Rishi Sunak defends plan to make pupils study maths until 18

Rishi Sunak defended his plan to make all students in England study maths until the age of 18 – although he admitted that more teachers would need to be recruited.

Mr Sunak said he wanted to change what he called the country’s “anti maths mindset” – which he claimed was holding the economy back.

Opposition parties described the plan as an empty pledge – without enough maths teachers to deliver it.