Archive of articles from 2010

Harman brings down the curtain on 'historic' conference

Harman has a guaranteed seat on the Cabinet as deputy leader

Harriet Harman will bring a historic Labour conference to a close today when she delivers the final speech in Manchester.

BBC strike row descends into acrimony

Trouble at the Beeb - union bosses were unimpressed with the journalists' letter

Political staff and journalists at the BBC have co-signed a letter to union representatives criticising planned strikes during the Tory conference - and have received an indignant response.

PM stands firm in face of Fox protests

Navy's aircraft carriers under threat from strategic defence and security review

David Cameron is not prepared to retreat from plans to cut Britain's military budget, despite strong opposition from the defence secretary, according to a report.

Ed Miliband hints at tax hikes

Tax to cuts ratio would become more equal under Ed Miliband

Ed Miliband has suggested the party would put a larger emphasis on greater taxation rather than public spending cuts.

The mastermind steps from the shadows

The man behind Ed Miliband's leadership campaign has made his speech to conference, with political pundits weighing up his words for signs of his future role.

Military campaigners fear 'little England' retreat

Sun setting on Britain's substantial military capabilities?

Britain's pragmatic consensus on cutting military spending reflects the weakening of Britain's national spirit, a defence campaigner has claimed.

Met to cut costs by recruiting from volunteers

The Met is considering radical changes to ts recruitment process

Applicants hoping to earn salaries as regular police officers may have to first volunteer as special constables, as a cost-cutting measure.

Lose the gay stereotypes, public tells BBC

Gay coverage on the Beeb getting better - but can still improve, report says

The BBC's portrayal of gay, lesbian and bisexual people is not positive enough, an internal report has admitted.

Field: Lack of parenting 'tough love' to blame for poverty

Field: Parents need to rediscover 'tough love' approach

Children in poverty are held back by parents' refusal to adopt an old-fashioned "tough love" approach, Frank Field has said.

Pickles turns down the radiators

Eric Pickles has jumped on a proposal to save taxpayers' money by turning down the heating in his government department.

Cameron surrounds himself with business leaders

David Cameron has added to the list of businessmen advising him on policy.

AV referendum wording 'too complex'

The wording of the referendum on electoral reform should be changed because some voters are struggling to understand it, the election watchdog has said.

Former expenses official jailed

Andrew Gibson forged MP signatures to siphon expenses funds

A former employee of the House of Commons fees office who forged expenses receipts in order to pay off debts has been jailed.

Govt under fire for Equality Act delay

Pay equality may suffer as a result of the government's review

The government is being accused of allowing the pay gap between men and women to grow by watering down the Equalities Act.

Police chief apologises for CCTV 'intrusion'

CCTV stigmatised communities, police chief admits

A police chief constable has said sorry after admitting concealed CCTV in mainly Muslim areas undermined community relations.

Clegg in Wales: 'I can't promise you nirvana'

The DPM's words will do little to dampen Welsh anxiety over impending cuts

Nick Clegg has used his first visit as deputy prime minister to Wales to call for calm over the impending spending cuts.

Exit David Miliband

David Miliband appears outside his home with his wife this afternoon

David Miliband has decided not to stand for the shadow Cabinet and will remain on the backbenches while his brother leads the Labour party.

Ed Miliband makes his first move

Ed Miliband told NickBrown he didn't want him as chief whip today

Ed Miliband made his first move to take control of the Labour party today, when he told Nick Brown he did not want him for the chief whip role.

Warsi rails against media Islamophobia

Baroness Warsi had little good to say about elements of the press

The media in Britain has a "fair game" attitude to attacking the Muslim community, Sayeeda Warsi has claimed.

Leaked letter reveals Fox's defence review panic

All is not well within the walls of the MoD

The strategic defence and security review (SDSR) will have "grave political consequences" for the government, defence secretary Liam Fox has warned David Cameron.

Balls makes his shadow Cabinet pitch

Ed Balls faces a big speech to delegates in Manchester this morning

Ed Balls has called on his party to offer a clear "Labour alternative" to the coalition government's programme of spending cuts, as he made his pitch for a senior job in the shadow Cabinet.

Ed Miliband 'will marry' his girlfriend

Ed Miliband with partner Justine Thornton yesterday

Ed Miliband has confirmed he will eventually marry his girlfriend, after being repeatedly asked the question during a round of post-speech interviews.

Britain abandoned Iraq to terror, says US general

British forces were `defeated` in Iraq, according to former US commanders

The UK's withdrawal from its deployment in southern Iraq constituted a "defeat" according to US generals.

Bank figure calls for more quantitative easing

A second round of quantitative easing is needed according to a Bank of England figure

A second round of quantitative easing is needed to stave off a potential double-dip recession, a member of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee (MPC) has said.