Archive of articles from 2010

Bitterness and anger as banks fail to lend

Banks are still failing to lend to business, the IoD survey indicates

New data showing persistently low levels of bank lending has prompted a tirade of anger at the sector and the government.

Ainsworth braced for Afghanistan 'hard bit'

Operation Moshtarak enters 'hot stabilisation' phase

Defence secretary Bob Ainsworth has warned the post-clearing phase of the Operation Moshtarak offensive will be the "hard bit".

'Scum-sucking' tweet embarrasses Labour whip

Telford MP David Wright denies calling Tories "scum-sucking pigs"

Labour whip David Wright's apparent Twitter jibe against the "scum-sucking" Conservatives has prompted reciprocal Tory attacks against Labour's "gutter language".

Inflation hits 3.5%

Mervyn King will be writing another letter to the chancellor

Mervyn King will have to write another letter to the chancellor after inflation rose to 3.5% in January.

Barclays enjoys record profit

Barclays recieved no taxpayer support during the crisis

Barclays enjoyed a huge surge in full-year profits, rising 92% to £11.6 billion.

Purnell: I won't be back

Purnell: "I've never said that he can't win an election"

James Purnell has no intentions of returning to the frontline of politics, he confirmed today.

MPs may have to pay back second home profits

MPs will learn of the new rules in March

MPs may be forced to pay back the profit they made from their second home back to the public purse, according to the man responsible for implementing the new allowances system.

Body scanners' legality questioned

Body scanners now in use at Britain's airports could be breaking the law, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has warned.

'Shocking' NHS accident inaction condemned

Patient safety concerns revealed by new data

A widespread failure across the NHS to comply with patient safety standards has been described as "shocking" by the Action Against Medical Accidents (AvMA) charity.