London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, May 09, 2025

Cut parents' benefits over school truancy, suggests Michael Gove

Cut parents' benefits over school truancy, suggests Michael Gove

Parents should face child benefit cuts if they fail to ensure their children turn up at school, cabinet minster Michael Gove has suggested.

Speaking at a think tank, the levelling up secretary said the idea could help restore an "ethic of responsibility".

Mr Gove - who first proposed the idea in 2014 - said it would help tackle anti-social behaviour.

Downing Street said parents could already be fined for children missing school.

The idea of cutting benefits for parents of truants was first suggested by Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2002, but it was dropped in favour of the current fines system.


'Parental responsibility'


Michael Gove resurrected the idea when he was education secretary under Prime Minister David Cameron but it was never implemented.

Speaking at an event held by Onward, a centre-right think tank, Mr Gove said: "Particularly after Covid, we need to get back to an absolute rigorous focus on school attendance.

"One idea that we considered in the coalition years - but which the Liberal Democrats blocked - I think needs to be reconsidered again, is linking parental responsibility for attendance and good behaviour to the state.

"One of the ideas that we floated in the coalition years - which as I say, the Liberal Democrats rejected - was the idea that if children were persistently absent, that child benefit should be stopped.

"I think what we do need to do is think radically about restoring an ethic of responsibility," he added.


'Help, not punishment'


Currently, parents whose children miss school in England can be issued with £60 fines, which rise to £120 if they are not paid within 21 days. They are normally issued by local councils.

They can also be ordered to attend parenting classes, or have a supervisor appointed to help them get their child into the classroom.

The use of fines dropped off during the pandemic due to an increase in home learning, but BBC research last year suggested they had started to pick up again.

Last year, the government set out plans to introduce new national guidelines in England on the issuing of fines, and make schools draw up their own attendance policies.

The measures were later incorporated into the Schools Bill - however this legislation was dropped in December after it hit hurdles in Parliament.

The NAHT, a union representing school leaders, condemned Mr Gove's suggestion, adding that it was "likely to be counter-productive".

"It is very hard to see how consigning children to poverty and starvation will improve their school attendance," general secretary Paul Whiteman added.

"Persistent absence can only be successfully tackled by offering help, not punishment."

Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Munira Wilson said: "If Michael Gove thinks that the solution to encourage children back to school is to impoverish them, then he is living in a different century".

The prime minister's official spokesperson said there were no plans to change the existing system.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Historic Papal Conclave Set to Commence in Rome
Huge Copper, Gold, and Silver Discovery in Argentina and Chile — But the Profits Go Abroad
Prince Harry is pleading for reconciliation — but the royals are just as sick of his victimhood as everyone else
The Road to Freedom: She Protested Putin, Escaped House Arrest, and Survived a 2,800-Kilometer Journey
OpenAI's Flip-Flop: No Longer Going Commercial, Back to Nonprofit, After Musk Lawsuit and Backlash
“Trump Supporter” Aims to Bring a MAGA-Style Shift to Romania
First From China: Zhao Xintong Wins the Snooker World Championship
Nvidia Faces Billion-Dollar Losses – Warns: China Is on Its Way to Becoming an AI Superpower
Trump Rules Out Third Term, Names JD Vance and Marco Rubio as Potential Successors
Mexico Says ‘No’ to U.S. Troops: President Sheinbaum Rejects Trump’s Offer to Fight Cartels
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Storms the Map, Wrecking the Two-Party Monopoly
DOGE: Reimagining Government Operations with AI
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
Beijing Says U.S. Is ‘Reaching Out’ for Tariff Talks Amid Soaring Trade Tensions
U.K. Court Rejects Prince Harry’s Final Appeal Over Police Security
Prince Harry’s Heartfelt Outburst Rocks the Royal Family
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Transgender Swimmer Secures Five Gold Medals at U.S. Masters Championship
Prince Harry: “I Want Reconciliation with My Family”
Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has now been officially labeled “right-wing extremist” by the federal office for the so-called “protection of the constitution.”
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Transformative Changes in Women's Wrestling: The Rise of WWE Superstars
The Rush to the White Gold: Global Investment Surge in Natural Hydrogen Exploration
This is a day in Spain without electricity and internet
Reform UK Surprises in British Elections, Challenging Traditional Two-Party System
180-Year-Old Christian University in South Carolina Announces Closure Due to Unmet $6 Million Fundraising Goal
Brazilian Woman Jailed for Fourteen Years for Writing “You Lost, Idiot” on Statue During Protest
Trump Administration Removes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Amid Signal Chat Controversy
Dutch Politician Eva Vlaardingerbroek Receives Spyware Threat Alert from Apple
Paramount Board Considers Settlement in Trump’s $20 Billion Lawsuit Over "60 Minutes" Interview
U.S. Economy Shrink in Trump’s First Quarter as Tariff Policy Raises Questions
Deadline Looms for RTS Meter Replacement: Hundreds of Thousands at Risk of Heating Disruption
Sweden Grapples with Deadly Gun Violence: Suspect Arrested After Three Young Men Killed in Uppsala Hair Salon
Walz Reveals Why Harris Chose Him as Her Running Mate and Reflects on Democratic Losses
Spain Restores Power After Unprecedented Nationwide Blackout
Carney Secures Liberal Mandate in Canada’s Federal Election
Death Penalty Sought as Luigi Manion Pleads Not Guilty in CEO Murder Case
President Trump contacts Jeff Bezos after reports of Amazon considering listing tariff surcharges; company clarifies no such plan for main platform
Spain and Portugal Recover from Massive Blackout
Liverpool Clinches Record-Equalling 20th English League Title Under Arne Slot
Singapore Politicians Warn Against Foreign Interference in Election
Driver Ploughs into Vancouver Festival Crowd, Killing Nine
Depression, Fear of Defamation, and a Tragic End: New Details on Virginia Giuffre’s Suicide
“Sharia for UK, Allah Akbar!”
Massive Explosion at Iran's Bandar Abbas Port Linked to Suspicious Chemical Shipments
Incident Reflection: A Harsh Reality Check
Pakistani migrants to Danish man: “ “We have 5 children while you have 1 or 2. In 10 years, there will be more Pakistanis than Danes here.“
Clashes Erupt in London as Tensions Rise Between Indian and Pakistani Communities
Specialized anti-drone weapons deployed among security personnel Ahead of Papal Funeral
How do you fix this culture?
×