Clegg humiliated on Lords reform

In vain Mr Clegg tried to persuade MPs that House of Lords reform is a noble cause which should command cross-party support. The Deputy Prime Minister looked and sounded like a victim, and MPs moved in for the kill… The House very soon got into a mood where anything Mr Clegg said sounded absurd. When he said, “I don’t accept the assertion that if you have the audacity to stand for election you somehow lack talent,” people howled with laughter. Mr Clegg did not look over the moon. He did not even look over the Huhne. A parliamentary success can restore morale after a failure in some other field. But Mr Clegg does not look as if he is going to make up for his thumping defeat in the AV referendum by cracking the perhaps insoluble problem of Lords reform. The poor man just looked useless. – the Telegraph

A fightback by Nick Clegg ran into trouble on Tuesday when the deputy prime minister faced Tory and Labour hostility bordering on contempt in both houses of parliament as he vowed to push through an elected second chamber by 2015. In a sign of the bruising battle awaiting Clegg as he seeks to rejuvenate his Lib Dem leadership after an overwhelming defeat in the alternative vote referendum, the Tory cabinet minister charged with selling the Lords reform plans cast doubt over the deputy prime minister’s timetable. Lord Strathclyde, who has privately left Tory peers in no doubt of his scepticism about Clegg’s plans to ensure that at least 80% of the upper house is elected, indicated that a parliamentary bill may not be introduced before the next general election. “If a bill came forward, it would be a government bill and it would be treated as such,” Strathclyde said, appearing to cast doubt on the timetable. The intervention by the leader of the Lords, who joked with Tory peers as they tore into Clegg’s plans during an hour-long statement in the upper house, flew in the face of a commitment from David Cameron at Tuesday’s meeting of the cabinet. – the Guardian

Fox points the finger at colleagues

Defence secretary is said by a source to be convinced that someone on the national security council is out to damage him. Liam Fox believes that a fellow cabinet minister on the national security council tried to damage him by leaking a private letter to David Cameronin which he appeared to challenge the Tories’ pledge to meet a UN target on overseas aid. As William Hague expressed irritation with the defence secretary after the leaking of a second private letter to the prime minister, one senior Whitehall source said that Fox is convinced that a cabinet minister sanctioned the leaking in a deliberate act of sabotage. Fox found himself under pressure when a private letter, in which he raised questions about plans to place Britain’s commitment to spend 0.7% of GNI on aid by 2013 on a statutory footing, appeared in the Times. The defence secretary does not believe that the foreign secretary or Downing Street was behind the leak. But he does believe that another minister on the national security council is seeking to damage him.  “That letter was distributed to the national security council which means that every cabinet minister with a seat on the NSC saw it,” the Whitehall source said. “There are departments which have form.”  – the Guardian

Huhne still under fire

Chris Huhne, the Energy Secretary, was forced to issue a fresh denial of wrongdoing last night after senior figures from within his own party raised doubts about his response to claims that he illegally persuaded his wife to take speeding points on his behalf. It was suggested yesterday that, when Mr Huhne went on camera earlier this week to dismiss the allegations, he was addressing historic claims that a female aide had taken the points on his behalf, rather than his estranged wife, Vicky Pryce. As the Cabinet minister faced growing calls to step aside, a leading Liberal Democrat told The Daily Telegraph that Mr Huhne’s response to Miss Pryce’s allegations “did not stack up” and “sharks are circling”. David Cameron, the Prime Minister, was yet to speak to Mr Huhne directly about the issue and had refrained from giving the minister his “full confidence”. Instead Mr Cameron relied on Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, to discuss the matter with his Lib Dem counterpart. The scale of Mr Huhne’s political isolation became clear yesterday when he was supported by just five ministers as he made a statement on climate change. – the Telegraph

Miliband calls for progressive council coalitions

Ed Miliband has urged Labour councillors to forge coalitions with the Liberal Democrats to run local authorities despite his party’s hostility to Nick Clegg for joining forces with David Cameron. A Labour circular leaked to The Independenttells the party’s councillors: “If Liberal Democrat groups/ councillors, who are committed to standing up to the unfair policies imposed by the Government, wish to join Labour in running the council then we should look to form locally progressive coalitions.” The move will be seen as Mr Miliband’s latest attempt to build links with the Liberal Democrats which could pave the way for a Lib-Lab coalition after the next general election. Although some Labour figures believe the party may struggle to win a majority under its own steam, Mr Miliband insists his strategy is to go all out for a Labour victory. – the Independent

Fox letter on aid budget leaked

Liam Fox has objected to the Government’s plans to protect spending on overseas aid and warned David Cameron that he “cannot support the proposal in its current form” according to a letter leaked to the Times. The Defence Secretary has reportedly discussed the issue with International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell and Foreign Secretary William Hague as well as in meetings with the Prime Minister. The Conservative manifesto promised to devote 0.7% of gross national income to international aid, but Dr Fox is believed to be concerned that committing the promise to law could leave the Government open to a legal challenge. The leaked letter is likely to be seen as an attempt to undermine the Prime Minister and Dr Fox is believed by some to still harbour leadership ambitions despite being pipped to the post by Mr Cameron in 2005. – Politics Home

Dr Fox’s letter, obtained by The Times, makes clear that he raised his concerns with International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell and Foreign Secretary William Hague before writing to the PM. “I have considered the issue carefully, and discussed it with Andrew and William Hague, but I cannot support the proposal in its current form,” wrote Dr Fox. “In 2009 the proportion of national income spent on ODA was only 0.52 per cent.” Putting the commitment no the statute books “could limit HMG(overnment)’s ability to change its mind about the pace at which it reaches the target in order to direct more resources toward other activities or programmes rather than aid”, warned the Defence Secretary. More stringent monitoring requirements may threaten the Ministry of Defence’s ability to report and fund some of its own activities as ODA, he said. And he warned: “I believe that creating a statutory requirement to spend 0.7 per cent ODA carries more risk in terms of potential future legal challenges than, as we have for the covenant, putting into statute recognition of the target and a commitment to an annual report against it. “The latter would be my preferred way to proceed.” Downing Street declined to comment on a leaked letter. – the Independent

Huhne denies wife’s claims

Chris Huhne, the Energy Secretary, put his political career on the line by saying he would welcome a police investigation into claims that he put pressure on his wife to take speeding penalty points on his behalf. As officers considered acting on a formal complaint against the Liberal Democrat Cabinet minister, he went before the cameras for the first time to dismiss claims by his now estranged wife, Vicky Pryce, as “simply incorrect”. Mr Huhne said of the allegations: “They have been made before and they have been shown to be untrue. And I very much welcome the referral to the police as it will draw a line under the matter. “I don’t want to say any more than that. I think the police can get to the bottom of this.” He made the 65-word statement as further details emerged of events on the night of the alleged offence and MPs raised fresh concerns about the harm the affair was causing the Government. – the Telegraph

The pressure on Chris Huhne will increase today as Labour accuses him of trying to duck MPs’ questions on the Government’s strategy for cutting Britain’s carbon emissions. The Liberal Democrat Energy and Climate Change Secretary is fighting to save his Cabinet career after allegations that he allowed another motorist to take points on their licence for a speeding offence he committed in 2003. His former wife, Vicky Pryce, has claimed that he “pressurised people” to take on the points in order to avoid a driving ban – which, if proved, could result in a charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice. Yesterday Mr Huhne put a brave face on the initial inquiries being made by Essex police into the affair. “These allegations are incorrect. They have been made before and found to be untrue and I very much welcome the referral to the police as it will draw a line under the matter,” he told the BBC. – the Independent

MPs push for law to stop forced marriage

Forced marriage should be made a criminal offence to send a stronger message that it will not be tolerated, says a report by a cross-party group of MPs today, which criticises the lack of progress by successive governments on the issue. Organisations such as the Southall Black Sisters and the Honour Network Helpline, which provide vital support to those at risk of forced marriage, are under threat of closure because of funding cuts, warns the report. The cross-party Commons home affairs select committee says ministers and local authorities need to move quickly to prevent these services closing, which would “materially damage” ability to protect and support the victims of forced marriages. The report says forced marriage remains an issue that affects thousands of young people in Britain, and, while more at-risk individuals are seeking help, there is still insufficient support. “This situation is set to worsen, with many specialist services at risk from spending cuts,” it adds. – the Guardian

Social care changes floated by Cameron

Councils could lose some control of their multibillion-pound social care budgets to the NHS as part of the changes to the Government’s health reforms. At present, the NHS is only responsible for funding hospitals and GPs and does not control the budget for long-term care – particularly for the elderly. But yesterday, in a speech to healthcare professionals, David Cameron signalled that this divide could end as part of the Government health reforms. The Prime Minister said the changes “must tackle the longstanding and damaging divide between health and social care, including the bed blocking that still afflicts so many of our hospitals”. At the same time, Stephen Dorrell, the former Conservative Health Secretary and Chairman of the Health Select Committee, suggested that such a change could be included in a reform Health Bill. – the Independent