Plan to increase pension age sooner

5 December 2013 Last updated at 03:13 ET

The date when people must be 68 to draw a state pension - formerly scheduled for 2046 - will be brought forward to the mid-2030s, Chancellor George Osborne will announce later.

Plans to be announced in Mr Osborne's Autumn Statement mean the age could rise again to 69 by the late 2040s.

The alteration is said to be deemed necessary as life expectancy is rising.

Moving the change forward will ensure "the country can offer people decent pensions", a government source said.

The move would affect people now aged in their 40s and below.

Mr Osborne is due to deliver his statement to the House of Commons at 11:15 GMT. Among the measures reported so far are:

• Car tax discs to be scrapped and replaced by electronic vehicle excise duty system
• Another £1bn of cuts from Whitehall budgets for each of the next three years
• An extra £150m to update and build kitchens and dining rooms in English primary schools
• A move towards subsidising offshore wind farms instead of onshore wind farms
• Plans for £375bn of investment in energy, transport, communications, and water projects
• Selling off the government's 40% stake in the Eurostar rail service
• A further £50m to redevelop Gatwick Airport's railway station
• Financial support for the development of a new nuclear power station at Wylfa, north Wales
• A confirmation that a UK guarantee has now been agreed for the £1bn Northern Line extension to Battersea in London
• Improvements to the A50 around Uttoxeter, in Staffordshire, and improvements to the A14 around the port of Felixstowe in Suffolk

A new formula will increase the state pension age to keep pace with increasing life expectancy.

The government will say that people should spend on average no more than one-third of their adult lives in retirement.

This means people now in their 20s would have to work until they are 70, many observers believe.

The BBC has also learned that the chancellor will cap business rate increases in England and Wales to 2% next year, rather than the rate of inflation, in an effort to boost firms and High Streets.

Continue reading the main story

The BBC will have full coverage of the Autumn Statement.

• Live text and video coverage on the BBC News website
• News Channel extensive coverage 08:30 - 21:30 GMT
• BBC2 special programme 11:00 - 14:00 GMT
• Radio 5 Shelagh Fogarty live from Westminster from 11:15 - 14:00 GMT

The government has already announced the state pension age will increase to 66 by 2020 and 67 by 2028; these dates will not change.

But it said in a statement: "Under current estimates of life expectancy the principle being confirmed today implies the SPA (state pension age) rise to 68 could come forward to the mid-2030s, from its current date of 2046, rising to 69 by the late 2040s.

"This will affect people in their forties and below; no-one over 50 will have a retirement age of 68 or more."

A review of the way the state pension age is calculated, announced earlier this year, will be informed by "up-to-date" life-expectancy figures.

A government source said: "This is part of the government's long-term plan to secure a responsible recovery.

"It is a difficult decision to make sure there is a fair deal across future generations and that the country can live within its means.

"It will help make sure the country can offer people decent pensions in their old age in a way that with increasing life expectancy the country can also afford."

* The BBC will have full coverage of the Autumn Statement with live text and video and analysis on the BBC News website, coverage all day on the BBC News Channel, a BBC2 special programme from 11:00 - 14:00 GMT and a BBC Radio 5 Live special from 11:15 - 14:00 GMT

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Change EU free movement rules - UK

4 December 2013 Last updated at 19:53 ET

Britain wants to change the rules governing the free movement of people across the EU, Home Secretary Theresa May will tell European ministers.

Mrs May will speak in Brussels, ahead of the lifting of movement controls on Bulgarians and Romanians.

She says free access to Labour markets must not be allowed to lead to "mass migration".

However, some other countries have already vowed to defend what they regard as a fundamental EU principle.

EU justice and home affairs ministers will met in Brussels on Thursday.

'Mass migration'

Mrs May argues that problems caused by free movement must be addressed and the rules should be changed.

In a statement she questioned why national governments should not be be allowed to impose a cap on numbers if European immigration reached certain thresholds.

She said she planned to make clear at the Brussels meeting "that I believe we need to change the way free movement rules work.

"First, for future accession treaties, we must be able to slow full access to each other's labour markets until we can be sure it will not lead to mass migration.

"Second, looking ahead, we must seize the opportunity presented by the prime minister's plan to reform the EU and address the problems caused by free movement.

"It is right that the national governments of the EU reform the way free movement rules work."

Welfare systems

The debate is taking place in advance of the lifting of transitional controls on Romanians and Bulgarians - from 1 January there will be no restrictions on them working anywhere in the EU.

BBC Europe correspondent Chris Morris, in Brussels, said there was sympathy for Britain's demand that abuse of welfare systems should not be permitted - because other countries shared the same concern.

But there was little support at a political level for a fundamental reassessment of the idea of free movement, our correspondent added.

One diplomat from an eastern European member state said no one would accept some countries being treated as second class EU citizens because a free market in goods and services also has to be a free market for labour.

Mr Cameron has suggested that citizens from other EU countries would not be able to claim out-of-work benefits for the first three months in the UK and would not be able to extend claims beyond six months if they had no genuine prospect of work.

Laszlo Andor, a European commissioner, angered Mr Cameron by commenting that the UK was at risk of becoming a "nasty" country if it curbed benefits and sought to limit freedom of movement by EU nationals.

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Curb firms' nuisance calls, MPs urge

4 December 2013 Last updated at 21:34 ET

Regulators should do more to clamp down on companies that make nuisance calls, an influential group of MPs has said.

The Culture, Media and Sport committee said watchdogs should use their powers more often to punish misuse of phone networks and contact information.

The committee called on Ofcom and the Information Commissioner's Office to take increased action.

Committee chairman John Whittingdale said such phone calls were a "source of irritation and distress to millions".

Illegal use

A report from the committee rejected the idea of a single regulator to tackle the issue.

Continue reading the main story

At worst, these are unscrupulous and potentially fraudulent practices that can cause great annoyance, anxiety and loss"

End Quote John Whittingdale Culture, Media and Sport Committee chairman

It suggested a better solution would be a single point of contact for consumers, combined with more co-operation between existing watchdog bodies.

The committee found that a significant cause of nuisance calls was the unfair or even illegal use of personal data.

This included obtaining a person's "consent" to receive unsolicited marketing calls in ways that were "at best opaque and at worst dishonest" and trading personal details with companies which were "lacking in scruples".

The MPs said the information commissioner "should use his existing powers to tackle them far more, and should not shy from imposing repeated penalties on companies that are repeat offenders".

'Needless interruption'

The committee recommended a single online form and helpline - clearly advertised on phone bills - for consumers to report cases.

Mr Whittingdale said: "At best, the underlying scatter-gun marketing approach causes needless interruption to many while providing occasional benefit to a few.

"At worst, these are unscrupulous and potentially fraudulent practices that can cause great annoyance, anxiety and loss.

"The challenge is one of curtailing that, while at the same time allowing legitimate marketing and unsolicited calls made for good reason."

Mr Whittingdale said there was scope for regulations preventing nuisance callers from using blocked or false numbers.

The threshold for enforcement action under EU regulations should also be lowered, he added.

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Storm brings fear of wind and floods

5 December 2013 Last updated at 03:31 ET

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"Blizzards are expected in the Highlands - the Thames Barrier will be closed to protect London", reports Ben Moore

Large swathes of the UK are braced for a storm bringing with it gale-force winds, possible travel disruption and the risk of some coastal flooding.

Worst affected will be Scotland, where 100mph winds have hit, and the north and east of England, forecasters said.

Communities on England's east coast are being told to prepare later for the most serious tidal surge for 30 years.

The Environment Agency said the North Sea coast from Northumberland to the Thames Estuary was at risk.

The Thames Barrier is due to close on Thursday night to protect London from floods.

Flood defences

The Environment Agency said the combination of high tides, gale-force winds, large waves and a tidal surge would bring a risk of significant coastal flooding. It expects 3,000 properties to be flooded within the next 24 hours.

In some places sea levels could be as high as those during the devastating floods of 1953 - although flood defences built since then meant many parts of the country were now better protected, it added.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

Along the East Coast, the high tide will be hitting in the hours of darkness this evening and tonight so people really need to take the daylight hours today to prepare"

End Quote Pete Fox Environment Agency

The agency has more than 100 flood warnings and alerts in place, including 18 severe alerts for the East Anglia region - indicating danger to life.

Those likely to be affected include West Mersea in Essex, Southwold and Thorpeness in Suffolk, the Riverside Business park in Lowestoft, Suffolk, and along the Bure and Yare rivers in Great Yarmouth.

Environment Agency flood risk manager Pete Fox told BBC Breakfast that people in these coastal areas need to think about taking action to prepare themselves now.

He said: "The most important thing actually is that along the East Coast, the high tide will be hitting in the hours of darkness this evening and tonight so people really need to take the daylight hours today to prepare for the coastal and tidal flooding that we're predicting.

"We've been working with the emergency services for the last 24 hours or so gearing up for this event."

In Scotland, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued 11 flood warnings for Central; Edinburgh and Lothians; Fife; and Skye and Lochaber.

The Met Office has recorded gusts of 106mph at Glenogle in Stirlingshire and 114mph on the slopes of Aonach Mor near Fort William.

Continue reading the main story

Weather information

From the BBC:

Elsewhere:

Other areas and services affected include:

• A major traffic route into Leeds City Centre will be closed on Thursday because of fears that a nearby skyscraper may generate freak winds
• Network Rail is warning travellers to expect delays in Scotland and northern and eastern England
• Scotrail says at least 20 routes will be out of service, and all other routes will not run until 07:00 GMT
• East Coast says it will run a revised timetable
• Scottish Hydro Electric says around 20,000 customers are without power, mainly in the north west Highlands. Some power is also out on the Western Isles and Orkney. This is expected to rise
• Northern Ireland Electricity says there are 4,800 customers without power

Regions under the Met Office's amber "be prepared" warning are Central, Tayside and Fife; East Midlands; East of England; Grampian; Highlands and Eilean Siar; North East England; North West England; Orkney and Shetland; South West Scotland, Lothian and Borders; Strathclyde; and Yorkshire and Humber.

This warning indicates likely travel delays from road and rail closures, power cuts and damage to properties.

London and South East England; Northern Ireland; Wales; and West Midlands have been placed under a yellow warning.

This tells people in the area to be aware of the possibility of severe weather and to expect some disruption to their activities and travel plans.

Forecasters say snow is likely to fall in the north of Scotland on Thursday, up to 5cm deep on low ground with 20cm possible on higher ground.

Tallest building

A major traffic route into Leeds city centre will be closed on Thursday following warnings of high winds.

The road is the main route into the city from the south and is used every morning by thousands of vehicles.

It passes Yorkshire's tallest building - the Bridgewater Place tower - which a coroner ruled this week can influence wind conditions.

She recommended the junction beneath the skyscraper should be shut to all road users when wind speeds reach 45mph or more.

Leeds City Council says Victoria Road, as well as Water Lane and Neville Street, will be shut from 06:00 GMT on Thursday.

Network Rail has already warned customers in Scotland and parts of north and eastern England to expect delays.

Robin Gisby, Network Rail's director of operations, said ground conditions would be monitored through the night and into the morning, and teams were in place to react quickly to any damage caused by the weather.

He said as much of the network as possible would be kept open however speed restrictions and other measures might be necessary in the interests of safety.

Conditions across the UK are expected to have improved by the weekend.

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England fight back against Australia

Second Ashes Test, Adelaide (close, day one):

Australia 273-5 v England

Match scorecard

England fought back after an ominous Australian start as a tense, seesaw first day of the second Test ended with the hosts on 273-5.

But despite having lost the toss on a flat pitch, it could have been so much better for Alastair Cook's men after three catches went down in the final session.

With the close in sight, Michael Carberry dropped a sitter off the recalled Monty Panesar to allow Brad Haddin to survive into Friday's second day on seven.

His captain Michael Clarke was unbeaten on 48 having survived a far sharper chance to Joe Root on 18 off Graeme Swann.

A second-wicket partnership of 121 between Chris Rogers (72) and Shane Watson (51) had threatened to tighten Australia's grip on the series.

But three wickets then fell for 19 runs as tea approached, before Clarke and George Bailey (53) first halted England's charge and then began to punish their attack.

England had sprung a surprise by giving Ben Stokes rather than Gary Ballance his Test debut, and selecting a second spinner in Panesar rather than the seam of Tim Bresnan.

"If England had been offered 270-5 at the start, they'd have taken it, but they're going to need a lead and they'll look back at those three dropped catches. You know Monty's not a great fielder, and you'd have expected Joe Root to hold seven out of 10 of those chances, but the last one was really a stinker by Michael Carberry. But Alastair Cook was excellent. He moved his fielders around very well."

As importantly to their hopes of levelling this Ashes series, Clarke won the toss and startled no-one by opting to bat on a drop-in pitch that has seen almost 2,500 runs scored on it in two Sheffield Shield matches in the past two months.

On a morning three times interrupted by rain showers, David Warner was the only wicket to fall, slapping Stuart Broad to Carberry at point for a combative 29 off 32 balls.

Cook was quick to turn to Panesar and Graeme Swann, but just as there had been nothing in the track for the pace bowlers, so there was initially minimal turn for the spinners - even if both were parsimonious.

Stokes was accurate in his first spell in Test cricket but let down by the occasional bad delivery, bowling 26 dot balls yet conceding boundaries from the other four.

Rogers' half-century came off 135 balls, never a fluent knock but one that played its part in wearing down the England attack.

With Watson in restrained mood, the pair took the score past 150 with the number three going to his own 50 off 109 balls midway through an extended afternoon session.

Cook was doing his best to conjure a wicket with creative captaincy, at one point putting in two short midwickets for Watson and then, with Broad restored to the attack from the Cathedral End, posting three men in the deep on the leg side.

But it was the reflexes of James Anderson that made the breakthrough, snatching an excellent catch off his own bowling to get rid of Watson for 51, and in the next over Swann had Rogers caught behind for 72 to haul the hosts back to 155-3 and change the complexion of the day.

It was the seventh time in seven Tests that Swann has dismissed the left-handed opener, who was caught neither forward nor back to waste the foundations he had so diligently laid.

In the final over before tea, England struck again. This time it was Panesar, getting one to drift in to Steve Smith and turn past the outside edge to hit the top of off stump.

Had Panesar hung on to a sharp caught and bowled chance when George Bailey was on 10, England would have seized control.

Bailey celebrated his escape by launching Panesar down the ground for six, and then Clarke had a life of his own when he clipped the returning Swann to midwicket where Root could get only fingertips to the ball as he dived to his right.

England were to rue both chances as that fifth wicket partnership prospered with increasing ease in the evening session.

Bailey, in only his second Test match, went after both spinners while his skipper was content to play a more restrained part.

The partnership had reached 83 and was threatening to take the match away from England when, with shadows from the vast new stands stretching across the outfield, Bailey fell into the trap set for him and pulled a short one from Broad to square leg where Swann took a brilliant catch high to his right.

Suddenly England were alive again.

Haddin survived a tight lbw review against Broad and then, attempting to cut Panesar, got a looping top edge to backward point only for the usually safe Carberry to fumble the most straightforward of chances.

After the disastrous 381-run defeat in the first Test in Brisbane, England will be happy to have stopped the rot.

If they can take the remaining five wickets for less than 100 runs they will believe they have every chance of winning in Adelaide just as they did three years ago.

But Clarke appears in good form after his century at the Gabba, and a score of 400-plus would put his side in a strong position against an England team who have struggled to match such scores over the past 12 months.

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Christmas Downton v EastEnders clash

4 December 2013 Last updated at 01:11 ET

The Christmas Day episode of Downton Abbey will be pitched directly against EastEnders, according to TV schedules.

The seasonal outing of ITV's popular period drama will be screened at 20:30 GMT - the same time as BBC One's flagship soap.

Doctor Who will be screened at 19:30 GMT, going head to head with an hour-long Coronation Street on ITV.

Downton's third Christmas special sees the action shift to 1923 and has US actor Paul Giamatti joining the cast.

The two-hour episode centres on the Crawleys' wayward family member Rose being presented at Buckingham Palace, a grand occasion that sees Cora's mother Martha - played by Shirley MacLaine - return to the drama.

It will also see Giamatti makes his Downton debut as Martha's brother Harold, who was in trouble with the law at the end of the last series.

The show's producers are keeping tight-lipped about the fate of Lady Edith and her pregnancy, saying only that she is "wrestling with a moral dilemma".

Last year's Christmas Day special climaxed in the unexpected death of Downton heir Matthew Crawley, leaving behind his wife, Lady Mary, and their newborn son.

Its first hour overlapped with EastEnders in 2012. Final audience figures gave EastEnders the edge, scoring 11.2 million viewers over Downton's 10.2 million.

This year the second hour of Downton Abbey's seasonal special will be up against BBC One sitcom Mrs Brown's Boys.

The Christmas Day episode of Doctor Who will see Matt Smith battle deadly enemies, including the Daleks and the Cybermen, before regenerating into Peter Capaldi.

In BBC One's schedule, the sci-fi drama finds itself sandwiched between Call the Midwife and EastEnders.

Albert Square will see the arrival of a new landlord for the Queen Vic pub, Mick Carter, played by Danny Dyer.

The ongoing murder storyline involving Janine Butcher is also expected to figure highly in EastEnders' hour-long special.

On the cobbles of Coronation Street, producers have revealed that Leanne and Nick Tilsley's relationship will take a turn for a worse.

Yet the tragic storyline involving long-serving character Hayley Cropper is not expected to end until early next year.

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Big changes for renewable subsidies

4 December 2013 Last updated at 02:52 ET By James Landale Deputy political editor

The government is to make big changes to the way it subsidises renewable energy, the BBC has learned.

Ministers will announce that they will cut support for onshore wind and solar energy, but give more backing to offshore wind power.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander described the shift in subsidy as "a rebalancing" and said overall spending would not change.

But Labour said "chopping and changing" pricing was bad for business.

The set prices for onshore wind power and solar energy will be cut from 2015, while those for offshore wind power will be increased.

The final figures will be announced in a written ministerial statement later.

Encourage investment

The latest "strike prices" were published in draft in June, but BBC deputy political editor James Landale says there will be major changes.

Sources from both coalition parties said there had been so much investment in onshore wind and solar energy that they no longer needed so much state support.

In contrast, they said, offshore wind sources still needed more subsidy to encourage long-term investment.

Mr Alexander denied suggestions the move was in response to Tory MPs unhappy at wind farms being sited in their constituencies.

James Landale says that both Conservative and Liberal Democrat sources said the decision made good political sense because they would have a policy that countered the threat from UKIP which opposes all wind farms on principle.

Strike prices are set substantially above the current value of energy, as a form of long-term subsidy to encourage firms to invest.

One Conservative source said he expected "quite a dramatic cut" in prices for onshore wind in 2015 and beyond. Another spoke of the "beginning of the end for mature renewables".

One source said: "We are in a very good place. If we didn't curtail onshore a bit, we would have so much onshore that the constraint wouldn't be financial but political. Ditto solar.

"So constraining solar and onshore makes good value for money sense, it lets us move quicker than expected to market forces, and enables us to ensure that the one renewable technology that can go to scale in the 2020s - offshore wind - gets the early support that an immature technology needs."

Energy Minister Michael Fallon said costs must be spread "much more fairly"

'Spread more fairly'

Shadow chief secretary to the Treasury Chris Leslie told BBC Radio 5 live: "They're just chopping and changing all the time - very bad for stable, long-term investment."

Energy Minister Michael Fallon hinted at changing the policy in a speech earlier this week.

He said: "We will also announce very shortly now the final support prices for each renewable technology. Of course new power has to be paid for and we should be open about that.

"But investment in renewables cannot be done at any price. It must be affordable for consumers. And the cost of that new investment needs to be spread more fairly, much more fairly."

The Energy Secretary, Liberal Democrat Ed Davey, hinted at the more positive news for offshore wind energy in an interview with BBC Radio Humberside on Monday.

He said: "Later this week we will be announcing the final plans with our reform package, with what are called the strike prices, the prices that offshore wind developers would get, and I think that will be yet another shot in the arm of confidence.

"We have put in place a very attractive set of measure which will boost renewables, boost offshore wind and I believe bring green jobs to places like Hull."

Mr Davey also told MPs last week: "There will be some good news to announce on offshore wind shortly."

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UK soldier held under Terrorism Act

4 December 2013 Last updated at 02:42 ET

A serving UK soldier has been arrested under the Terrorism Act after a "suspicious device" was found at a house in Salford.

The device, understood to be a nail bomb, was discovered last week.

The soldier, 19, was arrested by military police in Germany and brought back to Britain to be questioned by Greater Manchester Police.

A 20-year-old man was arrested at the address where the device was found on suspicion of possessing abusive images.

Both men have been released on bail.

Police found the device during a raid in Mellor Street, Patricroft, on Thursday.

"A cordon was put in place and a number of residents were evacuated as a precautionary measure," police said in a statement.

"Specialist officers assessed the device and were later able to confirm it was no longer a threat to the community."

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Legal warning for social media users

4 December 2013 Last updated at 03:15 ET

The attorney general is to publish guidance on Twitter to help prevent social media users from committing a contempt of court by commenting inappropriately on criminal cases.

Dominic Grieve QC said it was designed to make sure fair trials took place.

Comedian Alan Davies, Commons speaker's wife Sally Bercow and celebrity Peaches Geldof have all recently run into legal difficulties with careless tweets.

The advice will apply to court cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The rise of social media has meant that conversations about criminal cases, once had down the pub or over the garden fence, are now instantly published online - and can be shared with thousands, BBC legal correspondent Clive Coleman says.

Continue reading the main story

There is a public misconception that the internet is somehow a free speech zone to which the criminal and civil law does not apply. That is being corrected.

The attorney general has taken action against three men who used Twitter and Facebook to publish photographs purporting to be of Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, the murderers of the toddler James Bulger, as grown- ups. They breached a worldwide injunction preventing publication of any material that could identify the two killers.

Last year nine people were prosecuted for posting the name of the woman raped by former Sheffield United footballer Ched Evans, on various social media sites. All nine claimed that they did not know it was a criminal offence to name the victim of a sexual offence. Ignorance was no defence.

Instant publication on the internet can go viral at an astonishing rate but so too can the message that the criminal and civil law applies to it as much as to a considered newspaper article. Education on the law of contempt is likely to spread very rapidly online.

But Facebook and Twitter are publications subject to the same laws that in practice used to apply only to the mainstream media.

Anyone commenting about a case or defendant in a way that could prejudice a trial could be prosecuted for contempt and imprisoned.

That is why the attorney general is going to start publishing advice - that previously only went to the media - to the public via his website and Twitter feed.

It is designed to help inform people about the legal pitfalls of commenting in a way that could be seen as prejudicial to a court case or those involved.

Mr Grieve said: "Blogs and social media sites like Twitter and Facebook mean that individuals can now reach thousands of people with a single tweet or post.

"This is an exciting prospect, but it can pose certain challenges to the criminal justice system.

"In days gone by, it was only the mainstream media that had the opportunity to bring information relating to a court case to such a large group of people that it could put a court case at risk.

"That is no longer the case and is why I have decided to publish the advisories that I have previously only issued to the media."

Mr Grieve said the move was not about telling people what they could say on social media but about helping to allow lawful comments.

Technology expert Tom Cheesewright said social media offered "instant publishing".

He said some individuals have more Twitter followers than national newspapers have subscribers but - unlike journalists - they do not have legal training or "an editor to stop them".

People may write posts while drunk or in "emotional states", he added.

"It's very unlikely we're going to have rules that stop this happening," he said.

"It's going to be about education and part of that education is going to come from high-profile prosecutions."

He said laws for print media had developed over many years and society would have to "go through the same process with social media" to develop laws and "public understanding".

Peaches Geldof apologised last week for tweeting the names of the two mothers whose babies were abused by rock star Ian Watkins.

Police are investigating the tweets over concerns that they identified protected parties.

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Police officer injured in shooting

4 December 2013 Last updated at 03:32 ET

A female police officer has been injured in a shooting in Leeds.

West Yorkshire Police said two officers were called to a disturbance in Cardigan Road, Hyde Park, at about 04:00 GMT.

The officers were confronted by a man at the property and a gun was fired, the force said.

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