UK demands basics in schools as care levy sinks

The most decisive verdict of the day came in the classroom. By seven in ten, the UK said reading, writing and arithmetic should take precedence over all other subjects in early years education, choosing a return to basics over the prevailing play-based approach even as critics warned of a rather Dickensian turn.

The verdicts

Should the NHS become more like Australia's and become half public half private? split the country almost down the middle. It fell to No by the narrowest of margins, despite the strongest argument on the page actually making the Yes case that a two-tier service already exists in practice.

On immigration, voters delivered a four-to-one rout. Should a foreign worker such as a plumber be allowed to go bankrupt before leaving the UK? was answered No, with the chamber treating equal legal rights as secondary to ensuring people actually depart.

Should the UK introduce fixed five-year parliamentary terms to reduce political instability? went down by roughly three to two. The debate drifted away from the question's £35bn cost of chaos towards presidents, written constitutions and term limits instead.

In justice, the UK was equally emphatic. Should Andy Burnham recall Parliament to exempt serious offenders from early release? passed by nearly three to one, the tiny No side reduced to quibbling about process rather than the policy.

Is Angela Rayner's 1.5 million homes target realistic given worsening market conditions? suffered a rout rather than a technical verdict. Fewer than three in ten called it achievable, the result reading more as a referendum on Labour's competence and on immigration than on planning or borrowing costs.

A narrow majority sensed a deeper shift in how Britain is governed. Does growing government regulation signal a shift to banning anything not explicitly permitted? was answered Yes, even though almost no one bothered to argue the opposite.

Finally, Would you pay a 1.8% levy on your earnings to pay for a National Care Service? ended in a near dead heat. No edged it by the barest margin, the split turning less on whether care needs funding than on whether the state deserves more of the public's money first.

Voting continues today on fresh questions.

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