"To ensure ... older people do not lose out, for the duration of this Parliament the annual increases in ... the age related allowance and other thresholds for older people will ... increase by the equivalent of the RPI," the 2011 Red Book, the official document detailing Budget measures, said on page 35. ? Oliver Wright in the Independent says the government's statutory register of lobbyists would only cover 5% of lobbying directed at MPs and peers.Ministers plan to bring in legislation requiring all "those who undertake lobbying activities on behalf of a third party" to register as lobbyists. David Cameron has claimed the plan will "shine a light of transparency" on the political influence lobbyists enjoy.
Fuel strike crisis: Politics live blog9.00am: Downing Street is getting away with Olympomania. Here's an extract from the email they sent out to journalists yesterday afternoon.The prime minister will host a meeting focusing on how Britain is ready to stage an incredible Games and the final preparations taking place in the weeks ahead. Attendees will include the president of the IOC Jacques Rogge,
kate spade bags, the president of the IPC Sir Philip Craven, Lord Coe, the secretary of state for culture, media and sport Jeremy Hunt and the sports minister Hugh Robertson."Incredible" Games? I presume they mean excellent. As regular readers may have guessed, I haven't succumbed to Olympomania myself, but, with the Commons not setting because MPs have started their Easter recess, the Olympics press conference will be one of the highlights of the day and I will be covering it in full.
The Minister and the Permanent Secretary should take action as necessary to ensure there can be no actual or perceived conflict of interest in line with the principles of the Ministerial Code. e. Permanent Secretaries should take responsibility for ensuring departmental procedures are followed, and for raising any concerns with Ministers, advising the Cabinet Secretary and ultimately the Prime Minister where such concerns are not resolved. 5.49pm: The full report is now on the Cabinet Office website (pdf).I'll post a clear summary shortly.5.51pm: Liam Fox has just put out this statement about the report.I am pleased that the report makes clear that the two most serious allegations,
ytcgzx, namely of any financial gain sought, expected or received by myself and any breach of national security, have no basis.
But this I can promise: that we know what needs to be done and we are doing it.Get the deficit under control, get the foundations for recovery in place, defend the long-term interests of our country and hold our course.As prime minister, I will do whatever it takes to keep Britain safe from the storm. 11.16am: The full text of David Cameron's speech is now on the Number 10 website.11.17am: Cameron did do a Q&A session with journalists after the speech. As soon as it pops up on BBC News or Sky, I'll cover it.11.21am: Chuka Umunna, the shadow business secretary, says Cameron has "his head in the sand". Cameron has run out of excuses for the fact that the economy has failed to grow,
cnnhkids, Umunna tells BBC News.
So today I can announce they will all be brought together and simplified in a new Co-Operatives Bill that will be put before parliament. 12.05pm: Cameron is taking questions now.Q: Will you stop executives in poorly-performing state-owned banks getting ￡1m bonuses?Yes, says Cameron. He says today's story in the FT (see 10.48am) is not accurate. The remuneration committee has not met. Cash bonuses will be curbed at ￡2,000, he says.(This is disingenuous. Executive bonuses like Hester's are now not paid in cash.)Q: Should Sir Fred Goodwin be stripped of his knighthood?Cameron says the proper processes should be followed. The forfeiture committee will consider this, he says.12.08pm: The FT's Kiran Stacey has hit back at Cameron on Twitter.
You see the difficulty.Nick Robinson at the BBC says Cameron is starting a debate he has already won.A recent YouGov poll for Prospect magazine suggested a startling 74% of the public - including 59% of Labour voters and 51% of those on the lowest incomes (below ￡10,000) - thought that welfare payments should be cut. The most popular cuts are for, you guessed it, the unemployed and never-married single parents. The least popular cuts are for the elderly.The prime minister is using his position to spark a debate which he already knows he's won. Asked about the specifics he will, no doubt, do as Iain Duncan Smith did this morning and say "these are the details... that's the challenge... we'll have to be careful .
10.09am: Here is some Twitter reaction to the Ed Miliband interview.From the Labour commentator Owen Jones.Finally, total clarity from Ed Miliband on the Andrew Marr Show: "We will repeal the NHS Bill". Let's hold the next government to it From the Daily Mail's James Chapman'I'm my own person and I'm going to do it my own way.' Ed Miliband channels Sinatra #marr From PoliticsHome's Paul WaughWonder how EdM is going retreat on NHS msg yday? He will have spent some time working out a form of words.#marrEdM on the word "predistribution":"I love it" #marrEdM says 'yeah' when asked if he happy to see banks up sticks over his planned crackdown. Says that's diff btw him and Cam Whenever he is uncomfortable/irritated, EdM has habit of closing his eyelids for a whole second.
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