Archive of September 2011

Business world gripes over new temp rules
Extra pay and benefits rights for temporary workers which come into effect this weekend have prompted criticism from business groups.
-
Jobseekers 'should work harder for benefits'
Benefit claimants should have to earn a number of points for completing jobseeking activities before receiving their allowance, a thinktank has proposed.
-
Pressure on PM over immigration promises
Falling approval ratings will be cause for concern as David Cameron prepares for his second Conservative party conference as prime minister.
-
Fox will 'fight MoD's corner' once growth returns
Defence secretary Liam Fox has pledged a return to departmental tensions with the Treasury as soon as economic growth returns.
-
Weekly bin collections to return
Weekly bin collections are set to return after ministers came up with £250 million of funding ahead of the Conservative party conference.
-
Motorway speed limits could rise to 80mph
Motorway speed limits could increase from 70mph to 80mph in a move which has been criticised by road safety campaigners.
-
Lords join Twitter revolution
Peers are to interact with the public through social media after a Twitter feed was set up for the second chamber.
-
How NHS reforms could decide the 2015 election
The fate of the coalition's NHS reforms could prove crucial in 21 marginal constituencies which feature struggling NHS trusts, according to new research.
-
Harman sounds alarm over voter registration
Plans to force each voter to register individually are part of a Conservative bid to disenfranchise Labour voters, Harriet Harman has warned.
-
Merkel survives judgement day
The most powerful woman in the world has survived a crucial parliamentary votes on the eurozone's financial rescue fund.
-
UK holds out against Robin Hood tax
The UK is set to prevent the European Union setting up a financial transaction tax out of fears it will disproportionately affect London.
-
Shadow of crisis: Clegg hits out in frantic EU warning
Nick Clegg issued a tough warning to European leaders today, telling them that closer eurozone integration would effectively downgrade the UK's position.
-
Reshuffle rumours hang over shadow Cabinet
Rumours of a shadow Cabinet reshuffle are continuing to overshadow Labour's party conference in Liverpool.
-
Hague tells Germany: 'You're going to subsidise Greece for the rest of your life'
Germans will have to subsidise indebted European nations for "the rest of their lifetimes", the foreign secretary has said.
-
Europe moves towards financial sector tax
European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso is seeking the financial transaction tax (FTT) called for by 'Robin Hood' campaigners.
-
Labour nets ex-Met chief for policing review
Labour is setting up a "heavyweight" review of the future of policing in England and Wales after the coalition refused to do so.
-
Judge rejects 'minimally conscious' right to die case
A 'minimally conscious' brain-damaged woman should not be allowed to die, a high court judge has ruled.
-
Call to 'name and shame' Labour's stingy memoir writers
Labour delegates in Liverpool have loudly applauded a call to humiliate wealthy memoir writers who are "not donating sufficiently" to the party.
-
'Pro-EU propaganda' proposed for UK schools
Schools could be forced to teach lessons on the benefits of the EU, under plans in a report to the European parliament.
-
UK govt 'weak on propaganda'
Ministers and officials need to recognise the importance of strategic communications, a thinktank has urged.
-
Joey Barton backs Cameron's 'big society'
David Cameron appears to have won Joey Barton's vote, following some moderate praise for the prime minister.
-
Business backlash after Miliband speech
Ed Miliband has insisted his leader's speech was "pro-business", amid a cacophony of criticism from the business world at his rhetoric.
-
Johann Hari did not deserve Orwell Prize, say organisers
Disgraced journalist Johann Hari would have been stripped of the Orwell Prize had he not decided to return it, the organisers have said.
-
Miliband unveils 'new bargain' for Britain
Britain needs a "new bargain" which rewards good behaviour by both the poor and the rich, Ed Miliband has told delegates in Liverpool.
-
'Hospital beds must be cut' to meet efficiency savings
The NHS will have to "radically reorient" itself away from hospital-based treatment to avoid sleepwalking into a "financial crisis", the head of the NHS Confederation has warned.