Former Scottish Labour leader Wendy Alexander will not be banned from parliament for breaking Holyrood rules.Ms Alexander quit the job after failing to declare donations to her leadership campaign on her MSP register of interests in time.MSPs voted against a recommendation to exclude her from parliament for one day by 70 votes to 49 with two abstentions.The result came after a heated debate, during which Holyrood's standards system was called into question.Following the concerns, Holyrood Presiding Officer Alex Fergusson promised to review aspects of how parliament polices itself.The recommendation for a ban was made by the parliament's standards committee, which investigated the claims against Ms Alexander, before the summer recess. Today is a victory for the law, for natural justice and for common sense and I welcome that Wendy Alexander
Read Brian Taylor's blogAlexander reacts to sanction voteHow MSPs voted in Alexander row The cross-party committee ruled that the Paisley North MSP should have declared several donations to her leadership campaign last summer on her register.Ms Alexander, who later updated the register, has insisted she always acted on advice from Holyrood officials.She told BBC Scotland after the vote: "I welcome this decision. I said in June that my pursuers had sought political victory with little thought to the standing of the parliament and that I'd hope wiser heads would prevail."They have done so today. Today is a victory for the law, for natural justice and for common sense... View More » Comenta la noticia. »
Gordon Brown has confirmed that the government will not be giving consumers a one-off payment to help with rising fuel bills.In a speech the prime minister said there would be no "short-term gimmicks or giveaways", with the focus instead being on better energy efficiency.Mr Brown added that he was "cautiously optimistic" about the economy.The Conservatives accused him of being "in denial" and of failing to provide strong leadership.TalksIt had been thought ministers were hoping to unveil a package of help with fuel bills, including payments of between £50 and £100 per head.But Whitehall ... View More » Comenta la noticia. »
Older people should carry on working as long as they are physically capable, ex-minister David Blunkett has said.In a speech to the Counsel and Care charity in London he said it should not be assumed the government had "prime responsibility" to support the elderly.Mr Blunkett also said people should use equity release schemes to raise money from their homes to pay for care.The former work and pensions secretary said it was important to raise the debate over the UK's ageing population.Mr Blunkett said: "My presumption is this. That all of us, every one of us who is capable of doing so,... View More » Comenta la noticia. »
Nearly nine out of 10 Britons do not think the government is capable of managing the 2012 Olympics, a survey taken after the Beijing Games suggests.The biggest concern expressed was over the cost, currently budgeted at £9.3bn.The survey by Opinium Research found just 12% of the 2,000 people surveyed believe the Games will come in on budget or within 10%.A government spokesman said people with "experience and expertise" were in place to "deliver a fantastic Games".The survey suggests Great Britain's most successful Olympic Games in a century has generated an air of excitement about... View More » Comenta la noticia. »
London Mayor Boris Johnson can claim some - distant - links to the British Royal Family.The Tory former MP is distantly related to King George II through his paternal grandmother, BBC One's Who Do You Think You Are? reveals.She was a descendant of Prince Paul Von Wurttemberg, also linked to the Swedish and Dutch royals and the Romanoffs.Mr Johnson, who made much of his Turkish origins in the mayoral race, said the news was "totally bizarre".The genealogy programme, which also looks into the ancestry of Patsy Kensit, Jerry Springer and Esther Rantzen, examined Mr Johnson's lineage... View More » Comenta la noticia. »
MPs should not be able to employ their children using taxpayers' money, the government has said.It follows anger over abuses of MPs' allowances and the publicly funded jobs taken by some of their relatives.But MPs would be able to continue employing spouses and partners, under Commons leader Harriet Harman's plans.The Tories said many of the issues would have been addressed already, if 33 ministers had not voted against changes to the current system in July.A consultation paper issued by Ms Harman's office said the employment of daughters and sons by MPs was damaging to the reputation of... View More » Comenta la noticia. »
Chancellor Alistair Darling has refused to rule out changes to stamp duty after reports it may be temporarily axed to boost the housing market.He said he was considering "a number of measures" to help people during the economic downturn.The BBC understands that the most likely option is to allow home buyers to postpone payment of stamp duty.The Conservatives temporarily suspended the tax on homes worth less than £250,000 during the 1991 recession.Currently, people buying properties for between £125,000 and £250,000 pay 1% in stamp duty at the time of sale.Those... View More » Comenta la noticia. »
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