Seven bits of bad news the government snuck out before Parliament's summer recess

Hours before MPs were set to start their summer break the Government issued a range of annual reports, statistics, policy papers and 22 written statements.

Published as Parliament entered its six-week hiatus, it provided no time for opposition MPs to study and question them.

Parliament has now entered its summer recess until September, so ministers will have no obligation to answer any questions on their contents, providing the perfect opportunity to bury any bad news.

Here are seven interesting bits of news that were released just before the recess began:

An 89-page report on Britain’s mathematics shortage described the number of state schools students studying AS/A-level further mathematics as “concerning”.

It also mentioned the “significant gender gap” between children studying mathematics during their A-levels and raised concerns regarding funding available for schools.

The current law states a UK sponsor must have a minimum gross annual income of £18,600 before they can apply for spouses or partners from outside the EU to join them.

Judges have now said this should be altered to give a child’s best interest the “primary consideration”, even if a spouse does not meet the requirements.

The number of full-time soldiers has fallen by 7,000 in the last three years.

Across the Army, Air Force and the Navy there are currently 570 fewer service personnel than in June 2016.

The figures were described as “deeply concerning” by Labour’s Shadow Defence Secretary, Nia Griffith.

A total of 5,000 families are affected by the changes.

The annual accounts for the Brexit Department indicated that £1.14 million was spent fighting the Article 50 case.

Remain campaigner Gina Miller eventually won a ruling that gave MPs the opportunity to vote before Article 50 was triggered.

Official statistics noted there were 132,142 police officers in England and Wales - the lowest number for 30 years.

The news comes as there was the largest increase crime in ten years.

In what is a huge U-turn, the Government has dropped its electrification plans.

The proposal to electrify the Midland Main Line was already delayed by three years but has now been dropped altogether.

The pledge was made by David Cameron in 2012 but has proven to be a waste of time and money.

A total of 52 former ministers applied to work in the private sector, an increase of 60 per cent from the previous year.

In the same period there were 55 civil servants who did the same, according to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.

There are conditions on ex-ministers and ex-civil servants who look to work in the private sector, They are, for example, not allowed to use privileged information or lobby government for two years after they leave office.