Speculation over Hague’s future

WILLIAM HAGUE has achieved the impossible – he’s more ­incompetent than Michael Gove. The blundering Just William in the Foreign Office is a bigger joke than even the dunce at the Education ­Department. Hague’s aides frantically ringing anyone who’ll listen to insist Willie’s not lost his Mojo means they know he’s sinking fast in the quick sands of Libya. Cameron’s Con-servative deputy’s a proud man, as we witnessed when he quit as Tory leader on the dawn of the party’s 2001 thumping. Willie enjoys telling the jokes – not squirming as the butt of merciless jibes. Yet his future ended with the botched SAS expedition to Libya, Hague a bumbling Private Pike when what’s needed is a smart Andy McNab. Critics are queuing up to kick sand in his face. MPs last night openly speculated in the Commons about when not if he’ll quit. – the Mirror

On Tuesday Mr Hague was forced to defend himself against questions about his commitment to his job and his handling of the crisis in the Middle East. He insisted that he intended to stay in place “for an extended period”, but failed to quell speculation in Westminster about his future. Mr Hague has faced repeated criticism over his handling of the crisis in Libya. This week he has come under fire for the botched SAS and MI6 mission to contact groups in eastern Libya rebelling against the rule of Col Muammar Gaddafi. He was also criticised for mistakenly suggesting last month that the Libyan dictator had fled the country. Allies of Mr Hague have told The Daily Telegraph they believe that criticism of him is being privately encouraged by other Cabinet ministers. A senior Foreign Office source said: “The root of the problem for William Hague is that he sits in a Cabinet where several other ministers think they could do his job better than he could.” – the Telegraph

William Hague has has sparked renewed speculation about his commitment to his job as foreign secretary with a convoluted explanation about having to shoulder responsibilities for an “extended period of time” during the historic events in the Arab world. Amid Tory fears that Hague is losing the will to fight after a row last year about sharing a hotel room with his special adviser, the foreign secretary was on Tuesday forced to deny that he is considering whether to resign after the failure of an SAS mission in eastern Libya. Hague, who faced Labour accusations in the commons on Monday of “serial bungling” in response to the Libyan crisis, found himself under pressure when Sir Menzies Campbell questioned his commitment to his job. “I am not sure just how enthusiastic he is about this business,” Campbell told BBC2’s Newsnight on Monday night. “It is very, very hard. It is a very, very demanding job.” The intervention by the former Liberal Democrat leader prompted a tortuous response from Hague when he was challenged about his position during a press conference with the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas. – the Guardian

Welfare reform bill will be a disaster for cancer patients

The coalition’s radical plans to reform the benefits system has come under attack from an unprecedented alliance of 30 cancer charities, who warn that the welfare reform bill will leave tens of thousands of people with cancer worse off and risks “pushing some into poverty”. The charities have written to Iain Duncan Smith, the work and pensions secretary, urging him to rethink plans in the bill that will mean a “significant number of people with cancer will be left without vital financial support at a time when they need it the most”. The bill is due to receive its second reading in the Commons on Wednesday. The warning came as Labour backbenchers put pressure on Ed Miliband to vote against the entire bill, a move the leadership fears would send a signal that the party is opposed to welfare reform. There are signs that support for the bill’s principles is beginning to fray due to opposition to specific elements of it. The shadow work and welfare secretary, Liam Byrne, endured a difficult meeting of the parliamentary Labour party on Monday night, with some MPs demanding outright opposition. The shadow cabinet agreed that the party should table a highly critical amendment, and then abstain on second reading, a tactic that could lead to rank-and-file Labour MPs voting against it in one of the first rebellions of Miliband’s leadership. – the Guardian (more…)

Royal mess

David Cameron was urged to “get a grip” on Monday night after Downing Street appeared to change its position on whether to support the Duke of York. On Sunday, an anonymous source within No.10 said that there would be no “tears shed” if the Duke stood aside from his role as Britain’s trade ambassador. But yesterday morning the Prime Minister’s official spokesman insisted that the Government was “fully supportive” of his decision to stay on. The spokesman added that ministers were not reviewing the Duke’s position, despite suggestions from within No.10 hours earlier that the Duke would have to stand down if more allegations emerged. The about-turn cast a shadow over Craig Oliver’s first full week as the Government’s director of communications. The assurances also appeared to contradict remarks by Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, whose department oversees the work of UK Trade & Investment (UKTI). – the Telegraph

David Cameron was forced to try to head off a rift with Buckingham Palace last night after his new spin-doctor appeared to question the Duke of York’s future as a British trade envoy. Downing Street sources – understood to be Craig Oliver, the Prime Minister’s new director of communications – briefed the BBC that Prince Andrew’s position might become “untenable” if further revelations about his links to the controversial American billionaire Jeffrey Epstein came to light. Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, then threw fuel on the flames by saying that it was up to the Duke to judge whether he should stay in the role – and that “conversations” would be taking place with him on that subject. Just a few hours later, however, Downing Street was in full retreat. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman insisted that Mr Cameron had full confidence in the Duke and was “fully supportive” of him remaining in the post. He also dismissed suggestions that Prince Andrew’s role could be downgraded following the furore over his other business connections. – the Independent

Police cuts will hit areas with highest crime rates

Police chiefs have privately told ministers that a total of 28,000 jobs will be lost from the 43 forces in England and Wales because of government funding cuts, the Guardian has learned. The confidential calculation from the Association of Chief Police Officers is the most authoritative so far about the effects on police numbers caused by a 20% reduction in government grants, and the first from police chiefs to be made public. It predicts the number of officers will fall by 12,000, while civilian staff will have to be cut by 16,000, several sources say. Urban areas, which have the highest crime rates, will be hit hardest because they are more reliant on government money, opening the coalition to charges that cuts will fall hardest on the poor areas. The figures come in one of the most tumultuous weeks for British policing in modern times and could herald a showdown with the government. – the Guardian

Hague faces the music

Amid mounting criticism of his handling of the Libyan crisis, William Hague yesterday had to accept the blame for a bungled SAS mission that the opposition called an “embarrassment” that could have led to tragedy. Nonetheless, attempting to downplay his own role in the process, the Foreign Secretary stressed that the military was responsible for the details of the operation. And he added that David Cameron was informed before two diplomats, guarded by six special forces troops, were sent to the east of the country. Mr Hague was forced to make a Commons statement following the fiasco, which led to the detention of the Britons by rebel leaders and the confiscation of their weapons and helicopters. Earlier Downing Street had confirmed the Foreign Secretary had approved the dispatch of the “diplomatic team” to Libya. MPs of all parties mocked the decision to send the Foreign Office advisers – who were charged with forging links with opposition leaders – to a location outside Benghazi at night. Although Mr Hague told the Commons he accepted “full ministerial responsibility” for the botched operation, he also sought to pass some blame to the Government’s military advisers. – the Independent

The Foreign Secretary told MPs he had authorised the “dispatch of a small British diplomatic team” to “initiate contacts with the opposition” and “to assess the scope for closer diplomatic dialogue”. “They were withdrawn yesterday after a serious misunderstanding about their role, leading to their temporary detention,” he said. “However, this situation is resolved and they were able to meet the council president.” Mr Hague said he had acted on military advice, and that Prime Minister David Cameron was “aware” of the operation. But he looked increasingly beleaguered as he was asked why there had been insufficient communication with Libyan rebel leaders in advance of the operation and why a diplomatic mission, if that is what it was, did not simply fly into Benghazi rather than land in a helicopter in the desert with the SAS. Shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander wondered how Mr Hague would welcome new neighbours in his street: “Would he ring their front doorbell to say, ‘Hello,’ or climb over their back garden fence?” Former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell described the operation as “ill-conceived, poorly planned and embarrassingly executed”. – Sky

Cameron attacks “enemies of growth”

David Cameron has pledged to confront the “enemies of enterprise” in Whitehall and town halls across the country, attacking what he called the “mad” bureaucracy that holds back entrepreneurs. The prime minister, who was criticised for failing to outline economic growth plans after last year’s autumn spending review, moved to recover ground by promising to place the promotion of enterprise at the heart of the budget on 23 March. In one of the strongest attacks by a prime minister on the civil service, Cameron yesterday made clear he shared the frustration of Tony Blair, who famously claimed in 1999 that he bore “scars on my back” from those opposed to his reforms. – the Guardian

When we urgently need a plan for jobs and growth to get the economy moving again and help hard-pressed families all David Cameron and George Osborne can offer is empty words but precious little action. All we’ve heard from this Conference is the reheated rhetoric and warmed up policies of 30 years ago – a VAT rise, deep spending cuts, knee-jerk deregulation and enterprise zones which didn’t work when they were tried in the 1980s. If David Cameron wants to know who is the real enemy of enterprise and growth in Britain today he only needs to look next door at his own Chancellor. It is George Osborne’s reckless plan to cut too deep and too fast, which has seen the economy go into reverse. David Cameron and George Osborne appear to be in denial that in the real world families and businesses are facing the squeeze, petrol prices are at a record high, unemployment is going up again and the recovery has stalled. And they don’t seem to understand that without strong growth and more jobs we can’t get the deficit down. – Ed Balls blog

Tories “gutter politics” an act of desperation

Labour has accused the Conservatives of “gutter politics” after Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper were referred to the Parliamentary watchdog over travel claims for their children. The party hit back following a Sunday Times story that the couple have been reported for £14,000 in travel claims between 2007 and 2010. Tory MP Andrew Bridgen has referred the couple to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards over the allegations. But Sharon Hodgson MP, the shadow children’s minister, said today: “The thing I’ve always respected about Ed and Yvette is that while they have been in the public eye they’ve always protected their children and kept them out of politics.  “So this is a desperate new low from the Tories to try to drag their children into a political fight. Andrew Bridgen was described this week as one of David Cameron’s ‘new generation of attack dogs’ and now we see the gutter politics this will mean.” – Politics Home (more…)

Cameron and Fox face questions over “strategic” defence review

It took months of agonising discussions between worried politicians and fearful military men to map out Britain’s military strategy for the coming generation. And when David Cameron set out the conclusions of his Strategic Defence and Security Review to a restless House of Commons last autumn, he appeared confident that all the sweat and fears of the previous five months had been worth it. For Conservative and Liberal Democrat politicians who had spent years in opposition attacking the previous government over its failure to honour the military covenant and ensure the armed forces were sufficiently resourced and recognised, this was the chance to put things right. Grandly billed as “Securing Britain in an Age of Uncertainty”, the SDSR mapped “a clear vision for the future structure of our armed forces”, according to the Prime Minister. Yet the most telling assertion was that it was not “simply a cost-saving exercise to get to grips with the biggest budget deficit in post-war history”. – Independent on Sunday

Miliband: Government not learnt lesson of banking crisis

ED MILIBAND last night warned that the Coalition has not learnt the lessons of the banking crisis and urged Chancellor George Osborne to slap an extra tax on bankers’ bonuses. His comments came after Bank of England governor Mervyn King warned of a second ­financial meltdown unless banks are reined in. The Labour leader said: “What Mervyn King is saying is this Conservative-led Government has not learned the lessons of the banking crisis and is still not doing enough to tackle the excesses of the industry. They should reinstate the bonus tax so those who caused the crisis contribute more. They should act on transparency.” Mr King said the 2008 crisis and its £500bn bank bail-out could be repeated. – Sunday Mirror

Universities hit out at foreign student visa plans

Universities across the country will have to close vital science and engineering courses and sack staff unless the home secretary, Theresa May, drops controversial plans to limit UK visas for international students, a powerful alliance of vice-chancellors has warned. In a letter to the Observer, 16 vice-chancellors express their “profound concern” at the proposals, making clear that they will have a devastating effect on universities’ incomes and their ability to run the best courses for British, as well as overseas, students. Their intervention will stoke a cabinet battle that has pitted May, who is committed to cut net immigration from 215,000 to 100,000 by 2015, against the business secretary, Vince Cable, and the universities minister, David Willetts. Cable and Willetts are known to be deeply concerned about the damage to universities and the economy if the £5bn-a-year income universities get from overseas students is choked off. The vice-chancellors, many of whom have lobbied ministers privately in recent weeks, have gone public with the joint letter just days after a 12-week Home Office consultation over the changes was concluded. A decision from ministers is imminent. – the Guardian (more…)

Lib Dem rebels get ready to challenge Clegg on NHS

Nick Clegg is facing possible defeat over the government’s NHS changes at his spring party conference next weekend when a heavyweight group of Liberal Democrat figures table an amendment opposing the “damaging and unjustified market-based approach”. Evan Harris, a doctor and former MP and vice-chair of the party’s ruling federal policy committee, will table the amendment, supported by the former cabinet minister Lady Williams, registering their concerns that the current legislation will lead to a widening of UK health inequalities if left unchecked. The government is proposing to give GPs control of more than 80% of the £100bn NHS budget at the same time as driving through efficiency savings of £20bn. The package includes the abolition of primary care trusts. Defeat at his own conference on a central plank of the government’s public service reform agenda would mean Clegg would have to choose between ignoring a vote by his grassroots and negotiating concessions from the prime minister. – the Guardian

Clegg forced into internal fire fighting

Nick Clegg is engaged in a series of last-minute talks with senior Liberal Democrats in an attempt to head off a rebellion at the party’s spring conference in Sheffield next week. Mr Clegg has met a number of backbench MPs, council leaders and peers to shore up his support and limit the damage from Thursday’s disastrous by-election result in Barnsley. The Liberal Democrat leadership fears that anxiety over the party’s poor poll ratings and the prospect of losing control of several large city councils in May’s local elections could spill over into open revolt. It is expecting rank-and-file rebellions over the Coalition’s NHS reform policy and condemnation from the floor over tuition fees. On top of that, thousands of union members and student protesters are set to picket the conference, which will be particularly embarrassing for Mr Clegg as he is a Sheffield MP. One of those Mr Clegg is understood to have met is Greg Mulholland, the head of the newly formed Liberal Democrat Backbench Group. He has also spoken with Warren Bradley, the Liberal Democrat leader of Liverpool council and a critic of higher tuition fees. Mr Bradley has warned that the Coalition’s cuts could result in the Liberal Democrats being wiped out in the North within five years. – the Independent

NICK Clegg was yesterday warned to expect a leadership challenge – after his by-election disaster revealed the full extent of the damage he has done to the Lib Dems by backing Tory cuts. Senior colleagues admitted the party took a humiliating kicking in Barnsley – where they finished SIXTH behind rivals including an independent and the racist BNP – as Labour romped to a comfortable victory. Ex-Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown warned years of “hard pounding” lie ahead. And party official Sue Gymer predicted activists could launch an attempt to topple Mr Clegg within days. With the Lib Dems facing meltdown in May’s local elections, she said people should “wait and see what happens” at the party’s spring gathering in Sheffield next weekend. The chair of the South Cambridgeshire constituency party, added: “I think if it is not at this conference then perhaps the next.” Glum Mr Clegg admitted that opponents would try to “write off” his party in the wake of the devastating result in Barnsley Central. – the Mirror

Is there life left in the Lib Dems?

How the Lib Dem activists react to this reality will be critical in determining whether and, if so, how quickly they recover. Defending a government’s actions will be a new and uncomfortable position for many, especially a Tory-led one that took office with a £150bn+ a year hole in its books. It is hard enough for the Conservatives or Labour to suffer the kind of reverses normally seen mid-term. It will be even more so for the Lib Dems, with their smaller base and previous successes built on a huge amount of hard work. To that end, the AV referendum result really is assuming tremendous importance, not least because of the timing, which will mitigate or exacerbate the gloom on May 6. A No would surely lead many to question whether their achievements in government have been worth the candle; a Yes would give potent answer each time that question was raised. As for rebuilding the machine, the answer’s simple to identify but difficult to do. Like other parties of government, it’s about delivering the policies that the core vote and a large enough segment of floating voters will appreciate. For the Lib Dems – who used to have a huge number of floating voters, including many ‘anti’s – that’ll be no easy task. But what’s the alternative? – Political Betting

Daily Star criticised over EDL stories

The Daily Star has been accused of printing fictional stories by a disgruntled reporter who has resigned over its “hatemongering” anti-Muslim propaganda. In a resignation letter, Richard Peppiatt said he was leaving after the Star gave sympathetic coverage to the far-right English Defence League last month. Peppiatt admits producing a number of fictional stories about celebrities during his two years at the tabloid, a practice he implies was sanctioned by his seniors. The reporter, who was once made to dress up in a burqa, now accuses the paper of inciting racial tensions and Islamaphobia. “You may have heard the phrase ‘the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil sets off a tornado in Texas’,” Peppiatt wrote to the proprietor, Richard Desmond, in a letter seen by the Guardian. “Well, try this: ‘The lies of a newspaper in London can get a bloke’s head caved-in down an alley in Bradford.’ If you can’t see that words matter, you should go back to running porn magazines.” – the Guardian

Labour win in Barnsley as Lib Dems relegated to 6th

Labour have won the Barnsley Central by-election, while the Lib Dems slipped to sixth in the South Yorkshire seat. UKIP, the Conservatives, the BNP and an independent all finished ahead of the Lib Dems, who came second in the seat in last May’s general election. Lib Dem candidate Dominic Carman said his party had been given “a kicking”, while Labour’s victorious Dan Jarvis said it was a message to the coalition. The seat’s previous Labour MP was jailed for fiddling his expenses. Labour got 14,724 votes in the by-election, extending their majority slightly to 11,771, but the turnout fell to 36.5%, compared with 56.4% at the last general election. Labour took 60.8% of the vote, UKIP’s Jane Collins 12.19%, the Conservatives’ James Hockney 8.25%, the BNP’s Enis Dalton 6.04%, Independent Tony Devoy 5.23% and the Liberal Democrats’ Dominic Carman 4.18%. Mr Carman lost his deposit as the party’s share of the vote fell from 17.2% in the 2010 general election to 4.1%. He said: “The voters here in Barnsley have given me and the Liberal Democrats a kicking. We can take it.” – BBC

The result was particularly grim for the Liberal Democrats whose vote fell sharply collapsed despite the party fielding an experienced candidate in Dominic Carman, son of the celebrated barrister George Carman. Voters took revenge on Nick Clegg, whose U-turn on student fees and hawkish line on cuts have made him particularly unpopular in South Yorkshire, where he represents Sheffield’s affluent Hallam constituency. His party was beaten by the BNP and a local independent as well as Labour, Ukip and the Tories.Labour’s Dan Jarvis, a former paratroop major, won an overwhelming share of the vote but on an abysmal turnout of 36.5% which left the coalition partners with humiliatingly low figures. Clegg and the prime minister David Cameron stayed away from the contest, after little evidence emerged that the disgrace of Illsley, Labour MP for 24 years, was damaging Labour’s campaign. A popular former miner, Illsley’s conviction and 12-month prison sentence caused genuine shock locally. – the Guardian

Nick Clegg has played down the significance of the Lib Dems’ sixth-placed finish in Barnsley, saying the by-election was “no contest for any non-Labour candidate”. Mr Clegg affirmed that he would not be swayed by the result and would continue to do what he considered “absolutely vital for the long-term benefit of the country”. Lord Paddy Ashdown, the former Lib Dem leader, called on his party to stand firm in difficult curcumstances after they finished sixth in the Barnsley by-election, losing their deposit and polling behind the BNP. He told Today: “There’s a moment in the battle of Waterloo when the Duke of Wellington rides up and says: ‘Hard pounding gentlemen’. We’ve got to have the discipline and the toughness to stand there and take what needs to be done, do what needs to be done and take the flack for that while this country gets through the most difficult economic crisis it has faced for 40 or 50 years, probably longer than that.” – PolitcsHome (more…)