'Major failures' over rail deal

30 January 2013 Last updated at 19:05 ET

The fiasco over the collapse of the West Coast Main Line franchise deal was the result of "irresponsible decisions", an MPs' committee has said.

The transport committee blamed "major failures" at the Department for Transport (DfT) and the civil service.

But its report was not unanimous, with several committee members choosing not to blame ministers.

In October, the government scrapped its decision to award the £5bn franchise to FirstGroup.

The reversal will cost taxpayers almost £50m, it has been estimated.

"This episode revealed substantial problems of governance, assurance, policy and resources inside the Department for Transport," said Louise Ellman, chairwoman of the committee.

"Embarking on an ambitious - perhaps unachievable - reform of franchising, in haste, on the UK's most complex piece of railway, was an irresponsible decision for which ministers were ultimately responsible.

"This was compounded by major failures by civil servants, some of whom misled ministers."

Continue reading the main story

Ministers asked the right, penetrating questions during the process but were given inaccurate responses by officials"

End Quote Karen Lumley, Karl McCartney, and Iain Stewart Committee members

The mistakes came to light after rival bidder Virgin Trains, which has run the West Coast Main Line since 1997, launched a legal challenge against the decision. Virgin will continue running the service until November 2014 when a new long-term franchise will begin.

In December, the National Audit Office calculated a "significant cost to the taxpayer".

It said costs for staff, advisers, lawyers and the two reviews into the fiasco added up to £8.9m, on top of the estimated £40m it will take to reimburse firms for the cost of their bids.

'Inaccurate responses'

But three members of the transport select committee - Karen Lumley, Karl McCartney, and Iain Stewart - said that they disagreed with the report, which was majority voted through.

An independent report last year by Sam Laidlaw - chief executive of Centrica, the owner of British Gas - found there was a "damning failure" by the DfT that led to ministers - who had not been told about flaws in the bidding process - awarding the contract after being given inaccurate reports.

"We believe the evidence in the Laidlaw Report shows that ministers asked the right, penetrating questions during the process but were given inaccurate responses by officials," they said.

"We do not believe that it is was 'irresponsible' to run the new franchise process first on the WCML as the department has shown itself perfectly capable of managing other complex projects in this period," they added.

Three DFT civil servants, who were suspended after the scrapping of the bid, have returned to work, and one official has launched legal action against the department on the basis that her role in the process has been "inaccurately" portrayed.

In the report, Ms Ellman said that: "Many of the problems with the franchise competition, detailed in the Laidlaw report, reflect very badly on civil servants at the DFT.

"However, ministers approved a complex - perhaps unworkable - franchising policy at the same time as overseeing major cuts to the department's resources. This was a recipe for failure which the DfT must learn from urgently."

She called on the DfT to explain why ministers and senior officials were "misled" about how subordinated loan facilities were calculated, if necessary after disciplinary proceedings against staff have concluded.

Ms Ellman's constituency on Merseyside is served by the rail line.

About 31 million passengers travel on the West Coast Main Line between London and Scotland every year.

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MPs condemn plan to scrap GCSEs

30 January 2013 Last updated at 20:52 ET By Sean Coughlan BBC News education correspondent

The government's plan to scrap GCSEs in key subjects in England has been strongly criticised by MPs.

The Education Select Committee voiced concerns about the timetable for change, saying changing "too much, too fast" could threaten exam quality.

The cross-party committee has been examining plans to replace GCSEs with English Baccalaureate certificates.

The government said it was "making major changes to ensure we have world class exams that raise standards".

'Damaged brand'

The committee's report raises doubts about the pace and direction of the shake-up planned for GCSEs.

It said there were so many worries, it should act as a "red light" to the government.

The government says it wants to abolish GCSEs for core subjects and introduce English Baccalaureate certificates from 2015. There will also be only one exam board for each subject.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

No sensible reform of assessment can take place without clarity as to what is to be taught"

End Quote Graham Stuart Education Select Committee chairman

But the committee said the government had failed to prove such a change was necessary.

It also raised concerns about introducing English Baccalaureate certificates in English, maths and science while still running "discredited" GCSEs for other subjects.

The committee's report said it agreed with many of the reforms of GCSEs - such as moving exams to the end of a course and limiting the culture of excessive resits.

But it rejected the idea that GCSEs were such a "damaged brand" that they needed to be abolished.

The committee also questioned the "coherence" of introducing changes to GCSEs before deciding the accompanying national curriculum.

It called on the government to publish its plans for the secondary curriculum "as soon as possible".

"No sensible reform of assessment can take place without clarity as to what is to be taught. Coherence is not achieved by accident but by design," said Graham Stuart, the committee chairman and Conservative MP.

There are also strong concerns about the speed of so many proposed changes - and the pressures that it will place on the exam system.

The report pointed to the controversy of last summer's English GCSE results as an example of the "turbulence" that could be caused by changes to the exam system.

The timetable was "not merely challenging but so tight that it may risk endangering the quality", it said.

'Untenable'

The report said the government should consider Ofqual's recommendation that moving to a single exam board for each subject should be "decoupled" from the overhaul of qualifications.

The MPs urged caution when considering upheavals in exams.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

We have been clear that the secondary education system is in desperate need of a thorough overhaul"

End Quote Department for Education

"We recommend that the government takes time for careful consideration and slows down the pace of change," the committee's report concluded.

The report also highlighted the opposition of "stakeholders" in education to the reforms - and the responses from teachers' union reflected this hostility.

The National Union of Teachers' leader, Christine Blower, said the government's position on exam reform was "now surely untenable".

"The education secretary is totally isolated in his view that the English Baccalaureate certificates are a suitable measure to replace GCSEs," she said.

Chris Keates, of the NASUWT teachers union, accused the government of displaying "arrogant disregard for the impact on the lives of young people".

Shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg said: "[Education Secretary] Michael Gove has become the enemy of ambition. This damning report supports Labour's warning that the Tory-led government's changes will do nothing to improve standards, especially for low attaining pupils.

"The government's exams are out of date and will bring back a two-tier system. Their narrow plans will damage Britain's economic future - by taking us backwards."

But the Department for Education said the report accepted the need for major improvements.

"We have been clear that the secondary education system is in desperate need of a thorough overhaul - an objective with which the committee agrees," said an education department spokeswoman.

"That why we are making major changes to ensure we have world class exams that raise standards."

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Many A&Es 'not sharing crime data'

30 January 2013 Last updated at 23:59 ET By Branwen Jeffreys Health correspondent, BBC News

A coalition pledge to make hospitals share violent crime data with police is being carried out in only a third of areas in England, an audit shows.

The government has written to hospitals and chief constables for an explanation after the Department of Health audit.

Accident and emergency departments are meant to share information about where knife or gun attacks are happening with the police and local council.

This was part of the government's programme for government in 2010.

'Disappointed'

In 2010 the coalition promised in its programme for government to make hospitals share non-confidential information with the police so crime hotspots could be identified.

Continue reading the main story

I would want to say to hospitals and local authorities this is straightforward, ethical information-sharing that makes for safer communities - just get on with it"

End Quote Prof Jonathan Shepherd Cardiff University

An audit carried out for the Department of Health has revealed that is happening effectively in only a third of community safety partnership areas, and not at all in one-fifth.

The charity Victim Support said it was very disappointing that the plan was not being implemented.

Susannah Hancock, its assistant chief executive, said: "The NHS is the second most likely public service after the police to come into contact with victims of violent crime, many of whom will not have reported such incidents to the police at all. "

It is thought that police are aware of fewer than a third of assaults that lead to the victim being treated in hospital.

Pioneering research carried out in Cardiff tested the idea of regularly sharing collated information about the type and location of attacks, with all confidential patient information removed.

As a result, the city saw a 35% fall in the numbers of assault victims turning up at A&E for treatment between 2000 and 2005.

Professor Jonathan Shepherd, from Cardiff University, said the research showed sharing information costs little, and saves money in the longer term for the NHS and the criminal justice system. He said the findings of the audit were surprising, giving the strong evidence, and the commitment from government.

"I feel disappointed that it hasn't been taken up faster than this, and I would want to say to hospitals and local authorities this is straightforward, ethical information-sharing that makes for safer communities - just get on with it."

'Win-win'

Arrowe Park hospital, in the Wirral, has seen some impressive results from setting up systems to share information every month with the police and local council. Anyone arriving at A&E with an injury caused by a violent assault is taken through a standard set of questions about the location and circumstances of the attack.

The information has all patient data removed from it before it is shared. Between 2004 and 2010, the number of alcohol-related assault victims arriving for treatment fell by 30%.

Chris Oliver, from the Wirral University Hospital Trust, said the results had convinced busy staff in A&E to get involved: "It's owned by everyone within the department. The reception staff are very proactive when going through the questions. It's very rewarding for our staff to see the reduction in people coming into the department. It's a win-win."

The Department of Health said Health Minister Anna Soubry had written this week to all hospital chief executives and chief constables in England to remind them of the government's commitment on sharing information.

The letter says there are no legal reasons for not sharing anonymous information, and asks for any "good reasons why it cannot be done" in areas which have failed to put systems in place.

Despite this slow progress in implementing the approach in England, the idea has attracted international interest and there are pilot schemes under way in other countries.

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PM 'will keep defence funds pledge'

31 January 2013 Last updated at 02:53 ET

David Cameron will stick to a commitment to increase defence spending above the rate of inflation after 2015, it has emerged.

The prime minister made the pledge in 2010, at a time when the coalition thought the structural deficit would be cut in this Parliament.

Government sources said he would not "resile" from it - despite plans for further spending cuts beyond 2015.

Mr Cameron is currently on a trip to North Africa.

The renewed commitment comes as Defence Secretary Philip Hammond prepares to publicise the Ministry of Defence's £160bn equipment plan for the next 10 years for the first time.

Equipment list

The list includes nearly £36bn for a new generation of nuclear-powered submarines, almost £19bn for combat aircraft, and around £17bn for Royal Navy warships.

Mr Hammond will say he has finally eliminated a "black hole" in the defence budget that the coalition government says it inherited from the former Labour government.

Continue reading the main story

I am told that the Treasury knows that it cannot make the prime minister eat his words. However, what they can do is some creative accounting."

End Quote

Last week, Chancellor George Osborne said government spending cuts must continue until 2017 - the latest GDP figures showed the UK economy shrank by 0.3% in the last three months of 2012, fuelling fears the economy could re-enter recession.

Many Conservative backbenchers have been pushing for the MoD to be exempt from the next round of reductions - and Mr Hammond himself is said to be resisting any further cuts - especially after the recent hostage crisis in Algeria and the Western intervention in Mali.

BBC political correspondent Iain Watson said: "There are particular tensions over departmental budgets for the financial year 2015/16 which haven't yet been finalised, but which will come into effect just before the next general election."

He said other government departments were now likely to be concerned that the "spending axe" will cut more deeply into their budgets.

But, our correspondent added: "Defence spending will still be 8% lower by 2015 than it was when the government came to power."

Security partnership

On a visit to Algeria on Wednesday, David Cameron said that the international community should use "everything at its disposal" to fight terrorism.

He also announced that the two countries had agreed a security partnership, including co-operation on border and aviation security, as well as joint action on trade, investment and education.

The UK has also invited Algeria to participate in a joint contingency planning exercise to share experience in responding to crisis situations, in the wake of the gas plant hostage crisis in which up to six Britons died.

The UK announced on Tuesday it is to send 330 military personnel to Algeria's neighbour Mali and west Africa to support French forces battling Islamist militants.

The deployment will include as many as 40 military advisers in Mali and 200 British soldiers in neighbouring African countries, to help train the Malian army.

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'Millions' face council tax rise

31 January 2013 Last updated at 03:00 ET

Millions of the poorest households face council tax rises because most councils in England will pass on a 10% benefit funding cut, research suggests.

A typical bill will rise from April by between £100 and £250 a year, but some could rise as much as £600, the Resolution Foundation think tank says.

Its report coincides with the deadline for local authorities to submit their plans for changing council tax benefit.

Councils say they have not been given enough freedom to manage the changes.

Responsibility for the benefit is being moved from the government to councils.

At the same time, the total spent on the benefit, which is to become known as council tax support, is being cut by 10%.

In Wales, the cut is being absorbed by the government, and not passed on to local authorities.

'Poll tax'

In Scotland, the cost is being shared between councils and the Scottish government, maintaining support for low-income residents.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Mike Sergeant Local government correspondent, BBC News

---

There is a wider, highly charged, political context to this issue.

Ministers present themselves as being on the side of those who want to "work hard and get on". They say they are ending the "something-for-nothing culture".

They emphasise that more money is currently spent on benefits than on defence, education and health combined.

While delivering their tough - and they believe popular - rhetoric, ministers do not accept any blame if the poorest are hit the hardest.

The view from government is that there is no need for councils to ask the lowest income households for money. Instead they should find more efficient ways of operating, protect the vulnerable and deliver better value for money for all council tax payers.

Many councils accuse ministers of devolving responsibility for a hugely controversial cut.

The political heat on this has been rising in recent days in council chambers across England.

What seems at first to be an obscure, rather technical, debate about how a benefit is distributed, could soon emerge as a critical issue in the battle over welfare.

But the 326 councils in England could be left with a shortfall if they intend to maintain the level of existing payments.

Some are finding savings from elsewhere in their budgets, in order to protect the incomes of the poorest households.

At least 40 local authorities have decided to maintain current levels of support. Durham County Council and Tower Hamlets are amongst those which will absorb the costs of CTS into their budgets.

The government has also put forward £100m of support for those councils that limit the council tax increase for those on benefits or low pay to 8.5%.

Ministers say the total paid out in council tax benefit doubled under the last government and welfare "reform" is vital to tackle the budget deficit.

They say the changes will give councils the incentive to help people off benefits and into work.

Council tax benefit is currently claimed by about five million households in England - about half get 100% support, meaning they currently pay no council tax at all.

But the Resolution Foundation says that three-quarters of authorities in England are planning to demand a new or higher payment from the lowest income households.

This comes at a time when other benefits may also rise more slowly than the cost of living, and the government introduces an overall cap on benefits.

Continue reading the main story

Council tax support changes

Council tax support (CTS) will replace council tax benefit (CTB) in April

Councils will decide who qualifies for CTS, rather than the government, as under CTB

Councils will have 10% less money to fund CTS, changes that will save £500m a year

Pensioners will be protected and households in Wales and Scotland are unaffected

Because pensioners are fully protected, those of working age are, in many areas, being asked to shoulder a much greater burden.

"Millions of England's poorest households, both in and out of work, are already very close to the edge," said Gavin Kelly of the Resolution Foundation. "They are going to find it very hard to cope."

Some campaigners have likened the change to the "poll tax", in that people are asked for a contribution regardless of their ability to pay.

'Low priority'

The Labour Party says the policy is deeply unfair, and will cause havoc with hundreds of thousands of people unable to pay the bills.

Many in local government fear that councils will be left with a financial black hole, as the cost of pursuing those who do not pay through the courts could be higher than the revenue the authorities will raise from them in tax.

Peter Fleming from the Local Government Association, which represents local authorities, told BBC Radio 5 Live the government had not given councils enough control over the scope of cuts they could pass on.

"The problem is we've been handed the cut, but not given the flexibility to design schemes... that would have actually protected the people who are most vulnerable.

"Give us the freedoms and flexibilities to actually devise the schemes that work best for the communities that we serve," he added.

He also predicted there would now "be people who are literally unable to pay" their taxes, and the "difficulty for us as local authorities is do we take people to court for very small amounts of money?"

Local Government Minister Brandon Lewis said: "Under the last administration, more taxpayers' money was being spent on benefits than on defence, education and health combined.

"We are cutting council tax in real terms for hard-working families and pensioners, and we are on the side of people who work hard and want to get on."

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Vote on £12bn nuclear waste store

29 January 2013 Last updated at 19:00 ET

A vote is to be held later on whether to go ahead with a search for a site to store high level nuclear waste.

Executive members of Cumbria County and one of either Allerdale or Copeland Borough Councils must agree if "Stage 4" of the process is to go ahead.

This would include detailed geological investigations and discussions over the social and economic implications.

Even if the £12bn underground repository is approved, construction is not expected to begin before 2025.

Cumbria is the only area still considering such a facility.

Dungeness in Kent, which had initially shown interest, withdrew at the end of 2012 in the face of opposition from residents.

'Potential shadow'

Currently, radioactive waste is stored above ground in various "long-term temporary" sites around the UK, mostly at Sellafield in Cumbria.

Unions representing workers in the nuclear industry have expressed support for studies to go ahead.

Garry Graham, deputy general secretary of Prospect, said: "Not only does the vote have vast implications for the economic wealth of West Cumbria, which relies so heavily on the nuclear industry for jobs and growth, it potentially casts a shadow over any nuclear renaissance in the UK."

However, the Lake District National Park Authority is concerned that an underground nuclear waste repository would impact negatively upon the tourist industry, which is currently worth an estimated £2bn annually.

Cumbria County Council and Copeland Borough Council vote at 10:00 GMT, and Allerdale Borough Council at 15:00 GMT.

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Cameron visiting Algeria for talks

29 January 2013 Last updated at 21:10 ET

David Cameron is to visit Algeria later in the wake of the hostage crisis that left up to six Britons dead.

The UK prime minister will hold talks with his counterpart and the president.

Mr Cameron will stress the strategic importance of Algeria in what he has called "the generational struggle" against al-Qaeda in North Africa.

The UK is to send 330 military personnel to Algeria's neighbour Mali and West Africa to support French forces battling Islamist militants.

The deployment will include as many as 40 military advisers in Mali and 200 British soldiers in neighbouring African countries, to help train the Malian army.

French-led forces are continuing their offensive against militants who seized northern Mali last year.

Mr Cameron will be the first UK prime minister to visit Algeria since its independence in 1962. He will also be attending an international development conference in the Liberian capital, Monrovia.

'Temporary operation'

He is expected to hold talks with Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal and President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, with discussions likely to focus on the hostage crisis and the military campaign in Mali.

Continue reading the main story

David Cameron insists he is not contemplating another conflict like that in Libya, let alone another Afghanistan"

End Quote

BBC political editor Nick Robinson says Mr Cameron's aides are stressing that the troops being sent to the region are to be used for training, logistics and intelligence, and not combat. They talk of a temporary operation.

But this trip is bound to heighten the demands on the prime minister to say not simply what he is not planning in North Africa, but to explain more about what exactly he is, our correspondent adds.

Some 37 foreigners and at least 10 Algerians died after militants seized workers at Algeria's In Amenas gas plant earlier this month.

The Foreign Office has confirmed that four Britons and one UK resident died, while a further two British nationals are feared dead.

The Algerian government took the controversial decision to storm the site in the Sahara desert, which is jointly operated by BP.

Algerian officials said the hostage-takers had been from six different nationalities and belonged to a new Islamist group that recently broke away from al-Qaeda.

During the siege, one statement purporting to be from the captors called for an end to the French military intervention in Mali.

'Mending damage'

The BBC's Richard Galpin, in Algiers, said radical groups, some with links to al-Qaeda, had grown in strength in the region in recent years.

He said Mr Cameron's visit may be partly an attempt to mend any damage to relations after the prime minister expressed disappointment that he had had no advance warning about the Algerian hostage rescue operation.

Mr Cameron has said the hostage crisis highlights the need for a "strong security response" matched by an "intelligent political response".

At the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, Mr Cameron said: "I believe we are in the midst of a long struggle against murderous terrorists and a poisonous ideology that supports them.

"Just as we've successfully put pressure on al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan, so al-Qaeda franchises have been growing for years in Yemen, in Somalia and across parts of North Africa, places that have suffered hideously through hostage taking, terrorism and crime."

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Stiff upper lip 'harms cancer fight'

29 January 2013 Last updated at 21:52 ET By Michelle Roberts Health editor, BBC News online

The UK's "stiff upper lip" culture may explain why it lags behind other countries when it comes to beating cancer, say experts.

Researchers, who surveyed nearly 20,000 adults in six high-income countries, said they found embarrassment often stopped Britons visiting the doctor.

Respondents in the UK were as aware of cancer symptoms as those in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway and Sweden, but more reluctant to seek help, they said.

A third feared wasting a doctor's time.

One in six of the men and women aged 50-and-over surveyed in the UK was embarrassed about sharing their symptoms with a doctor, the researchers from King's College London and University College London, with help from Cancer Research UK and Ipsos Mori, found.

They said, in the British Journal of Cancer, that this may partly explain why the UK has a far lower cancer survival rate than other developed nations, despite good access to skilled medical staff and cutting-edge treatments.

The researchers surveyed people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but not Scotland.

'UK phenomenon'

Data shows that for cancer survival, the UK ranks behind many countries, including the five other nations looked at in the study.

Continue reading the main story

We don't know why British people feel like that. It may be that we are more stoic and have a war-time mentality"

End Quote Dr Lindsay Forbes Lead researcher

According to estimates, the lives of more than 5,000 cancer patients could be saved each year in England alone if the country matched the best European survival rates.

Former Health Secretary Andrew Lansley pledged to achieve this target by the next general election in 2015, with the government's cancer strategy.

Lead researcher Dr Lindsay Forbes said: "This is a real UK phenomenon. UK people really stood out in our study.

"As a nation we are much more likely to say we are embarrassed about going to the doctor or we are worried that we will take up a doctor's time.

"We don't know why British people feel like that. It may be that we are more stoic and have a war-time mentality.

"We know that older people in particular can get a symptom and then wait for weeks or months before going to see their doctor."

Sara Hiom, of Cancer Research UK, said the charity "and others are working hard to understand and address these potential barriers to early presentation and encourage people to tell their doctor if they have noticed something different about their body".

"More work also needs to be done to tackle the poor awareness that cancer risk increases with age," she added.

The researchers note that Denmark also ranks relatively low for cancer survival. They suspect this could be due to delays in patients accessing timely hospital care - something which may also apply to the UK to some extent.

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Police face recruitment shake-up

30 January 2013 Last updated at 02:49 ET

Plans to allow police forces in England and Wales to recruit senior officers from outside the service are to be detailed by the government later.

The plans would mean Army officers and business leaders, for example, could move quickly into senior posts.

Also expected to be included in a consultation document is a proposal to allow senior police officers from overseas to join as chief constables.

Many in the police service have already voiced opposition to direct entry.

'Talent deterred'

The current system sees all police recruits begin work as a constable, regardless of age, skills or experience.

The Home Office proposals being put before MPs herald a fundamental change to the current system of police recruitment, BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw says.

It currently takes about 25 years for a newly recruited constable to work their way to the most senior level, a process that is thought to deter talented people from other professions from joining the police, our correspondent adds.

Continue reading the main story

A debate about the benefits of direct entry has been going on for a decade but Tom Winsor's report has finally prompted action.

Winsor found that although the police culture had "many extremely valuable strengths" it was also "somewhat closed, defensive and inward-looking".

He said an "infusion of experience and expertise" from other disciplines and occupations would improve things.

The revelation of links between Scotland Yard and News International, and the sense in the early stages of the London riots that there was a lack of police leadership, has bolstered the argument for change.

But the idea of an outsider being recruited as a superintendent, taking charge of a firearms operation or the policing of a protest march, is likely to prove hugely controversial.

The Home Office is determined there will be change - but it may have to proceed cautiously.

The direct-entry plans expected to be put forward follow recommendations in a report last year by the Chief Inspector of Constabulary Tom Winsor.

These included fast-tracking recruits to inspector level within three years, allowing outsiders to join as superintendents with 15 months' training and opening up chief constable roles to senior officers from countries such as Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand.

Mr Winsor has previously said he believes people from other professions could "enrich" the police service.

The former rail regulator said direct entry into the police service had the potential to "change the face of modern British policing for the better".

Several police forces, including Britain's largest, the Metropolitan Police, already have graduate recruitment schemes. They all insist that recruits spend time on the beat.

But Mr Winsor wants to dispense with that stage for graduates from top universities to make a police career a more attractive alternative to the City or the professions.

Speaking at the annual conference of the Police Superintendents' Association of England and Wales in September, Home Secretary Theresa May said direct entry was "not just about more women police leaders or more senior officers from ethnic minorities".

"It's about those who have gained broader experience and new perspective in fields like the wider public sector and business," she said.

'Work experience'

Sir Hugh Orde, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, has urged caution against giving too much responsibility to those from outside the police service.

He argued he would not want people on "work experience" in charge of policing disorder in Northern Ireland, where he used to be the chief constable.

Steve White, vice-chairman of the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said it did not support proposals that would allow external candidates to join the police service at any rank above that of constable.

"We believe the rank structure allows officers to perfectly equip themselves for their next role within the service," he said.

He said there were also reservations about overseas recruitment of senior officers, adding: "We have the best police service in the world so it seems strange that the government - which often echoes this view - may wish for forces to recruit chief constables from overseas."

But Britain's highest-ranking officer, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, has said he would like to recruit 10% of senior officers from external candidates.

Ann Barnes, the first police and crime commissioner for Kent and former chair of the county's police authority, has experience of recruiting chief officers.

"The pool I was fishing in was frankly too small. The talent we have is good but there's not enough of them," she told the BBC.

"It's virtually impossible to attract experienced older talent into the service because they don't have time to climb the police ladder to the top jobs. We are saying goodbye to fresh talent and new ideas."

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Boy, 9, threatened in axe robbery

30 January 2013 Last updated at 03:09 ET

A nine-year-old boy was threatened with an axe in front of his family when robbers burst into their home demanding cash and car keys.

Rajinder Auluk, 40, said his son no longer wanted to live in the house after the attack in Great Barr, Birmingham, on Monday evening.

West Midlands Police have launched an appeal to help catch the robbers who were also wielding sledgehammers.

Mr Auluk said his son fears they will return to kill him and his family.

Police said the robbers threatened the boy, whose name has not been released, in front of Mr Auluk, his wife Baljit, 45, and their older son, 16-year-old Jay, at their Newton Road home.

The men tried to get away in both family cars, a Nissan Pulsar GTR and a Mercedes CLK, but abandoned the Mercedes on the road outside the home, police said.

Continue reading the main story

I said 'take what you want' but they carried on shouting and held an axe to my youngest's neck"

End Quote Rajinder Auluk

'True panic'

Mr Auluk said the family had just finished eating when they heard a loud crash at the front door.

"Suddenly an explosion hit me in the face as these men with axes and sledgehammers came piling through the door," he said.

"I said 'take what you want' but they carried on shouting and held an axe to my youngest's neck.

"It was true panic, I was angry and frightened but my main concern was what they were going to do to him, I thought he was going to cut him."

Police have been unable to trace the offenders and detectives have been carrying out house-to-house enquiries and trawling CCTV footage.

Det Con Derek Cole said: "This was a truly horrendous ordeal for the family and had complete disregard for the victims, holding an axe to a young boy's neck in front of his terrified family.

"There will be people out there who know who is responsible for this robbery and I would also directly appeal to them to do the right thing and come forward."

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New Iraq abuse cases go to court

28 January 2013 Last updated at 23:10 ET

New allegations of abuse by British troops in Iraq will be heard by the High Court later.

Lawyers for 192 Iraqis will push for a public inquiry into British detention practices between 2003 and 2008.

The court will decide whether mistreatment was systemic and whether an inquiry set up by the Ministry of Defence is sufficiently independent to investigate the allegations.

The hearing before two judges is expected to last three days.

Lawyers said they were still collecting allegations of abuse almost a decade since the invasion of Iraq, and had hundreds of further claims in the pipeline.

As well as beatings, there are claims of hooding, sleep deprivation and sexual humiliation including being made to watch pornography.

Human rights

The Ministry of Defence has now paid out more than £15m to settle over 200 claims of mistreatment and unlawful detention, with many more being negotiated.

But it argues that a wide-ranging public inquiry would be disproportionate and premature.

Lawyers for the Iraqis say the Iraq Historic Allegations Team, created by the UK government, is investigating only individual cases, that the abuse was systemic and only a fully independent inquiry will satisfy the UK's international human rights obligations.

Two judges sitting in London, Sir John Thomas (President of the Queen's Bench Division) and Mr Justice Silber, will hear the accusations.

Ministry of Defence lawyers will oppose the application.

It is the second legal challenge by law firm Public Interest Lawyers, which is representing the Iraqis.

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Murdoch apology over Scarfe cartoon

29 January 2013 Last updated at 02:30 ET

Rupert Murdoch has apologised for a "grotesque, offensive cartoon" printed in the Sunday Times that has led to complaints of anti-Semitism.

The cartoon, by Gerald Scarfe, appears to depict Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu building a brick wall containing the blood and limbs of Palestinians.

It has the text: "Israeli elections. Will cementing peace continue?"

The Board of Deputies of British Jews said it had complained to the Press Complaints Commission.

It said the cartoon was "shockingly reminiscent of the blood libel imagery more usually found in parts of the virulently anti-Semitic Arab press."

It added: "Its use is all the more disgusting on Holocaust Memorial Day, given the similar tropes levelled against Jews by the Nazis."

'Totally unacceptable'

Israel's UK ambassador Daniel Taub said: "The image of Israel's security barrier, which is saving the lives of both Jews and Arabs from suicide bombers, being built from Palestinian blood and bodies is baseless and outrageous.

"The use of vicious motifs echoing those used to demonize Jews in the past is particularly shocking and hurtful on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, but the crude and shallow hatred of this cartoon should render it totally unacceptable on any day of the year."

Mr Murdoch wrote in a tweet: "Gerald Scarfe has never reflected the opinions of the Sunday Times. Nevertheless, we owe major apology for grotesque, offensive cartoon."

The paper's acting editor, Martin Ivens, said in a statement that insulting the memory of Holocaust victims was "the last thing I or anyone connected with the Sunday Times would countenance".

"The paper has long written strongly in defence of Israel and its security concerns, as have I as a columnist," he said.

"We are, however, reminded of the sensitivities in this area by the reaction to the cartoon, and I will, of course, bear them very carefully in mind in future."

Mr Ivens is set to meet representatives of the Jewish community this week to discuss the controversy.

In a statement, the Sunday Times said the cartoon was aimed at Mr Netanyahu and his policies, not at Israel or Jewish people.

Veteran satirist Scarfe has been the Sunday Times' political cartoonist since 1967.

Scarfe told the Jewish Chronicle that he "very much regrets" the timing of the cartoon.

He said he had not been aware it was Holocaust Memorial Day.

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UK troops set for EU Mali mission

29 January 2013 Last updated at 02:42 ET

The UK is expected to agree to send troops to train forces in Mali, as part of a joint EU mission, at a meeting in Brussels on Tuesday.

Number 10 said David Cameron spoke to French President Francois Hollande on Sunday evening about further possible British help for French forces in Mali.

The UK said it was "ready to provide further assistance where we can and depending what French requests may be".

French-led troops have taken Timbuktu in their operation against Islamists.

BBC defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt said there was still no question of British forces taking on a combat role in Mali.

But the UK has made clear to France that it is ready to offer more help towards its operations there.

Any further assistance is likely to be in the areas of logistics, surveillance, intelligence and transport, on top of the training already being discussed.

The UK's National Security Adviser, Sir Kim Darroch, has been in Paris to discuss what further help the UK could provide to France's operation to drive Islamist militants from its former colony.

Downing Street said Prime Minister David Cameron told Mr Hollande that Britain was "keen" to provide further military assistance.

The UK is likely to form part of a European Union military training mission in Mali.

Numbers for this will be discussed in Brussels, with the British contribution likely to be in the tens.

Continue reading the main story

I suspect the strategy will be to guarantee the cities are safe so that Islamists are kicked out and then let time do its work"

End Quote Prof Michael Clarke RUSI

The UK may also help to provide more military trainers for forces such as Nigeria's, for operations under the banner of the African-led international support mission to Mali.

RAF C17 transport planes are already flying French equipment to Mali, and the UK has also contributed a Sentinel reconnaissance aircraft for intelligence gathering.

The French and Malian military said troops encountered little resistance when they entered the historic city of Timbuktu.

Mr Hollande said joint forces, which have been pushing north in their offensive against Islamist rebels, were "winning this battle".

They seized Gao, northern Mali's biggest city, on Saturday.

Islamists took the north of the country last year, but have been losing ground since French forces launched an operation earlier this month.

'Humanitarian reasons'

Prof Michael Clarke, a director of the Royal United Services Institute think-tank, said the British involvement was a "politically important" gesture to illustrate Anglo-French military co-operation.

But he said the British troops could also fulfil an important "technical" role, providing communications and other support for the African Ecowas troops who will be going in after the French.

Prof Clarke said he could not discern a clear strategy at the moment in Mali but he added: "That is understandable. In Libya we went in for humanitarian reasons and then a strategy evolved. That is what the French did, they went in initially for humanitarian reasons.

"I suspect the strategy (in Mali) will be to guarantee the cities are safe so that Islamists are kicked out and then let time do its work."

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Nursery ratios raised to cut fees

29 January 2013 Last updated at 03:16 ET By Hannah Richardson BBC News education reporter

Nurseries and childminders in England are to be allowed to look after more children per adult in an attempt to cut childcare costs and boost standards.

Children's Minister Liz Truss will say the ratio of children to child carers can be raised but only if the carers' qualifications meet new standards.

Statutory ratios for carers per child vary depending on age and setting, but the plans double them in some cases.

Critics warn the change in ratios could compromise quality and safety.

They also predict the changes will be unpopular with parents and unlikely to reduce the overall costs of childcare.

Britain has some of the highest childcare costs in the world, with many mothers with two or more children saying it does not make financial sense to work.

Continue reading the main story

• CURRENT
• Under one and one-year-olds - 1:3
• Two-year-olds - 1:4
• Three-year-olds and above - 1:8 or 1:13 (teacher-led)
• PROPOSED
• Under one and one-year-olds 1:4
• Two-year-olds - 1:6
• Three-year-olds and above - 1:8 or 1:13 (teacher-led)

An earlier report by Ms Truss suggested the average family spends 27% of their income on childcare.

Ms Truss says the answer is to "relax" the childcare ratios, which she argues are higher than in comparable European countries. England's higher ratios lead to higher costs for parents and lower pay for staff, she says.

Ms Truss told the BBC the proposals were about raising standards and only those nurseries that hired staff with higher qualifications would be able to take on more children.

"It will make it higher quality, more available and more affordable. It will take time to recruit new people and expand nurseries. In the long term it will be more affordable."

She will say in a speech in London on Tuesday: "Other European countries have taken a different approach on ratios. They think that the quality of staff is the most important thing.

"Whereas in England nursery staff may look after no more than three one-year-olds, in France they can be responsible for five - and there are no limits in Denmark, Germany or Sweden."

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Liz Truss: "We're raising the standards so that parents will be able to get more available nursery places."

She added: "That is why we are encouraging nurseries to use their professional judgement and enjoy greater flexibility.

"Where there is an early-years educator working with children, we plan to allow ratios for two-year-olds to rise from four children per adult to six children per adult. And for ones-and-under to rise from three children per adult to four children per adult.

"Ratios for three-year-olds and over would remain at eight or 13 children per adult, depending on whether a qualified graduate was present.

GCSE English and maths

Ms Truss said: "When parents hand their child over to the care of a childminder or nursery, they are not just entrusting them with their child's physical safety, they are also entrusting their child's brain.

"With this in mind, it is no longer acceptable that childcare professionals are not required to have a GCSE grade C or above in English and maths."

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Stephen Twigg: "Saying that more children will be in each setting risks undermining quality and even risks undermining safety."

This will apply to new nursery staff only, however.

But the Teaching Agency is to publish criteria childcare qualifications must meet for a new "gold standard" early-years educator A-level standard qualification.

Shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg said the plans to increase the ratios would undermine the quality of childcare in the UK.

"I think this is one area where we've actually got something to teach other countries.

"If you look at France, there's actually quite a big public debate about whether they've got this right. I don't think you can compare the situation with Sweden where they have very, very generous parental leave so very few young babies are in these sorts of settings."

Quality concerns

National Day Nurseries Association chief executive Purnima Tanuku welcomed the commitment made by the government to improve childcare but said the "quality of childcare and early education must not be sacrificed".

She said: "Changes to the number of children individual nursery workers can look after should only be considered if backed by strong evidence from the UK.

"Many parents do not want an increase in the number of children nursery staff are allowed look after. They are worried it will have a negative impact on the individual attention and care their child receives."

Anne Longfield, chief executive of children's charity and nursery provider 4Children, said: "Government's plans to improve the quality and qualifications of staff are very welcome and offer an opportunity to look again at how childcare is organised and staffed.

"The welfare of the child must be our first concern throughout, but with highly qualified early-years teachers and a better inspection regime, there is an opportunity to review current arrangements and provide simpler information for parents and better incentives for providers to concentrate on what matters - children."

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Six years for Bali drugs Briton

29 January 2013 Last updated at 03:33 ET

A British man has been jailed for six years in Bali for drug offences.

Julian Ponder, 43, from Brighton, was cleared of smuggling but was convicted of possessing 23g of cocaine which carried a maximum sentence of life.

Ponder was one of three Britons detained after Lindsay Sandiford, 56, from Cheltenham, was arrested for smuggling cocaine into Bali last year.

Sandiford was sentenced to death and is suing the UK Foreign Office for not supporting her appeal.

Prosecutors in Bali had sought a seven-year prison term for Mr Ponder.

The BBC's Karishma Vaswani in Jakarta said Ponder's defence lawyers said they would advise him not to appeal.

The two other Britons were also cleared of trafficking and received sentences of four years and one year each.

Sandiford, 56, from Cheltenham, was arrested on drugs charges in May 2012 and sentenced to death by firing squad last week by a panel of judges at the district court in Denpasar, Bali.

She claimed she had been coerced into carrying a suitcase into the country by criminals who threatened her family.

Legal charity Reprieve said the UK government was in breach of its obligations to Sandiford as a British citizen.

Reprieve said Sandiford, originally from Redcar, Teesside, had no money for an appeal after exhausting her family's finances to pay for a lawyer for her trial.

Charitable donations

The charity said the appeal involved filing a complicated legal document in Indonesian, which she does not speak, by 12 February.

Reprieve, and solicitors Leigh Day & Co, have filed a judicial review in the UK on Ms Sandiford's behalf against the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

This argues that: "In failing to make arrangements for an adequate lawyer to represent the claimant's interests the defendant is acting unlawfully, in breach of its obligations as a matter of EU law, to take all reasonable steps to ensure that she does not face the death penalty, is not subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment, is not tortured and receives a fair trial."

Reprieve said Sandiford was relying on charitable donations for basic provisions such as food and water.

Sandiford was sentenced to death despite the prosecution seeking a 15-year sentence.

Harriet McCulloch, from Reprieve, said: "Everyone knows that capital punishment means that those without the capital get the punishment. Lindsay's poverty means that she has ended up sentenced to death after a manifestly unfair trial."

Sandiford's MP, Martin Horwood, called on the Foreign Office to review its policy on Britons facing the death penalty abroad.

The Foreign Office said the UK government did not fund legal representation abroad but Sandiford's case was being dealt with through diplomatic channels.

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Pension scheme closures speed up

27 January 2013 Last updated at 21:05 ET

The closure of private sector pension schemes accelerated in 2012, says the National Association of Pension Funds.

Its annual survey, of 1,018 schemes run by 280 private sector firms, found that only 13% were still open to new joiners, down from 19% in 2011.

Meanwhile 31% were now closed to existing staff as well, up from 23% the previous year.

The NAPF said new staff in the private sector now had "next to no chance" of joining a final-salary scheme.

Joanne Segars, chief executive of the NAPF, said: "The pressures on final salary pensions have proven too great for many businesses. The growing liabilities fuelled by quantitative easing will have been a factor behind the record hike in closures."

"What was once the norm is now a very rare offer. And those who are currently saving into one may find it gets closed," she added.

'Fresh closures'

Hardly any firms in the FTSE 100 now offer final-salary pensions to new recruits.

Continue reading the main story

The higher liabilities created by quantitative easing and low gilt yields have prompted a barrage of fresh closures"

End Quote NAPF

A year ago staff at Unilever took the unusual step, for the private sector, of staging several days of strikes against the proposed closure of their final-salary scheme.

The NAPF repeated its criticism of the government policy of quantitative easing (QE), which started nearly four years ago and which has helped push many final-salary schemes into large deficits.

This policy has seen the Bank of England pick up a third of all UK government bonds, in an attempt to inject cheap cash into the banking system and stave off an even deeper economic recession.

That process has raised the price of those bonds and simultaneously reduced the return they provide to investors.

And the knock-on effect has been that pension schemes need an even bigger stock of assets than before, to provide the same flow of cash in the future to pay their pensioners.

"The NAPF believes the higher liabilities created by quantitative easing and low gilt yields have prompted a barrage of fresh closures," the NAPF said.

Easing ahead?

Allied to the effect of people living longer, and the greater cost of pension regulation, the NAPF predicted that even more schemes will close in the coming years.

It thinks that nearly half of employers whose schemes are still open to new joiners will close them, with a defined contribution scheme being offered to the staff instead.

And nearly a third of the ones that are still open to existing staff will be changed in some way it predicted, either by being closed to further contributions by current employees, or by the benefits of the schemes being made less generous and thus cheaper to fund.

The pensions industry is going through a sea-change.

The new system of auto-enrolment, which started last autumn, will eventually see several million low and middle-income workers recruited into new or existing DC schemes, where either the employer schemes did not exist before, or where the employees had decided not to join.

To consider easing the pressure on scheme finances brought about by QE, the government has now launched a consultation on tweaking the rules.

Among other things, schemes may be allowed to "smooth" the calculation they make of their assets and liabilities during scheme valuations this year, or later.

This would potentially offset some of the negative effects QE has had on the estimated cost of paying pensions.

But the NAPF said any such move might now be "too little, too late".

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Councils 'dodging democracy' on tax

27 January 2013 Last updated at 22:36 ET

Some English councils are "dodging democracy" by not holding referendums on council tax rises, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has said.

Those not freezing council tax this year should "man up" and consult the public, he told the Daily Telegraph.

Ministers want a third year of council tax freezes, and have said those councils in England raising taxes above 2% should hold a public vote.

The Local Government Association said councils were under strain due to cuts.

Mr Pickles told the Telegraph some local authorities were "cheating their taxpayers" and pledged to introduce new laws to stop abuse of the system.

"The days of the knee-jerk tax and spend hike are over," he said.

He raised the prospect of lowering the threshold for a referendum in future and said he would legislate to close any other loopholes which enable councils to avoid such votes.

He revealed that only about a third of councils had committed to freezing local taxes in the next financial year, despite government calls for restraint as households faced difficult economic times.

'Knee-jerk tax'

The government cannot force councils to freeze bills, but it has demanded local authorities do so rather than raising them in line with inflation.

Continue reading the main story

If the public believes you've got a sensible case they might well listen. But councils should also stop treating residents with contempt"

End Quote Eric Pickles

Ministers have said any local authority increasing levies by more than 2% must hold a referendum and an authority which loses such a vote should have to revert to a lower increase in bills.

But according to the Daily Telegraph, some councils have taken legal advice to put up taxes by 1.99% - a practice denounced by the communities and local government secretary as "dodging democracy".

Those putting up "their stealth tax" in this way "need a reality check", said Mr Pickles.

He added he was not opposed to tax rises, but that authorities must win over the public before implementing them.

"If the public believes you've got a sensible case they might well listen. But councils should also stop treating residents with contempt."

Responding to the comments, the Local Government Association said councils had faced bigger cuts than almost any other part of the public sector and these are taking a toll on services.

About 115 councils out of 351 in England have said they will freeze council tax as of April.

In 2011, Chancellor George Osborne offered to give money to councils to limiting spending rises to 2.5% for 2012-13

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'Shock' at cyclists' crash deaths

27 January 2013 Last updated at 23:08 ET

Residents have spoken of their shock at the deaths of two cyclists in an apparent hit-and-run crash in Hanham near Bristol.

A man and a woman, believed to be on a tandem, were killed on Lower Hanham Road just before 16:00 GMT.

The driver of a Citroen car involved in the crash fled the scene. A 38-year-old man later handed himself in to police.

Andrea Swerley, 28, who lives nearby, said: "It's just a shock, nothing like this has happened here before."

She added: "We got home and saw a helicopter in the air overhead and looking up the road, which they were just closing, we could see lots of police."

'Rapid response'

The landlord of The Queens Head pub, Patrick Murphy, said: "It's just not nice that this has happened around here."

Officers set up a cordon round the scene of the crash and closed the road.

Numerous investigators scoured the area and two white tents were set up in the street.

A spokesperson for Great Western Ambulance Service said: "We sent an ambulance, paramedics, a rapid response vehicle and had an officer at the scene to liaise with the other services. But unfortunately both the patients were beyond help at the scene."

Detectives said the 38-year-old man who handed himself in at a police station has been arrested and will be quizzed later.

Officers have appealed for information about the crash.

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Green Deal loans scheme to launch

27 January 2013 Last updated at 23:44 ET

Householders are to be offered long-term loans to help make their homes more energy efficient and cut bills under a new government scheme.

Ministers say the Green Deal, which launches on Monday, will help thousands "stay warm for less".

Under the scheme, households can use cheap loans to spend on energy-saving improvements, such as insulation and new boilers, with no upfront cost.

Campaigners said the project would "not stop fuel poverty rocketing".

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), which launched the flagship scheme, said it believed hundreds more households than expected had already signed up for assessments to join the project. It said official figures were being collated.

Earlier reports had indicated just five assessments had been carried out ahead of the launch.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: "The Green Deal will help thousands of homes stay warm for less. Those people will benefit from energy saving improvements - and their energy bills will fall.

"The UK green sector is a success story. It is the sixth largest in the world and has a crucial part to play in building a strong economy."

'Cosier' homes

He added: "The Green Deal will support thousands of jobs, not just over the next few years, but in the long-term."

Continue reading the main story

We call on the prime minister to use money from the carbon tax to super-insulate this country's homes"

End Quote Ed Matthews Energy Bill Revolution

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Edward Davey also praised the "great deal", saying: "Improve the look and feel of your home, make it cosier and at the same time save energy - what's not to like?"

The move to insulate the UK's aged housing stock is designed to save carbon emissions, keep people warm, and make energy affordable, the government said.

Anyone joining the scheme would first have their home reviewed by an independent assessor, advising on possible upgrades, costs and energy saving timescales.

Green Deal providers would then calculate quotes for the proposed work - with households free to get multiple quotes - before carrying out the changes.

Under the deal, improvements are installed at no initial cost. Instead, charges are covered with cheap loans via the not-for-profit Green Deal Finance Company, and recouped gradually over up to 25 years through customers' electricity bills.

But campaigners have warned the scheme does not go far enough.

Ed Matthews, head of fuel poverty campaign group Energy Bill Revolution, said: "The Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation will not stop fuel poverty rocketing in the face of high gas prices."

"We call on the prime minister to use money from the carbon tax to super-insulate this country's homes.

"This will provide households with five times more subsidy to insulate their homes and not add a penny more to energy bills."

"It is enough to eliminate fuel poverty and in time cut bills for everyone. It is the just and fair solution."

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HS2 northern route stations revealed

28 January 2013 Last updated at 03:33 ET

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George Osborne: "I think it is the engine for growth in the north and the midlands"

Details of the next phase of the £32bn HS2 high-speed rail network have been unveiled by the government.

The preferred route of phase two running northwards from Birmingham will have five stops at: Manchester; Manchester Airport; Toton in the East Midlands; Sheffield; and Leeds.

Chancellor George Osborne said it was "the engine for growth in the north and the midlands of this country".

Phase one's London-Birmingham link has faced considerable opposition.

Critics dispute the economic case, arguing that it ignores passengers' ability to work on trains, and suggest swathes of picturesque countryside will be blighted by the railway.

Mr Osborne's Tatton constituency in Cheshire is among the places that phase two of the route will pass through.

The chancellor said: "As a country you have got to make those long-term choices.

"If our predecessors hadn't decided to build the railways in the Victorian times, or the motorways in the middle part of the 20th Century, then we wouldn't have those things today.

"You have got to commit to these projects even though they take many years."

The Department for Transport said that HS2 phase two would virtually halve journey times between Birmingham and Manchester - to 41 minutes - and between London and Manchester from two hours and eight minutes to one hour and eight minutes.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Seven months is ever such a long time in politics.

Last summer there were rumours that HS2 was about to be quietly ditched. A Tory minister told a magazine that the project was "effectively dead" because George Osborne was going cold on the whole idea.

Today, George Osborne will be all over your telly telling you HS2 is going to transform the economy, heal the north-south divide and help set us on the fast-track back to growth and prosperity.

This "dead" project is now back at the heart of the government's growth agenda; in a bid to convince voters that there is an ambitious plan to help rebalance and boost our sickly economy.

But there are still plenty of critics who claim the government's economic case for building a super-fast train line simply doesn't stack up. And that there are far better ways of spending £33bn to stimulate growth.

Speeds of up to 250mph on HS2 will also reduce a Birmingham to Leeds journey from two hours to 57 minutes, while phase one will cut London-Birmingham travel to 49 minutes, from the current one hour and 24 minutes.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "It's not just about journey times, it is also about capacity.

"We are finding the railways are overcrowded. We've seen massive growth in rail passenger numbers, so this is taking HS2 so it serves the north."

He added: "This is the first railway to be built north of London for 120 years."

Leeds City Council leader Keith Wakefield said: "We have lobbied long and hard for a high-speed rail link to Leeds and this is excellent news.

"It will strengthen Leeds' position as the northern transport hub and unlock major investment, jobs opportunities and connectivity to the rest of the country."

A final route for phase two is expected to be chosen by the end of 2014.

A proposed spur to Heathrow Airport has been put on hold pending a review of UK aviation policy, due to report in 2015.

'Fundamentally flawed'

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

We can't keep relying on Victorian infrastructure for 21st Century Britain"

End Quote Nick Clegg Deputy prime minister

More than 70 groups oppose HS2. StopHS2 has argued that England's north and Midlands will lose out to London, rather than benefit, and that projections do not take into account competition from conventional rail.

Penny Gaines, chairwoman of Stop HS2, said: "We are firmly of the opinion that the whole HS2 project is fundamentally flawed.

"It should be cancelled as soon as possible so that we can concentrate on developing the transport infrastructure that will bring more benefits to more people than a fast train for fat cats."

Other opponents object on the grounds that HS2 will cut through picturesque countryside, and 18 councils along the route have said taxpayers cannot afford the line, and that it will increase greenhouse gas emissions.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: "We have to move with the times as a country. We can't keep relying on Victorian infrastructure for 21st Century Britain.

"We can't keep turning a blind eye to the north-south divide in our economy. That is what this high-speed project is all about.

"Of course there'll be people who don't like one or other aspect of it but if we really want to build for the future, so that our children and grandchildren have a future fit for the 21st Century, we've got to get moving."

Construction on the Y-shaped extension could start in the middle of the next decade, with the line open by 2032-33.

Construction of the London-West Midlands route is expected to begin around 2017, once Parliament has approved the necessary powers, probably in 2015.

'Timetable slipping'

Shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle told Sky News that Labour put forward such a high-speed route from London via Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds when it was in office - but the new proposals left some issues unresolved.

"I do have some concerns. One is that we appear to be missing our major cities, and connectivity is actually important. And secondly, the government appear to be retreating from connecting it to our major hub airport, Heathrow."

She earlier said that Labour "strongly" supported upgrading the rail network, to provide greater capacity and reduced journey times.

"However, there are worrying signs that the Department for Transport's timetable to deliver this vital infrastructure is slipping and we believe ministers should be working more vigorously to ensure the proposals are delivered on time."

Details of the consultation on HS2 Ltd's proposed exceptional hardship scheme for phase two are also being published.

The consultation on HS2 Ltd's property and compensation for phase one is due to close on 31 January.

It includes a hardship scheme for residents who need to move during the development of HS2, but are unable to sell their home, and measures designed to "provide confidence in properties above tunnels".

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Omagh device was 'viable explosive'

26 January 2013 Last updated at 17:00 ET

Police in Northern Ireland say a crude viable explosive device has been found in Omagh, County Tyrone.

It is understood the device was discovered close to the home of a serving PSNI officer in the Coolnagard area of the town on Saturday afternoon.

Officers were conducting a follow-up investigation into an incident in the same area where an off-duty police officer fired a number of shots.

No one was injured in the incident on the Kevlin Road on Friday evening.

Detectives say they want to speak to anyone in the area who noticed anything out of the ordinary between the hours of 08:00 GMT and midnight on Friday as well as over the past number of months.

Sinn Fein West Tyrone MLA Declan McAleer has said people living in the area are annoyed at what's happened.

A number of homes were evacuated but residents have since been allowed to return.

The Police Ombudsman has been informed about the shots being fired.

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Suu Kyi 'still fond of Burma army'

26 January 2013 Last updated at 21:54 ET

Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has said she is still "fond" of her country's army, even though it kept her under house arrest for 15 years.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, she told presenter Kirsty Young her Buddhist faith had helped her defy Burma's dictatorship, and later face them when taking a seat in parliament.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner's father, Aung San, is considered the father of modern Burma, and founded its army.

The BBC interview took place in Burma.

During the programme, which was recorded at her home in December, Ms Suu Kyi admitted: "It's genuine, I'm fond of the army.

"People don't like me for saying that. There are many who have criticised me for being what they call a poster girl for the army - very flattering to be seen as a poster girl for anything at this time of life - but I think the truth is I am very fond of the army, because I always thought of it as my father's army."

She explained that while the army had done "terrible" things in Burma, she hoped it would redeem itself.

And in a first for the programme, Ms Suu Kyi picked a record - Green, Green Grass Of Home by Tom Jones - that she had never heard before, because her personal assistant had recommended it.

She said: "I asked her which piece of music she'd like to choose and she said the Green, Green Grass Of Home.

"And she explained to me when she was working as a doctor in England it used to remind her of Burma - and I hope I like it."

Political prisoner

Ms Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest before Burma's 1990 election.

She had returned to the country from the UK to nurse her mother, and was held after giving a speech to crowds of half a million during protests and political unrest.

Ms Suu Kyi had been living in the UK with her husband, the academic Michael Aris, and their two sons. Mr Aris was refused a visa to visit her before he died of terminal cancer in 1999.

The interview also includes her feelings about her relationship with him and how they dealt with the Burmese government's refusal to allow them to see each other.

Political prisoner Ms Suu Kyi was not released until shortly after the November 2010 polls that formally ended military rule.

Her party has now rejoined the political process and secured a small presence in parliament after winning by-elections in April 2012.

Ms Suu Kyi's selection on Desert Island Discs can be heard on BBC Radio 4 at 11:15 GMT on Sunday.

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Holocaust Memorial Day to be marked

26 January 2013 Last updated at 22:45 ET

The millions of Jews and others killed during the Holocaust are to be remembered in services across the UK, as part of Holocaust Memorial Day.

Candles will be lit at ceremonies in London and at the National Memorial Arboretum on the 68th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

More than one million people, mostly Jews, died at the Nazi camp before it was liberated by allied troops in 1945.

Organisers say the day also honours victims of genocide around the world.

They say it is a time for communities to unite and remember those killed in places such as Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

Holocaust survivors, politicians and others are expected to gather at the London event on Sunday, while similar services will be held by charities and organisations in many other parts of the country.

National Holocaust Memorial Day was started by the government in 2001 and takes place every year on 27 January.

The UK's year-round centre for remembrance, the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, also attracts some 300,000 visitors each year.

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Ofsted head warns over bright pupils

27 January 2013 Last updated at 00:00 ET

England's chief inspector of schools, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has ordered a "landmark report" into how state schools teach the most able students.

Ofsted's head warned some pupils, who got top marks at primary school, were not doing as well at secondary school.

Such students ought to be pushed, as they would be at independent or grammar schools, he told the Sunday Telegraph..

The news comes as league tables reveal hundreds of schools failed to produce pupils suitable for elite universities.

The tables, released on Thursday, showed almost a quarter of England's sixth forms and colleges had no pupils with the top A-level grades sought by leading institutions.

'Nonsense'

Setting out a "rapid response" to the data, Sir Michael promised the watchdog's survey would investigate fears that some of the brightest secondary school pupils are being let down by teachers who fail to stretch them to get the best exam results.

Many are left to coast in mixed ability classes, or entered too early for GCSE exams in order to gain the minimum C grades required for league tables, he warned.

He also said the report - to be published in the spring - would address the "nonsense" that a tiny number of independent schools were sending more youngsters to Oxford and Cambridge than thousands of state secondary schools.

England's comprehensive schools would have to learn lessons from the independent and selective sectors, he said.

The new report is due to be carried out over the coming months by Ofsted inspectors visiting a sample of more than 50 secondary schools, looking at statistics on gifted and talented provision and pupil progression, according to Sir Michael.

"I am passionate about this, it will be a landmark report.

"I am as concerned as the next person on the issue of social mobility. Are our children and our children from the poorest backgrounds who are naturally bright doing as well as they should?"

Leading universities have been urged in recent years to do more to recruit bright students from a wider set of backgrounds.

But data released this week shows that many schools are not producing students of a high enough calibre to automatically get places at such universities.

League tables - drawn from the latest official government figures on pupils' academic achievement - have shown some 594 (23.4%) of the 2,540 schools teaching A-levels had no pupils with the two As and a B in the subjects recommended for the best degree courses.

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Floods threaten as UK thaw begins

27 January 2013 Last updated at 02:25 ET

Serious flooding is possible across many parts of the UK as milder temperatures thaw snow and rain moves in, forecasters have warned.

Parts of Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire and Norfolk have flooded and a Met Office yellow warning for rain is in force for much of the UK.

Forty-one flood warnings and 220 alerts are in place in England and Wales. Scotland has two flood warnings.

Forecasters say Sunday will see a mix of sunny spells and blustery showers.

The Met Office said heavy rain across much of the country, combined with fairly rapid snow melt, was likely to lead to localised surface water and river flooding.

Western Scotland and Cumbria saw the heaviest rain on Saturday night. Wales, central and south-west England are expected to be the worst-hit areas on Sunday morning, with at least 1in (2.5cm) of rain expected to have fallen by mid-morning.

Norfolk Police have reported flooding caused by melting snow and ice, which has closed a number of roads in the area.

Environment Agency spokesman Innes Thomson told BBC News: "The message is that there's wet weather all over the country, we've already got flooded fields, we've got localised flooding, we've got high ground water and we've got spring tides this week coming.

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"So we've actually got a complete cocktail of issues and concerns for us to keep an eye on."

The two flood warnings issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) are for the Scottish Borders and Whitesands in Dumfries and Galloway, with a number of flood alerts also in place.

The BBC weather centre said much of the rain would clear eastwards through Sunday.

BBC forecaster Laura Gilchrist said Sunday would see sunny spells and blustery showers - with the heaviest in the west and north. The wind would be brisk and there was also a risk of hail and thunder.

Moving into the night, the showers would leave off, but Monday would see wet and windy conditions for most.

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'Poorest need entrance test help'

25 January 2013 Last updated at 20:22 ET By Judith Burns BBC News education reporter

Some highly selective state schools should do more to help poorer children pass their entrance exams, suggests a government-funded study.

Only children whose parents can afford coaching can pass the toughest exams, says the report for the Cabinet Office.

Such schools "may owe their neighbourhood" more help for poorer children, suggests author David Boyle.

Grammar school heads said their schools were less socially selective than leading comprehensives.

The report, The Barriers to Choice in Public Services, looked at "whether inward-looking admissions criteria, for example by faith and super-selective schools, ought to be balanced by a broad duty to promote a social balance inside the school".

'A clear barrier'

It suggests that "state-funded schools which do not adopt some responsibility for the wider well-being of their neighbourhood may not be fulfilling the social contract that people might reasonably expect of them".

"If schools narrow their intake to those who can afford the coaching to pass entrance exams, then they may owe their neighbourhood some route whereby less advantaged local people can aspire to get their children up to that standard."

Author David Boyle, of the New Economics Foundation, told BBC News that he was not suggesting that all children should be coached to pass entrance exams into "super-selective" schools, but that the need for coaching to pass some of the tests was "a clear barrier" to some families.

A duty along these lines would not undermine the academic focus of super-selective schools, argues the study.

Barry Sindall, chief executive of the Grammar School Heads Association, quoted from a 2008 Sutton Trust study which suggested that the social make-up of grammar schools was often more diverse than that of the top 100 comprehensives where entrance is decided on proximity to the school, pushing up house prices and excluding poorer families.

Mr Sindall said that many grammar schools already offered "test familiarisation" sessions so that children from poorer families did not turn up at the entrance exam never having encountered those type of questions before.

"We want to make sure they are entering for the tests on a level playing field," said Mr Sindall.

He said that selective schools were working with academics to develop and adopt entrance tests that were resistant to coaching.

"All grammar schools want tests that are reliable and valid. We know we can't stamp out coaching but we can stamp out any gain from coaching."

Faith schools

The report says that the same argument about social selectivity could apply to the entrance requirements of some faith schools which require pupils and their families to belong to particular religions.

"The original purpose of faith schools was also to fulfil the demands of their faith by providing for the local neighbourhood and this objective may have become too secondary."

The Catholic Education Service rejected the suggestion that their schools were socially exclusive: "Catholic schools in England have higher proportions of pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds with 33.5% of pupils in Catholic primary schools from ethnic minority backgrounds compared with 27.6% nationally."

The statement also said that Catholic schools educate more children from the most deprived areas with 20% of pupils at Catholic secondary schools living in the most deprived areas compared with 17% nationally.

The Rev Nigel Genders, head of school policy for the Church of England's education division said: "Church schools, as opposed to faith schools, were set up 200 years ago to provide education for all.

"Church schools are hugely popular with parents, both the education secretary and prime minister send their children to one, and can become oversubscribed.

"In this case Church-related criteria for admissions may come into play.

"This would not detract at all from the school's commitment to the local community and certainly would not make it 'super-selective'."

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Gunman dies trying to rob bookmakers

25 January 2013 Last updated at 20:54 ET

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The BBC's Louise Walter reports from the scene of the attempted robbery in Plymouth

A masked gunman has died after being pinned down and restrained by customers during an armed robbery at a bookmakers in Plymouth, police have said.

The man, in his 50s, entered the Ladbrokes branch in Crownhill Road at 18:45 GMT on Friday wearing a gas mask and holding a pistol.

Customers disarmed the man and held him on the floor, police said.

Police arrested the man, who was already unconscious, upon arrival but he died a short time later.

'Immediately tackled'

The man has been identified but next of kin have not yet been informed, a spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said.

The spokesman said when the man entered the shop, he was "immediately tackled" by customers and "held down still wearing his gas mask".

When officers arrived, they attempted to resuscitate the man until paramedics arrived but he was declared dead about 20 minutes later.

The police watchdog, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), has been informed.

Ch Insp Ian Drummond-Smith said: "This is a very serious incident. We cannot speculate on what has actually taken place here today.

"A full investigation has now begun and while the IPCC carry out their investigation it is not appropriate to comment further."

Ladbrokes declined to comment.

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UK pledges £21m in aid over Syria

26 January 2013 Last updated at 02:00 ET

The UK is to provide £21m in new humanitarian aid for people caught up in the crisis in Syria, the government has said.

International Development Secretary Justine Greening said the aid would "help deliver life-saving winter clothing, food and medicine".

Ms Greening is visiting Jordan where Syrian refugees are arriving in unprecedented numbers.

The extra funding means the UK has now provided £89.5m in aid for Syria.

On Friday, a UN official told the BBC there had been a huge leap in the numbers of Syrian refugees entering the country, which was putting a considerable strain on resources.

Some 6,400 Syrians have arrived at the main refugee camp in Jordan in the last 24 hours alone, fleeing the continuing fighting a well as food and fuel shortages, according to the UN.

The UN described the flow of people as "absolutely dramatic".

'Still not enough'

Speaking in Jordan, Ms Greening said: "My visit today has given me the chance to see first-hand the incredible generosity of spirit that ordinary Jordanians have shown in opening their homes to complete strangers in need.

"It's a story repeated in towns and villages in Syria's neighbours across the region, and I salute these ongoing efforts from governments and host communities alike. But we cannot and must not leave them to shoulder this response alone."

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• Jordan - 151,000 registered, 53,000 waiting to be registered
• Lebanon - 153,000, 67,000 waiting
• Turkey - 157,000

Just under half of the new British aid funding will go towards helping Jordan cope with the growing influx of people, particularly those who are most vulnerable in the winter conditions, Ms Greening said.

It will be channelled through agencies, aiming to reach people both in government and opposition-held areas.

Remaining aid will help restock medical facilities and treat tens of thousands of injured and sick people inside Syria. It will also be used to buy them vital supplies of bread and flour.

Ms Greening said the UK and a handful of others had "consistently led the way in responding to this crisis", but added the "vast majority are still not doing enough".

"This is simply not acceptable and it has to change," she added, calling for the international community to "get behind the UN and [turn] vague promises into actual support".

Refugees to double

The UN is due to hold a conference in Kuwait next week in an attempt to reduce a significant shortfall in aid pledges, as the humanitarian cost of the conflict intensifies.

It has warned the number of Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries could double to 1.1 million by June if the civil war does not end.

The conflict in Syria began almost two years ago with demonstrations against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

The protests quickly turned violent as opponents of Mr Assad took up arms to try to resist a brutal crackdown by the authorities.

The conflict has left more than 60,000 people dead and two million internally displaced.

The UN's refugee agency, the UNHCR, said there were now more than 670,000 registered Syrian refugees and people awaiting registration in Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt.

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