“‘Of course there would be a currency union,’ the minister told the Guardian in remarks that will serve as a major boost to the Scottish first minister … The minister, who would play a central role in the negotiations over the breakup of the UK if there were a yes vote, added: ‘There would be a highly complex set of negotiations after a yes vote, with many moving pieces. The UK wants to keep Trident nuclear weapons at Faslane and the Scottish government wants a currency union – you can see the outlines of a deal.'” – The Guardian
And comment:
“This weekend is an important moment for our country. For the first time, the couples getting married won’t just include men and women – but men and men; and women and women. After all the campaigning – not least by readers of PinkNews – we will at last have equal marriage in our country. Put simply, in Britain it will no longer matter whether you are straight or gay – the State will recognise your relationship as equal.” – David Cameron, Pink News
And further comment:
> Today: ToryDiary – Lawfully wedded
“Mr Cameron is taking a much closer interest in political developments in Copenhagen as he looks towards the Danish prime minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, as the person who could help him out of a hole in Europe. … Mr Cameron met the centre-left Danish premier on the margins of a summit in The Hague this week and discussed a subject close to both of their hearts: who should get the top jobs in Brussels when they are carved up this year.” – Financial Times
“Tory MP Mark Reckless welcomed the close-co-operation between Mr Osborne and his German counterpart, but warned: ‘The Germans aren’t going to remake the EU to suit the UK and even the prospect of treaty change seems to be receding.’ … Fellow Eurosceptic Douglas Carswell said it was ‘just like the 1990s all over again’, when Brussels paid lip service to British demands for more powers to be handed back to national parliaments.” – Daily Mail
“George Osborne has called for a return to Dad’s Army style banking, championing character Captain Mainwaring as a role model for today’s managers at the Federation of Small Business Conference. … The Chancellor, who was speaking at the 40th anniversary conference in Manchester, said that Britain needs more ‘face-to-face’ banking.” – Daily Telegraph
“Millions of people over 60 could get a £1,500 windfall from the Treasury because of an extraordinary loophole in new pension laws. … Changes in this month’s Budget, effective from Thursday, allow pensioners to cash in small pension pots worth up to £10,000. … But the legislation leaves open a loophole that means trading in your pension pot can actually result in a profit – at taxpayers’ expense.” – Daily Mail
And comment:
“Rapid growth in the UK’s dominant service sector in January and rising business investment have raised hopes that Britain’s economy will grow more than had been expected this year. … Official data published on Friday showed the service sector grew 3.2 per cent in January compared with the same month last year.” – Financial Times
“The Culture Secretary abused the Parliamentary expenses system by over-claiming for her mortgage and then failing to fully co-operate with an investigation into her conduct, The Telegraph can disclose. … Maria Miller, the Culture secretary, is set to have to repay up to £5,000 and be censured for her claims – following an official Parliamentary inquiry which is expected to report as soon as this week.” – Daily Telegraph
And comment:
“The cost of setting up the Harris Westminster Sixth Form for high-achieving students is six times the average cost of establishing a free school and equates to around £90,000 per pupil. … The Independent understands that the budget for this project has been the subject of internal criticism within Whitehall. … Margaret Hodge, chair of the Public Accounts Committee, described the expenditure as ‘outrageous’.” – The Independent
And comment:
> Yesterday: WATCH – “I’ve got street cred-i-bil-i-ty” – Michael Gove raps
“Union intimidation squads risk damaging the economic recovery, Cabinet Minister Francis Maude claimed last night. … He said a new inquiry by a top lawyer had to get ‘to the bottom’ of bully boy tactics — and consider new laws. … It came as the Government revealed the probe into hardline tactics will go ahead without any trade union involvement.” – The Sun (£)
“The Government’s visa rules are a ‘blot’ on Britain’s reputation, leaving the country looking “nasty” to the outside world, Chancellor George Osborne’s father-in-law has protested. … The former Cabinet minister Lord Howell of Guildford warned that business people were being deterring from travelling to the UK by the ‘jungle of regulations’ they encountered.” – The Independent
“Mafia-style behaviour in the planning system is ‘traumatising’ the English countryside, the head of the National Trust has suggested. … Sir Simon Jenkins, the Trust’s chairman, said the planning decisions that have led to eyesore developments getting the go-ahead could only have happened in Sicily, the historic home of the mafia.” – Daily Telegraph
> Today: Benedict McAleenan on Comment – Let the Lords take the lead on major infrastucture and housing
“Just 10 per cent [of UKIP supporters] said they would consider changing their vote to keep Mr Miliband out. … The figure was slightly higher among voters who had defected from the Tories in the first place, with 14 per cent saying they would consider switching back next year. … Lord Ashcroft insisted that the poll findings were not a disaster for the Conservatives, adding: ‘With marginal voters in marginal seats, the margins matter.'” – Daily Mail
And comment:
> Yesterday: Lord Ashcroft on Comment – “Vote UKIP, get Labour.” Does that argument work for the Conservatives?
“Nick Clegg signalled on Friday that the government is to lift the cap on the amount of money councils can spend in discretionary housing payments for tenants in difficulties due to the introduction of the bedroom tax. … The announcement is not an injection of extra government funding, but will give councils greater flexibility to help tenants who say they cannot afford the extra cost, or have nowhere else to go.” – The Guardian
“[Miliband’s] main problem is not a lack of political convictions but the fact that he realises he can’t express them because they are so red-bloodedly socialist they would frighten most voters. … It is not easy to see, in an improving economy, how Ed Miliband and Ed Balls can extricate themselves from this mess.” – Simon Heffer, Daily Mail
> Yesterday: LeftWatch – “The Labour Party has always stood up for working people” – er, when?
“Riot police were reported to be on standby after inmates took control of part of a prison wing in Northumberland on Friday night. … Officials at HMP Northumberland near Amble, about 30 miles from Newcastle, confirmed a ‘disturbance’ was under way, but dismissed as ‘speculation’ the suggestion of a stand-off between inmates and guards.” – The Guardian
And comment:
“The revelation that former IRA commander Martin McGuinness may attend a state banquet hosted by the Queen sparked a furious reaction last night. … The Sinn Fein politician is still considering whether to accept an invitation to the white-tie event at Windsor Castle next month. … Buckingham Palace refused to confirm that Northern Ireland’s deputy first minister is on the guest list for the banquet, in honour of Irish president Michael D Higgins.” – Daily Mail
“In a phone conversation Friday, President Barack Obama urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to pull back troops from the border with Ukraine. … The White House said Putin called Obama while the president was traveling in Saudi Arabia. … Mr Obama pressed Russia to offer a written response to a diplomatic resolution to the Ukraine crisis that the U.S. has presented.” – Daily Mail