Speaking in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has confirmed that two republican Paramilitary groups, the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) and the Official IRA and the loyalist South East Antrim Ulster Defence Association have decommissioned their weapons.

The news came as the Independent Body on Arms Decommissioning, established to over see and independently verify the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons, under the Chairmanship of former Canadian General, John de Chastelain was official disbanded under legislation passed by Westminster.

In a statement to MPs, the Prime Minister said:

“I think the house would want to record our thanks to the international commission which has now overseen decommissioning by the UDA, UVF, PIRA and now INLA and the Official IRA.”

Of the three groups whose decommissioning was announced, perhaps the most significant was that of the Irish National Liberation Army. A splinter group of the IRA, the group was responsible for over 120 deaths during Northern Ireland’s troubles, including that of Airey Neave, a close ally of Margaret Thatcher, who as Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary was assassinated by the INLA in the car Park of the House of Commons in 1979.

In a statement made by a former member of the INLA, Martin McMonagle, who was released from prison under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, the group said:

“We make no apology for our part in the conflict.

“We believe conditions have now changed in such a way that other options are open to revolutionaries to pursue and ultimately achieve our objectives.

“We can also confirm that the INLA has disarmed through a joint facilitation group consisting of local, a national and an international organisation. This was done in accordance with international standards. We hope that this will further enhance the primacy of politics and that it will in time unite and advance the working-class struggle in Ireland.”

Sinn Fein Junior Minister, Gerry Kelly welcomed the move, concluding:

“The peace process has ensured that a peaceful and democratic path to a united Ireland exists. There is no support for or appetite for armed actions within the republican community.

“The INLA has recognised this by engaging with the IICD in this action.”

However, the events were tinged with sadness as many reflected on some of the barbaric acts perpetrated by the group. For the DUP, East Londonderry MP, Gregory Campbell said:

“All too often when moves like this occur, there is a tendency to forget what was carried out by these groups.

“All of them should decommission their weapons, none of them should have been armed and able to murder in the first instance and the regret is that there are still people mourning their previous actions and the heartache they left behind.”

And speaking to the Newsletter, the mother of one former RUC Police Officer, murdered by the INLA in 1997 stated simply, “It is 13 years too late for my son.”

The decision by the three groups announced today, to decommission their arms does not however end Northern Ireland’s “troubles”.

In 2008, Northern Ireland Secretary, Shaun Woodward announced that paramilitary organisations in Northern Ireland would have until mid February to decommission all their weapons. With that deadline fast approaching, the Real IRA, responsible for last year’s attack on the Massereene army barracks; the Continuity IRA which is alleged to have been responsible for shooting dead a police officer last year in Craigavon; and the Continuity Irish Republican splinter group have so far failed to begin any process of disarming.

In an sign of the continued dangers posed by these groups, in an article for Ireland’s “Tribune News”, its Northern Editor Suzanne Breen has quoted a Real IRA sources as concluding that anyone who thought they would decommission their arms was living “on another planet”.

The moves by the INLA will undoubtedly put pressure on the remaining republican paramilitary groups to follow suit. However, what happens if they do not do so by the deadline set by the Secretary of State remains unclear.

Given their capacity, as proven last year with brutal murders of a police officer and serving soldiers, to threaten the stability of Northern Ireland’s fragile peace process, all eyes will be on Westminster, Stormont and Dublin as to what to do with those groups that refuse to disarm.

For some the news of further decommission will be a line under much of Northern Ireland’s troubled passed. For many other however, such as Pauline Bradshaw, it will serve only to reignite painful memories of loved ones lost at the hands to terrorist groups.

It again highlights the extent to which whilst Northern Ireland might be on the road to peaceful nation, for many, the memories are such that they cannot and will not be able to feel at peace within themselves.

A wide range of organisations representing or working with young people have joined together with campaign group One Society to call for a more equal society. Social welfare charities, NUS and the youth wings of a range of trade unions and parties have issued a joint statement calling for policies that would close the gap between rich and poor.

Income inequality matters. Young people, already hit hard by the recession and now bearing the costs of the recovery, are doubly disadvantaged as they have come of age in a more unequal society than previous generations. Reducing income inequality would improve social mobility and the quality of life for all young people, across the social spectrum.

The good news is that inequality is not inevitable, and can be reversed. Government policy makes a big difference. It already has in staunching the rate of inequality growth. But now the challenge is to go further – to actually tackle the entrenched inequalities that have emerged over the past thirty years.

Today, Demos publishes three pamphlets which recommend a range of policies to tackle income and wealth inequality; not just at the bottom, but at the top-end too. One Society will be taking forward this menu of policy options to push the case that a more equal society is possible, plausible and would benefit all.

Politicians must grasp this issue quickly though, to start alleviating the shrinking of opportunities and the greater pressures many young people are currently faced with.

Our guest writer is Malcolm Clark, campaign director of One Society, a new campaign (set up in association with The Equality Trust) to highlight the negative effects of income inequality, bringing together people and organisations in support of a more equal society

• Visit www.onesociety.org.uk and follow @one_society

Conservative Home are today setting out “ten good reasons why we can support the Conservatives with enthusiasm.” Top of the list is George Osborne, prompting Labour List editor, Alex Smith, to tweet, “Wow, April 1st already.” But the justification – lowering corporation tax – is not something to laugh at.

Tim Montgomerie writes:

“George Osborne will use his first budget to cut the headline rates of corporation tax by abolishing allowances. As part of his ambition to make Britain an international headquarters for business and to “improve Britain’s international rankings for tax competitiveness and business regulation” he wants to continue to cut corporation tax in budget-after-budget. Tory Treasurer Michael Spencer has spoken of a corporation tax rate of 20% by the end of a first Parliament.”

The ‘Tax ready reckoner and tax reliefs‘ guide (Table 5) which accompanies the pre-Budget report sets out that the proposed 3 pence cut in corporation tax and 2 pence cut in the small companies rate would cost £3.2 billion in 2011-12 and £3.7 billion in 2012-13. To pay for it, Osborne proposes (p. 8-9) abolishing the £50,000 annual investment allowance; reducing general plant and machinery capital allowances to 12.5 per cent; and reducing long life plant and machinery capital allowances to 6 per cent. With business investment continuing to fall off a cliff, it is not surprising that the manufacturers’ lobby group, EEF, say:

“the importance of capital allowances cannot be underestimated.”

Cutting corporation tax by a further 5 per cent, as Spicer suggest, would cost an additional £4.3 billion on cautious estimates (i.e. if the projected 2012-13 loss was the same in subsequent years). As Left Foot Forward has shown, Spicer’s company would benefit to the tune of £22.5 million. Spicer did not set out which public services he would propose cutting to pay for this ambition.

George Osborne may be a joke but his policies, sadly, are not.

Sign up to receive this daily email by 9am every morning.

A hard core of 20 Labour MPs will vote against a referendum on electoral reform, reports The Independent. The Commons vote on whether there should be a referendum on replacing first-past-the-post with the alternative vote system – in which candidates are ranked in order of preferenfe – is likely to be passed with a healthy majority, however, with the Liberal Democrats and nationalist parties on board. The Conservatives will most likely oppose the legislation, and could scupper it entirely in the Lords, which will see Labour portraying them as “the party of the status quo”, with electoral reform campaigners claiming that, under the current system, the election result depends on only “250,000 voters in marginal seats”. A Liberal Democrat Voice analysis of the latest polls predicts a hung parliament with Labour the largest party on 299 seats – 27 short of an overall majority.

The three MPs charged with theft over their expenses claims will not receive the ‘parachute payments’ given to former MPs unless they are cleared, reports the Telegraph. Even if acquitted, the three – Elliot Morley, David Chaytor and Jim Devine – may still not receive the £64,766, £54,403 and £32,383 respectively to which they are entitled unless further cleared by the Commons authorities, who could seek to recover falsely-claimed expenses from the payments. The news comes as the row over the MPs’ attempts to use a defence of parliamentary privilege, which Left Foot Forward reported yesterday.

David Cameron’s economic policy has come in for more criticism today, with a Nobel Prize winning economist telling The Independent that the “fiscal stimulus is more important than reducing deficit”. “You’re dealing with a crazy man. You’re asking what I can do to placate a crazy man? Having got what he wants he will still kill you,” he said of the financial markets, rejecting out of hand Cameron’s idea that a “symbolic trimming of the budget deficit” could regain the markets’ confidence. Fiscal fetishism is really dangerous,” he added. There was further bad news for the Tories on the economy, with the Telegraph reporting Cameron’s inability to gain the support of business leaders – only 37 one of 62 senior executives who backed Labour at the last election said they supported the Conservatives.

A Mirror investigation has found that billionaire Tory bankroller Lord Ashcroft profiteered to the tune of £25 million from a Central American company accused of damaging the rainforest. British Caribbean Bank, 72%-owned by Lord Ashcroft, has a 24.8% stake in Numar – the biggest producer of palm oil in Costa Rica. In 2009, Ashcroft’s bank earned £14 million from Numar, which “has previously been denounced for killing off wildlife in unspoilt jungle”. One of the workers at Numar’s depot, who carries 40lb bags of palm nuts on his backs to an ox-driven cart, said: “The work is back-breaking for not much pay. The processing company Numar tells you the price and there is no negotiating. Although there has been some improvements in the rates, we only get a hundred dollars (£65) for a ton of pods. Just imagine, each of those palm pods has to be cut from the top branches of the tree. I would say each one weighs approximately 40lbs. So that’s 53 times that farmer has to cut, gather and load the truck for a hundred dollars.”

And The Guardian reports Labour plans for an inheritance levy to fund social care. The levy, thought to be £20,000, would be deducted from the estates of older people when they die, replacing a system that forces many pensioners to sell their family homes to fund nursing home bills. Currently, many pensioners with assets of more than £22,250 are forced to pay for their care themselves by selling their homes or using up planned inheritance funds, with nursing homes costing an average of £600 a week, adds the report. The government says the personal care bill costs £670m a year, with some estimates putting it as high as £1 billion.

• The British Muslims for Secular Democracy conference takes place at SOAS on Tuesday 15th February – to register email director@bmsd.org

Leading secularists have said an accommodation with religious groups needs to be found in the light of a judge’s comments that Sikh children should be allowed to wear the Kirpan, the Sikh ceremonial dagger, to school.

Sir Mota Singh QC, Britain’s first Asian judge, in an interview with the BBC, had said that it is “not right” to prevent Sikhs wearing the Kirpan.

Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, told Left Foot Forward:

“The issue of the Kirpan is unlike those of the turban, niqab or cross. We need to work together to find an accommodation with Sikhs – one way to do this could be to insist the Kirpan is glued inside its sheath so it cannot be used to cause harm.

“This issue is of paramount importance, no one should be allowed to carry weapons into schools. In our society now you cannot carry daggers and expect to get through security and detectors, which some inner-city schools now have.”

There were real fears of what could happen if the daggers weren’t banned, he added:

“Pupils wearing turbans could be robbed of their daggers by bigger kids, who could use them on them or others.

“It’s not racist to say that the Sikhs will have to accept that and find a way of abiding by society’s rules.

“There is no government guidance on this; schools have to make their own decisions.”

The Kirpan is one of five Sikh “Articles of Faith“, alongside Kes (unshorn hair), the Kangha (comb), Kara (steel bracelet) and Kaccehra (soldier’s shorts), designed “to unify and bind them to the beliefs of the religion and to remind them of their commitment to the Sikh Gurus at all times”.

With his poll lead slipping, his team’s competence questioned and his policies under attack, David Cameron today stands accused of “breathtaking” hypocrisy over his comments on the expenses scandal. In a speech on rebuilding trust in politics the Conservative party lead sought to portray himself as “the change Britain desperately needs”, criticising Gordon Brown for being a “roadblock to political reform”.

His record since the scandal broke, however, belies such rhetoric, Left Foot Forward can reveal.

When the Parliamentary Standards Bill was introduced in the Commons on June 23rd, it contained a clause stating parliamentary privilege did not prevent evidence being admissible in proceedings against an MP for an offence in the Bill – a clause deleted after opposition from the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

Speaking in the debate, then Shadow Leader of the House Alan Duncan had said:

“We still have concerns about clause 10, which creates a formal provision to allow proceedings to be admissible in court proceedings against an MP, regardless of parliamentary privilege…

“Inasmuch as IPSA has power over our allowances, we are largely content, but inasmuch as it muddies the water and empowers the courts to intrude on our independence of action, it must be resisted.

“Even more dangerously, as the Clerk goes on to suggest, the casual disregard for parliamentary privilege in the Bill, particularly in clause 10, could cause permanent damage to parliamentary proceedings.”

Justice Secretary Jack Straw told Left Foot Forward:

“David Cameron’s position this morning is breathtaking for its sheer hypocrisy. Just a few months ago the Conservative Party were actively sabotaging all efforts to exclude the ambit of parliamentary privilege from the new laws on MPs expenses.

“Now Mr Cameron’s lust for an easy headline has provoked yet another bout of rank opportunism. The British public will see right through it.”

David Cameron and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg are among those who voted against the proposals on reforming parliamentary privilege.

Concerns have also been raised as to whether Mr Cameron’s outspoken remarks will prejudice any future trial against the three MPs – Jim Devine, David Chaytor and Elliot Morley – and Tory peer Lord Hanningfield, all of whom have been charged with theft by false accounting, with Labour Deputy Leader Harriet Harman warning him:

“He’s got to be very careful what he says or his comments might actually jeopardise the trial and nobody wants to see that happen.”

Today’s UCAS figures show record levels of people applying to university, which should not come as too much of a surprise. The current generation of 18-year-olds have been encouraged to apply to university for the whole of their school careers and in tough economic times, people look to boost their skills if they find themselves out of work.

The figures should be an opportunity for us to praise a job well done by the government in promoting the value of education, and a degree, and recognising the power of education to transform lives and act as a catalyst for social mobility.

Unfortunately, today’s figures just confirm that thousands of students will have their dreams of a university education shattered by government funding cuts. The combination of record numbers wanting to go to university and such savage cuts in funding is producing a crisis.

With courses already closing and teaching staff losing their jobs, Peter Mandelson risks becoming known as the Doctor Beeching of higher education. Those students who are fortunate enough to secure a place will face increased class sizes, less contact with lecturers and will still leave university with record levels of debt.

Not funding higher education places makes even less sense when one considers the alternative of pumping extra cash into the benefits system to prop up record levels of youth unemployment. Other leading economies are investing money in universities in order to help economic growth and widen participation, yet our government is intent on doing the opposite.

This approach is an insult and a snub to the thousands of students the government has been encouraging to reach for university for the entirety of their educational career.

As I have said before on Left Foot Forward, the government has been so close to getting it right when it comes to opening up university education, but it has always failed to be bold enough. It has got more people to work hard towards a university place, but has now restricted places so many talented and qualified people will miss out.

The bottom line is that you cannot make savage funding cuts without serious consequences, despite Lord Mandelson’s insulting efforts to sell the cuts as an opportunity. The government is abandoning a generation who, instead of benefiting from education, will find themselves on the dole queue alongside sacked teaching staff.

The government can come out with as many statements as it likes about the importance of education, how it will be protected from the recession and its own commitments to social mobility, but the hard facts and punitive cuts tell a much harsher and sadly more accurate story.

Our guest writer is Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union

For 40 years, the World Economic Forum in Davos has been the pre-eminent meeting of minds; but frankly, it’s become unsurprising, and fairly glum. The takeaway from the summit in January was that “trust in governments, corporations and above all banks has become as elusive as sure footing on the icy streets of this Alpine resort,” as the New York Times put it.

Not exactly visionary, encouraging or likely to change the world.

It’s time to bring some fresh energy to the global dialogue. At the inaugural One Young World summit from February 8th to 10th in London, hundreds of young leaders from 192 nations will take up the most pressing issues facing the international community: interfaith dialogue, the environment, global health and the changing media; inspiring hope and change.

As they draft resolutions on our biggest challenges, they will be guided by the likes of Kofi Annan, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Sir Bob Geldof, Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus and former president of Peru Alejandro Toledo.

The event is organised by Euro RSCG Worldwide, who have done other projects that harness the power of young people to change the world, like the Tck Tck Tck initiative for climate justice. David Jones, CEO of parent company Havas, explained the summit’s goals:

“If the world’s leaders can’t actually make the right decisions and get us to the right place … then given how clever some young people are today, we can actually use them to exert pressure on the world’s leaders to do the right things.”

The theme for Davos this year was “Rethink, Redesign, Rebuild.” One Young World delegates will be doing the same things with one important difference – for them, these acts are second nature.

Young leaders today are actively engaged with the world around them, fully aware of how global issues affect their local communities, energetic and passionate about their own power to effect social change.

This is the real-time generation. People in their 20s don’t remember a world with no internet. They have a wealth of ways to find out what’s going on right now, told from countless points of view. Empowered by their ability to connect with each other fast, they’re forcing companies to clean up their act and be transparent with consumers.

It’s not a “Me Generation” but a “We Generation”, guided by optimistic values and an awareness of how interconnected we all are. They have a greater willingness to work together, to compromise in the best possible sense, and a deeper commitment to peace.

Participation in One Young World doesn’t have to be in the flesh. Our community has been growing for months on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and WAYN and has dedicated bloggers around the globe, encouraging debate and spurring action. The summit will be open globally through online streaming and real-time updates.

• To get involved, join the Facebook group, submit questions to be raised at the summit, and follow the dialogue on oneyoungworld.com

Our guest writer is Marian Salzman, president of Euro RSCG Worldwide PR, North America, and one of the world’s leading trendspotters

Following news that the SNP had auctioned a lunch with Alex Salmond at Holyrood at a cost of £9,000 and one with his deputy, Nicola Sturgeon, for £2,000 as a means of fundraising, it has now emerged that the pair have previously held six such lunches, leading to allegations that the SNP are abusing their position in government to allow cash for access.

The allegations have promoted a Labour party member from Edinburgh to report the First and Deputy First Ministers to the Scottish Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Stuart Allan.

Furthermore, the Parliament’s Corporate Body will investigate the matter to determine whether Parliamentary facilities have been used improperly for party political activity or gain.

Sir Alistair Graham, former Chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life has said:

“It’s very important for public officials to keep their public duties quite separate from their party political fundraising activities … at first glance it looks like a clear breach of the rules.”

In an attempt to take the initiative, Alex Salmond has now written to the Parliament’s Officer, Alex Fergusson, to make clear that he would cancel any outstanding lunches until the Corporate Body had reported. He continued:

“I have identified four such lunches, and Nicola Sturgeon has identified one lunch and a tour – since none of them have taken place, there is therefore no difficulty in the Corporate Body considering the issue as a matter of principle. Nor indeed have any of the donations been given.

“Many other members will be in a similar position, and what I propose is that the Corporate Body, at its meeting on Wednesday, consider issuing interim advice that charity lunches can continue until such time as the whole matter can be fully discussed and comprehensive new advice issued to members.”

The First Minister’s moves, however, have not served to dampen criticism from opposition parties.

In what is described as an exclusive, The Herald’s Political Editor, Brian Currie, quotes what he says is as a source close to former Labour First Minister, Jack McConnell, as saying:

“The more serious charge is cash for ministerial access and private meetings.

“Ministers should not auction off their diary time to the highest bidder. They have to adhere to the highest standards to maintain the integrity of the office.”

The developments come just over two years since allegations of sleaze were made over how the Scottish Government handled a planning application for a golf resort by US billionaire and presenter of The Apprentice Donald Trump.

Similarly, on Wednesday, Left Foot Forward reported concerns by Scotland’s Information Commissioner over the Scottish Government’s handling of Freedom of Information requests, which he said “threatens to undermine the right-to- know regime”.

Whilst we await a report from the Parliament’s corporate body on the matter, Mr Salmond must surely understand how the events discussed at length in the Scottish media look to the world outside the First Minister’s Official residence at Bute House.

Scotland’s Corporate Body and standards watchdogs will have to ensure that any action that might be required is taken quickly to ensure Holyrood does not become embroiled in the sort of mess that many in Westminster have found themselves in.

Sign up to receive this daily email by 9am every morning.

Shadow Defence Secretary Liam Fox has been slated by military chiefs for future Tory defence policy, which he is set to explain in a speech to the Royal United Services Institute today. The key criticism of commanders, reports The Independent, is the Tory plan to transfer all British troops based in Germany back to the UK. Though the cost of housing them in Germany is “marginally more expensive” than at home, “the cost of transferring them all would far outweight this” according to General Sir Mike Jackson, former head of the Army. Former head of the Marines, Major General Julian Thompson, added that it was going to be “very, very expensive in terms of capital costs alone … What one does not want is money which had been earmarked for carrying out much needed improvements on existing accommodation to be spent on new accommodation”. The criticism follows the attacks on Chris Grayling last week over his misuse of statistics and general ignorance about crime.

The expenses scandal continues to drag on, with David Cameron launching a personal attack on Gordon Brown for “tolerating” the attempts by the three Labour MPs indicted for theft to use parliamentary privilege to escape sanction. In a speech on reform at City University today, reports the Telegraph, the Tory leader will accuse the Prime Minister of being a “shameless defender” of the “old order”. He will also announce that the Tories will introduce a new Parliamentary Privileges Act if they win the election, reports The Guardian, “to clarify the rules of parliamentary privilege, to make clear that they cannot be used by MPs to evade justice”. The Times, meanwhile, reports that one of the three accused, Livingston MP Jim Devine, was told by “a whip and other MPs that he could “move money around” between different accounts, a claim he also made in several media interviews over the weekend – most notably on Channel Four News on Friday.

Budget cuts in higher education spending mean up to a third of a students could be left without a place in the next academic year, figures from UCAS out today will reveal. The Telegraph reports that an expected rise in applications of 10-12 per cent, coupled with a fall in the number of places to less than 500,000 will result in students, even those who achieve their entry requirements, being turned away. The University and College Union slammed the Government for “spectacularly failing to understand that massive funding cuts will have a massive impact”. The Guardian and Standard focus on the impact of the cuts on university staff, with up to 15,000 posts facing the chop. Post-grads will replace professors, and staff are planning to go on strike in protest at the cuts, says the Guardian.

The Mirror reports the use of “sickening Nazi language” by a 20-year-old Young Conservative chairman in a newsletter. Writing to young members, David Bolt had said: “We will form a CF Sonderkommando to blitz any areas which battleground prospective parliamentary candidates particularly wish to target, whether that be through canvassing, literature drops or visible, high-impact campaigning.” The Sonderkommando “persecuted Jewish prisoners forced to dispose of concentration camp bodies” explains the report. Though a Tory spokesman said the “offensive terms were wholly unacceptable” it is thought Bolt has not yet been expelled from the party.

And The Guardian reports that the public has “lost faith” in climate science following the leaked emails scandal, with recent surveys showing the number of Britons believing the science down over the past 12 months. The change in attitude since November shows an even sharper decline: it found 25 per cent of adults did not believe in global warming, up eight per cent. The report adds that “allegations about the accuracy of a 2007 report produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – including a claim that global warming could cut north African crop production by 50% by 2020 – could damage public perception further”.

• The British Muslims for Secular Democracy conference takes place at SOAS on Tuesday 15th February – to register email director@bmsd.org

Since October, Left Foot Forward has been asking our readers and contributers to submit their manifesto ideas. The full list of ideas can be read here but below we summarise the list.

We now want you to vote on your favourite three ideas. Click here to complete our one minute survey.

Living wage

Peter Carrol has called for the London Living Wage to be rolled out nationally outlining that the “idea that anybody should be forced to live on £5.73 an hour should be abhorrent to any UK citizen.”

Financial Transaction Tax

Gary Kent argues that, “A global levy could both increase the stability of markets and raise revenues for good causes. It is vital that global markets provide some of the tax base for global social democracy. And it’s a potential vote-winner.”

The idea is also supported by Duncan Green in his ‘from poverty to power’ manifesto.

Crack down on tax havens and tax avoidance

Duncan Green also calls for reform of the regulation of UK tax havens and tax avoidance by UK companies, to require information disclosure and reporting by multi-national companies on the taxes they pay in each country. This should generate extra tax revenues for the UK, as well as poor countries.

‘Social responsibility levy’ on bonuses for top earners

Chris Leslie called for a new “social responsibility levy” on bonuses for those salaried over £200,000 annually. He suggested “using the proceeds to create a PAYE Reward Fund to give a little back to the vast majority of the working population who pay their fair share of taxes upfront through PAYE.”

Incentives for employee ownership

Jon Worth argues that one way to address unequal societies is to “incentivise employee ownership of companies.” He cites Robert Oakeshott, researcher on employee ownership, who argues that it “entails a movement from business as a piece of property to business as a working community.”

Nationalisation of rail and water industries

Julian Ware-Lane calls for renationalising of two industries because their privatisation has neither created a share-owning democracy nor created real choice in the industries.

David Stuttle made a similar argument on Labour List in relation to rail nationalisation.

Youthstart

John Slinger called for “a national network of staffed centres for young people of secondary school age” to be billed as the next phase of the highly successful and popular post-1997 Surestart scheme.

Free School Meals for All

Richard Watts suggests emulating the Labour party in Islington, Newham and County Durham and introducing free school meals for all. He says, “the results so far show that almost all children are now eating healthy school meals, instead of unhealthy (and expensive) packed lunches or, worse, just some snacks eaten on the way to school.”

Alex Smith of Labour List is another big fan of the idea.

Interventions for at risk children

Martin McCluskey writes: “more of an emphasis placed on intensive interventions for at risk children in early years … the state has a role to play to ensure that the most vulnerable are cared for and also to show that we won’t stand by when young children are being mis-treated and abused.”

More flexi-time

Kate Bell says “Government should commit to ensuring that all Government jobs, and those with Government contractors, are offered on a part time or flexible basis.”

Better rights for people with disabilities

Sarah Ismail sets out three clear ideas including ensuring that disability hate crimes have the same punishment as crimes against all other minorities.

Replace University top up fees with a graduate tax

Jack Storry called for a graduate tax as the basis of a “fairer funding system for university tuition.” This policy is supported by the National Union of Students among other student activists.

Votes for 16 year olds

Richard Angell called for votes at 16 among other constitutional reforms. Wes Streeting of the National Union of Students advocated this policy on Labour List.

Community-based sentences

Rick Muir argues, “I would invest seriously in community-based sentences, more half way houses/intermediary options between prison and the community, more residential places out of custody for offenders with mental health problems, close all womens prisons and place women offenders in open residential schemes (hardly any have committed serious or violent crimes)  – this would rehabilitate more effectively, could meet the public’s demand for punishment if done right, and save money because we know these programmes cut reoffending rates.”

Future inhabitants’ policy veto

Rupert Read says that, like in Hungary, “every major decision made at any level of government should be subject to potential veto by an individual or small group charged exclusively with having regard to the interests of the future inhabitants of this, our one and only planetary home.”

Green new deal

Trevor Cheeseman argues for a Green New Deal “funding domestic and industrial renewal energy capacity, public transport works and additional eco-housing capacity  – to sustain economic recovery”

Many of these ideas are included in Joss Garman’s 12-point plan to “save the climate and our planet” while it is also covered by David Wearing in his manifesto calling for a “genuinely progressive foreign policy.”

Unilateral nuclear disarmament

David Wearing has made unilateral nuclear disarmament the main point of his 5-point plan for a “genuinely progressive foreign policy.” He argues that “Britain ’s ‘independent’ nuclear capability in fact renders us heavily reliant on US management and technology” and goes on to say that “it’s time Britain joined the vast majority of the world’s nations and become a non-nuclear state.”

Greater freedom of information

Jonty Olliff-Cooper has called for a reversal in the FoI Act so that data is free unless withheld.

New party funding rules to promote local political activity

Paul Cotterill calls for changes in funding for political parties so that all donations “could only be made to local parties.” This would “promote local political activity and devolve power within parties to the ’grassroots’.”

The Week in Politics

• Labour MPs Elliot Morley, David Chaytor and Jim Devine, and Tory peer Lord Hanningfield were today charged with false accounting over their expenses claims. The four were served the day after Sir Thomas Legg published his long-awaited report into expense abuses, ordering 350 MPs to pay back more than £1 million.

Among the items not judged “wholly, exclusively and necessarily” to have been incurred by MPs in performing their duties were:

• Anthony Steen’s £28.50 claim for a flagpole rope and binding;

• John Redwood’s £112 claim for re-seeding his lawn;

• Nadine Dorries’s £161.04 claim for “internet service”;

• Keith Vaz’s £414 claim for a foot rest;

• Julian Lewis’s £789 claim for a Bosch WVTi2840 washer/dryer;

• Iris Robinson’s £1,614 claim for a luxury bed;

• Ed Vaizey’s £2,449.95 claim for a dinner table;

• Margaret Beckett’s £2,539.75 overclaim for gardening costs; and

• George Galloway’s £3,187.28 mobile phone bill

The “House of Commons Banqueting Office Function List” was also published yesterday, detailing event and function bookings made by MPs on behalf of outside organisations. It revealed that Patricia Hewitt, one half of the “Dumb and Dumber” plot, booked Commons rooms five times for companies she had financial interests in – including BT, who pay her £100,000 a year as a senior independent director.

• Chris Grayling was carpeted for his manipulation of crime statistics for cynical political gain, with everyone from the chairman of the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) to the BBC’s Home Editor putting him in his place. Sir Michael Scholar, UKSA chair, wrote to the Shadow Home Secretary warning him to “take account” of their views before mouthing off in future:

“I do not wish to become involved in political controversy, but I must take issue with what you said yesterday about violent crime statistics, which seems to me likely to damage public trust in official statistics…

“I would be grateful if you would take account of our views in your future use of, or comments upon, these official statistics.”

On Wednesday, Left Foot Forward rebutted more of Grayling’s false claims – pointing out that the experiences of under-16s are included in the British Crime Survey and that murder and manslaughter have both decreased; and today, we exposed Tory MP Justine Greening for her false claims on burglaries in Putney.

• The Northern Ireland talks on devolution of policing and justice powers finally reached agreement at midnight last night, paving the way for the full devolution of all powers envisaged in the Good Friday Agreement 12 years ago. Subject to the assmebly rubber-stamping the deal on March 9th, the powers will be transferred on April 12th.

Seventeen years on from then SDLP leader John Hume’s meeting with Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams in his Derry home, it looks like the long and winding road to peace has finally reached its destination.

Progressive of the week

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, who joined in the chorus of criticism against Chris Grayling’s misuse of crime stats this week. He told the BBC’s Mark Easton:

“The Centre for Social Justice [IDS's new think tank] has long understood the inaccuracy of directly comparing present crime levels with those published before the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) was introduced – which as you note changed recording methods significantly and has rendered direct numerical comparisons with pre 2002/03 levels inaccurate.”

Regressive of the week

Labour Deputy Leader Harriet Harman, whose proposed process for passing the Wright reforms of parliamentary reform, as Left Foot Forward has detailed, have been criticised by Labour MPs, Martin Salter saying “Harriet Harman has bottled it”.

Even Speaker John Bercow entered the fray, The Times reporting that “it was ‘impossible to overstate the importance’ of the reforms for the image and working of Parliament after the expenses scandal. Voters would believe MPs were in denial if they failed to approve the ’shrewd and innovative’ proposals designed to relax the grip of the whips over the Commons”.

Evidence of the week

Following George Osborne’s announcement on Sunday that he intended to end BT’s “local loop monopoply” becuase it “holds back” comapanies like Carphone Warehouse (CW), Left Foot Forward revealed that CW’s founder David Ross – a close friend of David Cameron – had donated more than £130,000 to the Conservatives.

Ross had previously been forced to resign as an adviser to Boris Johnson after breaking stock exchange rules by using £157 million of company shares to prop up his declining property empire.

Conor Pope’s Blog The Week

In a new feature on Look Left, Conor Pope, one half of the “Audacity of Pope” blog, takes a sideways look at the week just past. In this week’s episode, Pope Jnr. talks about Pope Mon-signor, crazy Clare and the most annoying man on television, Piers Morgan:

What’s trending on Twitter

#expenses

It’s the issue that just keeps coming back, and back, and back again, no matter how much MPs might wish it away; here are the latest tweets on the expenses scandal:

@Daaniyal_star: Sir Paul Kennedy should be fired and banned from serving Parliament are trying to whitewash the investigation #legg #expenses

@rastansaga360: When the ‘Westminster Four’ attend magistrates court on March 11th – dare they claim the travel costs on expenses? #expenses

@whiteorcastweet: A politician is someone who will break your legs, say “Lean on me” and expect a thank you. #expenses

@David_Stringer: You’ve heard of the doorstep, @jameskirkup deploys a rarely used technique in UK #expenses story: the liftstep http://bit.ly/a3NpU2

@carlmaxim: Lord Hanningfield was Tory spokesman for Innovation. Maybe he was a little too innovative in his claims form. #hanningfield #expenses

@LynnCherylEde: Some #MPs criminally charged this morning by CPS are giving more int’views, bleating, whining again. Save it for court I say. #expenses

@OldHoborn: More Lord Hanningfield scandal here #expenses http://bit.ly/9QaGuL

The DUP and Sinn Fein have agreed a deal on the devolution of policing and justice, and parading in Northern Ireland following ten days of talks, and just over three years since the parties set a deadline of May 2008 for the devolution of policing powers in the St Andrew’s Agreement.

The sudden deal came as DUP Assembly members voted unanimously last night to support a deal put to them by their leader, Peter Robinson following what Brian Rowan of the Belfast Telegraph described as “stamina-sapping marathon negotiation.”

The agreement reached should see:

• The First and Deputy First Ministers tabling a resolution for a cross community vote on devolving policing and justice powers on 9^th March.

• Following a successful vote, Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness will work towards the full devolution of such powers by 12^th April.

• In line with previous legislation passed, there will be a single Justice Department with a Minister sitting on the executive, who will be ratified by a vote in the Assembly.

• On the 8^th February, The First and Deputy First Ministers will convene a meeting aimed at deciding who should fill the post of Justice Minister.

• A new, cross community working group will be established to look at the creation of an improved framework for controlling parades throughout Northern Ireland, with the First and Deputy Ministers to agree whatever the outcome is and legislate according.

Commenting on the agreement, DUP Leader and First Minister, Peter Robinson concluded:

“This is a good day for Northern Ireland. The agreement we have reached today secures the progress that we have made in recent years and keeps Northern Ireland moving forward to a better future.

“No future generation would forgive us for squandering the peace that has been so long fought for.  Today’s agreement is the surest sign that there will be no going back to the past.

“I believe that we have taken a considerable step to secure the prize of a stable and peaceful Northern Ireland. With this agreement I believe that we have laid the foundations for a better future for us all.”

Mr Robinson’s Sinn Fein Deputy, Martin McGuinnes struck an equally positive tone:

“This might just be the day when the political process in the North came of age. One thing is for sure: we are not going back to the past.”

Not all the parties however were quite so enthusiastic. For the UUP, its leader, Sir Reg Empey has made clear that he reserves judgement on the deal until he seeks certain clarifications with Gordon Brown, having expressed ongoing concerns that the UUP were only told once a deal had been reached. He continued:

“I think that indicates the distance that has been placed between ourselves and the rest of the process.”

In a joint statement, Gordon Brown and Brian Cowen concluded:

“It provides confidence that the Executive and Assembly will continue to discharge its responsibilities on behalf of all the people of Northern Ireland.

“And it sends a clear message to those few who still want to undermine peace that they cannot and will not succeed.

“The successful outcome of these negotiations is the result of the political parties in Northern Ireland demonstrating leadership, mutual respect and political will to act in the interests of the whole community.

“The two Governments fully support and stand over this agreement. We are committed to working, as appropriate, to ensure its faithful implementation.

“Today is a good day for the people of Northern Ireland and for the people of these islands.”

As a result of the deal, US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton has invited Northern Ireland’s political leaders to an investment conference in the US on how businesses across the Atlantic can support the progress that has been made today.

Having come this far and having achieved a truly historic deal, the Northern Ireland Government should now concentrate exclusively on the business of governing. Any return to such ways of making deals, with meetings through the night cannot happen again.

And having made such promises, it will be important to monitor developments. When the committee on parades makes its recommendations and the Assembly votes on a Justice Minister, the two events will have to receive the support of all parties for it to work and for a new Minister to have the confidence and authority to take on what will be a difficult brief.

With such caveats in mind, today is a good day for Ireland, Northern Ireland and the UK as a whole. It will be a matter however of ensuring today’s deal is seen through completely and does not fall at the first hurdle – if that can be achieved then we might truly say that from today the troubles really are over.

In the week when Chris Grayling was rebuked by the Chair of the UK Statistical Authority, and a candidate in Putney misused burglary statistics, the Conservative’s use of statistics have again come under scrutiny.

A press release quoting Philip Hammond this evening titled ‘Labour’s legacy of debt,’ details that:

Official Insolvency Service figures show that under Labour the number of people who have gone bust is double the rest of recorded history…

Before the third quarter of 1997, there were 400,000 personal insolvencies in England and Wales.

But Conservative Party research shows that, under Labour, 800,000 people went bust – double the rest of recorded history. The IMF recently warned that the high level of personal debt in Britain could hold back an economic recovery.

But leading personal insolvency expert, Pat Boyden of PriceWaterhouse Coopers, told Left Foot Forward:

“There have been changes in legislation, changes in attitude, and changes in lending patterns so it’s a bit too naïve to say it’s all down to the government…

“Without look at all the factors, it’s an unfair comparison.”

The 1986 Insolvency Act, introduced by the Conservative party, created Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs) a formal alternative for individuals wishing to avoid bankruptcy. This has resulted in 300,000 to 400,000 additional insolvencies, according to Boyden.

A minor change in 2000 dispensed with court applications and made it easier for IVAs to be carried out while the 2002 Enterprise Act, which took legal effect in 2004, pushed up the number of insolvencies by reducing the length of time that someone could be discharged from bankruptcy from three years to one.

As Boyden asks:

“What do we want as a modern democracy? Do we want people to be hung up on debt for a number of years or do we want people to get on with their lives? … It’s better than it was in the 17^th century when they use to hang them for debt.”

Although there should be no excuses for the increases in personal indebtedness in recent years, the comparison by Hammond appears to be spurious at best.

Hat tip: Alex Hilton

Rod Liddle’s facebook friends include a British National Party supporter, Barry Rogers, whose profile picture is a BNP general election banner.

Last night Rod Liddle joined the facebook group , “If Rod Liddle becomes editor of The Independent, I will not buy it again” and posted two messages:

Proud to be your latest member. Can I just point out that your letter to Mr Lebedev is defamatory, in quite a big way? I think I ought to warn you about that.
Also, Craig – learn to spell, you idiot.
And Samantha – I did not go far enough on cats.

Actually, looking at some of the posts here, there is an awful lot which is defamatory, not least “climate change denier” (I’m not) and “racist” (I’m not.) I may be appalling, unfit the breathe the same air as the rest of you, but I’m not those things.
Just thought I ought to point that out.

Sunny Hundal outlines on Liberal Conspiracy why none of the claims are defamatory and says:

“In his columns he styles himself as a defender of free speech, but when it concerns himself Rod Liddle is happy with making legal threats to shut down debate on his past writings.”

The facebook group has now exceeded its £500 target for an advert in the Independent and is looking to raise £1,000.

Hat-tip: Mohamed Ansar

Following Chris Grayling’s very public slap on the wrist for manipulating crime statistics yesterday, it has emerged that it is not only the Shadow Home Secretary engaging in sharp practice – backbench Tory MPs are doing the same off their own backs.

As far back as last autumn, long before Grayling’s memos to Tory candidates, Putney MP Justine Greening falsely claimed on her blog that there had been a “burglary rise locally”, writing “locally we’ve recently also seen burglaries rise which is very concerning indeed”.

The statistics, however, tell a very different story: The burglary rate in every single ward in Putney fell in the year to October 2009.

And in July, she said:

“We’ve recently seen a large increase in burglaries”

The stats, again, prove her wrong – from May 2007 to July 2009 the burglary rate in Putney fell from more than 15 burglaries per thousand of the population to less than 10.

Earlier this week, Left Foot Forward reported Grayling’s ignorance on the inclusion of under-16s in the British Crime Survey, following the BBC’s eposé of his misrepresentation of crime statistics and his disastrous appearance on the Today programme.

• Hat tip: Stuart King

Scotland

• A number of SNP MPs were reported to be launching a campaign to see Tony Blair prosecuted in Scotland over his role in Iraq. The SNP declined to comment on whether Alex Salmond supported the latest move. Scottish Labour accused the SNP of trying to create “infantile political capital”.

• Scotland’s Information Commissioner described as “disturbing” news that the SNP Government were routinely withholding documentation requested under the Freedom of Information Act.

• The Scottish Police Federation warned that cuts to police budgets could see crime increasing.

• The SNP secured their budget for 2010-11 thanks to a string of concessions to opposition parties, as well as the votes of the Conservatives. John Swinney described it as “a Budget for all of Scotland”. Labour however voted it down, in protest at the SNP’s refusal to reinstate the Glasgow Rail Link project. Labour’s Finance Spokesman, Andy Kerr concluded that the Government were “turning their back on the economy”. CBI Scotland said “the spending plans for the coming year are inadequate.” Unison said the budget would mean “cuts in services, cuts in jobs and cuts in the amount that public authorities pump into the economy”. Shelter accused Mr Swinney of misleading MSPs on housing spending.

• Strathclyde Police announced it would trial Taser guns among is police patrols. Amnesty International spoke of being “dismayed” at the move.

• News emerged that the SNP were auctioning lunches with its leaders at Holyrood to make money for the party, with someone paying £9,000 for lunch with Alex Salmond. The SNP said they were acting within the rules. Former Scottish Secretary, Labour’s Des Browne however concluded “Cash for access demeans the office of First Minister.”

Wales

• The Assembly Government confirmed that Assembly Members would get the chance to vote on whether to hold a referendum on full law making powers on Tuesday. First Minister Carwyn Jones concluded “we could do even more if all new laws on subjects which are already our responsibility as a government could be made here in Wales.” The Lib Dems and Conservatives however were reported to be reluctant to back a vote without an exact date.

• Plaid Cymru’s Leader in Westminster, Elfyn Llwyd alleged that he had proof that Tony Blair had signed up to war in Iraq at the famous Crawford meeting with George Bush in April 2002. Llwyd continued, “I have offered to give evidence and Chilcot has said ‘I’ll come back to you’. At that stage I will have private discussions with him.”

• The Welsh Auditor General, Jeremy Colman stepped down, as it emerged that pornographic material had been found on his Laptop.

• Wales got its first Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor John Harries of Imperial College London, a native of Aberavon. It was, claimed Lesley Griffiths, Deputy Minister for Science, an acknowledgement of “the importance the Assembly Government places on the role of science and technology.”

• Welsh MPs found out that they would be paying back a total of £67,000 in Parliamentary expenses following the review by Sir Thomas Legg.

Northern Ireland

• The weekend saw great hope that a deal on policing and justice was about to be brokered, with Gordon Brown and Brian Cowen reported to have been on stand by to travel to Northern Ireland to seal a deal.

• By Monday it was all looking a little pear shaped. DUP Assembly members were reported not to be prepared to accept a deal with 14 believed to have been ready to resign. DUP Minister, Sammy Wilson concluded, “We will not be pressured into an agreement.”

• DUP Leader, Peter Robinson, was back as First Minister having been cleared by Government Lawyers over any wrong doing in the financial dealings of his wife, Iris. The UUP called for the legal opinion to be published whilst Peter Robinson threatened to take action against the BBC for making claims of improper conduct.

• By the end of the week, Irish Foreign Minister, Micheal Martin said a deal on policing, justice and parades was “very close”. The question remains, just how close?

• Peers accepted amendments to the Northern Ireland Assembly Members Bill to end the practice of double payments to those who sit both in Westminster and Stormont.

Quote of the Week

“We must be careful not to try people’s patience to distraction.”

Shaun Woodward during this week’s Northern Ireland Question’s being questioned on the ongoing talks over policing and justice.

This post is co-written by Mark Thompson and Will Straw. It is cross-posted at the Mark Reckons blog

Last May, Mark did a series of blogposts which analysed the data from the expenses scandal and suggested that there could be a link between the first-past-the-post electoral system and the likelihood of an MP being involved in the scandal. New evidence from the Legg report suggests this is the case.

As the graph below shows, the average majority of the worst offenders is higher than that of those expenses-sinners who wrongly claimed smaller amounts.

Mark’s first post was published on May 17 at which point The Telegraph had named 74 MPs. The second post (an update to the first one) was published the next day and the number of MPs implicated was 94. The methodology used was that if an MP had been mentioned negatively at all in The Telegraph’s coverage with relation to expenses then a 1 was put next to their name otherwise there was a 0. The groups of MPs were then split up into quartiles ordered by how safe their seat was. The initial analysis suggested that MPs in the safest seats were 3 times as likely to have been implicated in the scandal as those in the least safe. A further update a week or so later by which point the number of MPs implicated had almost quadrupled to 243 suggested that the figure had come down to a bit less than 2 times as likely.

With the release of the Legg report yesterday – possibly the most definitive word we will get on the scandal – we decided to have another look at this situation and whether there still seems to be a link. The main problem is that more than half of all MPs are implicated in the scandal. There is also a disparity between the lowest erroneous claims, from Mike Gapes in Ilford who was asked to pay back 40p, and some MPs who are paying back £30,000 to £40,000. For this reason, and given all the data we now have, the original methodology seemed a bit blunt. Using Mark’s original analysis, there is still an observable effect but it is now very small (there are 87 MPs in both the safest and second safest quartiles, 74 in the third and 80 in the safest) as the Chart below shows.

In the original Telegraph data it was not possible to be robust about the amount of money MPs were going to have to pay back. This is because the amounts were not always listed or were disputed. Now, however, we have all the amounts down to the very last penny.

We thought about introducing a cut-off point to isolate the worst expenses excesses. If you take only those MPs who claimed £5,000 or more then the ratio of 2-1 between the highest and lowest quartile is still there (the figures are 21 MPs from the safest quartile, 13 in the second, 11 in the third and 11 in the safest). The selection of the cut-off point though is arbitrary and hence probably not greatly robust.

So in order to try and find a better way to see if the safety of an MP’s seat could be correlated with the amount of expenses money claimed we listed the 328 MPs who (after appeals and adjustments) have been asked to pay money back and ordered them by size of payment. This way we are now taking into account this wide range of difference in amounts paid back and including all the implicated MPs.

We then split this data into quartiles and looked at the average size of the majority for the MPs in each quartile. What we found is that for MPs in the top quartile (including Barbara Follett, Andrew Mackay, and many of the most controversial claims) the average majority is 8,678. In the second quartile the average majority is 7,534. In the third it is 7,705. And in the lowest quartile (including people like Mike Gapes and his 40p) the average majority is 7,276. So there is a fair bit of difference here but there is another point to note. The average size of majority for all 328 MPs implicated is 7,798 (7,613 for all MPs). This means that the top quartile is quite a way above this average (by nearly 1,000 depending on from which point you measure it) and the bottom quartile is a fair way below it (by close to 500). The two middle quartiles are clustered near the average(s).

As with Mark’s original posts, there will likely be debate over what these figures tell us the degree of statistical significance, but we feel that, at the margin, they show that there is a link between the expenses scandal and the size of an MP’s majority. Of those MPs implicated, on average the safer their seat, the more they wrongly claimed.

Credit: Jessica Asato and Bhumi Purohit of Progress for compiling the data.

UPDATE 11:05

With MPs’ expenses still dominating the political agenda, there is just under one week left of the IPSA consultation on the new expenses rules. The consultation closes next Thursday, February 11th, so it is not too late to have your say. The consultation website is at www.mpexpensesconsultation.org.uk

UPDATE 13.05

For those interested in doing their own statistical analysis, the data is available here.

The FT reports that a deal to devolve policing responsibilities to Northern Ireland was struck early this morning when the Democratic Unionists secured the backing of its assembly members after marathon talks with Sinn Féin. Full devolution is expected to take place “around the beginning of May.” The Guardian hails, “one of the most significant milestones in the Northern Ireland peace process” and reports that Gordon Brown and Brian Cowen, his Irish counterpart, were flying to Belfast early this morning to “set the seal on an historic deal”. In a two-hour meeting last night, Robinson persuaded the doubters in his party that he had secured assurances in two key areas. First, the parades commission, seen by many Unionists as biased against Orange parades, would be reformed. Second, that Sinn Féin would not be able to dictate to the new justice minister.

The Telegraph, Times and Guardian all lead with the expenses crisis. 390 MPs were ordered to repay £1.1m of inappropriate expenses and several were braced to hear whether the Crown Prosecution Service would pursue criminal charges. But Sir Thomas Legg’s inquiry, which cost £1.16m to compile, came under fire for being “sloppy” and “illogical.” The FT reports that Sir Paul Kennedy, the former judge who was asked by the Commons to rule on appeals from MPs, said he was “troubled” by the idea that “legitimate transactions” had in retrospect been described as “tainted” or “wholly invalid”. The Times reports that, “Parliament’s exclusive banqueting facilities have been made available by MPs to outside bodies with which they have financial links” with David Cameron regularly breaking the strict rules because he had not read the rule book properly, according to the Independent. The Guardian has an interactive feature for readers to submit who MPs have “been having for dinner?”

The Independent front page and Times cover Chris Grayling’s “stinging rebuke for manipulating official statistics.” The shadow home secretary received a letter from Sir Michael Scholar, chairman of the UK Statistics Authority, which said, “I do not wish to become involved in political controversy but I must take issue with what you said about violent crime statistics, which seems to me likely to damage public trust in official statistics … where we see that official statistics have been presented or quoted in a way that seems likely to mislead the public, we will publicly draw this to the attention of those involved.” Every prospective Labour candidate has been sent a draft letter to send to their Tory opponent, asking for an undertaking not to use “bogus statistics” in the coming campaign.

The Independent reports that Alastair Campbell is to coach Gordon Brown ahead of his “showpiece interview” with Piers Morgan. The Prime Minister is due to appear on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories on 14 February. Mr Campbell said: “He should be himself. If he’s a bit grumpy, be grumpy, if he’s feeling cheery, be cheery. It would be a great opportunity for Gordon to engage in a different way from how he’s normally filtered and portrayed through the media. If Gordon answers the question and is authentic and says things as they are, the public will engage in that.”

The FT says that “Britain’s government bond markets remained an oasis of calm” after the Bank of England suspended its quantitative easing programme of creating money. According to the paper, “investors had expected the Bank’s well-signalled move and did not indicate concern at the government’s ability to finance debt in the future.” After starting the week claiming that cuts in 2010 would not be “swingeing” or “particularly extensive,” the same paper say that, “Osborne argues for tough cuts”. The Conservatives now suggest that the move made it “even more important” for an incoming Tory government to make inroads into the £178bn budget deficit. The Mirror has a stinging portrait of “cabin boy George … [the] ineffectual shadow chancellor.”