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 Read the rest of this entry »

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 Read the rest of this entry »

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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