Brown promises local power
‘Gordon Brown is to stake Labour’s survival on a swift return to economic
growth and giving people more power over their public services, including
the police, he
tells The Times today.’ –
‘There will be three broad themes: creating growth and jobs as the economy
moves out of recession; further reform of public services to tailor them
more to individual concerns; and cleaning up politics. There will be a
series of proposals to give the patient, parent and citizen more control
over their own services. He gave the examples of neighbourhood policing, GP
surgeries and schools.’ –
‘The government is to abandon the most significant education reform of the New Labour era in order to end the centralised control of schools and grant headteachers more powers.’ – Polly Curtis, The Guardian
UK to lead world on climate change
‘The prime minister is to pledge UK leadership in the international battle against climate change.’ – BBC
‘The world’s emissions of the greenhouse gases causing global warming should peak in 2020 and then start to decline, the British Government is proposing in the run-up to the global climate conference taking place at Copenhagen in December.’ – Mike McCarthy, The Independent
Tories’ second jobs
‘Senior shadow cabinet members will retain lucrative second jobs until just before the general election, risking renewed attacks from Labour about the “millionaire’s row” on the Tory frontbench.’ – Allegra Stratton, The Guardian
BBC under pressure
‘BBC bosses spent £363,000 claimed from expense accounts over the past five years, with money from licence-fee payers being used for a £1,277 private jet trip for its director-general and a £99.99 bottle of vintage champagne given to Bruce Forsyth on his 80th birthday.’ – Dan Sabbagh, David Brown and Fiona Hamilton, The Times
Boris expenses row
‘Boris Johnson may have cultivated an image as a bicycling, cost-cutting mayor of London, but according to figures published yesterday he has spent more than £4,500 of public money on taxis – including one bill for £237.’ Matthew Taylor, The Times