Rebels hunt for Gaddafi

The massive green gates were blasted open after seven hours of ferocious fighting and exultant rebels poured into Bab al-Aziziya, Muammar Gaddafi’s fortress and the symbol of the regime’s bloody resistance in Tripoli. The fighters scoured through the complex shouting to each other that they had trapped the dictator in his lair. Frantic early searches failed to find the quarry and the revolutionaries were last night trying to locate a network of tunnels supposedly hidden inside the complex. Meanwhile, they tore down the regime’s green flag from the top of his home, which had been bombed in 1986 by US warplanes, and replaced it with the banner of the revolution. For the revolutionaries, frustrated and angry that their entry into the capital had not resulted in the immediate vanquishing of their hated foe, the fall of the bastion gave cathartic relief. They hugged each other amid repeated cries of “Allahu Akbar”. One of the fighters climbed on to the statue of a clenched fist, a symbol of defiance against the West, and raised his hand in a victory salute. Another statue, that of Colonel Gaddafi, was dragged out of a building by rope, the head torn off and tossed from hand to hand. – the Independent

Clegg in charge of Libya as Cameron goes on holiday… again

Nick Clegg has defended David Cameron’s decision to resume his summer holiday even though the Libyan crisis remains unresolved. The Deputy Prime Minister spoke after taking the Prime Minister’s place as chairman of the National Security Committee dealing with Libya. Mr Cameron is now on holiday in Cornwall – his third week of holiday this summer – with his family. He returned to London on Monday morning, before resuming his holiday again yesterday morning. Earlier this month, he also cut short an Italian holiday to return to work to respond to rioting in London and other English cities. The Deputy Prime Minister insisted that there was nothing wrong with Mr Cameron’s decision to return to Cornwall, saying that the Government could deal with the Libyan situation without him. “We as a Government work collectively very effectively. I regularly chair meetings of the National Security Council and have done so today,” Mr Clegg said. Mr Cameron is “in constant contact with other world leaders and leaders of the National Transitional Council in Libya, and that is exactly the way that we will continue to operate,” Mr Clegg said. – the Telegraph

Cameron red faced as details of NI payments to Coulson revealed

The Conservative party is struggling to defend itself against the disclosure that Andy Coulson, its former head of communications, received six-figure payments from News International while working for the party, despite having previously stated categorically that he had no other income. The party has been asked repeatedly about Coulson’s income, insisting that he was not paid by anyone else during his time at Conservative party HQ and in Downing Street. It offered comprehensive assurances that he had no other income as recently as last month, and apparently after seeking assurances directly from Coulson…. But in a sign of the continued loyalty to Coulson at the top of the government, senior sources in the Conservative party stressed that the severance payments were different from receiving a salary or co-payment from News International. The party refused to answer detailed questions about what assurances Coulson gave about his earnings, whom he had given assurances to, and when. – the Guardian

The Prime Minister is once again facing embarrassment over his decision to hire the former News of the World editor after the BBC reported Mr Coulson received hundreds of thousands of pounds from the newspaper group after he was hired by the Conservative Party. It is alleged that News International continued paying him in instalments until the end of 2007. If confirmed, it would Mr Coulson was receiving money from Rupert Murdoch’s media empire for at least five months while working as the Conservative’s Director of Communications, a role for which he was apparently paid £275,000 a year. The payments were said to be part of a “compromise agreement” following his resignation from the NoW after royal editor Clive Goodman was convicted of phone hacking. This morning, two of News International’s former editors said they did not receive any payment when they left the company. – the Telegraph

So now we hear that Andy Coulson was paid hundreds of thousands of pounds by News International for several months when he was working for David Cameron’s Conservative party. This despite the fact that he let the Commons culture committee believe that he’d had no secondary income. It seems everyone in the Tory party is now running for cover. Nobody knew of anything untoward. Everyone is categorical in their denial. But what they surely cannot deny is that they never really did due diligence. This was a man who had resigned from the News of the Worldunder a cloud. One of his employees had gone to prison for hacking phones, along with a commissioned freelancer. Did anybody ask whether Coulson was still being paid by News International when he arrived at Conservative Central Office? If not, that would be culpable negligence on the side of the accounting officers at the Conservative party in my book. – Chris Bryant, the Guardian

MPs try to save cheques

MPs are battling banks’ plans to abolish cheques. A Treasury Select Committee has warned banks not to attempt to abandon cheques by stealth or deter customers from using cheques. It has also recommended that the Payments Council be brought under regulatory control to stop its “unfettered power to decide the future of cheques”. Andrew Tyrie, the chairman of the committee, said: “The Payments Council is an industry-dominated body with no effective public accountability. It should not have unfettered power to take decisions on matters such as the future of cheques, that are of vital importance to millions of people. Banks have given customers the impression that the abolition of cheques was a foregone conclusion. This type of behaviour is unacceptable.” – the Independent

Coulson continued to be paid by NI

Andy Coulson, the former editor of the News of the World who has been arrested on suspicion of involvement in phone hacking and bribing the police, received several hundred thousand pounds from News International after starting work as the Conservative Party’s Director of Communications in July 2007. These payments were part of his severance package, under what is known as a “compromise agreement”. According to sources, Mr Coulson’s contractual leaving pay was given to him in instalments until the end of 2007 – which means he continued to be financially linked to News International for several months of his tenure as David Cameron’s main media adviser. The disclosure that Mr Coulson maintained a financial relationship with News International after moving into a sensitive role in the Tory Party will be controversial. According to a senior member of the government, Tory Party managers at the time say they were not aware Mr Coulson was receiving these payments from News International while employed by the Conservative Party. – the BBC

The Electoral Commission is to be urged to hold an investigation into whether Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper empire was covertly funding the Conservative Party while David Cameron was leader of the opposition. The call from the Labour MP Tom Watson, who has played the lead role in uncovering the telephone-hacking scandal at Rupert Murdoch’s former newspaper the News of the World, follows a BBC revelation about large payments to David Cameron’s former spin doctor, Andy Coulson. Mr Coulson resigned from the editorship of the News of the World early in 2007, after the newspaper’s royal correspondent Clive Goodman and the private detective Glen Mulcaire were jailed for phone hacking. – the Independent

David Cameron is facing fresh questions about his decision to hire Andy Coulson in 2007 after it was reported that his former communications director received several hundred thousand pounds from his former employer News International after he was hired by the Conservative party. The BBC’s Robert Peston said that Coulson received cash payments from the company until the end of 2007 after his resignation as editor of the News of the World in January of that year. Coulson resigned after Clive Goodman, the former royal editor at the paper, which was closed last month, was jailed for illegally intercepting voicemail messages. The title’s owner News International allegedly agreed to honour the remainder of Coulson’s two-year contract, and the money was paid in instalments. Coulson also continued to receive other benefits, including private health insurance and a company car, for several years. – the Guardian

Cameron returns from holiday as Libyan rebels take Tripoli

David Cameron will chair a meeting of the National Security Council on Libya (NSC-L) today after cutting short his holiday, Downing Street said. The Prime Minister returned to London from Cornwall last night as euphoric Libyan rebels swept into Tripoli. Scenes of jubilation broke out in the capital’s Green Square today as Colonel’s Muammar Gaddafi’s 40-year rule appeared to be crumbling. Gaddafi last night issued a fresh appeal on state television for Libyans to save the capital. In a series of audio messages, he called on his supporters to march in the streets of the capital and “purify it” from “the rats”. He was not shown in the messages. The near-collapse of the regime will come has a huge relief to Mr Cameron, who combined with French president Nicolas Sarkozy to launch international airstrikes to protect the rebels last March. – the Telegraph

This time David Cameron didn’t mind interrupting his holiday. Two weeks after cutting short his main summer break in Tuscany because of the riots, the Prime Minister broke another family holiday in Cornwall to handle Britain’s response to the dramatic endgame in Libya. After taking a high-stakes gamble by calling for international intervention six months ago, Mr Cameron could hardly be blamed for wanting a share of the limelight when Muammar Gaddafi’s regime finally crumbled. Yesterday Mr Cameron addressed TV crews outside Downing Street and was quick to speak by telephone to Mustafa Abdul Jalil, chairman of the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC). But other leaders were also determined to grab the credit in what became a rather unseemly race. Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President, invited Mr Jalil for talks in Paris tomorrow. France plans to host next week a meeting of the “contact group” of nations trying to stabilise Libya since the anti-Gaddafi uprising began. – Independent

Cabinet at war over gang plans

The all-out war that David Cameron promised to wage on gangs after the August riots is threatening to turn into one between government departments. The Prime Minister appointed the Home Secretary Theresa May and the Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith as joint heads of the so-called “gangs committee”, which held its first meeting last week. But already it has run into problems because Mr Duncan Smith, who spent months in opposition working on problems of social exclusion, has long-term plans to set gang members back on the straight and narrow. He wants to introduce an anti-gangs strategy modelled on those tried out in Boston, Massachusetts, and in Strathclyde, both of which were highly praised by David Cameron. But his ambitious proposals are not popular with the police, who face drastic cuts to their budgets and object to the potential cost. – Independent

Rebels reach Tripoli

Rebel fighters celebrated victory in Tripoli’s Green Square last night as heavy fighting continued in the capital. Hours after Colonel Gaddafi congratulated his forces for standing firm, his son Saif al Islam was arrested by the opposition, the International Criminal Court confirmed. The rebel troops landed by sea to re-inforce an uprising inside the capital, signalling that the bloody endgame to the civil war was fast approaching, with revolutionary forces surrounding the city. The regime sent tanks into residential areas and opened fire on protesters in an attempt to claw back control. Gaddafi turned thousands of troops on opposition members inside the capital, with claims from fleeing residents of homes destroyed and roadside executions. But some of the rebel fighters entering Tripoli from the western side of the city were greeted by cheering crowds late last night, with some people tearing up portraits of Gaddafi. Mohammed Ilyash, an engineer, one of those celebrating, declared: “This is the birth of new Libya. We are seeing our country coming out of a dark and frightening time. We welcome our young men who are bringing us freedom.” His friend, Omar Ali Baidi, added: “We now want to see justice catch up with Gaddafi and his family.” However, ferocious fighting continued at other parts of the city late into the evening as Col Gaddafi, in an audio broadcast, called on the people of Tripoli, including women, to resist the “collaborators with the imperialists”. – the Independent

Hundreds of rebel fighters pushed into the centre of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, late on Sunday as their battle to overthrow the 42-year rule ofMuammar Gaddafi moved closer to ending in victory. Rebels waved opposition flags and fired guns into the air in jubilation after reaching Tripoli’s central Green Square, the symbolic heart of the city, in the early hours of Monday morning. Delighted residents were seen pouring into the streets to celebrate and greet the rebel fighters as they advanced through the suburbs towards the centre. The prosecutor of the international criminal court said one of Gaddafi’s sons, Saif al-Islam, who has been indicted along with his father on crimes against humanity charges had been detained. The head of the rebel Transitional National Council, Mustafa Abd el-Jalil said that his fighters who had detained Saif al-Islam had been given instructions to “treat him well”. There were also reports that Gaddafi’s eldest son, Mohammed, and the presidential guard had surrendered but Gaddafi’s Bab al-Aziziya compound was still under the control of the regime. – the Guardian

Little real action to reduce gangs

“Gang-busting” measures championed by Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith are in doubt because of budget cuts.  Waltham Forest Council yesterday attacked the Government for failing to support a best-practice gang-tackling project. The East London council claims the project, which has been running since January, has been an “uphill struggle” because of funding shortages. In Birmingham today a man will appear in court accused of the murder of three men hit by a car during the 10 August riots. The three men were protecting the Winson Green area from looters when they were struck. – PoliticsHome

Prince Charles’ charities push government for support

Prince Charles’s charities have lobbied government ministers and senior officials to change policies on politically sensitive topics including VAT rates and regional development spending, according to letters and emails obtained by the Guardian. In a series of interventions that will re-ignite debate about the Prince of Wales’s alleged “meddling” in politics, charities set up by the prince in line with his social and environmental goals have called on the government to change policies. Business in the Community, a charity of which Charles has been president for 25 years, urged the business secretary, Vince Cable, to rethink a decision to scrap the Northwest Regional Development Agency, according to documents released under the Freedom of Information Act. In another case, the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment urged the local government minister, Grant Shapps, to incorporate greater community engagement in planning and promoted its own planning work around the country as something for him to consider in the national planning policy framework. – the Guardian

Gimmick: take your minister to work day

The government has been accused of using “gimmicky” policies over a scheme to get families into work. The project, revealed yesterday, will involve ministers volunteering to mentor a family in which two or three generations have not worked. The politicans involved include Tim Loughton, the Children and Families Minister, and the Employment Minister Chris Grayling, The Sunday Times reported. The Department for Education confirmed Mr Loughton’s involvement, but Mr Grayling told Sky News that his participation was “news to me”. Vernon Coaker, the Shadow home office minister, dismissed the idea as “gimmicky”. He said: “It smacks of something that gets a headline, but what is going on underneath?” – the Independent

New evidence points towards Coulson

Rupert Murdoch, James Murdoch and their former editor Andy Coulson all face embarrassing new allegations of dishonesty and cover-up after the publication of an explosive letter written by the News of the World’s disgraced royal correspondent, Clive Goodman. In the letter, which was written four years ago but published only on Tuesday, Goodman claims that phone hacking was “widely discussed” at editorial meetings at the paper until Coulson himself banned further references to it; that Coulson offered to let him keep his job if he agreed not to implicate the paper in hacking when he came to court; and that his own hacking was carried out with “the full knowledge and support” of other senior journalists, whom he named. The claims are acutely troubling for the prime minister, David Cameron, who hired Coulson as his media adviser on the basis that he knew nothing about phone hacking. And they confront Rupert and James Murdoch with the humiliating prospect of being recalled to parliament to justify the evidence which they gave last month on the aftermath of Goodman’s allegations. In a separate letter, one of the Murdochs’ own law firms claim that parts of that evidence were variously “hard to credit”, “self-serving” and “inaccurate and misleading”. – the Guardian

The allegations that Andy Coulson ordered his executives at the News of the World to stop openly discussing phone hacking and that he promised Clive Goodman his job back as long as he did not drop any other staff in it when he pleaded guilty to hacking is yet another problem for David Cameron. Until yesterday, the only written evidence linking Mr Coulson directly to any criminality had been emails suggesting that he authorised payments to police officers for information. Those documents – while hugely damaging – could still allow Mr Coulson to claim that he did not know about hacking and Mr Cameron to claim that Mr Coulson had not lied to him. But now it is alleged by Mr Goodman that Mr Coulson not only knew about phone hacking but ordered its cover-up as well. This raises fresh questions about the assurances Mr Coulson gave to Mr Cameron when he was hired and increases the chance that the Prime Minister may eventually have to admit that he was wholly deceived by a man he chose to take into the heart of the Downing Street machine. – the Independent

Lib Dems say Tory riot rhetoric “bonkers”

Liberal Democrat politicians indicated on Tuesday that they have deep concerns over David Cameron‘s uncompromising post-riots law-and-order agenda, with the party’s home affairs spokeswoman in the Lords telling the Guardian there should be “zero tolerance with zero tolerance”. Lady Hamwee, who led the Lords revolt against Tory plans for electedpolice commissioners earlier this year, said the pledge by the prime minister of zero tolerance on criminality was taking matters too far. Her comment suggests Cameron will meet stiff resistance when parliament returns in September. Lib Dem backbenchers went further when contacted by the Guardian and accused their coalition partners of short-termism and kneejerk reactions. David Ward, MP for Bradford East, described plans to withdraw offenders’ benefits as “nuts”, and Tessa Munt, the MP for Wells, said the plans were “bonkers, bonkers, bonkers”. She said: “Frankly, this all smacks of headline grabbing by Conservatives, not calm, rational policy-making.” The vice-chair of the party’s federal policy committee, Evan Harris, said he would table an amendment at the party conference asking members to vote to block Cameron’s contemplation of barring individuals suspected of causing social unrest from Twitter and Facebook. – the Guardian

More uncertainty as Germany and France defend the Euro

Germany and France looked to have failed again to calm feverish financial markets despite unveiling a raft of economic agreements at a summit in Paris. Traders reacted with exasperation as Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy repeated their “absolute will to defend the euro” and “shore up investor confidence” yet refused to back the shattered currency with eurobonds or a bigger bail-out fund. The failure to address the two measures left many traders ruing what they see as a lack of political leadership. Edward Meir from MF Global in New York said: “It doesn’t look like the two biggest items were seriously discussed — the potential for a eurobond and the size of the stabilization/bailout fund. At €450bn [the European Financial Stability Facility] could easily be wiped out if one of the larger countries gets into trouble.” Phil Flyn from PFG Best in Chicago said: “The market was holding out hope that we would be closer to a eurobond… What we’re moving towards is more uncertainty.” – the Telegraph

David loves Center Parcs

To some, Center Parcs offers a nightmare image of forced jollity at a water-themed prison camp. Now David Miliband has urged holidaymakers to cast off their snobbery, following a life-changing experience at the holiday village. While David Cameron enjoyed luxury in Tuscany and Mr Miliband’s brother Ed took a family trip to Devon, the former foreign secretary has hailed the delights of the Pont Royal Center Parcs resort in Provence. Writing a post entitled Holiday Harmony, Mr Miliband castigates sophisticates who scoffed at their destination. “The week in Provence got all the usual approval,” he wrote. “But when we said we were having a week at Center Parcs, we got a few raised eyebrows. One person said they had heard it described as an open prison.” – the Independent