Archive of articles from 2009

Brown: No reward for failure

The government says it will control rewards through its stake in RBS

Gordon Brown has promised there would be "no rewards for failure" in the banking industry today, despite claims from economic analysts that the UK government is going easy on bankers.

UK 'ready to assist' Australia

The UK stands ready to assist Australia as it faces its worst wildfires in the country's history.

Lib Dems unveil spending plans

The party has undergone an internal debate over tax cuts

A boost for childcare funding and scrapping higher education fees are among the spending priorities announced by the Liberal Democrats today.

FTSE rallies after Barclays boost

The FTSE 100 was up 1.54 points by 08:36 GMT to 4,293.41, led by a jump in Barclays' shares.

Prescott launches Facebook anti-bonus campaign

Mr Prescott said sites like Facebook can harness public anger

Former deputy prime minister John Prescott has launched an online campaign on social networking site Facebook to stop executive remuneration in failing banks.

Cameron hires Google boss for crisis team

Mr Cameron has brought in Eric Schmidt, Google's CEO

Tory leader David Cameron has unveiled a new economic recovery committee to discuss strategies to beat the financial crisis, including Eric Schmidt, Google's CEO, as international business adviser.

Clarke to stay quiet on Europe

Shadow business secretary, Kenneth Clarke, has refused to oppose the Tory position on Europe in the run-up to European elections, it was reported today.

Smith 'disappointed' by drug czar's comments

Home secretary Jacqui Smith has said she is "surprised and profoundly disappointed" by professor David Nutt's comments that taking ecstasy is no more dangerous than horse-riding.