premise
stringlengths 23
2.37k
| entailment
int64 0
1
| dataset
stringclasses 8
values | hypothesis
stringclasses 1
value | validated_label
int64 0
1
| validation_source
stringclasses 1
value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
iraq advice claim sparks new row the tories say ministers must respond in parliament to claims that the legal advice used to justify the iraq war was drawn up at number 10. downing street has denied the claims made in a new book about the attorney general lord goldsmith s advice. lord goldsmith also denied them saying he was not leaned on in any way. but the conservatives and liberal democrats say they want the publication of the full legal advice given by the attorney general. the government has consistently refused to publish lord goldsmith s advice on the legality of the war - saying such papers have always been kept confidential. but a short statement about lord goldsmith s position was presented in a written parliamentary answer on 17 march 2003 - just before a crucial commons vote on the military action. it said it was plain iraq continued to be in material breach of un resolution 1441. in his new book lawless world philippe sands a qc and international law professor suggests the parliamentary answer was written in downing street. according to mr sands lord goldsmith had warned tony blair in a document on 7 march 2003 that the use of force against iraq could be illegal and that it would have been safer to seek a second un resolution sanctioning military action. mr sands told newsnight the government had prepared a legal team to be able to defend its case in case legal action was taken against the uk over the war. on 10 march military chiefs reportedly asked for an unequivocal statement about the legality of the war to make sure troops could be defended in a court of law. the book being serialised in the guardian newspaper says on 13 march lord goldsmith met then | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
ministers deny care sums wrong ministers have insisted they are committed to free personal care for the elderly despite research suggesting the cost of the policy was under-estimated. a report by the fraser of allander institute says the decision to push ahead with the flagship policy was based on flawed research. deputy health minister rhona brankin has pledged to study the research. snp holyrood leader nicola sturgeon said the public needed reassurance that the care programme was secure. the rise in costs stems from a series of mistakes in the research used by the care development group of scottish executive experts who prepared the original costings according to findings published in the quarterly economic commentary of strathclyde university s fraser of allander institute. dubious assumptions about improving health expectancy could drive the cost of the policy up by another £130m by 2022 the report warned. it was carried out by husband and wife economist team jim and margaret cuthbert. but ms brankin told bbc radio scotland: we don t think we got our sums wrong. obviously we will examine the findings of this new report along with figures from our own research that we have already commissioned. we will look in great detail at any contribution to this because we need to be sure we can provide free personal care and nursing care for our older people into the future. and we are absolutely committed to doing that. but the scottish national party called on ministers to reassure people that enough funding is in place to support the free personal care policy. ms sturgeon said that while she had no reason to doubt the executive s support for the policy there were questions which needed to be answered and if necessary sums redone. she said: serious concerns have been raised | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
tory stalking horse meyer dies sir anthony meyer the tory backbencher who challenged margaret thatcher for the party leadership in 1989 has died. he was 84 had been suffering from cancer for many months and died at his london home. that failed stalking horse leadership challenge made it easier for michael heseltine to mount his own bid. that in turn paved the way for john major to move into 10 downing street after the second ballot. meyer s constituency party clwyd north west which he had represented as an mp for more than 20 years deselected him as a result of that challenge. sir anthony john charles meyer was born on 27 october 1920. educated at eton and at new college oxford he served in the scots guards from 1941 to 1945 and was wounded in tanks in normandy. he worked under edward heath on europe at the foreign office and subsequently won the eton and slough seat for the tories in 1964 - by 11 votes. labour regained the seat two years later and meyer had to wait until 1970 before he could re-enter parliament. his prospects of a front bench slot remained remote because he tended to defy the party line. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
brown outlines third term vision gordon brown has outlined what he thinks should be the key themes of new labour s next general election bid. he said ensuring every child in britain had the best start in life could be a legacy to match the nhs s creation. the chancellor has previously planned the party s election strategy but this time the role will be filled by alan milburn - a key ally of tony blair. the premier insisted mr brown will have a key role in labour s campaign and praised his handling of the economy. writing in the guardian newspaper mr brown outlined his view of the direction new labour should be taking. as our manifesto and our programme for the coming decade should make clear labour s ambition is not simply tackling idleness but delivering full employment; not just attacking ignorance disease and squalor but promoting lifelong education good health and sustainable communities. bbc political editor andrew marr said that mr brown s article was a warning shot to mr blair not to try and cut him out of the manifesto writing process. it was as always coded and careful... but entirely deliberate was mr marr s assessment. the prime minister was asked about mr brown s article and about his election role when he appeared on bbc radio 4 s today programme. mr blair said a decision had yet to be taken over how the election would be run but the chancellor s role would be central . mr blair argued that under new labour the country had changed for the better and that was in part because of mr brown s management of the economy. and he pledged childcare would be a centrepiece of labour s manifesto. he also predicted the next general election will | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
howard s unfinished business he s not finished yet whispered the conservative party person as your reporter attempted to slip quietly from the hall. and indeed he wasn t. michael howard had already broken away from the printed text of his speech at his party s spring conference in brighton to deliver a smart rebuff to peter hain s description of him as an attack mongrel claiming such personal abuse meant labour was rattled by the tory challenge. and here he was again moving to the front of the stage as the party faithful rose to their feet in applause to make a personal ad-libbed appeal to them to go out and fight for victory. one day you will be able to tell your children and grandchildren as i will tell mine i was there. i did my bit. i played my part. i helped to win that famous election - the election that transformed our country for the better . the speech which was peppered with references to mr howard s humble beginnings as the child of immigrants had been introduced by his son nick a trainee vicar who praised his father s honesty. i always know where i am with him because all my life he has meant what he has said to me he said. mr howard was also joined on stage by his wife sandra daughter larissa and stepson sholto. the audience s reaction to all of this was a little muted by party conference standards. but mr howard s overall message - that the tories have labour on the run and that they can win the next election - did not sound quite as hollow as it might have done six months ago. mr howard claimed with some justification that the tories campaign has got | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
faith schools citizenship warning schools must improve the quality of citizenship lessons - or social cohesion and democracy will suffer says the education watchdog. independent faith schools were singled out by ofsted chief david bell for not doing enough to promote the wider tenets of british society . mr bell said muslim jewish and evangelical christian schools must be intolerant of intolerance . diversity certainly must not mean segregated or separate he said. mr bell s speech called for a much greater effort in all types of schools to teach citizenship - with an accompanying survey showing that young people knew little about politics and had no enthusiasm to find out more. badly-taught citizenship lessons have previously been criticised by mr bell and in a speech to the hansard society he warned that it was failing to pass on an understanding of democracy public service and shared values. he highlighted his particular concern for citizenship in the growing number of independent faith schools - which he said included about 100 muslim 100 evangelical christian and 50 jewish schools. mr bell expressed concern about schools which did not teach children enough about a common heritage and needed to do more to promote principles of mutual tolerance and social inclusion. i worry that many young people are being educated in faith-based schools with little appreciation of their wider responsibilities and obligations to british society said mr bell. the ofsted chief said his forthcoming annual report would make particular reference to muslim schools. many must adapt their curriculum to ensure that it provides pupils with a broad general knowledge of public institutions and services in england and helps them to acquire an appreciation of and respect for other cultures in a way that promotes tolerance and harmony. mr bell said such questions of | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
parties plans for council tax anger at council tax rises spilled over into mass protests in 2003 when the average english bill rose 12.9%. pensioners protests spread - some marched others simply refused to pay the increase. some such as 83-year-old elizabeth winkfield said they would rather go to jail. the audit commission found the whole local government finance system was fundamentally flawed and all three of the main parties have said the system has to change. labour says it wants to retain the property-based tax but reform it to make it fairer and says there is scope for councils to become more efficient. they say they are already helping pensioners with council tax bills with a £100 lump sum for the over-70s and last year the government capped some local councils budgets to keep demands down. deputy prime minister john prescott has said the current system is not sustainable in the long term and said there would be radical reform . the party says this year s increases will be the lowest in a decade. a report last year looked at increasing the number of council tax bands and other forms of local taxation such as reformed business rates although no decisions have been made. an independent inquiry into its findings the lyons review is due to report back at the end of 2005. the tories have promised a reduction on bills for pensioners who they say have been hardest hit by year-on-year increases in council tax. they say they can save £4bn on government waste of which £1.3bn could be used to cut pensioners bills by an average of £340. it would not be means tested say the tories because that would create more bureaucracy and could discourage people from saving for their retirement. instead households where council | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
at a glance: tory health checks the uk opposition conservatives have unveiled plans to introduce health checks for immigrants if they win the general election. here s a guide to the plan: people coming to live and work in britain from outside the eu. if they plan to stay six months or more and are from a country with lots of tb they would have to have a chest x-ray and further tests if appropriate. all people from outside the european union who want to stay a year or more will have to undergo a full medical. tuberculosis hepatitis b and hiv. a positive test for tb would automatically mean visa applications being turned down. all other conditions would be dealt with on a case by case basis. people would have to prove they have an acceptable standard of health and are unlikely to be a danger to public health in the uk or impose significant costs or demands on the nhs. they would also if appropriate have to be able to undertake the work or study they applied to come here for. people coming to britain for less than six months would not be medically tested unless they intended to work in health care childcare or teaching. children and pregnant women wanting to live in britain permanently would not have to have a chest x-ray for tb. under 16s would not face tests for hepatitis and hiv. the tories say people fleeing persecution will not be denied sanctuary in britain because of poor health. however they will undergo health checks to ensure they receive the right medical treatment and do not spread infectious diseases. they claim government figures show that tb in england has increased by 25% over the last 10 years and that nearly two-thirds of people with | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
act on detention ruling uk urged the government must act quickly on the law lords ruling that detention of foreign terror suspects without trial is unlawful mary robinson has said. the former un commissioner for human rights and irish president told radio 4 s today the government s response would be scrutinised internationally. it would be very troubling if the government did not accept the judgement and then work within it she said. home secretary charles clarke has said detainees will not be freed at present. speaking to parliament on his first day in office as home secretary following david blunkett s resignation mr clarke said: i will be asking parliament to renew this legislation in the new year. in the meantime we will be studying the judgement carefully to see whether it is possible to modify our legislation to address the concerns raised by the house of lords. mrs robinson said the law lords ruling was in line with international legal opinion and praised their very decisive eight to one majority. what the law lords did was acknowledge the role of the government but say that there had been a disproportionate use that it amounted to executive detention and it was discriminatory because it didn t apply to british citizens she said. mrs robinson warned that a lack of action by the british government could lead to further action in legal arenas such as the european court of human rights in strasbourg. if the government were not to accept this ruling then there is further redress including possible damages for the individuals who could claim that the government either was tardy or was resisting the implications of the judgement of the law lords. she said a meeting of the club of madrid - a group of former world leaders | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
watchdog probes e-mail deletions the information commissioner says he is urgently asking for details of cabinet office orders telling staff to delete e-mails more than three months old. richard thomas totally condemned the deletion of e-mails to prevent their disclosure under freedom of information laws coming into force on 1 january. government guidance said e-mails should only be deleted if they served no current purpose mr thomas said. the tories and the lib dems have questioned the timing of the new rules. tory leader michael howard has written to tony blair demanding an explanation of the new rules on e-mail retention. on monday lib dem constitutional affairs committee chairman alan beith warned that the deletion of millions of government e-mails could harm the ability of key probes like the hutton inquiry. the timing of the new rules just before the freedom of information act comes into forces was too unlikely to have been a coincidence mr beith said. but a cabinet office spokeswoman said the move was not about the new laws or the destruction of important records . mr beith urged the information commissioner to look at how the e-mail regime could support the freedom of information regime . mr thomas said: the new act of parliament makes it very clear that to destroy records in order to prevent their disclosure becomes a criminal offence. he said there was already clear guidance on the retention of e-mails contained in a code of practice from the lord chancellor. all e-mails are subject to the freedom of information laws but the important thing was the content of the e-mail said mr thomas. if in doubt retain that has been the long-standing principle of the civil service and public authorities. it s only when you ve got no further use for the | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
petrol duties frozen brown says chancellor gordon brown has announced a freeze on fuel duty in his pre-budget speech to the commons on thursday. mr brown told the house that government policy is to raise fuel duty at least in line with inflation each year to fulfil environmental commitments. but this financial year because of volatility in the oil market he said the duty would be frozen. during 2000 many motorists campaigned against the rises but environmentalists believe less duty means more pollution. he said: it is our policy that each year fuel duties should rise at least in line with inflation as we seek to meet our targets for reducing polluting emmissions and fund our public services. but this financial year because of the sustained volatility in the oil market i propose to match the freeze in car vehicle licence duty with a continuation on the freeze on the main road fuel duties. the rac welcomed the news calling it an early christmas present for motorists. but the organisation urged drivers to continue to shop around to get the best price for petrol. environmental group transport 2000 said the freeze sends the wrong message to motorists. we are concerned that although britain leads the world in rhetoric about climate change it often fails in practical action said a spokesman. in 2000 the people s fuel lobby caused chaos by blocking roads with slow-moving convoys after mr brown threatened to raise fuel taxes. the chancellor did not raise duty that year but despite threats of more protests in 2003 he added 1.28p per litre. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
blair rejects iraq advice calls tony blair has rejected calls for the publication of advice on the legality of the iraq war amid growing calls for an investigation. the prime minister told his monthly press conference the matter had been dealt with by the attorney general. earlier conservative mp michael mates joined calls for a probe into claims lord goldsmith s statement to parliament was drawn up at number 10. mr blair said the statement was a fair summary of lord goldsmith s opinion. that s what he (lord goldsmith) said and that s what i say. he has dealt with this time and time and time again mr blair told his monthly news conference in downing street. he refused to answer further questions on the issue saying it had been dealt with literally scores of times and the position has not changed . lord goldsmith has denied being leaned on and says the words written were his. the government refuses to publish his advice on the legality of the war - saying such papers have always been kept confidential. mr mates who is a member of the commons intelligence and security committee and was part of the butler inquiry into pre-war intelligence told the bbc on friday: that as a general rule is right but it s not an absolute rule. he said there had been other occasions when advice had been published most recently regarding prince charles s marriage plans. the government could not pick and choose when to use the convention he said. mr mates added: we discovered that there were two or three occasions in the past when law officers advice to the government has been published. and this may be one of those special occasions... when it would be in the public interest to see | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
labour chooses manchester the labour party will hold its 2006 autumn conference in manchester and not blackpool it has been confirmed. the much trailed decision was ratified by labour s ruling national executive committee in a break with the traditional choice of a seaside venue. it will be the first time since 1917 that the party has chosen manchester to host the annual event. blackpool will get the much smaller february spring conference instead in what will be seen as a placatory move. for years the main political parties have rotated between blackpool bournemouth and brighton. and the news the much larger annual conference is not to gather in blackpool will be seen as a blow in the coastal resort. in 1998 the party said it would not return to blackpool but did so in 2002. the following year bournemouth hosted the event before the party signed a two year deal for brighton to host the autumn conference. colin asplin blackpool hotel association said: we have tried very hard to make sure they come back to blackpool. obviously we have failed in that. i just hope manchester can handle the crowds. it amazes me that the labour party which is a working class party doesn t want to come to the main working class resort in the country. the exact cost to blackpool in terms of lost revenue for hotel accommodation is not yet known but it is thought that block bookings will be taken at the major manchester hotels after the official announcement. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
blair moves to woo jewish voters tony blair has pledged to never ever ever attack tory leader michael howard over his jewish beliefs. the prime minister told the jewish chronicle: if you look at what i do i attack michael howard politically. mr blair also distanced himself from recent labour campaign posters featuring mr howard which critics claimed were anti-semitic . these were not intended to cause any offence to anyone on the jewish community mr blair insisted. one poster depicted mr howard and his shadow chancellor oliver letwin who is also jewish as flying pigs. another pictured the tory leader swinging a pocket watch on a chain which critics said echoed the jewish money lender shylock in shakespeare s merchant of venice. others compared the image to the character fagin in charles dickens oliver twist. labour has since taken the designs of its website saying members had preferred other designs. during his interview with the jewish chronicle mr blair said: i ve been a very strong supporter of the jewish community and israel and will always be so. pressed on whether he would draw attention to mr howard s jewish beliefs in an attempt to attract muslim support he replied: the idea that i would allow anybody to make such a charge is outrageous. it s untrue. if you look what i do i attack michael howard politically. i would never ever ever attack him on that basis. mr blair also defended his party s attitude towards the jewish community pointing out that it was his government that had introduced the holocaust memorial day. he added that labour also aggressively fought all forms of racism. neither the conservatives nor the liberal democrats wished to comment on mr blair s words. the prime minister was speaking as london s labour | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
tories outlining policing plans local communities would be asked to go to the polls to elect their own area police commissioner under plans unveiled by the conservatives. party leader michael howard said the new role would replace inconspicuous police authorities. he said the new office would not supersede the job of a chief constable. the lib dems said the plan could let extreme groups run policing while labour criticised extravagant tory promises on policing. responding to the plans the chairman of the police federation of england and wales which represents rank and file officers said it was essential operational independence was retained. jan berry said: it is a service not a political football to be kicked around every time an election approaches. these plans could result in those with extreme political views dictating what actually happens on the ground she warned. outlining his crime manifesto mr howard said elected police commissioners would be more accountable than police authorities which are made up of local councillors and magistrates. the commissioner will have the powers which existing police authorities have he told bbc radio 4 s today programme. the trouble is and it s no reflection on the people who are on the police authority - they are good people - but hardly anyone knows who they are. mr howard said the authorities were not providing the local accountability that we want to see and that elected police commissioners would be more visible. critics fear the move could hand control of the police to single-issue campaigners who would ignore the needs of the wider community. lord harris who sits on the executive of association of police authorities said the plans seemed to suggest chief constables should be told what to do by a single politician. that is overturning nearly 200 years of | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
howard dismisses tory tax fears michael howard has dismissed fears from some conservatives that his plans for £4bn tax cuts are too modest. he defended the package saying it was a plan for the tories first budget and he hoped to be able to go further. the tories on monday highlighted £35bn in wasteful spending they would stop to allow tax cuts reduced borrowing and more spending on key services. labour and the liberal democrats say the party s sums do not add up and claim it would cut frontline services. the tory tax plan follows complaints from some of the party s mps that mr howard and shadow chancellor oliver letwin have taken too long to unveil the proposals. now they have promised a figure but have yet to reveal which taxes would be targeted. tory backbencher edward leigh said the proposals were a step in the right direction but he told the financial times: i would come up sooner with much greater tax cuts. interviewed on bbc radio 2 s jeremy vine show mr howard said: it is perfectly true that i am being attacked on one side by people who think we ought to be promising much much bigger tax cuts and spending cuts. on the other side there are people who say we won t be able to achieve these tax cuts. i think we have got it about right. 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. he added: i would like to be able to do more and over time i am sure we will be able to do more but at the start we have got to recognise there is a limit to | 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 has said he wants 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 was 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. and he announced the party would be holding a leadership election. on thursday he 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 announced his decision to quit ukip at a public meeting in hinckley leicestershire last week. it came 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 | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
blair up for it ahead of poll tony blair says his personal standing in the eyes of voters will be an issue in the general election. the prime minister said he was up for it as the country waits to go to the polls possibly in a matter of weeks. he told the observer government life was a constant barrage of attack but said he would not stay in charge if he felt unable to contribute. mr blair also spoke of meeting many people across the country with concerns about the compensation culture. he said britain was in danger of needless panic over public safety issues. speaking amid a flurry of pre-election campaigning the prime minister said: i am an issue i always will be. whoever is the prime minister will be. he added: if you are afraid to take criticism you should go and do another job. asked if he would quit as leader if he felt like a liability to labour he said: it s important always not to do the job unless you feel you have something to contribute. whether he still had something to offer he said was a judgement for people to make. mr blair s assessment is likely to be seen as a signal that replacing him would not bring an upsurge in fortunes for the labour administration. his comments come as the co-chairman of the conservative party liam fox on saturday called him a disappointment of historic proportions as a prime minister. mr blair said he had learned from a series of at times tough encounters with members of the public during question and answer sessions across the country in recent weeks. he pledged to clamp down on britain s growing compensation culture which has brought concerns that doctors teachers and other professionals | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
retirement age could be scrapped the myth that ageing is a barrier to contributing to society needs to be exploded the work and pensions minister has said. this was why the government was considering scrapping the retirement age entirely alan johnson said. it was also committed to stamping out age discrimination and would outlaw it he told a conference on ageing. all three parties have been wooing older voters with both the tories and lib dems pledging higher pensions. mr johnson told age concern s age agenda in london the government was seriously considering introducing pensions based on residency rather than national insurance contributions. this idea has been adopted by the lib dems as policy while the tories have pledged to boost pensions by restoring the link between earnings and pensions. mr johnson s speech comes after he last week unveiled plans to find a consensus on how to reform the country s pension system. this would be based on a series of principles including tackling pensioner poverty and fairer pensions for women he said. speaking at the london conference he said: generalised stereotypes of people past state pension age as dependant incapable and vulnerable are a particularly pernicious form of age discrimination . the government wanted to tackle this by moving to a culture where retirement ages were increasingly consigned to the past . we re sweeping them away entirely for people under 65 and we re giving those above that age a right to request to work past 65 which their employers will have to engage with seriously. and the review in 2011 which will look at whether it is time to sweep retirement ages away entirely is to be tied to evidence ... showing that retirement ages are increasingly outmoded . mr johnson said his department had | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
brown s poll campaign move denied the government has denied reports that gordon brown is preparing to oust alan milburn as labour s election supremo. work and pensions minister alan johnson said it was wrong to suggest the chancellor would usurp mr milburn adding they would work as a team . a report in the sunday business claimed mr brown has been asked to take charge of media strategy while mr milburn would move to a behind-the-scenes role. labour has always maintained mr brown would have a central campaign role. but many labour backbenchers are said to be dissatisfied with the way election campaigning has gone and have said they wanted to see the chancellor take a bigger role. some commentators say the tories have grasped the initiative putting labour on the back foot having to respond to conservative policy announcements. these claims follow various opinion polls which suggest the tories have been gaining on labour. party strategists are believed to want to bring mr brown to centre-stage having seen support rise in private polling after his budget last week. but another report in the sunday telegraph claims mr milburn is unwilling to allow any new role for the chancellor to come at his expense. mr johnson told bbc news: gordon brown will play a central role in any election campaign. they were wrong when they said milburn was ousting brown and they re wrong now if they are saying brown is ousting milburn. we work as a team. mr milburn has repeatedly said the chancellor was key to the campaign and dismissed claims of a rift. neither downing street nor the labour party would comment directly on the reports. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
guantanamo four free in weeks all four britons held by the us in guantanamo bay will be returned to the uk within weeks foreign secretary jack straw told the commons on tuesday. moazzam begg from birmingham and martin mubanga richard belmar and feroz abbasi from london have been held by the us for almost three years. they were detained in the cuban camp as part of the us-led war on terror . mr straw said the us had agreed to release the four after intensive and complex discussions over security. he said the government had been negotiating the return of the detainees since 2003. all four families have been informed of their return and have been involved in regular discussions with the government mr straw said. but he added: once they are back in the uk the police will consider whether to arrest them under the terrorism act 2000 for questioning in connection with possible terrorist activity. the shadow foreign secretary michael ancram welcomed the return of the four detainees. but he said there were still serious questions both over the possible threat the four pose to the uk and the treatment they received while detained. liberal democrat foreign affairs spokesman sir menzies campbell said the four had been rescued from a legal no-man s land . their civil rights were systematically and deliberately abused and they were denied due process. azmat begg father of moazzam thanked his lawyers and the british people for the support he had received while campaigning for his son s release. he added: if they have done something wrong of course they should be punished but if they haven t they shouldn t have been there. lawyer louise christian who represents mr abbasi and mr mubanga said the government should have acted sooner. she said: | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
super union merger plan touted two of britain s big trade unions could merge to form a super union of two million members. the move by amicus and the transport and general workers union (tgwu) would be a seen as a bid to carry more weight with ministers and employers. amicus has 1.2 million members and the tgwu has 800 000. any merger would have to be approved by the unions executives and their membership. it is understood meetings will be held on wednesday about the proposal. along with the gmb and unison the tgwu and amicus worked closely together in the last year to hammer out a 56-point deal with labour s leadership over equality at work holidays and pensions - the warwick agreement. both unions are remaining tight-lipped about the merger rumours but one insider pointed out to the bbc news website that nobody is denying suggestions a merger could be on the agenda when the two unions executives hold their meetings on wednesday. amicus s executive was due to meet in any case although the tgwu is holding specially scheduled talks. | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
peace demo appeal rejected peace protestors have lost a landmark appeal over police actions in stopping an anti-war demonstration days after the start of the iraq war. they had appealed against a high court decision that it was not unlawful for police to forcibly turn protestors away near raf fairford glos in 2003. the police had also sought to overturn a breach of human rights ruling arising from the same case. sitting on wednesday three appeal court judges dismissed both appeals. they were challenging decisions by two judges in the high court in february this year. it followed action by police when three coachloads of people were searched and detained on the way to raf fairford and forced to return to london under police escort. the demonstrators appealed against a finding by lord justice may and mr justice harrison that it was not unlawful for the police to turn the passengers away. the police were urging lord chief justice and lord justices clarke and rix to overturn the ruling that they had breached the protestors human rights by detaining them in the coaches. craig mackey assistant chief constable of gloucestershire police said: we have always considered that our responses were proportionate and all our decisions on the day were based on intelligence. he said no one on the coaches accepted responsibility for items found on the coaches including body armour a smoke bomb and five shields. given these circumstances and the fact that raf fairford and other military installations in the uk had been the scene of increasingly destructive disorder in the weeks preceding this incident the police commander on the ground made the decision to turn back the coaches. from day one we have vigorously defended this decision which was made out of a genuine concern that if the | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
labour attacked on howard poster labour has been accused of using anti-semitic images in posters which critics claim depict tory leader michael howard as fagin. the poster shows mr howard hypnotising people with a pocket watch saying: i can spend the same money twice. the image prompted concern from the editor of the jewish chronicle but labour insists it is simply anti-tory. labour later took the image off its website saying an alternative idea had proved more popular with party members. the party will now use focus groups to test a poster showing mr howard and shadow chancellor oliver letwin with a blackboard reading: 2+2=5 . the hypnotism poster has been compared to the portrayal of the dickens character fagin in the stage version of the musical oliver! there was controversy over another poster choice offered to labour members. it showed mr howard and mr letwin - who are both jewish - as flying pigs. mr howard did not comment on the anti-semitism claims when asked about the poster on monday. instead he pointed to how tony blair had in 1997 complained about personalised abusive campaigning . mr howard told greater manchester radio: it is such a pity that mr blair doesn t practise what he preaches. jewish chronicle editor ned temko said there had been a mixed reaction to the first poster but e-mails from jewish chronicle readers showed deeper concern about the hypnotism image. shylock and fagin are inextricably linked to notions of centuries-old prejudice he told bbc radio 4 s world at one. whatever the idea is i think it s a difficult exercise to use images like that and to argue that you can divorce them from their historical context or meaning. mr temko said he blamed cock-up not conspiracy saying he did not detect inherent | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
david blunkett in quotes david blunkett - who has resigned as home secretary - built his reputation as a plain-speaking yorkshire man. i fell in love with someone and they wouldn t go public and things started to go very badly wrong in the summer and then the news of the world picked up the story. i tried for three years to make something work. trust plain-speaking and straight talking is something which matters so much to me as a politician and as a man that i have decided of my own volition to request an independent review of the allegations that i misused my position. i don t think anyone can say i have said one thing in public and done another in private. it would be dangerous territory if i wasn t practising what i preach which is to always accept responsibility always accept the consequences of your actions. none of us believe countering terrorism is about party politics. i accepted by necessity we have to have prevention under a new category which is to intervene before the act is committed rather than do so by due process after the act is committed when it s too late he said in reference to new anti-terrorism measures. our work with the french government...has been hugely successful said mr blunkett. the number of illegal immigrants detected in dover has dropped dramatically. strengthening our identity is one way or reinforcing people s confidence and sense of citizenship and well-being. i foolishly thought as this was a celebrity edition it would be more relaxed than normal. you wake up and you receive a phone call - shipman s topped himself. you have just got to think for a minute: is it too early to open a bottle | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
russian ex-spy on hunger strike an ex-russian intelligence officer who risked his life spying for mi6 is entering the seventh week of a hunger strike near 10 downing street. viktor makarov 50 claims he has been betrayed by the british authorities who promised he would live like an average british citizen . but despite a £65 000 settlement four years ago he says he has been denied defector status and a decent pension. other ex-russian spies have been given civil service pensions. hunger strike is a weapon of last resort. it can work only with determination and of course the realisation of the righteousness of your case - without that it will not work mr makarov told the bbc s newsnight programme. since i came to this country two batches of promises have been made and broken one after the other. oleg gordievsky a senior kgb officer who became a secret agent for the british said he was very happy with the way the government have treated him since him since he defected in 1985. commenting on mr makarov s case he said: the british state is not a fat cow - it is impossible to come here and demand give me more money every week. but mr makarov s case has been backed by david kahn - a former yale historian and a leading expert on code-breaking who has confirmed his information was valuable to the western allies. i believe the government of the united kingdom which in that respect was probably the same as most other power authorities - took the information that victor makarov had wrung him dry and left him to hang out in the cold mr kahn said. mr makarov joined the kgb in 1970s russia as an idealistic 20 year-old. one of his fellow | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
blunkett sorry over murder plan david blunkett has apologised to mps after the home office announced prematurely via press release a review of murder laws. the home secretary confirmed the review was to get under way in the wake of a law commission report which branded the current murder law as a mess . he said the review would look at partial defences to murder including provocation and at mandatory sentences. the home office has already said the review will begin next year. on wednesday a home office spokeswoman said the terms of reference for the review had not been established but it was likely to include only england and wales. news of the review was released because it was thought mr blunkett would make the official announcement in a commons debate on wednesday. but the announcement never came with the home secretary saying the debate had never reached that stage. amid opposition anger mr blunkett had to answer an emergency question in parliament on thursday. he said he had taken steps to ensure the incident was not repeated. shadow home secretary david davis welcomed his gracious apology and the review itself. but he argued the minister should have volunteered a formal statement instead of having to be dragged to face mps. in its report the law commission said it had found wide support among criminal justice professionals for an end to the mandatory life sentence for murder. the panel suggested different kinds of murders could be graded to recognise the seriousness of the offence. but the home office said mandatory life sentences would not be abolished and argued courts already had flexibility. the commission an independent body including two judges a senior barrister and sentencing experts had been asked to consider reforms to the defence of provocation in murder | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
howard hits back at mongrel jibe michael howard has said a claim by peter hain that the tory leader is acting like an attack mongrel shows labour is rattled by the opposition. in an upbeat speech to his party s spring conference in brighton he said labour s campaigning tactics proved the tories were hitting home. mr hain made the claim about tory tactics in the anti-terror bill debate. something tells me that someone somewhere out there is just a little bit rattled mr howard said. mr hain leader of the commons told bbc radio four s today programme that mr howard s stance on the government s anti-terrorism legislation was putting the country at risk. he then accused the tory leader of behaving like an attack mongrel and playing opposition for opposition sake . mr howard told his party that labour would do anything say anything claim anything to cling on to office at all costs . so far this year they have compared me to fagin to shylock and to a flying pig. this morning peter hain even called me a mongrel. i don t know about you but something tells me that someone somewhere out there is just a little bit rattled. environment secretary margaret beckett rejected mr howard s comment telling radio 4 s pm programme that labour was not rattled . we have a very real duty to try to get people to focus on michael howard s record what the proposals are that he is trying to put forward to the country and also the many examples we are seeing now of what we believe is really poor judgement on his behalf. mr howard said tory policies on schools taxes immigration and crime were striking a chord with voters. since the beginning of this | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
housing plans criticised by mps irreversible environmental damage will be caused by government plans to build more than one million homes in south-east england mps have warned. sustainable communities were being promoted without a real understanding of what sustainable means the environmental audit committee said. it said issues like energy needs and transport were not properly addressed. deputy prime minister john prescott said the report was completed before new initiatives were announced. he said: we are working across government especially with our colleagues at defra to create cleaner safer and greener communities while protecting and enhancing the environment. the report said there was far too little attention paid to many environmental issues including water even though supplies in parts of the south east are already too low. regulations designed to ensure energy-efficient buildings are too lax and builders routinely flout them anyway it said. financing for improving transport was around one-twentieth of what would be required. the report was a stinging rebuke for the government and especially john prescott s department bbc environment correspondent richard black said. chairman of the environmental audit committee peter ainsworth mp said: the government s housing policy is an alarming example of disjointed thinking in an areas where joined-up policy is crucial. i accept the need to improve housing supply but as things stand the principal beneficiary of housing growth will be property developers with the environment we all depend on being the principal loser. points raised in the report included: - no proposals to further increase housing supply should be taken forward without strong supporting evidence. - the government should recognise shortcomings of the treasury s barker review which said 140 000 new homes a year were needed in britain. - the government should consider a national spatial framework for england such as those | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
probe launched on ken nazi jibe an investigation by the standards board is under way following allegations that ken livingstone has brought his office into disrepute. the probe follows the london mayor s comments to a jewish journalist comparing him to a concentration camp guard after a party about a week ago. the local government watchdog also said the allegation related to a failure to respect others. it has the power to suspend or bar labour s mr livingstone from office. a complaint was made to the body by the board of deputies of british jews and the commission for racial equality. speaking after the investigation was announced bob neill leader of the london assembly conservatives said: he has behaved in a manner unbecoming of his office and in so doing has shown extraordinarily poor civic leadership. his administration is now in crisis. on sunday deputy mayor nicky gavron told the bbc s politics show she believed the mayor of london would say sorry on tuesday for offending the wider jewish community. the prime minister tony blair is among those who have called for an apology but so far the mayor has refused. the mayor accused oliver finegold of the evening standard newspaper of doorstepping him at a predominately gay event held for mp chris smith. ms gavron said she thought mr livingstone s comments were inappropriate but she did not believe the mayor was anti-semitic. she said: i work very closely with ken so i can speak of what he s like in his guarded and unguarded moments and... he is in no way anti-jewish i wouldn t for a moment work with him if he were. on the other hand i think his remarks were inappropriate and i believe it is important and i believe he will come | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
women mps reveal sexist taunts women mps endure shocking levels of sexist abuse at the hands of their male counterparts a new study shows. male mps pretended to juggle imaginary breasts and jeered melons as women made commons speeches researchers from birkbeck college were told. labour s yvette cooper said she found it hard to persuade commons officials she was a minister and not a secretary. some 83 mps gave their answers in 100 hours of taped interviews for the study whose secretary are you minister . the research team under professor joni lovenduski had set out to look at the achievements and experiences of women at westminster. but what emerged was complaints from mps of all parties of sexist barracking in the chamber sexist insults and patronising assumptions about their abilities. barbara follet one of the so-called blair babes elected in 1997 told researchers: i remember some conservatives - whenever a labour woman got up to speak they would take their breasts - imaginary breasts - in their hands and wiggle them and say melons as we spoke. former liberal democrat mp jackie ballard recalled a stream of remarks from a leading mp on topics such as women s legs or their sexual persuasion. and ex-tory education secretary gillian shepherd remembered how one of her male colleagues called all women betty . when i said look you know my name isn t betty he said ah but you re all the same so i call you all betty . harriet harman told researchers of the sheer hostility prompted by her advancement to the cabinet: well you ve only succeeded because you re a woman. another current member of the cabinet says she was told: oh you ve had a very fast rise who have you been sleeping with even | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
blunkett row should end - blair prime minister tony blair said it was time to draw a line under the controversy surrounding david blunkett. the tories and the lib dems have called for a second inquiry into the fast-tracking of a visa application for mr blunkett s ex-lover s nanny. sir alan budd found a chain of events linked mr blunkett to leoncia casalme s indefinite leave to remain application. at the end of his middle east trip mr blair said he still admired mr blunkett and thought his integrity was intact. on tuesday sir alan said the application for leave to remain in the uk made by kimberly quinn s nanny was processed in 52 days 120 days faster than the average. but he could not find evidence to show whether mr blunkett s intervention was intended to give special help for his then lover s nanny - or if he was raising the case as an example of poor departmental performance. in his first comments since sir alan s announcement mr blair told bbc news he had not yet read the report in detail. but told bbc news: as far as i m concerned we have drawn a line under that. asked if mr blunkett could return to frontline politics at some point he replied: i have made my admiration for david very clear and it remains. he s been a tremendous colleague he s done a great job for us first as home secretary then as education secretary. the future is something we will have to approach in the future. the prime minister shrugged off claims from conservative leader michael howard that he led a grubby government . he said mr blunkett s integrity remained intact: he was the person first of all who asked for this | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
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 |
child access law shake-up planned parents who refuse to allow former partners contact with their children could be electronically tagged under plans being considered by ministers. curfews and community service orders were other options which could be used if court orders to allow parental access were defied lord falconer said. the constitutional affairs secretary outlined some of the plans on tuesday. he denied fathers activists had forced the changes telling the bbc there is a recognition that something is wrong . between 15 000 and 20 000 couples go to court to resolve access disputes each year although in nine out of 10 separations there is no court intervention. lord falconer told bbc radio 4 s today programme he hoped voluntary mediation could help solve disputes before they reached court. but he opposed compulsory mediation saying that it would lead to many people taking part with the wrong attitude. other plans include: - parenting plans to give advice on access arrangements based on real-life examples that have worked in the past - extending in-court conciliation - more informal hearings before contested court cases - better access to legal emotional and practical advice by telephone and internet - legal aid changes to give incentives for early resolution of disputes. judges can already jail parents who breach contact orders but that was a nuclear option which was rarely used as it was not seen as being in the child s interests a spokesman said. the aim of the new legislation was to provide a medium range of penalties such as fines community service orders compulsory anger management or parenting classes or curfews. failure to comply with these measures could result in offenders being electronically tagged. on the possibility of tagging uncooperative parents lord falconer said: tagging may be going too far but | 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 |
top tories on lib dem hit list the liberal democrats are aiming to unseat a string of top tories - including leader michael howard - at the next general election. mr howard s seat is at the top of the liberal democrats list. others targeted include oliver letwin david davis and theresa may lib dem s elections chief lord rennard said. he said it was nothing personal but that very many of the prominent conservatives had slender leads in seats where the lib dems were second. in 2001 michael howard won the folkestone & hythe seat with 20 645 votes compared to 14 738 for the liberal democrat candidate peter carroll giving the tory leader a majority of 5 907. asked if this amounted to the party s much vaunted decapitation strategy lord rennard said it was not a term he had ever used. but he urged labour supporters to vote tactically to remove prominent conservatives. i just don t think labour voters in these sort of seats could resist the temptation to use their votes effectively to remove a conservative. he denied this strategy was opportunism insisting the lib dem s policies on issues such as tuition fees the council tax and free care for the elderly appealed to all sides of the political spectrum . we are in favour of tactical voting as long as the tactic is to vote liberal democrat he added. a conservative spokesperson said: the liberal democrats can talk all they like about strategy. the problem the liberal democrats face is that a large number of lib dem voters do not agree with their policies. we will be pointing out how they are soft on crime how they support higher taxes their opposition to controlled immigration and support for giving europe more control over | 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 |
labour s election love-in peace and love have been in short supply in the labour party in recent days. if press reports are to be believed alan milburn and gordon brown have been at each other s throats over the contents of labour s next election manifesto. but the pair were all smiles on tuesday morning as they joined john prescott to unveil labour s latest poster campaign. the event - at old billingsgate fish market on the banks of the thames - was a carefully choreographed show of unity. and the surest sign yet that we are heading for a general election in the next few months. it was also one of the most bizarre photo opportunities of recent years. the first inkling something slightly odd was afoot was when - in place of the soft rock music normally chosen for such occasions - labour s speakers crackled to life with the sound of booker t and the mgs. then a vw camper van trundled into view decked out in that most mind-bending of psychedelic messages - lowest mortgage rate for 40 years . as the side-door slid open it looked for one glorious moment as if the cabinet had decided to bury their differences and go on the road together scooby doo-style. but sadly it wasn t the cabinet who had raided the dressing-up box - just six rather ill-at-ease looking labour students. two were dressed as regency dandies - to unveil a poster trumpeting the longest period of economic growth for 200 years . another pair of students were in a beatle wig and sgt pepper jacket to highlight the lowest interest rates since the 1960s . the remaining two were dressed in a vague approximation of disco chic to demonstrate the lowest unemployment since the seventies | 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 |
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 |
sayeed to stand down as tory mp tory mp jonathan sayeed is to stand down on the grounds of ill health. the decision comes after mr sayeed survived an attempt to de-select him in a row over allegations he had profited from private tours of parliament. the mid-bedfordshire mp had denied a claim that he was paid for guiding visitors around the palace of westminster. conservative leader michael howard has now accepted the mp s resignation it has been announced. mr sayeed was suspended from parliament for two weeks last month after the commons standards and privileges committee said his conduct had fallen well below the standards expected . the conservative party had already been withdrawn the whip for a month. but his constituency association voted against a move to deselect him with mr sayeed winning 173 of the 299 votes. after the vote mr sayeed said only a fifth of association members had voted against him and he intended to get on with winning the election. but the vote prompted constituency association president sir stanley odell to resign in protest. the standards and privileges committee inquiry was launched after the sunday times alleged english manner limited charged clients for access to westminster through mr sayeed. mr sayeed had denied the claims saying the suspension was unjust and wrong but he made an unreserved apology to mps in the commons chamber. he insisted that the committee s report had contained a few errors of fact . mr sayeed has been mp for mid-bedfordshire since 1997. he represented bristol east from 1983 to 1992. | 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 |
tory leader urges harry apology prince harry should personally make clear how sorry he is about wearing a nazi uniform to a friend s fancy dress party says tory leader michael howard. mr howard whose grandmother died in auschwitz said many people would be offended by the prince s actions clarence house has issued a statement saying the prince has apologised and realised it had been a poor costume. number 10 said an error was made but now harry had apologised the matter should be left to the palace. that was a message repeated by home secretary charles clarke who said the matter should now be left to lie. but lib dem leader charles kennedy said harry was in a privileged position and said he should apologise in person. there is a reservoir of goodwill for prince harry and prince william with him in this country but i think he needs to remember that it can t last forever. he added that sandhurst would probably be good for harry as it would teach him some self discipline. former labour mp lord janner who is a high profile member of britain s jewish community branded harry s action s stupid and evil . he told itv: the time has come for him to make a public apology. it is about common decency of respect to the people who fought the nazis to the families of those who were killed by the nazis and to people who suffered during the holocaust. he added: i would send him in the army as fast as possible. i hope that would teach him not to behave like that. a photograph of prince harry wearing a swastika armband and german desert uniform at the party appears in thursday s sun newspaper under the headline: harry the | 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 |
minister defends hunting ban law the law banning hunting with dogs in england and wales is enforceable and very clear alun michael has said. the rural affairs minister said it would become obvious if people flouted the law which came into force on friday and pretended they were not. some 270 hunts met legally on saturday killing a total of 91 foxes - only four were accidentally killed by hounds. but anti-hunt campaigners said there had been widespread intimidation of activists monitoring hunts. countryside alliance chairman john jackson said that saturday had been a massive demonstration by the rural community of support for hunting . people had turned out to show en masse that the hunting act was a bad law he said adding that foxes and other animals had been killed legally as far as he was aware. although hunting with dogs is now a criminal offence exercising hounds chasing a scent trail and flushing out foxes to be shot are still legal. addressing claims that the new law was unenforceable mr michael told bbc radio 4 s today programme: there has been a lot of spin about this by those that support hunting. the reality is that the law is very clear. you can t chase wild mammals with a pack of dogs whether the wild mammal is a fox or a deer. if people do so and pretend they re not it s going to become very clear. you can t hunt accidentally. mr michael also denied the hunting ban had led to a breakdown of trust between the government and rural communities. he said most people living in the countryside were more concerned with issues like the economy the health service and their children s future than hunting. but the league against cruel sports claimed the | 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 |
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 |
tories attack burglar u-turns tory leader michael howard has accused tony blair of performing u-turns over rules on using force against burglars. the government has ruled out amending the present law which allows reasonable force in self defence. mr howard branded the decision unacceptable saying: it is not householders who should be frightened it s the burglars. home secretary charles clarke said ministers had kept to their pledge to review the law. metropolitan police commissioner sir john stevens last month backed a tory attempt to change the law so only householders using grossly disproportionate force could be prosecuted. the pressure prompted the prime minister to say the police and crown prosecution service would be consulted as part of a review of the law. he told mps: if we get the right response from those people we will of course support a change in the law. instead the government has decided no change is needed but there will be a publicity campaign so people are clear they are entitled to defend themselves. on thursday mr howard told bbc radio 4 s today programme mr blair had initially refused the law change then had come round to the idea and was now backtracking again. he said: we ve had three policy positions in three months and two u-turns. it s not surprising gordon brown told him: there s nothing you could say to me now that i could ever believe. mr howard said the grossly disproportionate test matched the hurdle ministers had introduced for civil cases where burglars where claimed compensation from householders. the issue entered the public spotlight when norfolk farmer tony martin was jailed for shooting dead a 16-year-old burglar in 1999 as he ran away from the farm. but the home secretary said mr howard was wrong to say | 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 |
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 |
guantanamo four questioned the four britons freed from us custody in guantanamo bay are expected to be allowed a visit by one relative. moazzam begg martin mubanga feroz abbasi and richard belmar were held for three years accused of al-qaeda links. mr begg s father azmat said he had been told he could see his son for 20 minutes and would say he was a hero . the men are being held at london s paddington green police station where they are expected to be questioned by uk anti-terror officers. but louise christian the lawyer representing mr abbasi and mr mubanga said the families would be reunited with the men away from the station. before being driven by police from birmingham to london azmat begg said he was concerned for his son moazzam s mental state and was looking forward to giving him a hug. as azmat begg arrived at the london police station there appeared to be some confusion as to the visiting arrangements. police have said they have a duty to investigate the men who were arrested on their return to the uk. but metropolitan police commissioner sir john stevens said evidence obtained by mi5 while the four were in cuba was absolutely inadmissible in uk courts. in an interview with the independent sir john said his officers would have to find other evidence before the suspects could be tried in the uk. he told the newspaper: if an admission is made it is a totally different ball game... it could be used as evidence. the options are: if there is enough evidence they will be charged. if not they will be released as soon as possible. the men have been allowed to meet their lawyers. louise christian said that after being tortured and abused at guantanamo bay | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
lib dems unveil election slogan the liberal democrats will present themselves as the real alternative in the forthcoming general election campaign charles kennedy has said. unveiling the slogan at the party s spring conference he said there was no glass ceiling to its ambitions. he told delegates that labour had abused the public s trust and that the tories had failed to oppose them. in response the conservatives insisted that theirs was the party that understood the forgotten majority . speaking in harrogate mr kennedy said: people want a credible principled political party which offers a different vision of what britain can be. only the liberal democrats stood against the iraq war he said and they had also provided strong opposition to the government s plans on id cards anti-terror measures and taxation. he said: if you voted conservative in 2001 ... what good did it do you your vote was wasted. what people needed was ... a party which was listening to their concerns; a party which was prepared to stand up and say so; a party which said no to the prime minister. responding to the claims tory party co-chairman liam fox said: like labour the lib dems are soft on crime support higher taxes oppose controlled immigration and support giving europe more control over our lives. mr kennedy also outlined his party s plan to impose a 50% income tax rate on earnings over £100 000 a year. the money would be used to help pay for key policies such as abolishing university tuition fees scrapping council tax in favour of local income tax and providing free care for the elderly he said. labour and the tories claim the sums do not add up and that working families would be hardest hit. mr kennedy said: britain is | 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 |
candidate resigns over bnp link a prospective candidate for the uk independence party (ukip) has resigned after admitting a brief attachment to the british national party(bnp). nicholas betts-green who had been selected to fight the suffolk coastal seat quit after reports in a newspaper that he attended a bnp meeting. the former teacher confirmed he had attended the meeting but said that was the only contact he had with the group. mr betts-green resigned after being questioned by the party s leadership. a ukip spokesman said mr betts-green s resignation followed disclosures in the east anglian daily times last month about his attendance at a bnp meeting. he did once attend a bnp meeting. he did not like what he saw and heard and will take no further part of it the spokesman added. a meeting of suffolk coastal ukip members is due to be held next week to discuss a replacement. mr betts-green of woodbridge suffolk has also resigned as ukip s branch chairman. | 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 |
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 |
minimum wage increased to £5.05 the minimum wage will rise in october benefiting more than 1m people the government has announced. adults must be paid at least £5.05 an hour up from £4.85 while 18 to 21 year olds will be paid £4.25. the recommendations came from the low pay commission which said the number of jobs had continued to grow since the minimum wage was introduced in 1999. businesses wanted it frozen warning more rises could damage competitiveness but the unions want a £6 rate. a further increase in the adult rate to £5.35 an hour is provisionally scheduled for october 2006. according to the commission many businesses had found the last two significant increases in the minimum wage challenging . we have therefore recommended only a slight increase above average earnings and concentrated it in the second year to allow business more time to absorb the impact said chairman adair turner. the government says most of those on the minimum wage are women - with many working in cleaning catering shops and hairdressing. unveiling the latest increase mr blair said he wanted the minimum wage to become a symbol of decency and fairness . for too long poverty pay capped the aspiration and prosperity of far too many hard-working families he said. too often people were told to make a choice between the indignity of unemployment or the humiliation of poverty pay. chancellor gordon brown and transport secretary alistair darling promoted the news in edinburgh wales secretary peter hain and welsh first minister rhodri morgan in cardiff and northern ireland minister john spellar in belfast. the government has not accepted the commission s recommendation that 21-year-olds should be paid at the adult rate but says it will look again at the rate later on. mr brown said: we | 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 |
civil servants in strike ballot the uk s biggest civil service union is to ballot its 290 000 members on strikes in protest at government plans to extend their pension age to 65. the public and commercial services union will co-ordinate any action with up to six other public sector unions. unions have already earmarked 23 march for a one-day strike which could involve up to 1.4 million uk workers. the government says unions will be consulted before any changes are made to the pension system. pcs leader mark serwotka warned 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 you were promised when you started you must work for an extra five years - that is working until people drop. in the 20th century it s completely unacceptable. bbc correspondent stephen cape said the combined unions represented a formidable force which could embarrass the government in the run-up to the general election. a stoppage involving civil servants in particular could seriously disrupt or close government departments agencies and museums he said. opposition to raising the retirement age is one thing all the unions are agreed on our correspondent added. unison s 800 000 workers the transport and general workers union s 70 000 and amicus 20 000 are among those being balloted about a 23 march walkout. deputy prime minister john prescott held a private meeting with senior union figures on thursday night. our correspondent said that he understood no deal had been offered in that meeting but that there was room for | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
mandelson warns bbc on campbell the bbc should steer away from demonising ex-downing street media chief alastair campbell peter mandelson has said. the european commissioner and former labour minister was speaking amid claims that mr campbell is part of a labour dirty tricks campaign. that charge was denied by mr mandelson who said the tories were afraid of mr campbell s campaigning skills. he warned the bbc that attacking mr campbell had brought it trouble before. that was a reference to the hutton inquiry following a bbc story claiming downing street sexed up iraq s weapons of mass destruction dossier. the affair prompted the resignation of bbc chairman gavyn davies director-general greg dyke and reporter andrew gilligan. labour has attracted media criticism for using new freedom of information laws to dig up information about tory leader michael howard s past. mr mandelson a former labour communications director told bbc radio 4 s today programme: i understand why the tories will be gunning for alastair campbell because they fear his campaigning skills. what i understand less is why the bbc should be joining with the tories in driving that agenda. in my experience of these things parties which shout about dirty tricks and the like tend to do so because they fear a direct hit in some vulnerable part of their political anatomy. i suggest the bbc concentrates on the issues and helps the public to understand the policies and the choices that are at stake in the election rather than engages in the process politics the trivialisation of the campaign. i think the bbc would be much better advised to leave all this stuff well alone concentrate on the issues as i say not resume their demonisation of alastair campbell - we all know where that led before. mr campbell | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
csa chief who quit still in job the head of the failing child support agency widely reported to have resigned three months ago is still at the helm of the troubled organisation. doug smith s departure was announced by work secretary alan johnson on 17 november as mps grilled him over the agency s poor performance. his resignation was referred to by both tory and lib dem leaders during that day s prime ministers questions. officials now say he did not resign but will move on under civil service rules. mr smith s departure was reported widely at the time as his shouldering the blame for the failings of the child support agency. in january the mps who make up the commons work and pensions committee published a highly critical report into the failing agency noting the chief executive has now left and hoping the new leadership will bring a fresh approach to what is a failing organisation . on that day s today programme mr johnson was asked why mr smith had been allowed to resign rather than be sacked. he replied: the chief executive decided it was time to move on there is a new chief executive coming in. it now emerges that the widespread belief mr smith made commander of the order of the bath in the new year honours had left was wrong. a department for work and pensions spokeswoman confirmed mr smith was still in post and that he would continue in the job until a replacement was found. no date was ever given for doug smith s departure she said adding that the post had been advertised. tory work and pensions spokesman david willetts said families affected by csa failings would wonder why mr smith was still in his job three months after his | 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 |
brown calls for £5.5bn aids fund gordon brown has called on rich nations to fund a £5.5bn ($10bn) plan to fight the aids epidemic and find a vaccine. on the fourth day of his six-day tour of africa the uk chancellor predicted a vaccine could be found by 2012 if the world stepped up its funding pledges. doubling the £400m being spent yearly on finding such a vaccine could advance it by three years and save six million lives mr brown said on thursday. he hopes to use the uk s g8 presidency to push the issue forward. i believe that the generation that provided the finance to combat cure and eradicate the world s deadliest disease of today - and today the world s least curable disease - hiv/aids - will rightly earn the title the great generation mr brown said in a speech during his african tour. the problems of hiv/aids were inseparable from poverty he added. at least $10 billion per annum (£5.5bn) is needed to address the hiv/aids crisis in low and middle income countries. existing financial commitments on their own will not stop the pandemic. the uk s proposal for an international finance facility is so important - increasing world aid flows by over $50 billion (£27bn). a doubling of world aid to halve world poverty. mr brown also said he had agreed with the italian finance minister domenico siniscalco to push forward with plans for the world-wide sharing and co-ordination of research into the disease. currently the private sector was only spending £60m a year on seeking an inoculation and the market needed boosting mr brown said. he called on industrialised nations to commit themselves to buying the first 300m vaccines at a cost of $20 each thereby boosting the market for inoculations. this | 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 |
amnesty chief laments war failure the lack of public outrage about the war on terror is a powerful indictment of the failure of human rights groups amnesty international s chief has said. in a lecture at the london school of economics irene khan said human rights had been flouted in the name of security since 11 september 2001. she said the human rights movement had to use simpler language both to prevent scepticism and spread a moral message. and it had to fight poverty not just focus on political rights for elites. ms khan highlighted detentions without trial including those at the us camp at guantanamo bay in cuba and the abuse of prisoners as evidence of increasing human rights problems. what s a new challenge is the way in which this age-old debate on security and human rights has been translated into the language of war she said. by using the language of war human rights are being sidelined because we know human rights do not apply in times of war. ms khan said such breaches were infectious and were now seen in almost very major country in the world. the human rights movement faces a crisis of faith in the value of human rights she said. that was accompanied by a crisis of governance where the united nations system did not seem able to hold countries to account. the amnesty secretary-general said a growing gap between the perceived influence of human rights group and what they could actually achieve was fuelling scepticism. public passivity on the war against terror is the single most powerful indictment on the failures of human rights groups she said. ms khan said the movement had failed to mobilise public outrage about what was happening to the human rights system. there needed to be | 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 |
howard taunts blair over splits tony blair s feud with gordon brown is damaging the way the uk is governed tory leader michael howard has claimed in a heated prime minister s questions. mr howard asked: how can they fight crime when they are fighting each other that question was later unveiled as the headline for new tory campaign posters. but mr blair dismissed the talk of splits and said people s priorities at the next elections would be on the economic successes achieved by labour. he can stick up whatever he likes on billboards about something in a book but what the public will concentrate on are the low mortgages low inflation low unemployment that we delivered and that he failed to he said. the chancellor is currently on a high-profile tour of africa to highlight new anti-poverty plans. but before doing so he insisted he still trusted mr blair despite claims to the contrary in a new book. brown s britain by robert peston says there is mutual animosity between the two men. it claims mr blair said in november 2003 he would stand down as prime minister before the next election. but he went back on his pledge after support from cabinet allies and suspicion that mr brown was manoeuvring against him it says. mr peston s book claimed that mr brown told mr blair: there is nothing you could ever say to me now that i could ever believe. mr blair directly denied that quote on wednesday. he again insisted there could be no deals about the premiership but twice declined directly to say whether or not he had offered to quit. the tory leader countered that such agreements had been struck twice at dinners with the chancellor. he declared: he is the deals on meals | 0 | bbc_news | This text is about politics. | 0 | gpt-4o-2024-05-13 |
commons hunt protest charges eight protesters who stormed the house of commons chamber during a debate on the hunting bill have been charged with disorderly conduct. the men were arrested in september after bursting into the chamber causing a hunting ban debate to be halted. those charged included otis ferry the 22-year-old son of rock star bryan ferry and luke tomlinson 27 a close friend of princes william and harry. they were charged under section 5 of the public order act police said. five of the eight men held an impromptu news conference outside charing cross police station on monday evening after the charges were formerly put to them. the men s solicitor matthew knight said that at no time had it occurred to the men that they were committing a criminal offence. there is no offence of trespassing in the house of commons - it is not a criminal offence he said. if parliament wanted to make entering the house of commons chamber on foot a criminal offence it should have done so but it can t do so retrospectively. we are not prosecuted for that. we are prosecuted for a public order act offence. we are not guilty of it. they will appear at bow street magistrates court on 21 december a police spokesman said. otis ferry a former eton pupil and joint leader of the south shropshire hunt said: i have no regrets. we have done nothing wrong beyond the obvious which was to stand up for our rights and not act like a sheep like the rest of the country. one of the men david redvers 34 from hartpury gloucestershire said he and the other seven protesters would plead not guilty to the charges. the other protesters are john holliday 37 a huntsman from ledbury herefordshire | 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 |
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 |
brown in appeal for labour unity gordon brown has made an appeal for unity after reports claimed mr blair went back on a pledge to stand down before the next general election. the chancellor would not comment on the reports but insisted he would not be diverted or distracted from tackling the challenges faced by the country. his only motivation was to ensure labour was re-elected he insisted. mr blair earlier dismissed the claim he had reneged on a promise to stand aside for gordon brown as old news. according to a new book brown s britain by sunday telegraph journalist robert peston mr blair went back on a pledge to make way for mr brown after cabinet allies intervened in june 2004. in an interview with bbc one s breakfast with frost 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. in a separate interview with bbc political editor andrew marr mr brown said: it s very important that we all do what we can in a unified way to ensure the election of a labour government. i think it is very important to stress that that is the motivation that i have. that is my purpose in politics and that is what every day i seek to do. and i am not going to be diverted or distracted nor is tony blair by newspaper stories or books or rumours or gossip. the only reason why we are in government is to get on with the job in a unified way to deal with the challenges facing this country. mr brown also said he had discussed | 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 |
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 |
debate needed on donations cap a cap on donations to political parties should not be introduced yet the elections watchdog has said. fears that big donors can buy political favours have sparked calls for a limit. in a new report the electoral commission says it is worth debating a £10 000 cap for the future but now is not the right time to introduce it. it also says there should be more state funding for political parties and candidates should be able to spend more on election campaigning. there were almost £68m in reported donations to political parties in 2001 2002 and 2003 with nearly £12m of them from individual gifts worth more than £1m. the rules have already been changed so the public can see who gives how much to the parties but the report says there are still public suspicions. the commission says capping donations would mean taxpayers giving parties more cash - something which would first have to be acceptable to the public and shown to work. while we are not in principle opposed to the introduction of a donation cap we do not believe that such a major departure from the existing system now would be sensible says its report. if there was to be a cap it should be £10 000 - a small enough amount to make a difference but which would have banned £56m in donations between 2001 and 2003. even without changes the commission does urge political parties to seek out more small-scale donations and suggests there should be income tax relief for gifts under £200. it also suggests increasing state funding for parties to £3m so help can be extended to all parties with at least two members in the house of commons european parliament scottish parliament welsh assembly or northern | 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 |
End of preview. Expand
in Data Studio
- Downloads last month
- 64