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politics | Blair dismisses quit claim report..Tony Blair has dismissed reports he told Gordon Brown he would quit before the next general election..."You don't do deals over jobs like this," the prime minister told BBC One's Breakfast with Frost programme. According to a new book, Brown's Britain, Mr Blair went back on a pledge t... | Former welfare minister Frank Field MP said the prime minister should sack Mr Brown, but did not believe Mr Blair was strong enough to do so.Mr Blair said the claims were "reheated from six months ago" and that he was concentrating on running the country.The Liberal Democrat parliamentary chairman Matthew Taylor said t... |
politics | Petrol duties frozen, Brown says..Chancellor Gordon Brown has announced a freeze on fuel duty in his pre-budget speech to the Commons on Thursday...Mr Brown told the House that government policy is to raise fuel duty at least in line with inflation each year to fulfil environmental commitments. But this financial year,... | Mr Brown told the House that government policy is to raise fuel duty at least in line with inflation each year to fulfil environmental commitments."But this financial year because of the sustained volatility in the oil market I propose to match the freeze in car vehicle licence duty with a continuation on the freeze on... |
politics | Milburn defends poster campaign..Labour's election chief Alan Milburn has defended his party's campaign posters amid Tory claims the ads were nothing short of "sly anti-Semitism"...Mr Milburn said he appreciated people's concerns, but insisted that "what they were was anti-Tory" and "not in any way, shape or form anti-... | A Labour spokesman later said their removal from the party's website was not affected by the row.Labour's election chief Alan Milburn has defended his party's campaign posters amid Tory claims the ads were nothing short of "sly anti-Semitism".The Fagin and pigs might fly posters were taken off Labour's website on Monda... |
politics | Tory 'stalking horse' Meyer dies..Sir Anthony Meyer, the Tory backbencher who challenged Margaret Thatcher for the party leadership in 1989, has died...He was 84, had been suffering from cancer for many months, and died at his London home. That failed "stalking horse" leadership challenge made it easier for Michael Hes... | Sir Anthony Meyer, the Tory backbencher who challenged Margaret Thatcher for the party leadership in 1989, has died.Sir Anthony John Charles Meyer was born on 27 October, 1920.He was 84, had been suffering from cancer for many months, and died at his London home.Educated at Eton, and at New College, Oxford, he served i... |
politics | Goldsmith denies war advice claim..The attorney general has denied his statement to Parliament about the legality of the Iraq war was drafted by Downing Street officials...Lord Goldsmith said Lord Falconer and Baroness Morgan played no part in drafting the answer. He added the answer represented his view that the war w... | Former minister Clare Short, who resigned from the government over the Iraq war, said the ministerial answer was the same statement that was earlier shown to the cabinet as it discussed military action.Former foreign secretary Robin Cook said Lord Goldsmith's admission that his parliamentary answer was not a summary of... |
politics | Mrs Howard gets key election role..Michael Howard's ex-model wife, Sandra, is to play a leading role in the Conservative election campaign...Mrs Howard will make solo visits to target seats as well as accompanying her husband on his helicopter campaign trail criss-crossing the country. Mr Howard will host a news confer... | Mr Howard will host a news conference at the party's London HQ every morning, Tory co-chairman Liam Fox said.On Mrs Howard's role, Mr Fox said: "Sandra has already been campaigning with Michael on a number of visits and has been undertaking short visits herself."We want Michael to be as accessible as possible," Mr Fox ... |
politics | McConnell in 'drunk' remark row..Scotland's first minister has told a group of high school pupils that it is okay to get drunk "once in a while"...Jack McConnell was speaking to more than 100 secondary pupils from schools in the Highlands about the problems of binge drinking and drink promotions. He has been criticised... | "It was just a recognition that people will get drunk, but that binge drinking and drinks promotions that encourage it are not acceptable."Jack McConnell was speaking to more than 100 secondary pupils from schools in the Highlands about the problems of binge drinking and drink promotions.But the Scottish Executive has ... |
politics | Crisis 'ahead in social sciences'..A national body designed to tackle skills shortages in key subjects should be set up, a committee of MPs has said...There was an "absolute crisis" in the recruitment of statisticians and other social science experts, the Commons science and technology committee added. "Major problems"... | In its report on the council's work the committee said: "We are deeply concerned by the skills shortages afflicting, in particular, the qualitative branches of social sciences.A national body designed to tackle skills shortages in key subjects should be set up, a committee of MPs has said.There was an "absolute crisis"... |
politics | Guantanamo four questioned..The four Britons freed from US custody in Guantanamo Bay are expected to be allowed a visit by one relative...Moazzam Begg, Martin Mubanga, Feroz Abbasi and Richard Belmar were held for three years, accused of al-Qaeda links. Mr Begg's father, Azmat, said he had been told he could see his so... | Police have said they have a duty to investigate the men, who were arrested on their return to the UK.But Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens said evidence obtained by MI5 while the four were in Cuba was "absolutely" inadmissible in UK courts.But Louise Christian, the lawyer representing Mr Abbasi and Mr ... |
politics | Kennedy calls for Iraq exit plans..Tony Blair should set out a proper exit strategy from Iraq in the wake of next Sunday's elections in the country, Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy has said...In a speech focusing on issues arising from the re-election of George W Bush, Mr Kennedy said Iraq had become a "crucible of mili... | Mr Kennedy also argued that British troops deployed in Iraq should be replaced with forces from other countries - "especially Islamic countries".Tony Blair should set out a proper exit strategy from Iraq in the wake of next Sunday's elections in the country, Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy has said."Next week the prime ... |
politics | Boris opposes mayor apology..Ken Livingstone should "stick to his guns" and not apologise for his "Nazi" comment to a Jewish reporter, Tory MP Boris Johnson has insisted...Mr Johnson also claimed Tony Blair's intervention in the row was "an attempt to reassure Jewish voters". London mayor Mr Livingstone says he is "sta... | However, Mr Johnson, who was forced to apologise last year for an article in the magazine he edits about Liverpudlians grieving over the death of British hostage Ken Bigley, said Mr Blair "should butt out of" the row.Mr Johnson told Today: "It's perfectly true that I got into the grovelling game myself and when I apolo... |
politics | Tory expert denies defeatism..The Conservatives' campaign director has denied a report claiming he warned Michael Howard the party could not win the next general election...The Times on Monday said Australian Lynton Crosby told the party leader to focus on trying to increase the Tories' Commons presence by 25 to 30 sea... | Mr Howard appointed Mr Crosby as his elections chief last October.Mr Crosby's statement said: "The Conservative Party has been making an impact on the issues of lower tax and controlled immigration over the past week."Mr Howard later added there was not "one iota" of truth in the report.But Mr Crosby said in a statemen... |
politics | Lib Dems target first-time buyers..The Liberal Democrats have unveiled plans to build 100,000 new "affordable" homes on publicly owned land...The party's scheme would allow people to buy a share in a home through a mutual home ownership trust, as a way of getting onto the housing ladder. The Lib Dems would also encoura... | The Lib Dems say their "mutual homes" would let people buy a share of a property, usually worth about 5% of the building costs.The party's scheme would allow people to buy a share in a home through a mutual home ownership trust, as a way of getting onto the housing ladder.Mr Hill said he also asked whether the Lib Dems... |
politics | Immigration to be election issue..Immigration and asylum have normally been issues politicians from the big parties have tiptoed around at election time...But no longer. Both Labour and the Tories have signalled their intention of making them central to their election campaigns. They have been struck by the level of co... | Immigration and asylum have normally been issues politicians from the big parties have tiptoed around at election time.But, while all the parties appear to agree the time has come to properly debate and address the issue, there are already signs they will run into precisely the same problems as before.Labour has alread... |
politics | Blair sees greater Bush consensus..George W Bush will display a more consensual approach to world politics as he begins his second term as US President, Tony Blair has said...The prime minister said Mr Bush had learned military force was not the only way to fight terrorism. He understood that "the best prospect of peac... | The prime minister said Mr Bush had learned military force was not the only way to fight terrorism.Mr Blair said he believed the president was keen to work with other countries while trying to spread democracy and human rights.Mr Blair had personally seen the change over time in conversations with Mr Bush.Following cla... |
politics | Plaid MP's cottage arson claim..A Plaid Cymru MP believes UK security services were involved in some arson attacks blamed on Welsh extremists...It is 25 years since the start of 12 years of fire-bombings, attributed to a shadowy group known as Meibion Glyndwr. Plaid Cymru's Elfyn Llwyd has suggested the security servic... | But now, as MP for Merionnydd Nant Conwy and Plaid Cymru's Parliamentary Leader, Mr Llwyd has argued that some of the terror attacks may have had the involvement of the security services and not Meibion Glyndwr.Plaid Cymru's Elfyn Llwyd has suggested the security services could have been involved, with the intention of... |
politics | Act on detention ruling, UK urged..The government must act quickly on the Law Lords' ruling that detention of foreign terror suspects without trial is unlawful, Mary Robinson has said...The former UN commissioner for human rights and Irish president told Radio 4's Today the government's response would be scrutinised in... | The government must act quickly on the Law Lords' ruling that detention of foreign terror suspects without trial is unlawful, Mary Robinson has said."If the government were not to accept this ruling then there is further redress, including possible damages for the individuals who could claim that the government either ... |
politics | Blair to face MPs amid feud talk..Tony Blair faces his first prime minister's questions of 2005 after a week of renewed speculation about his relationship with Gordon Brown...Meanwhile, the chancellor is leaving Britain on a high-profile tour of Africa to highlight poverty issues. But before doing so, he insisted he st... | The new book claims Mr Prescott hosted a dinner in November 2003 where the prime minister told Mr Brown he would stand down before the next election because he had lost trust over the Iraq war.In Mr Peston's book Mr Brown is alleged to have told the prime minister: "There is nothing you could ever say to me now that I ... |
politics | UK rebate 'unjustified' - Chirac..French president Jacques Chirac has called the UK's £3bn rebate from the European Union "unjustified"...Speaking after a summit meeting he said unless it was put up for discussion the EU would never be able to reach agreement on its medium term finances. Earlier Foreign Secretary Jack ... | He said it remained justified because less EU farm money came to the UK.But a UK Government official responded: "Even with the rebate, the UK pays two and a half times more than France contributes to the EU budget.Earlier Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the UK was prepared to veto any bid to reduce the rebate secured... |
politics | Howard dismisses Tory tax fears..Michael Howard has dismissed fears from some Conservatives that his plans for £4bn tax cuts are too modest...He defended the package, saying it was a plan for the Tories' first Budget and he hoped to be able to go further. The Tories on Monday highlighted £35bn in "wasteful" spending th... | Tory backbencher Edward Leigh said the proposals were a step in the right direction but he told the Financial Times: "I would come up sooner with much greater tax cuts."Mr Howard said voters faced a clear choice at the next election between more waste and more tax under Labour and Tory value for money and lower taxes.T... |
politics | Campaign 'cold calls' questioned..Labour and the Conservatives are still telephoning the millions of people who have signed up to make sure they do not get marketing "cold calls"...The parties say they can stick to the rules by ensuring that their calls are not marketing - for instance by asking about people's voting i... | Assistant information commissioner Phil Jones said it was classed as marketing if political parties telephoned people to encourage them to vote for them.Mr Taylor argues there should be new guidelines so all parties can act in the same way if the watchdog believes the rules allow parties to ring TPS numbers about votin... |
politics | Kennedy predicts bigger turnout..Voters' "pent up passion" could confound predictions of a low turnout in the coming general election, Charles Kennedy has said...The Liberal Democrat leader predicted concerns over Iraq and other international and domestic issue would express themselves during the campaign. His comments... | Mr Cook, who is giving evidence to the Power inquiry into voter turnout rates, told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme it was not fair to blame the public who were "more interested in politics than ever before".The government has tried a number of things in an attempt to boost voter turnout, which fell to 59% in the last ge... |
politics | MP's shock at long lost daughter..Labour MP Stephen Pound has told of his shock and his joy on learning he fathered a daughter when he was "out of control" during the "wild" 1960s...Lucy, 36, tracked down Mr Pound after her birth mother told her he was known as "Precious" at school. Despite being told he was a "nutter ... | Mr Pound, who is now married with two other teenage children, said: "I was a nutter and I was a sailor but I wasn't dead."I was 18 when she was conceived.It was a different time - it was pretty wild."Lucy, 36, tracked down Mr Pound after her birth mother told her he was known as "Precious" at school.He said his first r... |
politics | More reforms ahead says Milburn..Labour will continue to pursue controversial reforms if it wins a third term in power, the party's election chief Alan Milburn has said...He pledged Labour would encourage more people to achieve their aspirations. "What we want is for more people to earn and own," Mr Milburn told BBC Ra... | Labour will continue to pursue controversial reforms if it wins a third term in power, the party's election chief Alan Milburn has said.Mr Milburn told Today that Labour wanted policies which encouraged increased social mobility in Britain."What we want is for more people to earn and own," Mr Milburn told BBC Radio 4's... |
politics | EU fraud clampdown urged..EU member states are failing to report fraud and irregularities in EU funds on a consistent basis, the UK's public spending watchdog has said...The National Audit Office said although the latest figures showed reported fraud was falling, the EU still had no common definition of fraud. It also ... | EU member states are failing to report fraud and irregularities in EU funds on a consistent basis, the UK's public spending watchdog has said.The report said: "Member states still do not report fraud and other irregularities to the European Anti-Fraud Office on a consistent basis.It said there were 922 cases of reporte... |
politics | UK's 'useless' quangos under fire..The UK has 529 quangos financed with billions of pounds of taxpayers' cash - many of which are useless or duplicate each other's efforts, a report claims...Essential Guide to British Quangos 2005 author Dan Lewis said at least 111 of the appointed bodies had been set up since Labour w... | Essential Guide to British Quangos 2005 author Dan Lewis said at least 111 of the appointed bodies had been set up since Labour won power in 1997.They were the British Potato Council, the Milk Development Council, the Energy Savings Trust, Agricultural Wages Committees, the Wine Standards Board, the Westminster Foundat... |
politics | Tories outlining policing plans..Local communities would be asked to go to the polls to elect their own area police commissioner, under plans unveiled by the Conservatives...Party leader Michael Howard said the new role would replace "inconspicuous" police authorities. He said the new office would not supersede the job... | Outlining his crime manifesto, Mr Howard said elected police commissioners would be more accountable than police authorities which are made up of local councillors and magistrates.Mr Howard said the authorities were not "providing the local accountability that we want to see" and that elected police commissioners would... |
politics | Brown names 16 March for Budget..Chancellor Gordon Brown will deliver his Budget to the House of Commons on 16 March, the Treasury has announced...The Budget, likely to be the last before the General Election, will be at 1230 GMT on that Wednesday, just after Prime Minister's question time. The annual event is when the... | The full Finance Bill, with the Budget measures in it, would then be returned to the Commons after the election, if Labour secures another term in office.If a May election is called, there could be as little as 18 days between the Budget and the announcement of a date for the election.The Budget, likely to be the last ... |
politics | Hunt demo at Labour meeting..Pro-hunt supporters are set to protest at Labour's spring conference...The Countryside Alliance says it expects up to 4,000 supporters to demonstrate against the hunting ban. They have agreed to keep to a demonstration site on the other side of the River Tyne from the conference venue in Ga... | The Countryside Alliance says it expects up to 4,000 supporters to demonstrate against the hunting ban.Pro-hunt supporters formally launched their second legal challenge to the ban in London's High Court on Thursday.Richard Dodd, regional director of the Countryside Alliance, said he expected between 2,000 and 4,000 su... |
politics | Mandelson warning to BBC..The BBC should steer away from "demonising" ex-Downing Street media chief Alastair Campbell, Peter Mandelson has said...The European commissioner and former Labour minister was speaking amid claims that Mr Campbell is part of a Labour "dirty tricks" campaign. That charge was denied by Mr Mande... | Mr Mandelson, a former Labour communications director, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I understand why the Tories will be gunning for Alastair Campbell because they fear his campaigning skills.That charge was denied by Mr Mandelson, who said the Tories were afraid of Mr Campbell's campaigning skills.He warned the... |
politics | Blair and Blunkett Sheffield trip..Tony Blair is to join Home Secretary David Blunkett in a visit to Sheffield on Thursday...Mr Blunkett's conduct is being looked at to establish whether he abused his position in relation to his ex-lover. The Parliamentary standards watchdog is looking at his decision to give Kimberly ... | Mr Howard said Mr Blunkett had complained he had inherited a "giant mess" when he took over at the Home Office from Jack Straw, now foreign secretary.Downing Street has stressed Mr Blair's support for the home secretary.On Wednesday during Prime Minister's Questions, Tory leader Michael Howard went on the offensive ove... |
politics | Report attacks defence spending..The Ministry of Defence has been criticised over the soaring spending costs and growing delays of its top equipment projects...A National Audit Office report on the 20 biggest projects says costs have risen by £1.7bn in the past year. It says there is "little evidence" the MoD's perform... | Lord Bach, Minister for Defence Procurement, said he was "obviously still disappointed with the cost and time increases shown", but insisted that the Defence Procurement Agency had "undertaken a huge amount of work to expose any underlying problems on projects".A senior defence official, speaking to the BBC's defence c... |
politics | Nat Insurance to rise, say Tories..National Insurance will be raised if Labour wins the next election, Tory leader Michael Howard has claimed...Tony Blair has said he does not want higher tax rates for top earners but on Wednesday said other tax promises would be left to Labour's manifesto. Prime minister's questions a... | Tony Blair has said he does not want higher tax rates for top earners but on Wednesday said other tax promises would be left to Labour's manifesto.He attacked Tory plans to process asylum claims abroad - but Mr Howard said Labour had proposed the idea too.It was no good Mr Blair claiming tax pledges were being left to ... |
politics | Hague's six-figure earnings shown..The rewards of leaving front-bench politics are shown in the latest annual register of members' interests...The register shows former Tory leader William Hague earning up to £820,000 on top of his MPs' salary, much of it from speaking fees. His former shadow chancellor Michael Portill... | Mr Hague was also paid an undisclosed amount for the newspaper serialisation of his biography of William Pitt the Younger and up to £135,00 for work as an adviser to various companies.The register also shows former Home Office Minister Ann Widdecombe declaring a £100,000 advance for her third and fourth novels.The regi... |
politics | UKIP outspent Labour on EU poll..The UK Independence Party outspent both Labour and the Liberal Democrats in the European elections, new figures show...UKIP, which campaigned on a slogan of "Say no to Europe", spent £2.36m on the campaign - second only to the Conservatives' £3.13m. The campaign took UKIP into third pla... | UKIP, which campaigned on a slogan of "Say no to Europe", spent £2.36m on the campaign - second only to the Conservatives' £3.13m.The campaign took UKIP into third place with an extra 10 MEPs.But a UKIP spokesman said Labour and the Conservatives had spent £10m between them on the last general election.Much of the UKIP... |
politics | Howard taunts Blair over splits..Tony Blair's feud with Gordon Brown is damaging the way the UK is governed, Tory leader Michael Howard has claimed in a heated prime minister's questions...Mr Howard asked: "How can they fight crime when they are fighting each other?" That question was later unveiled as the headline for... | It claims Mr Blair said in November 2003 he would stand down as prime minister before the next election.Mr Peston's book claimed that Mr Brown told Mr Blair: "There is nothing you could ever say to me now that I could ever believe."Labour staged a show of unity at its own poster launch on Tuesday, where Mr Brown was jo... |
politics | Campaign 'cold calls' questioned..Labour and the Conservatives are still telephoning the millions of people who have signed up to make sure they do not get marketing "cold calls"...The parties say they can stick to the rules by ensuring that their calls are not marketing - for instance by asking about people's voting i... | A spokesman for the Information Commissioner's Office said it would be classed as marketing if political parties telephoned people to encourage them to vote for them."If a political party was doing that than it may be that also would not be marketing," he said.The spokesman said it might be considered unsolicited marke... |
politics | Brown ally rejects Budget spree..Chancellor Gordon Brown's closest ally has denied suggestions there will be a Budget giveaway on 16 March...Ed Balls, ex-chief economic adviser to the Treasury, said there would be no spending spree before polling day. But Mr Balls, a prospective Labour MP, said he was confident the cha... | But Mr Balls, a prospective Labour MP, said he was confident the chancellor would meet his fiscal rules.During an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Balls said he was sure Mr Brown's Budget would not put at risk the stability of the economy.Mr Balls refused to say whether Mr Brown would remain as chancell... |
politics | Chancellor rallies Labour voters..Gordon Brown has issued a rallying cry to supporters, warning the "stakes are too high" to stay at home or protest vote in the next general election...The chancellor said the poll - expected to fall on 5 May - would give a "clear and fundamental" choice between Labour investment and To... | Responding to the speech, shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, George Osborne, said: "This was more talk from Gordon Brown."There will be a simple choice at the election - value for money and lower taxes with the Conservatives, or more waste and higher taxes under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown."The chancellor said the... |
politics | Tories opposing 24-hour drinking..The Tories say plans to extend pub opening times should be put on hold until binge drinking is under control, despite backing a law change last year...Spokesman David Davis said ministers had failed to make his party aware of concern among senior police that plans would cause more anti... | The government would go ahead with the changes which would give police more power to tackle excessive drinking, she added.He warned that if drinking establishments were allowed to open until three or four in the morning the police would have to take officers off day shifts in order to do their job effectively at night.... |
politics | Abbas 'will not tolerate' attacks..Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has said he will not tolerate attacks such as last Friday's suicide bombing in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv...In an interview ahead of a meeting in London to discuss Palestinian reforms, Mr Abbas said such attacks were against Palestinian interests. Th... | In an interview ahead of a meeting in London to discuss Palestinian reforms, Mr Abbas said such attacks were against Palestinian interests.The Palestinian Authority (PA) was exerting "a 100% effort" to end the violence, Mr Abbas added.A spokesman for Mr Blair said the Prime Minister expected the conference to discuss "... |
politics | Ex-PM Lord Callaghan dies aged 92..Former Labour prime minister Lord Callaghan has died on the eve of his 93rd birthday...He passed away at home in East Sussex, just 11 days after his wife Audrey died aged 91. Lord Callaghan, who leaves a son and two daughters, was the longest living former British PM in history. He en... | He held each of the major offices of chancellor, home secretary, foreign secretary and prime minister during his career and became Lord Callaghan of Cardiff in 1987.Former Labour prime minister Lord Callaghan has died on the eve of his 93rd birthday.Conservative peer Lord Heseltine said that despite their political dif... |
politics | Howard pitches for UK ethnic vote..Michael Howard is to make a pitch for Britain's ethnic vote urging people who feel "taken for granted" by Tony Blair to vote Conservative...He will say Conservatives "share the same values" as the UK's minorities. And that he wants to build a "better Britain" where everyone, whatever ... | "So I say to all those people from ethnic minorities who feel Mr Blair and the Liberal Democrats take their votes for granted - come join us," he will say.Michael Howard is to make a pitch for Britain's ethnic vote urging people who feel "taken for granted" by Tony Blair to vote Conservative.Lib Dem president Simon Hug... |
politics | Blair ready to call election..Tony Blair seems certain to end weeks of phoney war on Monday and announce there will be a general election on 5 May...The date has been pencilled into the diaries of politicians and political journalists for many months and, despite occasional panics that the prime minister was on the ver... | And it looked like the Labour campaign - which was already being criticised for being thrown into defensive mode by Mr Howard on issues such as immigration and health - was on the rocks.During the phoney campaign, Labour got into trouble over its central claim that Michael Howard was planning £35 bn cuts in public serv... |
politics | EU China arms ban 'to be lifted'..The EU embargo on arms exports to China is likely to be lifted in the next six months despite US objections, UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has said...The 15-year-old ban was imposed in the aftermath of China's crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square. Mr Straw told a Commons selec... | Mr Straw said the US government was suspicious of "the motives of some other countries within the EU" in wanting the ban lifted.The EU embargo on arms exports to China is likely to be lifted in the next six months despite US objections, UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has said.But he said it was wrong to put China unde... |
politics | Minister defends hunting ban law..The law banning hunting with dogs in England and Wales is enforceable and "very clear", Alun Michael has said...The rural affairs minister said it would become obvious if people flouted the law, which came into force on Friday, and pretended they were not. Some 270 hunts met legally on... | People had turned out "to show en masse that the Hunting Act was a bad law", he said adding that foxes and other animals had been killed "legally" as far as he was aware.The law banning hunting with dogs in England and Wales is enforceable and "very clear", Alun Michael has said.If people tried to "run circles around t... |
politics | Child access laws shake-up..Parents who refuse to allow former partners contact with their children could be electronically tagged under plans being considered by ministers. Curfews and community service orders were other options which could be used if court orders to allow parental access were defied, Lord Falconer sa... | Curfews and community service orders were other options which could be used if court orders to allow parental access were defied, Lord Falconer said."We would like to see couples develop a plan and then have it as a source of a court order - then you know where you stand, you know what the minimum access is.Lord Falcon... |
politics | 'Last chance' warning for voters..People in England, Scotland and Wales must have registered by 1700 GMT to be able to vote in the general election if it is held, as expected, on 5 May...Those who filled in forms last autumn should already be on the register - but those who have moved house or were on holiday may have ... | There will also be elections for local councils and mayors in parts of England on 5 May.People in England, Scotland and Wales must have registered by 1700 GMT to be able to vote in the general election if it is held, as expected, on 5 May.Last week Preston City Council reported that more than 14,000 of its voters were ... |
politics | Labour seeks to quell feud talk..Labour's leadership put on a show of unity at a campaign poster launch after MPs criticised Tony Blair and Gordon Brown over reports of their rift...Mr Brown was joined at the launch by John Prescott and Alan Milburn, the man controversially put in charge of election planning by Mr Blai... | The new book claims Mr Prescott hosted a dinner in November 2003 where the prime minister told Mr Brown he would stand down before the next election because he had lost trust over the Iraq war.Mr Brown later told reporters: "Of course I trust the prime minister."Mr Brown was joined at the launch by John Prescott and Al... |
politics | MPs to debate 'euthanasia laws'..MPs are preparing to debate a bill which critics claim would legalise euthanasia "by the back door"...The bill would give legal force to "living wills", where people say they want medical treatment withheld if they become severely incapacitated. The Mental Capacity Bill has broad suppor... | The bill would give legal force to "living wills", where people say they want medical treatment withheld if they become severely incapacitated.The Christian Medical Fellowship (CMF) and Lawyers' Christian Fellowship (LCF) said the Mental Capacity Bill would allow euthanasia by the "back door".It would allow people to g... |
politics | Kilroy unveils immigration policy..Ex-chatshow host Robert Kilroy-Silk has attacked UK policy on immigration saying Britain's open door approach is hitting low wage "indigenous" workers...The Veritas leader said the only people to benefit from immigrants from places like Poland were employers, landlords, members of the... | Mr Kilroy-Silk said that worked out at £143,000 per successful asylum seeker.He said Veritas wanted to grant an amnesty for all those in Britain claiming asylum and who have children and deport everyone else.And Mr Kilroy-Silk said he wanted to spend an extra £500m a year to help provide for refugees abroad.And he argu... |
politics | Will the Budget bring out smiling voters?..As Tory spokesman Oliver Letwin said - any chancellor would use his pre-election budget to offer some vote winning sweeteners, wouldn't he...And everyone does, indeed, expect Gordon Brown to do just that in his last budget before the expected polling day of 5 May. There will b... | Mr Brown will undoubtedly claim the forecasts are simply wrong and that he will have absolutely no need to raise taxes after the election, should Labour win.That is the size of the financial "black hole" the Tories, backed by some independent forecasters, believe Mr Brown will have to fill with tax increases after the ... |
politics | Kennedy to make temple address..Charles Kennedy is set to address 2,000 people at a Hindu temple as part of an appeal to ethnic minority voters...The Liberal Democrat leader will visit the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Temple in Neasden, north west London. He will say Labour "can no longer lay exclusive claim to the votes o... | Mr Kennedy will also highlight the anger among people of "all races" over the Iraq war and call for a "balanced approach" to tackling terrorism.Charles Kennedy is set to address 2,000 people at a Hindu temple as part of an appeal to ethnic minority voters.Mr Kennedy will say that a "balanced approach" to tackling terro... |
politics | Labour targets 'hardcore truants'..A fresh crackdown on persistent truants in England has been launched by Education Secretary Ruth Kelly...Serial truants make up one in 13 pupils. Previous initiatives brought 40,000 pupils back to school since 1997, according to official statistics. Parenting contracts, penalty notice... | "It is clear form these figures that schools and local education authorities are now seizing the tools we have given them to improve school attendance and crack down hard on the very small numbers of pupils which account for almost half of the nation's truancy."Police and education welfare officers patrol problem hotsp... |
politics | Blair prepares to name poll date..Tony Blair is likely to name 5 May as election day when Parliament returns from its Easter break, the BBC's political editor has learned...Andrew Marr says Mr Blair will ask the Queen on 4 or 5 April to dissolve Parliament at the end of that week. Mr Blair has so far resisted calls for... | Tony Blair is likely to name 5 May as election day when Parliament returns from its Easter break, the BBC's political editor has learned.Andrew Marr says Mr Blair will ask the Queen on 4 or 5 April to dissolve Parliament at the end of that week.Mr Marr said on Wednesday's Today programme: "There's almost nobody at a se... |
politics | 'Debate needed' on donations cap..A cap on donations to political parties should not be introduced yet, the elections watchdog has said...Fears that big donors can buy political favours have sparked calls for a limit. In a new report, the Electoral Commission says it is worth debating a £10,000 cap for the future but n... | It also says there should be more state funding for political parties and candidates should be able to spend more on election campaigning.A cap on donations to political parties should not be introduced yet, the elections watchdog has said.The commission says capping donations would mean taxpayers giving parties more c... |
politics | Blair pledges unity to Labour MPs..Tony Blair has sought to reassure Labour backbenchers that nothing will stand in the way of the party's bid for a third term in power...Mr Blair was speaking to MPs amid fresh rumours of a rift with Gordon Brown. A new book says the prime minister went back on a pledge to Mr Brown to ... | Mr Brown allegedly said he could no longer believe anything Mr Blair told him.Ex-Labour leader Neil Kinnock said Mr Blair and Mr Brown could only deal with the media frenzy by continuing to say they would not allow a row to damage Labour or British interests.Mr Brown says he discussed the election campaign with Mr Blai... |
politics | Thousands join strike in Wales..Thousands of civil servants were on strike across Wales on Friday in protest at planned job cuts...A range of services in Wales were affected as civil servants in Wales joined the UK-wide strike. The strike, called by the Public and Commercial Services Union, was the biggest by civil ser... | A range of services in Wales were affected as civil servants in Wales joined the UK-wide strike.PCS Union spokesman Jeff Evans said: "In Wales the civil service is major employer, there are more civil servants employed in Wales proportionately than in any other part of the country.Thousands of civil servants were on st... |
politics | Blunkett unveils policing plans..People could be given the mobile phone number of their local bobby under an overhaul of policing in England and Wales unveiled by David Blunkett...The plans include a dedicated policing team for each neighbourhood and a 10 point compulsory customer charter. The home secretary said targe... | Mr Blunkett said he wanted "to go back to a time when I was very young, when you expected the police to be part of the community and the community to be part of policing and where people were joined together in partnership making it work".The best performing police services would get more cash and extra freedoms, he sa... |
politics | Concerns at school diploma plan..Final appeals are being made for the government not to ditch the reform plan for England's secondary schools put forward by the Tomlinson report...The government's response to the plan for a four-tier diploma to replace all existing 14-19 qualifications is expected next week. Some are w... | But the government was said to be still rewriting its response on Friday.He is said to be feeling more comfortable about what the government is likely to say than if he had read only what was in newspapers in the earlier part of the week.Final appeals are being made for the government not to ditch the reform plan for E... |
politics | Security papers 'found in street'..An inquiry is under way after files containing security details about the Pakistani president's visit to London were found by a member of the public...The files are believed to contain detailed security arrangements for Gen Pervez Musharraf's visit this week, including police codes. S... | The police spokesman said the newspaper handed the report over on Monday."We cannot discuss who was responsible for the documents, only that they contained the policing arrangements for the official visit," said the spokesman.A spokesman said President Musharraf's safety had not been compromised, as the papers had been... |
politics | Opposition grows to house arrests..The Conservatives have expressed "serious misgivings" about government plans for keeping UK and foreign terror suspects under house arrest...Michael Howard said he would not back the Home Secretary's plans for "control orders" which include home detention. "I do not believe that anyon... | Michael Howard said he would not back the Home Secretary's plans for "control orders" which include home detention.Home Secretary Charles Clarke said there was not enough evidence to keep the Egyptian man, known only as C, certified as a terrorist suspect.The Conservatives have expressed "serious misgivings" about gove... |
politics | Peers debate Crown succession law..Peers are debating proposals to change the rules governing the succession to the throne...Labour peer Lord Dubs' Succession to the Crown Bill aims to end the right of male heirs to succeed to the crown even if they have an older sister. The private member's bill would also abolish the... | The Fabian Society's Sundar Katwala said the change was "long overdue" and that he expected a "warm response".He said he hoped the bill would be a "gentle nudge" to the government and suggested it would "demand a response".The private member's bill would also abolish the ban on heirs to the throne marrying Roman Cathol... |
politics | New foot and mouth action urged..A senior Tory MP has criticised agriculture department Defra's "lackadaisical" approach to planning for a future foot and mouth outbreak...Public accounts committee chairman Edward Leigh was giving his reaction to a report by a government watchdog on lessons to be learnt from the crisis... | But Mr Leigh said the department was "dragging its heels"."Four years after the outbreak, Defra is yet to begin its planned review of some of its contractors' costs, and £40m of invoices remain unpaid," Mr Leigh said.The National Audit Office said Defra had improved its capacity to deal with future livestock disease ou... |
politics | Kennedy looks to election gains..They may not know quite how to describe their position in British politics - the real opposition, the valid opposition, the effective opposition or the authentic opposition...But the Liberal Democrats are entering the expected 2005 election campaign determined to prove it is they, not t... | They would argue that, by the time of the election after next, the Liberal Democrats may genuinely have replaced the Tories as the party challenging Labour for power.He was also happy to offer a pledge that he would be doing no deals to "prop up" either of the other big parties after the election.On the war on Iraq, id... |
politics | Profile: David Blunkett..Before he resigned the position of home secretary on Wednesday, David Blunkett had been in charge of a substantial body of government portfolios including race, policing and immigration...His responsibilities in running the Home Office included civil emergencies, security, terrorism and expendi... | Mr Blunkett was also at the centre of a humiliating scandal involving the former immigration minister Beverly Hughes.Mr Blunkett was schooled in Sheffield where he led the city council for seven years before entering the Commons.Named home secretary after the 2001 general election, Mr Blunkett had seen the focus on his... |
politics | E-University 'disgraceful waste'..A failed government scheme to offer UK university courses online has been branded a "disgraceful waste" by MPs...The e-University was scrapped last year, having attracted only 900 students at a cost of £50m. Chief executive John Beaumont was paid a bonus of £44,914, despite a failure t... | Committee chairman Barry Sheerman said: "UK e-University was a terrible waste of public money.The e-University was scrapped last year, having attracted only 900 students at a cost of £50m.The Commons education select committee called this "morally indefensible" but the government said the e-University project had "impr... |
politics | Green fear for transport ballot..The Green Party is concerned thousands of residents may not be able to vote in Edinburgh's transport referendum...Edinburgh City Council is to ballot constituents on proposals to introduce congestion charging in the capital. But Green MSP Mark Ballard fears people not on the council's e... | The ballot will ask residents to vote for or against the council's proposed congestion charge scheme and a host of transport improvements to be funded by it."It is therefore vital that as many residents as possible in Edinburgh City and the surrounding areas, are registered to vote in the ballot.The Green Party is conc... |
politics | Howard 'truanted to play snooker'..Conservative leader Michael Howard has admitted he used to play truant to spend time with his school friends at a snooker hall...Mr Howard said his time at Jack's Snooker Hall in Llanelli in the 1950s had not done him "any lasting damage". But he told the Times Educational Supplement ... | Mr Howard said his time at Jack's Snooker Hall in Llanelli in the 1950s had not done him "any lasting damage".Mr Howard eventually left Llanelli Grammar School - and the snooker hall - to go to Cambridge University.Conservative leader Michael Howard has admitted he used to play truant to spend time with his school frie... |
politics | Blair 'damaged' by Blunkett row..A majority of voters (68%) believe the prime minister has been damaged by the row over David Blunkett's involvement in a visa application, a poll suggests...But nearly half those surveyed said Mr Blunkett should return to Cabinet if Labour won the next election. Some 63% of respondents ... | A total of 53% of those polled said they had sympathy for Mr Blunkett, with 40% saying they did not.But nearly half those surveyed said Mr Blunkett should return to Cabinet if Labour won the next election.Meantime, 32% said Mr Blair was a good prime minister and 38% disagreed.Thirty per cent said the affair showed Mr B... |
politics | Tsunami 'won't divert Africa aid'..UK aid to help the victims of the Asian tsunami disaster will not take much needed relief from Africa, Prime Minister Tony Blair has promised...Mr Blair told the BBC's Breakfast with Frost show the money spent on the tsunami would not "invade" the money Britain wanted to spend on Afri... | As Britain takes up its presidency of the G8 group of leading nations, Mr Blair said ministers had a big agenda for Africa.Mr Blair told the BBC's Breakfast with Frost show the money spent on the tsunami would not "invade" the money Britain wanted to spend on Africa."For the first time we have a plan that won't just de... |
politics | Police chief backs drinking move..A chief constable has backed the introduction of 24-drinking, saying police had a responsibility to ensure people could benefit from a law change...However, Norfolk police chief Andy Hayman also warned that a great deal of preparatory work was still needed. "I don't subscribe to the vi... | The Metropolitan police chief said last week that the plans for 24-hour drinking should be re-examined because of a binge drinking "epidemic".A chief constable has backed the introduction of 24-drinking, saying police had a responsibility to ensure people could benefit from a law change.He said that police should make ... |
politics | Clarke plans migrant point scheme..Anyone planning to move to the UK will have to pass a test to prove they can contribute to the country, Home Secretary Charles Clarke has said...He is proposing a points system similar to Australia's but would avoid the quota system planned by the Tories. Mr Clarke, who will unveil hi... | Anyone planning to move to the UK will have to pass a test to prove they can contribute to the country, Home Secretary Charles Clarke has said.Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten said: "Whilst it is good that Labour has rejected the Tory idea of quotas on asylum, the jury is still out on the Home Office'... |
politics | Malik rejects all-black MP lists..A call for ethnic minority shortlists to boost the number of black and Asian MPs has been rejected by one of Labour's most senior Asians...Shahid Malik, who is on Labour's ruling NEC, accepted people's frustration but said there should be targets not lists to boost representation of mi... | Labour MP Diane Abbot, who backs Mr Phillips' proposal of shortlists, said she had been elected along with three other ethnic minority MPs - Keith Vaz, Paul Boateng and Bernie Grant - in 1987 but it took another 10 years before another black woman was able to win a seat.A call for ethnic minority shortlists to boost th... |
politics | Blunkett hints at election call..Ex-Home Secretary David Blunkett has given fresh clues that the general election will be announced on Monday...He told BBC Radio Five Live: "I'm out in my constituency getting ready for what we presume will be an announcement very shortly at the weekend." He clarified that he meant he w... | He clarified that he meant he would be in his Sheffield seat this weekend, not that he expected an election call then.Ex-Home Secretary David Blunkett has given fresh clues that the general election will be announced on Monday. |
politics | Commons hunt protest charges..Eight protesters who stormed the House of Commons chamber during a debate on the Hunting Bill have been charged with disorderly conduct...The men were arrested in September after bursting into the chamber causing a hunting ban debate to be halted. Those charged included Otis Ferry, the 22-... | They were charged under Section 5 of the Public Order Act, police said."There is no offence of trespassing in the House of Commons - it is not a criminal offence," he said.One of the men, David Redvers, 34, from Hartpury, Gloucestershire, said he and the other seven protesters would plead not guilty to the charges.We a... |
politics | Labour attacked on Howard poster..Labour has been accused of using anti-Semitic images in posters which critics claim depict Tory leader Michael Howard as Fagin...The poster shows Mr Howard hypnotising people with a pocket watch, saying: "I can spend the same money twice." The image prompted concern from the editor of ... | Labour has been accused of using anti-Semitic images in posters which critics claim depict Tory leader Michael Howard as Fagin.Mr Howard did not comment on the anti-Semitism claims when asked about the poster on Monday.The image simply portrayed Mr Howard as a hypnotist, he argued.Labour campaign spokesman Fraser Kemp ... |
politics | Amnesty chief laments war failure..The lack of public outrage about the war on terror is a powerful indictment of the failure of human rights groups, Amnesty International's chief has said...In a lecture at the London School of Economics, Irene Khan said human rights had been flouted in the name of security since 11 Se... | Ms Khan said the movement had failed to mobilise public outrage about what was happening to the human rights system."The human rights movement faces a crisis of faith in the value of human rights," she said."By using the language of war, human rights are being sidelined because we know human rights do not apply in time... |
politics | Howard backs stem cell research..Michael Howard has backed stem cell research, saying it is important people are not frightened of the future...The controversial issue was a feature of the recent US presidential election, where George Bush opposed extending it. But the Tory leader argued there was a moral case for embr... | Michael Howard has backed stem cell research, saying it is important people are not frightened of the future.Mr Howard acknowledged there were genuine concerns about stem cell research.Stem cells are master cells that have the ability to develop into any of the body's tissue types.But I also believe we have a duty to o... |
politics | Visa decision 'every 11 minutes'..Visa processing staff are sometimes expected to rule on an application every 11 minutes, MPs have said...Pressure was placed on staff to be efficient, rather than to do a thorough examination of an application, the Public Accounts Committee found. Every officer had an annual target of ... | Visa processing staff are sometimes expected to rule on an application every 11 minutes, MPs have said.Committee members said the Home Office had been wrong to dismiss concerns from visa staff abroad who feared the system was being abused.Committee chairman Edward Leigh said: "There is a worrying tension between quick ... |
politics | Brown's poll campaign move denied..The government has denied reports that Gordon Brown is preparing to oust Alan Milburn as Labour's election supremo...Work and pensions minister Alan Johnson said it was wrong to suggest the chancellor would usurp Mr Milburn, adding they would "work as a team". A report in the Sunday B... | Labour has always maintained Mr Brown would have a central campaign role.Work and pensions minister Alan Johnson said it was wrong to suggest the chancellor would usurp Mr Milburn, adding they would "work as a team".A report in the Sunday Business claimed Mr Brown has been asked to take charge of media strategy, while ... |
politics | 'No-one can define new hunt ban'..The new law banning hunting with dogs is "so poorly drafted" no-one can define the offence, pro-hunt MPs say...The accusation came after it emerged a Devon man had been told he could use his four dogs to "chase away unwanted animals" from his farm. Because he did not intend to kill dee... | Mr Opik said: "Hunting with dogs and flushing are not defined in the Hunting Act.In a later conversation Mr Bradshaw was told that according to Defra's lawyers chasing away unwanted animals was "not in fact hunting as described in the Hunting Act 2004 therefore you would not be committing an offence"."If Mr Bradshaw is... |
politics | Labour in constituency race row..Labour's choice of a white candidate for one of the UK's most multi-racial seats proves the need for all-black short lists, says a race group...Local councillor Lyn Brown was selected for West Ham, east London, in a contest between two white and five ethnic minority women. An Operation ... | A CRE spokesman said the organisation had nothing to add on the shortlist issue specifically but would be working with all the political parties to address the under-representation of ethnic minorities in Parliament.If ethnic minorities were represented in the House of Commons in proportion to their numbers in the popu... |
politics | Brown calls for £5.5bn Aids fund..Gordon Brown has called on rich nations to fund a £5.5bn ($10bn) plan to fight the Aids epidemic and find a vaccine...On the fourth day of his six-day tour of Africa, the UK chancellor predicted a vaccine could be found by 2012 if the world stepped up its funding pledges. Doubling the ... | But Aid charity Actionaid criticised Mr Brown's preoccupation with finding a vaccine and called on G8 nations to fund HIV/Aids treatments.Doubling the £400m being spent yearly on finding such a vaccine could advance it by three years and save six million lives, Mr Brown said on Thursday.Currently the private sector was... |
politics | Blair and Brown criticised by MPs..Labour MPs have angrily criticised Tony Blair and Gordon Brown amid renewed reports of a rift between the two men...A meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party saw a succession of normally loyal members warn that feuding could jeopardise Labour's election hopes. The PM insisted nothin... | Labour's Paul Flynn said Mr Blair and Mr Brown had a "scorching" from MPs adding: "It was a Parliamentary Labour Party meeting like no other."Relations between Mr Brown and Mr Milburn are widely reported to be cool ever since Mr Blair brought the latter back into the Cabinet to run Labour's election campaign, a role su... |
politics | Kilroy-Silk attacked with slurry..Euro MP Robert Kilroy-Silk has had a bucket of farm slurry thrown over him by a protester in Manchester...The UK Independence Party member was arriving for a BBC radio show when the attacker emerged from behind a bush. Fellow guest Ruth Kelly MP was also hit by the slurry. Mr Kilroy-Si... | Mr Kilroy-Silk said the man, who later disappeared, claimed he was "doing it in the name of Islam".Greater Manchester Police said people near Mr Kilroy-Silk had also been hit by the waste.A BBC spokesman said: "He took his seat as Jonathan Dimbleby was introducing the show.Mr Kilroy-Silk was still able appear to appear... |
politics | Howard denies split over ID cards..Michael Howard has denied his shadow cabinet was split over its decision to back controversial Labour plans to introduce ID cards...The Tory leader said his front bench team had reached a "collective view" after holding a "good discussion", but admitted it was "not an easy issue". He ... | Michael Howard has denied his shadow cabinet was split over its decision to back controversial Labour plans to introduce ID cards.Mr Howard said the police had said ID cards could "help them foil a terror bomb plot in which people could lose their lives".He said: "This has all the signs of Michael Howard overruling col... |
politics | Talks aim to avert pension strike..Talks aimed at averting a series of national strikes over pensions reforms will take place this weekend...Five public sector unions will hold private talks with Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott at Labour's spring conference in Gateshead. They want the government to withdraw regulat... | The five unions meeting Mr Prescott want the government to withdraw these regulations.They want the government to withdraw regulations - due to be introduced in weeks - which would raise the pension age for council workers from 60 to 65.It is just weeks before new regulations are introduced to raise the pension age of ... |
politics | Assembly ballot papers 'missing'..Hundreds of ballot papers for the regional assembly referendum in the North East have "disappeared"...Royal Mail says it is investigating the situation, which has meant about 300 homes in County Durham are not receiving voting packs. Officials at Darlington Council are now in a race ag... | A spokesman for Darlington Council said: "We have sent out the ballot papers, the problem is with Royal Mail.A spokeswoman for Royal Mail said: "We are investigating a problem with the delivery route in the Mowden area of Darlington.The Darlington Council spokesman added: "Initially we had complaints from a couple of r... |
politics | Councils prepare to set tax rises..Council tax in Scotland is set to rise by an average of about 4% in the coming year, BBC Scotland has learned...Authorities will decide final figures on Thursday when projected increases will be more than twice the rate of inflation, which is currently 1.6%. The finance minister has u... | The councils' umbrella organisation Cosla, which provided BBC Scotland with the indicative figures for next year, warned that councils would face a continuous struggle to maintain services.The finance minister has urged councils to limit increases but they have warned that they will struggle to maintain services unless... |
politics | Hospital suspends 'no Welsh' plan..An English hospital has suspended plans to stop treating Welsh patients who have waited more than three months...Hereford County Hospital had earlier said that from the new year patients waiting longer than this would be taken off waiting lists for hip and knee operations. GPs in Wale... | "But Powys Local Health Board is committed to ensuring our patients receive the care that is appropriate," said the assembly government.The contract with the Powys health board was worth £7m a year for the hospital and accounts for 12% of its patients.Mr Williams had said he did not think it was a Welsh-English issue, ... |
politics | Galloway plea for hostage release..Ex-Labour MP George Galloway has appealed for the release of aid worker Margaret Hassan, kidnapped in Iraq...Mrs Hassan, 59, who led Care International operations in Iraq, was abducted in Baghdad on 19 October. Mr Galloway was expelled from the Labour party because of his staunch oppo... | Mrs Hassan, 59, who led Care International operations in Iraq, was abducted in Baghdad on 19 October.A spokesman later said Mr Galloway had friends in common with Ms Hassan, who he described as a prominent anti-war activist, and that he was "willing to do anything - go to Iraq or be an intermediary or anything that's n... |
politics | Asylum children to face returns..The UK government is planning to return asylum seeker children without parents to Albania...The trial scheme, which could start in weeks, may be extended to apply to children from other countries. Children's charities have reacted with alarm, saying the policy amounts to forcible remova... | 'If these decisions are not in the best interests of the child, then that is a forced removal because the child will not have any choice in the final decision."The UK government is planning to return asylum seeker children without parents to Albania."We are developing a returns programme for unaccompanied asylum-seekin... |
politics | 'UK will stand firm on EU rebate'..Britain's £3bn EU rebate is not up for renegotiation at next week's European Council summit, Jack Straw said...The foreign secretary told MPs the rebate, secured by Margaret Thatcher in 1984, was "entirely justified". New European commission president Jose Manuel Barroso has suggested... | Mr Straw said the EU commission's proposal would mean a 35% hike in the budget.Britain's £3bn EU rebate is not up for renegotiation at next week's European Council summit, Jack Straw said.The foreign secretary said he hoped the talks next week could produce a date in 2005 for the beginning of negotiations with Turkey a... |
politics | Labour MPs' fears over squabbling..If there is one thing certain to stiffen the spines of Labour MPs it is the prospect of losing their seats at a general election...And it was largely that fear that led to Tony Blair and Gordon Brown being read the riot act during a meeting of the parliamentary Labour party. The views... | The views expressed by both backbenchers and Labour peers over the claimed squabbling between the two men starkly demonstrated the widely-held view within the Labour party that the two most powerful figures in the government are jeopardising the next election.The dressing down appears to have done the trick, with Mr Br... |
politics | Jowell rejects 'Las Vegas' jibe..The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Tessa Jowell, has hit out at critics of the Gambling Bill...She told the Guardian newspaper there would be no "Las Vegas-style" super-casinos, as rumoured in the press. Meanwhile Labour backbencher Stephen Pound labelled casino-relate... | Ms Jowell complained of the "scale of misrepresentation" in the media over the bill in her interview with the newspaper, her first since the bill was launched.The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Tessa Jowell, has hit out at critics of the Gambling Bill.Ms Jowell will set out her position when the Bill ... |
politics | BNP leader Nick Griffin arrested..The leader of the British National Party has been arrested as part of a police inquiry following the screening of a BBC documentary...A party spokesman said Nick Griffin was arrested on Tuesday morning on suspicion of incitement to commit racial hatred. West Yorkshire police confirmed ... | Mr Griffin is the twelfth man to be arrested following the documentary.A party spokesman said Nick Griffin was arrested on Tuesday morning on suspicion of incitement to commit racial hatred.A BNP spokesperson said Mr Tyndall, from Brighton, was arrested following a speech he made in Burnley, Lancashire, and was release... |
politics | What really divides the parties..So what is the gap between Labour and the Tories nowadays?..One Starbucks, one Rymans and one small Greek cafe as it happens. Both parties have now completed their moves to new headquarters, with Labour creating its election hub just three doors away from the Tories' new headquarters in... | Certainly the press conference hosted by election co-ordinator Alan Milburn, in the rather compact new conference room - still smelling of new carpet and with the garish New Labour coffee mugs as yet unstained - had all the hallmarks of an election event.Both parties have now completed their moves to new headquarters, ... |
politics | Retirement age could be scrapped..The "myth that ageing is a barrier" to contributing to society needs to be "exploded", the work and pensions minister has said...This was why the government was considering scrapping the retirement age entirely, Alan Johnson said. It was also committed to "stamping out" age discriminat... | Mr Johnson told Age Concern's Age Agenda in London the government was "seriously considering" introducing pensions based on residency rather than national insurance contributions.This was why the government was considering scrapping the retirement age entirely, Alan Johnson said.Speaking at the London conference he sai... |
politics | 'Errors' doomed first Dome sale..The initial attempt to sell the Millennium Dome failed due to a catalogue of errors, a report by the government's finance watchdog says...The report said too many parties were involved in decision-making when the attraction first went on sale after the Millennium exhibition ended. The N... | The NAO report said that this sale went through because it avoided many of the problems of the previous attempt to sell the Dome.He said: "This report also shows that the first attempt to sell the Dome proved a complete fiasco.Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said a good deal had been secured."Delivery of the many b... |
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