'Mumpreneurs' Could Be Lifeline To Recovery

By Poppy Trowbridge, Business and Economics Correspondent

Companies run by mothers contribute around £7bn a year to the economy but there are calls for the Chancellor to introduce measures to make it easier to start a business from home.

It has been five years since the depths of the financial crash and still the key to kick-starting growth eludes the coalition Government.

The British economy started 2013 with zero momentum, but could helping mums open businesses help get Britain growing again?

According to StartUp Britain, a group that supports entrepreneurs, 60% of small businesses are started from home.

And a growing number of those are being started by women who have left the workforce to have, or care for, their children.

Julia Hunter is a former City bond trader, and mum. Starting a family prompted her to start a business.

"I was looking to start my own business rather than work for somebody else purely because of the family side of things. It is important to me to just be around."

Mum-run companies are contributing a significant amount to the economy already.

According to Mumpreneur UK, there are 300,000 mum-run companies in the UK today.

As a group, they add about £7.4bn a year to the economy. Yet the average startup cash they require is only £500.

That's a low-risk, high-reward ratio that the Chancellor would admire.

Ms Hunter says British business needs more support from the Chancellor. She believes cutting VAT would be one way to encourage enterprise in the upcoming Budget.

Becky Jones from StartUp Britain says big banks and established companies should be encouraged more to support smaller startups.

She told Sky News: "Giving them support at the early stage can be a complete game changer for the life of a small business."

After all, these are the firms that will hire, produce, sell and export - at each stage contributing to the tax that the Government so desperately needs to slowly pay down debt.

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Wales v England: Cardiff Six Nations Showdown

By Charlie Thomas, Sky Sports Presenter

So much history, and so much at stake; whatever the outcome at the Millennium Stadium this afternoon, it will be a great occasion.

How can it fail to be? The Grand Slam, the Six Nations and the Triple Crown are all up for grabs. Rugby matches don't come much bigger than this.

Wales, after a stuttering start to the tournament, have shown plenty of character to keep alive their title ambitions.

England, meanwhile, have maintained their upward trajectory since Stuart Lancaster took over, their unconvincing display against Italy notwithstanding.

Now they find themselves one match away from a first Grand Slam since their annus mirabilis of 2003.

The size of their task cannot be underestimated.

Not only will they face a resurgent Wales, full of confidence after victory away to Scotland last weekend; they must also do what no England team has managed previously: that is, to win the Grand Slam in Cardiff.

Five of their 12 Slams have been won away from home: three in Paris, one at Murrayfield and one in Dublin.

Wales after their win against Italy

The permutations are thus: an England victory will secure the Slam, regardless of the margin; an England defeat by six points or fewer would be enough for them to win the Six Nations; if they lose by seven points but outscore Wales by three tries or more, they would also win the title.

But, a Wales victory by seven points or more, providing they stay ahead of England on tournament tries (7 to 5 so far), would see Wales retain the title.

Oh, and there's one more: If Wales win by seven points but England score two more tries then the title would be shared. Clear?

I said at the beginning that it would be a great occasion. But will it be a great match? That's something nobody can predict.

If I had to hazard a guess, I would say it will be brutal, nail-biting and desperately close, with point-scoring at a premium.

That is, after all, the pattern which has been set throughout the tournament.

Penalties rather than tries have been settling matches: so far there have been 31 tries compared with 72 penalties, an unhealthy imbalance.

At Murrayfield alone last weekend an astonishing 28 penalties were awarded, a Six Nations record.

This has merely served to underline the impression that international rugby has become solely about brute force, with the finer subtleties now a thing of the past.

Barry John in 1971

This feeling was brought home to me earlier in the week while watching a poignant documentary about the great Wales fly half Barry John.

Known in his heyday simply as the King, John retired 40 years ago, at the peak of his powers.

The footage showed him ghosting between players, leaving them clutching at air. He seemed to find space where there was none.

But where are those pulse-quickening arts of the sidestep, the dummy and the feint now?

Modern players barely consider going round an opponent; the sole aim is to hammer into them as hard as possible, setting up yet another interminable phase. Progress? I think not.

So while being impressed by the extraordinary fitness and physicality on display at the Millennium Stadium this afternoon, a part of me will be mourning the absence of the kind of brilliance that once brought crowds to their feet and at which Barry John was the undisputed master.

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Victoria Cross Award For L/Cpl James Ashworth

A soldier killed protecting his comrades in Afghanistan is to be awarded the Victoria Cross - the UK's top bravery medal.

Lance Corporal James Ashworth's courage was hailed as "beyond words" by friends who served with him until his death last June.

The 23-year-old died in a grenade attack during a fierce battle with the Taliban in Helmand's Nahr-e Saraj district.

He was on foot patrol and battling his way through compounds against enemy fighters when he was fatally wounded.

It is expected that the rare VC award to the soldier from Kettering, Northamptonshire, will be officially announced later this month.

The VC has been awarded 10 times to British soldiers since World War Two and only once for bravery in Afghanistan.

At the time of L/Cpl Ashworth's death, his family said: "We are devastated by the loss of our son, brother, uncle and boyfriend. He meant the world to everyone and has left an irreplaceable hole in our hearts."

The cross was first bestowed during the Crimean War

His father Duane was also a Grenadier Guard, while his younger brother Coran is also a soldier.

He also left behind his mother Kerryann, sisters Lauren and Paige, brother Karl and four-year-old niece Darcy, as well as his girlfriend, Emily.

His company commander, Captain Mike Dobbin, praised the soldier's actions.

He said: "Lance Corporal Ashworth was killed while fighting his way through compounds, leading his fire team from the front, whilst trying to protect his men and he showed extraordinary courage to close on a determined enemy.

"His professionalism under pressure and ability to remain calm in what was a chaotic situation is testament to his character."

Johnson Beharry is the last living recipient of a medal

Guardsman Jordan Loftus also paid tribute to his friend's bravery.

He said: "Selfless, brave, courageous ... words like these don't come close to what Ash demonstrated that day. He will be missed by all as a commander, but most of all a good mate."

L/Cpl Ashworth's Commanding Officer in the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, Lieutenant Colonel James Bowder said: "Lance Corporal Ashworth was an outstanding soldier whose loss has moved us all. A real self-starter, he excelled in everything that he undertook.

"Fit, strong and brilliant at his job, he set the bar very high. Indeed, such was his calmness under pressure, his charisma, and his selflessness that he made an exemplary junior leader."

The previous recipient of the VC in Afghanistan was 29-year-old Corporal Bryan Budd of 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment, who died when he single-handedly stormed a Taliban position in Sangin in 2006.

The last living recipient was L/Cpl Johnson Beharry of 1st Battalion the Prince of Wales's Royal Regiment, who twice saved the lives of colleagues under enemy fire in Iraq in 2004.

The medal is the British military's highest bravery award and was first bestowed on troops during the Crimean War in 1854-55.

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Kate Middleton: US Women Going After Her Nose

The Duchess of Cambridge's popularity has crossed the pond to the US, but one part of her might be more beloved than the rest.

The New York Daily News reports a sharp upsurge in the number of women asking their plastic surgeons to give them Kate Middleton's nose.

Manhattan's Dr Stephen Greenberg said he started getting the requests a few months ago.

"It has become so popular that we have made a file of a dozen Kate Middleton pictures to show patients when they come in for their consultation," Dr Greenberg said.

The Duchess' nose is considered regal, refined and strong

He added that he currently has about 20 women scheduled to get the royal treatment in the next month, at about $7,000 (£4,641) a pop.

Lenox Hill Hospital's Dr Thomas Romo told the Daily News the Duchess' nose has a certain allure for more mature women in her age bracket.

"Women, especially over the age of 28, want the nose of a woman who is regal, refined and strong," he says. "They certainly don't want the scooped out, over-affected, upturned, pinched nose of a pop star."

It is not unusual for women to want the hair or facial features of a celebrity. Jennifer Aniston not only inspired the much-coveted "Rachel" hairstyle, but also has topped the list of most-desired noses, Dr Romo says.

Jennifer Aniston's nose and "Rachel" 'do were once among the most coveted

One woman who has already gone under the knife to get Kate's sniffer is New York University pre-medical student Jessica Blaier.

She underwent her operation a year ago and says she loves the result.

"The goal was to have my new nose look natural," she says. "So when people don't notice it, that's a good thing. But I know that my nose was modelled by Kate Middleton, and that's what is most important."

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Soldiers More Likely To Commit Violent Crime

By Richard Suchet, Sky News reporter

Young British servicemen - past and present - are three times more likely to commit violent crime than their civilian counterparts.

Using official criminal records, researchers have found that violent offending is particularly common among men under 30-years-old from the lower ranks of the Army.

Of nearly 3,000 men under 30 who have served in the armed forces, nearly 20.6% have a conviction for violence, according to the study published in The Lancet today.

That compares to 6.7% of the same age group in the civilian world.

The report also shows that men who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan are 53% more likely to commit a violent offence than their colleagues in non-combat roles.

"We are suggesting there is a problem that needs to be looked at, but just as with post-traumatic stress disorder this is not a common outcome in military populations.

"Overall, you must remember that of those who serve in combat, 94% of those who come back will not offend," said report co-author Sir Simon Wessely from King's College, London.

According to the figures, those with multiple experiences of combat have a 70% to 80% greater risk of committing acts of violence.

The report acknowledges that those who choose to become a soldier are likely to have a more aggressive disposition than the average person.

Pre-military history of violence, younger age, and lower rank appear to be the strongest risk factors for violent offending.

But alcohol misuse and post-traumatic stress disorder on return from deployment were also found to be strong predictors of violence.

Former Royal Engineer Lewis Mackay returned from Afghanistan in 2010 - he saw his commander lose both legs on the battlefield after stepping on an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

He said: "When I came back I got very angry and felt very angry towards my wife.

"In my head she didn't exist whatsoever. If she did something that I didn't think was right I'd feel the urge to lash out and it got to the point where I had to physically sit on my hands to stop myself doing that."

Mr Mackay has now received the help he needed but former SAS serviceman Bob Craft says it's never easy to ask for help.

"The older you are, the better you deal with it. I asked for help and I found help.

"But younger lads who come out refuse to ask for help because it's seen as a weakness, therefore they bottle it up and then they make mistakes," he said.

The study is the biggest of its kind and is released just days before the 10th anniversary of the start of the Iraq War.

In a statement the Ministry of Defence said: "We are committed to supporting members of our Armed Forces and their families as they return to civilian life post deployment.

"That is why we funded this research and have comprehensive mental health support available before, during and after operations. We also ensure that all personnel go through a thorough period of decompression to help make this adjustment.

"Any violent offence is unacceptable and will not be tolerated by our Armed Forces. If a member of our Armed Forces or their family experiences violence there is a wide range of support and help available to them."

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School Places: Call For 250,000 Extra Spaces

By Gamal Fahnbulleh, Sky News reporter

More than 250,000 extra school places will be needed by next year to meet a continuing surge in demand, the spending watchdog has warned.

The rise in the number of children born in England between 2001 and 2011 was the largest 10-year increase since the 1950s.

This has led to an increase in demand for primary school places.

The Department for Education has increased the funding it provides to local authorities with a net increase of almost 81,500 primary school places in the last two years. More than £5bn has been invested into new school places since 2010.

It is expected more school places will be needed beyond next year

However, there are still indications of a real shortage, the National Audit Office has found.

In May last year just over 20% of schools were full or over capacity despite the more than 80,000 extra places created between 2010 and 2012.

In the next two years 240,000 of the new places needed are in primary schools - 37% in London.

Julian Wood, Study Director at the National Audit Office said: "I think it's important to say that of the 256,000 (places) there has been a year's further work that hasn't been reflected in these numbers.

"The level of funding has increased to something like that which was originally expected to be needed and local authorities are working hard to deliver these places.

"Nonetheless, we think there's an awful lot more that needs to be done to help that money work as efficiently as it can if those 256,000 places are to be delivered."

The report authors say it's important the right amount of money gets to the areas that need it most to prevent part of a younger generation missing out on the first few crucial years of education.

Lindsey Barrett, manager of the Busy Bees nursery in Ealing, London, told Sky News: "Parents are worried that perhaps they are not going to get a school in their local area, or their first choice.

"Being a parent myself I am completely in empathy with those parents because it is a very big decision that is being made - it's their child's future education.

"Parents worry that if it is a school perhaps out of their area, or perhaps if any of the numbers increase in classrooms - that is looking at the education and the quality that they will be receiving.

"Sometimes parents might try and move out of the area, obviously do a lot of research into the local school they hope they are going to get there, that they are going to get one of their first choices, but it doesn't always happen.

"As a parent you always want the best education you can get for your child."

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Potholes: 'Crumbling Road Crisis' Warning

By Becky Johnson, North of England Correspondent

England and Wales are facing a "crumbling road crisis" according to a report that says the cost of repairing all the countries' potholes would be £10.5bn.

The road survey carried out by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) has found one in five local roads is in "poor condition", which is defined as having five years or less life remaining.

Lack of funding for road repair work is blamed by the group, with local authorities in England reporting a shortfall in their annual budgets of £829m.

Rosemarie Dutton broke her leg after tripping up on a pothole while crossing the road in Middlewich, Cheshire, last month.

She told Sky News: "I was checking on the lights that they weren't going to change on me and before I knew it I was down on the floor due to one of the large potholes on the pedestrian crossing.

"Obviously I was in excruciating pain and no-one came to help me - I was amazed."

Mark Morris' son wrote off his car after he hit a pothole and lost control of the vehicle.

He told Sky News: "He hit a pothole which appears to have disconnected the steering of the car.

"As he came down the hill and turned into the bend his steering just hasn't been engaged with the wheel - and the wheel's turned left straight into a lamp post."

Four million potholes have been fixed over the last two years, the LGA says

The Local Government Association (LGA) is calling on Whitehall to free up money and invest it in resurfacing roads.

Councillor Peter Box, the chairman of the LGA, said: "Keeping roads safe is one of the most important jobs councils do and over the past two years they have fixed almost four million potholes - one every 16 seconds.

"Almost half a billion pounds is being taken away from us and our general fund is being reduced by some 30%.

"Now something has to give. It's no good anyone saying 'well, actually, you should be doing this despite the fact that your budget's being cut'."

But the AIA report says there is a mounting cost to councils of not repairing roads. Last year £32m was paid out in road user compensation claims.

It is estimated that poorly maintained roads are costing small and medium-sized businesses £5bn a year in reduced productivity, increased fuel consumption, damage to vehicles and delayed deliveries.

Andy Jennings runs a taxi firm in Sandbach and has recently had to spend £400 repairing the suspension on two of his vehicles

He told Sky News: "Obviously we can't afford to do this at the moment. In times of recession every penny counts."

Local Transport Minister Norman Baker said: "We are providing councils with more than £3bn between 2011 and 2015 to maintain their roads and pavements.

"In December 2012 we announced an extra £215m to help councils get the best out of their road network.  This is on top of the additional £200m we gave to councils in March 2011 to repair local roads damaged by the severe winter weather in 2010.

"It is ultimately up to local highway authorities to determine how they prioritise their funding, but we want to help them get the best value for money.

"That is why we are funding the Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme, which helps councils work together to deliver a first-class service to their residents, at the same time as saving money."

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Crisis Warning Over Toll Of Ageing Britain

The UK is "woefully underprepared" to deal with an ageing population, according to a report that has demanded changes to health and social care.

A House of Lords cross-party committee cited figures from the Office for National Statistics which predict a 50% rise in the number of over-65s and a doubling in over-85s between 2010 and 2030.

While agreeing that longer life is a "gift" to be welcomed, the committee said that unless the Government acts swiftly, it can be expected to cause "a series of crises" in society and public services.

The report called on the Government to publish a white paper before the 2015 General Election setting out how England needs to prepare for an older population.

Lord Filkin, chairman of the Lords Committee on Public Service and Demographic Change, said: "The amazing gift of longer life is to be welcomed.

"But our society and politicians need to address the implications and the changes needed to attitudes, policies and services so people are best able to benefit from it.

"This is not a distant issue; our population is older now and will get more so over the next decade. The public are entitled to an honest conversation about the implications."

The committee called for two cross-party commissions to be set up to report by 2016 on action to be taken to get ready for an older society.

One would work with employers and financial service providers to improve pensions, savings and equity release schemes.

The second would look at organisational and funding changes needed in the health and social care system.

The committee said the current NHS and care system is already "failing" older people and is "inappropriate" to deal with the expected large increase in elderly people, a sizeable proportion of whom will have long-term health conditions.

A Government spokesman said: "We already have an ambitious programme in place across Government to understand and better meet the needs of an ageing population.

"We are making radical changes to our pension system to encourage more people to save for their retirement."

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NHS Gagging Orders For Staff Banned By Hunt

Gagging clauses stopping departing NHS staff speaking out about patient safety or care have been banned by the Government.

Hundreds of whistleblowers have been silenced by the clauses in severance packages to stop them highlighting facts that will embarrass hospitals.

Jeremy Hunt wants greater openness

But Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the practice would end with immediate effect to help create a culture of "openness and transparency" across the NHS.

Staff leaving the health service will instead have a new legal right that allows them to speak out about issues in the public interest, such as death rates or poor care.

The move comes in the wake of the Mid Staffordshire scandal, in which hundreds of patients are believed to have died because of poor care.

Mr Hunt said: "The era of gagging NHS staff from raising their real worries about patient care must come to an end.

"I've already been clear with the NHS that this is illegal - but now the NHS will get a clear message that they won't even get these agreements signed off unless and until they are clear with staff about their legal right to blow the whistle."

He has already written to every NHS Trust to make clear he believes gagging clauses are illegal and not in the spirit of the health service.

The Treasury and the Department of Health have to sign off compromise agreements when staff leave to make sure they are value for money for the taxpayer.

The move follows the scandal in Mid-Staffordshire

The change will mean that in future only contracts including a specific clause that states employees are not blocked from whistleblowing will be given the go ahead.

Almost £15m was reportedly spent on compromise agreements for NHS staff over three years, of which 90% contained clauses to stop staff speaking out.

The approach has been highlighted by the case of Gary Walker, former chief executive of United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust, who claimed he was sacked after raising concerns.

Mr Walker says he was paid £500,000 to keep quiet but broke his silence last month and now fears financial ruin if he is sued for breach of contract.

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Danny Nightingale: SAS Sniper Awaits Ruling

By David Bowden, Senior Correspondent

An SAS sniper jailed for having an illegal weapon and ammunition he claimed to have "forgotten about" is due to learn whether his conviction will be quashed.

Sergeant Danny Nightingale, who has spent 11 years in the Special Forces and served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, was sentenced to 18 months in military custody after pleading guilty to illegally keeping a pistol.

He had been given the weapon as a present by Iraqi forces he had been training, but had no recollection of owning it after suffering a brain injury.

His sentence was cut to 12 months and suspended by the appeal court last November after a campaign by his wife Sally gathered huge public support for a man described by the appeal court judge as an "exemplary soldier".

Sergeant Nightingale pleaded guilty to the original offence in a military hearing because he says the judge there told him he would get a lesser punishment.

He and his legal team wrongly believed this meant he would receive a non-custodial sentence.

Sergeant Nightingale and his wife, Sally, upon his release

Since his release the highly trained elite soldier has been at home in Cheshire, unable to rejoin his regiment whilst awaiting the outcome of his appeal.

"It's very frustrating wanting to do something (but having) no routine," he said.

"And yes, being paid to do not what I'm supposed to do.

"You're trained up to do stuff, and you want to do stuff. You can't stand the futility of not doing it. To be told 'that's it, go and do nothing, you can't do anything'. That's hard."

The situation has meant he has spent a lot of time with his two young daughters, Mara, five, and Alys, two.

"I've probably had more time with my family in the last 18 months than regiment (SAS) guys will have in seven years," he said.

Nightingale is desperate to get back to work and said: "I still love it. It was the proudest day of my life when I passed (the notoriously tough SAS selection course)."

Nightingale was given the weapon by Iraqi troops he had been training

Mrs Nightingale is more circumspect about the possibility of her husband rejoining the SAS as a frontline soldier after his brain injury, which she believes still affects him.

For the time being though, her main concern is winning the court appeal.

"I feel quite nervous, our life is in their hands," she said - while adding that the lawyers are "quite confident" about their chances of success.

Mrs Nightingale feels her husband has been made a scapegoat by the Army and wants to know why, but acknowledges she will probably never get the answers to the questions she wants.

If he does win his appeal and returns to work then it will be more upheaval for his young girls according to Sally

"At some point in the near future he will be going back to work," she said.

"So they've got to get used to that again because they have had dad to take them to school, to pick them up from school, do clubs with them, take them swimming," she said.

"You know, he does all those extra bits while I'm working and doing other things. So they've had a really good time with dad."

All that will stop if the appeal is successful.

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