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The NHS is in danger of being buried under a social care “avalanche” as patients struggle to find adequate care to allow them to leave hospital, according to the Liberal Democrats leader. Sir Ed Davey is to say in a speech that two in five patients are unable to leave hospital when they are well enough as a result of a lack of available social care. House of Commons Library

Sir Keir Starmer will pledge to smash the “class ceiling” if his party wins the next election, as he sets out plans to reform the education system in a major speech. The Labour leader is expected to set a goal of half a million more children reaching their early learning targets by 2030 as he expands on the party’s intention to improve teaching for the under-fives. Modernising the curriculum to

Councils will get an extra £204 million to help them deliver a major expansion of free childcare announced in the March budget, the Education Secretary has said. Gillian Keegan told a conference for town hall chiefs the money, which local authorities will get from September, will allow them to increase the hourly rates they pay providers. Funding allocations for each local authority will be confirmed later this week but the

England and Australia will renew their Ashes battle at Headingley on Thursday, four days after Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal sparked a controversy that escalated far enough to draw in the Prime Ministers of both nations. The hosts are 2-0 behind and need to win to keep the series alive, while their opponents have the chance to become the first Australia team to win in England since 2001. Here, the PA news agency looks

The Prince and Princess of Wales surprised NHS staff by dropping in for a tea party at a London hospital. William and Kate added the finishing touches to cupcakes and helped lay tables at a reception at St Thomas’ Hospital to celebrate the health service’s 75th anniversary. The royal couple met with guests including Aneira “Nye” Thomas, the first baby born on the NHS, named after NHS founder Aneurin Bevan.

An NHS chief has paid tribute to the “constant” compassion of the service’s 1.4 million staff, as the institution celebrates its 75th anniversary. But Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of the NHS in England, acknowledged the “enormous challenges” faced by workers, including the record demand for services and the backlog of care. Professor Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director for the health service in England, said that staff were meeting these

British architects have signed a landmark climate pledge alongside those in Commonwealth countries to address environmental degradation and the rapid growth in urban populations. The agreement has been signed by 10 members of the Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA), which represents national architecture professional bodies. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is among those which have signed the pledge which aims to underline the sector’s “fundamental role” in tackling