Labour’s future
’Labour must reinvent itself for the 21st Century, Foreign Secretary David Miliband has told the BBC.
Ahead of a speech on its future, he said it should listen more to trade unionists and give money to charity.’ – BBC
‘The foreign secretary, David Miliband, will today call for a fundamental reform of the Labour party’s structure, including open primaries for candidates and access to big party meetings for 3 million people who pay political levies to unions.’ – Patrick Wintour, The Guardian
‘We are all assuming there will be the mother of all battles for Labour’s future after the expected election defeat. But few had thought hostilities would break out now, with an election less than a year away. Yet that is exactly what is happening. Ministers have clearly decided that Brown won’t budge, and it’s hard to influence him, so they might as will start to lay out the ground for the future.’ – Jackie Ashley, The Guardian
Overseas aid spending
‘The UK is to spend £1bn ($1.6bn) a year in overseas aid on countries that have recently emerged from conflict.
The money will target security and job creation rather than traditional areas such as health and education.’ – BBC
Cameron pledge to cut quangos
‘David Cameron is pledging to cut the number of unelected quangos to save money and increase accountability. A Tory government would close one schools quango, while another – media regulator Ofcom – would be stripped of its policy-making role, he will say.’ – BBC
’Quangos (quasi non-governmental organisations) inhabit a twilight zone unaffected by the robust questioning of politics or the rigours of the market. The financial and governance crisis has seen bankers and MPs on the frontline with their practices exposed for all to see, while officials running these bodies lurked in the shadows. Could their immunity now be challenged?’ – Elizabeth Truss, The Guardian
Security issues
‘This week’s report on Britain’s security from the Institute for Public Policy Research deserves to land with the impact of a bomb among the decision-makers of both major political parties. Neither party currently offers a credible vision for the nation’s defences, or acknowledges the brutality of the economic choices. Both Labour and the Tories merely promise a post-election defence review. This could scarcely be completed before 2011, delaying implementation for much longer.’ – Max Hastings, The Financial Times
Car scrappage scheme success
‘The UK’s car scrappage scheme has started to have a “positive impact” on the industry as new car sales fell at their slowest rate for almost a year.’ – BBC
Emissions goals
‘Leaders of G8 nations are to set a target to cut greenhouse gases by 80% by 2050, the BBC understands.’ – BBC