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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 support from charities who say it would give better safeguards over treatment. but christian groups say it could mean doctors withholding food and fluids even if they think it inappropriate. ministers insist the mental capacity bill - for england and wales - would not change laws on assisted suicide and contains a presumption in favour of preserving life. the bill would establish a legal presumption that everybody can make decisions about their own treatment unless proved otherwise. it would allow people to give somebody the power of attorney to make decisions on their behalf which could be challenged by doctors. critics fear it could allow killing by omission through withdrawing treatment. an amendment to the bill - specifically preventing decisions that would bring about death - has been tabled by former conservative leader iain duncan smith. ninety one mps have signed a petition backing the amendment. mps could vote on it later on tuesday during the bill s report stage debate. the bill will then go to a third reading and be debated in the lords before becoming law. the christian medical fellowship (cmf) and lawyers christian fellowship (lcf) said the mental capacity bill would allow euthanasia by the back door . peter saunders of the cmf said it believed advance refusals should be only advisory not legally binding. cmf is concerned that patients will make unwise and hasty advance decisions to refuse food and fluids without being properly informed about the diagnosis and the expected course their illness | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
drink remark acts as diversion the first minister s statement that it was okay to get drunk once in a while has diverted attention from the real issues it has been claimed. jack law chief executive of alcohol focus scotland said jack mcconnell s comment was ill-advised . the media attention had helped to move the focus from scotland s binge drinking problems mr law said. scotsman journalist hamish macdonell said he believed the bigger picture had been obscured by the remark. mr mcconnell was speaking on monday to more than 100 secondary pupils from schools in the highlands about the problems of binge drinking and drink promotions. the one-sentence comment was immediately criticised by the scottish national party which accused him of encouraging young people to get drunk. but the scottish executive has insisted mr mcconnell was speaking about adults and his comments were a recognition that people will get drunk . mr macdonell political editor of the scotsman said: i think we have to say right at the outset that this was a very stupid and ill-advised remark by the first minister. if you come out with something like this saying that by all means get drunk then you will be pilloried for it. however he added that perhaps mr mcconnell could feel rightly aggrieved about the coverage . mr macdonell said: i think the problem here is that he did say a lot more things about binge drinking and under age drinking. but that whole side of things has been lost in the furore over one sentence. i understand why but i think there is a much bigger message here that has been obscured. mr law from voluntary body alcohol focus scotland believed damage had been done to scotland s fight against binge drinking. he said he | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
mps issued with blackberry threat mps will be thrown out of the commons if they use blackberries in the chamber speaker michael martin has ruled. the £200 handheld computers can be used as a phone pager or to send e-mails. the devices gained new prominence this week after alastair campbell used his to accidentally send an expletive-laden message to a newsnight journalist. mr martin revealed some mps had been using their blackberries during debates and he also cautioned members against using hidden earpieces. the use of electronic devices in the commons chamber has long been frowned on. the sound of a mobile phone or a pager can result in a strong rebuke from either the speaker or his deputies. the speaker chairs debates in the commons and is charged with ensuring order in the chamber and enforcing rules and conventions of the house. he or she is always an mp chosen by colleagues who once nominated gives up all party political allegiances. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
february poll claim speculation reports that tony blair is planning a snap general election for february 2005 have been described as idle speculation by downing street. a spokesman said he had no idea where the reports in the sunday times and sunday telegraph had come from. the papers suggest ministers believe the government could benefit from a baghdad bounce following successful iraq elections in january. a british general election was last held in february in 1974. in that election edward heath lost and failed to build a coalition with the liberals. harold wilson took over and increased his majority later in the year in a second election the latest speculation suggests the prime minister favours a february poll in order to exploit his current opinion poll lead over conservative leader michael howard. but that strategy could prompt criticism he was seeking to cut and run after less then four years of a parliamentary term. the papers report that alan milburn labour s head of elections strategy has played a key role in the plan for a february election which would include a new year advertising blitz. new labour s campaign both newspapers said would be centred around the slogan britain is working . a labour party spokesman said the election date was ultimately a matter for mr blair but he was unaware of anything to suggest it would be in february. most commentators have been expecting an election on 5 may. the last election was in june 2001. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
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 national audit office said the dome cost taxpayers £28.7m to maintain and sell in the four years after it closed. finally a deal to turn it into a sport and entertainment venue was struck. more than £550m could now be returned to the public sector in the wake of the deal to regenerate the site in greenwich london. the nao report said that this sale went through because it avoided many of the problems of the previous attempt to sell the dome. deputy prime minister john prescott said a good deal had been secured. delivery of the many benefits secured through this deal will continue the substantial progress already made at the millennium village and elsewhere on the peninsula he said. but edward leigh who is chairman of the commons public accounts committee warned the government would have to work hard to ensure taxpayers would get full benefit from the dome deal. he said: this report also shows that the first attempt to sell the dome proved a complete fiasco. every arm of government seems to have had a finger in the pie. the process was confused and muddled. he added: four years after the millennium exhibition closed the government finally has a deal to find a use for what has been a white elephant since it closed in a deal that incredible as it may seem should bring in some money and provide a benefit for the local area and the country as whole. however it was | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
tsunami debt deal to be announced chancellor gordon brown has said he hopes to announce a deal to suspend debt interest repayments by tsunami-hit nations later on friday. the agreement by the g8 group of wealthy nations would save affected countries £3bn pounds a year he said. the deal is thought to have been hammered out on thursday night after japan one of the biggest creditor nations finally signed up to it. mr brown first proposed the idea earlier this week. g8 ministers are also believed to have agreed to instruct the world bank and the international monetary fund to complete a country by country analysis of the reconstruction problems faced by all states hit by the disaster. mr brown has been locked in talks with finance ministers of the g8 which britain now chairs. germany also proposed a freeze and canada has begun its own moratorium. the expected deal comes as foreign secretary jack straw said the number of britons dead or missing in the disaster have reached 440. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
teenagers to be allowed to be mps teenagers will be able to become mps under plans unveiled by ministers. in a written statement constitutional affairs minister christopher leslie said the current minimum age of 21 for an mp would be reduced to 18. the proposals follow a recommendation last year by elections watchdog the electoral commission. the government intends to legislate when parliamentary time allows to lower the age said mr leslie who was elected in 1997 at the age of 24. even if the move does go ahead it is unlikely it will be in place before the next general election widely predicted for may. the announcement from mr leslie - who was elected in 1997 in a formerly safe tory seat - prompted calls for a lowering of the voting age to 16. the votes at 16 alliance said it was a good thing to engage people by lowering the candidacy age but argued lowering the voting age would be much more effective. candidacy affects only politicians. the voting age affects millions of younger people said spokesman alex folkes. we would hope that the government will table a bill that is broad enough to allow for amendments to be brought to test support for a reduction in the voting age. currently candidates in both local and national votes must be 21 while the voting age is 18. that is because the age of majority was reduced to 18 in 1969 but laws dating from 1695 which determine the current voting age stayed in place. irish republican bernadette devlin was one of just a handful of 21-year-olds elected to parliament in the 20th century winning a seat in 1969. but the youngest is understood to have been tory edward turnour who won the 1904 horsham by-election aged 21 and | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
terror suspects face house arrest uk citizens suspected of involvement in terrorism could face house arrest as part of a series of new measures outlined by the home secretary. it comes after law lords ruled that the detention of 12 foreign terror suspects without trial breached human rights. charles clarke s planned control orders mean anyone suspected of being involved in terrorism could be subject to house arrest curfews or tagging. the law society dubbed mr clarke s new proposals an abuse of power . deals are already being sought to deport some of the foreign detainees who are mainly held in belmarsh prison in london under the current laws introduced after the us terror attacks on 11 september 2001. mr clarke said efforts would continue to deport them to their countries of origin algeria tunisia egypt and jordan without them facing torture or death. under the proposed changes - prompted by the house of lords ruling - the home secretary could order british citizens or foreign suspects who could not be deported to face house arrest or other measures such as restrictions on their movements or limits on their use of telephones and the internet. british citizens are being included in the changes after the law lords said the current powers were discriminatory because they could only be used on foreign suspects. mr clarke also said intelligence reports showed some british nationals were now playing a more significant role in terror threats. human rights lawyer clive stafford-smith said the plans were a further abuse of human rights in britain . mr clarke said prosecutions were the government s first preference and promised the powers would only be used in serious cases with independent scrutiny from judges. he told mps: there remains a public emergency threatening the life of the | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
lawyer attacks anti-terror laws a senior barrister who has resigned in protest over the government s anti-terror laws says the current system is giving britain a bad name. ian macdonald qc quit when the government failed to recognise a house of lords ruling that detaining terror suspects indefinitely is unlawful. he was part of a 19-strong panel who have special security clearance to act for suspected terrorists. five more barristers are now reported to be threatening to resign. mr macdonald told bbc news: the reason why i am resigning is because i fundamentally disagree with locking people up without any trial for an indefinite period on reasonable suspicion. the current legal system is certainly having a very adverse effect on the muslim community in britain and the whole asian community. i think it is giving britain a bad name internationally . under the anti-terrorism crime and security act introduced by the government in 2001 in response to the 11 september attacks foreign nationals suspected of involvement in terrorism who cannot be deported can be held indefinitely without trial. but mr macdonald believes that detainees currently being held should be entitled to a trial by jury. my own view is we need to have a full return to trial by jury a proper criminal trial with proper accusations. as far as i m concerned the government have to start all over again and rethink their whole strategy for dealing with this. he added. the attorney general lord goldsmith will receive a letter of resignation from mr macdonald on monday. according to the independent his resignation is expected to be followed by those of five other barristers - nicholas blake qc andrew nicol qc manjit singh gill qc rick scannell and tom de la mare. they are all believed to be carefully | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
mayor will not retract nazi jibe london mayor ken livingstone has again refused to retract a nazi insult made to a jewish reporter. labour s mr livingstone who says he is standing by his remarks had accused an evening standard journalist of being like a concentration camp guard . at his weekly press conference on tuesday he said his comments were not racist and refused to apologise. he said to media representatives: if you think they are racist i think you are wrong. the mayor said his comments would not affect the 2012 olympic bid and added that his determination to stand up for what he believed in may impress bid chiefs who arrived in london on tuesday. i think it is important that the ioc (international olympic committee) members realise that when we get the games...they have a mayor who is not going to panic change course or get in a great flap but will deliver the games on time and to budget he said. on tuesday the mayor said he would be making a full written response to the chairman of the assembly. two motions were passed by the london assembly which is made up of 25 members elected to examine the mayor s activities on monday asking him to apologise and withdraw his comments. the mayor said he had recounted to the assembly a number of examples of intrusion by journalists into his and his family s private life. i don t suggest for one minute that has anything to do with the holocaust which was uniquely the most evil chapter in history. but when reporters say to me i m only doing this because it s my job... that s the same abdication of moral responsibility at the thin end of the wedge that in its | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
school sport is back says pm tony blair has promised that sport is back as a priority for schools. the prime minister launched a £500m initiative to allow school sports clubs in england to provide up to three hours of extra activity a week by 2010. it s an important part of education and it s an important part of health mr blair said. but the conservatives say government proposals - which include two hours pe within school for 75% of pupils by 2006 - are unrealistic. the latest move is aimed at encouraging more diversity in sport with activities such as yoga and tai chi being options. launching the initiative mr blair completed an agility course and shot basketball hoops with students from the all-girl waverley sports college in southwark south london. he said: you ve got to bring back school sport. it s got to be done differently than it was 30 or 40 years ago. it s still very very important. earlier education secretary charles clarke told bbc news there were at least three areas which needed a coherent framework and dedicated funding . these were training for pe teachers establishing more specialist schools and the development of partnerships for activities such as inter-school competitions. he added the government had originally pledged for every pupil to get at least two hours of high-quality physical education a week. the proportion was currently at 62% and the government was hoping this would rise to 85% by 2008 and 100% by 2010. the money for the initiative will come from a new £500m fund. the £500m move will also increase the number of specialist sport colleges from 350 to 400. but the conservatives warned of rising obesity levels and said that since only a third of children do two hours | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
labour faces cold calls inquiry labour is to be investigated by a watchdog over claims its election campaign has broken the rules on cold calling householders. the information commissioner is to look into a complaint from the lib dems about how labour uses its call centres. the lib dems say labour is telephoning people who have signed up to make sure they do not get marketing calls. labour denies breaking rules. it says calls are not marketing if they just ask about people s voting intentions. the party says it would expect the watchdog to take complaints seriously but it has clear legal advice on the issue. telephone call centres are expected to be used as never before by all the three major parties in the run-up to the general election. but seven million telephone numbers are on the telephone preference service (tps) lists which ban unsolicited sales and marketing calls. lib dem chairman matthew taylor has written to the watchdog accusing labour of a flagrant and systematic breach of the laws governing the tps. he says the initial call may not be marketing but it identifies voters to whom the party can send promotional material in the future. his letter to the commissioner quotes from a labour party handbook about identifying target voters . and it quotes a stevenage labour party members newsletter explaining how voters will be telephoned about their voting intentions. the voters are put in 24 categories according to their last known voting intention ranging from labour (firm) to target (conservative) - those who supported the party in the past but this time will be voting tory. the newsletter says: using the information we know about people we can send them direct mailings. for example we could send the target (conservative) people a letter from someone | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
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 services could have been involved with the intention of discrediting the nationalist vote. ex-welsh office minister lord roberts of conwy denied security services were involved. in march this year north wales police reopened the case saying materials kept during their investigations would be examined to find whether it would yield dna evidence. meibion glyndwr - which means sons of glyndwr - began burning property in december 1979 in protest at homes in rural wales being sold as holiday cottages to people from england. the group was linked to most of the 220 or so fire-bombing incidents stretching from the llyn peninsula to pembrokeshire. the campaign continued until the early 1990s. police were accused in some quarters of targeting anyone who was a nationalist. although one man sion aubrey roberts was convicted in 1993 of sending letter bombs in the post the arson cases remain unsolved. as a solicitor elfyn llwyd represented welsh singer bryn fôn when he was arrested on suspicion of being involved in the arson campaign. fôn was released without charge . 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. he believes that elements of the british security services may have carried out renegade actions in order to discredit plaid cymru and the nationalist vote ahead of elections. the claim is made in an interview | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
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 they had arrested a 45-year-old man from outside their area. bnp founding chairman john tyndall was arrested on sunday on the same charge. in july the bbc documentary secret agent featured covertly-filmed footage of bnp activists. mr griffin is the twelfth man to be arrested following the documentary. nine men from west yorkshire and another man from leicester have been arrested and freed on bail. seven of the men had been held variously in connection with suspected racially aggravated public order offences conspiracy to commit criminal damage and possession of a firearm. two men both from keighley were arrested in september on suspicion of conspiracy to commit criminal damage. a 24-year-old man from leicester was detained on monday 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 released on police bail. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
abortion not a poll issue - blair tony blair does not believe abortion should be an election issue arguing it is a matter for individual conscience. the prime minister s spokesman set out mr blair s view after the top catholic in england and wales backed michael howard s stance on abortions. the tory leader supports a reduction in the legal limit from 24 weeks to 20 and has said current rules are tantamount to abortion on demand . the prime minister has made it clear he has no plans to the change the law. mr blair s spokesman said: the catholic church has a well-known position on this issue and it was one of many issues the cardinal mentioned and therefore it should be seen in that context. his words came as cardinal cormac murphy o connor the archbishop of westminster backed mr howard s stance and distanced himself from labour. in a statement he said abortion was a very key issue saying: the policy supported by mr howard is one that we would commend on the way to a full abandonment of abortion. cardinal o connor claimed labour had developed the notion that it was the natural party of catholics but he said: we are not going to suggest people support one particular party. the family planning association says a reduction would particularly affect young women who often seek help later. more than 180 000 women in england and wales had terminations last year of which fewer than 1% were carried out between 22 and 24 weeks. in the cosmopolitan interview mr howard said: i believe abortion should be available to everyone but the law should be changed. in the past i voted for a restriction to 22 weeks and i would be prepared to go down to | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
kinnock to urge reform in lords neil kinnock has said his acceptance of a seat in the house of lords will allow him to help achieve further progress with substantial democratic reform. on the bbc s breakfast with frost it was put to mr kinnock that he had once referred to lords members as brigands muggers bribers and gangsters . but the outgoing european commissioner said his comments - made some 26 years ago - needed to be put in context. he said advocates for reform needed to be inside the lords to vote for it. it was pointed out to me that if the additional democratic reform is going to take place it is going to require advocates in the lords and people there willing to vote for it. mr kinnock added that the second factor behind his acceptance of the peerage was his appointment as chairman of the british council. history demonstrates that it s immensely useful for the british council to have its chairman in the house of lords and that was a conclusive factor. mr kinnock said he thought about the decision for quite a long time because he had long had reservations about the lords. but he added: the process of reform has developed substantially but not sufficiently and consequently i did take all these factors into consideration because it s not a decision to be made glibly. the former labour leader said he would probably take the title of lord kinnock of bedwellty - his first constituency for which he was selected in 1969. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
howard attacks pay later budget tory leader michael howard has dismissed gordon brown s budget as vote now pay later spending plans. the simple fact was that under a new labour government taxes would go up after the election to plug a financial black hole mr howard said. everyone could see the chancellor s sweeteners but these hid tax rises for hard working families he said. labour s faltering election campaign would not be helped by the package of measures mr howard added. mr brown s budget was not about what was good for the country but all about the interests of the labour party the tory leader said after mockingly welcoming the chancellor back to the election campaign. he went on to accuse mr brown of giving with one hand while taking away with the other. he urged the chancellor to admit he had been responsible for dragging millions of people in to the net to pay stamp duty and inheritance tax. we can all see the sweeteners but they hide the crippling tax rises for hard-working families that are inevitable if labour wins. he also accused the government and the chancellor of running out of solutions to the problems britain faced. their only answer is to tax to spend and to waste - to get people to vote now and pay later. mr brown liked to rattle off magical balances conjured out of thin air in a bid to convince people there was no black hole in the nation s finances the tory leader said. this dodgy government that brought us the dodgy dossier is now publishing a dodgy budget based on dodgy numbers he said. you now propose to borrow over the next six years no less than £168 billion; so much for prudence. the chancellor s | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
no uk apology for colonial past the days of britain having to apologise for its colonial past are over gordon brown has said. the chancellor speaking during a week-long tour of africa said it was time to talk about enduring british values of liberty and tolerance. mr brown has signed a debt relief deal with tanzania which could cost the uk £1 billion. south african president thabo mbeki has attacked british imperialists saying they treated africans like savages. mr brown said that missionairies had come to africa because of their sense of duty. he added that the history of internationalism and enterprise had given britain a greater global reach than any other country. bbc political correspondent mark mardell said britishness had long been a theme of the chancellor s but never before has he been so outspoken in defending britain s past history . the uk has pledged to pay 10% of the developing world s foreign debt bill in an attempt to fight poverty. on top of the relief deal with tanzania mr brown said the uk would make similar offers to 70 poorer nations around the world. under the plan - which could cost the uk £1bn - countries must spend the cash saved on health education and welfare. we make this offer unilaterally but we are now asking other countries to join us the chancellor said. mr brown on a week-long tour of africa spent two days in tanzania before heading on friday evening to mozambique a country where more than half of the 17-million population lives below the poverty line. there he is expected to strike a similar debt relief pact. the chancellor said he hoped other g8 and european countries would follow suit. the uk has already cancelled its bilateral debts - money the uk | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
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 in the sunday times poll thought his former lover - kimberly quinn - acted vindictively and 61% that he had been right to resign. yougov polled a weighted sample of 1 981 voters online on 16-18 december. mr blunkett resigned as home secretary on wednesday after an inquiry uncovered an e-mail showing a visa application by mrs quinn s former nanny had been speeded up. sir alan budd s inquiry also found mr blunkett s account of events had been wrong. almost a quarter (21%) of those polled for the sunday times said he should return to the cabinet straight after the election. one in four said he should be back in the government s top ranks within a year or two while 39% opposed a comeback. three-quarters said mr blunkett was right to go to court for the right to see mrs quinn s son - whom he says he fathered - and just 14% voiced sympathy for mrs quinn. a total of 53% of those polled said they had sympathy for mr blunkett with 40% saying they did not. forty-three per cent thought mr blunkett had done a good job as home secretary and 17% disagreed. meantime 32% said mr blair was a good prime minister and 38% disagreed. a majority 52% said chancellor gordon brown had done a good job and just 16% disagreed. a second poll for the independent on sunday found that support for all political parties remained largely unchanged after | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
uk needs tax cuts tories insist a major change of direction is needed in britain if it is to prosper the shadow chancellor said as the tory party spring conference began. oliver letwin said the uk could not compete with other countries without the £4bn tax cuts he was promising. tory co-chairman liam fox had opened the forum in brighton with an attack on labour s record and party leader michael howard is due to speak later. tony blair has said conservative policies would cause economic failure. but mr letwin said britain had fallen from fourth to 11th in the international economic competitiveness league. can this country compete can this country prosper unless we do something about the burden of regulation and tax on our economy he said. if we are going to take on the great challenges the challenges like those posed by the chinese and the indians we have got to do something about getting down the burden of regulation and getting down the burden of tax he said. the fact is the very carefully costed fully funded plans we have laid out for saving £12bn by 2007-2008 are absolutely crucial to delivering an economy that will prosper and provide people with jobs and indeed provide the public services with the money they need on a sustainable long-term basis. mr letwin said voting for labour meant choosing higher taxes borrowing and waste. earlier dr fox had said labour s rule had been characterised by lost trust and failure to deliver . he also attacked the government s failure to control immigration and asylum and criticised its record on the nhs telling delegates labour cannot be trusted on education or crime. a tory government would sort out the shambles of immigration put patients before statistics and bring discipline to | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
choose hope over fear - kennedy voters will have a clear choice between the politics of fear and the politics of hope in the next general election said charles kennedy. in his new year message the liberal democrat leader said labour and the conservatives were united in relying on fear and populist scares . he said his party was the one of hope and was ready for a 2005 poll. on the asian tsunami he said it had been very heartening to learn of the generosity being shown by britons. mr kennedy said his thoughts were with all those caught up in the disaster which had dominated the christmas and new year period. at home he said many people were turning to the liberal democrats as they became disheartened with the politics of the other two main parties. the general election would be a three-party struggle as the conservative party fades away as a national force and the liberal democrats challenge labour in its heartlands he said. a clear division is emerging in british politics - the politics of fear versus the politics of hope. labour is counting on the politics of fear ratcheting up talk of threats crime and insecurity. while the conservatives are re-working their populist scares about asylum and the european menace he said. he said the government was using this climate of fear to try to strip away civil liberties. it was already using detention without trial at belmarsh prison ignoring a recent law lords judgement that this contravenes basic human rights he said. he also criticised attempts to bring in trial without jury plans to lower the burden of proof in some criminal trials curbing of rights to protest increased stop and search powers and id card plans. he said while everyone had the right | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
councils must find gypsy sites ministers are telling councils to find more sites for travellers amid continuing rows concerning a string of unauthorised encampments. councils are also to be given stronger powers to move on illegal settlements by gypsy communities on rural land. more money is to be given to councils to develop official caravan parks said housing minister yvette cooper. in november mps urged ministers to make councils create sites because 3 500 travellers have no place to stop. ms cooper said an annual scheme to refurbish existing traveller sites would now be extended to consider council bids for new stopping places. that scheme has paid out £25m in four years with £8m available for 2005. there are two major problems in the planning system at the moment concerning gypsy and traveller sites said ms cooper. firstly local authorities are not identifying enough appropriate locations either for private or public sites. and secondly they do not have enough powers to deal swiftly with development on inappropriate sites. the result is that there are too many developments on inappropriate sites causing tensions and difficulties for both the neighbouring communities and the gypsies and travellers. that is why we are consulting on a new obligation on local authorities to identify more appropriate sites as well as new powers to take immediate action if the development is in the wrong place and cannot be tolerated in even the short-term because of risk to local amenity and the environment. under the new regulations expected to be in force in the spring officials will be able to serve temporary stop notices aimed at preventing works on a site before a council has had chance to obtain a full legal ban. many mps with rural constituencies particularly in eastern england have been pressing the government | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
short attacks us over tsunami aid former cabinet minister clare short has criticised the us-led tsunami aid coalition saying the un should be leading efforts. president bush has announced that an alliance of the us india australia and japan will co-ordinate a humanitarian drive. but ms short said the effect of the parallel coalition would be to undermine the un. she said only the un had the moral authority to lead the relief work. ms short resigned as international development secretary over the iraq war. i think this initiative from america to set up four countries claiming to co-ordinate sounds like yet another attempt to undermine the un when it is the best system we have got and the one that needs building up she said. only really the un can do that job she told bbc radio four s pm programme. it is the only body that has the moral authority. but it can only do it well if it is backed up by the authority of the great powers. ms short said the countries involved could not boast good records on their response to major disasters. the us was very bad at coordinating with anyone and india had its own problems ms short said. i don t know what that is about but it sounds very much i am afraid like the us trying to have a separate operation and not work with the rest of the world through the un system she added. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
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 metropolitan elite . the mep said his party would only admit foreigners who were required because they had specific skills to offer. and he argued asylum cost £2bn a year for 14 000 successful applicants. 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. britain should take its fair share of asylum seekers under the united nations convention on human rights he argued. and mr kilroy-silk said he wanted to spend an extra £500m a year to help provide for refugees abroad. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
ukip could sue veritas defectors the uk independence party could take legal action to unseat two london assembly members who defected to robert kilroy silk s veritas party. damian hockney now veritas deputy leader and peter hulme-cross were elected in 2004 on the list system. the party argues the pair should give up their seats as they won them as ukip representatives not as individuals. mr hockney said the law was clear that those elected on a list who quit their party should keep their seats. ukip chairman petrina holdsworth urged the men to step down from the gla in a letter. she said: the party has taken legal advice and it is clear that we could take legal proceedings against you which could result in the return of our seats and/or damages against you. we would however like you to be given an opportunity to reflect on what you have done to restore your own credibility with the electorate and return the seats to the party which won them fair and square at the last election. mr hockney said the law worked in exactly the same way for the gla as it did for other electoral list systems. the greater london act is clear that if someone resigns who was elected on a list their party whip the seat belongs to them and not the party. he said mr hulme-cross and himself had no intention of resigning and added that they felt that it was ukip who were not being true to the electorate. he accused the party of signing up to a deal with the tories in europe rather than sticking to an independent stance. but the claim was denied by ukip spokesman who said: mr hockney s accusations are like his sense of political morals - empty. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
pm apology over jailings tony blair has apologised to two families who suffered one of the uk s biggest miscarriages of justice. the prime minister was commenting on the wrongful jailing of 11 people for ira bomb attacks on pubs in guildford and woolwich in 1974. mr blair said: i am very sorry that they were subject to such an ordeal and injustice. he made the apology to members of the conlon and maguire families in his private room at westminster. in a statement recorded for television mr blair said the families deserved to be completely and publicly exonerated . the families had hoped the apology would be made during prime minister s questions in the house of commons. however one of the so-called guildford four gerry conlon - who was wrongly convicted of planting the bombs - said the families were delighted with the apology. he said mr blair had spoken with such sincerity adding: he went beyond what we thought he would he took time to listen to everyone. you could see he was moved by what people were saying. tony blair has healed rifts he is helping to heal wounds. it s a day i never thought would come. the move followed a huge campaign in ireland for a public apology after eleven people were wrongly convicted of making and planting the ira bombs which killed seven people. mr blair s official spokesman said no-one present at the meeting would ever forget the strength of feeling of relief that the prime minister s statement brought to them . most of those convicted were either members or friends of the two families. all were arrested because of a family connection to gerry conlon. mr conlon s father giuseppe was arrested when travelling to london from belfast to help | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
could rivalry overshadow election tony blair and gordon brown are desperately trying to stuff the genie of their rivalry back into the bottle. along with any number of senior cabinet colleagues they are insisting their only job is to win the next election and govern in the best interests of britain. it is a message they are aiming directly at their backbenchers who are becoming irritated and even unnerved by the continuing claims and counter claims surrounding this alleged rift. ian gibson for example urged the two men to stop squabbling declaring: for goodness sake sometimes you have to rise above petulance and make sure that you do your job as effectively as you can. those with slim majorities are particularly fearful that the rift could hit their own hopes of re-election. tony blair will seek to reassure labour mps on monday evening at their first meeting of the new year at westminster - a behind-closed doors meeting which gordon brown is thought likely to also attend to show unity. meanwhile the likes of health secretary john reid and labour peer lord haskins are warning of the electoral dangers of allowing this soap opera to continue. and they have both warned the rival camps to stop spreading the poison. lord haskins even suggested mr blair should reinstate mr brown as the central figure in the election planning. but this particular genie is unusually reluctant to return to captivity and many fear it is simply too late to repair the damage. they believe they will be fighting the next election with the sounds of open warfare between the two men ringing in their ears. and it matters little whether the rift is real or as some try to suggest simply the product of newspaper headlines and westminster gossip. few in westminster | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
straw praises kashmir moves the uk has welcomed the decision by india and pakistan to open a bus link across the ceasefire line dividing the disputed region of kashmir. foreign secretary jack straw touring south east asian countries praised the spirit of cooperation in achieving the breakthrough. media reports in both countries describe the deal as a major step in the ongoing peace process. mr straw said he hoped the agreement would make a difference to kashmiris. the bus service was one of several announcements made after a meeting of foreign ministers of both countries in islamabad on wednesday. kashmiri politicians on both sides of the line of control which divides the region welcomed the move. in a statement mr straw said the bus service between srinagar and muzaffarabad will be able to reunite families that have been divided for decades . this will make a real difference to the lives of kashmiris on both sides of the line of control he said. i warmly applaud the efforts of both india and pakistan to make this happen. this spirit of cooperation will i hope lead to many more measures that will benefit all in the region. on thursday mr straw was in india visiting sikhism s holiest shrine the golden temple in amritsar where he tried his hand at making indian bread or roti. he is due to take part in talks with the indian government on friday. a second bus service linking the pakistani city of lahore with amritsar in india was also announced as well as a rail link between rajasthan state and pakistan s sindh province. both sides agreed to begin talks on reducing the risk of nuclear accidents and also said they planned to reopen their respective consulates in karachi and mumbai (bombay). the mountainous region | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
clarke defends terror detentions the home secretary has defended his decision not to release foreign terror suspects despite a legal ruling their detention breached human rights laws. house of lords law lords ruled against the detention measures last week. they said it was wrong to have one set of laws for foreign suspects and another for british suspects. new home secretary charles clarke said he would carefully consider the ruling and would return to parliament early in the new year with proposals. he insisted that he would not be rushed into judgement but would examine the law lords findings in detail. my duty is to look at first of all the security of this country and in so doing to consider very carefully the precise legal measures that there are. mr clarke s comments came in response to an emergency question from liberal democrat constitutional affairs spokesman david heath. mr heath said the judgement contained unprecedented condemnation and could not have been more unequivocal . he said he accepted the difficult balance between the nation s security and human rights but questioned why the home office had made no contingency plans for the present circumstances . these detainees should be prosecuted and tried. simply renewing the present deeply unsatisfactory legislation is not an option. shadow home secretary david davis said it was not possible to overstate the importance of the judgment and urged the government to move as fast as competently possible to sort the problem out in the interests of natural justice. if you do we will give you every support. the law lords ruling came on charles clarke s first day as home secretary last thursday following david blunkett s resignation. in a statement on the same day mr clarke said: i will be asking parliament to renew | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
police urge pub closure power new powers are needed to close disorderly pubs bars and clubs for up to a week or even permanently police chiefs have told mps. association of chief police officers president chris fox said the current 24-hour closure power did not have enough impact on bad landlords. mr fox s comments follow the controversy over plans to allow pubs to open around the clock. he rejected critics calls for the law change to be delayed. instead the new licensing act could help reduce drunken disorder - but only if it was properly planned he argued. acpo made its call for stronger closure powers in a paper for the commons home affairs select committee. after the meeting mr fox said being able to close premises for only 24 hours did not necessarily make an impact. if it s 12.30 on a saturday morning and you close for 24 hours there s not a lot of pain for the premises because they probably wouldn t open on sunday anyway. this is about getting through to the management that they can t run a disorderly house without facing some immediate sanctions. under acpo s proposal the closure orders would be used only with the agreement of the local licensing authority. the new licensing laws will give police greater powers to close pubs and clubs - but only for 24-hour periods. mr fox said the drinks industry was currently not regulating itself. it s making money at the cost of human misery and the public purse and the strategic planning process has been less than useless he said. mr fox said the new laws due to start being phased in next month could help if food outlets public transport and public toilets could cope with late-night drinkers. staggering it (closing | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
labour mp praises tory campaign the conservatives have been a lot smarter in the way they have conducted the general election campaign a labour backbencher has said. derek wyatt said having a five month campaign turned off voters and suggested people were already rather bored of the thing . he wants a greater campaigning role for chancellor gordon brown. labour said the economy was at the heart of the campaign and mr brown therefore had a prominent role. but mr wyatt argued: by some way he is currently the figure in all of the polls that people trust and see that has delivered over eight years an economy unmatched anywhere in the world. so it would be a tad foolish of the labour party if we did not use him as we have done over the past three elections. labour s election chief alan milburn denied there was an attempt to sideline mr brown after facing criticism for letting the tories set the agenda. however mr wyatt predicted the campaign would get under way properly once the chancellor delivered his budget. the mp for sittingbourne and sheppey said prime minister tony blair had been trying very hard to improve his own standing with the electorate through a sort of campaign of trust . but mr blair had been hurt by the iraq controversy he added. a labour party spokesman played down differences with mr wyatt and said mr brown already had a prominent campaign role. this election is a choice between labour taking britain forward and the conservatives taking us back. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
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 militant terrorism . he wants to see a phased withdrawal of uk troops as soon as the situation allows he said in london. any exit strategy must augment and support the democratic process. there are some who are of the opinion that the mere presence of british and american troops in iraq feeds the insurgency he said. there is some truth in that especially after the initial mistakes that were made - the heavy-handedness of operations like fallujah and the well-publicised instances of abuse at the hands of coalition forces. mr kennedy pointed out that the netherlands portugal and the czech republic which all have troops operating in the southern sector of iraq have announced their imminent withdrawal regardless of the situation on the ground . he accused mr blair s government of being less than straightforward over its plans. next week the prime minister should make a statement regarding the elections in iraq mr kennedy said during his city of london speech. he should set out a proper exit strategy including the phased withdrawal of british troops as the security situation allows. mr kennedy also argued that british troops deployed in iraq should be replaced with forces from other countries - especially islamic countries . | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
economy focus for election battle britain s economic future will be at the heart of labour s poll campaign chancellor gordon brown has said. he was speaking after cabinet members held their last meeting at no 10 before the expected election announcement. he said voters would recognise that labour had brought stability and growth and would continue to do so. meanwhile the tories outlined their plans to tackle yob culture and the lib dems gave more details about their proposals to replace council tax. earlier the archbishop of canterbury wrote to all three parties urging them not to fight the election by exploiting people s fears. in an open letter he called on them not to turn the election into a competition about who can most effectively frighten voters about terrorism asylum and crime. he said they should concentrate instead on issues such as the environment international development and the arms trade family policy and the reform of the criminal justice system. shadow foreign secretary michael ancram said: we have fought a very positive campaign. i think he will want to look quite carefully at what jack straw said about michael howard. in a speech to the foreign policy centre mr straw said of the tory leader: he is clever fluent and tactical but he is not wise. he lacks strategy and good judgment and his quick temper and impetuosity too often get the better of him. the foreign secretary told the bbc: i was making the observation that because of michael howard s impetuosity you can get lurches of policy. liberal democrat chairman matthew taylor said: people are already really turned off by the kind of campaign the others are fighting and you will see us putting emphasis on some of these huge issues facing the world particularly the | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
bid to cut court witness stress new targets to reduce the stress to victims and witnesses giving evidence in courts in england and wales have been announced by the lord chancellor. lord falconer wants all crown courts and 90% of magistrates courts to have facilities to keep witnesses separate from defendants within four years. more video links will also be made available so that witnesses do not have to enter courtrooms. it is part of a five-year plan to help build confidence in the justice system. ministers say the strategy is aimed at re-balancing the court system towards victims and increasing the number of offenders brought to justice. launching the department for constitutional affairs plan lord falconer said: one of the top priorities will be a better deal for victims. the needs and safety of victims will be at the heart of the way trials are managed. courts judges magistrates prosecutors police and victim support - all working together to ensure the rights of victims are put first without compromising the rights of the defendant. he went on: giving evidence is a nerve-wracking experience especially when you re a victim. yet with a will and with support it can be done. lord falconer told bbc radio 4 s today programme it was impossible for some elderly people to go to court to give evidence. other witnesses could be intimidated by sitting alongside defendants outside courts. you are never going to get rid of some element of the trauma of giving evidence he said. but you can make people believe that the courts understand the problem it s not some kind of alien place where they go where they are not thinking about them. the plan comes as the lord chancellor also considers allowing cameras into courts for the first time | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
vouchers to cut winter deaths pensioners are being promised energy savings by the liberal democrats as snow and cold temperatures continue. the party says the plans could save the average pensioner £100 every year and cut winter deaths. the government gives £200 for winter fuel to households with people over 60 or £300 where people are over 80. the tories promise to keep the payments. the lib dems would allow people to swap these winter fuel payments for discounts on home insulation. shadow local government secretary ed davey said: the current scheme has helped some older people but this new liberal democrat approach will go much further to end the scandal of tens of thousands of old people dying from the winter cold every year. the vouchers are designed to let pensioners choose from a list of approved energy supplies who would compete for business by offering discounts on home insulation schemes. the plan would boost energy conservation says the party - and insulation could save £100 every year for pensioner households so using the money more intelligently than at present. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
kelly trails new discipline power teachers could get more powers to remove unruly pupils from classes under a zero tolerance drive education secretary ruth kelly has suggested. ms kelly told the bbc progress had been made against severely disruptive children but parents were still worried about lower level problems. the minister also confirmed she received spiritual support from the catholic movement opus dei. but she denied her faith meant she would refuse key government jobs. the conservatives have made school discipline one of their five priority areas in the run-up to the next general election. ms kelly is expected to announce her plans on the issue in the next fortnight. she told bbc one s breakfast with frost: it is really important to support head teachers and teachers in tackling disruption in the classroom. we have made huge progress on the really difficult cases the pupils who have severely disruptive behaviour. but quite rightly what teachers are concerned about and what parents are concerned about is that this lower level disruption that goes on in the classroom now is tackled. i would like to see the teacher being able to remove disruptive children from the classroom completely and have either alternative provision within the school or indeed off the school and may be working together with other schools in a particular area to provide that provision. it is thought the plans may distinguish between excluding pupils from schools and taking them out of mainstream classes. head teachers can currently exclude pupils who commit or threaten violence in school who sexually abuse pupils or other people who sell illegal drugs or who have persistent and malicious disruptive behaviour. ms kelly entered the cabinet last month in the reshuffle forced by the resignation of the then home secretary david blunkett. her links | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
labour s cunningham to stand down veteran labour mp and former cabinet minister jack cunningham has said he will stand down at the next election. one of the few blair-era ministers to serve under jim callaghan he was given the agriculture portfolio when labour regained power in 1997. mr cunningham went on to become tony blair s cabinet enforcer . he has represented the constituency now known as copeland since 1970. mr blair said he was a huge figure in labour and a valued personal friend . during labour s long period in opposition mr cunningham held a number of shadow roles including foreign affairs the environment and as trade spokesman. as agriculture minister he caused controversy when he decided to ban beef on the bone in the wake of fears over bse. he quit the government in 1999 and in recent years has served as the chairman of the all-party committee on lords reform and has been a loyal supporter of the government from the backbenches. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
talks held on gibraltar s future two days of talks on the future of gibraltar begin at jack straw s country residence later on wednesday. officials at the two-day summit at the foreign secretary s official kent house chevening will plan a new forum on the rock s future. in october mr straw and his spanish counterpart miguel moratinos agreed to establish a body that would give gibraltarians a voice in their future. most gibraltarians said in a referendum they wanted to remain british. gibraltar s chief minister peter caruana will represent the british citizens living on the rock while britain s europe director dominick chilcott will represent the uk. madrid is being represented by spain s director general for europe jose maria pons. the initiative follows spain s socialist government s decision to put its long-standing sovereignty ambitions on hold. gibraltarians rejected plans for the rock s sovereignty to be shared between britain and spain in a referendum organised by gibraltar government. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
blair told to double overseas aid tony blair is being urged to use all his negotiating powers to end poor countries debt and double aid. some 45 million children will die needlessly before 2015 and aid budgets are half their 1960 levels oxfam says in a report paying the price. the call comes as the prime minister prepares to assume the presidency of the g8 of top industrialised nations. as rich countries get richer they re giving less and less. this scandal must stop oxfam s barbara stocking said. the world s poorest children are paying for rich countries policies in aid and debt with their lives. 2005 offers the chance for an historic breakthrough but unless world leaders act now the year will end in shameful failure the charity s director added. the report said: for rich countries providing aid to help to end global poverty is an obligation and a matter of justice not an act of charity. it also points out that in 1970 the g8 of top industrialised nations agreed to spend 0.7% of their incomes on aid. but 34 years later none of the organisations members have reached this target and many have not yet set a timetable the report says. it argues that the price of not investing in poor countries sustainable development will be felt across the world. the report said: global poverty threatens our shared prosperity and security. environmental crises and natural disasters disease and drug trafficking know no national borders. poverty heightens the likelihood of conflict and unrest. new threats to the peace and security of rich nations arise from poverty and gross inequalities. criminal and terrorist networks are more likely to operate where state institutions are weak. both the prime minister and chancellor gordon brown have called for urgent action | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
eu referendum question unveiled the question to be asked in the referendum on the eu constitution has been unveiled by the government. it will be: should the united kingdom approve the treaty establishing a constitution for the european union the constitution will be incorporated into uk law if there is a yes vote in the referendum expected in 2006. critics say the constitution is a further step towards a federal europe but advocates say it ensures effective operation of the enlarged 25-state eu. if we reject this treaty britain will be isolated and weak in europe said foreign secretary jack straw who along with the rest of the cabinet will back a yes vote. patriots by definition wanted the uk to be prosperous at home and strong and influential abroad mr straw said. our role as a leading member of the eu is a crucial part of securing that. conservative shadow foreign secretary michael ancram said the referendum question seems straightforward . but he accused the government of trying to confuse the issue by putting the eu referendum question in the same bill as the ratification of the constitution when they should be treated as two separate issues . despite this underhand trick the referendum bill stood no chance of becoming law before the election he added. this is tony blair s cheap gesture to the pro-constitution lobby while he runs scared of a debate on europe he knows he cannot win. neil o brien director of anti-constitution group vote no said: the reality is that the government doesn t want to discuss the eu constitution ahead of the election because they know it is extremely unpopular with voters and with business. the uk independence party said: if the government believes that a no vote would mean that we should | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
brown hits back in blair rift row gordon brown has criticised a union leader who said conflict between himself and tony blair was harming the workings of government. jonathan baume of the top civil servants union spoke of competing agendas between mr brown and mr blair. but the chancellor said mr baume was never at meetings between himself and the prime minister so could not judge. he said the union leader was trying to block civil service reform which threatened his members jobs. it suited the purpose of mr baume s union the first division association to suggest there were two agendas battling against each other because the union was trying to resist the planned reforms mr brown told bbc radio 4 s today programme. under the plans unveiled in the gershon report some 84 000 civil servants jobs will be axed or changed and the savings ploughed back into frontline services. mr brown said: to be honest i don t think you can rely on his [mr baume s] judgement on this matter when it comes to the decisions that the government are making. mr blair and i are making exactly the same decisions on civil service reforms. we are determined to go on with the gershon reforms. he also said that as mr baume was never present at meetings between himself and the prime minister he was not in a position to judge. on wednesday ahead of the chancellor s pre-budget report mr baume told bbc news there were sometimes conflicting and competing agendas for government between number 10 and the treasury. what the chancellor wanted was not by any means what alan milburn and the prime minister want to see mr baume said. government departments get their money from the treasury on the basis of public service | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
labour s core support takes stock tony blair has told labour supporters he s back and still hungry for the job of prime minister - but does that sum up the mood at the party s spring conference in gateshead the electorate are keener on the government than some labour party members is the dry assessment of graham lane leader of the labour group on newham council. the problem according to mr lane is not continuing divisions over iraq foundation hospitals or tuition fees or even voter apathy but mr blair himself. i have a new slogan. vote blair get brown. that s what i am telling people on the doorstep. don t worry he will be gone soon. his friend saxon spence leader of devon county labour group lays the blame for any lack of campaigning zeal on one issue above all others. you cannot underestimate the impact of the war in iraq. we lost people from our local party who had some key roles. but the two friends were fired up by gordon brown s speech on saturday with its appeal to core labour values on social justice health and education. there was real passion. i think we have all felt a little jaded but it reminded us why we joined the party in the first place said mrs spence. if he hadn t have walked off the stage they would still be clapping added mr lane. but for every brownite at the spring conference there was an equally ardent fan of mr blair. stephen douglas 26 from wales said after the pm s speech on sunday: i think it was a bit of a turning point given the roasting he has had on some issues. the guy still has it. tony martin of burnley said: he is | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
howard rejects bnp s claim tory leader michael howard has dismissed claims that his immigration policy was moving onto the turf of the british national party (bnp). bnp leader nick griffin told the independent he expected some bnp voters to switch to the tories over the issue. but mr howard said he rejected the idea that the tories and bnp appealed to the same voting instincts. asked if he would welcome bnp voters he told the bbc: i don t want anybody to vote for these extremist parties . he added on bbc radio 4 s today programme: if you want good community relations in this country...then you have to have firm fair immigration controls. the tories have promised an upper limit on the number of people allowed into britain with the slogan: it s not racist to impose limits on immigration . all parties are stepping up campaiging in the run-up to the general election widely expected to be called for 5 may. labour has unveiled its own points system for ensuring migrants who want to work in the uk have skills that are required but have rejected immigration quotas. the liberal democrats have warned both parties against pandering to prejudice . mr griffin told the independent the tories plans were a definite move onto our turf . he said: i quite freely accept that on a nationwide basis the tories will con enough people to make a significant hole in our vote. asked whether he was comfortable with the perception that the conservatives and the bnp appeal to the same voting instincts mr howard told the bbc: i reject that entirely . he said he found bnp s policies abhorrent but he said the uk had to take a different approach to immigration which he said was out | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
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 verge of calling a snap poll it has not shifted. over the weeks there have been any number of signs that 050505 was going to be the day mr blair would go for an historic third term. and the calling of a special political cabinet meeting has only added to the belief that the announcement is imminent. the prime minister and his campaign boss alan milburn have already insisted the election will be fought on the economy and what they claim is a stark choice between labour s stability and investment against tory cuts and boom and bust. and chancellor gordon brown has stepped into the front line of the campaign - to the relief of many of his supporters in westminster - to underline that economic message. and it is certain one of the big arguments at the centre of the election battle will be around the big parties tax and spend policies. during the phoney campaign labour got into trouble over its central claim that michael howard was planning £35 bn cuts in public services. the prime minister found himself struggling to explain how a smaller slower increase in spending planned by the tories compared to labour s plans was a cut. 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. then deputy conservative chairman howard flight was | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
new rules tackle sham weddings new rules on marriage for foreign nationals living in the uk are coming into force. from tuesday most non-eu citizens will need home office approval to marry. the home office says the new rules are aimed at reducing the number of sham marriages of which there are estimated to be up to 15 000 a year. but immigrants group the joint council for the welfare of immigrants (jcwi) says the rules breach human rights law and it may mount a legal challenge. when the changes were unveiled last year immigration minister des browne said: our aim is to avoid unnecessary disruption of genuine marriages while providing firm controls to prevent abuse. under the previous regulations anybody wishing to get married in the uk only had to produce evidence they had been resident in the country for a week and give 15 days notice of the wedding at the local register office. but from tuesday all non-eu nationals apart from citizens of switzerland liechtenstein iceland or norway intending to wed in the uk must either obtain a visa allowing them to get married before they enter the country or apply for a home office certificate of marriage approval . to get a certificate costing £135 applicants will have to send proof that they have a legal right to be in the uk. those without a settled status such as asylum seekers awaiting a decision on their application will have no right to marry in the uk. once they have the necessary documentation those subject to immigration controls wishing to get married in england or wales must register their intention to marry at one of 76 specially-designated register offices. they can however marry at the register office or church of their choice. rhian beynon of the jcwi | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
mcconnell details scots wave toll at least three people from scotland died in the tsunami disaster and a further three are on the missing list the first minister has told msps. the figures came out during a statement by jack mcconnell to the scottish parliament on wednesday. he formally expressed scotland s sympathy for the victims of the indian ocean tidal wave which killed 150 000. mr mcconnell went on to promise that scotland would play its part in the reconstruction effort. he said the provisional figures on the dead and lost had been provided by the police. mr mcconnell said the tragedy should persuade everyone to step up the fight against global poverty and change the world for the better. he said he was proud of the generous response of people in scotland to the disaster appeal which is expected soon to top £20m. the first minister also praised scottish water for immediately flying bottled water and five large generators to the disaster zone. the scottish executive has seconded 11 staff to the aid agencies. but he said scotland was in it for the long term with help planned for fishing communities for children s services and for the aid charities. he said 2005 must be the year that scotland showed clearly it cared for what happened to people elsewhere in the world whether in asia or in africa. mr mcconnell went on to signal that the executive would play its part in the make poverty history campaign being mounted by a variety of aid charities trade unions and churches in the run-up to the g8 summit in gleneagles in july. edinburgh architect dominic stephenson became the first scot to be confirmed as a victim of the asian tsunami. the 27-year-old was holidaying on the thai island of koh | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
galloway targets new labour mp george galloway is to stand against pro-iraq war labour mp oona king at the next general election. mr galloway who on thursday won £150 000 in libel damages from the daily telegraph said he would contest bethnal green in london for respect. the glasgow kelvin mp who was expelled from labour over his anti iraq war stance accused ms king of being a new labour stooge . ms king said she was delighted at the chance to take on mr galloway. mr galloway s current constituency is set to disappear under planned boundary changes in scotland. the 50-year-old mp launched respect the unity coalition in january along with 1 000 anti-war activists and the muslim association of britain. the party s declared aims are an end to the occupation of iraq the repeal of anti-union laws and the end of privatisation. speaking from a cafe in brick lane east london mr galloway said he had accepted the party s invitation to stand with great honour and pride . he added: here in this constituency of bethnal green and bow there is a new labour stooge mp. a stooge who will sing any song make any speech do any dance do anything she is told to by tony blair - irrespective of how her constituents are adversely affected or how strongly they feel to the contrary. ms king has represented the constituency since 1997. she said: i m delighted i ve been given the chance to finish him (mr galloway) off and believe me i will. i know many people around the country will be grateful not least his constituents in scotland who he has shamelessly abandoned. in june s european parliament elections respect failed to gain enough votes for an mep but did come first | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
burglar defence guidelines issued householders who injure or even kill intruders are unlikely to be prosecuted - providing they were acting honestly and instinctively new guidelines say. the law also protects those who use something to hand as a weapon. the leaflet published by police and prosecutors aims to combat confusion about current legislation which lets people use reasonable force . the guidance relating to england and wales follows a recent decision by ministers not to change the law. doing what you honestly and instinctively believed was necessary would be the strongest evidence of acting lawfully the guidance said. and the law protects those who use something to hand as a weapon said the leaflet published jointly by the crown prosecution service (cps) and association of chief police officers (acpo). as a general rule the more extreme the circumstances and fear felt the more force can be used lawfully in self-defence it said adding that householders do not have to wait to be attacked before defending themselves. but knocking someone unconscious then killing them or hurting them further or setting a trap for an intruder without involving the police were given as examples of excessive and gratuitous force. the tories have called for a change in the law so householders are only prosecuted if they use grossly disproportionate force. their demands have been backed by former metropolitan police commissioner sir john stevens. tory frontbencher patrick mercer is now pursuing the proposal through a private member s bill in parliament. the government instead mounted a publicity campaign to clear up public uncertainty after a review concluded no law change was necessary. home secretary charles clarke said: i believe in that old adage an englishman s home is his castle . that s exactly what should be the case and i believe | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
fox attacks blair s tory lies tony blair lied when he took the uk to war so has no qualms about lying in the election campaign say the tories. tory co-chairman liam fox was speaking after mr blair told labour members the tories offered a hard right agenda . dr fox told bbc radio: if you are willing to lie about the reasons for going to war i guess you are going to lie about anything at all. he would not discuss reports the party repaid £500 000 to lord ashcroft after he predicted an election defeat. the prime minister ratcheted up labour s pre-election campaigning at the weekend with a helicopter tour of the country and his speech at the party s spring conference. he insisted he did not know the poll date but it is widely expected to be 5 may. in what was seen as a highly personal speech in gateshead on sunday mr blair said: i have the same passion and hunger as when i first walked through the door of 10 downing street. he described his relationship with the public as starting euphoric then struggling to live up to the expectations and reaching the point of raised voices and throwing crockery . he warned his supporters against complacency saying: it s a fight for the future of our country it s a fight that for britain and the people of britain we have to win. mr blair said that whether the public chose michael howard or mr kennedy it would result in a tory government not a labour government and a country that goes back and does not move forward . dr fox accused mr blair and other cabinet ministers of telling lies about their opponents policies and then attacking the lies. what we learned | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
no election tv debate says blair tony blair has said he will not take part in a tv debate with his political rivals ahead of the next election. we answer this every election campaign and for the reasons i have given before the answer is no he said at his monthly news conference. in october tory leader michael howard said mr blair would be running scared if he refused calls to go head-to-head. in recent years the leader of the opposition has always called for a debate although it has never happened. before the 2001 election plans for a debate between mr blair william hague and charles kennedy collapsed. in 1997 a debate between mr blair and john major was also cancelled when a format could not be agreed. televised debates have become the high point of the us presidential election campaigns. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
clarke to press on with id cards new home secretary charles clarke has vowed to plough on with plans for id cards despite a call for him to pause for thought from charles kennedy. the lib dem leader said david blunkett s resignation was a good opportunity to question whether the legislation was necessary. but mr clarke said he had supported the plans when mr blunkett argued for them in cabinet and he supported them now. id cards are a means to creating a more secure society he said. mr clarke acknowledged how the measure was introduced remained a matter for debate but he said legislation had already been significantly influenced by the recommendations of the commons home affairs committee. the issue would be debated in parliament next monday as scheduled he insisted. earlier mr kennedy whose party opposes the id cards plan as deeply flawed said with christmas coming up the new home secretary had time to think again. he told bbc radio 4 s today programme that mr clarke had been reported to be less enthusiastic about id cards than his predecessors. wouldn t this be a good opportunity for a new home secretary a new broom to sweep clean in this respect and why do we need this legislation in the first place he asked. earlier this week the tories announced they would back the government s plans although michael howard was forced to deny the shadow cabinet was split over its decision. they had decided to support the plans as the police said they would help fight terror crime and illegal immigration. among those reported to have serious reservations over the strategy were senior shadow cabinet members david davis oliver letwin and tim yeo. the chairman of the bar council guy mansfield qc has warned there | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
tories unveil quango blitz plans plans to abolish 162 quangos have been unveiled by the conservatives as part of their effort to show how government red tape can be cut. six government units would also be scrapped under proposals which the tories say would save more than £4.3bn. among the targets are strategic health authorities and the new fair access regulator for universities. tory frontbencher john redwood said britain needed a slimmer government and lower taxes to be competitive. the plans would abolish regional assemblies and other regional bodies such as boards tackling industrial development and housing. their powers would be returned to elected local councils or national government. the tories say the strategic health authorities are not needed as it is better that local people rather than officials run hospitals and surgeries. announcing the plans mr redwood said: mr blair has forgotten the interests of taxpayers and has broken the pledges he made. far from improving public services spending taxpayers money on quangos has led only to more bureaucrats more regulation and higher taxes. his party leader michael howard argued a change in direction was needed to get a grip on spending. labour are creating two britains: the britain of the forgotten majority and bureaucratic britain he said. in the real world people are working harder just to stand still. they ve seen their pensions knocked for six. they re being squeezed by extra taxes. the forgotten majority are paying the price of bureaucratic britain. the government has announced plans to cut 100 000 civil servants as part of its efficiency drive. but chief secretary to the treasury paul boateng attacked the tory plans. the conservatives are committed to cutting labour s public spending plans by a massive £35 billion he said. cuts on this scale cannot be found | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
howard and blair tax pledge clash tony blair has said voters will have to wait for labour s manifesto to see if the party has plans to increase tax. the premier was responding to a challenge from tory leader michael howard who said labour would raise taxes in its post-election budget. mr blair derided tory claims they could cut £35bn in wasteful spending saying the party had got its sums wrong. the two political leaders clashed just days after the opening salvoes of the pre-election period. mr howard told mps that every independent expert from the international monetary fund to the institute of fiscal studies had suggested the government was spending more than it is raising and a labour chancellor would have to put up taxes . mr blair replied: i think they are wrong for this very simple reason: that the treasury forecasts on the economy have been proven right. the tories on monday highlighted their plans for tax cuts worth £4bn although the specific taxes to be cut have not been announced. they also spelled out their plans for reduced government borrowing and more spending on key services. labour and the liberal democrats have said the party s sums do not add up and claim it would cut frontline services. but 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. the liberal democrats have also launched their pre-election platform with leader charles kennedy saying his party was the authentic opposition particularly on the iraq war council tax and university tuition fees. labour hit back at the tory proposals even before their publication with election coordinator alan milburn accusing mr howard of producing a fraudulent prospectus . | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
clarke to unveil immigration plan new controls on economic migrants and tighter border patrols will be part of government plans unveiled on monday. home secretary charles clarke wants to introduce a points system for economic migrants and increase deportations of failed asylum seekers. tony blair has said people are right to be concerned about abuses of the system but there is no magic bullet . the tories say labour is acting too late while the lib dems say the plans may not produce an efficient system. the government s new five-year plan is designed to show how labour would reform immigration and asylum controls if it wins the election expected to be held in may. ministers deny they have been spurred into action by tory campaigning or because the prime minister is worried too little has been done. instead they say the plans are part of an evolving process aimed at winning public confidence. mr clarke is expected to announce an end to the automatic right to settle for immigrants families and the introduction of fingerprinting for all visa applicants. the prime minister on sunday said immigration would be toughened up to ensure only those immigrants with skills the uk really needs will be granted work permits. but he rejected the tories call for a quota on economic migrants saying no arbitrary figure could reflect the uk s needs. mr blair told bbc radio 4 s westminster hour: we should cut the number or increase it depending on the country s needs... the public are worried about this they are worried rightly because there are abuses of the immigration and asylum system. but he defended the uk s current regime saying all systems around the world were subject to abuse. tory proposals to cap the number of asylum seekers and | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
voters don t trust politicians eight out of 10 voters do not trust politicians to tell the truth a new poll conducted for the bbc suggests. and 87% of the 1 000 adults quizzed by icm for bbc news 24 said politicians did not deliver what they promised. the poll comes after foreign secretary jack straw predicted trust would be the key choice at the next election. both the tories and the lib dems are keen to emphasise a perceived lack of trust in tony blair following his claims over iraqi weapons. but according to the bbc poll 61% said the issue of trust made no difference to whether or not they would vote at the next election widely expected on 5 may. the poll also looked at what lay behind the lack of trust in politicians. some 87% said politicians did not keep the promises they made before elections while 92% said they never gave a straight answer . just under three-quarters of respondents (73%) said politicians had shown themselves to be dishonest too often. mr straw told activists in blackburn on thursday that voters would have to decide at the next election which party best deserves their future trust . that in the end is the key choice at the next election. he acknowledged that the public had lost faith in labour but suggested it could persuade people to reinvest their trust with us if the party could overcome tory attempts to spread cynicism in politics. the conservatives are keen to highlight the trust issue. during his response to gordon brown s budget statement on tuesday michael howard compared the chancellor s figures to the prime minister s claims about iraq s weapons of mass destruction. the lib dems are also keen to highlight the trust issue with | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
mps criticise child access system divorced parents seeking access to their children are often disadvantaged by the legal system mps have said. the constitutional affairs select committee said parents with custody could exploit delays in the system to stop former partners gaining access. courts should be used as a last resort but where they are their orders should be enforced more rigorously mps said. but they rejected the claim made by some campaign groups that there should be a legal presumption of equal access. currently the presumption is that the interests of the child are paramount. an arbitrary template imposed on all families whatever the needs of the child would relegate the welfare of individual children to a secondary position the mps said. they said the law should be changed to require family courts specifically to take account of the importance of sustaining the relationship between the child and the non-resident parent in contested cases. this would reassert the rights of non-resident parents to contact with their children as well as the rights of children to contact with both their parents while maintaining sufficient flexibility to cope with issues of safety they said. delays in court hearings and the inability to effectively enforce court orders allowed a new status quo arrangement for the children to become established by default they said. although the courts rigorously avoid conscious bias there are considerable grounds for accepting that non-resident parents are frequently disadvantaged by the system as it is administered at present. given the strong animosity between the parties which is common in contested family cases we find it hard to believe that tactical delay is not sometimes used to the advantage of resident parents. committee chairman alan beith said the five-month inquiry had been a complex and emotive one. at the moment | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
regiments group in poll move a regiments campaign group is to target nine marginal labour seats at the general election. save the scottish regiments will also field a candidate against armed forces minister adam ingram in east kilbride. the group which is unhappy at defence merger plans is endorsing opposition candidates in nine seats. the marginals are aberdeen south dumfriesshire dundee east and west south west edinburgh ochil stirling east renfrewshire and western isles. the campaigners unveiled a huge poster featuring black watch soldiers fighting the war in iraq before they announced their election plans. former scots guardsman allan hendry will challenge mr ingram. the group said it is well organised with 350 volunteers and will be announcing at least one other candidate later. it added that it can only be stopped from inflicting serious damage on labour if the government reverses its plan to merge the six scottish regiments. scotland s only conservative mp peter duncan said the save the scottish regiments had done a superb job in fighting against defence cuts. he added: their actions have reflected the pride that most people in this country have in our troops and have shown a steely determination to make labour pay for their betrayal. i have been honoured to speak at their rallies throughout scotland. scottish national party leader alex salmond said it had received a big boost from the campaign s decision to endorse snp candidates in four marginal seats. labour s arrogance has been their undoing. in trying to get rid of scotland s historic regiments labour mps will end up being scrapped themselves he said. however labour mp george foulkes said the campaigners would not make any difference to the outcome of the election and would not win the argument. a serving soldier knows that what labour | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
analysis: no pain no gain he called it his masochism strategy in the run-up to the iraq war and now tony blair has signed up for another dose of pain. the idea is simple - the prime minister goes head to head with an often hostile group of real voters in the full spotlight of the television cameras. the theory is that talking to the great british public even if they are the great unwashed is better than having the media filter what voters hear from politicians. it is also the most effective way of showing that he is aware of real people s concerns and - on occasions - of their outright fury. mr blair used the tactic before the iraq war to try to show he really was engaging with public concerns and you can expect to see it much more in the run-up to the election. labour knows it has been damaged by accusations of spin control freakery and over-slick presentation - sometimes from within the ranks of its own mps. tony blair himself has said people complain he does not listen. mr blair s latest bout of flagellation came with a series of questions sessions on five television throughout wednesday. the trouble began on the wright stuff show with maria hutchings marching up to him saying tony that s rubbish as she tried to complain about her autistic son s school being threatened with closure. a few don t worries as mrs hutchings was led back to the audience averted a public slanging match - he spoke to her privately after the show. but that was only the start and later sessions produced the type of grilling not even the toughest television interviewer could produce. writer neil coppendale from west sussex asked of the iraq war: | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
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 minorities. just 13 of britain s 659 mps are from ethnic minority groups he added. commission for racial equality chief trevor phillips argued on sunday the time had come for such shortlists. that came after it emerged that one of britain s most ethnically diverse constituency west ham was to get a women-only shortlist for the next election following an nec ruling. mr phillips said changes to the race relations legislation might allow political parties to reserve seats for under-represented groups. for example in west ham this might allow only women and minorities to seek to be candidates. if we get to the other side of the general election and find that minorities are not represented we have to say that after 20 or 30 years of talking about this we cannot go on the same way he said. he added: it would be terribly disappointing if in the least white constituency [west ham] in the whole of europe we didn t have a minority candidate. appearing on bbc radio 4 s today programme mr malik who is himself running for the seat of dewsbury acknowledged that so far women-only shortlists had failed to deliver a boost in the number of ethnic minority candidates. but he argued: i do think that there currently things that parties can do and which they aren t doing... for example setting targets to ensure that existing democratic structures are more reflective. labour mp diane abbot who backs mr | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
terror powers expose tyranny the lord chancellor has defended government plans to introduce control orders to keep foreign and british terrorist suspects under house arrest where there isn t enough evidence to put them on trial. lord falconer insists that the proposals do not equate to a police state and strike a balance between protecting the public against the threat of terrorism and upholding civil liberties. but thriller writer frederick forsyth tells bbc news of his personal response to the move. there is a mortal danger aimed at the heart of britain. or so says home secretary charles clarke. my reaction so what it is not that i am cynical or just do not care. i care about this country very much. but in the 66 years that i have been alive there has not been one hour of one day of one month of one year when there has not been a threat aimed at us. my point is the british have always coped without becoming a dictatorship. we have coped with fear without becoming a state based on fear; we have coped with threat without turning our country into a land of state threat. but that is what the blair government now seeks to do - create a tyranny to defend us from the al-qaeda tyranny. i was born on 25 august 1938. the mortal threat back then was a scruffy little austrian called adolf hitler. a week after my first birthday the threat had become reality. we were at war. my father wore a uniform for five years. after 1945 we yearned for peace at last. but in 1946 winston churchill told us - from the baltic to the adriatic an iron curtain has descended across europe. behind the iron curtain another genocidal psychopath another threat. josef | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
blair rejects tory terror offer tony blair has rejected a conservative compromise offer that could have eased the passage of anti-terror legislation. the tories wanted a sunset clause inserted in the anti-terrorism bill that would have forced ministers to revisit it in november. mr blair said the bill which brings in house arrest for terror suspects had time limiting safeguards already. the tories say they will vote against it unless changes they want are agreed. the lib dems also oppose the plans. the government has already given way over the role of judges in house arrest cases. mr blair s refusal to accept the tories sunset clause proposals means that the government faces concerted opposition from all sides in the lords. peers begin three days of detailed deliberation on the bill on thursday. the bill proposes control orders which as well as placing terrorism suspects under house arrest could mean curfews tagging or bans on telephone and internet use. these would replace current powers to detain foreign terror suspects without trial which the law lords have ruled against as a breach of human rights. the tories want judicial oversight of all control orders not just house arrest. shadow home secretary david davis told bbc radio four s the world at one his primary concern was potential miscarriages of justice. he said if someone was wrongly given a control order it would act as a recruiting sergeant for terrorists. he went on to say: if we don t get the amendments we regard as essential including the sunset clause we will vote against the bill. in the commons mr howard said it would be far better if the whole of the legislation was subject to a sunset clause so parliament could consider it all in a proper way instead of it | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
kennedy s cautious optimism charles kennedy is far too canny to make any grand claims about how his party may fare at the general election. in his 22 years in the commons he has seen his fair share of such claims dashed on the rocks of bitter experience and he might say the uk s political and electoral system. but even his caution cannot hide the fact that this is a party and a leader that believes it may well be on the way to something special in a few months time. look i have already said i am not going to put any artificial limits on our ambitions this time around he said. he still seems to accept that the most likely outcome is another labour victory of some sort. and his general election pitch is designed around the notion of the lib dems as the real opposition. but doesn t that lead to the jibe that his is a party actively bidding to come second he is prepared to go this far: a clear conclusion has been reached including by conservatives that the conservatives are not going to win this election. therefore the potential is there for the liberal democrat advance to be one of the big stories of the election given that we have the capacity to take on labour and win as well as take on the conservatives and win. this is really going to be the first modern three party uk election that we have all experienced . but haven t we been here before with suggestions in the 1980s that labour was finished. won t voters looking for an alternative to labour still naturally gravitate to the conservatives the problem is that geographically the conservative party has melted away in about a third of | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
tory expert denies defeat warning 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 seats. but mr crosby said in a statement: i have never had any such conversation... and i do not hold that view. mr howard later added there was not one iota of truth in the report. the strategist helped australia s pm john howard win four elections. 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. it added: the labour party will be wanting to do all they can to distract attention away from the issues that really matter to people. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
straw to attend auschwitz service foreign secretary jack straw will visit auschwitz for the 60th anniversary of the former nazi concentration camp s liberation it has been announced. prince edward will also join the uk delegation in poland for national holocaust memorial day on 27 january. between 1.1 and 1.5 million people mainly jews were killed at auschwitz. the tories said they were glad mr straw had been shamed into going having earlier criticised the decision to send a lower-ranking official. shadow foreign secretary michael ancram said: i am glad the foreign secretary has finally been shamed into representing britain at this important act of commemoration. once again this government has shown crass insensitivity until it has been forced by public opinion into doing what it should have done in the first place. in britain the queen and prince philip will lead the nation s commemoration at a service in westminster hall london. the queen will also host a reception for holocaust survivors at st james s palace. altogether some six million people mainly jews perished in the holocaust. the queen s grandson prince harry sparked outrage earlier this week after photographs of him wearing a nazi uniform at a costume party emerged. the prince 20 apologised but critics have called for him to go to auschwitz for the commemoration of the soviets 1945 liberation of the camp. prince harry should see for himself the results of the hated symbol he so foolishly and brazenly chose to wear rabbi marvin hier founder of jewish human rights group the simon wiesenthal center said. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
ukip mep attacked german empire a uk independence party mep suggested germany saw the eu as an empire and was cheaper than using tanks a new documentary has revealed. mike nattrass ukip s deputy leader made the comments to an audience at a meeting during last september s hartlepool by-election campaign. but challenged on the remark he denied accusing germany of using the eu as cover for a 4th german reich . he says he was not german-bashing but saying peace was the eu s founding aim. the meeting was shown in a bbc 3 film on ex-ukip mep robert kilroy-silk. the former chat show host quit the party earlier this month calling it a joke. the documentary showed mr nattrass apparently talking about the eu telling the meeting: the germans are the big losers here but they don t care because to them the project is worthwhile. it s like an empire for them spreading in all directions away from germany into hungary into what they call the sudetenland - czechoslovakia places like that. so it s cheaper for them to do it this way than roll the tanks in. on tuesday he told the bbc news website he did not think the comments were offensive and worked happily with meps of different nationalities in the european parliament. he argued that peace was the only reason for having the outdated eu as there was no economic justification. pointing to germany s trade interests as a country in the centre of europe mr nattrass said: the fact is that the eu benefits germany but it does not benefit britain. i m not at all german-bashing. it s the truth. a ukip spokesman said: mike has some passionate beliefs and sometimes uses excessively colourful language with which to express them. the | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
ministers lose slopping out case the scottish executive has lost an appeal against an inmate s compensation for being forced to slop out in prison. armed robber robert napier 25 won £2 450 after he claimed he suffered an outbreak of the skin complaint eczema when slopping out at barlinnie prison. napier said that the practice where prisoners use buckets in their cells as toilets breached his human rights. on thursday the court of session threw out a move by the executive to apply a more rigorous standard of proof. the executive faces more than 1 000 similar claims for damages from prisoners and former inmates. more than 310 actions have already been raised in the court of session and sheriff courts in scotland. an executive spokesman said: we will study this judgement in detail. much has changed to address the issues raised in the napier case for example slopping out has ended at barlinnie and work in other prisons is being accelerated. today s judgement does not affect the outcome of other cases. napier a remand prisoner at the time raised a legal challenge in 2001 under the european convention on human rights in which he sought £5 000. he was awarded compensation last april after winning his case. executive ministers raised an appeal arguing that the standard of proof to be applied in cases alleging a breach of the european convention on human rights through degrading and inhumane treatment should be beyond reasonable doubt . this is the standard normally applied in criminal trials in scotland. however civil litigation is settled on the test of a balance of probabilities . judge lord cullen sitting with lord osborne and lord hamilton ruled that alleged human rights breaches involving degrading treatment should be dealt with on the normal civil standard. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
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 against time to try and rectify the situation. the all-postal votes of about two million electors are due to be handed in by 4 november. a spokesman for darlington council said: we have sent out the ballot papers the problem is with royal mail. somewhere along the line something has gone wrong and these ballot papers have not been delivered. the royal mail is investigating to see if they can find out what the problem is. a spokeswoman for royal mail said: we are investigating a problem with the delivery route in the mowden area of darlington. this is affecting several hundred properties which have failed to receive ballot papers. we are working closely with the council and will do all we can to help rectify the problem. no-one will not receive their ballot paper as special hand deliveries will take place where necessary. we are unaware of any other problems of this kind to do with the regional assembly vote. the darlington council spokesman added: initially we had complaints from a couple of residents in mowden to say they thought they should have had their ballot papers by now. we then made further investigations and it became clear this was a bigger issue. a spokeswoman for the electoral commission told bbc news online that letters were being sent out to those homes affected. she said the commission was satisfied that measures had been put in place to ensure all voters received ballot papers in time. so far a | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
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 to make way for mr brown after cabinet allies intervened in june 2004. mr blair said the claims were reheated from six months ago and that he was concentrating on running the country. mr blair said: i ve dealt with this six months ago. i said then you don t do deals over jobs like this - you don t. what both of us are actually concentrating on are the issues that concern the country. the book by sunday telegraph journalist robert peston and serialised in the newspaper said the pair had mutual animosity and contempt for each other. it claims tony blair felt by november 2003 he had lost voters trust because of the iraq war and that he was no longer an asset to the labour party. and that at a dinner hosted by deputy prime minister john prescott he told mr brown of his intention to stand down. according to mr peston the prime minister said: help me to get through the year and i will then stand down. but he then changed his mind in june 2004 following intervention from allies in the cabinet and the suspicion that the chancellor was deliberately manoeuvring against him according to the book. mr peston told bbc news: my understanding is that they are not nearly as close or as friendly as they once were. what the book says is there is now a pretty profound mutual mistrust mutual animosity. i think in | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
council tax rise reasonable welsh councils should set their taxes at reasonable levels after being given an average funding increase of 6% says the assembly government. finance minister sue essex said it was a good deal for local government. the £3.2bn settlement includes the full £7.4m from the uk treasury announced by chancellor gordon brown. but opposition parties said rebanding of council taxes would mean steep rises. in addition £13.4m will come from the business support grant - a scheme which enables local authorities to keep part of business rates. she said where spending rises were kept to around 5% she was confident that councils will be able to set council taxes at reasonable levels. the welsh local government association (wlga) had said on the eve of the announcement said that significant cuts to services may still be unavoidable. after the announcement wlga finance spokesman bob wellington of torfaen said it was vital that rises were minimsed. a limited amount of money has come available but this is not the answer to our problems said mr wellington. it is vital that we start now to plan for future years and accept that resources will continue to reduce while pressures on services increase. on monday a delegation of north wales councils visited ms essex to lobby for increased funds. ms essex said: i have listened to the views of local government and council tax payers and recognise the funding pressures and the concerns they have about council tax rises. i have met a large number of local authorities in recent weeks and i am aware of the pressures on them to provide local services and keep down the level of council tax particularly for those people to are moving up a band due to the revaluation of domestic properties. she said | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
kennedy criticises unfair taxes gordon brown has failed to tackle the fundamental unfairness in the tax system in his ninth budget charles kennedy has said. how was it right that the poorest 20% of society were still paying more as a proportion of their income than the richest 20% the lib dem leader asked. the new £200 council tax rebate for pensioners did nothing to fix the unfair tax he added. the government could not go on patching up the system he added. speaking in the commons after mr brown had delivered what is widely thought to be the last budget before the general election mr kennedy acknowledged that the uk was one of the most successful economies in the world. but he criticised both the chancellor and the tories for failing to address the ticking bomb of council tax revaluation. he said the recent experience of wales indicated seven million households in england would pay significantly more after revaluation. the chancellor s announcement that he was to offer a £200 council tax rebate paid by pensioner households was merely a sticking plaster to a much bigger problem. the lib dem plan for a local income tax would benefit the typical household by more than £450 a year with half of all pensioners paying no local tax and about three million being better off. on pensions mr kennedy said it was a scandal that the system discriminated against women who had missed making national insurance payments when they were having children. he said a residency criteria would end at a stroke this fundamental iniquity . mr kennedy added his party s priorities of free long-term care for the elderly abolishing top-up fees and replacing the council tax would be funded by charging 50% income tax to those earning more than | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
parties warned over grey vote political parties cannot afford to take older uk voters for granted in the coming election says age concern. a survey for the charity suggests 69% of over-55s say they always vote in a general election compared with just 17% of 18 to 24 year olds. charity boss gordon lishman said if a decisive blow was struck at the election it would be by older voters who could be relied on to turn out. a total of 3 028 adults aged 18 or over were interviewed for the study. mr lishman urged the next government to boost state pension. he also called for measures to combat ageism and build effective public services to support us all in an ageing society . older people want to see manifesto commitments that will make a difference to their lives mr lishman said. political parties must wake up to the fact that unless they address the demands and concerns of older people they will not keep or attract their vote. in the survey carried out by icm research 14% of people aged between 18 and 34 said they never voted in general elections. among the over-65s 70% said they would be certain to vote in an immediate election compared with 39% of people under 55. age concern says the over-55s are united around key areas of policy they want the government to focus on. for 57% pensions and the nhs were key issues while the economy was important for a third and tax was a crucial area for 25%. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
correction agency plans dropped plans to create a single correctional agency for scotland have been scrapped. the scottish executive will not now merge the scottish prison service with local authority social work criminal justice departments. the national correctional agency would have provided a one-stop justice system but has been abandoned in the wake of stiff opposition. instead scottish councils and the prison service will be compelled to work more closely to cut reoffending. the plan was to ensure offenders were monitored by the same body during and after prison preventing many from being lost in the system and helping more of them to stop reoffending. scotland s reoffending rate is high with more than 60% of prisoners reconvicted within two years of release from jail. this is leading to an ever-expanding prison population and the executive wants to tackle the problem. ministers thought merging the prison service with the council-controlled criminal justice social work departments which provide community sentences might have provided an answer. however following a consultation on the idea justice minister cathy jamieson has decided to drop the plans. instead ms jamieson will change the law to help produce a closer working relationship between both elements of the justice system. she will announce the move in her criminal justice plan on monday aiming to break down the barriers between what happens in prison and what happens in the community . the new measures will place a new statutory duty on the sps to work with local authorities and others in area partnerships. a national advisory board on offender management will also be created to advise ms jamieson on the sps s role and performance in reducing reoffending. the minister said: better joint working will help prisons play a much stronger role in ending reoffending behaviour and in particular | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
new ukip defection to veritas the uk independence party has lost one of its two london assembly members to robert kilroy-silk s new political party expected to launch on wednesday. damian hockney said ex-chatshow host mr kilroy-silk would deliver better as the leader of a eurosceptic party. he said mr kilroy-silk had made him deputy party leader of veritas latin for truth. sources close to mr hockney said around eight other members of london ukip were also planning to jump ship. details of the coming week s events were hammered out at a meeting at mr kilroy-silk s buckinghamshire home on sunday the bbc news website was told. the news came after ukip suspended a candidate for allegedly suggesting the criminally insane should be killed. john houston 54 was due to stand in the east kilbride seat in lanarkshire at the next election. a spokesman for ukip called on mr hockney to quit the london assembly. ukip asserts that mr hockney has a moral obligation if not a legal one to stand down. mr hockney meanwhile told the bbc: i believe that robert kilroy-silk can deliver better as a leader of a eurosceptic party than the current leadership of the uk independence party. on the suspension of mr houston ukip said those who selected him knew nothing of his views. mr houston is alleged to have said that the organs of the criminally insane should be made available to law-abiding members of the community and proposed the legalisation of drugs and the sex trade. the document reportedly said: we re looking for the resurrection of the british empire. the problems for the human race - environmental and others - can only be dealt with on a global scale and that calls for a radical alliance of the english-speaking nations which | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
escaped prisoner report ordered first minister jack mcconnell has ordered a report on the decision to allow a paranoid schizophrenic knife attacker to go on a visit unguarded. michael ferguson 36 escaped after being allowed out of the high-security carstairs unit. the snp s nicola sturgeon has demanded to know who was responsible for signing off the leave. the scottish executive said ministers would be notified but it would not be common practice to sign approval. an executive spokesman said the health department and the state hospital itself would work together on preparing the report. ministerial responsibility for carstairs rests with rhona brankin the deputy health minister. ms brankin said: the first minister has called for a review of what has happened we need to talk to the state hospital and we need to reflect on this. ms sturgeon has written to mr mcconnell asking for clarification on the move to allow the prisoner out. she said questions must be answered about his escape if the public is to be reassured about safety. police are still searching for ferguson who failed to return after a trip to east kilbride on monday. the scottish national party s parliamentary leader argued that under the law authorisation of ferguson s leave of absence would have come directly from ministers. she said: the scottish executive seemed to indicate yesterday that the escape of mr ferguson was a matter for carstairs. however my understanding is that under the mental health legislation the decision to grant this patient - and any restricted patient - leave of absence would have required direct and specific authorisation by scottish ministers. she added: i have written to the first minister today asking for confirmation of that fact. i have also asked him to confirm which minister would routinely take decisions | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
blair backs pre-election budget tony blair has backed chancellor gordon brown s pre-budget report amid opposition claims he was too bullish about the state of the uk economy. in a speech in edinburgh the prime minister said thursday s report reinforced stability and opportunity. and that would be central to labour s next election campaign planning for which was already well advanced. mr brown earlier denied his economic forecasts were too optimistic - but refused to rule out future tax rises. he told bbc radio 4 s today programme: no politician should make the mistake that john major and his colleagues made in 1992 of saying no matter what the circumstances are they can make all sorts of guarantees on every individual thing. that is not what politicians should do it would not be responsible to do. mr brown insisted his spending plans were affordable and he could afford to be optimistic because britain was now a stable low-inflation economy and house prices were now stabilising. mr blair praised his chancellor for his role in creating economic stability which he said was the cornerstone of labour s programme. in a speech at edinburgh s napier university he said labour would publish over the next few months a rich agenda for future policy in any possible third term . in every area of work there is a detailed plan for the future much clearer than those in 1997 or 2001. all of it fits together around common themes of opportunity security and stability for all mr blair said. in his pre-budget report mr brown surprised some city experts by forecasting uk growth at between 3% and 3.5% for next year. many believe the figure is more likely to be under 3% - and fear tax rises or spending cuts saying tax | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
sainsbury s labour election gift science minister lord sainsbury has made a £2m donation to the labour party for its general election fund. it is the latest hefty donation to the party by the billionaire - he has contributed more than £10m since 1999. david sainsbury said he was pleased to give cash to a party that had the vision to deliver economic prosperity and better public services for britain. general secretary matt carter said it was a fantastic gift that would help labour fight and win the election . through the generosity of david sainsbury and other labour supporters labour will be campaigning hard to take britain forward and to stop the tories taking us back mr carter said. lord sainsbury added: i am pleased to be able to make this contribution to the general election funds of the labour party because i believe that they are the only party that has the vision to deliver both economic prosperity and better public services for britain. the 64-year-old latest donation follows a £2.5m gift to the party in 2003. lord sainsbury was created a life peer in 1997 a year before he was appointed as minister for science. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
mps assess scots fishing industry a group of mps are on a two-day fact-finding mission to scotland to gather evidence for a report into the uk s fishing industry. members of westminster s environment food and rural affairs committee will be touring fish markets and talking to fish processors. they will also talk to fisheries minister ross finnie and scientists. mps are deciding whether to recommend a new system of community quotas to conserve fish stocks. the aim is that fishing ports like peterhead or fraserburgh would be allocated a quota and local people would decide how to fish it. the scheme is a variation on the local management committees already being established by the european union. details are contained in a royal commission report for the uk government along with the more controversial idea of closing some mixed fishing grounds completely. six members of the committee will be in scotland to seek views from fishermen and processors in aberdeen and peterhead. they will also speak to mr finnie representatives of the royal society and the sea fish industry authority. committee chairman austin mitchell said some way has to be found of harvesting mixed fisheries without wasting stocks. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
student fee factor played down a rise has been recorded in the number of students from south of the border applying to universities in scotland. however lifelong learning minister jim wallace said that this would not result in scottish students missing out. applications from england and wales rose by 17% between january 2005 and the previous year up 23 600 to 27 700. fears had been expressed that a flood of fee refugees would try to avoid top-up fees of up to £3 000 a year being introduced in england. in june last year mr wallace announced proposals to increase tuition fees for english students studying in scotland by £2 000 in an attempt to prevent a cross-border flood although no figure has yet been agreed. legislation to introduce the top-up fees in england is not due to take effect until autumn 2006 and students who start before then will not have to pay additional fees at all. the figures were made public on thursday by admissions service ucas. universities scotland which represents university principals claimed that an increase in applications did not amount to scottish students being squeezed out. director david caldwell said some students could be applying in an attempt to avoid the possible increase in annual fees at english universities but this was not a major factor. he told bbc radio scotland s good morning scotland programme: the reason people are opting for scottish universities is that they are perceived as being of very high quality they offer very attractive courses and scotland is seen as a very attractive place to study. they know that when they take up their studies in 2006 they will be hit by top-up fees if they are going to a university in england and that may be part of the reason | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
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 had decided to support the plans as the police said they would help fight terror crime and illegal immigration. the lib dems have pledged to oppose the bill when it is debated next monday. tory sources say senior party figures had argued vociferously against the id card scheme. among those reported to have serious reservations over the strategy were senior shadow cabinet members david davis oliver letwin and tim yeo. but mr howard denied mr yeo his transport and environment spokesman said the plans stink . he also said he was confident shadow home secretary mr davis would set out the position very clearly when he stands up to debate the matter next week. 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 added: when the police say that you have to take them seriously . he acknowledged there were good libertarian arguments against the cards but said the shadow cabinet had weighed up all the conflicting interests before reaching its decision. i don t pretend that it is an easy decision but at the end of the day a decision has to be taken. he also denied he was afraid of looking soft on the issue compared to labour. the conservatives announced their support for the government plans on monday evening. sources within the party told the bbc mr howard had always been in favour of id | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
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 embracing science which could help victims of alzheimer s parkinson s and motor neurone disease. i believe we have a duty to offer hope to the millions of people who suffer devastating illnesses he said. the use of embryonic stem cells in the uk is already allowed. stem cells are master cells that have the ability to develop into any of the body s tissue types. scientists hope that by growing such cells in the laboratory they can programme them to form specific tissue such as kidney heart or even brain tissue. mr howard acknowledged there were genuine concerns about stem cell research. but he argued: we mustn t be frightened of change or nostalgic about the past - we must be optimistic about the future. politicians must create the right framework so that the great potential of science can be harnessed for the benefit of mankind. with the life expectancy of the average briton now around the mid-70s society has a responsibility to enhance the quality of people s lives as they grow older. i know many people are concerned about stem-cell research. they are fearful of meddling with what they see as the stuff of souls. i respect those concerns. but i also believe we have a duty to offer hope to the millions of people who suffer devastating illnesses like parkinson s multiple sclerosis motor neurone disease alzheimer s and - as we saw in the papers today - now possibly heart problems. mr howard | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
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 also saw mr blair predict that new plans would probably cut net immigration. he attacked tory plans to process asylum claims abroad - but mr howard said labour had proposed the idea too. the commons questions session again saw the leaders of the two biggest parties shape up for the forthcoming election campaign. the tories have promised £4bn in tax cuts but have yet to say where they will fall. mr howard pointed to the institute for fiscal studies predictions that labour will need to increase taxes to cover an £11bn gap in its spending plans. he accused ministers of wasting money on unsuccessful attempts to curb bad behaviour and truancy in schools and on slow asylum processing. it was no good mr blair claiming tax pledges were being left to the manifesto as he had given one to mps on tuesday about the top rate of income tax argued mr howard. pointing to national insurance he added: everyone knows tax will go up under labour: isn t it now clear which tax it would be mr blair instead hailed labour s achievement in using a strong economy to invest in public services. when we have money not only going into extra teachers and nurses but equipment in schools and hospitals that money is not wasted he said. on the tax questions he added: we will make commitments on tax at the time of the manifesto. home secretary charles clarke this week published plans for | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
kilroy-silk quits shameful ukip ex-chat show host robert kilroy-silk has quit the uk independence party and accused it of betraying its supporters. the mep said he was ashamed to have joined the party which he labelled as a joke . he plans to stand in the next general election but refused to confirm he is setting up a new political party called veritas - latin for truth. ukip leader roger knapman said he would break open the champagne adding: it was nice knowing him now goodbye . however he did say the ex-chat show host had been quite useful initially . he has remarkable ability to influence people but sadly after the (european) election it became clear that he was more interested in the robert kilroy-silk party than the uk independence party so it was nice knowing him now goodbye mr knapman told bbc radio 4 s today programme. mr knapman rejected the idea mr kilroy-silk posed a threat to ukip and queried why he had failed to confirm rumours he was starting a new political party. mr kilroy-silk explained his reasons to his east midlands constituents at a meeting in hinckley leicestershire. his decision came as ukip officials began a process which could have triggered mr kilroy-silk s expulsion. it marks the end of his membership of ukip after just nine months. it began with a flood of publicity which helped ukip into third place in last june s european elections but became dominated by rancour as he tried to take over the party leadership. mr kilroy-silk accused his fellow ukip meps of being content with growing fat sitting on their backsides in brussels. he told bbc news 24: i tried to change the party i nagged all the way through the summer to do things to get moving | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
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 blair. a private meeting on monday saw normally loyal mps warn that feuding could jeopardise their election hopes. it follows a new book charting disputes between prime minister and chancellor. the event was the first time mr milburn has shared a platform with the chancellor since taking mr brown s traditional poll planning role. but the pair chatted amicably and mr brown insisted he was happy with his current campaign task. asked about how he would deal with claims that he did not trust the prime minister mr brown replied: you can see that our record on the economy is about the british people trusting us to run the economy. he refused to comment on the new book saying nobody should be distracted from the business of government. mr brown later told reporters: of course i trust the prime minister. downing street cited that comment when reporters suggested mr brown had pointedly failed to deny claims he had once told mr blair: there is nothing you could ever say to me now that i could ever believe . labour s new posters say britain is enjoying the lowest inflation since the 1960s lowest unemployment for 29 years and the lowest mortgage rates for 40 years. they urge voters not to let the tories take things backwards. mr milburn promised a poll campaign which is upbeat confident and above all else optimistic about the future of our country . conservative co-chairman liam fox derided | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
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-related regeneration schemes a pile of pants . the mp for ealing north claimed the legislation would encourage a mafia-like culture of vice and corruption in an interview on bbc radio 4. you look at some of the people who are involved...they aren t in there to regenerate blackpool. they are in it to fill their boots mr pound told the today programme. i just really think that we have made a terrible mistake here. and over all of it hangs the shadow of the men in the chalk-stripe suits with names that rhyme with spaghetti he said. 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 culture secretary said a four year consultation period had produced a consensus on the need to protect children and the vulnerable in a swiftly changing sector. ms jowell insisted: we have a good track record for extracting planning gain in this country for instance in social housing. and continued: we can be proud to have one of the lowest rates of problem gambling in the world. i intend to keep it that way. ms jowell will set out her position when the bill is debated in the commons on monday. in prime minister s questions last week tony blair assured parliament that 90% of the bill was about tightening up the regulation of the gambling industry. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
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 worried it could be scuppered if as tony blair and ruth kelly have suggested gcses and a-levels stay. sir mike tomlinson himself was briefed only this week. 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. but the government was said to be still rewriting its response on friday. it will be a tragedy if the government comes through with a half-hearted response said the chairman of the commons education select committee labour mp barry sheerman. his main concern was the reports that there would be a diploma - but only to replace existing vocational qualifications. we must tackle head-on the structural mess that is our secondary education system he wrote in the times educational supplement. it is not the case that the academic stream in secondary is fine while the vocational route is desperately weak. the qualifications and curriculum authority (qca) has also told the government not to compromise . the qca said the potential step-change in participation and attainment lay in the integrity of the whole diploma. any partial implementation of the proposals would in our view compromise that integrity said its chairman sir anthony greener. it is a sign of the qca s concern that its advice went to ministers last december but was publicised only recently. but people understand that a white paper response is government policy and has | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
labour plans maternity pay rise maternity pay for new mothers is to rise by £1 400 as part of new proposals announced by the trade and industry secretary patricia hewitt. it would mean paid leave would be increased to nine months by 2007 ms hewitt told gmtv s sunday programme. other plans include letting maternity pay be given to fathers and extending rights to parents of older children. the tories dismissed the maternity pay plan as desperate while the liberal democrats said it was misdirected. ms hewitt said: we have already doubled the length of maternity pay it was 13 weeks when we were elected we have already taken it up to 26 weeks. we are going to extend the pay to nine months by 2007 and the aim is to get it right up to the full 12 months by the end of the next parliament. she said new mothers were already entitled to 12 months leave but that many women could not take it as only six of those months were paid. we have made a firm commitment. we will definitely extend the maternity pay from the six months where it now is to nine months that s the extra £1 400. she said ministers would consult on other proposals that could see fathers being allowed to take some of their partner s maternity pay or leave period or extending the rights of flexible working to carers or parents of older children. the shadow secretary of state for the family theresa may said: these plans were announced by gordon brown in his pre-budget review in december and tony blair is now recycling it in his desperate bid to win back women voters. she said the conservatives would announce their proposals closer to the general election. liberal democrat spokeswoman | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
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 chancellor would meet his fiscal rules. he was speaking as sir digby jones cbi director general warned mr brown not to be tempted to use any extra cash on pre-election bribes. mr balls who stepped down from his treasury post to stand as a labour candidate in the election had suggested that mr brown would meet his golden economic rule - with a margin to spare . he said he hoped more would be done to build on current tax credit rules. he also stressed rise in interest rates ahead of an expected may election would not affect the labour party s chances of winning. expectations of a rate rise have gathered pace after figures showed house prices are still rising. consumer borrowing rose at a near-record pace in january. if the mpc (the bank of england s monetary policy committee) were to judge that a rate rise was justified before the election because of the strength of the economy - and i m not predicting that they will - i do not believe that this will be a big election issue in britain for labour he told a parliamentary lunch. this is a big change in our political culture. 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. i don t think we ll see a pre-election spending spree - we certainly did not see | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
whitehall cuts ahead of target thousands of civil service jobs have already been cut or moved out of london as part of a major cost-cutting drive. chancellor gordon brown said 12 500 jobs had gone while 7 800 were being moved out of the south east. he plans to axe 104 000 jobs to free up money for education health defence housing and overseas aid. unions oppose the plans but mr brown said £2bn savings had already been made and more jobs had been cut than had been expected at this stage. a further 200 jobs at the department of the environment food and rural affairs have been earmarked to be cut. at the department for work and pensions 30 000 jobs are to go 560 will be lost by the end of the month at the department of trade and industry and 400 are to go at the inland revenue and customs. in his budget statement the chancellor said the first 12 500 civil service jobs had been cut on target. about 4 300 civil servants will leave london and the south east by the end of march 2005 and there are plans to relocate another 3 500. of those 300 department of health posts will go to yorkshire while hundreds at the department of culture will move to birmingham and newcastle. mr brown also announced plans to merge 35 agencies into nine - described by one civil service union as a bonfire of the quangos . mark serwotka the leader of the public and commercial services union said: in last year s budget we had the day of the long knifes as the chancellor kicked off the crude game of who could cut the most civil service jobs between the government and the tories. there was a time | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
ukip candidate suspended eurosceptic party ukip have suspended a candidate for allegedly suggesting the criminally insane should be killed. john houston 54 was due to stand in the east kilbride seat in lanarkshire at the next election. but he was suspended after his reported views including the return of the british empire were sent to two scottish newspapers. ukip spokesman mark croucher said those who selected mr houston knew nothing of his views. the episode comes at a difficult time for ukip soon after the high-profile departure of mep robert kilroy-silk. mr houston is alleged to have said that the organs of the criminally insane should be made available to law-abiding members of the community and proposed the legalisation of drugs and the sex trade. the document reportedly said: we re looking for the resurrection of the british empire. the problems for the human race - environmental and others - can only be dealt with on a global scale and that calls for a radical alliance of the english-speaking nations which they are uniquely able to do. mr croucher said the main issue would be that mr houston s reported views had been presented as ukip policy which they were not. he said they might have been submissions to a committee working on the party s manifesto but would not have been matched to mr houston when he was standing to become a candidate. he told bbc news: he appears to have said these things. we have suspended him as a member and as a candidate. by all accounts none of this was mentioned at his selection meeting. it is simply a distraction from the task in hand the eu constitution not individual idiocies. mr houston was quoted in the herald newspaper saying: i feel ukip have over-reacted and overshot | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
cabinet anger at brown cash raid ministers are unhappy about plans to use whitehall cash to keep council tax bills down local government minister nick raynsford has acknowledged. gordon brown reallocated £512m from central to local government budgets in his pre-budget report on thursday. mr raynsford said he had held some pretty frank discussions with fellow ministers over the plans. but he said local governments had to deliver good services without big council tax rises. the central government cash is part of a £1bn package to help local authorities in england keep next year s council tax rises below 5% in what is likely to be a general election year. mr raynsford said nearly all central government departments had an interest in well run local authorities. and he confirmed rows over the issue with ministerial colleagues. obviously we had some pretty frank discussions about this he told bbc radio 4 s the world at one. but he said there was a recognition that a good settlement for local government was important to health education and other government departments . ministers had to be sure local government could deliver without unreasonable council tax increases he added. mr raynsford dismissed a suggestion the move was designed to keep council taxes down ahead of an expected general election. this is a response to the concerns that have been voiced by local government about the pressures they face. mr raynsford also plans to make savings of £100m by making changes to local government pensions schemes. these would raise the age from which retiring workers could claim their pensions and limit how much they received if they retired early. he insisted the changes were very modest and designed to tackle the problem of workers retiring very early . but general secretary of the public services | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
us casino tricks face ban in uk controversial new uk casinos will be banned from using american tricks of the trade to ensure they are socially responsible it has been suggested. culture secretary tessa jowell said proposed super-casinos will be different from their us counterparts. in america pheromones have reportedly been released from machines to encourage aggressive gambling and clocks are often removed from walls. eight super-casinos are proposed from 2010 if the gambling bill becomes law. ms jowell said the legislation would ban psychological trickery. she told the times: british casinos will be quite different to those overseas. they will have to act in a socially responsible way and will be tightly regulated. they will be run according to british rules and we ll simply not allow any tricks which people are subjected to unawares and which increase the risk of problem gambling. one tactic used in the us is simulating daylight during night-time to lull players into remaining at the tables and slot machines. casinos also frequently offer free food drink and hotel accommodation to keep punters betting. a spokesman for the british casino association which represents the uk industry said the government was trying to allay fears over a uk las vegas . he said the way the licences were being awarded meant uk firms were at a massive disadvantage and foreign companies would be certain to win the contracts. the uk industry is one of the world s most respected he said. we have the lowest level of problem gambling in the world. we certainly don t use pheremones. the uk gambling industry is being totally frozen in time and the foreign companies will take over. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
kilroy launches veritas party ex-bbc chat show host and east midlands mep robert kilroy-silk said he wanted to change the face of british politics as he launched his new party. mr kilroy-silk who recently quit the uk independence party said our country was being stolen from us by mass immigration. he told a london news conference that veritas - latin for truth - would avoid the old parties lies and spin . ukip leader roger knapman says he is glad to see the back of mr kilroy-silk. mr kilroy-silk promised a firm but fair policy on immigration and said they hoped to contest most seats at the forthcoming general election. he said veritas would also announce detailed policies on crime tax pensions health and defence over the next few weeks. labour campaign spokesman fraser kemp said veritas was joining an already crowded field on the right of british politics . on thursday mr kilroy-silk is due to announce which constituency he will run in at the next general election - that will come amid speculation he has his sights set on defence secretary geoff hoon s ashfield seat. he was joined in the new venture by one of ukip s two london assembly members damien hockney who is now veritas deputy leader. ukip s chairman petrina holdsworth has said the group will just be a parody of the party the men have left. mr kilroy-silk quit ukip last week after months of tension as he vied unsuccessfully for the leadership of that party. he said he was ashamed to be a member of a ukip whose leadership had gone awol after the great opportunity offered by its third place at last june s european elections. while ukip has turned its back on the british people i shall not he said. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
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 gateshead. a bid to overturn the law banning hunting with dogs in england and wales has begun in the court of appeal. the ban comes into force on 18 february. the court of appeal is expected to rule early next week on whether the alliance s challenge has succeeded. richard dodd regional director of the countryside alliance said he expected between 2 000 and 4 000 supporters in tyneside to make their protest with hunt horns and placards. campaigners have been asked not to bring any animals or alcohol. mr dodd said he did not believe there would be any repeat of the trouble which marred the pro-hunt demonstration outside parliament in september. we are holding a static demonstration just to remind labour that we are not going away he said. northumbria police said the pedestrian millennium bridge by the demonstration site will be shut if necessary. but assistant chief constable david warcup has liaised with several protest groups and said all negotiations had gone well. fathers 4 justice pensioners rights activists and stop the war campaigners were also expected to demonstrate during the three-day conference which starts on friday. pro-hunt campaigners claims the 1949 parliament act - which extends the right of the house of commons to overrule the house of lords - was itself invalid because it was never passed by peers. the high court last month ruled the act was valid and the proposed hunting ban was lawful. pro-hunt supporters formally launched | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
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 regulations - due to be introduced in weeks - which would raise the pension age for council workers from 60 to 65. up to 1.4m workers could take part in a strike already earmarked for 23 march. however all sides are anxious to avoid a major confrontation in the run up to the general election said bbc labour affairs correspondent stephen cape. in four days britain s biggest union unison will start balloting 800 000 local government workers on strikes. other public sector unions have pledged to follow. it is just weeks before new regulations are introduced to raise the pension age of local government workers. the five unions meeting mr prescott want the government to withdraw these regulations. this would allow months of tough negotiations to follow said our correspondent. but a spokesman for mr prescott warned that the changes to the local government pension scheme would have to go ahead in april. privately ministers believe this will be the less painful option our correspondent added. the public and commercial services union (pcs) will co-ordinate any industrial action with up to six other public sector unions. pcs leader mark serwotka warned last week that there could be further walkouts unless there was a government rethink. for a government that lectures everyone on choice - choice on public service choice on this and choice on that - isn t it ironic that they re saying to public sector workers there is no choice he said. if you want the pension | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
mps murder sentence concern murder sentences should not be reduced automatically simply because of a guilty plea says a new mps report. the influential commons home affairs committee was responding to sentencing guidelines issued this summer. the mps also call for tougher sentences for crimes committed under the influence of drink or drugs. they say the influence of drugs and alcohol should be introduced as an aggravating factor when judges and magistrates sentence offenders. committee chairman john denham said drugs of alcohol were sometimes used as an excuse. the committee believes that these arguments should be rejected by sentencers and that being under their influence should instead be an aggravating factor. at present judges when sentencing murderers to the mandatory life sentence can reduce the tariff - the minimum term they must serve - if the defendant pleads guilty. but although they are spared the ordeal of a trial many murder victims relatives are unhappy. in july this year amanda champion s killer james ford pleaded guilty to her murder and was jailed for at least 15 years - it would have been longer had he denied the charge. amanda s uncle lewis champion told the bbc news website ford did not deserve any credit for his plea saying: nothing at all is worth taking five years off a murder sentence. mps criticised home secretary david blunkett last year for introducing last-minute rules allowing reduced sentences for murderers who pleaded guilty. the measures passed into law virtually unnoticed after mr blunkett introduced them at a late stage of the criminal justice bill. as a result says the committee the government may need to re-legislate to remove ambiguity over how murderers should be sentenced. it is also calling on the senior judge in england and wales lord woolf to abandon draft | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
whitehall shredding increasing - tories civil servants have drastically stepped up the shredding of official documents figures compiled by the tories suggest. some government departments had doubled the number of documents being shredded ahead of the freedom of information act s implementation on 1 january. departments for defence environment and trade which had all increased file destruction said they were following rules governing public records. but the tories want the information commissioner to investigate. the freedom of information act will for the first time give members of the public access to government records previously kept secret for 30 years. but bbc political correspondent james hardy said the prospect of outsiders poking their noses into the inner workings of whitehall appeared to be causing jitters among the mandarins. liberal democrat alan beith - who chairs the select committee which monitors the department of constitutional affairs - said if the claims were true whitehall was acting entirely against the spirit of the new act . both the information commissioner and the select committee will have to keep this issue under very close scrutiny. fellow lib dem norman baker said the episode painted an unflattering picture of the inner workings of government . it is clear that the government s initial enthusiasm for open government has turned to self-serving cynicism. dr julian lewis the conservative spokesman for the cabinet office said he had discovered a huge acceleration in shredding from a series of parliamentary answers. the department of work and pensions destroyed nearly 37 000 files last year - up 22 000 on four years ago when the act was passed. the number of files destroyed by the ministry of defence and the departments of environment food and rural affairs and trade and industry has also risen dramatically. dr lewis has called for | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
tories pledge free sports lessons children would be offered two hours free sports training a week by a future tory government the party has said. the club2school policy would provide up to £250m yearly for local sports clubs in the uk to deliver after-school sport. the extra coaching would be funded by the national lottery and would come on top of the two hours of sport a week children are supposed to get in school. shadow home secretary david davis said five million children were being denied adequate sporting opportunities. the plans would help tackle the fastest growing rate of obesity in the developed world he said. shadow sports minister lord moynihan said the policy would empower local clubs and create a lasting legacy. we aim to shift the emphasis on after-school sport provision away from our overstretched teachers and schools directly in to the 151 000 sports clubs in the uk. the tories say labour s plans to give all children two hours of sports lessons a week in schools have failed. government figures show that in england in 2002 only a third of schools at key stages 1 3 and 4 and two-fifths of schools at key stage 2 met that target. the tories also claim that of the £750m the prime minister pledged in 2000 to invest on school sports facilities only £41m had been spent. but the big lottery fund has said that complex capital projects are involved - and it was confident the money would all be allocated by next year as intended. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
mps demand budget leak answers ministers have been asked to explain how budget details were printed in a london newspaper half an hour before gordon brown made his speech. the tories said a large chunk of the budget appeared to have been leaked in what they describe as a serious breach of treasury confidentiality . the lib dems called for commons leader peter hain to make a statement and said chancellors had resigned over leaks. they were told it would be brought to speaker michael martin s attention. in the commons tory frontbencher andrew tyrie mp demanded an immediate ministerial statement about how measures had been clearly or at least apparently leaked to the evening standard . raising a point of order he said it was the latest in a long line of discourtesies to this house as well as a breach of confidentiality. he said: i can only hope it is unintentional. if it were planned it would be a very grave matter indeed. a previous labour chancellor resigned after he leaked the budget. hugh dalton resigned after leaking details of his 1947 budget to journalist john carvel who published them in a london newspaper just minutes before they were announced to the house of commons. liberal democrat david laws said it was a very serious matter and said mr hain should make a statement on thursday. deputy speaker sylvia heal agreed it was of concern but said nothing could be done immediately but the issue would be brought to mr martin s attention. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
blair stresses prosperity goals tony blair says his party s next manifesto will be unremittingly new labour and aimed at producing personal prosperity for all . the prime minister is trying to draw a line under speculation over the state of his relationship with gordon brown with the speech in chatham kent. he is saying that prosperity means both individual wealth and ensuring radically improved public services. he is also claiming labour is more ideologically united than ever. mr brown is currently touring africa after a week of facing questions about reports of his splits with downing street. with the election widely predicted for may angry labour mps this week warned mr blair and mr brown about the dangers of disunity. now mr blair is trying to put the focus on the substance of labour s platform for a third term in government. labour made low inflation unemployment and mortgage rates the centrepiece of a new poster campaign this week. and on thursday mr blair is saying: i want to talk about the central purpose ofnew labour - which is to increase personal prosperity and well-being not justfor a few but for all. by prosperity i mean both the income and wealth of individuals and theirfamilies and the opportunity and security available to them through radicallyimproved public services and a reformed welfare state. the tories are trying to capitalise on the apparent feud at the top of government. on wednesday they unveiled a poster which pictured the prime minister and mr brown under the words how can they fight crime when they are fighting each other michael howard and frontbencher john redwood on thursday launched new plans to abolish hundreds of quangos. they say government is spending too much and lower taxes are needed to make britain more competitive. the | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
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 portillo makes up to £560 000 a year - partly because of speeches and tv work. ex-health secretary alan milburn earned up to £85 000 from speeches articles and advice while not in the cabinet. mr milburn was away from the frontbench for just more than a year between stepping down as health secretary and becoming labour s election supremo. his declared interests include £20 000 from newspaper articles and fees of up to £35 000 for four speeches. he also commanded a salary of between £25 000 and £35 000 for being on investment company bridgepoint capital s european advisory committee. his time out of office will however have lost him his £71 433 minister s salary. mr hague s work outside parliament included two one-man shows which with other speaking fees netted him up to £480 000. he also earned up to £195 000 for a weekly column in the news of the world and between £5 000 and £10 000 for presenting bbc 2 s have i got news for you. 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. former defence secretary michael portillo makes some of his money as a non-executive director of bae systems. he is to stand down as an mp at the next election. and former foreign secretary robin cook was paid between £45 001 and £50 | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
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