First-time buyers get 20% discount

28 February 2015 Last updated at 08:23 By Joe Lynam Business correspondent, BBC News

First-time buyers under the age of 40 in England can now register to buy new homes at a discount of up to 20% off the normal price.

The offer is part of the government's new "starter homes" scheme to encourage home ownership and construction on previously used "brownfield" land.

The government hopes that 100,000 new houses will be built specifically for first-time buyers by 2020.

Labour said the plans would ring hollow for those priced out of the market.

The 20% discount is achieved because homebuilders on brownfield sites would not have to pay local authority fees of at least £45,000 per dwelling.

The government said there would be no compromise on quality or energy efficiency, but first-time buyers would have to repay the 20% price advantage if they sold within five years.

Housing minister Brandon Lewis urged first-time buyers to register on the starter homes website from Saturday.

He said: "We're actually at the start of an affordable house building programme that's the fastest build rate in about 20 years.

"And this new starter homes programme is another 100,000 homes on top of everything else that we're doing, allowing those first time buyers, people who want to own that home of their own, to be able to do that - a good design, well-built home, with a 20 per cent discount.

"When you link that with help to buy it opens up the ability to own a home to a whole new group of people."

But Labour said that the government had presided over the lowest levels of house building since the 1920s and home ownership was at its lowest level for three decades.

The number of houses being built in the UK fell during the final three months of 2014 - the first such decline for nearly two years.

The 0.2% drop in new home construction compared with a 6.1% increase in the previous quarter.

Overall, total construction output fell by 2.1% in the quarter, the Office for National Statistics said.

The government introduced a scheme called Help to Buy in England in April 2013.

It was aimed at helping those trying to get on the housing ladder who could afford mortgage repayments but were struggling to raise a deposit.

In March 2014, Chancellor George Osborne announced that the scheme in England would be extended to 2020 rather than December 2016, as planned.

Are you a first-time buyer struggling to get on to the property ladder? Would you register for this scheme? You can share your thoughts by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. Please include a telephone number if you are willing to be contacted by a BBC journalist.

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Sir Cliff's lawyers criticise MPs

27 February 2015 Last updated at 20:55

Sir Cliff Richard's lawyers have criticised a committee of MPs for publishing a letter about the police inquiry into sex abuse allegations against the singer.

The letter from South Yorkshire Police said the investigation into Sir Cliff had "increased significantly in size".

His lawyers said the disclosure was unnecessary and have written to Home Affairs Committee chairman Keith Vaz.

Mr Vaz said it was normal to publish evidence put before the committee.

Sir Cliff's lawyers complained of another round of "extremely damaging media coverage" as a result of the release.

Sir Cliff has been interviewed about an allegation of a sex crime, but was not arrested or charged.

The letter from South Yorkshire Police's chief constable - which emerged earlier this week - revealed that the investigation involved "more than one allegation".

The letter followed a police raid on Sir Cliff's Berkshire home last August.

The BBC understands the original allegation relates to an alleged assault at an event featuring US preacher Billy Graham at Bramall Lane in Sheffield in 1985.

Gideon Benaim, of Michael Simkins LLP, said in his letter to the Home Affairs Committee that had Sir Cliff been given an opportunity to comment "the damage" could have been avoided.

"The committee have, through their actions, facilitated coverage which would not have otherwise occurred." he said.

"It does of course remain the case that our client has neither been arrested nor charged with any offence and that he denies any wrongdoing whatsoever.

"In addition to not knowing much about the claims of new allegations, our client has not of course been interviewed about them."

'Policy to publish'

Sir Cliff has said the claims against him were "absurd and untrue" and he had "never, in my life, assaulted anyone".

Home Affairs Committee chairman Keith Vaz, in a letter of response to Sir Cliff's lawyers, said: "Unless a letter or document is marked private and confidential it has always been the policy of the committee to publish whatever we receive.

"South Yorkshire Police specifically asked for the redaction of certain parts of the letter before publication."

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Emwazi had anger therapy - teacher

28 February 2015 Last updated at 04:50

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"He had some anger management classes." Newsnight hears from a former teacher.

The man named as extremist "Jihadi John" received anger management therapy in his first year of secondary school after getting into fights, a former teacher has said.

Mohammed Emwazi, who has been seen in beheading videos of Western hostages, attended Quintin Kynaston school in Queens Park, London, a decade ago.

The teacher said he needed help controlling his emotions.

But he was regarded as a "success story" after the therapy, she added.

Emwazi, a Kuwaiti-born British man, who is in his mid-20s and from west London, was identified as the person dubbed "Jihadi John" earlier this week.

Security services have been criticised for being aware of Emwazi but not preventing him from joining Islamic State.

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Lucy Manning reports on the schoolboy who grew into "Jihadi John"

Speaking to BBC Two's Newsnight, the teacher, who was not identified, said the former pupil had been a "lovely, lovely boy" who had a "real willingness to try and succeed".

"We'd find that he'd get very angry and worked up and it would take him a long time to calm himself down, so we did a lot of work as a school to help him with his anger and to control his emotions," the teacher said.

"It seemed to work. He had a lot of respect for all of the work that had been done for him at our school.

'Huge achievement'

"He didn't come from a troubled background. He didn't leave school with no qualifications. He had every chance of doing well. I just can't believe he'd do that."

She went on to say that he had achieved everything he wanted to do at school.

"He went to a university of his choice, and from the way he started in year seven to how he blossomed until he left at the end of sixth form was a huge achievement for him."

The teacher also said MI5 had interviewed his former teachers from the school.

A statement from Quintin Kynaston school said it was "shocked and sickened" that its former pupil may be involved with Islamic State.

It added: "All members of staff at QK work very hard to support the education and well-being of our students and protect them from harm.

"In this respect, QK has been extremely proactive in working with the government's Prevent strategy for a period of time and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future."

'Apology for terror'

UK-based advocacy group Cage has suggested that MI5 may have contributed to the radicalisation of Emwazi.

Downing Street said that suggestion was "completely reprehensible", while London mayor Boris Johnson described Cage's comments as "an apology for terror".

Mr Cameron has defended the UK's security services, praising the work of "these extraordinary men and women".

He went on to say the security services' "dedication and work has saved us from plots on the streets of the UK that could have done us immense damage" within the last few months.

Mohammed Emwazi's movements before heading to Syria

• 1. Aug 2009, refused entry to Tanzania: travels to Tanzania with two friends, but is refused entry at Dar es Salaam. Tanzanian police have denied Emwazi's name is on their database of suspected foreign criminals detained and deported in 2009, as he had claimed. Emwazi and his friends are put on flight to Amsterdam, where they are questioned. They return to Dover and are questioned again.
• 2. Sept 2009, travels to Kuwait for work: leaves the UK for Kuwait for work.
• 3. May/June 2010, returns to UK for holiday: he returns to the UK for an eight-day visit.
• 4. July 2010, refused re-entry to Kuwait: Emwazi returns to the UK once more for a couple of days. He is stopped at Heathrow on his return to Kuwait and told he cannot travel as his visa has expired.
• 5. 2013, travels to Syria: Emwazi changes his name to Mohammed al-Ayan and attempts to travel to Kuwait but is stopped and questioned. Three days later, he heads abroad. Police later inform his family he has travelled to Syria.

Source: Cage

'Jihadi John' movement mapped

Emwazi 'claimed harassment'

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UK 'must prepare for Russian threat'

28 February 2015 Last updated at 06:35

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Sir John Sawers spoke to Today's Mishal Hussein

Russia has become a danger to Britain and the country must be prepared to take steps to defend itself and its allies, the former head of MI6 says.

Sir John Sawers, who recently retired after five years as chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Russia poses a "state to state threat".

Sir John said dealing with such threats would require more defence spending.

But he called on issues with Russia to be addressed by "increased dialogue".

He said he was disappointed how, after the end of the Cold War, Russia's and Europe's paths had failed to converge.

Russia's threat was "not necessarily directly to the UK but to countries around its periphery".

"[Russia] keep on reminding us that they have nuclear weapons," he said.

"The one level in which Russia and America are equals is at the nuclear level.

"Now we don't want to have a repeat of the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 where we got to the brink of nuclear war.

"We need to be able to address this through increased dialogue."

'Multi-polar world'

His comments come after a year of fighting in eastern Ukraine between government forces and pro-Russian separatists.

"We shouldn't kid ourselves that Russia is on a path to democracy because it isn't," Sir John said.

"One of the aspects of the modern world is that we live in a much more dangerous world these days.

"The stability that we had during the Cold War, or the predominance of the West that we had in the decade or two after the Cold War - that is now changing.

"It's a much sort of flatter world, a much more multi-polar world and there are real dangers associated with that."

Sir John described Russia as always having been an "issue of concern" for security services.

"Europe and Russia are not converging with one another so we're going to have to find a new way to coexist with Russia," he said.

"This crisis at the moment - it's focused on Ukraine but Ukraine is a symptom. It's not the real problem.

"The real problem is how we live with a Russia which feels very exposed. Putin's actions are ones of a leader who believes his own security is at stake.

"And here we've got nuclear bombers approaching the Cornish coast."

Jihadist threat

Sir John said the UK needed to prepare to take defensive measures for itself and the nation's allies, which include the Baltic states and central Europe.

"We've got to have the capability to deal with things like the hybrid warfare that we've seen Russia deploy, first in Crimea and then in the Donbass region, we've got to have the ability to deal with cyberwarfare.

"What's really important is that we're able to fulfil all of our defence commitments and I think that that's going to require a reversal in the trend in defence spending.

"We're going to have to spend more on our defence and our security because the threats are greater."

In a wide-ranging interview, Sir John also discussed the threat from jihadists.

His comments come after Mohammed Emwazi, a Kuwaiti-born British man in his mid-20s and from west London, was identified as "Jihadi John", an individual pictured in the videos of several beheadings of Western hostages.

Sir John said there were two answers to the question of why people became radicalised.

The first is that Muslims "are less well integrated" into UK society "and there are a number of social and economic factors that are related to that".

Secondly, he said, the Islamic religion "as a whole is not well geared to reviving and modernising itself so that it meets the values and the norms of a 21st Century society".

"So there's a big political challenge which can only really be taken up by leaders in the Islamic world... it can't be imposed by the West."

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Compensation call over energy switch

28 February 2015 Last updated at 08:32

Energy price comparison sites should pay compensation to customers who changed to tariffs that may not have been the cheapest deals, MPs have said.

Such websites have been criticised in the past for not showing the cheapest tariffs, and not telling customers which deals they earn commission on.

Now, the Commons Energy and Climate Change Committee says "duped" customers should get some money back.

The government said it was important that people could trust such sites.

Mark Todd, of energy switching company Energy Helpline, said anyone who had been mis-sold should be compensated - but warned that forcing sites to show all tariffs could "unravel" the price comparison industry.

Last year, the websites were accused of using a mechanism that asked consumers if they wanted to switch gas and electricity suppliers immediately.

By clicking "yes" to that question, all the deals that did not earn the company a commission were filtered out.

Only if a consumer clicked "no" were they shown other deals, which could be cheaper.

Rates of commission earned by the different websites from suppliers varied from £22 to £30 for a single switch, or £44 to £60 for a "duel fuel" if a customer switched both gas and electricity supplier, the report said.

Tim Yeo, the committee's chairman, said it was "perfectly proper" that sites earned a commission, but they must be open and honest about their practices.

"Some energy price comparison sites have been behaving more like backstreet market traders than the trustworthy consumer champions they make themselves out to be in adverts on TV.

"Some comparison sites have used misleading language to dupe consumers into opting for default options that only display commission-earning deals.

"And others have previously gone so far as to conceal deals that do not earn them commission behind multiple drop-down web options."

Continue reading the main story

Millions of pounds have been saved by using price comparison sites to switch - by shopping around people can make sure they find the best energy deal available"

End Quote Department of Energy and Climate Change

By the end of March, websites signed up to its consumer confidence code will have to show all the tariffs on offer, unless customers choose to see a more limited range.

Mr Todd, co-founder of Energy Helpline, which powers Compare the Market and Go Compare, said his sites now show all available tariffs by default - but claimed forcing all sites to do so could have repercussions.

"If everyone is forced to do that, it could undermine the whole market. It could become so great, that the whole thing could unravel," he said.

"If everyone is forced to show everything, what is the benefit of a supplier paying a commission to a price comparison?"

He also claimed energy comparison sites gave "much better coverage in price comparison" than other sectors, such as flight or hotel booking sites.

"Don't believe it's everything, unless it says it's everything. Because most comparison sites don't show you things they don't earn a commission on," he said.

Confidence code

The committee is calling on energy regulator Ofgem to consider requiring price comparison sites and other third parties to disclose the amount of commission they get for each customer switch made, at the point of sale.

The regulator also forwarded the issue to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) which is now considering the role of price comparison sites as part of its wider review of the energy market.

In a statement, the comparison site uSwitch said that it had helped households save £112m on energy bills last year but it said that it had made compensation payments to some customers.

Steve Weller, uSwitch chief executive, said: "What is important now is that all switching services - be they price comparison sites, collective switching schemes or offline switching services - are required to meet the same high standards."

A Department of Energy and Climate Change spokesman said: "Millions of pounds have been saved by using price comparison sites to switch - by shopping around people can make sure they find the best energy deal available.

"Consumer trust and confidence in price comparison sites is important and, with Ofgem's strengthened confidence code, people will be able to have greater confidence than ever before that, by switching, they'll save."

Do you use price comparison websites? Have you been "duped" by one? If you are happy to speak to a BBC journalist about the issue email us Haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk and remember to include a contact number.

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Lords call for UK Arctic ambassador

27 February 2015 Last updated at 03:15

The United Kingdom should create an ambassador for the Arctic or risk being pushed out of key decisions for the region, a House of Lords report says.

The Lords committee says with the Arctic warming fast, there will be huge challenges and opportunities for the environment, ecosystems and people.

It recommends an increase in government science budgets focusing on the Arctic.

And the committee also says oil firms should re-consider their plans for drilling in the region.

According to the BBC's environment analyst, Roger Harrabin, the report goes on to say that the UK needs to be involved in vital decisions over oil exploration, fishing and strategic access as Arctic summer sea ice inexorably melts.

The current slump in oil price offers a moment to examine whether fossil fuels can be safely extracted in Arctic waters, the Lords say, who also urge international standards on drilling.

They also want a moratorium on fishing in the high seas area of the central Arctic Ocean to prevent a damaging free-for-all as fish migrate north with global warming.

The committee goes on to warn that the world will warm even faster if methane is released from the Arctic seabed.

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Row over Savile hospital access claim

27 February 2015 Last updated at 01:14 By Noel Titheradge BBC News

The chief executive responsible for Stoke Mandeville hospital told a local MP in 2012 that Jimmy Savile was "not given free access" to clinical areas, the BBC has learnt.

Savile abused more than 60 people on the hospital site including wards where young children were treated.

Reading East MP Rob Wilson said Anne Eden's comments to him were "bordering on misleading".

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust declined to comment.

Continue reading the main story

It is extremely disappointing that the answers I got at the time were inadequate and unfortunately wrong"

End Quote Rob Wilson MP

The MP's complaint follows the publication on Thursday of the report of an independent investigation into Savile's behaviour at the hospital.

It found that he had "virtually unrestricted access" to clinical areas and patients during the 1970s and 80s.

'Not full truth'

It also revealed that Savile was given a bedroom that allowed him to live "alongside young female students for four decades".

Following the emergence in September 2012 of the allegations about Jimmy Savile's abuse at Stoke Mandeville, Reading East MP Rob Wilson wrote to the Chief Executive of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust to express his constituents' concerns about the claims.

Anne Eden sought to reassure him about Savile's freedoms at the hospital in an email sent on 12 October 2012, and obtained by the BBC through a Freedom of Information request.

"There has been a lot of conjecture in the media regarding Jimmy's access at Stoke Mandeville", she wrote. "I would like to clarify that he was not given free access around our clinical areas.

"To the best of my knowledge, whenever he attended the hospital, he would give advance notice and usually be in attendance with his fundraising team. He and his team were given access to a room, but this was not within the main hospital nor in any clinical area."

Mr Wilson said: "It is extremely disappointing that the answers I got at the time were inadequate and unfortunately wrong.

"I felt at the time I was corresponding with Ms Eden, that I was not getting to the full truth. There were clearly media reports suggesting that he had more access than she was telling me.

"I was very surprised to receive the first letter suggesting that he had no unsupervised access and suggesting there wasn't any great need to look further."

'Open secret'

He said he understood that the email was written at a difficult time for the hospital but "it was a very important issue where the truth - more than anything else - had to come out".

Meanwhile, a fomer cabinet minister who agreed a deal with Savile under which the late DJ would fundraise for the hospital on condition it was kept open, has told the BBC he accepts a share of responsibility for enabling Savile to abuse patients.

On BBC Newsnight, Lord Jenkin - who was social services secretary between 1979 and 1981 - said: "I deeply regret what we now know Jimmy Savile got up to in this hospital."

He told the programme he was not aware at the time that Savile was a sexual predator who had been given the freedom of the hospital.

"I have been appalled to read just how far he had gained access," he said.

When asked if he should have known about the level of freedom Savile had at Stoke Mandeville, he replied: "Maybe I should have, but I didn't."

Thursday's report said that Savile had abused 63 people connected to the hospital and that one formal complaint about him - made by the father of an 11-year-old girl - was ignored.

It said his reputation as a "sex pest" was an "open secret" among some staff but that allegations about his behaviour probably did not reach managers.

According to the report, Savile's victims, aged between eight and 40, were abused over a 24-year period between 1968 and 1992.

Sexual abuse by Savile ranged from inappropriate touching to rape - including the rape of children under the age of 12.

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Online motoring plea service launched

27 February 2015 Last updated at 03:09

A service allowing motorists in England and Wales charged with summary motoring offences to enter a plea online is being launched by the government.

From Monday, those charged with a minor motoring offence such as speeding or not having insurance can enter a plea 24 hours a day via a secure website.

The national roll-out of the online "Make A Plea" scheme follows a successful pilot in Greater Manchester.

The government says it saves time and money for the criminal justice system.

Last year saw 4.5m minor motoring offences processed through the courts.

The government is also considering whether the scheme could be used for other low-level offences.

Analysis

By Clive Coleman, BBC legal affairs correspondent

Just as the horse-drawn cart gave way to the motor car, so justice is moving online. Fast.

Last week a report recommended an online digital court for small civil claims - that is, disputes between individuals or organisations with a value of less than £25,000 - complete with online judges.

And £160m is being spent to digitise criminal courts themselves so that lawyers, judges and other professionals can all access the same relevant information on laptops and tablet devices.

Now you can plead to motoring offences triable in the magistrates court on your smartphone. It's really nothing more than a near instantaneous and paperless version of pleading by post.

What it offers is a big saving in administrative court costs and huge benefits for the defendant who can plead at his or her convenience, and has the knowledge that the plea has been entered on the secure website.

It may not quite have the full majesty of the law, but I'm sure we will soon look back at postal pleas as something rather quaint that went on in a distant, pre-digital past.

The service is an alternative to a postal plea or attending court and has been used by more than 1,200 people during the Manchester trial.

It will allow defendants to see their case details, view evidence and make their plea remotely.

Justice Minister Shailesh Vara said that if the new system is successful then it could be adapted for other low-level offences involving a standard guilty plea.

"This is bringing the courts and tribunal service to the modern technological era," he added.

"This is something that will mean there is going to be less paper around, less use of people, less use of office space, and a whole variety of things that will actually save real money, and that money can be used elsewhere."

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Widow wants 'Jihadi John' alive

27 February 2015 Last updated at 07:37

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The masked militant first appeared in numerous gruesome videos put out by Islamic State, as Lucy Manning reports

The widow of a man killed by a masked Islamic State militant known as "Jihadi John" says she wants him caught alive.

Dragana Haines says the "last thing" she wants for the man who killed her husband, British aid worker David Haines, is an "honourable death".

The militant, pictured in the videos of the beheadings of Western hostages, has been named as Mohammed Emwazi, a Kuwaiti-born Briton from west London.

Mr Haines' daughter said she wanted to see "a bullet between his eyes".

Emwazi, who is in his mid-20s and was previously known to British security services, first appeared in a video last August, when he apparently killed the US journalist James Foley.

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Dragana Haines, wife of slain hostage David: "I hope he will be caught alive... He needs to be put to justice"

He was later thought to have been pictured in the videos of the beheadings of Mr Haines, US journalist Steven Sotloff, British taxi driver Alan Henning, and American aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig, also known as Peter.

Mrs Haines told the BBC she wanted him to be caught alive and not have an "honourable death" by being killed in action.

She added: "I think he needs to be put to justice, but not in that way."

However Mr Haines' daughter, Bethany, told ITV News: "I think all the families will feel closure and relief once there's a bullet between his eyes."

A spokesman for the family of Steven Sotloff said: "We want to sit in a courtroom, watch him sentenced and see him sent to a super-max prison."

Mr Foley's mother Diane told the Times that she forgave her son's killer.

"It saddens me, [Emwazi's] continued hatred," she said. "He felt wronged, now we hate him - now that just prolongs the hatred. We need to end it.

"As a mum I forgive him. You know, the whole thing is tragic - an ongoing tragedy."

'The Beatles'

In each of the videos, the militant appeared dressed in a black robe with a black balaclava covering all but his eyes and top of his nose.

Speaking with a British accent, he taunted Western powers before holding his knife to the hostages' necks, appearing to start cutting before the film stopped. The victims' decapitated bodies were then shown.

Earlier this month, the militant featured in a video in which the Japanese journalist Kenji Goto appeared to be beheaded.

Hostages released by IS said he was one of three British jihadists guarding Westerners abducted by the group in Syria. They were known collectively as "the Beatles".

Mohammed Emwazi timeline:

• 1988: Born in Kuwait, moves to UK in 1994
• 2009: Completes computing degree at University of Westminster
• Aug 2009: Travels to Tanzania with two friends, he says for safari, but refused entry at Dar es Salaam. Put on flight to Amsterdam. After questioning there, returns to Dover
• Sept 2009: Travels to Kuwait to stay with father's family
• July 2010: Returns to UK for short stay but told he cannot return to Kuwait as visa denied
• 2012: Passes Celta English language teaching course
• 2013: Changes name by deed poll to Mohammed al-Ayan. Tries to travel to Kuwait but is stopped. Disappears. Parents report him missing. Police tell family four months later he has entered Syria

Source: Cage, London-based campaign group

'Jihadi John' movement mapped

Emwazi "claimed harassment"

In a news conference, Asim Qureshi, the research director of the London-based lobby group Cage, which had been in contact with Emwazi over a number of years, detailed the difficulties Emwazi had faced with security services in the UK and overseas.

Mr Qureshi said Emwazi, who is understood to be about 27, had been "extremely kind, gentle and soft-spoken, the most humble young person I knew".

He added that Emwazi travelled to Tanzania in May 2009 following his graduation in computer programming at the University of Westminster.

Mr Qureshi said he and two friends had planned to go on a safari but once they landed in Dar es Salaam they were detained by police and held overnight.

Emwazi told Cage he was subsequently "harassed" by security services and later told the charity he was "witnessing perceived injustices everywhere".

But Rafaello Pantucci, author of We Love Life As You Love Death, said the suggestion the security services may have driven Emwazi to carry out his killings was "disproportionate".

He said: "Security services asking questions and making your life a little bit difficult and ending up murdering people in this very cold-blooded way seems a very disproportionate causal link."

Analysis: Frank Gardner, BBC News

US and British counter-terrorism officials discovered the identity of "Jihadi John" as far back as last September. The FBI, Britain's MI5 and other intelligence agencies used a combination of voice recognition software, interviews with former hostages and on-the-ground research in London to build up a profile of the man now revealed to be Mohammed Emwazi.

They have always declined to reveal the name for "operational reasons". Now that it's out in the public domain, it's emerged that Emwazi was well-known to MI5 and that it even tried to recruit him as an informer, years before he went off to Syria to eventually join Islamic State.

The practice by intelligence agencies of approaching jihadist sympathisers to work for them is likely to continue. It's believed both Britain and the US have informers inside the Islamic State "capital" of Raqqa. Yet this seems to have been little help in stopping the actions of Mohammed Emwazi, or bringing him to justice.

Profile: Mohammed Emwazi

Jihadist's 'typical trajectory'

Emwazi then ended up flying to Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, where he claimed to be met by British intelligence agents from MI5 who accused him of trying to travel to Somalia, where the jihadist group al-Shabab operates. He denied the accusation and said the agents had tried to recruit him before allowing him to return to the UK.

In early 2013, at his father's suggestion, Emwazi changed his name by deed poll to Mohammed al-Ayan, Cage said.

Emwazi was believed to have travelled to Syria around 2013 and later joined IS, which has declared the creation of a "caliphate" in the large swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq it controls.

A spokeswoman for Prime Minister David Cameron would not confirm or deny the latest reports, adding that the police and security services were working hard to find those responsible for the murder of the British hostages.

British police have not commented on his identity, citing ongoing inquiries.

Jihadi John sightings

• August 2014: Video in which US journalist James Foley is apparently beheaded
• 2 September 2014: Video in which US journalist Steve Sotloff is apparently beheaded
• 13 September 2014: Video in which British aid worker David Haines is apparently beheaded
• October 2014: Video in which British aid worker Alan Henning is apparently beheaded
• November 2014: Video in which Jihadi John is shown killing a Syrian soldier in a mass beheading, which also shows body of US aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig, also known as Peter Kassig
• 20 January 2015: Video in which Jihadi John is seen standing alongside two Japanese hostages and demanding a ransom in exchange for their release
• 31 January 2015: Video released appearing to show Jihadi John beheading Japanese hostage Kenji Goto

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Labour to confirm tuition fee cut plan

27 February 2015 Last updated at 08:10 By Sean Coughlan Education correspondent

Ed Miliband is to set out Labour's plans to cut £9,000 university tuition fees by a third.

He will reveal how a Labour government would pay for such a reduction - which could include reducing tax relief on pensions for high earners.

The rising level of student debt has been a "disaster", he will say.

A Conservative spokesman said under the current system, the numbers of students from disadvantaged backgrounds were at their "highest ever level".

Universities UK has warned that limiting the fees to £6,000 per year would create a £10bn funding gap over the next five years, threatening "significant damage" to the higher education system.

In a speech in Leeds, Mr Miliband will explain how he believes such a funding gap could be covered.

This could include reducing tax relief on pensions for high earners, which would be used to provide funds for universities to bridge the gap from reduced fees.

It is also expected that the Labour leader will promise more support for students' living costs. There have been concerns that young people from middle-income families do not have access to sufficient student loans.

The announcement of Labour's policy on fees has been much delayed, with reports of disagreements between senior party figures over whether cutting tuition fees should be a priority for investment.

Analysis: Iain Watson, BBC political correspondent

Ed Miliband's opponents - inside as well as outside the Labour party - have urged him to drop plans to reduce the maximum level of tuition fees in England from £9,000 to £6,000, arguing that there is little political or economic benefit in doing so.

So today he'll attempt to answer his critics by denouncing the current system as bad both for graduates and for taxpayers as a whole.

He is determined to press on with his policy despite the scepticism, because he believes it will have an inter-generational appeal.

Labour's private polling suggests that tuition fees isn't just an important issue for young people, but that older voters too dislike the idea of the next generation apparently being saddled with debts.

University heads have also argued that the increase in tuition fees to £9,000 has not deterred applications from poorer students, instead the numbers of poorer students have risen.

Mr Miliband will say that the current system is putting unacceptable levels of debt on to young people and proving expensive to the taxpayer, because so much of student loans has to be written off.

Under the present system, students are being left with an average of £44,000 debt, he will say.

"The government has designed a system which is burdening students with debt today and set to weight down the taxpayer with more debt tomorrow," the Labour leader is expected to say.

"This is a system that will have added an extra £16bn more than predicted to public debt by the end of the next Parliament. If left unchecked, the system will have added £281bn to debt by 2030.

"And much of this money will never be paid back. By the late 2040s, student loan write-offs will be hitting £21bn a year - almost double the entire cost of police services in England and Wales. It must go down as one of the most expensive broken promises in history."

'Failed experiment'

Mr Miliband will say that young people have been "betrayed" by the tuition fees system, leaving them worse off than previous generations.

"This is a disaster for them and a disaster for the future of Britain too - a country where the next generation is doing worse than their parents is the definition of a country in decline."

The Labour leader will seek to reassure university heads that they will not lose out in the proposed changes.

But Universities UK, representing university leaders, has voiced its concern about cuts to fees.

"Cutting the fees cap from £9,00 to £6,000 creates a £10bn funding gap over the next parliament," said Sir Christopher Snowden, vice-chancellor of the University of Surrey and president of Universities UK.

"Such a shortfall, if not met in full from other sources of public finance, could cause significant damage to the economy, to social mobility, to student choice, and to our universities. For universities, it is a funding question, not a fee question.

"One has to ask whether a policy of cutting fees is sensible given the many other pressing demands on public funding. Students are telling us they need assistance with living costs rather than tuition fees," said Sir Christopher.

The National Union of Students has welcomed plans for a cut in fees.

"Forcing debt on to students as a way of funding universities is an experiment that has failed," said NUS vice president, Megan Dunn.

"Higher education is a public good which should be publicly funded and shouldn't involve any additional charges for students or graduates, but lowering tuition fees and a move away from the market in higher education is a positive step forward.

"We would also welcome any improved financial support measures like an increase in maintenance loans, as we know that students are currently in the throes of a cost-of-living crisis."

A Conservative party spokesman said: "Providing access to higher education for all hard-working students, irrespective of their background, is a key objective of the government's 2012 reforms.

"Our reforms have seen a record half a million students enter higher education this year, with entry rates for students from disadvantaged backgrounds increasing by over 10% to their highest-ever level.

"As England's top university vice-chancellors have warned, a cut in fees would damage the economy, impact the quality of students' education and set back work on widening access to higher education.

"Like with so many other issues, Ed Miliband hasn't thought this policy through."

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Victoria Cross for Afghan raid hero

26 February 2015 Last updated at 08:21

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L/Cpl Joshua Leakey shares his story with the BBC's Sian Lloyd

A paratrooper who showed "complete disregard" for his own safety during a Taliban attack in Afghanistan has been awarded the Victoria Cross - the highest British military honour.

L/Cpl Joshua Leakey, 27, of the Parachute Regiment, was recognised for his valour during the 2013 attack.

He is the third serviceman - and the first living servicemen - to receive the medal for service in Afghanistan.

L/Cpl Leakey, from Hampshire, said he was "deeply honoured".

He has been recognised with the VC almost 70 years after another member of his family was awarded the same honour.

L/Cpl Leakey's second cousin twice removed, Sergeant Nigel Gray Leakey, was a posthumous recipient of the VC in November 1945, for his actions while fighting in Africa during the Second World War.

'Bullets ricocheting'

He has been awarded the medal for his bravery during an assault on a Taliban stronghold in Helmand province, on 22 August 2013.

Despite coming under enemy fire, L/Cpl Leakey twice came to the aid of a wounded US Marine Corps captain and helped forces regain the initiative after they had been pinned down by fire and surrounded by insurgents.

Analysis By Sian Lloyd, BBC News

The Victoria Cross is the highest award for gallantry in the presence of the enemy and can be given to all ranks of the services and civilians.

Introduced in 1856 by Queen Victoria to honour acts during the Crimean War, it has been awarded 1,356 times. But this is only the 15th time since the end of World War Two.

L/Cpl Leakey is the third British soldier to receive a VC from the conflict in Afghanistan. On the two previous occasions, it was given posthumously - in 2013 to L/Cpl James Ashworth from 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, and in 2006 to Cpl Bryan Budd of 3 Para.

Until now Pte Johnson Beharry from 1st Battalion the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment was the only non-posthumous British military recipient since 1965, for two separate acts of gallantry in Iraq.

Each medal is made from the bronze of Russian guns captured at the siege of Sevastopol during the Crimea War, although modern research suggests Chinese guns may have been used at various times.

After dismounting from helicopters, a group of UK and US forces came under attack from around 20 insurgents armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.

Soldiers from the group became pinned down by fire on the side of the hill and surrounded by insurgents.

L/Cpl Leakey ran to the top of a hill, despite enemy fire, to assess the situation and provided first aid to a wounded US Marine Corps captain.

He then ran back up the hill to reposition a machine gun and began firing at the insurgents, despite bullets "ricocheting" off the machine gun's frame.

Despite the danger, he returned to the injured captain - drawing enemy fire again - to retrieve a second machine gun, before running back to the crest of the hill once more, where he managed to help regain the initiative.

During the battle, 11 insurgents were killed and four were wounded.

L/Cpl Leakey said the only thing he was scared of during the fire fight was "letting my cap badge down".

'Best position'

"You don't really think what could happen to yourself, you think 'how is what I'm doing now going to improve the situation?'," he said.

"It's part of the very nature of being in the Army, and especially the Parachute Regiment, that we have to adapt to situations you don't expect to happen."

He told the BBC: "In that particular incident I was in the best position to do that. If it had been any of my mates they would be in this position now."

"I don't look at it about being about me in particular, I look at this as representing everyone from my unit, from my battalion, who was involved in the campaign in Afghanistan," he added.

In a statement, his parents said they were "hugely proud" of their son.

"As Josh's parents we are so thankful to God that he survived that day - along with many other occasions during his three operational tours in Afghanistan.

"Our hearts go out to so many other parents whose sons and daughters did not survive that long conflict."

L/Cpl Leakey's medal was announced during a ceremony at St James's Palace on Wednesday, before recipients of military awards were welcomed at 10 Downing Street.

L/Cpl Leakey "epitomised valour with his actions on that hillside in Helmand", Prime Minister David Cameron said.

"When you hear how events unfolded and the intensity of enemy fire, it is difficult to imagine how one wouldn't be frozen to the spot and yet L/Cpl Leakey risked his life to run across that barren hillside not just once, but multiple times, to turn the battle and save the lives of comrades."

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RBS reports £3.5bn loss for 2014

26 February 2015 Last updated at 08:08

UK state-owned bank RBS has reported £3.5bn loss for 2014, down from £9bn loss the previous year.

The results were hit by a £4bn writedown on the sale of its US business Citizens.

The bank's chief executive Ross McEwan confirmed he would not receive a bonus this year.

But RBS will still pay out bonuses from a pool of £421m, which is some 21% smaller than in 2013.

'Fair pay'

Mr McEwan defended the size of the bonus pool.

Speaking on the Today programme he described it as "fair pay" and said it was necessary to pay bonuses to attract people to carry out "fairly technical jobs."

The bank is 79%-owned by the British taxpayer after a government-led rescue in 2008.

Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has written a letter to the new chairman of the bank, Howard Davies, saying he expected the bank not to give bonuses to senior executives.

He wrote: "I would also expect that, as in the past, no executive directors or members of the executive committee will receive bonuses, despite improved profitability."

"Given the extraordinary support it has enjoyed in the past from taxpayers, I know you recognise that RBS must remain a backmarker on pay and continue to show responsibility and restraint."

Shrinking bank

RBS said it had reduced costs by some £1.1bn and will cut another £800m this year.

It is cutting back its corporate and institutional banking network from 38 countries at the end of last year to 13, which will mainly be in the UK and western Europe.

Mr McEwan said: "What's really important is that given the success of the last year we want to go further and faster in reforming this bank."

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No future for TV licence, MPs say

26 February 2015 Last updated at 01:18

The TV licence does not have a long-term future and is likely to be replaced by a new levy within the next 15 years, a group of MPs has said.

The fee is "becoming harder and harder to justify" given changes in the media, according to the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee.

The MPs suggested every household could pay a new compulsory levy instead.

The BBC does not agree that the fee will have to be replaced, but accepts it will probably have to be modernised.

The select committee's proposals were made in a new report about the future of the BBC.

Catch-up changes

Committee chairman John Whittingdale said: "In the short term, there appears to be no realistic alternative to the licence fee, but that model is becoming harder and harder to justify and sustain."

In light of changing technology and audience habits, the committee said "we do not see a long-term future for the licence fee in its current form".

Any "profound changes" - such as abolishing the licence fee - should not be rushed, the report said. But it did say the BBC "must prepare for the possibility of a change in the 2020s.

"We recommend that as a minimum the licence fee must be amended to cover catch-up television as soon as possible."

It should also no longer be a criminal offence to avoid paying the licence fee, the report said.

The licence fee currently costs £145.50 per year for every household where people watch or record live TV.

A TV licence is not required to watch catch-up TV, using services such as the BBC iPlayer.

One option to replace the licence fee would be to make some BBC services available by subscription.

But the committee said choosing which programmes remained available subscription-free would require careful thought.

The best alternative to the licence fee, the report concluded, would be a compulsory broadcasting levy paid by all households, regardless of whether they watch TV, or how they watch.

Such a system was introduced in Germany in 2013 and would do away with the need to detect and prosecute those who avoid buying a TV licence, the committee said.

Other proposals made by the committee include:

• The BBC Trust should be abolished because it has mishandled crises like the Jimmy Savile scandal and is too close to the BBC management
• Instead, a new Public Service Broadcasting Commission should monitor the corporation's performance, with an ultimate sanction of being able to withhold some funding from the BBC
• Media regulator Ofcom - not the BBC Trust - should be the final arbiter of complaints about the corporation's impartiality and accuracy
• Part of the licence fee (or future broadcasting levy) should be used to support non-BBC public service broadcasting, such as local news and children's programmes
• The planned BBC One +1 channel does not represent "public service value", and the airwaves should be used for something else
• The BBC should no longer attempt to offer "something for everyone" and should not stray into areas that are well catered for by commercial broadcasters
• The BBC World Service must remain strong to ensure the UK does not lose ground to countries like China and Russia in the "global information war"

Mr Whittingdale, the Conservative MP for Maldon, said the BBC had suffered from "a succession of disasters of its own making" in recent years, yet remained "a widely admired and trusted institution".

The committee's report will feed into the negotiations over the corporation's next royal charter, which will begin after the general election in May.

'Thoughtful and considered'

A BBC spokesperson said: "This report confirms the importance of the BBC in national life and recommends maintaining and modernising the licence fee, something we have said is necessary.

"We're grateful to the committee for endorsing our record for efficiency and maintaining the quality of programmes and services, and note members overwhelmingly voted against moving to a subscription funding model."

A statement from the BBC Trust, which was set up in 2007 to be the corporation's arms-length regulator, said the report highlighted "a number of issues and challenges that the Trust recognises and that we are seeking to address".

It added: "We agree that there must be robust internal governance and independent regulatory oversight of the BBC. Charter Review will be when this and other issues are debated thoroughly, but we welcome this thoughtful and considered early contribution."

Are you a licence fee payer? What do you think the future is for the licence fee? You can share your thoughts by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

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Hospital staff 'told of Savile abuse'

26 February 2015 Last updated at 06:26 By Noel Titheradge BBC News

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One of Jimmy Savile's victims said nurses told her to ignore him

A report into sexual abuse by Jimmy Savile at Stoke Mandeville Hospital is to say staff were told of 10 complaints at the time, the BBC understands.

The independent investigation into Savile's behaviour at the hospital is due to be published at 09:30 GMT.

Lawyer Liz Dux, representing 44 claimants of abuse at the hospital, said it would be a "disgrace" if senior management escaped blame.

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust says it will respond later.

Savile, who died aged 84 in October 2011, was a major fund-raiser and regular visitor to Stoke Mandeville for more than 20 years. He had a flat and office on the hospital site.

'Disgusting'

The Stoke Mandeville inquiry was led by independent investigator Dr Androulla Johnstone and overseen by a local oversight panel led by the hospital trust's non-executive director, Keith Gilchrist.

The report was originally expected to have been completed by the end of 2013 but has been repeatedly delayed. Investigations into 28 other hospitals, including Leeds General Infirmary and Broadmoor psychiatric hospital, were published last June.

One of the complaints of abuse is believed to have been made to a nurse, a ward sister and a hospital manager.

Nine reports were made to nurses alone, with one more also reaching a manager, the report is believed to say.

It will also highlight that more than 50 people were abused by Jimmy Savile at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Victims included patients, staff and visitors. One victim is understood to have been as young as eight.

The BBC has spoken to one victim, who has not been named to protect her identity.

She was 18 and a patient at the time. She said Savile climbed through the window by her bed before sexually assaulting her.

She said: "It was absolutely disgusting, it's just the worst thing possible."

She said Savile seemed to know all about her reason for being at Stoke Mandeville: "I told the nurses what Savile had done, the fact that he came in and had spoken to me. How did he know these things about me? They just said they know he's like that and 'ignore him, ignore him'. They thought it was funny, really.

"I thought he'd just done that to me, I thought that was something I was just going to have to live with. I had no idea he was doing things to other people."

Lawyer Ms Dux of Slater & Gordon, who represents the majority of the victims, said: "As an institution, Stoke Mandeville, in my opinion, is actually the most blameworthy for Savile's crimes. We have very young vulnerable people there, who were there in a place to be looked after, some of whom couldn't move, some of them were in wheelchairs.

"We even have a clear example of someone reporting the abuse to a senior nursing sister and being told to be quiet because of what he did for the institution."

"It will be a disgrace if the report into Stoke Mandeville reaches the same findings as it did in Leeds - that there was no accountability or knowledge within the senior management of the hospital."

Investigators found that members of staff at Leeds General Hospital failed to pass on complaints of abuse to senior managers.

The BBC understands the report will also say Savile's reputation as a 'sex pest' was an open secret. Staff described him as 'creepy' and 'a lecher' who had access to the mortuary alone, out of hours.

Stoke Mandeville's former director of nursing, Chris McFarlane, said reports of abuse by Savile "never reached senior management ears".

She said Savile was free to go anywhere in the hospital: "If 0% was no access and 100% was total access, Jimmy had 100% access to the hospital, to all parts.

"If he knocked on a closed door and somebody opened the door, Jimmy would be allowed in. I don't believe I ever knew anybody, even the ones who thought there was something funny about him, anybody who would have said 'you're not allowed in here.'

"How could we have allowed him to sit with our patients in the spinal unit, some of whom were tetraplegic, so paralysed from the neck down, others from the chest or waist down, sit with them, without anybody bothering to ask what he was doing?"

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust said it would not provide any comment before the report was published.

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Madonna falls off stage at Brits

26 February 2015 Last updated at 08:23

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Madonna falls over during her performance at the 2015 Brit Awards

US pop star Madonna fell off the stage during her performance at the 2015 Brit Awards, on a night that saw Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran each win two prizes.

Madonna tumbled down a set of stairs and landed awkwardly, apparently after a dancer tried to remove a cape she was wearing at the start of her routine.

But she recovered and returned to continue her song, Living For Love.

The 56-year-old issued a statement later saying she was "fine" and that her cape had been "tied too tight".

"Nothing can stop me and love really lifted me up," she wrote on Instagram, referencing the lyrics to her song. "Thanks for your good wishes!"

Read coverage of the ceremony as it happened.

The painful incident came at the end of a ceremony where Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith shared the honours, winning two awards each.

At the scene

John Hand, BBC News

You may have wondered why there was no gasp of shock from the O2 crowd as Madonna took her backward tumble.

Well, sitting way up in the balcony seats among some of Madonna's biggest fans - the type who know and sing along with every lyric - the initial thought was that it may have been a particularly well orchestrated dance manoeuvre.

Consider the evidence - she fell on the lyric "I let down my guard, I fell into your arms" and was back on her feet to sing purposely "now that it's over, I'm going to carry on".

The truth later emerged but credit to the showbiz trooper for carrying on. In the words of those other Brit Award history-makers Chumbawamba "I get knocked down but I get up again".

Sheeran scooped the night's main prize, album of the year, for his record X - which was the best-selling record of 2014 in the UK.

"I was really worried abut this album," he said, accepting his trophy from actor Russell Crowe. "It took a long time to make."

The star added it had been a "very, very good year for British music".

"I don't think a statue gives justification of people's success," he continued.

Sheeran also won best British male, while Sam Smith took home best breakthrough artist and the global success award - recognising album sales outside the UK.

The singer, who won four Grammys earlier this month, thanked his fans in an emotional speech.

"Since I was a little kid I dreamed of people all over the world singing my songs and although I've got a long way to go, this shows that I'm stepping in the right direction."

Earlier, Taylor Swift opened proceedings, playing her hit single Blank Space surrounded by dancers in white suits and bowler hats.

She went on to win best international female, her first award after eight years of releasing records in the UK.

"I started out playing King's College [in London] and eight years later I'm getting ready to play Hyde Park," she said backstage. "It's like... what?"

The star dedicated her award to Sheeran, a close friend, who fanned the flames of her love affair with the UK by "taking me to pubs and showing me how to make a proper cup of tea."

Both acknowledged their slow-building success in their speeches.

"Oh my god, wow," said Swift. "I've been coming to England and playing shows for eight years and this is my first Brit Award, I'm so happy."

Paloma Faith won best British female, and also alluded to her slow-building career.

"This has been 13 years in the making and I'm going to gob off a bit," she told the audience at London's O2 Arena.

She revealed she'd "been arrested twice" for fly posting in Hackney when she was a young artist, but could now see her face on posters at the tube station outside the venue.

Faith's third album, A Perfect Contradiction, was the biggest-selling female record in the last year, shifting more than 725,000 copies.

She also gave one of the night's more elaborate performances, singing Only Love Can Hurt Like This under a streaming waterfall.

Mark Ronson won best single for Uptown Funk, while Brighton rock duo Royal Blood were presented with best British Group by rock legend Jimmy Page.

"This is a huge surprise for us," said frontman Mike Kerr. "It's probably even more of a surprise for those of you here, because you won't even know who we are."

His comments were met with a huge roar of support from the balcony of the O2 arena, suggesting that members of the public sat there actually had a very accurate idea of who the band are.

The band also performed at the show, alongside George Ezra and Kanye West, who premiered a new song All Day, which had to be heavily censored by ITV.

Analysis

Mark Savage, Entertainment reporter

There's a perennial gripe that the Brit Awards don't reward innovation or cutting-edge music. Radiohead and PJ Harvey have notoriously never won, for example.

But the critics have lost perspective: The artists rewarded at the Brits are usually the ones the public have fallen in love with, for better or worse.

Sam Smith's Stay With Me is already a standard; while Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud will soundtrack weddings for years to come.

As Lionel Richie said on the red carpet, "these songs will last the rest of your life".

So, yes, the Brits are more populist than the Mercury Prize or the NME Awards, but as the industry's main awards night, it seems right that commercial success is the ceremony's barometer.

Although I'm sure the organisers would love to erase Steps victory in 2000's "best live act" category from history.

Were you at the Awards? What was the reaction to Madonna's fall? You can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. If you would be happy to speak further to a BBC journalist please include a contact telephone number.

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'Cash for access' row MPs warned

25 February 2015 Last updated at 03:31

Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Jack Straw will "cop it" if they have broken parliamentary rules in the "cash-for-access" row, Commons Speaker John Bercow has said.

The two were secretly filmed allegedly offering their services to a private firm for cash. Both deny wrongdoing.

Mr Bercow told Sky News it "may well be errors of judgement have been made".

Meanwhile, two senior Conservative peers have claimed that being an MP is not a full-time job.

Mr Bercow's comments follow Sir Malcolm's resignation as chair of Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee on Tuesday, and his announcement that he will not stand again in the coming general election.

The Conservative party whip has been withdrawn from Sir Malcolm, while Mr Straw - who had said last year that he was retiring as an MP in May - has suspended himself from the Labour Party.

The MPs have referred themselves to Parliament's standards watchdog but deny breaching House of Commons rules.

'Face the music'

The two former foreign secretaries featured in an undercover investigation by the Daily Telegraph and Channel 4's Dispatches programme.

Reporters posed as staff of a fake Chinese firm and held discussions with the MPs about joining the company's "advisory board".

Speaking to Sky News, Mr Bercow said: "I know them both, and they are both highly capable, highly experienced people.

"It may well be errors of judgement have been made, and if that is so then they will cop it. They will face the music, they will suffer a penalty as a result."

He added that his attitude was that MPs should represent their constituents and not use their position to make money from outside interests.

"People should not be in parliament to add to their personal fortune," he said.

Meanwhile, two senior figures in the Conservative Party - Lord Heseltine and Lord Lawson - have entered into the debate about whether MPs should be allowed to have second jobs.

Following the "cash for access" allegations, the Labour leader Ed Miliband called for a ban on MPs being allowed to have two jobs.

But in an interview on BBC Newsnight, former Deputy Prime Minister Lord Heseltine said he believed an MP's salary was "not designed to be the total income of all MPs".

He said: "Is an MP expected to be a full-time employee of his or her constituency?

"My own view is that it is not a full-time job, there's a huge commitment in it and you work all hours and all days but there is plenty of time in which you can do do other things providing it's within the rules that are laid down."

He said while many MPs would regard themselves as well-paid, others would feel they had to "forego" an income they were "perfectly capable of earning in combination with a job as a backbench MP".

And the former Chancellor Lord Lawson told Sky News: "Being a constituency MP - although it is an important job - is not a full-time job. Indeed, the proof of that is that ministers are also MPs and they do both jobs.

"When I was Chancellor of the Exchequer I had one of the heaviest workloads in the country and yet I continued as a constituency member and I don't think anybody said I wasn't doing my job there.

"So if you're just a constituency member, you do have time on your hands".

What are the rules?

The Commons Code of Conduct states that MPs must not act as a "paid advocate" - taking payment for speaking in the House, asking a parliamentary question, tabling a motion, introducing a bill or tabling or moving an amendment to a motion or bill or urging colleagues or ministers to do so.

They have to declare their financial interests, including paid employment outside Parliament, in the Register of Members' Financial Interests.

There are also guidelines for ministers leaving office: former Cabinet members must normally wait three months after leaving office before they can accept any kind of paid employment, and should not lobby existing ministers on behalf of any organisation for which they are employed for two years after leaving office.

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Clampdown on cold call companies

25 February 2015 Last updated at 05:30

Imposing fines of up to £500,000 on the companies behind cold calls and nuisance text messages is to become easier under changes to the law being made by the government.

The move follows tens of thousands of complaints about cold calling.

Currently, firms can only be punished if the Information Commissioner can prove a call caused "substantial damage or substantial distress".

But from April 6, that legal requirement is to be removed.

More than 175,000 complaints were made to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) last year about nuisance calls and text messages.

'Spammers' licence'

The government says the number of complaints has risen in the past decade and the issue is particularly acute for the elderly and housebound as such calls can cause distress and anxiety.

In a speech earlier this month, Information Commissioner Christopher Graham described the current law as "a licence for spammers and scammers" and appealed for more powers.

The ICO can take action against companies who flout rules on direct marketing, and says it has issued penalties totalling £815,000 to nine firms since January 2012.

But it has been powerless to target other firms behind a large number of unsolicited calls or texts.

It had tried to argue that companies which make a large number of calls could breach the regulations because of the "cumulative effect" of their actions.

But a tribunal upheld an appeal against a £300,000 fine imposed on Manchester-based Tetrus Telecoms after ruling its high volume of text messages about PPI and accident claims did not meet the legal threshold of causing "substantial damage or substantial distress".

Now, following a six-week public consultation, that threshold is to be removed according to digital economy minister Ed Vaizey.

He said: "For far too long companies have bombarded people with unwanted marketing calls and texts, and escaped punishment because they did not cause enough harm.

"This change will make it easier for the Information Commissioner's Office to take action against offenders and send a clear message to others that harassing consumers with nuisance calls or texts is just not on."

It will now be up to the ICO to assess when a serious contravention has taken place.

'Everyday menace'

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said it was "committed" to dealing with the problem of nuisance calls, and that it was looking to introduce mandatory caller line identification so that all marketing callers would have to display their telephone numbers.

It also confirmed that it will look at introducing measures to hold board level executives responsible for nuisance calls and texts.

This follows a report last December from a task force looking at the problem, which called for a review of the rules in order to act as a stronger deterrent to rogue companies.

The executive director of the consumer organisation Which?", Richard Lloyd, who chaired the task force, welcomed the announcement, saying the government was "making good on its promise" to crack down on nuisance callers.

He added: "These calls are an everyday menace blighting the lives of millions. We want the regulator to send a clear message by using their new powers to full effect without delay."

But the Fair Telecoms Campaign, which contributed to the consultation, said the announcement was only a "tiny step in the right direction".

David Hickson, from the campaign, said "using the limited capacities of the ICO and [telecoms regulator] Ofcom can never succeed now that the problem has been allowed to grow to its present scale".

Have you complained about cold calls or nuisance text messages? You can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk .

Please leave a contact number if you are happy to speak to a BBC journalist.

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Muslims 'oppose cartoons reprisals'

25 February 2015 Last updated at 06:02

The majority of British Muslims oppose violence against people who publish images depicting the Prophet Muhammad, a poll for the BBC suggests.

The survey also indicates most have no sympathy with those who want to fight against Western interests.

But 27% of the 1,000 Muslims polled by ComRes said they had some sympathy for the motives behind the Paris attacks.

Almost 80% said they had found it deeply offensive when images depicting the Prophet were published.

Click here to get the full survey results.

Continue reading the main story

More than two-thirds of respondents said acts of violence against those who published such images could never be justified.

But the poll, carried out between 26 January and 20 February, suggests 32% of British Muslims were not surprised by January's attacks on the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine, which published depictions of the Prophet, and a kosher supermarket in Paris.

The poll also suggests that almost half of British Muslims believe they face discrimination because of their faith and that Britain is becoming less tolerant, while the same percentage feel prejudice against Islam makes it difficult being a Muslim in the UK.

Some 35% said they felt most British people did not trust Muslims, and a fifth said they thought Western liberal society could never be compatible with Islam.

Of those polled, 95% felt a loyalty to Britain, while 93% believed that Muslims in Britain should always obey British laws.

Nearly 20% of Muslim women questioned said they felt unsafe in Britain, compared with 10% of men.

Analysis By Sima Kotecha, Today reporter

Islam is a religion of peace and love - not violence: sentiments that have been expressed numerous times here in Bradford.

Out of the dozens of people I've spoken to, an overwhelming majority have said they're angry that their interpretation of Islam has been eclipsed by an extreme ideology that is too often projected in the media.

They say it's this that is fuelling prejudice, and it's leading to some in the community feeling ostracised from British society.

As one young man said: "We're all being branded as extremists in this country. I am British but sometimes it feels as if Britain is rejecting me because of my faith and that hurts."

One thousand Muslims were polled as part of our survey - a number statistically representative of the population of close to three million Muslims in Britain.

'Stop alienation'

A student at Bradford College, Samaia Aslal, told the BBC that politicians and the media perpetuated a dehumanised image of Muslims, which opens them up to all forms of attack.

She said: "It is up to the rest of British society to stop looking at us as some kind of threat, to accept us.

"To not always ask us how British we feel, that's as stupid as asking 'how do you feel about your red hair today?'.

"To ask this whilst alienating us, spying on us, making us feel like we don't fit in."

But another student Mohammed Al Hakaroon said integration was the responsibility of both Muslims and non-Muslims.

"There is no Islamic regulation or law that prevents integration. Everyone should be treated as equal: Muslim, white, black, Asian, as the Prophet himself has said."

Musmil Afik, who also studies at Bradford College, said he was angry and frustrated, so he could understand why this drove one in four people to support the attacks in Paris.

He said: " But this is not what Islam is about. Islam is about peace, love and harmony."

Twelve people died when an attack was launched on the office of Charlie Hebdo on 7 January.

The following day a policewoman was murdered by Amedy Coulibaly, who also held up a Jewish supermarket the next day, killing four people.

Coulibaly and the two Charlie Hebdo gunmen, Said and Cherif Kouachi, were shot dead by police in two separate sieges.

Selection of ComsRes questions

• If someone I knew from the Muslim community was planning an act of violence I would report them to the police - 94% agree
• I know Muslims who feel strongly sympathetic towards people fighting for IS and al-Qaeda - 8% agree
• Muslim clerics who preach that violence against the West can be justified are out of touch with mainstream opinion - 49% agree
• I would like my children to go a Muslim state school if I had the choice - 31% agree
• I would rather socialise with Muslims than non-Muslims - 13% agree
• If I could I would leave Britain and go and live in another country - 14% agree

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Morrisons names new chief executive

25 February 2015 Last updated at 07:34

Morrisons has named former Tesco director David Potts as its new chief executive.

Mr Potts, who started his Tesco career at age 16 and rose to become retail director in the UK and chief executive of its Irish businesses, will take the helm on 16 March.

He takes over from Dalton Philips, who said in January he would leave the troubled supermarket after five years in charge.

The chain is battling falling sales.

It has been criticised for being slow in moving into the convenience store sector and setting up an online operation.

Current Morrisons chairman Andrew Higginson was previously the finance director at Tesco and worked with Mr Potts there for 15 years. He said was "delighted" by the appointment.

"David is the best retailer I have worked with in 25 years in the industry. Having worked alongside him for 15 years, I know he will bring to Morrisons a focus on the customer, a track record of delivery, flair, talent, and immense energy to his new role," he added.

Morrisons is being squeezed between the higher end of the market and the discount supermarkets chains.

The Bradford-based company reported a 3.1% drop in like-for-like sales in the six weeks to 4 January, and said it would close 10 loss-making stores this year.

Mr Potts will be tasked with returning the company to growth.

He said it "was an honour to have been selected".

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Tasers drawn on '400 children in 2013'

25 February 2015 Last updated at 08:14 By Rowan Bridge Reporter, BBC Radio 5 Live

More than 400 children have had tasers drawn on them by police in England and Wales in 2013, figures obtained by the BBC show.

The Home Office Taser database, seen by BBC Radio 5 live, shows a 38% increase on 2012 in the number of children who had a taser aimed at them. Tasers were fired 37 times at 10 to 17-year-olds.

Ex-Home Secretary David Blunkett, who introduced Tasers, called for a review.

The Home Office said Theresa May has asked for a review of Taser usage.

The figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request show the youngest person to have a Taser aimed at them was 11, while the youngest person fired on was 14.

The oldest person to have one pointed at them was 85 and the oldest person actually fired on was 82.

The Home Office has not released Taser statistics broken down by age before, and warns that they are not wholly reliable because the age figures may be police estimates.

Tasers fire dart-like electrodes into a person's body and are used to incapacitate suspects.

Training urged

Speaking to 5 live, Mr Blunkett called for chief constables and police and crime commissioners in England and Wales to look at who was authorised to use Tasers and whether there were alternatives.

"I think it's time for a review that incorporates the use of Tasers with advice and support on how to deal with difficult situations," he said.

"For a youngster, 11 years old, a Taser is not in my view an appropriate way of dealing with a situation which clearly must have been out of hand, but where we need to train people to use much more traditional alternatives."

The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) says under-18s are involved in a lot of violent crime, and that any use has to be justifiable in court.

Commander Neil Basu said he did not want to comment on individual cases but it was important to understand the circumstances surrounding the use of a Taser.

"We have to remember that children can commit violent crime too. The police are paid to intervene in those situations and Taser can be an appropriate use of force," he said.

"If that 14-year-old is committing a violent act towards a member of the public or to an officer, or if they are self-harming, then our job is to make sure that that stops in the safest way possible.

"And in certain circumstances, Taser is that option."

What's it like to be tasered?

Daniel Dove was 22 when he was tasered in a police cell in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.

He says it was for flicking his underpants at a police officer during a strip search.

He had been arrested for being drunk and disorderly and assault, but the case was later dropped.

"I'd say it's like being shocked by a cattle fence, but 50,000 times stronger," he said.

"I felt like I was paralysed… I couldn't move my hand or my body.

"It wasn't a very nice experience to have."

The officer involved was later charged with assault and misconduct, but cleared by a jury at Bristol Crown Court.

Iain Gould, a solicitor at DPP Law, who has been involved in a number of cases involving claims of inappropriate use of Tasers, said his concern was "mission creep" as they become more commonly used.

"Several years ago, Tasers were deployed to certain trained firearms officers," he said.

"We now have a situation where routine rank-and-file officers are being given Tasers to use.

"My concern is that it has got out of hand and what we are seeing is effectively militarisation by stealth."

'Emotional subject'

That is not a description Commander Neil Basu said he recognised.

"I disagree with that entirely, but I do know it is a concern," he said.

"This is a very emotional subject but police forces, police officers using force, that is one of our absolute key responsibilities that the public have chosen to give us.

"And if we choose to abuse that then we would lose the power.

"There are no people more accountable than firearms and Taser-trained officers. So if an officer uses that power inappropriately, absolutely they should be held accountable to the law."

Police force	Percentage of times taser was fired after being drawn
Source: Home Office (Note: data is for all ages rather than just under-18s, and excludes areas with fewer than 10 incidents in total)
Lancashire	29.7
North Wales	29.3
Greater Manchester	27.8
Merseyside	27.5
Devon and Cornwall	26.8

According to Home Office guidance, only authorised firearms officers and specially trained units can use Tasers.

Officers trained in the use of Tasers must consider the vulnerability of the individual and factors such as age and stature form part of this assessment.

A Home Office spokesman said: "The home secretary has been clear that the use of sensitive police powers, such as stop and search, mental health and the use of force, warrant proper accountability and transparency to ensure that they are being used appropriately.

Terror threat

"Taser is an important tactical option to help specially trained police officers resolve potentially violent situations safely, but it is right that its use is subject to the same level of scrutiny."

He said a review by Chief Constable David Shaw would look at how Taser is being used, who it is being used on and what the outcomes are."

In January, the Police Federation voted for all front-line police in England and Wales to be offered Tasers in light of the increased terrorism threat.

Head of the federation, Steve White, said the devices would help protect against "dangerous people" who could be preparing to attack officers.

However some critics, including Christopher Salmon, a Welsh police and crime commissioner, said the move would be a mistake.

Have you been tasered by the police and were under 18 at the time? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your experiences.

Please include a telephone number if you are happy to be contacted by a BBC Journalist.

Have your say

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