“Scotland has voted to stay in the United Kingdom after voters decisively rejected independence. … With the results in from all 32 council areas, the ‘No’ side polled 2,001,926, votes to 1,617,989 for ‘Yes’. … The result became a mathematical certainty at 06:08, as the returning officer in Fife announced a comfortable No vote. … Shortly afterwards, Mr Salmond said he accepted the defeat and called for national unity.” – BBC
And comment:
> Today:
> Yesterday:
“David Cameron has said it is time for ‘our United Kingdom to come together and to move forward’ after Scotland voted against independence. … The PM said he was ‘delighted’ by the result, which he said settled the issue for at least a generation. … In a statement outside Downing Street he said there had to be a ‘fair and balanced’ settlement with English MPs deciding on laws applying to England. … He said Lord Smith of Kelvin had agreed to oversee the process of devolving more powers over tax, spending and welfare to Scotland, with draft legislation by the end of January.” – BBC
“Two-thirds of English MPs want generous subsidies to Scotland to be axed if the country voted to stay in the UK. … David Cameron sparked fury among Tory MPs this week by pledging to keep the controversial Barnett formula, as part of a desperate bid to persuade Scots to vote No to independence. … Even his ministers were last night in open revolt over the issue, with Transport Minister Claire Perry warning the Prime Minister to stop handing out ‘financial party bags’ to Alex Salmond.” – Daily Mail
And comment:
> Today:
> Yesterday:
“Scotland’s First Minister, Alex Salmond, has said he accepts his defeat. … He said: ‘It is important to say that our referendum was an agreed and consented process and Scotland has by a majority decided not at this stage to become an independent country. … I accept that verdict of the people and I call on all of Scotland to follow suit in accepting the democratic verdict of the people of Scotland.’ … Mr Salmond called on the main unionist parties to make good on their promises of greater powers being devolved to the Scottish Parliament.” – BBC
“The fate of the United Kingdom is being ‘closely’ followed by the Queen tonight, as she is poised to lead an attempt to heal the wounds of Scotland’s rancorous independence battle. … Palace officials say the monarch is being kept abreast of the latest news from counting centres across Scotland. … And senior advisers are due to meet from 1am to plan the official response to the break-up of the Union or the need to heal the bitter divisions of the campaign. … Sources said the Queen was also considering delivering a message to the country over the coming days in an attempt to encourage unity.” – Daily Mail
“Police in Glasgow are investigating ten cases of suspected electoral fraud. … Voters turned up at polling stations to find that people had already voted using their names. … Glasgow City Council confirmed that there had been 10 instances where people had gone to vote and found their names had already been crossed off the list.” – Daily Mail
And comment:
“Andy Murray vowed to carry on playing for Great Britain – despite revealing his support for Scottish independence yesterday morning. … Speaking exclusively to MailOnline the Wimbledon winner said he had followed ‘everything’ in the independence debate over the last couple of weeks and wanted to let his feelings be known. … But he claimed the result would not affect his loyalty to Team GB in the upcoming Davis Cup tie against the United States. He also issued a plea for unity whatever the result of today’s referendum.” – Daily Mail
“Photojournalist John Cantlie is shown on the latest Islamic State propaganda video claiming he has been ‘abandoned’ by the Government and pleading with them to ‘negotiate’ with his captors. … The slickly-made video, which has Arabic subtitles, marks a significant change of tactics by IS, who have previously released barbaric footage of hostages, including Mr Haines, being executed in a desert. … Calm but clearly speaking under orders on the 3min 21sec clip posted on YouTube, he admits he does not know his fate.” – Daily Mail
“More than 40 countries will assist the U.S. in defeating ISIS, President Obama announced Thursday in a special national address. … Mr Obama’s speech follows the approval by Congress today, to arm Syrian rebels in the fight against the terrorist network. … The president again insisted that no American troops will be sent back to Iraq to fight on the ground. Instead the U.S. will continue air strikes against ISIS, with new help from French allies. … ‘Americans are united in confronting the threat from ISIL,’ President Obama said from the White House. ‘As Americans, we do not give in to fear.'” – Daily Mail
“A borders row erupted last night after a Latvian killer was named the prime suspect over missing Alice Gross. … Arnis Zalkalns, 41, was jailed in 1998 for battering his wife to death in his homeland. … But after just seven years inside he was free to move here without immigration officials or police knowing of his murderous past. … ‘It’s completely unacceptable for a convicted murderer from another country to ever be allowed to stay in this country,’ said Tory backbencher Philip Davies. … ‘I have no confidence in our border controls as far as I can see – they must be the laughing stock of the world now.” – Daily Mail
“Liberal Democrat Mike Hancock has resigned from the party, officials have confirmed. … The Portsmouth South MP, who had faced allegations he sexually assaulted a constituent, handed in his resignation earlier in the week. … The news was only revealed in answers to questions posed by the Independent newspaper on Thursday. … In June, Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg told the BBC Mr Hancock had “no future” in the party and he would be expelled.” – BBC
“Labour will next vow to cut the number of low-skilled migrants coming to Britain – ten years after they opened the floodgates to eastern Europe. … In a desperate bid to hit back at Ukip, Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will pledge a crackdown to help blue-collar Brits. … She plans to target rogue firms and black market gangs hiring overseas workers – in the hope it will stem the influx of cheap foreign labour.” – The Sun (£)
“Courts should be given new powers to prevent girls being taken abroad if they are at risk of genital mutilation, Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said on Thursday. … In an interview with the House Magazine in the runup to the Labour conference, she said a Labour government would introduce female genital mutilation (FGM) protection orders, giving legal powers for civil courts to intervene and prevent FGM, including by preventing the removal abroad of a child at risk.” – The Guardian
“Children should receive compulsory relationship lessons to prevent violence against women, Yvette Cooper has said. … Speaking in the wake of the Rotherham sex abuse scandal, the Shadow Home Secretary said the lessons should be included in the curriculum to help change attitudes. … She insisted a ‘massive culture change’ was needed to stop sexual abuse victims from receiving blame.” – Daily Mail
“Firms bidding for government contracts will have to offer higher wages to their lowest-paid staff under Labour plans. … Ed Miliband is expected to announce at Labour’s conference next week that firms seeking government work will have to pay the so-called ‘living wage’, which is more than £1 an hour higher than the national minimum wage. … The move is the centrepiece of a package which will also see significant increases in the minimum wage, and a new formula to prevent it falling behind inflation.” – Daily Mail
“A quarter of all London homes that would be hit by a ‘mansion tax’ are in Labour constituencies, new research has suggested. … Some of the party’s most marginal seats would be among those worst-hit by new levies on properties worth more than £2 million, as proposed by the shadow chancellor, Ed Balls. … Labour MPs, candidates and local councillors are worried that the mansion tax, which would hit up to 100,000 home owners, could unfairly target their constituents and deter people from voting Labour.” – The Times (£)
“Health workers have voted by more than two to one to back strike action for the first time in more than 30 years in a row over a continuing NHS pay freeze. … Members of Unison, the biggest health workers’ union, have backed the action following the government’s decision this year to reject a pay review body recommendation for an across-the-board 1 per cent pay rise.” – Financial Times
“Police will today issue an unprecedented plea for moderation in drinking as they admit defeat in tackling Britain’s excessive boozing culture. … The country’s most senior officer responsible for fighting alcohol-related crime called for an end to the attitude which tolerates out-of-control drunkenness as ‘normal’. … Chief Constable Adrian Lee also admitted officers’ efforts to combat booze-fuelled yobbishness and violence had ‘barely scratched the surface’ of a problem that is ‘blighting our communities’.” – Daily Mail
“Obesity has become a national crisis threatening to overwhelm the Health Service, which is being forced to treat ever-growing numbers of patients with weight problems and associated health problems so severe they end up in hospital. … So what is to be done? … Instinctively, I recoil at nanny-state diktats, lectures from politicians (of all people) over how to live our lives, and the idea of government intervention unless absolutely necessary. … But the health crisis unfolding before our eyes demands urgent action — even if it has to be forced on us through legislation.” – Ian Birrell, Daily Mail
“In a light-hearted but personal interview in front of hundreds of people in Bristol cathedral last weekend , Justin Welby said: ‘There are moments, sure, where you think “Is there a God? Where is God?”‘ Welby quickly added that, as the leader of the world’s 80 million-strong Anglican community, this was ‘probably not what the archbishop of Canterbury should say’.” – The Guardian
“Turnout in Scotland’s independence referendum is expected to be very high, but surely not as big as CNN was predicting on Thursday night. … In a news report on the network’s evening broadcast, a graphic appeared on screen which showed that Scotland has given the independence referendum 110 percent.” – Daily Mail
“A former ‘Sex Worker of the Year’ who claims to have slept with more than 1,000 men is to stand as an independent MP. … Self-confessed ‘high-class courtesan’ Charlotte Rose, 34, will be going up against Ukip defector Douglas Carswell and 1980s television star Giles Watling in the Clacton by-election, in Essex.” – Daily Mail