Government row erupts over planned cuts to physical education funding in England’s schools. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) had announced it would end its £60m contribution to PE from the 2026/27 financial year, while the Department for Education (DfE) proposed cutting an additional £60m from its own budget before the next curriculum review. The cuts would undermine Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s earlier pledges to improve access to sport for children and tackle childhood obesity. Whitehall sources say the DHSC is now intending to restore the funding after the Health Secretary Wes Streeting privately insisted on ending it. The Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson plans to replace the current sports premium with a partnership network that guarantees at least two hours of PE per week, but the proposed budget cuts risk eroding that aim. Darren Jones, the Prime Minister’s chief secretary, is expected to mediate the dispute in the coming days. The row highlights concerns about rising inactivity and obesity among children, with fewer than half meeting the Chief Medical Officer’s activity guidelines. The government’s budget decisions are set to be scrutinised by sports bodies such as Sport England and the Youth Sport Trust, which warn that PE hours have fallen sharply in recent years. The debate underscores the tension between fiscal restraint and public health commitments in the UK.

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