people would go for it. so what he's going to do is stagger it. what i'm really saying is that it's a lot of jam around the mouth and very little in it, isn't it ? also a no knickers is isn't it? also a no knickers is my favourite phrase. i'm not. yeah, i mean we've, we've received many messages today from really frustrated parents who are really struggling right now. you know, the average cost for a childcare place is £15,000 a year. it's £90,000 in london. thatis a year. it's £90,000 in london. that is completely unaffordable for the majority of families . for the majority of families. and we're right in the middle of a cost of living crisis of people are