London Shooting: Man Charged With Murder

A man has been charged with the murder of a teenager who was shot in the chest in north London, Scotland Yard has said.

Mohammed Hussein, 19, died in Edmonton on Monday after neighbours heard shouting in the street and then gunfire about an hour later.

Paramedics fought to save him but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Natneal Tefsay, 20, from Bounds Green, north London, is charged with Mr Hussein's murder.

He will appear at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court today.

After the shooting, a witness, who did not want to be named, said: "Earlier in the night a group of guys chased after the victim, who was in a car with a mate, and smashed a window.

"He then came back later and that's when the shooting happened.

"He was with three of his friends and I think they ran off when he was shot."

A post-mortem examination found that Mr Hussein died from a single gunshot wound to the chest.

Last night police said they had also arrested a 19-year-old man on suspicion of murder.

They are continuing to appeal for information about the shooting, which happened in Bounces Road, Edmonton, at around 9.45pm on Easter Monday.

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Raft Of Tax Reforms Come Into Effect In UK

Two million people could be removed from paying income tax altogether from today as a raft of reforms come into effect.

Among the changes are a rise in the personal allowance which will mean no one pays any tax until they earn more than £9,440.

The threshold for the higher rate of tax - above which people pay tax at 40% - will also drop from £34,370 to £32,010, excluding the personal allowance.

At the same time the top rate of income tax falls in 2013/14 from 50% to 45% for those whose taxable income exceeds £150,000.

And the start of the new financial year also signals a rise in basic state pension to £110.15 per week, an increase of 2.5%.

But there will be a freeze on the level of income pensioners can receive before they have to pay tax - the so-called "granny tax".

The tax allowance for people aged 65 and older is set at £10,500.

Last week, housing benefit was cut for council house tenants with more bedrooms than they need - dubbed the "bedroom tax".

The annual increase in tax credits and other working-age benefits will also be cut to just 1%, well below the rate of inflation.

But Labour claims UK households will be £891 a year worse off on average as a result of the large-scale reforms.

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls said: "The whole country will today see whose side this Conservative-led Government is really on and who is paying the price for their total economic failure."

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Man Dies Making Documentary About Homeless

Police are investigating the death of a young documentary maker who was sleeping rough in freezing temperatures to highlight the plight of the homeless.

Lee Halpin, 26, had planned to spend a week living on the streets in his home city of Newcastle.

He began the project on Sunday but was found dead three days later in a derelict building in the West End of the city.

How he died has not yet been confirmed but it is believed he may have died from hypothermia.

Speaking on a YouTube video the night before his week of sleeping rough began, Mr Halpin said the project was part of an application for a Channel 4 investigative journalism scheme, to give an example of fearless reporting.

He said he had spoken to a homeless charity about the rise in the number of people on the streets and the possible repercussions of the bedroom tax.

"I'm about to go and spend a week being homeless in the West End of Newcastle. I will sleep rough for a week, scrounge for my food, access the services that other homeless individuals use," he said.

"I will interact with as many homeless people as possible and immerse myself in that lifestyle as deeply as I can."

He concluded the video by saying he hoped it showed his willingness to get to the heart of a story.

A Channel 4 spokesperson said: "We are saddened to learn of the tragic death of this aspiring young journalist. Our thoughts are with his family."

Lee Halpin's friend of 10 years Daniel Lake said: "I was just talking to Lee on Saturday, having some banter talking about football and how excited he was about going out filming.

"Lee was a great guy, a character and was well known. His big things were creative writing and poetry ... He made the ultimate sacrifice trying to raise awareness about what was happening to other people."

Friends and supporters have left tributes on the Save Newcastle Libraries website, to which he was a contributor.

Northumbria Police have arrested two men in connection with the death.

The men, aged 26 and 30, were arrested on suspicion of supplying a controlled drug and have since been bailed pending further inquiries.

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Hate Crime: Goths, Punks And Emos Recognised

By Rhiannon Mills, Sky News Reporter

Greater Manchester Police have become the first in the country to officially recognise hate crimes against goths, emos, punks and metallers.

Attacks on those who belong to alternative subcultures will now be recorded as a crime by GMP in the same way as disability, racist, religious, sexual orientation and transgender hate crime to provide better support to victims and repeat victims.

The move is a response to the 2007 killing of Sophie Lancaster, who was attacked by a mob for being a goth.

Aged 20, she and her boyfriend, Robert Maltby, were brutally beaten as they walked home through Stubbylee Park in Bacup.

She suffered horrific head injuries after she was repeatedly stamped on and kicked in the head.

Miss Lancaster died in 2007

Mr Maltby survived the attack, but Miss Lancaster never regained consciousness.

Her killers were sentenced in 2008 and the judge recognised her death as a hate crime because they were targeted for being goths.

Her parents set up the Sophie Lancaster Foundation to create respect and understanding of subcultures.

The charity works with police forces and politicians to ensure individuals who are part of subcultures are protected by the law.

Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan, GMP's lead on hate crime, said: "The launch of this new strand of recordable hate crime is a major breakthrough.

"We are able to officially recognise that people who wish to express their alternative subculture identity freely should not have to tolerate hate crime - something that many people have to endure on a daily basis.

"Sophie's tragic death brought forward a need to recognise that there are many other victims of hate crime that should be protected by law.

"While we have worked with the foundation for some time, I am proud to say we are now the first force in the country to officially record alternative subculture as a sixth strand of hate crime motivation."

Mr Maltby was also brutally beaten in the 2007 attack

Sophie's mum Sylvia Lancaster said: "It is a very proud day for me personally and the rest of the team.

"It is a validation of the work we have undertaken in the past five years and hopefully other forces will follow GMP's lead.

"A big thank you to Greater Manchester Police and all our supporters."

Further work will also be carried out to educate communities and officers will be trained so they are able to provide support for individuals and victims of hate crime who are part of an alternative subculture community.

Greater Manchester Police say they recognise "alternative subculture" as a broad term to define a strong sense of collective identity and a set of group-specific values and tastes.

This typically centres on distinctive style, clothing, make-up, body art and music preference.

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Nuclear Threat Too Great To Axe Trident - PM

David Cameron has warned against any move to abandon the Trident deterrent in the face of the growing nuclear threat from North Korea and Iran.

The Prime Minister said it would be "foolish" to leave the country defenceless at a time when the "highly unpredictable and aggressive" regime in North Korea was developing ballistic missiles which could eventually threaten Europe.

His comments came as the US said that it was moving an advanced missile system to the Pacific island of Guam as Pyongyang continued to ratchet up the rhetoric against South Korea and its American ally.

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Mr Cameron said such "evolving threats" underlined the need for the UK to maintain the ultimate deterrent.

"We need our nuclear deterrent as much today as we did when a previous British Government embarked on it over six decades ago," he said.

"Of course, the world has changed dramatically. The Soviet Union no longer exists. But the nuclear threat has not gone away. In terms of uncertainty and potential risk it has, if anything, increased."

Mr Cameron said Iran was continuing to defy the will of the international community over its nuclear programme while North Korea may already be building a nuclear arsenal.

"The highly unpredictable and aggressive regime in North Korea recently conducted its third nuclear test and could already have enough fissile material to produce more than a dozen nuclear weapons," he said.

"Last year North Korea unveiled a long-range ballistic missile which it claims can reach the whole of the United States. If this became a reality it would also affect the whole of Europe, including the UK."

He continued: "Does anyone seriously argue that it would be wise for Britain, faced with this evolving threat today, to surrender our deterrent?

"Only the retention of our independent deterrent makes clear to any adversary that the devastating cost of an attack on the UK or its allies will always be far greater than anything it might hope to gain."

His comments underline the Conservatives commitment to a like-for-like replacement for the ageing Trident submarine fleet but their Lib Dem coalition partners are seeking a cheaper alternative.

The future of Trident is also likely to feature in next year's looming Scottish independence referendum campaign, with the SNP insisting that it would not allow nuclear missiles to be based in an independent Scotland.

For Labour, shadow defence minister Kevan Jones said it was "absolutely right and necessary" for the UK to retain an independent nuclear deterrent, but it must take into account the costs involved.

"World events demonstrate that in an unpredictable era our country needs the ultimate security guarantee," he said. "The precise nature of the deterrent must be judged on meeting military capability requirements and cost."

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House Fire: 'Severe' Blaze Leaves Two Dead

Two people have been killed in a house fire in Carlton Village, Stockton-On-Tees, emergency workers have said.

The pair died when the fire ripped through the property and an investigation is now under way.

A spokesman for Cleveland Fire Brigade, which was called to the scene, said: "It was a severe fire in which there were two fatalities.

"Five appliances attended which were from Stockton, Thornaby and Middlesbrough Stations.

"Crews left the scene at approximately 8.45am. There will now be a joint investigation between the Fire Brigade and Police."

Cleveland Police would not confirm the gender of the pair and said the investigation was in its very early stages.

A force spokeswoman said the fire was reported to them at 5.05am.

More follows...

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Derby Fire: Philpotts Face Jail Over Deaths

A couple, who killed their six children in a house fire, are due to be jailed after both were convicted of manslaughter.

Mick and Mairead Philpott triggered the blaze at their Derby home in the early hours of May 11 last year in a bid to frame Lisa Willis, Philpott's former girlfriend.

Philpott was fighting a custody battle with Miss Willis, who had lived with the couple and slept with Philpott on alternate nights while living at the house.

Both women were said to have lived happily with one another for a decade but Miss Willis left Philpott three months before the deadly fire taking her five children, four of whom were fathered by him.

Jade Philpott, 10, and her brothers John, nine, Jack, eight, Jesse, six, Jayden, five, and Duwayne, 13 - all died as a result of the petrol-fuelled blaze that tore through their three-bed council house in Victory Road.

Jurors at Nottingham Crown Court returned guilty verdicts on manslaughter charges for the pair and co-defendant Paul Mosley, 46, after an eight-week trial.

Many sobbed and hugged one another while Mairead Philpott's sister, Bernadette Duffy, clapped her hands and shouted out: "You murdering b*******.

"You heard me. I told you didn't I?"

Back (L-R) Duwayne and John, Front (L-R) Jack, Jessie, Jade and Jayden

Mick Philpott, 56, stood in the dock staring straight ahead with his hands clasped in front of him as the verdicts were delivered.

He shook his head and his wife looked down at the floor and fought back tears while clutching a tissue in both her hands.

Before leaving the dock Philpott crossed himself and was heard to say: "It's not over yet."

During his evidence he appeared emotional and slumped forward sobbing in the witness box as the court was played the frantic 999 call he and his wife made on the night of the fire.

The trio had planned to get all six children into one bedroom at the back of the house so Philpott could play the hero and rescue them with a ladder stationed in preparation.

Mick Philpott tried to frame his former partner over the blaze

Brothers Jamie and Darren Butler, who live on the same road as the Philpotts, described how the Philpotts did nothing to help rescue their children and stood like "a couple of statues".

Mick Philpott, who was known locally as Shameless Mick for his lifestyle, tried to frame his former partner over the blaze

He had previously told police that Miss Willis was harassing him and had threatened the family.

The fire was far bigger than the trio expected and unemployed Philpott - father of 17 children from five women - climbed up a ladder at the back of the house to discover he was unable to smash a large enough hole in the bedroom window.

Firefighters found the youngsters' lifeless bodies in each of the three upstairs bedrooms.

Yesterday Sky News revealed that Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill of Derbyshire Police suspected Philpott as he watched his reactions during a news conference.

He said that officers had been surprised when Philpott wanted to speak to the media five days after fire.

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill's disbelief captured on camera

Mr Cotterill said his misgivings were betrayed in a single photograph, taken as he sat alongside Mick, and his wife Mairead.

He said: "In one particular photograph, what I saw there was a guy who was sat there pretending to cry and I've described it as a bit of a sham of a performance and I didn't believe that he was genuinely overcome by grief.

"I thought he was playing to the cameras."

Mr Cotterill said prior to the press conference Philpott seemed "overly excited by the prospect of going to face the media given what had taken place and given that he had lost six of his children in that fire".

He said that following the conference Philpott had "inappropriately" asked a family liaison officer to marry him and faked a faint.

It was a comment echoed by the mortuary manager at a Derby Royal Hospital, who said that Philpott had pretended to faint when he saw his children's bodies for the first time.

Philpott was keen to play out his 'grief' in front of the media

Marie Smith, said that Philpott also asked for alcohol and engaged in horseplay with a police liaison officer days after the tragedy while bemused staff looked on.

She said that Philpott had apparently fainted and did not respond to her attempts to bring him round until she threatened to call for medical assistance.

She said: "He still didn't respond so I instructed a member of staff to call a doctor for assistance and as soon as I said, he woke up, he recovered very, very quickly ..."

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Fans' Plea To FA Over Homophobic Chants

Fans of Brighton and Hove Albion have appealed for action to tackle homophobic abuse which they say is levelled at them by opposition supporters because of the city's large gay community.

Together with the Gay Football Supporters' Network (GSFN), they have compiled and filed a report to the Football Association detailing evidence and a log of the level of homophobic chanting at both home and away matches.

It also highlights two instances of opposition players making homophobic gestures at supporters in the terraces.

On one occasion, the language used by opposition fans was so bad that a radio station was forced to turn off a microphone and apologise several times on air, the report said.

It said fans have been subjected to homophobic abuse by at least 72% of opponents they have faced this season, in at least 70% of away games and in at least 57% of all their fixtures so far.

It said the chants varied from "fairly mild" and "more unpleasant", to those meant as a "joke", and others "as terms of abuse".

"It is the view of the Brighton and Hove Albion Supporters' Club and GFSN that neither is acceptable," it said.

"For us it is really simple. If the words relating to a person's sexuality were replaced with words relating to someone's race or skin colour, would those chants be acceptable? In all these cases they would not and appropriate action would be taken."

Sarah Watts, Brighton and Hove Albion Supporters' Club secretary, said: "Brighton fans have been the subject of 'banter' about the city's gay community for as long as many of our fans can remember.

"We hope this report will increase public awareness and help educate our fellow members of the football family of the issues faced, to address them and, ultimately the need to treat each other with basic respect."

Chris Basiurski, GSFN chairman, said: "This report clearly shows the shocking extent of the abuse to which Brighton supporters are subjected on a regular basis.

"It is not acceptable and we call on the football authorities to do more to eradicate homophobia from the terraces."

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SSE Fined £10.5m By Ofgem Over Mis-Selling

Energy provider SSE has been fined £10.5m by industry watchdog Ofgem for repeated mis-selling to householders.

The regulator said the proposed penalty is the largest it has made against an energy firm.

It relates to failures at "every stage" of the sales process for telephone, in-store and doorstep activities.

Ofgem said: "The level of fine reflects the seriousness and duration of breaches, the likely substantial harm that they have caused and the likely gain to SSE."

Ofgem found that a failure of SSE's management arrangements meant that insufficient attention was paid to ensuring compliance with obligations.

The watchdog said this enabled misleading and unsubstantiated statements to be made by sales agents to potential customers about savings.

SSE is one of Britain's "big six" energy suppliers and has admitted its selling procedures were below an adequate level.

On its website, SSE said: "We've been busy making lots of practical changes to make it simpler, fairer and easier for you to deal with us.

"We're building a better way to do business, and we believe the changes we are making will improve the energy industry for good."

Many consumers struggled to understand firms' complex tariff structures

The watchdog said the company's various selling techniques had brought the company into disrepute.

"Ofgem found failings at all stages of SSE's sales processes, from the opening lines on the doorstep, in-store or over the phone through to the confirmation process which follows a sale," the regulator said.

"In particular, SSE consistently failed, over a prolonged period of time, to conduct its sales activities in a way that would provide clear and accurate information on prices and potential savings to enable customers to make an informed decision about whether to switch suppliers."

Although SSE terminated doorstep sales in July 2011, the failures in telephone and in-store sales persisted, Ofgem said.

"Today's fine sends a clear message to suppliers that Ofgem will hold to account those companies which fail to treat consumers fairly.

"It is time for the energy industry to take note and get behind Ofgem's reforms to rebuild trust and make the market simpler, clearer and fairer for consumers."

Ofgem does not have legal power to require companies to award consumer compensation.

It has argued for powers of redress and said it was encouraged that the Government has backed its call over new powers.

The regulator said the when the Energy Bill powers come into force they will further strengthen Ofgem's ability to take more targeted action against companies that are found in breach of their licence.

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Cashpoint Explosion: CCTV Of Thieves' Attack

Thieves used explosives to blow up a Hampshire petrol station's cashpoint in an attack captured on CCTV.

Police issued a warning after the blast at the Texaco in Weyhill, which they say mirrors similar raids on cash machines in mainland Europe.

Officers were called after a resident reported hearing a loud bang in the early hours of Sunday.

Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Murray said they found the cashpoint on the forecourt blown open and money from inside stolen.

"Although this was a relatively contained explosion and fortunately no-one was injured, the unpredictable nature of this type of offence means we could easily have been dealing with serious injury or death," he said.

"Our priority is to keep the public safe and by showing this CCTV footage, we hope it highlights how potentially dangerous an explosion of this type can be.

"We are aware of crimes of this nature occurring in mainland Europe which have had serious consequences and our advice to anyone using a cashpoint is to be extremely vigilant of any suspicious activity nearby.

"If you notice anything unusual, or see any wires or cables running from the machine, do not attempt to touch it and call the police immediately."

He said detectives were following up a number of enquiries and appealed for anyone with information that may assist the investigation to contact police.

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Teen Dies After 'Shots Fired' In London

A 19-year-old man has died after being found injured in the street in north London following reports of shots being fired.

The teenager was pronounced dead after emergency services were called to Bounces Road, Edmonton at around 9.45pm on Monday.

More follows...

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Windermere Deaths: Gas Poisoning Suspected

A 36-year-old woman and a 10-year-old girl have died from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning during an Easter boating holiday.

The alarm was raised at around 4pm when Cumbria Police and an ambulance were called to a private vessel at a jetty on Windermere in the Lake District.

The woman and young girl, both from the Leyland area of Lancashire, were treated at the scene and then airlifted to Royal Lancaster Infirmary, where both later died.

A man, who was also on the boat near Bowness, was taken to the same hospital where he is still receiving treatment, Cumbria Police said.

Officers said they were unable to confirm reports that the deaths were the result of carbon monoxide poisoning.

A Cumbria Police spokeswoman said: "(We) can confirm that at approximately 4pm today (Monday), they attended an incident at Lake Windermere, where it was reported that three people on a private boat on Lake Windermere were having serious breathing difficulties.

"Police attended along with an ambulance crew.

"A 36-year-old woman and a 10-year-old girl, both from the Leyland area, were treated at the scene and then airlifted to Royal Lancaster Infirmary. Unfortunately both have since tragically died.

"A man, who was also on the boat, is still receiving treatment at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary."

The spokeswoman continued: "Police are currently investigating the circumstances of this tragic incident and trying to establish the full facts about what has happened. The coroner has been informed."

The incident was witnessed by businessman and star of the television programme The Dragon's Den, Duncan Bannatyne, who posted a photograph of the scene on Twitter, saying: "Tragic accident over there I am afraid."

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NHS Chief Warns Of Cosmetic Treatment 'Risks'

Patients who have non-surgical cosmetic treatments are being exposed to "unreasonable risks" because of a lack of training for those carrying them out, the man leading a review of plastic surgery standards has said.

NHS medical director Sir Bruce Keogh said his report on the state of the industry would make recommendations to ensure patients "were in safe hands" when it is released later this month.

It is believed this will mean a new law requiring everyone from beauty therapists to medically-trained doctors to have additional formal qualifications before carrying out treatments.

Sir Bruce said he was worried that non-surgical procedures - which include dermal fillers, or laser treatment for wrinkles or hair reduction - make up 90% of the sector but are largely unregulated.

"All too often we hear of cases that shine a light on poor practices in the cosmetic surgery industry.

"I am concerned that some practitioners who are giving non-surgical treatments may not have had any appropriate training whatsoever.

"This leaves people exposed to unreasonable risks, and possibly permanent damage. And our research has shown that the public expect procedures that are so widely available to be safe whereas they are largely unregulated.

"There is a clear need for better quality, recognised training for the people performing these operations.

"My review will make a number of recommendations for making sure people who choose to undergo these procedures are in safe hands," he said.

The review was commissioned after the PIP breast implant scandal

The review into the cosmetic industry, requested by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, is due to be released later in April.

It was launched after around 40,000 women in the UK received implants manufactured by the now-closed French company Poly Implant Prostheses (PIP), mostly in private UK clinics.

The implants were filled with non-medical grade silicone intended for use in mattresses.

Conservative health minister Dr Dan Poulter, said: "I am pleased that Sir Bruce Keogh's review has been looking at what training people are getting before they perform cosmetic operations - people under the care of cosmetic firms need to know that they are in medically skilled and safe hands.

"I await Sir Bruce Keogh's recommendations in full, but am clear that we must ensure that people undergoing cosmetic procedures are in the hands of someone with the right skills and training.

"The days of cosmetic cowboys must become a thing of the past."

Several other measures have been suggested to the review team by the public, the industry itself and patient groups.

They include a ban on cut-price deals, a clampdown on aggressive sales techniques and a two-stage consent process for potential patients to allow them time to reflect before making a final decision.

The ideas were released in an interim report in December but the Department of Health said at the time that the review is not bound to adopt them and can come up with its own recommendations.

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David Miliband Quits Sunderland Over Di Canio

South Shields MP David Miliband has resigned as Sunderland FC vice-chairman over the appointment of new manager Paolo Di Canio.

The former foreign secretary, who was also a non-executive director of the club, said he had made the decision due to the Italian's "past political statements".

In a statement on his website, he said: "I wish Sunderland AFC all success in the future. It is a great institution that does a huge amount for the North East and I wish the team very well over the next vital seven games.

"However, in the light of the new manager's past political statements, I think it right to step down."

Di Canio is a controversial figure who has previously admitted to being a fascist and has been photographed several times making a so-called Roman salute while playing for Italian club Lazio.

After making the salute against Livorno he received a one match ban and a several thousand euro fine.

In 2005, he told the Italian news agency ANSA: "I am a fascist, not a racist."

When he joined Swindon Town in 2011, the GMB union reportedly cut its sponsorship deal with the club in protest over Di Canio's views.

The 44-year-old joined Sunderland on a two-and-a-half year deal on Sunday after Martin O'Neill was sacked by the struggling Premier League side.

He left Swindon Town in February, having guided them to promotion from League Two in his first managerial role.

Sunderland's American chairman Ellis Short said: "Paolo is hugely enthused by the challenge that lies ahead of him. He is passionate, driven and raring to get started.

"The sole focus of everyone for the next seven games will be to ensure we gain enough points to maintain our top-flight status. I think that the chances of that are greatly increased with Paolo joining us."

Mr Miliband recently announced he would be leaving British politics to take up a job with a charity in New York, saying it was the right move to allow the Labour party to progress under the leadership of his brother Ed.

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Welfare Reforms 'Will Make Benefits Fairer'

The Government is beginning the biggest shake-up in the history of the Welfare State with the introduction of a raft of reforms which it says will make the benefits system "fairer".

Chancellor George Osborne and Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith have dismissed criticism that they say makes the shake-up sound like "the beginning of the end of the world".

From today, 660,000 social housing tenants with a spare room began to lose an average £14 a week in what critics have dubbed a "bedroom tax".

It is part of a package of welfare and tax changes coming into force this month which critics claim will hit poor families and the disabled particularly hard.

Changes to council tax benefit will see bills for an estimated 2.4 million households rise an average £138 a year, with two million paying for the first time, an anti-poverty group said.

The system has been handed to town halls to operate, but with a 10% funding cut.

On April 6, working-age benefits and tax credits will be cut in real terms with the first of three years of maximum 1% rises - well below the present rate of inflation.

On April 8, disability living allowance begins to be replaced by the personal independence payment (Pip), which charities say will remove support from many in real need.

And later in the month, trials begin in four London boroughs of a £500-a-week cap on any household's benefits and of the new universal credit system.

George Osborne says the benefits system will now be 'fairer' for all

Pilots for the flagship scheme have been scaled back amid reports - denied by welfare officials - that IT problems have derailed preparations for its roll-out from October.

Labour claims the impact of the measures and other coalition policies have left the average family almost £900 a year worse off.

A coalition of churches has said vulnerable people are paying a "disproportionate price" for the Government's austerity drive and attacked its whole approach.

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Mr Osborne and Mr Duncan Smith said: "Our changes will ensure that the welfare state offers the right help to those who need it, and is fair to those who pay for it."

Ending what ministers call a "spare room subsidy" will address the "scandal" of a million people living in overcrowded conditions and millions more on waiting lists, they said.

The three-year, real-terms cut was a hard but "necessary" decision to save the taxpayer £2bn a year as part of austerity deficit-reduction measures, they wrote.

And raising the personal income tax allowance to £10,000 in two phases starting at the start of the financial year on Saturday was "the biggest tax cut in a generation".

"What we're doing this coming week is making welfare fairer, helping to create jobs, and making sure you can keep more of what you earn."

Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps has faced scorn after using the fact that his own two sons shared a room in justifying the "common sense" spare room crackdown.

Mr Shapps has defended his plans for children to share bedrooms

Speaking to Sky News, Mr Shapps said: "It is wrong to leave people out in the cold with effectively no roof over their heads because the taxpayer is paying for rooms which aren't in use.

"It's just a common-sense reform which in the end will help house more people. People share rooms quite commonly - my boys share a room."

Sky's political correspondent Sophy Ridge said his comments provoked jibes and criticism from Labour MPs and others on Twitter.

"The problem is the debate over welfare has become so politically charged, emotional even, that some Labour MPs are saying it is not appropriate for Mr Shapps, who is a millionaire, to compare themselves with people on low paid jobs for instance," she said.

Labour said freedom of information responses showed local councils had sufficient one and two-bedroom properties to house only one in 20 of those families with spare rooms.

Responses from 37 authorities across Britain revealed 96,041 households faced losing benefit but there were only 3,688 smaller homes available.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Liam Byrne said: "These shocking new figures reveal the big lie behind this Government's cruel bedroom tax.

"They say it's not a tax but 96% of people have nowhere to move to. In the same week that millionaires get a huge tax cut, hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people will be hit by a vicious tax they can't escape.

"This wicked bedroom tax is going to rip neighbour from neighbour, force vulnerable people to food banks and loan sharks, and end up costing Britain more than it saves as tenants are forced to go homeless or move into the expensive private rented sector."

:: Changes to the way NHS budgets are controlled are also being introduced from April 1, with the controversial health reforms seeing responsibility for commissioning care transferred from primary care trusts to groups made up of doctors and other clinicians.

And the legal aid system is also being overhauled, with the number of people who qualify cut by 75% and areas including custody battles, divorce and employment law affected.

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Plebgate: Mitchell's Scotland Yard Complaint

Ex-cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell has lodged a formal complaint against Scotland Yard over the apparent leaking of its report into the "Plebgate" affair.

The senior Tory MP has written to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) accusing the Metropolitan Police of a continued campaign to "destroy" his career.

Mr Mitchell took the action after newspaper reports suggested a police file passed to the Crown Prosecution Service contained no evidence that officers lied about his behaviour.

He strongly denies calling officers "plebs" during an altercation over their refusal to allow him to ride his bike through the Downing Street gates last year.

And the politician - who quit as chief whip amid the storm over the incident - claims he is the victim of a conspiracy by officers to "toxify" the Tories and blacken his name.

In a letter to IPCC deputy chairman Deborah Glass, he wrote: "We are deeply dismayed that the Metropolitan Police appear to have leaked part of their Report prepared for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to certain members of the Press and spun it to the advantage of the Police officers involved.

"This was an Enquiry into a dishonest and illicit attempt to blacken my name and destroy my career. It would appear that this police enquiry continues precisely that process."

Keith Vaz, Labour chairman of the Commons home affairs committee, said the latest development showed it was wrong for Scotland Yard to lead the inquiry into its own officers and called for the whole investigation to be taken over by the IPCC.

Scotland Yard is trying to find out how the Sun and Daily Telegraph obtained information about the "Plebgate" row and if it came from police.

It is also looking at a police officer's claim to have witnessed the altercation and allegations by Mr Mitchell that police had lied in a log of the event.

Three officers from the Diplomatic Protection Group have so far been arrested as part of the investigation. All three remain suspended.

Some 30 detectives have taken statements from all 800 officers in the DPG, which is tasked with protecting government officials.

Papers related to the case were passed to prosecutors on Thursday, but the CPS said it was not "a full file of evidence" and that is expected more.

"We now await the conclusion of the police investigation before considering charges," it said in what was seen as a rebuke to the force.

A number of newspapers subsequently reported sources as saying the file did not contain any evidence to back Mr Mitchell's claim of a conspiracy by officers.

Mr Vaz said the committee had argued from the start that Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan Howe was wrong to allow Scotland Yard to conduct the investigation.

Britain's most senior police officer promised a "ruthless" investigation into the alleged conspiracy "no matter where the truth takes us".

It is being supervised by the IPCC and the commissioner invited the Greater Manchester force to provide an external review.

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Welby: Church Must Disagree 'Gracefully'

The Church of England must show it can manage disagreement "gracefully" over issues such as women bishops and gay marriage, the Archbishop of Canterbury has warned.

The Most Reverend Justin Welby said the Church faced a "challenge" to show the rest of society that its members can hold different views but still remain "gracefully and deeply committed to each other".

"We need to understand reconciliation within the Church as the transformation of destructive conflict, not unanimity," he said.

"It doesn't mean we all agree, it is that we find ways of disagreeing, perhaps very passionately but loving each other deeply at the same time, gracefully and deeply committed to each other.

"That is the challenge for the Church and that is the challenge if the Church is actually going to speak to our society which is increasingly divided in many different ways, here and overseas, over huge issues."

Mr Welby's remarks were part of a wide-ranging interview for an Easter Sunday broadcast of the Travellers' Tales slot on Premier Christian Radio.

They also come after the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister David Cameron.

Lord Carey has questioned the PM's support for Christians

In an article for the Daily Mail, Lord Carey said on Saturday that many Christians doubt the PM's "sincerity" when he pledges to protect their religious freedoms and accuses ministers of "aiding and abetting" discrimination against believers.

Mr Welby, a former oil industry executive, was enthroned earlier this month at Canterbury Cathedral. He told the programme of how he first become a Christian and how he met his wife Caroline.

Speaking of how they had coped after their first born child, Johanna, died in a road accident in France in 1983, he said: "God is aware of our suffering, of the suffering of this very broken world and our suffering was as nothing compared to many people and he is at work even in the darkest places.

"I think the cross is the great point at which the suffering and sorrow, torture, trial and sin and yuck of the world ends up on God's shoulders out of love for us."

Mr Welby said he first experienced "something impinging on his consciousness" as part of a Christian Missionary Society (CMS) scheme to Kenya during his gap year between school and university when he was not a practising Christian.

But he said he "opened my life to Jesus" as a 19-year-old student at Cambridge University after a friend "explained the cross" to him following a church service.

The father-of-five, who left the oil industry in 1989 to be ordained, said working in the oil industry was "not even a quarter" as pressured as being a parish priest.

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Man Shot Dead While Making Pizza Delivery

A 26-year-old man has been shot dead outside a pizza takeaway shop in Belfast.

The victim is understood to have been hit twice during the gun attack at Kennedy Way in the west of the city on Saturday night.

At this stage police say the killing is not believed to be sectarian.

Officers said the man was rushed to hospital, but died a short time later.

Detectives have launched a murder investigation and the scene remained sealed off on Sunday.

Paul Maskey, Sinn Fein MP for West Belfast, condemned the perpetrators of the fatal shooting.

He said: "My thoughts are with the family of the young man murdered on Kennedy Way."

The victim is believed to have been making a delivery from Domino's Pizza at around 11pm when he was attacked.

A short time later, a car was found burnt out in the Andersonstown area, near the murder scene.

Mr Maskey said: "Those who carried out this shooting should be ashamed of themselves.

"People are shocked that this is the Easter holiday period and people were in good form and someone last night was willing to go out and take the life of another individual."

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