Alex Stevenson

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Osborne ups stakes with EU ultimatum

Chancellor George Osborne has offered a defiant response to German and American warnings about a potential British exit from the EU.

Analysis: How did Jimmy Savile escape justice?

In Jimmy Savile's "staggering and unprecedented" case, more could have been done to put two and two together. That doesn't mean officials can guarantee it won't happen again.

Savile report reveals shocking truth

Harrowing details of Jimmy Savile's "predatory and opportunistic" sexual depravity have been revealed by the Metropolitan police.

No 10 feared 'gigantic' plebgate conspiracy

Downing Street officials suspected Andrew Mitchell's plebgate downfall could have been the result of a "gigantic conspiracy", Jeremy Heywood has said.

Review: There's a method to Clegg's LBC madness

Nick Clegg is making history. This is nothing new: the coalition is a historic experiment, and it is all his fault. Which is why he's having to do this sort of show.

'Cynical and sleazy': Fury over councillor expenses

Conservative finger-pointing has triggered bitter clashes over the toxic issue of politicians' expenses.

Still failing: MoD's big-budget spending rocketing upwards

Costs to the Ministry of Defence's (MoD) biggest projects have increased by nearly £0.5 billion in the last year.

Still a poodle? Obama administration pressures Britain to stay in EU

Britain's special relationship with the US could be devalued if the UK left the European Union, a senior Obama administration official has warned.

PMQs verdict: A midterm shambles – but Cameron keeps grinning

The fact MPs were sitting down and stationary for the first prime minister's questions is not going to stop this writer claiming they all had a spring in their step.

Business leaders jittery before PM's Europe speech

A group of business leaders have warned the prime minister against his expected call for a renegotiation with the European Union.

Coalition braces for broken promises shame

Ed Miliband has dismissed David Cameron as a "PR man who can't even do a relaunch" in PMQs, as the coalition faces another shambles over the release of its audit of broken pledges later.

'Total chaos' as second peer quits government

David Cameron faces mockery from the opposition in prime minister's questions this lunchtime, after being hit by a second ministerial resignation in the Lords this week.

Out of prison, into the arms of… the private sector

Around 200,000 criminals released from prison every year are to be supervised by the private sector, in a move opponents are calling the demise of public probation in England and Wales.

'Cutting for Bieber' self-harm mock protest sparks anger

Calls for young people to "cut themselves" in protest against Justin Bieber's burgeoning interest in cannabis have prompted outrage.

Their constitutional record of failure won't stop the coalition's meddling instincts

This is a government which has not stopped to think twice before meddling with the rules of the game.

Benefit cuts: Are pensioners next?

Pensioners could find themselves targeted for benefit cuts in the next Conservative manifesto, Iain Duncan Smith has suggested.

Midterm review sketch: Empty document fails to hide coalition tensions

Whereas the Rose Garden was charming and novel, we have now grown familiar with the tedious, forced bonhomie which now prevails between these two men.

Two more years? Cameron and Clegg reload the coalition

A wave of new reforms and a renewed commitment to coalition government form the backbone of David Cameron and Nick Clegg's midterm review, unveiled this afternoon.

Midterm review: A missed opportunity?

The midterm review will give the coalition's longevity prospects a shot in the arm, but the art of multi-party government in Whitehall still has some way to go before it becomes truly refined.

Comment: Cameron and Clegg's coalition myths need uncovering

This midterm review is littered with half-truths tailored to help David Cameron and Nick Clegg cling on to power. They are complicit in the same deceits: what better reason to continue to stick together?