Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of Donald Trump’s peace plan, meaning the remaining 20 Israeli hostages will be returned in the coming days in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. A ceasefire will come into effect in Gaza this afternoon, provided it is ratified by the Israeli parliament. Water bills for millions of households in England will rise by more than expected after five water companies had their appeals to the UK’s competition regulator accepted. They argued that the price rises set by Ofwat – which average 36% over the next five years – were not enough to pay for much-needed improvements to infrastructure. Pubs, clubs and restaurants could soon be allowed to stay open into the early hours, under government plans to boost growth. The move, which could also make it easier for venues to serve food outside and host more live music, is intended to help the struggling hospitality sector and boost “the British night out”. Cheers.

Labour is failing my poorest students

We’re facing a battle for survival, Katharine Birbalsingh, headmistress of the Michaela School in north London, tells Amol Rajan on Radical. If the Labour government introduce the national curriculum they’re promising, it will end the freedom headteachers currently have to decide what’s best for their school. Those like Michaela, which achieve extraordinary results by holding kids from deprived areas to the highest standards, may no longer be able to teach “dead white men”, and traditional subjects like English Literature could be “brushed aside”. At least Michael Gove was humble enough to recognise he wasn’t an expert and encouraged schools to take the lead. The current education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, sees things differently, and it’s the poorest children who will suffer.

Labour wants more coursework and fewer exams. But middle-class parents routinely help their children cheat at coursework. “Kids from working-class families can’t compete.” It’s the same with uniforms, which are vital for making kids feel like they’re being held to high standards. If you’re not strict, the girls will wear “very tight trousers” to look sexy and the boys will pull their trousers down in an imitation of “street culture”. The conservative philosopher Roger Scruton said visiting Michaela was “transformational”. He’d previously believed that inner city children would never be able to access the knowledge necessary to “feel part of the country”. But here he could see with his own eyes all these brown and black children “accessing the knowledge and values that were necessary to become part of Britain” – not just algebra and grammar, but kindness, respect, gratitude. That’s why it’s so important to think about what it is to be British, and to teach it. “You can’t say to people they need to integrate if there’s nothing to integrate into.”