Archive of articles from 2011

Another resignation at St Paul's amid protest uproar

Graeme Knowles outside St Paul's yesterday

St Paul's cathedral has been hit by another resignation, with the Dean's departure prompting an intervention from the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Daylight saving: Boris wants No 10 to call Scotland's bluff

Downing Street should call the Scots' bluff over their expected opposition to a proposed time zone shift, Boris Johnson has said.

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Fox admits hopes of frontbench return

Liam Fox quit after a week of unrelenting media pressure

Liam Fox has admitted he wants to return to the government - in his first interview since quitting as defence secretary.

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No more ministers, MPs plead

Too many ministers, MPs say. Photo: www.politicalpictures.co.uk

The coalition government has appointed an excessive number of ministers because it wants to increase its control over the Commons, MPs have claimed.

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Mission impossible? Coalition bids for economic recovery

Tough times for the UK economy - and for politicians

Looming GDP figures are overshadowing the coalition's latest bid to get Britain's faltering economy moving again.

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Clegg plays economy card in Europe debate

Consider the economy, Clegg tells eurosceptics

The coalition's internal debate over Europe shows no sign of abating after Nick Clegg's insistence that Britain must stay in the European Union to help the economic recovery.

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PM leads adoption push against councils

David Cameron says current adoption rates for under-ones is shocking

Councils which are failing to deal with adoption cases quickly are to be embarrassed into action.

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'It's not fair', politicians tell UK's fat cats

Directors of top FTSE companies are enjoying pay rises of 50%

Politicians have spoken out after it emerged the bosses of Britain's top firms have enjoyed a 50% pay rise in the last year, but have struggled to come up with solutions.

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PM wins permission for succession rules change

Proposed changes mean if their first child is a girl, she'll eventually be Queen

Leaders have agreed to scrap the 300-year-old rule which gives males precedence in the royal succession, David Cameron has announced.

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Ministers have time for 'time zone shift' review

Changing time zone would mean extra hour of daylight in evening

Britain could scrap GMT by moving clocks forward by an hour throughout the year, ministers have conceded.

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Cameron talks tough over EU's threat to City

City of London feels under threat from EU directives

David Cameron says the City of London is a "key national interest" that needs protecting from the EU.

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Ex-archbishop wrings hands at St Paul's 'debacle'

Occupy London Stock Exchange protest closed St Paul's for a week

Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey has waded into the debate over the Occupy protest at St Paul's cathedral with an outspoken attack on his Church of England colleagues.

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Farage senses opportunity for Tory defections

Nigel Farage says talks are ongoing with discontented Tories

"Discussions" with Conservative party MPs, MEPs and peers about potential defections to Ukip are underway, Nigel Farage has claimed.

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UK 'ready' to offer extra cash for IMF's euro bailouts

David Cameron keeps an eye on Nicolas Sarkozy's negotiations

Britain could provide extra money to the IMF to help struggling EU countries but will not allow the money to bolster the eurozone's bailout fund, George Osborne has told MPs.

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Major warns leaving EU would be 'dangerous mistake'

Sir John Major warns that leaving the EU would be a "dangerous mistake"

Former Conservative party leader Sir John Major has warned it "would be a dangerous mistake" for Britain to leave the EU, just days after 81 Tory MPs rebelled against the government over the issue.

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Limited knife crime sentencing shift for under-18s

A knife amnesty haul from Greater Manchester police

Knife crimes committed by 16- and 17-year-olds will result in a mandatory four-month prison sentence, the Ministry of Justice has announced.

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St Paul's canon quits over protest

Protesters outside St Paul's have prompted a political crisis inside the cathedral

The St Paul's canon who initially welcomed anti-capitalist protesters has resigned, revealing deep divisions within the cathedral's staff.

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Public doubting coalition's plan A

Voters believe government have bungled economic policies

Most people in the UK think the government is doing a bad job of managing the economy, as concerns mount over soaring inflation coupled with rising unemployment.

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Lock up personal data thieves, MPs demand

Data Protection Act needs jail threat for proper enforcement

Those who break data protection laws should be sent to prison, MPs have told ministers.

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PMQs: Cameron confronted with coalition's EU divisions

Both David Cameron and Ed Miliband quotes Nick Clegg in this week's PMQs

Ed Miliband helped stoke coalition tensions over Europe during a PMQs overshadowed by the ongoing eurozone crisis.

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Unproductive workers could be given the sack

Workers could be sacked for being lazy under new proposals

Employees in the UK could be sacked for laziness or lack of productivity, if new proposals suggested in a leaked report are taken up by the government.

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Cable fined over missed tax bill

Another gaffe from the business secretary

Business secretary Vince Cable has been rapped for failing to pay a tax bill worth as much as £25,000.

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Eurocrisis summit wrestles with bailout difficulties

David Cameron's attitude has riled other EU leaders

Fears are growing that today's emergency EU summit will not achieve agreement on the way out of the ongoing eurozone crisis in Brussels.

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Lobbyists reap huge financial rewards for top political access

Ex-defence secretary Liam Fox was forced to stand down when his links to right-wing lobby groups were revealed

Direct access to influential Cabinet ministers could be of huge financial value to a lobbyist, with some 'connections' valued at £112,000, according to a report published today.

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