“Vladimir Putin risks war if he takes another step into the Ukraine, Foreign Secretary William Hague has warned. … He said there was a ‘real danger of a shooting conflict’ if Russian forces moved beyond Crimea to invade Eastern Ukraine. … But he admitted that none of the sanctions drawn up so far by EU leaders would force Russian troops out of Crimea.” – The Sun (£)
> Today: The Deep End – Forget sanctions – Russia will pay dearly for Crimea anyway
“Energy bills could go up if the instability in Ukraine drags on, a minister warned yesterday, as others scrambled to deny that there was ‘tacit acceptance’ of the Russian takeover of the Crimean peninsula. … David Cameron spoke once more to President Putin to urge him to ‘deescalate’ the situation in Ukraine and pull back troops. However, there appeared to be little attempt by the Prime Minister to say that Crimea’s future could not be with its eastern neighbour.” – The Times (£)
“President Barack Obama will meet this week with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk at the White House in a prominent show of U.S. support for Ukraine’s fledgling new government. … Obama’s White House meeting with Yatsenyuk will focus on options to peacefully resolve Russia’s military intervention in the Ukrainian region of Crimea, the White House said, adding that the resolution must respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” – Daily Mail
“Chinese president Xi Jinping has urged a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine and for all parties to exercise calm and restraint, during separate telephone calls with US president Barack Obama and German chancellor Angela Merkel.” – The Guardian
“Britain is to join the US and three other countries in pushing for a full international inquiry into alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka after the government there failed to satisfy international calls for a such an inquiry, Downing Street announced on Sunday.” – The Guardian
“David Cameron has decided to send his daughter Nancy to a state secondary school as his wife is ‘very keen’ to give her children a ‘normal’ education, friends of the couple have claimed. … Nancy Cameron is now ten years old and her parents will have to submit their choice of schools in November. … Samantha Cameron is said to want her daughter to meet people outside their usual circle, claiming she wants her children to be judged ‘for who they are’ rather than being defined by their rarefied social status or their father’s job.” – Daily Mail
> Today:
“Parents who allow their kids to play truant will be docked child benefit under Tory plans. … The radical move was first proposed two years ago with support from Education Secretary Michael Gove — but it was vetoed by Nick Clegg. … Now Tory chiefs plan to put it in their 2015 manifesto to ensure Brits know they have a responsibility to get their kids to school.” – The Sun (£)
“David Cameron has pledged an extra £45million to futuristic projects he said will let ‘everyday objects talk to each other over the internet’. … The PM announced the funding on a visit to Germany — a country he said can help us lead ‘a new industrial revolution’. … He wants the next generation of ultra-fast 5G internet connections to become a reality — allowing movie downloads in less then a second.” – The Sun (£)
“Britain aims to double to £100bn by 2025 the amount of economic benefit generated by making full use of unused ‘white space’ digital frequencies, David Cameron will pledge on Monday.” – The Guardian
George Osborne is under pressure to push through reforms to the UK’s export finance system in this month’s Budget amid concerns in the Treasury that the recovery remains far too heavily reliant on domestic demand. … Lobbyists representing manufacturers and banks have been urging the chancellor to increase the scope and range of finance options available to support overseas sales, in the hope of chipping away at the country’s heavy trade deficit.” – Financial Times
“More than two million middle-class workers would get a tax cut of up to £2,000 a year under radical Conservative proposals to scrap the 40 per cent higher rate of income tax. … Middle-earners would benefit under a overhaul of the tax system drawn up by Renewal, a Tory pressure group. … Instead there would be a 45 per cent rate which would apply to earnings exceeding £62,000. At present, that level is applicable to income which exceeds £150,000.” – Daily Telegraph
“Conservative MPs and activists have joined Liberal Democrats in warning Coalition ministers not to widen the North-South divide by allowing London and the South East to reap most of the benefit from the economic recovery. … Leading figures in both parties have appealed to the Chancellor, George Osborne, to take action in his Budget on 19 March to ensure a ‘fair recovery’ that spreads to all parts of the UK.” – The Independent
“Communities Secretary Eric Pickles declared two years ago that having bins emptied once a week was a ‘fundamental right’ – but cutbacks to the service have accelerated under his watch, with 60 councils introducing a fortnightly waste collection since May 2010. … By the time of the election next year, 18.5million families will have lost weekly bin rounds.” – Daily Mail
“Councils are being given an extra £146 million to fix roads damaged by the winter floods, the Government announced yesterday. … Local authorities welcomed the help, but warned that they were already facing a £10 billion backlog in repairs to the local roads network and large compensation claims from drivers who hit potholes last year.” – The Times (£)
“Schools, hospitals and prisons should buy British food even if it is more expensive, new Government guidelines will say. … Current rules which make price the overriding factor in public sector purchasing will be scrapped this summer. … They will be replaced by new guidance designed to boost British agriculture and improve quality, under which public bodies will be obliged to prioritise other factors, including local sourcing.” – Daily Mail
“MPs and peers will be given a free vote on whether to change the law on assisted suicide, the Government said on Sunday. … The decision is a boost for campaigners who want to amend the 1961 Suicide Act, under which people still face 14 years in jail for helping someone to take their own life.” – The Independent
“Nick Clegg today sang a hymn of praise to Britain, including tea, the Shipping Forecast and football, as he warned freedom and tolerance are at risk from a tide of far-Right extremism which is sweeping Europe. … The Liberal Democrats are the true party of patriots that will defend British values from a ‘dangerous’ trend of hostility to foreigners.” – Daily Telegraph
> Yesterday:
“Nick Clegg sparked frenzied speculation about the Lib Dem leadership last night after failing to give a clear answer on when he might stand down. … The Deputy Prime Minister insisted he planned to lead the party until 2020 – but only after his team had put forward three different possibilities as to when he will quit. … The farcical mixed message came amid growing speculation that Danny Alexander and Vince Cable are manoeuvring to replace him.” – Daily Mail
“Labour is to launch a new tax raid on pensions to pay for the party’s guarantee to find a job for young people who have been out of work for a year. … Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls will today reveal that Labour’s election manifesto next year will include measures to slash pension tax relief to 20p in the pound for those earning more than £150,000. … The jobs pledge will also be paid for with a fresh windfall tax on bankers’ bonuses.” – Daily Mail
> Today: Priti Patel MP’s column – Labour’s threat to you, your family and the country
“Chuka Umunna, the shadow business secretary, attacked the government after the revised figures released by the Office for National Statistics found that 582,935 workers were on the contracts in 2013. … The big increase in the figures, which is three times higher than the number given for the year the coalition was formed in 2010, follows a change in the way that the ONS assesses zero-hours contracts.” – The Guardian
“The troubled Co-operative Group sparked outrage yesterday over plans to give senior staff ‘obscene’ pay deals despite the near collapse of its bank. … New chief executive Euan Sutherland is in line to get £3.66million – despite the fact that only last month he admitted that 2013 was ‘perhaps the worst year’ in the mutual’s 150-year history. … And a dozen senior executives will enjoy huge pay rises despite plans to cut 5,000 jobs and the biggest losses ever recorded by the group.” – Daily Mail
“A leading member of the UK Independence party, which has railed against the European ‘gravy train’, has demanded its MEPs contribute £10,000 each from their parliamentary allowances and salaries towards the costs of the party’s British headquarters or risk being deselected. … Bown’s proposals prompted a furious response from the party’s MEPs, who feared they would be at risk of breaking the law if they diverted funds.” – The Guardian
“Alex Salmond may have acted illegally by denying expat Scots the right to vote in the independence referendum, a top lawyer has claimed. … Aidan O’Neill, an expert in European law, said the rules imposed by Scotland’s first minister had ‘good prospects’ of being overturned in court.” – Daily Mail
And comment:
“Alex Salmond has demanded an apology from David Cameron for failing to tell Scottish ministers about a radiation problem at a nuclear submarine test reactor. … The first minister said the UK government had ‘disrespected’ Holyrood and the people of Scotland by not alerting the Scottish government to the problem for almost two years.” – The Guardian
“Hillsborough campaigners may have been spied on by police through a centralised ‘tapping unit’, a leading lawyer has claimed. … Elkan Abrahamson has lodged a series of complaints with the police watchdog over the claims. … The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) confirmed it has received three referrals about officers spying on campaigners following the 1989 tragedy in which 96 Liverpool fans lost their lives.” – Daily Mail