Defence Sec: Cut Welfare Not Troops

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has warned he will resist further cuts to the armed forces in Chancellor George Osborne's forthcoming spending review.

After Downing Street said publicly last month that the military would not be immune from further financial retrenchment, Mr Hammond has vowed to fight against anything more than modest "efficiency savings".

He said other Conservative Cabinet ministers believed that the greatest burden of any cuts should fall on the welfare budget.

A Whitehall source said Mr Hammond's comments were aimed particularly at the Lib Dems following remarks by senior Lib Dem ministers indicating that they believed welfare spending should be protected over defence.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Mr Hammond said there was a "body of opinion within Cabinet who believes that we have to look at the welfare budget again", and that "we should be seeing welfare spending falling" as a result of rising employment levels.

He said the "first priority" for the Government should be "defending the country and maintaining law and order" and that further defence cuts were not possible while meeting stated security objectives.

Mr Hammond says the welfare budget should be curbed instead

"I shall go into the spending review fighting the case for the defence budget on the basis that we have made very large cuts to defence, we've done that with the collaboration and co-operation of the military," he said.

"Any further reduction in the defence budget would fall on the level of activity that we were able to carry out - the idea that expensively bought equipment may not be able to be used, expensively employed troops may not be able to be exercised and trained as regularly as they need to be.

"I am not going into the spending review offering any further reductions in personnel."

Mr Hammond's comments are likely to be welcomed by Tory backbenchers who have been calling for a return to a core Conservative values in the wake of the party's trouncing in the Eastleigh by-election.

However they will also heighten tensions within the coalition, with the Liberal Democrats resisting a further squeeze on welfare spending.

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Middle-Aged Drinking Takes Toll on 'Ladettes'

By James Matthews, Sky Correspondent

The "ladette" culture of the 1980s and 90s is a key factor in the growing number of middle-aged women turning to drink, according to the founder of a support website.

Lucy Rocca says women between 30 and 50 are turning to alcohol as a natural choice, having grown up in an era when drinking to excess was encouraged. 

Ms Rocca set up the Soberistas website after developing - and overcoming - a dependency on alcohol. 

Within two months, more than 1,500 women had joined the forum to discuss problem drinking. The overwhelming majority are middle-aged and many are professional, career women.

Ms Rocca told Sky News: "I think the reason that women of that age are finding themselves in that position where they are drinking too much is that a lot of them grew up in a ladette culture and went on to get married and have children. 

"They had grown up in a culture where it was acceptable and encouraged, really, to drink excessively and, once they found themselves dealing with motherhood and stresses of work, they swapped the pints for the wine and they drank at home to try to deal with that stress."

Former 'ladette' poster girl Zoë Ball recently gave up alcohol

Figures for hospital admissions reflect a recent increase in problem-drinking among women between 30 and 50. 

According to the Department of Health, in England in 2010 there were 110,128 alcohol-related hospital admissions for women in their mid-30s to mid-50s. This was nearly double the number of admissions of women aged 15-34.

In Scotland, the number of alcohol-related deaths among women aged 30-44 has doubled in the past 20 years. 

In January, the Scottish Government launched a new photo app called Drinking Mirror as part of an initiative it dubbed Drop A Glass Size.

Its aim is to encourage women to curb excessive drinking by showing them a photo of how they will look in 10 years' time, depending how much they drink.

Sarah Turner, 57, who runs a centre for women with drink problems, was a millionaire property developer until she developed an addiction to wine and vodka.

Her business collapsed and her home was repossessed. Having now recovered, she helps middle-class, middle-aged women deal with drink problems. 

She believes their needs are too often ignored, while resources are channelled towards areas like teenage binge-drinking.

She told Sky News: "There is enough being done for the disassociated and the disadvantaged.

"The middle-class, middle-aged woman is so shameful, guilty and fearful of coming forward to talk about this problem and they become hidden, secret drinkers.

"This is happening in the home on an epic scale now."

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Breast Cancer: UK Lagging In Survival Rates

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

Ageism and poor treatment are reducing women's chances of surviving breast cancer, new research suggests.

The study, funded by The Department of Health, revealed that women in Britain are far less likely to be alive three years after diagnosis than those in other well-developed countries.

Researchers at the Cancer Research UK Cancer Survival Group found that 87-89% of women in the UK and Denmark were alive three years after diagnosis, compared to 91-94% in Australia, Canada, Norway and Sweden.

Figures published in the British Journal of Cancer show the biggest difference was in women aged over 70. In the UK the three-year survival rate is 79%; in Sweden it is 91%.

The scientists say the findings suggest older women and those with more advanced disease are treated less aggressively in the UK.

Dr Sarah Walters, who led the research, said: "In the UK, women are diagnosed at a similar stage as elsewhere, but survival is lower than women with the same stage of disease in other countries.

"We should now investigate whether the treatment of women with later-stage breast cancer meets international standards. There is particular concern that this is not the case, especially for older women."

Sara Hiom, the charity's director of early diagnosis, said the survival gap between the UK and other countries is closing, but the country still fares worse.

"We know that UK women diagnosed with breast cancer are not routinely given CT scans to check if the disease has spread, which could mean we aren't always accurately staging more advanced disease.

"But we also need to investigate the possibility that fewer women with later stage breast cancer in the UK receive the best treatment for their circumstances."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "This study will help us keep improving breast cancer treatment as part of our cancer strategy to save an extra 5,000 lives a year by 2014.

"We have worked with Macmillan Cancer Support to improve access to assessment, treatment and aftercare for cancer patients over 70.

"The NHS is also working to ensure all patients are treated as individuals and receive care that meets their healthcare needs whatever their age or condition."

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jessica Ennis Makes Don Valley Stadium Appeal

By Mike McCarthy, North of England Correspondent

Olympic gold medallist Jessica Ennis has made an eleventh-hour appeal to save the stadium that helped to inspire her.

Councillors are expected to approve closure of the Don Valley Stadium at a budget meeting today.

It is where the sports star perfected her athletic prowess as a youngster and where she still trains.

The heptathlete was discovered on a summer schools training camp at the Sheffield stadium and thousands watched her charge to Olympic glory on a big screen inside the venue.

But despite the heptathlete's objections it looks likely that councillors will approve a plan to bulldoze the building.

Ennis said: "It would be a huge shame.

"I've got some amazing memories, starting my athletic career there and having that iconic stadium in my home city is incredible.

"To lose that would be such a shame for future athletes coming through, so I hope that the right decision's made and we can find a way to keep it."

Councillors in Sheffield have been accused of squandering the Olympic legacy but they say the 22-year-old stadium is often empty and needs major refurbishment that the city cannot afford.

Ennis won one of Team GB's 29 gold medals at the London 2012 Olympic Games

The Labour-controlled council argues that it has to save £50m as a result of Government budget cuts and if the venue remained open local leisure centres would have to close instead.

Councillor Isobel Bowler said: "We have to choose where we put our money. If we kept this stadium open we might have to shut two or three or possibly even four local leisure centres. That's not the way to preserve the Olympic legacy."

Deputy Prime Minister and Sheffield MP Nick Clegg has urged the city council to keep the stadium open.

The sporting community is also strongly opposed to its closure.

Jessica Ennis' coach Toni Minichiello has invested many years of nurturing young talent at Don Valley and accuses the local authority of short-sightedness.

He told Sky News: "It is an iconic stadium and its a place that has inspired youngsters and none more so than Jessica Ennis.

"It is a fantastic facility and it is an incredible shame to lose something like this from the sporting map.

"Having taken the youngsters all the way through to Olympic gold you see that this actually can be done in Sheffield.

"Why, if you can have one Jessica Ennis, can you not have two or three?

"That opportunity all of a sudden looked to be there and now it's going to be taken away from a whole new generation of youngsters."

The local authority says the building costs £700,000 a year to run.

It aims to redevelop the nearby Woodbourn athletics stadium - an older building that has been mothballed for a few years. That would cost approximately £100,000.

The Don Valley stadium was opened in 1991 to host the World Student Games in the hope that it would help revitalise the largely derelict east end of Sheffield.

The full cost of staging the event is not due to be paid off until 2024.

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

CPS Taxi Fraud: Charges Over £1m Plot

Two workers at the Crown Prosecution Service are facing charges over a fraud plot involving false taxi claims worth at least £1m.

Finance manager Lisa Burrows, 41, from Birmingham, and an administrative officer who has not been named, work for CPS West Midlands.

The allegations concern false claims for witness care taxi services to the value of at least £1m when no such services had been supplied, the CPS alleged in a statement.

Malcolm McHaffie, deputy head of special crime for the CPS, said the charges followed a complaint by the Crown Prosecution Service and a subsequent investigation by West Midlands Police into two members of CPS staff.

"I have now concluded that it is appropriate to charge both Burrows and the other individual with conspiracy to commit fraud," he said.

Mr McHaffie added that while the administrative officer had not yet been charged, Burrows was due appear at Birmingham Magistrates Court on Thursday.

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

RBS: 'Bad Practice' Drives £5.16bn Loss

The 82% taxpayer-owned Royal Bank of Scotland has reported a pre-tax loss in 2012 of £5.16bn.

The significant loss was in part to provisions RBS has made for customer redress for payment protection insurance (PPI) mis-selling and other so-called bad practices.

It said the annual return was impacted heavily by a £4.64bn "accounting charge for improved own credit".

However bankers will still share a bonus pool of £607m, including £215m for investment bankers.

In 2011 the total bonus pot was around 25% higher, at £789m.

The bonus reduction was done to help recoup cash to pay for its recent Libor-rigging settlement with UK and US authorities.

RBS chief executive Stephen Hester admitted 2012 had been a "chastening" year to "put right past mistakes".

The losses were up significantly, from £1.2bn in 2011.

The company took a £450m charge in the last three months of 2012 over PPI mis-selling, taking its cumulative provision to £2.2bn.

By December 31 a total of £1.3bn had been paid out in redress over the scandal.

The bank said: "Our target is for 2013 to be the last big year of restructuring. There will be important work still to do, but an increasingly sound base from which to work.

"As the spotlight shifts to the 'new RBS' post restructuring, we are determined that it will show a leading UK bank striving to be a really good bank."

RBS saw changed fortunes in its core business, with retail and commercial sector income down 6% but markets up 68%.

The bank added: "RBS is four years into its recovery plan and good progress has been made. We are a much smaller, more focused and stronger bank.

"By serving customers well RBS can become one of the most respected, valued and stable of banks. That is our goal."

In its annual report the bank, which was bailed-out in Britain's biggest ever corporate disaster, said there is an intentional to partially float its US banking arm Citizens.

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Horsemeat: Tesco To Source More Meat From UK

By Poppy Trowbridge, Business and Economics Correspondent

Tesco is to announce a commitment to source more of its meat from the UK at a farming conference in Birmingham later.

The supermarket kingpin will tell the National Farmers Union meeting that by July all its chicken will come from British farms, and pork products will follow.

Tesco will also offer suppliers two-year contracts to help companies plan their business for the longer term.

The company's chief executive, Phillip Clarke, who will address the conference today, told Sky News: "We feel the need to bring the food closer to home.

"We think it's right to bring more of it back to the UK, so long as we can get the demand from the UK."

Earlier this month, Mr Clarke said in a video on Tesco's website that the company would take a more open approach to food processing after it was found to be selling products contaminated with horsemeat.

Tesco was one of the first retailers to pull products from its shelves after the horsemeat contamination was revealed on January 16 after analysis was undertaken by Irish food officials.

Tesco has blamed its suppliers for the meat contamination

Tests on Findus beef lasagne revealed that some of the ready meals were made entirely from horsemeat.

And Tesco found levels of horse DNA exceeded 60% in tests on its Everyday Value Spaghetti Bolognese.

Since the horsemeat scandal broke, supermarkets have been criticised for not communicating with customers quickly enough.

They have also seen frozen burger sales and ready meal sales plunge dramatically, data by Kantar Worldpanel showed.

In an attempt to be more transparent, Tesco said it would put cameras on the supply chain so shoppers could see where the food they are eating has come from and how it was produced.

"There's nothing for anybody to hide. There never should be," said Mr Clarke.

While it already sources all its beef products from the UK and Ireland, the food retailer admits suppliers had cut corners.

"The impact so far on sales is minimal," Mr Clarke added, though he acknowledged that some customers are buying fewer frozen ready meals.

George MacDonald, Retail Week executive editor, told Sky News, "The shopper can feel fairly confident that anybody involved is going to be looking very closely indeed at how they can sort out these problems."

As the nation's biggest supermarket, Tesco should be at the forefront of campaign to restore trust in food, Mr MacDonald believes.

"It is essential for them to fully reconnect with the customer," he said.

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ben Nevis Climber Killed In 165ft Fall

A climber has died after falling 50 metres (165ft) on Ben Nevis.

The man was climbing with a friend in the Raeburn's Buttress area of the UK's highest mountain, in the Scottish Highlands, when he fell at around 12.30pm on Monday.

Two helicopters rushed to the scene with Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, but the man died during the rescue.

Police are trying to establish the exact circumstances around the death and will not release information on the victim until his family have been informed.

Raeburn's Buttress is popular climbing area on the north face of Ben Nevis, which stands at 1,344 metres (4,409ft).

Last month a 22-year-old climber died after falling 100 metres on the mountain.

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Horsemeat: Whitbread To Boost Food Standards

The Whitbread pub, which discovered horsemeat in two of its food products, has said it will offer to set new food standards to help restore public confidence.

The group said it would also impose a testing regime on all processed meats provided by suppliers and introduce a new system of certification.

It also revealed it would assist the Food Standards Agency (FSA)  "in setting tougher new standards" and controls to apply right throughout the restaurant industry".

The move comes after horsemeat was found in lasagne and beef burgers sold in its food outlets.

It operates the Beefeater, Table Table and Brewers Fayre pub chains.

Chief executive Andy Harrison said: "We have been dismayed by the recent discovery of equine DNA in two of our restaurant products.

"This is not just a Whitbread problem, but a wider issue of quality control within parts of the processed meat supply chain, which supplies a number of restaurants and retailers."

Whitbread also operates Premier Inns and Costa coffee chains.

The new testing regime announcement comes as Whitbread revealed its latest group results.

The company saw sales rise 2.7% in the 11 weeks to February 14.

It revealed that sales at Costa were up 5.5%.

The coffee group has reaped benefits from consumer displeasure at US-based rival Starbucks, which was revealed late last year to have paid virtually no corporation tax.

More follows...

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nick Clegg Knew Of Lord Rennard Concerns

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg faces more questions today after admitting he did know about "indirect" allegations against Lord Rennard.

Several women have accused the party's former chief executive of inappropriately touching and propositioning female party workers, which he strenuously denies.

In a statement, Mr Clegg said he did not know about the allegations, but admitted that his office was aware of "indirect and non-specific" concerns about Lord Rennard's conduct in 2008.

He said: "I am angry and outraged at the suggestion that I would not have acted if these allegations had been put to me. Indeed, when indirect and non-specific concerns about Chris Rennard's conduct reached my office in 2008, we acted to deal with them.

"My chief of staff at the time, Danny Alexander, put these concerns to Chris Rennard and warned him that any such behaviour was wholly unacceptable.

Mr Clegg said Danny Alexander put the concerns to Lord Rennard

"Chris Rennard categorically denied that he had behaved inappropriately and he continues to do so. He subsequently resigned as chief executive on health grounds."

Lib Dem President Tim Farron, who is conducting a review into the way the party dealt with the allegations, conceded the party may have failed to deal with the claims when they were first made.

He told Sky News: "The issue that's been made very clear this last few days is that not only were a number of women potentially victims in this appalling set of circumstances, but also potentially they raised their concerns with people within the party - some of them at a reasonably high level - and they may have made those concerns known to people and that they weren't acted upon."

"My guess is that the party has indeed let itself down in the past and not dealt with these complaints when they were put."

Earlier, aides had said the Deputy Prime Minister only learned about the specific complaints being made against Lord Rennard following a Channel 4 News report earlier in the week.

The women claim they reported Lord Rennard's alleged behaviour to senior party officials at the time, but no further action was taken.

The peer was a key party strategist and adviser to a succession of Liberal Democrat leaders before standing down due to ill health in 2009.

Lord Rennard strenuously denies the claims

He said he was "deeply shocked" by the allegations, which he "strongly disputes" and regards as a "total distortion" of his character.

Lib Dem MP Vince Cable said: "It's obviously wrong if there are women there who have made complaints and felt they weren't dealt with properly, so we are now setting up a proper investigative process - we want an independent element to that - and we'll get to the bottom of it."

He was asked on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show whether he knew about the Lord Rennard allegations prior to the Channel 4 programme, and replied: "Absolutely not."

Former Lib Dem head of press Mark Littlewood said: "Nick Clegg is definitely going to have to outline and spell out in exact detail what he knew and when and what actions he took."

Journalist Michael White told Sky News: "I've never heard any of these rumours about Rennard, and I've known him slightly for years."

Labour's shadow minister for equalities and women, Kate Green, said the statement raised more questions than answers.

She said: "After days of total denials - some only hours ago from Lib Dem MPs Vince Cable and Jeremy Browne - Nick Clegg has now been forced to admit that he did know of what he calls 'indirect concerns' about Lord Rennard in his role Chief Executive of the Liberal Democrats.

"Nick Clegg's statement raises more questions than it answers about his judgement and the willingness of the Liberal Democrats as a party to properly investigate such serious allegations at the time they were made.

"At issue is not just a series of serious allegations from a number of women, but how the Liberal Democrat Party responded to those allegations.

"Only with a fully independent investigation can the public have confidence that the truth will prevail and lessons learned for the future."

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Two Police Officers Injured In Hit And Run

Two people have been held on suspicion of attempted murder after police officers were injured in a hit and run in Manchester.

The officers tried to stop the vehicle at about 10.50pm on Sunday on Rochdale Road in Harpurhey, when it hit them and drove off.

Their injuries are not life threatening - one officer suffered a head injury while the other had a broken wrist.

More follows...

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Doctors From Abroad Must Take English Test

By Lisa Dowd, Sky News Correspondent

New checks will be introduced to make sure all NHS doctors can speak English well enough to treat patients, the Government has announced.

It comes five years after David Gray, 70, was killed by a German doctor on his first out-of-hours shift in the UK.

Daniel Ubani accidentally gave the pensioner 10 times the recommended dose of the painkiller diamorphine.

The locum was struck off the medical register in the UK, but still practises in Germany, despite admitting death by negligence in a German court.

Mr Gray's son Stuart, 53, himself a GP, said: "What Ubani had done was try to register with Leeds PCT (Primary Care Trust).

"They'd made him sit an English language test to see if he was proficient. He failed that, so he decided to apply to another PCT, this being Cornwall.

"They didn't bother to test his English language skills, put him on the list, once he was on the list he can practise anywhere in the country and he then went to practise in Cambridgeshire where he killed my father."

Daniel Ubani caused the death of 70-year-old David Gray (pictured)

Last year, research by Pulse magazine for GPs found that 792 EU doctors were on the so-called "performers lists" of 51 Primary Care Trusts, allowing them to work in the UK. Of those, 657 doctors, or 83%, hadn't had their English skills tested.

From April 1 there will be one national list which every GP will have to be on before treating patients. There will also be a legal duty to ensure those on it have good English.

Health minister Dr Dan Poulter said: "It's not something that should cause huge public alarm, but it's something that we do know from the case of Doctor Daniel Ubani, and other doctors, who are sometimes flown in to do short-term locums in the NHS from Europe, that it is something that has actually caused deaths in this country.

"That's completely unacceptable and that's why we're introducing language checking for all overseas doctors including those within the EU."

But Dr Gray, of Blakedown, Worcestershire, has his doubts. He said: "I'd like to know how they're going to police it.

"If they say it's going to be illegal for the doctor to work here if they can't communicate in English, well, it was illegal for Cornwall PCT to put Ubani on their list, and no one has been held to account for breaking the law there."

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Appalling Tragedy' Of Caravan Park Deaths

The deaths of a woman and her elderly parents at a caravan park in Cornwall have been described as an "appalling tragedy".

The victims are all believed to have died of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning.

The alarm was raised at the park near Camborne just before 1pm after the couple's helper was unable to reach them, Devon and Cornwall Police have said.

Firefighters were called to break into the static caravan at Tremarle Home Park, North Roskear, and found the bodies of three people, and a dog, inside.

The woman was aged in her mid-40s. The age of her parents is not yet known.

The caravan site where the bodies were found

Inspector David Eldridge of Devon and Cornwall Police said: "Shortly before 1pm this afternoon, we were called to a caravan park near Camborne in Cornwall, where a helper had been unable to get a reply from an elderly couple who lived in the caravan.

"We were able to see that there was a figure sat in a chair but they were unresponsive to knocks at the door.

"Cornwall Fire and Rescue were called. They forced entry into the property and found that the three occupants were all dead."

An investigation into what caused the deaths is under way, but the incident is not being treated as suspicious.

A Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said a crew from Camborne Community Fire Station attended the scene with a hazardous materials advisor after being called at 12.56pm.

Camborne Town Council member David Biggs described the deaths as an "appalling tragedy".

"Tremarle Park is a residential caravan site and has provided homes for people for many years. It's a well established facility and is very well run. It was a shock to learn that three people have died there."

Stephanie Trotter, president and director of the independent charity CO-Gas Safety, said carbon monoxide was an incredibly lethal gas.

"Less than 2% of CO (carbon monoxide) can kill in between one and three minutes. It cannot be sensed using human senses of smell, touch, sight or hearing," she said.

"The Department of Health estimates that about 40-50 people die of CO and about 4,000 attend Accident and Emergency every year in England and Wales alone."

Mrs Trotter added: "We are very sorry to read of these tragic deaths. We send sympathy to family and friends and offer free, confidential help and advice."

The Health and Safety Executive said it would not be investigating as the incident took place at a domestic address.

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More