Some members of the public have not taken Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s call for new ideas to improve the health service as seriously as he might have hoped.

Suggested ideas for NHS reform included putting beer on tap in hospitals, and placing Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta in charge.

The health department told the BBC officials were reviewing posts, and were removing or hiding material that was “clearly inappropriate or irrelevant”.

Ministers launched an online “national conversation” earlier, to inform a new 10-year plan to improve health services.

In a social media post, Mr Streeting sought to laugh off some of the more irreverent suggestions.

Writing on X, he quipped that a recommendation for a Wetherspoons pub in every hospital had been “sadly vetoed by the chancellor”.

He also rejected a call for him to be fired out of a cannon in a bid to raise funds for the service.

The health department has promised that the listening exercise will “help shape” its new NHS strategy, to be published in spring next year.

But some of the suggestions are less likely to be taken seriously than others.

Ideas that appear to have disappeared from the consultation website include putting lager Madrí on tap in all hospitals to “help patient morale”, and replacing Streeting as health secretary with a dog.

However suggestions to replace ambulance sirens with healthy eating advice, and install Thunderbird 2-style detachable patient compartments in ambulances, appear to still be online.

By late afternoon, the suggestions ranked most popular by users on the site included limits on sending out paper letters, and making it easier for GP surgeries to access digital records from hospitals.

Other highly-ranked ideas include making it easier for non-British nationals to pay for treatment, and fines for missed appointments, an idea suggested and then dropped by former prime minister Rishi Sunak.

The health department has not confirmed which posts it is removing, but a spokesperson said “clearly inappropriate or irrelevant” material was being removed or hidden by the moderation team.

Ideas suggested by ministers at the launch of the consultation include making full medical records, tests results and letters from doctors available in the NHS App.

Currently the NHS App is limited because patients records are held locally by a patient’s GP and any hospitals they visit – and not all parts of the health service interact with the app.

It is not the first time ministers have attempted to engage the public directly in matters of state.

The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition asked the public for suggested laws to abolish, and ran a Treasury-led public consultation on ideas to save money.

The most famous example of a listening exercise, however, remains the 2016 poll which saw the public vote to name a new polar research ship “Boaty McBoatface”.

The name, suggested by former BBC Radio Jersey presenter James Hand, achieved viral fame and became the runaway winner in a contest run by the Natural Environment Research Council.

In a blow to online democracy, the ship was later named after broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, although one of its remotely operated sub-sea vehicles was named “Boaty” in recognition of the vote.

The Serious Fraud Office is investigating the construction of a hotel and conference centre owned by one of the UK’s biggest trade unions, the BBC can reveal.

Unite the Union spent a total of £112m of its members’ money on the project in Birmingham.

The building has since been valued at just £29m, suggesting £83m has been wasted.

A KC-led inquiry commissioned by Unite’s general secretary Sharon Graham also identified a missing £14m which has been described as a “mystery” and does not feature in the project’s final accounts.

Unite has told the BBC the case is “now with the Serious Fraud Office” and Ms Graham would “leave no stone unturned in finding out if there was any financial wrongdoing”.

A KC-led inquiry commissioned by Ms Graham, who took over as Unite’s general secretary in 2021, also identified a missing £14m which has been described as a “mystery” and does not feature in the project’s final accounts.

An SFO spokesperson said: “In line with long established practice to avoid prejudice to law enforcement activity, we can neither confirm nor deny any investigation into this matter.”

The Birmingham project was intended to be an investment for Unite as well as saving the union money with hotel and conference costs.

Construction was completed in 2020 and development includes a four star 195 bedroom hotel, a 1,000 person capacity conference centre, as well as Unite’s regional offices.

Employment tribunal documents reveal the union believes its ruling executive council had been misled as to the true value of the project.

In 2022 South Wales Police searched the union’s London headquarters as part of a separate bribery, money-laundering and fraud investigation.

The force has told the BBC that the investigation is ongoing.

A Unite spokesperson said: “It is important to note that Sharon Graham has had to endure repeated attacks by those with much to lose since she launched these inquiries, from both inside and outside the union.

“These have been sickening and horrendous but she has remained determined to get to the truth.

“We are also pursuing legal claims to recover money lost to the union and the general secretary has put safeguards in place to ensure that such things can never happen again.”

Government ministers are considering a smacking ban for England, the Department for Education has confirmed.

Smacking bans have already been brought in by devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Jersey, outlawing the use of physical violence to punish children.

Plans for similar laws in England were rejected by the previous Conservative government as recently as last year – but Labour ministers are now “looking carefully” at whether more can be done on the issue.

The move comes following fresh calls for a ban by the Children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza, after the death of 10-year-old Sara Sharif.

A court heard Sara was hooded, burned and beaten over a two-year period as her father, stepmother and uncle stand trial for her murder, which they deny.

Dame Rachel said a ban on any type of corporal punishment, including smacking, hitting, slapping, and shaking, could stop lower level violence from escalating.

“If we are serious about keeping every child safe, it’s time England takes this necessary step,” she posted on X.

“Too many children have been harmed or killed at the hands of the people who should love and care for them most.”

In England and Northern Ireland it is legal for a carer or parent to discipline their child physically if it is a “reasonable” punishment – but the Children Act 2004 made it illegal to assault a child causing actual or grievous bodily harm.

Dame Rachel said the experience of Scotland and Wales ” has taught us we need to take that step in England too” and “now is the time to go further”.

The NSPCC and Barnardo’s have long called for an English smacking ban and two-thirds of English people polled by YouGov in March last year said physically disciplining a child is not acceptable.

The previous government argued parents should be trusted to discipline their children.

However, a Department for Education spokesperson told the BBC that stance has changed.

“Any form of violence towards a child is completely unacceptable, and we are looking closely at the legal changes made in Wales and Scotland as we consider whether there is any more we could do in this area,” they said.

“We are already supporting teachers, social workers and all safeguarding professionals to spot the signs of abuse or neglect more quickly, including with our mandatory framework for safeguarding children.”

Angela Rayner has been made a full member of the UK’s national security council (NSC), following a U-turn by Sir Keir Starmer.

The deputy prime minister’s name did not appear on a list of ministers attending the committee published by the government last week.

But the document has now been re-published to include her as a member, confirming a move first reported by the Guardian.

The newspaper reported the new No 10 chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, had pushed for the change in a bid to shore up her position.

Downing Street said she had previously attended NSC meetings, claiming the change merely “formalises” an expectation she would do so regularly.

First established under former prime minister David Cameron, the NSC brings together senior ministers and defence and intelligence chiefs for meetings on security issues. Its members are appointed by the prime minister.

It membership has fluctuated over the years and varies by issue discussed, but has typically included previous deputy prime ministers as standing members.

The only exception was Therese Coffey, who held the post during the 49-day premiership of Liz Truss.

Ms Truss who effectively put an end to the NSC by merging its functions with two other foreign policy committees, before it was later reinstated by Rishi Sunak.

Topics discussed at the NSC include foreign policy, defence, economic security, and resilience to security threats.

Its membership was slimmed down in July 2021under Boris Johnson, in a bid to keep discussions “focused and strategic”.

Alongside Ms Rayner, the committee is will be attended by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Defence Secretary John Healey and the Attorney General Lord Hermer, and will be chaired by Sir Keir.

Mr Rayner, who is also the housing secretary, also holds seats on cabinet sub-committees discussing constitutional matters, home and economic affairs, and changes to employment law.

Taxi drivers are buying licences in Wolverhampton to get round tough rules aimed at protecting children, a Labour MP claims.

One-in-five private hire vehicles in England, such as Ubers and minicabs, have obtained licences from Wolverhampton City Council, where they are cheaper and less stringent than in other parts of the country.

Drivers do not have to get licences from their own local authority, under a law introduced in 2015.

Rotherham MP Sarah Champion says this allows drivers in her constituency to bypass tough safeguarding rules introduced after a 2014 child sex abuse scandal.

“The frustration is that in Rotherham we have probably the best regulation in the country and we’re trying to get that adopted nationally,” she told the BBC.

“We needed it because a lot of children who were being exploited were being raped in taxis or being transported from one children’s home to the abuse location through a taxi.

“The problem is those regulations are only set by the licensing authority so unless we get national minimum standards then drivers can go to a different local authority with different regulations and still drive in Rotherham.”

Only 1,781 of the 48,447 drivers currently licensed by Wolverhampton live in the city, with the rest operating as far afield as Newcastle, Somerset, Cardiff and Skegness.

The cost of a one year private hire licence in Rotherham is £210 and applicants must sit a child and vulnerable adults safeguarding test with a 100% pass rate. They also have to fit CCTV cameras to their vehicles, which can cost upwards of £350.

In Wolverhampton, by contrast, a one year licence costs £49.

Wolverhampton City Council insists it takes safeguarding seriously – and applicants receive training in at as part of a one-day course they have to take.

But Rotherham driver Lee Ward, a Unite the Union representative for South Yorkshire, said out-of-town licences were making taxi drivers “very frustrated”.

“Unfortunately a lot of taxi drivers around here were tarred by the same brush as those who were criminals,” he told BBC News.

“These are innocent drivers who were all of a sudden hit by so many extra regulations, training, CCTV.

“They’ve all gone through that – with open arms and a glad heart – just to sit next to a taxi who has a license in another authority 100 miles away, with officers who never come to Rotherham or Sheffield to check their drivers.

“It just makes a mockery of what they are trying to do.”

Wolverhampton City Council has generated millions from issuing licences to taxi drivers around the country but says the money has been ploughed back into reducing fees.

A City of Wolverhampton Council spokeswoman said: “The council would refute any suggestion of prioritising earning money over passenger safety.”

In a recent report, the council said: “As the number of licensees increase, the likelihood of a serious issue taking place.

“There has been serious child sex exploitation scandals revealed in Rotherham and Telford, which involved taxi drivers.

“Licensed vehicles provide a ‘camouflage’ which allows vehicles to traffic vulnerable people, as well as the offer of free trips for grooming. It is the service’s goal to minimise risks by all legal means.”

Earlier this year, Louise Haigh – who is now transport secretary but at the time was in opposition – raised the issue of child safeguarding in a debate on taxi licensing, saying she had worked alongside victims and survivors of child sexual abuse in Rotherham.

She said: “Following the scandal, Rotherham council set very high standards for its taxi drivers, including installing CCTV in cabs and requiring national vocational qualification level 3 on child safeguarding.”

She called on then Conservative government to bring in “robust legislation” and national minimum standards to protect women and girls.

Sarah Champion has written to Haigh asking for new laws to ensure taxis must be licensed “in the local authority area in which they routinely operate”.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Everyone deserves to feel safe when using a taxi or private hire vehicle and we’re aware of concerns around licensing.

“There are safeguarding procedures in place and all drivers must undergo enhanced DBS checks, but we are carefully considering the options available to improve safety and accessibility in the sector.”

MPs are due to debate the issue later on Monday.

The majority of the party had voted against the motion, arguing that any legislation to outlaw the practice needed to ensure safeguards for churches.

Speaking to Michael Gove for a new Radio 4 podcast, Baroness Foster explained why she had chosen to abstain on the vote.

“I was aware that one of our members had a daughter who was gay – in an attempt to try and diffuse the situation, I said: ‘Well, we’ll just abstain.’

“It was a non-binding vote. But by saying just abstain, people got very angry about that and that was the trigger then for my removal, which came just a week later.”

Baroness Foster, who has since quit frontline politics altogether, said the party was also unhappy with how things had been handled with the Brexit negotiations while Boris Johnson was prime minister.

She also said some within the DUP were unhappy about Covid regulations, which Baroness Foster had been tasked with jointly leading the response to in the power-sharing executive, and that had “caused difficulties”.

“Because of Covid, a lot of things were happening remotely, I didn’t see a lot of it coming towards me,” the former first minister of Northern Ireland said.

“Certainly not of the magnitude that happened and the way in which it happened, because nobody had actually come to me and said: ‘Oh, by the way I think you should step down and it’s time for you to go’.

“Nobody came to me and said that, but the way they did it was that they obtained signatures on a letter of no confidence and that’s how it came about.”

She said that while some of those involved in the move later apologised, the “damage was done”, describing it as a part of her life which was not particularly pleasant.