Most Voters Want Farage In Leaders' Debate

By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

A new poll suggests most of the public believe Nigel Farage should take part in any televised leaders' debates ahead of next year's general election.

A Comres poll has found 51% of people think UKIP should be represented alongside David Cameron, Labour leader Ed Miliband and Lib Dem Nick Clegg.

Even more - 53% - say the Prime Minister would look like a coward if he refused to take on Mr Farage.

It comes amid Conservative fears that the right-wing UKIP could top the polls in England in next month's European elections.

Mr Cameron said debates "sucked the life" out of the last campaign

The party is enjoying a popularity boost after Mr Farage easily won a television debate against Mr Clegg.

The party thinks its overall poll position - which at 15% is well ahead of the Lib Dems - means it ought to be included in any further debates.

And Mr Farage has warned that if the party is excluded he will provide "an alternative form of entertainment on the evening".

The poll was carried out for Grassroots Conservatives, a Tory pressure group that feels the liberal wing of the party has too much control over the leadership.

Mr Clegg, left, had challenged Mr Farage to a debate

James Joshua, executive director of the organisation, told Sky News that Mr Cameron would be most respected by party members if he took the UKIP threat on face to face.

But some senior Conservative strategists do not want their leader to take part in the clashes at all - because they believe three debates in quick succession before the 2010 election cost the party a majority.

Mr Cameron said the debates "sucked the life" out of the campaign.

Others argue that UKIP should not be included because they have not achieved any success in general elections with no seats, while other small parties excluded from the debates do have MPs in Parliament. 

16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Schools 'Asking Parents To Pay For Textbooks'

Teachers are concerned poorer pupils are being put at a disadvantage by an increasing number of schools asking parents to pay for textbooks, computers and trips away.

More than two fifths (43%) of parents have contributed around £50 a year per pupil for things not linked to their child's school work, according to a poll by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL).

And 70% have donated up to £50 a year per pupil to help pay for items and trips that are related to the school curriculum.

In some cases, families have been asked for donations to help with the upkeep of school buildings.

Staff are worried children could be put at a disadvantage or made to feel left out if their parents are unable to afford the hand-outs.

The survey, which questioned around 500 people working in England's state schools, comes as ATL is due to debate the issue at its annual conference in Manchester next week.

Schools are increasingly turning to parents for help with pens and books

The resolution calls on the union to express concerns that schools increasingly need to ask parents for voluntary contributions and the effect it has, particularly on poorer families.

It says: "The burden of meeting this request falls disproportionately on poor families and increases the disadvantages for these children."

Jo Inglis, an ATL member from Wokingham who is proposing the motion, said just 7% of teachers felt that asking parents for donations had no impact on disadvantaged pupils.

Jo Fludder, a Reading teacher who is seconding the motion, said: "Parents who have difficulties putting their children into school uniform, providing them with transport to school and with food, find the added pressure of additional money demands from schools very stressful."

A Department for Education spokesman said there is "absolutely no obligation" for parents to donate.

"If a parent is unable or unwilling to pay, their child must be given an equal chance to take part in school life," he said.

16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Scotland 'Should Determine Its Own Future'

By Niall Paterson, Scotland Correspondent

"Put Scotland's future in Scotland's hands." That is the message Alex Salmond will deliver to delegates today at the SNP's Spring Conference.

As the nationalist party committed to fulfilling an 80-year pledge to gain Scotland its independence from the United Kingdom continues to reduce the gap in the polls ahead of September's referendum, he is expected to maintain that the vote is not about him.

"This referendum is not about this party, or this First Minister, or even the wider Yes campaign," he will say.

"It's about putting Scotland's future in Scotland's hands.

"Our party is hugely popular, and we are currently five, 10 and 15 points ahead in polls for Westminster, Europe and Holyrood respectively.

"But a Yes vote in September is not a vote for me, or for an SNP government in 2016.

"It's a vote for a government in Scotland that the people of Scotland choose, pursuing policies the people of Scotland support."

The speech, much like the campaign, will make much of the fact that Scots have voted in a way at significant variance with the overall result of recent general elections.

He will say: "I tell you what (the government of an independent Scotland) won't be. It won't be a government led by a party with just a single MP in Scotland.

"A government dismantling our welfare state. Determined to privatise public services.

"In an independent Scotland we can give this guarantee: The era of unelected Tory governments handing out punishment to the poor and the disabled will be gone and gone for good."

Mr Salmond says a Yes vote is a vote for the future of Scotland

Results vary, but the Yes campaign is still significantly behind the No vote in all major polls, although the margin has narrowed in recent months.

And despite the fact the Yes campaign has yet even to come close to a majority in said polls, the SNP leader in Westminster remains upbeat, with five months of campaigning to go.

"When people are able to contrast the Yes case with the No case and understand the momentum is going in the direction of the Yes case, I'm confident we will get a Yes result," Angus Robertson MP told Sky News.

"It might surprise some people in the bunkers of Whitehall and Westminster when it does, but when they wake up they will realise this is about Scotland governing itself like so many other places have decided to do over recent decades.

"We will have excellent relations with our friends on these islands.

"But we will always have a government that we actually elect making better decisions for people who life here - regardless of where they are from."

Given their lead in the polls it's unsurprising that the Better Together camp remains positive, despite considerable media and public opinion branding their campaign negative.

Asked whether it was easier for people to enthuse about independence rather than maintaining the status quo, Lewis Macdonald, a Labour member of the Scottish Parliament, told Sky News: "It's important to say there's a lot to be enthusiastic about.

"The union has worked very, very well for many generations and it's delivered us many benefits. But this isn't about change versus the status quo. This is about devolution, the kind of change that people in Scotland have wanted for a long time.

"It's a referendum that will be decided by the judgement people make at the end of the day. I think many people have made up their minds, some still have to choose.

"My expectation is that those people who still have to make up their mind will come to the same conclusion as those who have already made up their mind.

"At the moment, and for as long as I can remember the split has basically been two to one for remaining in the UK. I expect that the undecideds will come down in much the same kind of split.

"But only time will tell."

16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Half A Billion Pounds 'Wasted' On Anti-Flu Drugs

By Thomas Moore, Science and Health Correspondent

Flu drugs stockpiled by the government for use in a pandemic have little benefit, according to researchers who have carried out a comprehensive new analysis.

The Department of Health has spent £473m on the antiviral medicine Tamiflu - and another £136m on the similar drug Relenza - since 2006.

There are enough doses in storage to treat more than half the population.

But researchers from the independent Cochrane Collaboration and the British Medical Journal (BMJ), who have been given access to the full clinical trial data for the first time, conclude there is "no good evidence" that either drug reduces flu-related hospital admissions or the complications of the disease, such as pneumonia.

And they add that claims that they prevent people spreading the flu virus to others are "unproven".

Craig Heneghan, a doctor at the Cochrane Collaboration, said there was particular concern about Tamiflu because it increased nausea, vomiting, psychiatric events and kidney problems.

He told Sky News: "I am now clear this drug is not to be used in a pandemic situation."

The manufacturers have robustly defended their drugs, insisting that they are safe and effective.

The Department of Health has also underlined the importance of the antiviral stockpile.

The Cochrane Collaboration reviewed data from 20 clinical studies of Tamiflu and another 26 of Relenza.

They found they reduced the duration of flu symptoms by 16 hours, compared to dummy placebo pills.

Dr Fiona Godlee, Editor of the BMJ, urged the Department of Health to carefully consider the new evidence before refreshing the Tamiflu stock nearing its expiry date.

"If the government spends any more money on this drug they are not listening to the evidence," she said.

"I think it would be a strange decision to purchase more of this drug on the basis of the information we have available to us."

However, the Department of Health said the drug stockpile is a vital part of Britain's emergency response to a pandemic, as recommended by the World Health Organisation.

A spokesperson said: "Tamiflu is licensed around the world for the treatment of seasonal flu and is a licensed product with a proven record of safety, quality and efficacy.

"We regularly review all published data and will consider the Cochrane review closely."

UK medical director of Roche, Dr Daniel Thurley, said the company "stands behind the wealth of data for Tamiflu".

He added the researchers' methods were "unclear and inappropriate, and their conclusions could potentially have serious public health implications....(antiviral drugs) are a vital treatment option for patients with influenza".

A spokesperson for GSK said: "We were committed to giving the Cochrane team access to the data they required from the outset and we are pleased to have been able to support their research.

"We continue to believe the data from Relenza's clinical trial programme support its effectiveness against flu and that when used appropriately, in the right patient, it can reduce duration of flu symptoms. Relenza remains an important option for health professionals who are responsible for deciding when these medicines should be used."

Other doctors have also come to the drugs' defence.

Professor Wendy Barclay, of Imperial College London, said reducing symptoms by a day was significant.

"In the community this gets people back to work and school, and having the drugs available also serves as a safety net to treat people who get sick enough to go to hospital."

16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Co-op 'Power Struggle' As Myners Quits Board

The former City minister, Lord Myners, has quit the board of the troubled Co-operative Group amid opposition to his planned reforms of the business.

News of his resignation emerged just hours after Midcounties Co-operative, which operates Co-operative Energy as well as Co-op-branded food stores, voted against his early proposals.

Euan Sutherland resigned one month ago

His full report was not due to be completed until the end of the month but the work will continue despite his decision to step down as an independent director.

No reason for his decision was given though the deeper uncertainty over the group's future structure risks splitting the co-operative movement.

In interim findings released last month, after chief executive Euan Sutherland quit citing the group's structure as 'ungovernable', Lord Myners warned the group would collapse unless drastic steps were taken to overhaul a "massive failure" of governance.

His shake-up plans include a move to abolish its 21-member board, splitting it into two with a plc-style panel responsible for commercial decisions and representatives from its traditional membership sitting on a separate body.

It is reported that Midcounties is not the only regional board set to oppose the reforms though the board did accept his interim report's findings.

Lord Myners was appointed to the board in December and tasked with the independent review after a disastrous year for the Co-op in which its banking arm needed to be rescued by hedge funds following the discovery of a £1.5bn hole in its finances.

It has twice delayed the release of its banking division's results - now due on Friday - while the bank faces a series of investigations into what went wrong including scrutiny of the appointment of former bank chairman, Paul Flowers, despite his lack of knowledge of the sector.

16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

M&S Finally Arrests Fall In Clothing Sales

Marks & Spencer has confirmed it avoided an eleventh-consecutive quarter of declining clothing sales amid intense turnaround efforts.

In its results for the 13 weeks to 29 March, the retailer stripped its clothing sales away from General Merchandise for the first time to highlight a 0.6% increase on a like-for-like basis during the quarter.

Total clothing sales rose 1.3%.

Chief executive Marc Bolland, who recently confirmed an expansion of its operations abroad to help boost profitability, said: "We delivered another quarter of improvement in General Merchandise.

The firm's expansion plans include food growth in Paris

"We are encouraged by Womenswear, which is showing clear signs of improvement and performed ahead of Clothing."

The trading statement added: "Customers are responding well to our re-focus on quality and style.

"Sales of M&S Collection in Womenswear, which was re-launched last Autumn, were notably up on last year.

"Our new Spring/Summer collection has been well received, with customers noticing the improving style credentials."

But M&S warned the performance was achieved against a backdrop of continued high levels of discounting in its General Merchandise market.

Mr Bolland continued: "Our Food business had another great quarter, especially considering the later timing of Easter.

"This marks our 18th consecutive quarter of growth. We continued to outperform the market with record sales around key events including Valentine's Day and Mother's Day."

Total Group sales rose 1.9% in the quarter though, on a like-for-like basis, UK sales fell slightly by 0.2%.

Shares opened more than 2% higher today in the wake of the resilient sales performance, despite being offset by continued pressure on margins.

M&S annual results are due to be published on May 20, with City expectations ahead of today's update pencilling in a 6% fall in profits to £623m.

16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Arts Subjects Made Tougher In Exams Revamp

GCSE and A-level arts subjects are to be made tougher in the latest stage of a major reform of the exams system.

Nine GCSE subjects and six A-levels will be reformed, with Education Secretary Michael Gove insisting he wants schools to "nurture creative talent in every child".

In September 2016 new GCSEs in art and design, music, drama, dance, citizenship, computer science, design and technology, PE and religious studies will be introduced.

Improved A-levels in music, drama, dance, design and technology, PE and religious studies will be introduced at the same time.

"I am passionate about great art, drama, dance, music and design, and I am determined to ensure every child enjoys access to the best in our culture," Mr Gove added.

"That is why I am delighted that new high-quality qualifications in creative and cultural subjects will be made available to all students."

Music Education Council chair Richard Hallam welcomed the latest announcement.

He said: "This inclusion sends a renewed message of the educational importance of music and other arts subjects."

The new GCSEs and A-levels are part of a major programme of exam reform that will be phased in from next year.

GCSE grades in England are to be replaced with a numbered system to allow examiners to distinguish between the brightest students.

The new scale will see an extra grade added into a revamped qualifications system from one to nine - with nine being the highest mark available.

In the reforms, students taking A-levels will no longer sit exams after one year, and will instead be tested at the end of their two-year course.

AS-levels will be separated from A-levels and become a separate qualification.

16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

HIV Fears Over Increase In Steroid Injections

By Thomas Moore, Sky News Health and Science Correspondent

The number of people who inject themselves with steroids to "bulk up" is rising so fast that drug services risk being left behind, health experts warn.

Conservative estimates by the Home Office suggest around 60,000 people aged between 16 and 59 in England and Wales have injected anabolic steroids in the last year.

And one health worker told Sky News he was seeing "at least" seven new users every week - on top of his existing workload.

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (Nice) says in new NHS guidance that drug services should set up clinics in gyms to reach mainly young men who are injecting steroids.

Prof Mike Kelly, Director for Public Health at Nice, said they are at significant risk of HIV and other blood-borne viruses from sharing needles, yet they do not use existing needle exchange schemes that were set up in the 1980s for other drug users.

"They do not think of themselves as drug addicts," he said.

"They are fit and healthy. They are doing it to improve their appearance.

"We have to make sure they understand that the risks of injecting those substances are the same as injecting heroin or crack or anything like that.

Nice has recommended that clinics are set up in gyms

"When people share needles they pass on blood to blood and the infection is passed on quickly."

According to Nice 1.5% of people who inject image or performance enhancing drugs have HIV.

David Rourke, harm reduction lead for the Arundel Street Project in Sheffield, said he saw at least seven new steroid injectors every week.

"They lead very normal lives - the majority are working, they have families," he said.

"So it's not looked at like heroin or crack where it can affect your entire life."

He said some parts of the country have no services at all that are aimed at steroid users.

"Those who inject steroids are potentially using them without the correct education or the correct equipment and this can lead to more people injecting unsafely, which can put not just their own life, but the lives of those around them, at risk," he added.

16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Maria Miller Resigns As Culture Secretary

The Culture Secretary, Maria Miller, has resigned after a week of mounting pressure over her expenses investigation.

In a letter to David Cameron Mrs Miller told him she was "very grateful" for his personal support during the growing row over her expenses but feared it "has become a distraction from the vital work this Government is doing."

Mr Cameron said he was saddened by her departure but hoped the Basingstoke MP could make a return "in due course".

Mrs Miller finally stepped down six days after she was forced to apologise in the House of Commons for her attitude to an inquiry into the allowance claimed on her second home.

The Prime Minister, who had consistently backed his minister, had been under increasing pressure in recent days to sack her from Tory activists and MPs, and Mrs Miller's position had become untenable.

Maria Miller's 32-second apology in the Commons was incendiary

Mr Cameron was facing a difficult time at Prime Minister's Questions at lunchtime and had to tackle Tory back benchers at a meeting of the powerful Conservatives 1922 committee later.

Sky Political Correspondent Sophy Ridge said the decision to go had rested with Mrs Miller and she had telephoned the Prime Minister to inform him last night.

The announcement of her resignation sparked criticism that it had taken so long for her to step down and raised questions over Mr Cameron's leadership.

Labour MP John Mann, who made the original expenses complaint against Mrs Miller, said: "Why has it taken five days in what was a clear cut case she had to leave Government that she could be responsible for media freedom in this country after her behaviour?

"I mean where was the Prime Minister's leadership on this? He should have sacked her straight away when she refused to go."

Lord Tebbit told Sky News: "If the Prime Minister had taken my advice a week ago, if he had asked for it before I had to give it in public, the issue would have been done and dusted by now."

Mr Cameron repeatedly backed his Culture Secretary

But Education Secretary Michael Gove defended the Prime Minister, telling the Radio 4 Today programme: "I don't think his judgement has been flawed; hindsight is a wonderful thing.

"The Prime Minister's attitude throughout has been governed by the basic human decency that is his hallmark."

Mrs Miller's camp had on Tuesday night attempted a fight-back after days of newspaper headlines and the faltering support for her within Government.

Her aide Mary Macleod appeared on Sky News to claim she was a victim of a witch-hunt because she was dealing with press reforms recommended in the Leveson report. She had sent a text to MPs attempting to garner support for Mrs Miller.

She also claimed that Mrs Miller was unpopular because she was responsible for steering through the legislation on gay marriage.

The second home at the centre of the row

In her resignation letter Mrs Miller said: "Of course, implementing the recommendations made by Lord Justice Leveson on the future of media regulation, following the phone hacking scandals, would always be controversial for the press.

"Working together with you, I believe we struck the right balance between protecting the freedom of the press and ensuring fairness, particularly for victims of press intrusion, to have a clear right of redress."

Her departure leaves four women in the Cabinet: Home Secretary Theresa May, Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers, and International Development Secretary Justine Greening. Baroness Warsi sits in the Cabinet as Minister Without Portfolio.

Esther McVey, the Employment minister who, on Monday, criticised they brevity of Mrs Miller's apology, is being widely tipped to replace her at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. 

Conservatives in Mrs Miller's constituency voice disappointment at her departure. Stephen Marks, a Conservative councillor on Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, said: "She did Leveson on press complaints and I feel the press were going to get their own back on her. I am saddened that she had to resign, but that is the way it is."

Mrs Miller issued a much-derided 32-second apology on Thursday after Parliament's sleaze watchdog upbraided her for her attitude to an expenses inquiry into her claims for a second home.

She was also ordered to pay back £5,800 of wrongly claimed allowances on the house in Wimbledon, southwest London, which she sold for a £1.2m profit in February.

However, it emerged that the Commissioner for Parliamentary Standards had found that Mrs Miller should have paid back £45,000 in expenses claimed on the home but this was over-ruled by the Standards Committee of 10 MPs and three independent members, who do not have a vote.

It led to calls for an end to a system where MPs are allowed to police their own expenses, with the head of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, Sir Ian Kennedy, saying they should not "mark their own homework".

16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Max Clifford Trial: Pauline Quirke Evidence

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter, Southwark Crown Court

Birds of a Feather star Pauline Quirke has described publicist Max Clifford as an "honest and decent man" as the trial enters its closing stages.

Clifford, who turned 71 at the weekend, is accused of indecently assaulting a string of women in his car and his office, some after saying he could get them roles in the entertainment world.

However, Ms Quirke told Southwark Crown Court that the PR guru was nothing like the description that jurors have heard and she told how they worked together to raise funds for charity.

The actress who has also starred in Emmerdale and Broadchurch said that her friendship with him "grew from their connection" to the Rhys Daniels Trust which was set up in the 1990s to help a boy of the same name with Batten's Disease.

Ms Quirke said: "We went to each other's houses and we went out for dinner to restaurants. He came when I was on tour for two years with Birds of a Feather.

"The word integrity comes to mind when I think of Max - he's very down to Earth and normal considering the business that we are both involved in.

"He's a decent, decent man, honest and decent."

When asked by his defence barrister Richard Horwell QC if she had ever seen him "acting inappropriately with women" she replied: "We've been to balls with lots of women, people drinking and I've never seen him doing anything like that.

"I've never seen him behave in any way, shape or form like that."

Ms Quirke added that Clifford had helped raise money for the Trust by bringing stars to a celebrity screening of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and as a result they became "good friends".

As she left court, Clifford, who was dressed in a white open shirt and blue suit, winked and smiled at her.

Earlier, Sky Sports anchor Clare Thomlinson, who worked for Clifford in the early 1990s for six months said she had "no reason to doubt his integrity and honesty", adding that she had left his office on "amicable terms".

She said: "Max had an old school charm, he would open the door for you and ask how you would get home from a late function."

Ms Thomlinson, who was at the centre of sexual harassment claims from disgraced former commentators Richard Keys and Andy Gray, told the court the experience had made her want to testify in the case.

She said: "I have been the victim of sexual harassment at work and I would not be giving evidence in front of a court if I had believed Max was capable of that sort of behaviour."

Clifford, of Hersham, Surrey, denies 11 counts of indecent assault against seven women between 1966 and 1984. His defence is expected to finish on Tuesday when the case continues.

16.12 | 0 komentar | Read More