Last minute decision to ditch the Harriers

The highly-controversial cut to the Harrier force – condemned last week by several former heads of the service as “perverse” and risking “national humiliation” – was decided only three days before the final announcement of the defence review, sources said. Until then, the plan had been to scrap the RAF’s Tornado fleet, the oldest strike aircraft currently in service. In a tense meeting, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, the First Sea Lord, told Mr Cameron that he “could not endorse as his military advice” the decision to axe the Harriers and considered it a “political, not military decision. Senior defence sources said much of the £4.7 billion of cuts in the review was only decided in a series of meetings at 10 Downing Street over the weekend of 16/17 October, two to three days before it was announced. “There was little more than some PowerPoint presentations and Excel spreadsheets for financial planning,” said one source. He said the MoD was left “starting from scratch” that weekend on some of the contentious issues,” – The Telegraph

NUS launch strategy to oust Lib Dems

The National Union of Students will launch a “decapitation” strategy aimed at ousting Nick Clegg and other top Liberal Democrats from parliament in protest at the party’s U-turn on student fees. The move aims to build on anger about coalition policies – which spilled over into violence on Wednesday – in Lib Dem-held constituencies with large student populations. The key targets will be Clegg in Sheffield Hallam, Simon Wright in Norwich South, Stephen Williams in Bristol West and Don Foster in Bath. Aaron Porter, president of the NUS, said the campaign would aim to force out Lib Dems who break their pre-election pledge to oppose any rise intuition fees. The move has echoes of the Lib Dems’ own “decapitation strategy” in 2005, when the party threw resources into efforts to oust leading Tories with narrow majorities, including Michael Howard and Theresa May. Porter said the NUS will make use of a coalition idea for holding MPs to account that was championed by Clegg himself. The “right to recall” initiative, which has yet to became law, proposes that a byelection can be called if an MP is judged guilty of serious wrongdoing and 10% of constituents want him or her removed. – The Observer

Lib Dem president says pact would be “raving mad”

The new president of the Liberal Democrats last night dismissed the idea of a long-term pact with the Tories as “absolutely stark raving mad”. In comments likely to raise the hackles of traditional Conservatives, Tim Farron told The Independent on Sunday his politics is “very much built upon an anger at the injustice” of Margaret Thatcher’s premiership. “The fact there’s a good working relationship is something we should celebrate, but not assume there is any kind of attempt to assimilate,” he said, just hours after defeating ex-MP and former London mayoral candidate Susan Kramer to the presidency by 14,593 votes to 12,950. “You would have to be absolutely stark raving mad to think there’s any chance of a merger or closer relationship or a pact with the Conservatives.” Lib Dems will contest every seat, he added. – The Independent (more…)

Coulson “dossier” passed to the Crown Prosecution Service

Scotland Yard has handed prosecutors a file containing new evidence on the phone-hacking scandal surrounding David Cameron’s top spin doctor. The announcement comes less than a week after Andy Coulson was interviewed by police. The information has been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service, which will now consider it before deciding if charges should be brought. The move will increase pressure on the Prime Minister over his decision to employ Mr Coulson as his head of communications. – The Herald

Coulson under the spot light again

Scotland Yard said a dossier had been passed to specialist lawyers at the Crown Prosecution Service. It is understood to contain transcripts from four police interviews with ex-employees of the newspaper, including Mr Coulson, its former editor. Clive Goodman, 49, a senior journalist on the Sunday tabloid, was sentenced to four months in 2007 for conspiracy to access phone messages involving Princes William and Harry. Glenn Mulcaire, 36, a freelance “researcher”, got six months. A Metropolitan Police inquiry was revived earlier this year following an investigation by the The New York Times which alleged that the practice was more widespread at the News of the World than previously admitted. Mr Coulson, who was editor at the time, has always insisted he did not know about or authorise the activity. Sean Hoare, a former reporter who made claims about Mr Coulson, was questioned by police under caution but not arrested. Mr Coulson was questioned as a witness earlier this month and was not under caution or arrested. Two other men have also been interviewed. Paul McMullan, who handled investigations at the newspaper, has said that illegal activity was so widespread in the newsroom that the editor must have known about it. –The Telegraph

Scotland Yard said today it had uncovered new material about phone hacking at the News of the World and had sent a file of evidence to prosecutors who will now consider if there is a strong enough case to bring criminal charges. The controversy presents a danger to David Cameron’s communications director, Andy Coulson, who was editor of the News of the World when a reporter and private investigator were convicted and jailed for hacking voice messages involving Princes William and Harry. A number of journalists have come forward to say the practice was more widespread than the tabloid has admitted and known about by Coulson, a claim that he denies. – The Guardian

Lib Dems plotted to ditch tuition fees pledge

The Liberal Democrats were drawing up plans to abandon Nick Clegg‘s flagship policy to scrap university tuition fees two months before the general election, secret party documents reveal. As the Lib Dem leader faces a growing revolt after this week’s violent protest against fee rises, internal documents show the party was drawing up proposals for Coalition negotiations which contrasted sharply with Clegg’s public pronouncements.  A month before Clegg pledged in April to scrap the “dead weight of debt”, a secret team of key Lib Dems made clear that, in the event of a hung parliament, the party would not waste political capital defending its manifesto pledge to abolish university tuition fees within six years. In a document marked “confidential” and dated 16 March, the head of the secret pre-election coalition negotiating team, Danny Alexander, wrote: “On tuition fees we should seek agreement on part-time students and leave the rest. We will have clear yellow water with the other [parties] on raising the tuition fee cap, so let us not cause ourselves more headaches.” – The Guardian (more…)

Charities, anti-poverty groups and churches also reacted with anger to claims by Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, that the Tory-LibDem Coalition would not punish people trying to find work. Critics pointed out that ministers plan to dock 10% of housing benefit from anyone who has been unemployed for a year, no matter how hard they are looking for a job. Other proposals outlined yesterday include withdrawing unemployment benefit entirely for up to three years from those who refuse job offers, and forcing some unemployed people into unpaid manual labour. Unions accused the Coalition of a campaign to create a new class of “undeserving poor” to mask swingeing public spending cuts that could leave tens of thousands of Scots out of work. Charities also warned that penalising the “workshy” would hurt children not responsible for their parents’ actions. – The Herald

Iain Duncan Smith is not a bad man. Since he visited the Easterhouse estate in Glasgow, his politics have been about battling poverty. The trouble is, he is part of a Tory government set to bring back the inequality of the 80s. Everyone agrees the welfare system needs fixing. Complicated tax credits should be replaced by a universal credit with fewer forms and fiddles. And the workless need to be shifted off Incapacity Benefit and into jobs. But where will these jobs come from? By the Government’s own admission, their cuts will cost half a million public sector jobs, with another half million likely to go in the private sector. Worst of all, the Government is scrapping the policies which help people back into work. So, out goes the Young Persons Job Guarantee and out goes the Future Jobs Fund. In Stoke-on-Trent, this put 500 into employment. –The Mirror

Shadow Welsh Secretary Peter Hain, a former Work and Pensions Secretary, questioned whether the reforms would work. “A higher proportion of people in Wales depend upon benefits both because of Wales’ legacy of heavy and dangerous industry history and high unemployment,” he said. “For these reasons, there is a real danger the Government’s new welfare proposals will hit Wales harder than any other part of Britain. Everybody supports a simpler system of benefits which helps to make work pay. “When I was Secretary of State for Work and Pensions I made changes which did precisely this. But forcing people off benefit, or making cuts in their payments, when there are no jobs available would be punitive. “I fear the Government’s new regime will usher in a new poor law causing widespread misery and injustice in Wales.” – Western Mail

Iain Duncan Smith’s benefit cuts were branded “horrific” yesterday – by the pal who inspired him to reform the welfare system. Bob Holman, the community activist who famously toured Glasgow’s Easterhouse scheme with the former Tory leader in 2002, attacked Con-Dem plans to stop benefits for claimants who refuse a job. He said: “It’s horrific. There are many vulnerable people who are not able to work who will be made to work. “They face breakdown and going into an institution, which will be more costly. “What about their children? They will face even more poverty. Kids on the bottom rung already have inadequate food and clothing. – Daily Record

Cameron defends snapper

Mr Parsons had planned to be on the plane this week accompanying Mr Cameron on a five-day trip to China and South Korea. However, after the controversy over his appointment grew last week he was stood down. Government sources admit that he will now have to spend time on other Whitehall projects so that Mr Cameron’s assertion that Mr Parsons will work across different departments is seen to be true. Last week at Prime Minister’s Questions Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, taunted Mr Cameron over his “vanity” photographer and the decision to promote Mr Parsons on to the Government payroll. To compound Mr Cameron’s problems it emerged that other “vanity” staff were now being put on short-term civil service contracts. They include Nicky Woodhouse, a filmmaker who in Opposition produced the Tory leader’s “WebCameron” broadcasts. – The Telegraph (more…)

Small minority steal the headlines

London mayor Boris Johnson said he was appalled that a small minority “shamefully abused” their right to protest and warned that those involved with “face the full force of the law”. He said: “The Metropolitan Police Commissioner has assured me that there will be a vigorous post-incident investigation. He will also be reviewing police planning and response.” National Union of Students president Aaron Porter described the violence as “despicable” and said a minority of protesters who planned to cause trouble had “hijacked” the march. The police inquiry is likely to focus on police preparation for the march, including the decision to categorise it as low risk and to draft in only around 225 officers to marshal more than 50,000 people. The tactics of public order commanders once violence erupted will also come under the spotlight after officers were ordered not to intervene as protesters attacked the building. – The Independent

The idiots who stormed Millbank Tower yesterday and threw a fire extinguisher from the roof have rightly been condemned for their violent actions. The agitators owe an apology to the primarily peaceful students who protested in London yesterday against education cuts. The media focus has inevitably turned to policing – ignoring the important issues at stake. A fair bit is known about the impact of rising tuition feesand the cuts to university teaching budgets. Much less is known about the £500 million cuts to the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). – Left Foot Forward

LibDem MPs signed a pledge not to increase tuition fees before May’s General Election. Before the violent scenes yesterday afternoon Nick Clegg, the LibDem Deputy Prime Minister, had faced accusations that he had betrayed students in the House of Commons as he stood in for David Cameron at PMQs. Last night, attention returned to the LibDems as the National Union of Students (NUS), who organised the march and condemned the “small minority” who cased the violence, said it planned to use the Government’s heavily trailed plans to “recall” errant MPs to force by-elections in Liberal seats. Liam Burns, the president of NUS Scotland, expressed concern that the march was undermined by the actions of a few. “I’m not going to defend the actions of a few hundred idiots,” he said. “Many of the Scottish students on the march travelled overnight, some for more than 17 hours. Nothing should detract from the strength of feeling across the country against the UK Government’s plans.” He added: “These proposals would have a huge impact north of the Border. Cuts will be passed on to the Scottish Parliament.” Ann McKechin, the Labour Shadow Scotland Secretary, said students had legitimate concerns. – The Herald

Over 50,000 people brought Westminster to a standstill with a peaceful march past Parliament to protest against the proposal to increase tuition fees to up to £9,000 a year. But the demonstration turned nasty when a crowd smashed its way into the Conservative Party’s headquarters in Millbank, cheered on by hundreds more outside. The ferocity of the protest ended the high hopes of a new era of consensus politics promised by David Cameron when he took office exactly six months ago. – Belfast Telegraph

Cameron says costs will go down for foreign students as costs go up for British students

During a visit to China, the Prime Minister said Government plans to lift the cap on fees for British students would mean foreigners could be charged less. British students currently pay significantly lower fees than overseas youngsters who want to take degrees here. However, the cap for British students could be lifted from around £3,000 to a maximum of £9,000 a year under planned reforms. Mr Cameron replied: “In the past, we have pushed up the fees on overseas students as a way of keeping them down for domestic students. “Yes, foreign students will still pay a significant amount of money, but we should be able to bring that growth under control. ”We won’t go on increasing so fast the fees of the overseas students.” Meanwhile, in the House of Commons, Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat Deputy Prime Minister, admitted that he and his party broke a promise to voters over student tuition fees. Standing in for David Cameron at Prime Minister’s Question Time, he conceded that he had “not been able to deliver the policy that we held in opposition” after abandoning a pledge to scrap university fees altogether. – The Telegraph

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“Rushed and ill considered” housing benefit plans

Simon Hughes, the Lib Dem Deputy Leader, warned that he would vote against proposals to dock housing benefits payouts by 10 per cent from unemployed claimants who had been out of work for more than a year. The Prime Minister’s spokesman confirmed that all Liberal Democrats serving within the Government would be expected to back the plans. Sources said that as Mr Hughes was not a member of the Government, he would not be disciplined if he failed to back the measure. But a rebellion led by such a senior figure within the party would be highly embarrassing for Nick Clegg, the Lib Dem Deputy Prime Minister, and lead to significant tensions within the Coalition. During a Commons’ debate on the housing benefit proposals, Mr Hughes, who represents the inner London constituency of Bermondsey and Old Southwark, said moves to cap payouts at £400 a week must not result in residents being driven from their communities. He added: “The proposal to knock 10 per cent off people’s benefit if they have been out of work for a year is not a proposal I can support.” – The Telegraph

Douglas Alexander, the shadow work and pensions secretary, today accused the government of “running scared” of its own MPs overhousing benefit plans he branded “rushed and ill-considered”. But Alexander was criticised for saying Labour was “in favour” of housingbenefit reform but giving few other details. Labour dedicated its opposition day debate to the coalition’s housing benefit changes, which include a 10% cut from 2013 for those out of work for more than a year and an overall cap of £250 a week for a one-bedroom property, rising to £400 a week for a four-bedroom or larger home. The raft of changes will also see new social housing tenants face rental charges of up to 80% of market rate. The government is also imposing a £500 cap on the total benefits a household can claim per week. – The Guardian

PLP unrest over Woolas

Acting Labour leader Harriet Harman yesterday sparked mutiny in her party over her treatment of expelled MP Phil Woolas. Four Shadow Cabinet ministers and nine backbench MPs slammed Ms Harman after she said the ex-minister’s career was over even if he overturns an election ban. Mr Woolas is appealing after he was thrown out of Parliament for three years for lying about his Lib Dem opponent during the General Election campaign. The MPs told Ms Harman, standing in for leader Ed Miliband who is on paternity leave, she was wrong not to wait for all the legal avenues to be exhausted. One said: “Feelings were running high. There was a general feeling that Phil is one of our own and should be looked after and supported.” Another added: “There is a strong sense of injustice especially when you look at what the Lib Dems have said at elections in the past.” – The Mirror (more…)

By-election put on hold

A by-election to select a new MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth has been put on hold pending the outcome of an attempt by Phil Woolas, who won the seat for Labour in May, to overturn a court decision ruling his election void. John Bercow, the Speaker of the Commons, said that the courts were attempting to expedite a decision on judicial review to ensure that the constituency was not left without an MP for too long. Woolas’s legal team indicated that they expect a decision by next week, suggesting that the byelection could still go ahead before Christmas. – The Guardian

I can understand why he wants to fight every inch of the way and why he is pursuing his bid for a judicial review in his favour to try to get Friday’s court ruling overturned. But it does seem that even if he were to win an 11th-hour reprieve, the hostile reaction of Harman and others suggests there is no way back for him. There’s no way, it seems, that the Labour leadership will have him as the party’s candidate in a new poll in Oldham East and Saddleworth, whatever the outcome of the legal process. There has, however, already been a backlash from Labour MPs about the way the party leadership has treated Woolas. I’m told that Harriet Harman – acting leader of the party once again while Ed Miliband bonds with the new Mili-baby – got a “mauling” from Labour MPs at Monday evening’s meeting of the PLP. – Sky

Tory MP Edward Leigh and Labour’s David Winnick demanded a Commons debate about the “enormous constitutional issues” raised by the judgment – saying it was for voters to kick out MPs. “It is for the people to evict Members of Parliament, not the judges,” Mr Leigh said. “What worries me about this is, if this is allowed to stand then it will become virtually impossible that there be really robust debate during elections.” Mr Winnick said he feared beaten candidates would in future use “any means” to claim an unfair campaign had been fought. – The Independent

Proud father

Ed Miliband today announced the birth of his second child in a manner that combined traditional parental pride with the style expected of a modern politician: he tweeted it. “Thanks for all the good wishes. He’s gorgeous. Mum and baby doing great,” Miliband declared in well under 140 characters. Later the Labour leader expanded on the gorgeousness by adding: “He looks a bit like me.” Miliband and his partner, environmental barrister Justine Thornton, both 40, were caught by surprise by the speed with which their 8lb 3oz baby arrived at University College Hospital, a 15 minute drive from their north London home, late on Sunday night. “We didn’t know he would come quite as quickly as he did. Justine did absolutely brilliantly,” Miliband said in a brief exchange with reporters outside the hospital. – The Guardian (more…)

IDS under fire over “social zoning”

Large swaths of southern England will become off limits to housing benefit recipients in a little more than a decade because of the government’s proposed plans to cut welfare bills – triggering a huge migration of the poor to the north – according to a study by housing experts. The work, by the Chartered Institute of Housing, shows that before 2025 rents on most two-bedroom properties in the south will become unaffordable to those claiming local housing allowance. Within 15 years, much of London’s commuter belt will become too expensive for the state to pay for the poor to live in. Towns such as Chelmsford, Newbury, Bath and Maidstone would be no-go areas for those on benefits and all of Hertfordshire would be out of bounds. The capital would be unaffordable within a decade. – The Guardian

Dr Rowan Williams said plans to make claimants work or lose benefits were unfair and suggested that cuts to housing benefit could lead to “social zoning” with the poor pushed out of affluent areas […] Dr Williams suggested that the Coalition’s approach to welfare reform risked demonising and demoralising “vulnerable” claimants. “People who are struggling to find work and struggling to find a secure future are, I think, driven further into a downwards spiral of uncertainty, even despair, when the pressure is on in that way,” he said in a radio interview. “It can make people who start feeling vulnerable feel more vulnerable. “People are often in this starting place not because they are wicked or stupid or lazy but because circumstances have been against them. To drive that spiral deeper does seem a great problem.” – The Telegraph

Coulson interviewed by police

David Cameron will face fresh questions over the fate of his communications director Andy Coulson this week, after the Labour Party made it clear it expects the Prime Minister to address the issue directly. Downing Street confirmed over the weekend that Mr Coulson had been interviewed by Scotland Yard detectives about allegations of phone-hacking during his tenure at the News of the World. No 10 said Mr Coulson had attended a meeting with Metropolitan Police officers voluntarily on Thursday and was interviewed as a witness. He was not cautioned or arrested. – The Independent

Labour is keeping up the pressure on David Cameron’s director of communications, Andy Coulson, by asking whether he has had civil service help over claims he denies of complicity in illegal phone hacking while editing the News of the World, it is reported today. Shadow Cabinet Office minister Jon Trickett is to write to Sir Gus O’Donnell, head of the civil service, to ask if official time was spent advising Coulson, the Financial Times reports today. A Conservative source told it there was “no intervention” and the question was pointless. Coulson was interviewed by police last week. – The Guardian (more…)

Osborne under fire for “misleading the public”

The chancellor, George Osborne, came under fire today from MPs on the Treasury select committee, charged with “misleading the public” for claiming the UK was near bankruptcy in the weeks after he took office. He was accused of using inflammatory language to justify massive public spending cuts. The committee chairman, Tory MP Andrew Tyrie, said Osborne’s claim that Britain had been “on the brink of bankruptcy” was “a bit over the top”. He also challenged the chancellor’s claims that his emergency budget had been progressive, accusing him of “over-egging it a bit”. Tyrie’s comments followed heated exchanges during which Osborne was tackled over his handling of plans to cut central and local government spending. The chancellor has repeatedly justified the cuts as a reasonable response to unprecedented debt levels and the threat from credit ratings agencies to downgrade the UK’s blue-chip AAA rating […] “I think there is something there to look at when making these remarks, which do look to me more like the language of opposition than government. Tell it as it is.” – The Guardian

Mr Osborne, who appeared before a Commons committee yesterday, was criticised by its Conservative chairman, Andrew Tyrie, for exaggerated claims that his recent budget was progressive – affecting the rich more than the poor, despite strong declarations from the respected independent think tank the Institute of Fiscal Studies that it would have exactly the opposite effect, particularly after 2012. Equally, Mr Tyrie was unhappy that Mr Osborne had exaggerated the dangers facing the UK earlier this year by saying that the country was close to bankruptcy. Mr Osborne should be more statesmanlike now that he holds senior political office, said Mr Tyrie. However, the chancellor was unrepentant: “The situation I found myself in May this year was incredibly serious for this country. The largest bond investor in the world said UK gilts were a no-go area.” – Irish Times

Cable vs Cameron: round 26

David Cameron has moved to head off a damaging row with Vince Cable by allowing companies based in London to transfer employees from abroad to the capital without falling foul of the Government’s new immigration cap. The Business Secretary has been at loggerheads with the Prime Minister over the issue and warned that companies were considering moving jobs abroad because they could not recruit the staff they needed. Mr Cameron said yesterday that new limits on non-European immigration would not mean a change to existing “inter-company transfers”. It will be criticised by some Conservative MPs who will see it as a further “sop” to the Lib Dems that waters down tougher Tory measures. – The Telegraph (more…)