‘Culture Secretary Sajid Javid said there was ‘no getting away’ from the fact that the terrorists called themselves Muslims…Mr Javid said: ‘The lazy answer from people out there is to say that this had got nothing whatsoever to do with Islam and Muslims and that should be the end of that part of the debate. That is lazy and that would be wrong. You can’t get away from the fact that these people are using Islam, they are taking a great religion, a peaceful religion of a billion people around the world, taking this religion and using it as their tool to carry out their horrible activities.’’- Daily Mail
>Today: Nadhim Zahawi MP’s column: It’s time for the Islamic world to support free speech – and repeal blasphemy laws
>Yesterday: Garvan Walshe on Comment: Perfection through murder – the age-old terrorist dream. There’s nothing specifically Muslim about it.
‘Charlie, the indomitable symbol of French resistance to terrorism, took to the streets of Paris yesterday as more than a million people marched together in an astonishing display of national and international unity in response to last week’s brutal attacks. On a day of bright sunshine and sleeting rain, this unique event was part mourning, part defiance and, above all, an outpouring of support for the threatened values of the French Republic.’ – The Times (£)
‘He said Britain is facing the same threat as France from what he described as “this fanatical death cult of Islamist extremist violence”, adding: “We have to confront it in our own country, keeping our security strong but also taking on this poisonous narrative that is radicalising young minds, wherever we find it.” Plans for a communications data bill – branded a “snooper’s charter” by critics – were blocked by Liberal Democrat opposition, but Conservatives have signalled they will revive the legislation if they secure an overall majority in May’s general election.’ – Daily Telegraph
‘The UK’s most senior police officer has said a terror attack in Britain is unlikely despite reports that the country is on the brink of raising the threat level to its highest in seven years. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said an attack was possible but called for the public to remain calm in the wake of the Paris terror attacks.’ – Daily Mail
‘David Cameron will today launch the six key themes of his party’s pitch to the voters in May, saying they will be the deficit, jobs, taxes, education, housing and retirement. But immigration, Europe and the NHS are conspicuous by their absence. This is despite the fact that last month pollsters revealed immigration is now consistently the most important political issue of concern to voters.’ – Daily Mail
>Today:
‘Fewer than half the people who retire under the new state pension due in 2016 will receive the full weekly payment, official figures show. Around two million people will get less than the supposed “flat-rate” payment during the first five years of the scheme. The revelations, contained in an email seen by The Telegraph, will give a “nasty shock” to many workers in their late fifties and early sixties, experts predicted.’ – Daily Telegraph
‘Ed Miliband refused seven times to deny that he wanted to ‘weaponise’ the NHS in the forthcoming election campaign…The Labour leader told BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show: ‘What I’ve said is I want to fight for the NHS. I don’t recall exactly what I said.’ – Daily Mail
Editorials
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Why not abolish Labour’s four-hour A & E waiting target?
‘Lord Tebbit, a former party chairman, said the prime minister would look scared if he refused to take part. David Davis said they were unavoidable. Ed Miliband argued that broadcasters should “empty chair” Mr Cameron if he refused to take part. The Labour leader said that it would be “pretty disreputable” for the Tory leader to pull out after extolling the idea in 2010.’ – The Times (£)
>Yesterday: WATCH: Miliband tells Cameron to “stop ducking” TV debates
‘The demand is being led by David Davis, the former Tory home affairs spokesman, who described the failure to publish the document after more than 2,000 days as ‘utterly unacceptable’. ‘Whatever the hold-ups and political wranglings that are delaying publication, the time has come to publish or be damned,’ he said. ‘The suggestion that the report will be delayed until after the election, if it is not ready to be published by the end of February, further damages the inquiry’s credibility and undermines the final report.’’ – Daily Mail
‘Tory Energy Minister Matt Hancock last night slammed Mr Miliband’s latest market intervention, blaming his keystone energy price freeze promise as the reason why bills haven’t gone down already. Firms insist they have had to stockpile expensive reserves to account for an 18 month hold on prices if Labour wins power in May. Mr Hancock said: “The evidence increasingly shows the threat of Labour’s high Price Freeze is responsible for higher household bills now.’ – The Sun (£)
‘A statue honouring Margaret Thatcher has been unveiled in the Falkland Islands for the first time. The tribute to the former Prime Minister – who lead Britain to victory in the 1982 conflict to defend the islands – was revealed in the island’s capital Stanley on Saturday.’ – Daily Telegraph