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‘Concerning inbuilt bias’ in Home Office’s facial recognition technology<\/p>\n
And here\u2019s a really strong story from Rajeev Syval, our Home Affairs editor, on the racial bias measured in facial recognition technology used by the Home Office.<\/p>\n
Ministers are facing calls for stronger safeguards on the use of facial recognition technology after the Home Office admitted it is more likely to incorrectly identify black and Asian people than their white counterparts<\/strong> on some settings.<\/p>\n Following the latest testing conducted by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) of the technology\u2019s application within the police national database, the Home Office said it was \u201cmore likely to incorrectly include some demographic groups in its search results\u201d.<\/p>\n Police and crime commissioners said publication of the NPL\u2019s finding \u201csheds light on a concerning inbuilt bias\u201d<\/strong> and urged caution over plans for a national expansion.<\/p>\n Facial recognition technology scans people\u2019s faces and then cross-references the images against watchlists of known or wanted criminals. It can be used while examining live footage of people passing cameras, comparing their faces with those on wanted lists, or be used by officers to target individuals as they walk by mounted cameras.<\/p>\n Images of suspects can also be run retrospectively through police, passport or immigration databases to identify them and check their backgrounds.<\/p>\n Analysts who examined the police national database\u2019s retrospective facial recognition technology tool at a lower setting found that \u201cthe false positive identification rate (FPIR) for white subjects (0.04%) is lower than that for Asian subjects (4.0%) and black subjects (5.5%)\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n The testing went on to find that the number of false positives for black women was particularly high.<\/strong><\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.20 EST<\/p>\n 58 babies died in settings where temporary accommodation was a factor<\/p>\n We\u2019re expecting to see Starmer in Wales shortly but other ministers have been doing the rounds this morning.<\/p>\n Speaking on one of the new measures \u2013 making sure mothers and newborns aren\u2019t discharged from hospitals into B&Bs or other unsuitable emergency housing \u2013 Homelessness minister Alison McGovern noted the deaths that had occurred in such settings.<\/p>\n \u201cIt really, really shocked me to find out that in the five years to 2024, 74 children, including 58 babies, died,\u201d<\/strong> she told BBC Breakfast. \u201cAnd one of the causes that was attributed to their death was the effect of temporary accommodation and that\u2019s because of poor healthcare.\u201d<\/p>\n She said she would \u201cconsider myself a failure\u201d if newborns were still being discharged to B+B accommodation when she finishes in her job.<\/p>\n Homelessness charity Crisis has said this has \u201cthe potential to save lives, as we know young children have tragically died in unsuitable temporary accommodation\u201d.<\/p>\n The government\u2019s new child poverty reduction strategy reads on page 67:<\/a> \u201cNewborn babies should never be discharged into B&B or other unsuitable shared accommodation. The government commits to ending the practice of discharging newborn babies into B&B or other unsuitable shared accommodation. We will work with local authorities, supported by robust NHS pathways, to make sure safe and appropriate alternatives are available and used.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Readers may be aware, going into the weekend, that Edinburgh airport had to temporarily suspend flights this morning due to technical issues.<\/p>\n The delays last about an hour. A report here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a006.53 EST<\/p>\n Number of ‘statutory homeless children’ has increased by over 100,000 in past 14 years<\/p>\n A bit more context on the issue of families living in bed and breakfasts. As of June this year, the records showed there were 2,070 households with children in England living in B&Bs for more than six weeks.<\/p>\n By law, such accommodation is meant to be used only as a temporary measure in an emergency and for no longer than six weeks.<\/p>\n The \u00a38 million announced is going to Emergency Accommodation Reduction Pilots,<\/a> aimed getting families in the 20 most-affected councils into more stable housing. There are plans to continue the programme for the next three years.<\/p>\n According to government data<\/a>, since 2011, the number of statutory homeless children, mostly in temporary accommodation, has increased from 70,000 to 172,000.<\/p>\n This is an all time high \u2013 reflecting an affordability crisis, particularly in the private rental sector and a shortage of housing.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a006.43 EST<\/p>\n I mentioned earlier the latest calls from Holocaust survivors demanding Nigel Farage<\/a> address the reports of his teenage anti-semitism and racism at school.<\/p>\n The Reform UK<\/a> leader has said he never racially abused anyone with intent but may have engaged in \u201cbanter in a playground\u201d.<\/p>\n But in a letter to Farage seen by the Guardian, the 11 survivors said: \u201cAs Holocaust<\/a> survivors, we understand the danger of hateful words \u2013 because we have seen where such words lead.<\/p>\n \u201cLet us be clear: praising Hitler, mocking gas chambers, or hurling racist abuse is not banter. Not in a playground. Not anywhere. When allegations arise about invoking Nazi attitudes toward Jewish children, the responsible response is honesty, reflection, and commitment to truth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo we ask you: did you say \u2018Hitler was right\u2019 and \u2018gas them,\u2019 mimicking gas chambers? Did you subject your classmates to antisemitic abuse?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Their intervention follows comments made by Reform UK\u2019s deputy leader<\/a>, Richard Tice, to describe the testimony of more than two dozen people as \u201cmade-up twaddle\u201d. He called them all liars.<\/p>\n Read more from my colleagues Henry Dyer and Daniel Boffey:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a006.16 EST<\/p>\n The PM will be at a childcare center in Wales from midday. He\u2019ll most likely speak to families alongside First Minister Eluned Morgan before heading to Cardiff. Meanwhile, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson is at a school in the north-east.<\/p>\n A recap of the new measures to help reduce child poverty:<\/p>\n \u00a38 million pilot injection to stop families from having to live in B&Bs for more than six weeks<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Extending the eligibility of those on Universal Credit to receive childcare costs upfront when returning from parental leave<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Imposing a new legal duty on councils to notify schools and GPs when a child is placed in temporary accommodation<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a006.19 EST<\/p>\n Child poverty is being measured by the UK government on two metrics- income and access to material foods.<\/p>\n Relative low income<\/strong> is what\u2019s used to judge the overall child poverty rate. That is how much income a household has after deducting taxes and housing costs, adjusted for the number and ages of people in the home.<\/p>\n Anyone living in a household with less than 60% of the income of a household in the middle (median) of the income distribution, is defined as being in relative low income after housing costs.<\/p>\n The second measure- deep material poverty<\/strong>– comes from asking families whether they can buy the basics.<\/p>\n Families are asked whether they can afford 13 items identified by the public as the most essential, which cover needs such as food, heating and housing.<\/p>\n If a family is lacking 4 or more of those items for financial reasons, they are judged to be in deep material poverty, says the government.<\/p>\n It takes into account more than just income when people are asked whether they can actually afford something \u2013 there\u2019s the cost of items, their overall financial situation, whether they face extra costs due to disability, for example, and if there\u2019s any support they receive locally.<\/p>\n Photograph: PAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.18 EST<\/p>\n Link to full government strategy<\/p>\n There\u2019s a lot of reaction coming in on the plan \u2013 some believe the new elements aren\u2019t ambitious enough and it\u2019s just a consolidation of previously announced measures.<\/p>\n The National Children\u2019s Bureau said it also wanted to see \u201cbinding targets\u201d for the further reductions over 10 years \u201cbut this level of ambition is sadly missing\u201d.<\/p>\n Here is the full strategy <\/a>from Keir Starmer\u2019s government, 16 months in, to tackle and reduce the rate of child poverty in the UK.<\/p>\n There are about 4.5 million children living in poverty in the UK currently \u2013 a historic high that is a shocking statistic. \u201cShould any of this really be happening in a country like ours?\u201d the PM said this morning.<\/p>\n The rate of child poverty in the UK has gone up Photograph: PA<\/p>\n In 2023\/24, there were 4.5 million children in relative low income, 900,000 more than in 2010\/11.<\/p>\n There are two million children in deep material poverty<\/strong> \u2013 the label used to describe when families can\u2019t afford four or more of 13 essential items, e.g, food, heating, housing.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.17 EST<\/p>\n Charities welcome ‘invaluable’ changes but say it’s just the first step<\/p>\n Poverty charities have reacted positively to the plan, which was originally intended for spring but then delayed as the government wrestled with the fiscal and political repercussions of removing the two-child limit.<\/p>\n The abolition of that cap from April next year will cost \u00a33bn and lift 450,000 children out of poverty. The suite of other new measures will help 80,000 more, says the government.<\/p>\n The government \u201chas put its money where its mouth is on the manifesto commitment to reducing child poverty\u201d, said Katie Schmuecker of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, saying that the removal of the two-child limit was \u201cthe single most effective policy decision\u201d ministers could have made in tackling child poverty.<\/p>\n Under the limit, introduced by the Conservative government in 2017, 1.7 million children<\/a> lived in households affected by the restriction \u2013 menaing one in nine kids<\/a> missed out on help worth \u00a33,514 a year.<\/p>\n Lynn Perry, the chief executive of Barnardo\u2019s, said she welcomed the plan, adding: \u201cWhist this is a landmark moment, we must also remember that even with these important changes, close to four million children are still set to be living in poverty in 2029. We must work together as a society to change this.\u201d<\/p>\n Alison Garnham, the chief executive of the Child Poverty Action Group, said the changes were invaluable but \u201conly the first step\u201d, adding: \u201cThere is much to do and we must now build on this momentum to achieve more tangible change for children.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a005.39 EST<\/p>\n Too many families still ‘struggling without the basics’ – PM<\/p>\n Too many families are still \u201cstruggling without the basics \u2013 a secure home, warm meals, and the support they need to make ends meet\u201d, Starmer said in the statement announcing the full plan.<\/p>\n \u201cI will not stand by and watch that happen, because the cost of doing nothing is too high for children, for families, and for Britain.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a moral mission for me. It\u2019s about fairness, opportunity, and unlocking potential. Our strategy isn\u2019t just about reversing the failures of the past, it sets a new course for national renewal, with children\u2019s life chances at its heart.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Families to be offered help to leave temporary accommodation under UK child poverty strategy<\/p>\n My colleague Peter Walker has a full report on the plan, the key new elements of which I\u2019ve pulled out for you below:<\/p>\n As part of what Keir Starmer<\/a> has described as a \u201cmoral mission\u201d for his government, the strategy will include an \u00a38m investment in a pilot scheme across 20 councils with a particular prevalence of homeless families in temporary B&B accommodation<\/strong>, to ensure they are all moved within six weeks.<\/strong><\/p>\n There will also be a new legal duty for councils<\/strong> to inform schools, GPs and health visitors when a child is put in temporary accommodation with their family.<\/strong><\/p>\n In a parallel policy strand, ministers will work with the NHS to prevent mothers with newborn babies being discharged back to B&B hostels<\/strong> or other similarly unsuitable housing.<\/p>\n Rules will also be changed to make it easier for working parents receiving universal credit to get help to pay upfront childcare costs.<\/strong><\/p>\n The new proposals in a strategy that was originally due<\/a> to come out in the spring are in addition to the abolition<\/a> of the two-child limit for some benefits, which will have the greatest impact on poverty, at a cost of \u00a33bn during this parliament.<\/p>\n Other recent poverty-related policies include an expansion<\/a> of free school meals in England, funding for more breakfast clubs and a project to set up a wave of new Sure Start-type family hubs.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a004.55 EST<\/p>\n Welcome: Labour announces plans to lift 550,000 children out of poverty<\/p>\n Happy Friday and welcome to our UK Politics blog, it\u2019s Frances Mao with you this morning.<\/p>\n Today we finally get Labour\u2019s long-awaited child poverty strategy \u2013 which they say will lift more than 550,000 children out of poverty by 2030.<\/p>\n For Starmer, this has been a \u201cmoral mission\u201d of his government \u2013 the measures include childcare boosts, more free school lunches and a major pilot scheme to get the most vulnerable families out of temporary accommodation.<\/p>\n Too many are still \u201cstruggling without the basics \u2013 a secure home, warm meals, and the support they need to make ends meet\u201d, Starmer said. He and his ministers will be up and down the country today championing the measures, which follow, of course, the major boost to alleviating policy, which is the scrapping of the two-child benefits cap, announced in the Budget last week.<\/p>\n In other news, we\u2019ll also see how the BBC and ITV respond to Farage\u2019s claims that broadcasters themselves used to peddle racist nonsense. The Reform leader has tried to turn the focus back on those outlets after their reporters yesterday questioned him on his alleged teenage racism and antisemitism.<\/p>\n The Guardian has led the reporting on Farage\u2019s alleged racial abuse as a schoolboy, and since we broke the story a fortnight ago, 28 of his former classmates and contemporaries have come forward with recounts. A group of Holocaust survivors this morning are demanding Farage apologise for his alleged antisemitism.<\/a><\/p>\n\n
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