Bus crash in France

A coach carrying British school children and their supervisors crashed near Reims Sunday morning, killing a teacher and leaving a teenage girl in a critical condition in hospital.

Burkha ban

A burkha ban has been ruled out in the UK by the immigration minister, who branded it "un-British".

Buildup before eurocrisis talks

Senior Conservative figures are continuing to offer contrary views on Britain's relationship with the European Union.

Building Schools for the Future

The government's controversial decision to scrap the Building Schools for the Future programme returned to the spotlight today, as three councils began legal action.

Building scheme

David Cameron and Nick Clegg are launching their much-vaunted house building scheme with a July timetable for work to start on thousands of new buildings.

Budget 2012

The chancellor has announced the details of the 2012 Budget.

Budget

Chancellor George Osborne will lay out his plans for the economy in the Budget today.

BSkyB takeover

The consultation on Rupert Murdoch's bid to takeover BSkyB comes to a close today.

BSkyB motion

Government ministers are set to back a Labour motion calling on Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation to drop its bid for broadcaster BSkyB.

BSkyB bid

Rupert Murdoch's bid for total control of BSkyB was dramatically dropped yesterday by News International.

Browne report

Lord Browne's report on higher education funding sees its release today.

Broken Britain? Unemployment skyrockets

The overall number of unemployed people in Britain has hit a 17-year peak.

Broken Britain's broken families

An ambitious scheme to tackle Britain's broken families is at the heart of the government's response to this year's riots.

British unemployment

New UK unemployment figures reveal a 128,000 rise in the number of people out of work in the three months to October.

British response to debt crisis

World economic mire continues to dominate the political agenda as Europe struggles to deal with the Greek debt crisis.

British political party funding

Attempts to remove 'big money' from British party politics looks set to be defeated, after all three main parties turned up their noses up at the plans.

British High Street

Mary Portas has published her official report into saving the British High Street, highlighting local planning laws and parking fees as areas of concern.

Britain's new rail line

Plans are going ahead for a new high speed rail line despite the protests of opponents.

Britain's fisheries at risk

Fishermen's livelihoods are at risk from "slipper skippers" and organisations selling fishing quota as a commodity.

Britain's euro treaty veto

The significance of David Cameron's refusal to sign Britain up to a European deal to save the eurozone is slowly sinking in, both on the continent and in Westminster.

Britain's economic future

The release of an IMF report, Tony Blair's memoirs and comments made by Alistair Darling have thrust economic policy into the spotlight, as the comprehensive spending review starts to loom large in the agenda of the government.

Britain in 2011: Part two

The prime minister has joined other leading figures from politics making their predictions for the next year.

Britain and racism: Stephen Lawrence

Two men have been convicted of the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence, whose death in 1993 sent shockwaves across Britain.

Bringing the work programme down to size

Independent auditors have questioned the government's assessment of the impact of its work programme.

Breast cancer

Breast cancer

BRC: Retailers don't ditch ethics

Branson buys Northern Rock

Virgin Money's purchase of Northern Rock from the Treasury comes at a loss for taxpayers.

Brakes on motor insurance costs

MPs are calling for action to be taken to tackle the high costs of motor insurance.

Boundary changes

Many high profile MPs face a battle for electoral survival after the boundary review revealed sweeping changes to England's parliamentary constituencies.

Border controls relaxed

A decision to relax passport checks at Britain's borders this summer is attracting criticism.

Bonus culture

RBS chief executive Stephen Hester has given up on his bonus, amid a growing public outcry.

Bonfire of the Quangos

Hundreds of arms-length non-governmental organisations will discover their fate under the new government today.

Bonfire of the quangos

A committee of MPs has attacked the government's much-heralded 'bonfire of the quangos', saying it failed to save money or improve accountability.

Blue Monday

The day touted as the most depressing of the year has seen economic analysts predict a return to recession for the UK.

Bleak economic outlook

Coming up with a coherent political narrative for dealing with the economy is proving tricky for our leading politicians.

Birthday blues for NHS reforms

One year after the health and social care bill was laid before parliament, the coalition's NHS reforms continue to face bitter opposition from health workers.

Bias and the BBC

The status of the BBC came to the fore today, with the visit of its director general to Downing Street to discuss political coverage.

Better future? Uni applications down

The first evidence has emerged of a drop in university applications following the increase in tuition fees.

Benefits cap

Plans which would cap the benefits a family can receive at the level of average income face a tight vote in the Lords later.

Benefits and mental health

The impact of benefit changes to those with poor mental health are being highlighted today.

Beginning of Leveson inquiry

The Leveson inquiry into media practices has today begun at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.

Battle for Tripoli

Rebels have seized much of the Libyan capital Tripoli as pressure grows on embattled leader Col Muammar Gaddafi.

Barclays bonuses

Barclays has reported a three per cent fall in profits to £5.9 billion for last year.

Ban on poppies

Fifa is refusing to budge on England players wearing a poppy during football matches this weekend.

Banks tax

A financial activity tax on Britain's banks targeting profits and remuneration is being considered by Treasury minister Mark Hoban.

Bank profits

The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has returned to profit, making £1.14 billion in the first half of the year compared to £15 million during the same period last year.

Bank levy increase

Chancellor George Osborne has announced an increase in the levy on bank profits that will raise an extra £800 million this year.

Banking report

Retail banking services should be ringfenced within banks, the Independent Commission on Banking (ICB) has said

Banking reforms backed by govt

The coalition's decision to endorse reforms of the banking sector are highlighting the relationship between politicians and the City once again.

Banking reform

Vince Cable has said the coalition will push ahead with banking reforms despite opposition to the speed of changes.