Archive of articles from 2010

Royal Wikileaks comment prompts Tory attack

The comments from Prince Andrew were released through Wikileaks

Prince Andrew's role in the continuing Wikileaks saga has prompted a rare spat between Tory MPs and the royal family.

Labour dismisses 'jobless recovery'

Alexander: Govt 'complacent' about jobs returning

Growth figures mask the possibility of enduring unemployment, Douglas Alexander will claim.

World cup scandal threatens ailing England bid

David Cameron, David Beckham and Prince William are part of a delegation to rescue the bid

A BBC investigation into corruption at Fifa has hit England's troubled World Cup bid.

Wikileaks: Brown's McKinnon plea was 'ignored' by US

Brown's plea fell on deaf ears, according to the leaks

Gordon Brown pushed for a deal which would see the hacker serve his sentence in UK.

Cameron under pressure over new peer's 'breeding' comments

Turbulent peers: The comments create a huge headache for the PM

Opposition parties have questioned the PM's judgement.

The PM survives the backbenchers

Cameron faces the Common's most influential backbenchers today

David Cameron survived two and half hours of scrutiny from the most powerful backbenchers in Westminster this afternoon.

Official advice: Cut worker immigration by 25%

Business is wary of the potential economic impact of the cap

The number of skilled workers coming to the UK ought to be cut by between 13% and 25%, the government's immigration advisers have recommended.

Govt taken to task for dismantling Equality Act

The government was subject to wideranging attacks from Labour MPs for the move

Labour MPs have queued up to attack the government for scrapping parts of the Equality Act.

UK's terror law reviewer backs Obama

Guantanamo Bay detainees an enduring headache for Barack Obama

The man conducting a review of Britain's counter-terrorism legislation has urged US president Barack Obama not to 'blink' over civil trials for Guantanamo detainees.

Johnson puts pressure on Miliband to cut union ties

Johnson: I would like to see a full one-member one-vote system for leadership contests

Alan Johnson has cemented his reputation as a potential problem for Ed Miliband with a public call for his leader to cut his ties with unions.

Once more, with feeling: Student protests continue

Organisers will be hoping to avoid the violence which marred last week's mass demostration

Students will show their displeasure at cuts and tuition fees in a symbolic act of protest later today, as demonstrators head to Conservative offices in North London.

Leaked MoD report admits troop morale hit

British troops' confidence and morale was "badly damaged" by the way the strategic defence and security review was handled, according to an internal Ministry of Defence (MoD) report.

Tory fundraiser may ascend to the Lords

The new intake is set to be announced on Saturday

A Conservative co-chairman and old friend of the prime minister is one of the names being mooted for peerages, according to reports.

Cameron fights off Harman's 'vanity photo' attack

Harman failed to land a blow at PMQs today

David Cameron easily batted away attacks from Harriet Harman today during a strange and bad-tempered PMQs session.

May scraps Harman's 'socialist' law

May: You can't solve a problem as complex as inequality in one legal clause

Theresa May will scrap a legal duty to help reduce inequality, as she undoes last-minute changes made by Harriet Harman before leaving office.

UK ready to offer Ireland bailout cash

Chancellor George Osborne is preparing the ground for a British intervention to prop up Ireland's struggling economy.

'Trailblazing' public mutuals launched

The plans are being co-ordinated by the Cabinet Office

Twelve groups of public sector staff will be 'pathfinders' for a scheme to set up employee-owned mutuals as part of the government's 'big society' drive.

Left-wingers play down graduate tax split

Graduate tax split between Alan Johnson and Ed Miliband 'not worth worrying about'

The graduate tax is too similar to the government's tuition fees proposals to warrant a major political dispute within the Labour party, left-wingers have claimed.

Cameron midwives promise 'broken'

Maternity services are under ever-increasing pressure, say the RCM

David Cameron and Nick Clegg have gone back on promises made to increase the number of midwives, the Royal College of Midwives has claimed.

Gove bids for massive expansion in Academies

Unions bitterly oppose Mr Gove's drive for more academies

The offer of academy status will be extended to all schools in England, Michael Gove will announce today.

Ministers give ground on same-day elections

Nationalists fear campaign 'cross-pollination'

Elections to the devolved legislatures could be separated from general elections by up to six months, ministers have said.

Clegg to the rescue? Deputy PM pleads for Sheffield Wednesday survival

Sheffield Wednesday is enduring a difficult period - something to which Mr Clegg can relate

An under fire Nick Clegg has promised to assist "in any way I can" to bring about the rescue of troubled football club Sheffield Wednesday.

Payback at last: Guantanamo detainees to receive compensation

British Guantanamo detainees claim British security services colluded in their extradition

The British victims of Guantanamo Bay will be offered millions of pounds in compensation today, as the government desperately tries to keep their cases out of court.