Archive of articles from 2009

Council pensions cost £4.5bn

A fifth of council tax, about £4.5 billion per year, is spent on local authority pensions a report revealed today.

Byrne: Civil service 'not good enough'

Liam Byrne said the civil service was still "not good enough"

Cabinet Office minister Liam Byrne has said the civil service has improved "radically" in the last decade - but is still "not good enough" at delivering change.

Impasse continues over Goodwin pension

Treasury brands Goodwin refusal "unacceptable"

Gordon Brown has said it was "quite wrong" for the RBS to award Sir Fred Goodwin a discretionary entitlement in his pension arrangements.

Editors fired over 'racist' issue

Racist row: Oxford Uni paper editors resign

Editors of the prestigious Oxford University paper Cherwell have been forced to resign over a row about a mock issue.

Welsh Tories in surprise reshuffle

The Welsh Conservatives have replaced two members of their shadow cabinet in a surprise reshuffle today.

Autism bill gets through second reading

MP welcomes Conservative-backed proposals to improve services for children and adults

Unpaid work still too high

Overworked: TUC call for end to unpaid overtime

British workers are putting in more than seven hours unpaid overtime a week, according to a new report.

Brown prefers scientists to bankers

Scientists - a prime minister's best friend

Virtuous scientists were contrasted with villainous bankers by the prime minister as he delivered the prestigious Romanes lecture at Oxford University this afternoon.

Tories and Unionists join forces

Union: Belfast will see Conservative Unionist candidates running

The Conservatives and the Ulster Unionists have announced they will join forces and field joint candidates in the forthcoming European and Westminster elections.

Defiant Goodwin refuses to give up £693k pension

The chancellor said lawyers acting for the Treasury were looking at ways to claw back Sir Fred's pension

Former Royal Bank of Scotland chief executive Sir Fred Goodwin has defied the government, saying he has no intention of 'doing the right thing' and giving up his £693,000 pension.

High Court rejects banks' appeal over charges

The High Court upheld the previous 2008 ruling on unfair bank charges

The Court of Appeal has rejected an attempt by several high street banks to block the Office of Fair Trading from making a decision on the fairness of bank charges.

MPs highly critical of MoD equipment strategy

The MoD strategy for future deployments has been severly criticised

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been criticised over its failure to update the UK's Defence Industrial Strategy.

Mandelson offers olive branch to Royal Mail rebels

Lord Mandelson says the government will retain a majority stake in the Royal Mail

The government has published the bill to privatise 30 per cent of the Royal Mail with Lord Mandelson, the business secretary offering a potential olive branch to those within his own party opposed to the plan.

Unfair bank charges decision awaited

The high court is to rule on whether consumers can take their battle with the banks any further today

Consumers hoping to reclaim bank charges will find out this morning if they can take their battle any further through the courts.

RBS posts biggest loss in UK corporate history

RBS will get a further £19 billion from taxpayers

Royal Bank of Scotland today reported a £24.1 billion loss - the greatest in UK corporate history.

Prison failing prisoners

The inspector of prisons has said HMP Styal is not able to meet the needs of its women prisoners, in a report out today.

New police crime maps 'confusing'

New police crime maps 'confusing'

Charities hopeful for Gitmo solution

Charities are hopeful a meeting of EU interior ministers today will lead them a step closer to accepting prisoners from Guantanamo Bay.

Policing is overpriced and underperforming

Underperforming: Police in need of reform

Britain has the world's most expensive police force, and it doesn't work according to a report released today.

Brown escapes harsh rebuke for Commons rule-break

Gordon Brown has apologised for the inadvertent mistake

Gordon Brown broke Commons rules when he sublet part of his constituency office, parliament's standards watchdog has found.

Lib Dems launch freedom bill

Lib Dems want rollback of civil liberties infringements

A campaign to roll back the government's alleged incremental undermining of civil liberties has been launched today by the Liberal Democrats.

UK aided US in rendition, Hutton admits

UK aided US in extraordinary rendition, Hutton admits

UK armed forces should have been more suspicious when two suspected insurgents in Iraq handed over to US forces were taken to Afghanistan, defence secretary John Hutton has admitted.