Party leaders clash in TV debate

3 May 2011 Last updated at 02:54 BBC Wales political editor Betsan Powys (R), and Kirsty Williams, Carwyn Jones and Nick Bourne listen to a point made by Ieuan Wyn Jones Wales' four main party leaders have clashed in a televised debate days before the assembly election.

The leaders of Labour, Plaid Cymru, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats argued over the state of schools, public cuts and keeping their promises.

They also put forward their own differing suggestions for cutting public spending.

Monday night's BBC One Wales debate in Newport was one of the last chances to secure votes before Thursday's poll.

Labour and Plaid have been in coalition in the assembly government since the last election four years ago, but their two leaders fell out during the programme, hosted by BBC Wales political editor Betsan Powys.

First Minister and Welsh Labour leader Carwyn Jones was accused of "arrogance" by Plaid Cymru's Ieuan Wyn Jones "to think they could take Wales for granted".

Members of the audience listen to the debate at the City Campus in Newport

But Carwyn Jones said he was surprised by the accusation, and said there was nothing arrogant in aiming to win the election.

The Labour and Plaid leaders also differed on education, which dominated the first part of the debate, staged at the City Campus at the University of Wales.

'Appalling standards'

In response to a question from a retired head teacher who called standards in schools appalling, Carwyn Jones said he did not accept that description for all schools.

He cited Welsh successes such as the foundation phase, which offers learning through play for under-sevens, and said the 30% of schools which did not come up to scratch had to improve.

Ieuan Wyn Jones called it a scandal that 13,500 11-year-olds would go to secondary school this year while "functionally illiterate".

The Plaid leader said Wales needed a transformation in education, and while his party had been in government for the past four years, he would not "defend the indefensible".

Welsh Conservative leader Nick Bourne said Welsh schools' results were appalling, and they wanted more control of their budgets, which his party was promising.

Mr Bourne accused Carwyn Jones of being "far too complacent" over schools.

'Freezing top salaries'

Kirsty Williams, of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, asked if Ieuan Wyn Jones had not addressed the state of education during his time in government "because Carwyn wouldn't let him".

The parties debated such areas as school standards and public spending cuts

She said the gap in spending on pupils between England and Wales had grown to more than £600, and said Lib Dems were committed to closing it.

Each of the leaders was also asked which areas of public spending they would cut.

Mr Bourne included "NHS managers on top salaries doing nothing," freezing top salaries in the civil service, and cutting over-spending on public projects such as roads.

Plaid's Ieuan Wyn Jones put forward cuts in the salaries of assembly government cabinet ministers, £150m of education budget savings re-invested in schools, and reducing NHS middle management.

'Not complacent'

The Welsh Lib Dem leader said she would end the £8m subsidy for air flights between north and south Wales, cut the amount processing assembly grants, and publish every assembly government spending decision over £25,000.

Meanwhile, Carwyn Jones said civil service staffing had fallen by 800 in the past year, and said Labour had committed to protect schools, skills and hospitals.

They were also asked how they would keep their manifesto, given that it was possible they could have to go into coalition after the election.

Carwyn Jones said he was not being complacent, and taking nothing for granted, but his party was the only one looking to win outright on Thursday.

That prompted Ieuan Wyn Jones to accuse him of taking Wales for granted, and said Plaid had delivered 230 out of 237 manifesto promises since 2007.

The Welsh Tory leader said he could not pre-judge the result, and urged voters to weigh up his party on its detailed manifesto.

Ms Williams said the Lib Dems had a "properly costed and deliverable manifesto" and she had shown that in negotiations "I can fight my corner".

Time to choose

1. AV makes MPs work harder

It can't be right or fair that with the current system MPs can get elected on fewer than three out of ten votes. The Alternative Vote raises the bar. All MPs would have to aim to get more than 50% of the vote, and so will have to work harder to win - and keep - our support. They'll have to speak to more voters and reach out to the wider community. That's bad news for complacent MPs - and extremists.

2. AV cuts safe seats

While many of us have to worry about our jobs the old system means most politicians don't have to. Most seats are currently so "safe" that their incumbents don't have to worry about re-election. It's no wonder MPs seem remote and unresponsive when their elections are a foregone conclusion. AV reduces the number of safe seats - and "safe" MPs will have to up their game, because they will no longer be able to enjoy "jobs for life" with minority support.

3. AV is a simple upgrade

When politics was a two-horse race in the 1950s the old system worked. But as voters have embraced more parties it's easier for MPs to get in with a handful of votes. AV keeps what is best about our current system - the link between an MP serving their local constituency - and improves on it. Your ballot paper is unchanged, hung parliaments are no more likely, but every MP will have to do more to secure majority support. It's a small but necessary change.

4. AV make votes count

The old system has given MPs license to ignore millions of voters across the country. Parties and politicians just target the few swing voters they need to win, with the last election decided by fewer than 460,000 voters - just 1.6% of the electorate.

AV means you will have more chance of deciding who speaks in your name in Westminster. Just rank the candidates 1,2,3… and you can show your support to anyone you think is up to the job. Then if your favourite candidate can't make it, you can still have a say. There's no longer any need to vote tactically, and more voters in more seats will help decide our elections.

5. AV is our one chance for change

This is the first time we have been given a say on changing the way we do politics in this country. We may not get asked again. On Thursday the choice is simple: if you're happy with business as usual at Westminster, vote No. If you want to change politics for the better, vote Yes.

1. AV is unfair

Under the AV system, some people would get their vote counted more times than others. For generations, elections in the UK have been based on the fundamental principle of 'one person, one vote'. AV would undermine all that by allowing the supporters of fringe parties to have their second, third or fourth choices counted - while supporters of the mainstream candidates would only get their vote counted once.

2. AV is not widely used

AV is only used by three countries in the world - Fiji, Australia, and Papua New Guinea - and even they don't like it. In Australia, av hasn't made their MPs work any harder, got rid of 'safe' seats, or stopped negative campaigning. By contrast, our first-past-the-post voting system has been copied around the globe. It is used by 2.4 billion people, making it the most widely used system in the world.

3. AV is expensive

AV would end up costing our country an estimated £250m. This referendum alone is costing us £91m and AV would be a more costly way of running elections. Australia's elections under AV cost three times more than ours do. When preferential voting systems were introduced in Scotland and London, expensive vote counting machines were bought in at a cost of millions. That's without even counting the need for more polling stations and election staff because av ballots take longer to complete.

4. AV hands more power to politicians

AV is a politicians' fix and will do nothing to fix our broken politics. By boosting the number of Lib Dem MPs, AV makes hung parliaments more likely - leading to more broken promises, more back-room deals, and more power in the hands of politicians rather than the voters. If AV was the answer to the expenses scandal, why didn't we hear about it at the time and why are Members of the European Parliament abusing their expenses even though they're elected under a different system?

5. AV supporters are sceptical

Even the Yes campaign think av isn't good enough for our country. Those people telling you it is the best thing since sliced bread have spent years pointing out its flaws. Nick Clegg dismissed it as "a miserable little compromise" while Chris Huhne said "there would continue to be safe seats where the MP will effectively have a job for life". But now they've all changed their tune. AV remains unfair, obscure and expensive and would be bad for our country. That's why people should vote No.

VIDEO: House of Commons

MPs are scrutinising the contents of the Finance Bill, which enacts measures announced in the March Budget, in a committee of the whole House.

Chancellor George Osborne revealed in his Budget statement that Britain's economy was expected to grow at a slower rate than previously forecast, but he said his policies would put "fuel in the tank" of the UK economy.

He announced a further cut in corporation tax, with plans to lower the rate to 23% over the next three years. This will be paid for by a rise in the bank levy.

Mr Osborne cut fuel duty by 1p per litre and scrapped Labour's fuel duty escalator - paid for by a £2bn windfall tax on oil companies.

The income tax threshold is to rise to £8,105 in April 2012 - part of the coalition's long-term commitment to increase the income level at which people start paying tax to £10,000.

Labour voted against the bill at second reading, saying the government's policies will "put jobs and growth at risk".

Player quizzed over fatal crash

3 May 2011 Last updated at 13:06 Marcos Alonso could face trial accused of involuntary manslaughter Footballer Marcos Alonso could face trial after a woman died in a car crash in Madrid.

The Bolton Wanderers defender crashed a BMW into a wall near Real Madrid's former training complex, not far from the Bernabeu, on Monday morning.

One woman suffered fatal injuries and another was seriously hurt. Mr Alonso's brother Miguel and former Real Madrid teammate Jaime Navarro were also hurt.

Mr Alonso, who was uninjured, allegedly failed a breathalyser test afterwards.

Police have not revealed what the breathalyser and subsequent blood test showed.

'Formal suspect'

Mr Alonso, 20, appeared before an investigating judge at a closed hearing on Monday evening.

The judge will have to decide if the player caused the accident and the girl's death. If the judge rules he caused the crash he could face a trial accused of involuntary manslaughter.

In a statement, the court said: "Magistrates' Court number four in Madrid yesterday released the footballer Marcos Alonso Mendoza after naming him as a 'formal suspect' in an alleged crime against road safety, a crime of intoxication, of accidental killing and causing accidental injury.

"In addition the judge has removed his driving licence as a precaution and he is banned from driving in Spain for the entire period of the court process."

Night out

Mr Alonso, who joined Bolton Wanderers from Real Madrid last summer, was at home in the Spanish capital on a weekend break.

It is understood he had been on a night out with his brother and Mr Navarro when they met the two women.

The emergency services said the car crossed into the opposite lane, overturned and collided with a wall.

One woman, who has been named only as Barbara, received severe head injuries and died 30 minutes after arriving at hospital.

The other, Teresa, suffered injuries to her thorax and is described as being in a serious condition.

Miguel Alonso also remains in hospital with three broken ribs and bruising to his lungs.

Mr Navarro broke his collar bone and was later released from hospital.

AUDIO: Cricket ball hits BBC commentator

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What is Osama Bin Laden's place in history?

3 May 2011 Last updated at 13:31 The death of Osama Bin Laden has dominated headlines across the world, but how will history remember him? Historian Michael Burleigh gives his view.

For several years people have speculated that Osama Bin Laden was dead, whether from a chronic kidney ailment, or blown to pieces in his Tora Bora redoubt in late 2001 as the US responded to 9/11.

The mystery was solved when a US Special Forces soldier shot a startled Bin Laden in the forehead during a raid on his Abbottabad residential compound. In order to pre-empt any grave becoming an Islamist shrine, Bin Laden's corpse was buried at sea.

This act highlights the importance of myths and symbols in any war. For it has long been argued that whether alive or dead, Bin Laden would become the mythic poster boy of global militant Islam, rather as the Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara was for the international juvenile left, long after the CIA and its Bolivian government associates killed him in 1967.

Continue reading the main story

Bin Laden indulged in the extreme romanticisation of himself, a common pathology among all of history's terrorists”

End Quote Michael Burleigh Since 9/11 Bin Laden has been of symbolic, rather than operational, significance to al-Qaeda. Although he has communicated via couriers, like those the US used to trace him back to Abbottabad, in reality, day-to-day operational control would require the internet and satellite telephones, all of which would have invited a Predator drone strike within minutes.

Although Bin Laden's deputy, the Egyptian surgeon Ayman al-Zawahiri, lives to fight another day, this ageing and portly figure is deeply uncharismatic, and besides, his principal fixation with toppling the Mubarak regime in his homeland is severely out of date since the events of the Arab Spring.

There have always been those who think it is "good to talk" to terrorists, a view which echoes the 1930s policy of appeasing the European dictators. The killing of Bin Laden has comprehensively demolished the extraordinary claims of people like Tony Blair's former chief of staff, Jonathan Powell, that the al-Qaeda leader should be negotiated with, or Eliza Manningham-Buller, the former MI5 chief, that approaches could be made to those on "the periphery" of al-Qaeda.

One man would like to slip into Bin Laden's vacant shoes - the US-Yemeni terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki, who inspired the underpants bomber - but whether he lives long enough to assume such a role must be moot given recent events and the sheer implacability with which President Obama is going after America's enemies.

Awlaki also lacks the specific combination of characteristics that enabled Bin Laden to become such a potent figure. For his own life is like a parody of a riches to rags fairytale. Bin Laden's construction billionaire father had migrated to Saudi as a child in the 1920s from Yemen's harsh Hisdradut region.

The attacks on the World Trade Center will not be forgotten

But his son turned to the most extreme and puritanical forms of Islam in his late teens, partly at the feet of exiled Palestinian and Syrian religious instructors under the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood. Their ideologues had already turned the faith into an ideological weapon, claiming that all other Muslims were benighted, deluded or heretical.

A fortune estimated at between $35 and $250 million meant that Bin Laden could turn his most extravagant fantasies into reality.

Directing a polyglot immigrant labour force for the family business gave Bin Laden experiences which he put to effective use in running a multinational terrorist organisation. While its vision is deeply retrogressive, al-Qaeda utilised the most modern technologies, and had such things as job descriptions, application forms, and paid holidays for its members.

This should not disguise the fact that they took semi-feudal oaths of loyalty to the man who called himself "the Sheikh". In the early 1980s a "charity" facilitating Arab war tourists developed into a 2,000-strong jihadist force helping the Afghans fighting the Soviets.

In these years Bin Laden indulged in the extreme romanticisation of himself, a common pathology among all of history's terrorists. Credulous Afghans marvelled at this obviously rich Saudi who chose life in scorpion-infested caves, where his diet was a simple vegetable stew and water. Bin Laden claimed that victory was his, and, moreover that defeat in Afghanistan had collapsed the entire Soviet system.

Bin Laden was convinced that the consumerist and hedonistic Americans were a weaker proposition than the Soviets, and that he could bring down the US too. This hubristic delusion would ultimately bring about his own demise.

Continue reading the main story Born in 1957, apparently the 17th of 52 children by a multimillionaire builder Encountered conservative Islam while studying civil engineering in Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaFought in Afghanistan for a decade after the Soviet invasion in 1979Shifted focus to US, appearing on the FBI's "most wanted" list after two bomb attacks on the US embassies in Kenya and TanzaniaAttacks on the US soil on 11 September 2001 led to to the American-led operation against the Taliban in AfghanistanIn May 2011, President Barack Obama announces Bin Laden has been killed by US ground forces in AfghanistanBin Laden's parallel denunciations of the Saudi ruling dynasty for inviting western forces into Saudi Arabia to ward off the predations of Saddam Hussein, while rejecting the assistance of Bin Laden's own jihadist international brigade, meant that in 1991 he was expelled and in 1994 denationalised, though Saudi money continued to find its way to al-Qaeda so long as Bin Laden did not strike within the kingdom itself.

He fled first to Sudan, where his money talked in such a poor country, and then in 1996 back to Afghanistan, where he resolved to strike at western interests which, he and Zawahiri, felt were propping up autocratic regimes throughout the Middle East.

This was the true beginning of the simple narrative myth of a defensive jihad against "Crusader-Zionist" aggression against the universal Muslim ummah. And so it might seem if one's vision was restricted to a few lurid TV images from Bosnia or Chechnya as refurbished by al-Qaeda's own media outlets. For al-Qaeda's "truths" relied upon huge distortions and massive ignorance of the world on the part of his sympathisers.

In reality, Bin Laden himself was the source of aggression, with Bin Laden calling for jihadists to kill American civilians wherever they could. A series of ever bolder terrorist strikes ensued.

Each of these attacks was long in the making, relying on tight cells of terrorists all of whom had received some form of training at al-Qaeda's camps in Afghanistan or who were in some way directed by al-Qaeda.

Bin Laden's own role was to green light projects which others presented him with - for example the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks was Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

Ayman al-Zawahiri is not seen as having the charisma of Bin Laden

Somewhat later, ideologically cognate groups would simply claim they had acted under al-Qaeda's general inspiration. It suited Bin Laden to claim authorship of attacks he probably had little responsibility for since it magnified his global influence.

By the time of 9/11, Bin Laden's terrorist organisation had effectively captured a state. Afghanistan bore the brunt of the US armed response to 9/11.

Although Bin Laden prided himself on his strategic genius, and did undoubtedly succeed in inspiring many angry young Muslims to heed him, in reality the US deposition of the Afghan Taliban government was a disaster for him and his organisation, forcing them to rely on affiliated actors whose priorities were often more local than al-Qaeda's.

Over the last nine years, core al-Qaeda has been progressively marginalised - to the point where it did not overly matter if Bin Laden was captured or killed - while relentless warfare has inclined sections of the Taliban to find an accommodation with the Kabul government.

Bin Laden's death is likely to accelerate that process. But his longer term legacy is more imponderable.

For sure, Bin Laden will be regarded by future historians as one of the major symbolic villains in modern history. Purely in terms of death tolls he is not in the same class of genocidal killer as Saddam Hussein, let alone Hitler, Stalin or Mao.

Continue reading the main story 1998 - 231 killed and 5,000 injured by bombings at US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania 2000 - Suicide attack on the USS Cole in Yemen killed 17 sailors and injured 392001 - Hijacked planes flown into World Trade Center, Pentagon and into a field in Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 killed 2002 - Bali bombings. Two bombs exploded killing 202 2003 - Suicide bombings at housing compounds for foreigners in Saudi capital Riyadh killed 34 2004 - Madrid commuter train bombings. More than 200 killed and 1,500 wounded 2005 - London transport bombings. 52 killed and more than 700 injured Of course, in some quarters Mao remains a poster boy for a certain type of revolutionary implacability. But no one is likely to forget the 3,000 people murdered on 9/11 any time soon, a massacre which puts most terrorist actions in the shade, achieving in a single day the entire death toll in Northern Ireland over a 30-year period. His terrorist career clearly eclipses that of most earlier terrorists, whose victims number in single digits or low hundreds.

More important is the question whether in a few years Bin Laden sinks into relative obscurity among young Muslims around the world - apparently his visage disappeared from T-shirts in Pakistan and Palestine long ago.

Apart from easily excitable Islamist mobs in Pakistan, only the extreme Islamist Palestinian faction Hamas seems to be lamenting his demise. Of course, whether Bin Laden remains relatively marginal depends largely on whether secular reform movements in the Middle East can deliver more than the angry violence represented by militant Islamists.

In that eventuality, Bin Laden as myth could undergo constant revival, just as Che Guevara seems to excite the imaginations of people not yet born in the 1960s. One should never underestimate some people's susceptibility to such romantic myths.

Since Bin Laden was entirely marginal to the revolts that have been dubbed the Arab Spring, for the moment his myth seems to be on the wane. Al-Qaeda has been racing to catch up with events which passed them by and which they did not anticipate.

Apart from chaos, death and destruction it is impossible to see what al-Qaeda brings to the table by way of practical solutions.

Young Arabs want an end to corruption and tyranny, jobs, and freedoms enjoyed in the West rather than the retrograde imaginings of a stateless madman who thought that life for Muslims was perfect in the 13th Century.

Michael Burleigh is the author of Blood and Rage: A Cultural History of Terrorism.

VIDEO: Weather frustrates wildfire battle

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The politics of bank holidays

29 April 2011 Last updated at 11:56 By James Morgan BBC News Dancing round the May Pole is a May Day tradition The government is considering scrapping the May Day Bank Holiday and creating a new public holiday in April or October. But what is the origin of our bank holidays and what do they tell us about the UK?

It seems almost too good to be true. Waking up to another four-day weekend, the second in a row for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Feels just a little bit indulgent.

But after an Easter weekend steeped in sunshine, most of us are only too happy to gobble up a double helping of bank holiday pudding, in the shape of the Royal Wedding and May Day.

But not everyone is feeling hungry for seconds. Not at Westminster anyway, where MPs have tabled a bill to scrap the May Day Bank Holiday in England and Wales and replace it with a new national day.

Under the proposals, the festivities would be moved to St George's Day in April in England and St David's Day in March in Wales, or a Trafalgar Day in October.

Ministers said the move would lengthen the tourist season, while business leaders are keen to spread out holidays to avoid a repeat of this year's 11-day bonanza, which some analysts estimate will cost the UK economy £30bn.

Spring and fertility

But the threat to May Day has riled both trade unions and rural traditionalists, for whom the first Monday is an agricultural festival whose roots stretch far beyond its modern association with Labour Day.

The curious history of our official bank holidays begins in 1871, when they were first recognised in an Act of Parliament authored by Sir John Lubbock. He was a banker who, it is said, was so keen on cricket he chose dates when village matches were played in his home county.

Mods and rocker would clash on Bank Holidays in the 60s

In truth, "St Lubbock's Days", as they were briefly known, were all associated with important religious festivals and agricultural holidays, says Prof John K Walton, a historian of British and Spanish tourism and national identities at the University of the Basque Country.

"Our bank holidays were made by the Victorians, but they are rooted in traditions which run far deeper than the holidays themselves. They underlined existing days of celebration. Mid-August, for example, was a traditional time for seaside bathing holidays, even before the advent of the railways."

December holidays are often thought of as Christian inventions, but the dates coincide with holidays which predate Jesus' birth, says Prof Bernard Capp, a historian at Warwick University.

"When the puritans abolished Christmas in 1647, they banned it twice over because it was both pagan and Popish. They looked back in history and saw that Christmas was predated by the Roman Saturnalia."

The public responded violently to the ban, particularly in Canterbury where rioting and looting broke out.

Notorious day

"The repercussions led eventually to a rebellion and a second Civil War," says Capp.

But while Christmas survived the reformation, many other traditional holidays were lost, he adds.

"Before the protestant reformation every village had its saint. But the reformers got rid of that and smashed the places of worship. Saints' days were wiped out, but somehow St George survived. He became a national figure and his identity was enough to outweigh the Pope."

Continue reading the main story

New Year's Day; Good Friday; Royal wedding; May Day; Spring Bank Holiday; Christmas Day; Boxing Day

Easter Monday; Last Monday in August

2 January; First Monday in August; St Andrew's Day

St Patrick's Day; Easter Monday; The Twelfth; Last Monday in August

May Day only became an official bank holiday in 1971, associated strongly with International Workers' Rights day, which some think has marked it out as a political target.

But its roots as a holiday stretch back to pre-Christian pagan festivals, and the Gaelic Beltane. The familiar rituals of dancing around the Maypole and the crowning of the May Queen made it a popular seasonal celebration in medieval England.

"May Day is associated with spring and fertility, the sowing of the seeds. It is a rural tradition," says Julie-Marie Strange, senior lecturer in Victorian Studies at the University of Manchester.

"It's things like May Day that remind us we were once an agricultural community. We've clung on to these traditions and I'm not sure why we'd want to get rid of them now."

When the industrial revolution came, working hours were no longer ruled by the agricultural seasons - they were ruled by the clock.

"For the factory bosses, the harvest had no relevance," says Strange. "It was all about getting as much work done in the daylight as possible. But the factories drew their workforce from the rural areas and that's where you get the clashes over time off."

Mondays were the biggest bone of contention, with working-class people deciding to take their own Monday holidays - known as Saint Mondays.

"It was a rural custom of taking Mondays off, or easy, that persisted in an industrial context", says Strange. "Although most employers tried to stamp it out."

Nostalgia

Bank holidays quickly got a bad reputation and were associated with working people drinking too much. The August bank holiday was especially notorious.

"With the hot weather and beer combo, fights would break out," says Strange. "And if you look right up to the 1960s, you see that mods and rockers tended to clash more on Bank Holiday Mondays too, down at the seaside in Margate."

People have protested over the threat to May Day

But the holiday Mondays were not just about drinking, they were family days, rich in childhood memories and nostalgia.

"If you read Victorian autobiographies, bank holidays were always special," says Strange. "They were red letter days when you got a free day out of the everyday routine."

In working-class areas especially they were important for family and community cohesion. But as working culture changes, it has become harder and harder for everyone to get time off on the same day, says Walton.

"In the 1960s we had local town holidays, the days when the local factories closed. But once the factories went we lost all those, and with it that predictable holiday pattern.

"With the loss of Sunday, it's getting more and more difficult for families to arrange a holiday. The bank holiday is our last remnant of that culture where we could all go on holiday together."

Strange agrees: "The fashion today is for choice, but there are good things about our bank holidays. They remind us where we came from."

But will politicians agree with the historians? And more to the point, does the nation? It could be too close to call.

In a web-poll of over 4,000 Britons, less than half (43%) would like the May Day bank holiday left as it is. A third (36%) supported replacing it with a Trafalgar Day in October, while a fifth (18%) supported replacing it with a St George's Day public holiday in April.

Enjoy yourself this May Day. It may be one of your last.

VIDEO: Huhne confronts Cameron over AV

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Warning over replacement for EMA

3 May 2011 Last updated at 18:42 By Ross Hawkins Political correspondent, BBC News The scrapping of EMA became part of the wave of student protests during the winter Plans to replace the Education Maintenance Allowance could lead to unintended discrimination, according to a government equalities assessment.

It says discrimination could occur because schools and colleges will decide which students get bursaries.

Sixteen to 19-year-olds in full-time education or training will be able to apply for the money for the coming academic year.

The assessment says the government is considering "some central arbitration".

The Equality Impact Assessment says the process is open to unintended discrimination on the basis of disability, gender or ethnicity.

'Flexibility'

The Department for Education is to set up bursaries totalling £180m a year to replace the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA), which was worth £500m a year.

They are designed to help young people who face financial difficulties stay on in education.

Announcing the plans to the House of Commons in March, Education Secretary Michael Gove said schools and colleges would have the freedom to allocate the bursaries because they were best placed to know the specific needs of their students.

He added then: "We will give professionals full flexibility over allocating support."

Continue reading the main story

He has taken a successful scheme that was good value for the taxpayer and turned it into a complete shambles”

End Quote Andy Burnham Shadow education secretary The Impact Assessment says : "We will consider whether there should be some central arbitration of the discretionary administration of funding or at least ensure transparency of administration to evaluate the impact achieved by providers, including value for public money."

A Department for Education spokesman said: "As we have always said schools and college will have freedom in how they allocate the bursaries to their students. We want to work with colleges to make sure that money is fairly allocated.

"The fact is consultation has not yet finished but we will consider what mechanism might help support colleges and students in making sure the money gets to those who need it."

The government's consultation on how the bursary scheme will work comes to an end this month.

The assessment goes on to say the new scheme will deliver better value for money. It says while some young people will get less money there is no evidence the changes in financial support will have a disproportionate effect on those with disabilities, learning difficulties, or on either gender or those of different ethnicities.

The shadow education secretary Andy Burnham said: "Michael Gove promised a better scheme for the poorest young people but now his own department says it is open to discrimination.

"He has taken a successful scheme that was good value for the taxpayer and turned it into a complete shambles."

James Mills, from the campaign to keep the EMA, said: "We have been saying since day one that there would be grave equality issues brought up by removing EMA and the government has finally admitted this by whispering it out in their own Equality Impact Assessment hoping no one would notice."

Sheep rescued after two weeks stranded on cliff

3 May 2011 Last updated at 17:10 The rescue operation lasted eight hours and involved 23 volunteers Six sheep stranded for a fortnight on a cliff face in the Trossachs have been brought to safety following an eight-hour rescue operation.

Twenty-three volunteers from four charities were involved in efforts to bring the animals off the steep ridge at Dunglass near Strathblane.

The operation was mounted after a local farmer alerted the Scottish SPCA and Trossachs Search and Rescue.

Specialised vehicles, equipment and were ropes used.

Land Rovers provided by Lothian 4x4 Response were used as 'anchors' to tie ropes to then members of Trossachs Search and Rescue and the High Access Rescue Team were lowered down to the sheep.

Four of the animals were guided uphill while two were placed in sacks and lowered to the ground.

'Technically challenging'

Scottish SPCA inspectors were on hand and supervised the operation to ensure the safety of the animals.

The operation was hampered by the recent dry conditions which meant that large spikes normally hammered into the soil during similar rescues could not be used as the earth was too crumbly.

Stuart Ballantyne of Trossachs Search and Rescue said: "Alisdair Bain is a very responsible farmer and called us in as soon as he realised the sheep were not going to escape from the cliff.

"He and his staff ensured they had sufficient feeding thrown to them on a daily basis until we could get the necessary resources together to mount this technically-challenging operation.

"This was a real partnership operation and we are all delighted that we rescued all six sheep and all are seem to be healthy and unharmed by their ordeal."

Your pictures

3 May 2011 Last updated at 15:26

Photos from around the world on 2 May

Life in Burma's cyclone-hit delta

Reaction to death of Osama Bin Laden

Photos of William and Kate's wedding day

Photos from around the world this week

Crowds gather on the eve of the royal wedding

Powerful storms in southern states

Readers' pictures on the theme of concrete

Photos from around the world on 25 April

Easter Sunday around the world

 

www.sublimedvds.com

Dewani 'wanted out of marriage'

3 May 2011 Last updated at 18:57 South African police want to extradite Shrien Dewani, 31, from Bristol, for his alleged role in the death of his wife Anni

An extradition hearing has been told a man accused of ordering his wife's murder on their honeymoon "needed a way out" of the marriage.

A barrister for the South African government said a witness had spoken of two meetings with Shrien Dewani, 31.

The South African authorities want to extradite Mr Dewani, from Bristol, to face charges.

His bride, Anni, 28, was shot when the couple's taxi was apparently hijacked in Cape Town last November.

The hearing, at Belmarsh Magistrates' Court in south-east London, was told that the witness recalled having first met the care home owner in September 2009.

Hugo Keith QC, representing the South African authorities, said: "Dewani told (the witness) in April 2010 how he was engaged and had to get married.

"He said although she was a nice, lovely girl who he liked, he could not break out of the engagement because he would be disowned by his family.

"He went on to say to the witness he needed to find a way out of it."

'Vulnerable position'

Mr Dewani, who denies any wrongdoing, is on bail but is being held at a mental health hospital in Bristol.

After attending the start of the hearing, he was excused on medical grounds and was returned to the clinic.

An expert on South Africa's prison system told the court Mr Dewani would be at risk of sexual violence if he was extradited.

Sasha Gear, from Johannesburg's Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, said: "He's likely to be very vulnerable to sexual violence because of certain of his characteristics.

"One is that he's not an experienced criminal... He would lack street credentials that are required to be respected in prison and the lack of which can put someone in a vulnerable position.

"He's unfamiliar with the local reality of the place he's likely to be incarcerated in, the slang used, which makes him less likely to be able to defend himself."

Bullet in neck

Mrs Dewani was found dead in the back of the abandoned vehicle with a bullet wound to her neck, after the apparent hijacking.

Taxi driver Zola Tongo had taken the newlyweds to the deprived township.

Tongo originally claimed his vehicle was held up and he and Mr Dewani were ejected before Mrs Dewani was driven away and killed.

But in a later plea bargain, the taxi driver - who was jailed for 18 years for admitting his role in the murder - claimed Mr Dewani offered him cash to arrange the killing.

Mr Dewani is said to be suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder.

The three-day extradition hearing is split into two parts, with further time allowed for a psychiatric report on Mr Dewani to be carried out.

Model's ex-PA sentenced for fraud

3 May 2011 Last updated at 15:14 Erin O'Connor's bank card Pin number was used by her personal assistant A personal assistant to model Erin O'Connor who stole money from her employer to pay for shopping and holidays has been spared jail.

Michelle Knox-Brown, 46, admitted two counts of fraud, including stealing £10,251, over three years.

Knox-Brown, of east London, who was paid £45,000 a year for working three-and-a-half-days-a-week, was ordered to do 200 hours' of unpaid community work.

Kingston Crown Court heard the fraud left the model "doubting herself".

Knox-Brown was given a 40-week suspended sentence and ordered not to contact her former employer.

'Sheer greed'

Judge Andrew Campbell told the former PA, of Glyn Road, Clapton: "You were in a position of trust, indeed a relatively high position of trust.

"The goods and the money you obtained were not obtained because you were short of money, but out of sheer greed.

"You have let Miss O'Connor down quite badly, and as she explains, what you have done has affected not only her work but the trust she puts in other people."

Knox-Brown, who was hired in 2007, had access to O'Connor's personal information and bank accounts, including the Pin number to the 33-year-old Marks & Spencer model's bank card.

She made hundreds of transactions, even while on holidays to Morocco, India, Spain and America, the court heard.

She ran up a £1,607 taxi-bill and hundreds of pounds in parking fines, even though the model did not drive.

Model turned 'detective'

She also went on a spending spree in London's West End and withdrew £1,500 cash over a two-week period.

Knox-Brown used her employer's money to pay for a friend's hen night party in Brighton and VIP tickets and £400 spending money to the Isle of Wight music event, Bestival.

Knox-Brown was caught in February 2010 when Miss O'Connor became suspicious of the taxi bills.

"Miss O'Connor and her partner spent days and days and days trying to piece together the fraud that had been perpetrated on her," prosecutor Jonathan Polnay said.

"Effectively Miss O'Connor turned detective."

Julian Winship, defending, said his client was "ashamed" and "properly remorseful".

Knox-Brown was also ordered to pay back £2,000 to the model within a month and return another £6,000 over two years.

Tomlinson unlawfully killed by Pc

3 May 2011 Last updated at 18:20 Ian Tomlinson collapsed at the G20 protests in London two years ago Ian Tomlinson was unlawfully killed by a Metropolitan Police officer at the G20 protests, an inquest jury has said.

The 47-year-old collapsed and died after he was hit by a baton and pushed to the ground by Pc Simon Harwood at the protests in London on 1 April 2009.

His family said the verdict was a "huge relief", while the Crown Prosecution Service could reopen criminal proceedings against Pc Harwood.

The officer said after the verdict he had not intended to push him over.

The jury decided Pc Harwood acted illegally, recklessly and dangerously, and used "excessive and unreasonable" force in striking Mr Tomlinson.

Jurors added that the newspaper seller, who was not taking part in the protests, posed no threat.

Family hope

The case is set to be reviewed by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Met Police.

Pathologist Dr Freddy Patel told the inquest that Mr Tomlinson died of a heart attack but the jury favoured the evidence of a number of experts who said he died of internal bleeding.

During evidence, the family's lawyer Matthew Ryder QC said Pc Harwood had told "half truths" and "deliberately painted a false picture of Mr Tomlinson".

Outside the hearing, Mr Tomlinson's step-son Paul King said the family hoped manslaughter charges would be brought against Pc Harwood.

Mr King said: "After two years, we're really grateful that the inquest process has made a strong statement about how Ian died.

"We are grateful to the jury and the coroner and we think the jury finding speaks for itself in the verdict of unlawful killing."

'Blindingly obvious'

Last year, prosecutors said a decision not to pursue charges against Pc Harwood could be reviewed depending on the inquest findings.

Ian Tomlinson's family say they have "a long way to go in their search for justice"

Jurors took four-and-a-half hours to reach their verdict. The other possible verdicts available to them were misadventure, natural causes and open.

Jules Carey, of the Tomlinson family's solicitors, said: "Today's decision is a huge relief to Mr Tomlinson's family.

"To many, today's verdict will seem like a statement of the blindingly obvious; however this fails to take account of the significant and many obstacles faced by the family over the last two years to get to this decision.

"The CPS will now review whether a prosecution will be brought following today's verdict and the way in which the evidence has been clarified during the inquest process."

'Deep regret'

The CPS said a "thorough" review would take place.

A spokesman said: "It will take into account all of the evidence now available, including any new evidence that emerged at the inquest, the issues left by the coroner to the jury and the conclusions they reached.

Continue reading the main story

Pc Harwood did not intend, or foresee at the time, that his push would cause Mr Tomlinson to fall over, let alone that it would result in any injury”

End Quote Pc Simon Harwood's solicitor "The review will be conducted as quickly as is compatible with the care and rigour required in a thorough exercise."

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said it acknowledged the verdict and would be publishing various reports on the incident.

Speaking after the verdict, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Rose Fitzpatrick of the Met Police said: "It is a matter of deep regret that the actions of an MPS [Metropolitan Police Service] officer have been found to have caused the death of a member of the public."

The Met said Pc Harwood would be the subject of misconduct proceedings.

Pc Harwood disputed the jury's verdict that he deliberately and intentionally shoved Mr Tomlinson to the ground.

A statement released by the officer's lawyer said: "The mass of video and other evidence gathered by the IPCC now presents a picture very different from the one which Pc Harwood had on the day.

"In particular, he wishes that he had known then all that he now knows about Mr Tomlinson's movements and fragile state of health.

"Pc Harwood did not intend, or foresee at the time, that his push would cause Mr Tomlinson to fall over, let alone that it would result in any injury."

1. 1855: Mr Tomlinson leaves Monument station to head home

2. 1859: He walks north along King William Street, but is turned back by police

3. 1902: The newspaper seller sits on a wall before cutting through onto Lombard Street

4. 1906: A few minutes later, he comes into contact with police again on Lombard Street

5. 1915: Mr Tomlinson then passes through Change Alley and is diverted again by more police officers

6. 1918: He crosses Cornhill towards Royal Exchange Buildings

7. 1920: As police sweep down Royal Exchange, Mr Tomlinson is hit by a baton and pushed to the ground. A bystander helps him to his feet

8. 1921: The newspaper vendor walks along Cornhill before collapsing and dying

Source: Inquest into the death of Ian Tomlinson. Note: Parts of route and some timings are approximate

Parties in election placards row

3 May 2011 Last updated at 17:20 Wayne David is Caerphilly MP and Labour's Shadow Minister for Europe Plaid Cymru has reported a Labour MP to police for allegedly taking down its Welsh assembly election placards without permission.

Plaid claims Caerphilly MP Wayne David removed a number of posters from gardens against residents' wishes.

Mr David admitted he had taken down signs but only with permission of householders.

Gwent Police said it was looking into claims of electoral irregularities.

Labour has reported Plaid over claims that the party has been wrongly putting posters on public property.

Plaid claimed Mr David was seen by some of its party members with a number of their placards in his car and is demanding a police investigation.

A spokesperson for Gwent Police said: "We have received reports of electoral irregularities in the Caerphilly area and these are currently being looked into.

"It would be inappropriate to comment any further at this time."

Continue reading the main story

When I've been asked by local people and received their permission I've been taking down unwanted Plaid Cymru stakes”

End Quote Wayne David MP Labour, Caerphilly Mr David admitted to the BBC he had removed placards but said it was only with permission of householders and that he had been complimented for doing so.

"When I've been asked by local people and received their permission I've been taking down unwanted Plaid Cymru stakes," he said.

"There have been a number of instances across the Caerphilly constitutency where Plaid Cymru have been putting stakes in people's gardens and on lamp posts without permission."

He said there was nothing wrong with putting up placards but when it was without permission on someone else's property "that's trespass and that's illegal."

A Labour spokesman said the Caerphilly party was contacted by "a number of people extremely angry about Plaid Cymru's illegal fly-posting antics across the constituency".

He went on: "At the explicit request of angry residents a number of Plaid Cymru posters were removed by Labour activists in order to be handed to the police as evidence of Plaid's illegal activity."

Semtex, mortar found in searches

3 May 2011 Last updated at 15:17 The searches followed a police operation in south Armagh Semtex explosives and a horizontal mortar were among weapons found during searches targeting dissident republicans over the Easter weekend.

Police have released more details about what was found during the searches in south Armagh and east Tyrone.

Also found were 25 kilos of home made explosives, an automatic weapon, a silencer, ammunition, three timer power units, booster tubes and a detonator.

The searches followed the arrest of three men in Keady on Good Friday.

The men were subsequently charged after a number of weapons - including machine guns and rifles - were found in a car they were travelling in.

They have not been charged in connection with the other weapons found in the follow-up searches.

The horizontal mortar found in the later searches contained more than half a kilo of Semtex.

There have been a number of significant arms finds by the PSNI since dissident republicans murdered Constable Ronan Kerr in Omagh on 2 April.

Days after the murder rifles, detonators, component parts for rocket launchers and explosives were found in the Coalisland area of County Tyrone.

Cameron pledges to press Pakistan

3 May 2011 Last updated at 18:37 David Cameron: "I hope there is some sense of justice for the victims' families"

David Cameron has promised to ask "searching questions" of Pakistan after Osama Bin Laden was found living near the country's leading military academy.

But he said it was in the UK's national interest to recognise the countries shared a struggle against terrorism.

The president of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, said the authorities there had not known where he was hiding when he was killed by US special forces.

US officials said Bin Laden must have had a "support system" in Pakistan.

Speaking in the Commons, the PM said the killing of Bin Laden was a "strike at the heart of international terrorism" and the UK would continue to co-operate with Pakistan and honour its aid promises because it was in "Britain's national interest".

He told MPs that "Pakistan has suffered more from terrorism than any other country in the world" and "Osama bin Laden was an enemy of Pakistan".

But he said the al-Qaeda leader's ability to live in a large house in Pakistan showed he had an "extensive support network" in the country and it was right to ask "searching questions" about that.

"We don't know the extent of that network so it is right that we ask searching questions about it and we will," he said.

'Helpful development'

Pakistan's main intelligence agency, the ISI, said it was embarrassed by "failures" which meant it was unaware that Bin Laden was hiding there.

UK embassies have been ordered to review security amid fears of reprisal attacks, and Britons have been urged to be vigilant.

Mr Cameron sparked a diplomatic row with Pakistan last year after accusing it of looking "both ways" on terrorism.

Earlier, he told the BBC's Today programme it would be wrong to "walk away" from Pakistan and have a "nuclear power in danger of massive extremism".

He also said Bin Laden's death would provide the opportunity to send a message to the Taliban to break their links with al-Qaeda, and take part in a "peaceful political process".

Labour leader Ed Miliband said the world was a "safer place" without Bin Laden and praised the "co-operative and calm response of the Pakistani government".

But he said there was a "great deal of uncertainty" about who was aware of the al-Qaeda presence in the country.

Foiled plots

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary William Hague has criticised Palestinian group Hamas for mourning Bin Laden's death.

Television channel al-Jazeera was also condemned in Parliament after broadcasting messages vowing vengeance for his execution.

Earlier, Mr Cameron was also asked by BBC Radio Five Live about reports that the information which led the CIA to Bin Laden may have come from a suspect at Guantanamo Bay under torture.

"We don't yet know that. The moral question in my view is that torture isn't justified," he said.

The Cabinet met at Downing Street on Tuesday morning and was followed by a gathering of the National Security Council, chaired by Mr Cameron.

Mr Cameron also spoke on Monday to the Pakistan and Afghanistan presidents.

Downing Street said the prime minister had made clear "Britain would continue to work extremely closely with both Afghanistan and Pakistan to tackle the terrorist threat from al-Qaeda and from the Taliban".

'Potential impacts'

Bin Laden, believed to be behind the 9/11 attacks, was killed on Sunday about 62 miles from Pakistan's capital in an US operation which did not involve Pakistan.

Cabinet minister Baroness Warsi told the BBC that "none of us can say with absolute clarity" that no-one in the "formal or informal" sphere of the Pakistani authorities knew anything about Bin Laden's whereabouts but she was sure the "democratically-elected parts of the Pakistan government" had not known about his location.

The Foreign Office has urged Britons overseas to "exercise caution in all public places".

British military bases have been ordered to maintain a "high level of vigilance".

Bin Laden was found in Abbottabad, near Islamabad

Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales is beginning a three-day trip to Washington, where he will meet US President Barack Obama at the White House.

The threat level to the UK from international terrorism has remained at severe since January 2010, indicating a terrorist attack is highly likely.

The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, which includes representatives from 16 government departments and agencies, sets the threat level.

Bin Laden was top of the US "most wanted" list, but managed to evade the forces of the US and its allies for almost a decade - despite a $25m (£15m) bounty on his head.

In the attacks in New York and Washington on 11 September, 2001, 67 Britons were among the 3,000 people killed when four planes were hijacked and flown into New York's World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania.

Wilshere & Carroll get Under 21s call

Carroll and Wilshere played in England's 1-1 draw with Ghana in March Arsenal's Jack Wilshere and Liverpool striker Andy Carroll have been included in England's provisional squad for the Under-21 European Championships.

The duo are among six players with senior caps in head coach Stuart Pearce's 40-man selection.

Pearce will trim his party to 23 on 1 June, with the first game against Spain on 8 June.

Wilshere's inclusion is set to irritate Gunners boss Arsene Wenger, who in April queried the midfielder's call-up.

With Wilshere, 19, forcing his way into the full England squad, Wenger said last month: "If England think Wilshere is not ready to play for the first team completely and he needs to play in the under-21s, that you can defend.

"If they are convinced he is a first team player, then it is debatable."

The Professional Footballers' Association's 2011 young player of the year has made four full caps since his international debut in August 2010.

Meanwhile, Liverpool's record £35m signing Carroll said he is keen to play a key role for Pearce's team during the summer.

The 22-year-old, who scored his first full international goal for England against Ghana in last month's 1-1 friendly draw at Wembley, said in March: "It can only be good for my career.

"If you look at the Germans, when they won the under-21 tournament, they went to the World Cup and had such a good tournament.

"It's important to start winning international tournaments early and hopefully you can take it to the world stage."

In addition to Wilshere and Carroll, England manager Fabio Capello has selected Danny Welbeck, Jordan Henderson, Micah Richards and Kieran Gibbs for the senior side while Chris Smalling and Kyle Walker have both trained with the full squad.

Pearce was in charge when England suffered a 4-0 defeat by a Mesut Ozil-inspired Germany in the 2009 European Championships final in Sweden.

After playing Spain, England face Ukraine and Czech Republic in the group stage of the tournament, with the top two sides progressing to the semi-finals.

The final takes place on 25 June.

England Under-21s provisional squad: Fielding (Blackburn), Loach (Watford), Steele (Middlesbrough), McCarthy (Reading), Bennett (Middlesbrough), Bertrand (Chelsea), Gibbs (Arsenal), Jones (Blackburn), Mancienne (Chelsea), Mee (Manchester City), Naughton (Tottenham), Richards (Manchester City), Smalling (Manchester United), Tomkins (West Ham), Trippier (Manchester City), Walker (Tottenham), Albrighton (Aston Villa), Cork (Chelsea), Cleverley (Manchester United), Davies (Bolton), Hammill (Wolves), Henderson (Sunderland), Howson (Leeds), Lallana (Southampton), Lansbury (Arsenal), McEachran (Chelsea), Muamba (Bolton), Rodwell (Everton), Rose (Tottenham), Sinclair (Swansea), Wilshere (Arsenal), Carroll (Liverpool), Delfouneso (Aston Villa), Hooper (Celtic), Rodriguez (Burnley), Sears (West Ham), Sturridge (Chelsea), Vaughan (Everton), Welbeck (Manchester United), Wickham (Ipswich)

UK 'working on Syria sanctions'

3 May 2011 Last updated at 18:35 The Syrian town of Deraa has been the focus of much of the protests The UK is working with its European partners on targeted sanctions against members of the Syrian regime, Foreign Secretary William Hague has said.

He told MPs they were discussing "asset freezes and travel bans".

The EU has agreed an arms embargo against Syria, but France has said it wants President Bashar al-Assad to be targeted directly.

Activists say 560 people have been killed across the country in anti-government protests.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Hague said the UK was at the "forefront of pressing for action by the EU".

"We are now working with our European partners on targeted sanctions on asset freezes and travel bans. I will be discussing this further with the French foreign minister this evening.

"We are also highly active at the United Nations Security Council," he said.

He also criticised the crackdowns by governments across the Middle East, saying: "Nothing can justify the use of lethal force against peaceful demonstrators."

Changing faces

3 May 2011 Last updated at 10:31 By Nick O'Dwyer Series producer, Children's Craniofacial Surgery Finley has a rare genetic condition called Apert Syndrome

On one side of the gleaming operating theatre, one-year-old Finley lies anaesthetised and unconscious.

The whole of Finley's skull has been removed and his brain lies exposed, its pulse beating the seconds away.

Across the room, plastics and reconstructive surgeon David Johnson is cutting, sawing and breaking apart the pieces of Finley's skull before refashioning them to provide a completely new skull shape.

In 30 minutes' time, David will be finished and will place the new skull over Finley's brain and sew up the long zig-zag scar running from ear to ear over his scalp.

Upstairs at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital, Finley's parents wait and hope for news that the operation is over and that their baby boy is safe.

It has been a long 12 months for Diane and Lee Amey.

When Finley was born in Salisbury, Lee immediately noticed he was different. "His head was a funny shape with a horn a bit like a rhino, his hands were all joined together and his eyes were very bulgy."

The family were referred to the Oxford Craniofacial Unit where they learned that Finley had a rare genetic condition called Apert Syndrome.

Apert babies suffer lots of problems with their growth.

All of us have sutures in our skulls which allows the growing brain to push out the plates of the skull but in Apert babies, these sutures are all fused together. This is what was distorting the shape of Finley's skull and causing his eyes to bulge.

As the brain grows, pressure can build up inside the restricting skull. This can be dangerous, so the Oxford unit carries out a complex operation to remake the skull and give the brain space to grow.

It is an extraordinary operation to watch.

"It's like 3D carpentry really," says David Johnson. "Many of the techniques we use are the same except the raw materials we're working is bone."

After four or five hours of surgery, Finley's operation is complete and he is wheeled away to the recovery room to be reunited with his parents.

They see a baby who looks different after his surgery and who can, for the first time, close his eyes.

But, sadly, this is not the last operation he will face.

Holistic approach

Apert babies are born with their fingers and toes fused together so there will have to be operations to give him a functioning grip.

And, although the problems with his skull have now been addressed, his face will not grow in normal proportion, so he will have to have another operation in a few years' time to detach the bones of his face and slide them forward over a period of months on a metal frame.

The Oxford Unit has well over 1,000 children on their books. Every week they see 21 patients and perform three major head operations.

Only 20% of the patients have the type of genetic syndromes which will need repeated operations.

The vast majority of the children have one suture fused - usually caused by mechanical pressure in the womb. Their problems can be addressed by a one-off operation to remodel their skulls.

Oxford is one of only four centres in the country licensed to carry out the complex surgery needed by children like Finley.

The unit is led by two plastic surgeons and includes neurosurgeons, psychologists, speech therapists, orthoptists (eye specialists), and play therapists to make sure children do not fall too far behind during their lengthy hospital stays.

It also has specialist nurses and geneticists to research conditions and advise parents.

And it was actually the team's senior geneticist, Professor Andrew Wilkie, who identified for the first time the exact location of the tiny genetic "spelling mistake" which causes Apert Syndrome.

The team's psychologists counsel parents on how to deal with the stress of surgery but they also advise them on how to cope with having a child who often looks very different.

"The hardest thing has been people staring at him," says Lee. "I found that very difficult at first. But now, I encourage people to come up and ask a question so we can explain what's happened.

"Finley's no different from anyone else really... he just looks different."

The series Children's Craniofacial Surgery is produced for the BBC by Landmark Films.

It is broadcast on BBC Two on Wednesday at 2100 BST from 4 May. Or catch-up afterwards via BBC iPlayer at the above link.

Suspect named in family murders

3 May 2011 Last updated at 19:44 Jifeng Ding and Alice Ding died from stab wounds, police have revealed A suspect in the investigation into the murders of a couple and their two daughters has been named by detectives.

Police said Anxiang Du, 52, was being sought in connection with the deaths of the family who were found stabbed in their home in Pioneer Close, Wootton, Northampton, on Sunday night.

The family was named locally as college lecturer Jifeng Ding, his wife Helen Chui, and daughters Alice and Xing.

Police said Mr Du, from Coventry, had left a suicide note.

Mr Du left a note to his family implying it was time to say goodbye.

He is understood to have been a business associate of Ms Chui dealing in herbal remedies.

The 52-year-old left his home in Coventry at 1030 BST on Friday to go to work in Birmingham but never returned.

He was last seen on 29 April in Birmingham City Centre, Pallisades Shopping Centre and was wearing a white baseball cap, brown waist-length coat, grey trousers, a blue woollen top and black leather shoes.

He was described by police as being of slim build with a bald patch.

Police said they were still looking for a murder weapon.

The bodies were found in a house in Pioneer Close, Northampton

Det Supt Glyn Timmins said: "The public should be cautious. The reason being is that, obviously having left a suicide note Mr Du had a particular state of mind.

"What I can say is that he's likely to be frightened, he's likely to be quite desperate and certainly when, and if, he sees this in the media he's certainly going to be very anxious and nervous.

"Therefore I think the prudent thing to do would be to assume that Mr Du should not be approached and that's a job for the police if and when he's sighted."

Earlier, police said they did not think the family were victims of a random attack.

They are believed to be investigating the background of the family - who are of Chinese descent - to try to establish a motive for the murder.

Police also want to trace a silver five-door Vauxhall Corsa, registration BG60 PMO, that was hired by one of the family members and was last seen on Friday.

'Shocked and saddened'

A tribute page set up on Facebook to Nancy, 18, who has the Chinese name of Xing, and Alice, 12, has been joined by more than 1,500 people.

On a separate page, comments have been made by students at Manchester Metropolitan University in praise of Xing and Alice's father Jifeng, who was known as Jeff.

Helen Chui is believed to have worked locally as a teacher.

Manchester Metropolitan University said it was "shocked and saddened by the news of the death of Dr Jeff Ding".

"As a senior lecturer, Jeff was a popular and dedicated member of staff who joined the university in 2004," a university spokesman said.

"Jeff will be very sadly missed by all his colleagues in the division of chemistry and environmental sciences, all our staff, students and his friends at Manchester Metropolitan University and by the wider academic and research communities."

Babatunde Adekoya, from the student union at the university said: "You wouldn't find anyone as delightful as him throughout the university. He was always ready to help students in their time of need."

Det Supt Glyn Timmins said police want to question 52-year-old Anxiang Du

Leeds confirm Bates as new owner

Monaco resident Bates was formerly chairman of Chelsea Leeds United have confirmed chairman Ken Bates is the new owner of the club.

Bates has bought out the previous owners FSF Limited through his company Outro Limited for an 'undisclosed sum'.

A inquiry into football had put Leeds' ownership under the spotlight and the Premier League said they would require full disclosure if Leeds were promoted.

But a club statement read: "This change in ownership structure makes Ken Bates the controlling shareholder and delivers the transparency sought."

The club's chief executive Shaun Harvey had given evidence at the football governance inquiry in March where he told MPs that FSF Limited were a West Indian-based holding company, owned by three discretionary trusts.

While the owners of these trusts remained unknown, they had appointed two men, Patrick Murrin and Peter Boatman, to run the club and they had asked Bates to be chairman.

"The scaremongering arising out of the football governance inquiry has not been helpful and, whilst the board were always confident that there were no issues, recognise the concern the unknown outcome of any Premier League questions may have on our members," said the statement.

"To address this issue and in the hope that this brings an end to the speculation, the chairman Ken Bates has completed the purchase of FSF Limited for an undisclosed sum."

FSF Limited holds 72.85 per cent of the shares in Leeds City Holdings Ltd, of which Leeds United Football Club Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary.

OAP's murderer had killed before

3 May 2011 Last updated at 17:58 George Johnson abused Mrs Habesch's trust, the court heard A killer who beat an 89-year-old woman to death, 25 years after being jailed for life for another murder, has been told he will never leave prison.

Odd job man George Norman Johnson, 47, killed Florence May Habesch as she made him a cup of tea in Rhyl, Denbighshire.

Johnson, from Rhyl, had been released on licence after being jailed for life for murder in Wolverhampton in 1986.

Mr Justice Griffith-Williams sentenced him to life at Mold Crown Court and said he must never be released.

Johnson admitted murdering Mrs Habesch at her home in Grange Road, Rhyl, on 6 February, for drugs money, and made off with £25.

Prosecutor Elen Owen said the churchgoing widow lived alone. She was a customer of Johnson's partner - who did an Avon cosmetics round - and he carried out a number of jobs for Mrs Habesch around her home.

After taking heroin and crack cocaine, he went to her house and struck her with a heavy projector case as she made him a cup of tea, causing a massive head injury.

He stole £25 and jewellery, then struck her again because she was staring at him and still moving.

Continue reading the main story

This was a cowardly and vicious crime perpetrated against an elderly and vulnerable lady who had befriended and trusted her attacker”

End Quote Elen Owen Crown Prosecution Service Johnson got a nephew to buy drugs with the money and later told his brother what he had done.

He was taken to the West Midlands, where it was discussed whether anyone should check on the victim - but Johnson said she would be dead.

However, the court heard that a pathologist estimated she did not die until late that night, or early the following morning.

Johnson was arrested after his brother contacted police.

The judge said Johnson was "a very dangerous man" when influenced by alcohol or drugs.

"You knew that she would not give or lend you money," he told him.

"You did not scruple to take the life of that frail, defenceless old lady who had shown you nothing but kindness. You battered her to death in her own home."

Ms Owen said: "George Johnson carried out a particularly violent and unprovoked attack on Florence Habesch.

George Johnson, from Rhyl, had been released on licence after being jailed for life for murder in Wolverhampton in 1986

"This was a cowardly and vicious crime perpetrated against an elderly and vulnerable lady who had befriended and trusted her attacker."

The court heard Johnson and another man launched a "sustained and savage attack" with knives and a pair of scissors in 1986, killing a man in his own home for £3.

In October 1986 he admitted murder, and was jailed for life with a direction that he should serve at least 17 years.

Continue reading the main story

This was a despicable, unprovoked act which is hard to comprehend and is beyond explanation”

End Quote Det Insp Jo Williams North Wales Police He was released on 20 March, 2006, on the condition he took regular drugs and alcohol tests.

He was recalled in January 2007 after a positive test, but was released in December 2007.

By October 2010, he had admitted that he was taking drugs, and later admitted he was taking heroin daily and owed money to local drug dealers.

After sentencing, Det Insp Jo Williams, of North Wales Police, said: "Florence May Habesch was a gentle and dignified member of the community who played an active role in her church.

"She was a very private person who took Johnson into her trust.

"George Johnson abused the trust of Mrs Habesch in the very worst way possible.

"He took advantage of her good nature and kindness and repaid her with violence which resulted in him taking her life.

"This was a despicable, unprovoked act which is hard to comprehend and is beyond explanation.

"Incidents of this nature are very rare in north Wales."

The judge said: "No doubt an inquiry as to why you were not recalled at that time will be undertaken.

"But it was ultimately your responsibility to avoid re-offending, in particularly to avoid violent re-offending."

Wales Probation Trust said a review was being carried to "see if any lessons can be learnt".

"Our sympathies are with the victim's family following this horrific crime," said a spokesperson.

"The offender alone is responsible for these actions."

Joyce Challis, secretary of Rhyl's Christ Church, said Mrs Habesch was an active member, attending services and running a weekly bric-a-brac stall, raising "hundreds of pounds" for Save the Children.

"In later years as she became more frail she was one of the ladies in the back row in church who were not always as quiet as they might have been."

She said that a memorial service had been held and had given "comfort" to people "shocked at the way her life had ended".

"Everyone who knew her remarked what a gentle and private person she was and many of her friends have felt a personal loss and a deep sadness," she said.

Forest fires blaze across the UK

3 May 2011 Last updated at 20:23 A wildfire at Tarbet, Loch Nevis, was one of many scorching the Highlands Fires are still burning around the UK as high winds and dry conditions frustrate emergency services.

Firefighters are dealing with various blazes across large parts of the Scottish Highlands.

Two boys, aged 10 and 15, have been questioned about a gorse fire in County Tyrone.

Meanwhile 150 firefighters were called to deal with a number of incidents at Swinley Forest, Berkshire.

Elsewhere 70 firefighters in Lancashire have been using beaters and spraying water on flames and smouldering moorland at Belmont, Bacup and Ormskirk.

Crews from Merseyside, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire are involved in tackling the fires, which were fanned by winds of up to 45 mph.

'Little chance of rain'

Paul Richardson, from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, says the high winds and very dry conditions make it risky for walkers and emergency crews.

Weather forecasters have said there is very little chance of rain in the next 24 hours.

Continue reading the main story Extinguish cigarettes properly and don't throw cigarette ends on the ground Avoid using open fires in the countryside Do not leave bottles or glass in woodland - sunlight shining through glass can start fires Only use barbecues in a suitable and safe area and never leave them unattended If you see a fire in the countryside, report it to the Fire and Rescue Service immediately Do not attempt to tackle fires that can't be put out with a bucket of water - leave the area as quickly as possible In the Highlands several homes at Inverkirkaig in Assynt and Shiel Bridge in Kintail have been evacuated because of advancing flames.

Crews have been working on steep rugged terrain and helicopters have been brought in to reach inaccessible areas.

A boat has also been used to get firefighters to a remote location, Lochailort in the west Highlands, where a property is potentially at risk.

Hundreds of firefighters have been involved - many of them part-time.

In Aberdeenshire, crews were tackling a blaze on the Balmoral estate north of Glen Muick, helped by a helicopter.

Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service had also been dealing with a large area of scrub and gorse on fire at Glengyle, at the northern end of Loch Katrine.

In Northern Ireland, Glenshesk in Ballycastle has been the worst affected, with fires elsewhere in the Mourne Mountains in County Down, Gortin and Rostrevor.

Sunday was the busiest day on record for the Northern Ireland fire and rescue service.

Chief Fire Officer Peter Craig said: "What we are highly concerned with is protecting life, property and infrastructure.

Aerial footage of smoke coming from the Swinley Forest fires

"In Rostrevor, I saw a ball of flames rolling towards a property. Firefighters, the local community and property owners themselves worked extremely hard to make sure that that person's home did not go up in flames."

The National Trust has warned the fires will cause "immense damage" to the Mournes.

In Berkshire 150 firefighters from four different counties have been dealing with four serious blazes at Swinley Forest.

A large area of Bracknell and Crowthorne remains closed off.

Three schools in the area have been closed as the fires have continued to cause problems.

Earlier, in south Wales, crews attended a mountainside fire near Treherbert which South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said affected 500 hectares of land.

Elsewhere in Europe the dry weather has led to fires in parts of Switzerland, Russia and the Netherlands.

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Huhne 'confronts PM on AV claims'

3 May 2011 Last updated at 17:30 The energy secretary has criticised the No campaign's attacks on Nick Clegg Chris Huhne is said to have confronted the prime minister at a cabinet meeting over the No campaign's claims in the alternative vote referendum.

Sources described a "bit of a bust-up" as the energy secretary "went for" David Cameron and George Osborne.

But both the Yes and No campaigns have criticised Mr Huhne for diverting attention from the main issues.

Voters will be asked on Thursday whether they want to change the voting system for UK-wide elections.

A source from the Yes campaign told the BBC: "Nothing Chris Huhne has done in the last few weeks was authorised by us or useful to us.

"The difficulty from day one was that we didn't want the referendum to be seen through the prism of the coalition."

And a spokesman for the No campaign accused Mr Huhne of using "increasingly offensive and hysterical invective to obscure the issue of AV".

Leaflet row

The issue of whether to change the way MPs are elected divides the coalition - the Conservatives want to keep first-past-the-post while the Liberal Democrats are supporting the Yes campaign for the alternative vote.

Continue reading the main story

At the moment MPs are elected by the first-past-the-post system, where the candidate getting the most votes in a constituency is elected.

On 5 May all registered UK voters will be able to vote Yes or No on whether to change the way MPs are elected to the alternative vote system.

Under the alternative vote system, voters rank candidates in their constituency in order of preference.

Anyone getting more than 50% of first-preference votes is elected.

If no-one gets 50% of votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and their backers' second choices allocated to those remaining.

This process continues until one candidate has at least 50% of all votes in that round.

The confrontation between Mr Huhne and Mr Cameron happened at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning.

The energy secretary is understood to have put two leaflets issued by the No campaign - which Lib Dem activists regarded as a personal attack on party leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg - on the table.

He then challenged the prime minister and the chancellor to defend them and sack any Conservative activist involved in them.

One source said: "There was a bit of a bust-up. Chris Huhne went for the PM and the chancellor over AV."

The BBC's deputy political editor James Landale said that the chancellor had intervened, telling Mr Huhne: "This is the cabinet, not some kind of sub-Jeremy Paxman interview".

'Deliberate stunt'

Other sources, James Landale added, suggested Mr Huhne's actions felt like a "deliberate stunt by the Yes campaign" and that he had not been supported by anyone else in the cabinet.

A No 10 spokeswoman confirmed AV "was raised in the context of parliamentary business" at the start of the meeting.

Asked about the confrontation, Deputy PM Nick Clegg said he would not give "a running commentary of what was said in one cabinet meeting" but told the BBC it was no secret "that I feel and other people from the Liberal Democrats" felt the No campaign had been "quite misleading".

It follows an interview with the Guardian on Monday in which Lib Dem minister Mr Huhne accused the Conservatives of "trashing" his party and Mr Cameron of doing nothing to stop personal attacks on Mr Clegg by the No campaign.

Mr Huhne, a former Lib Dem leadership contender, has been one of the most vocal Lib Dem critics of the No campaign's tactics - threatening legal action and comparing claims made by cabinet colleague Baroness Warsi to Nazi propaganda.

But a spokesman for the energy secretary accused Conservatives of "furiously" briefing about the meeting despite a convention that the proceedings remained private.

Ex-Labour minister Lord Boateng decided against criticising Mr Huhne by name in his speech to a No to AV rally, after a pre-released extracts suggested he would, as the No campaign seeks to move the debate away from a row between politicians.

Earlier Mr Cameron distanced himself from the official No to AV campaign's controversial posters which used images of a sick baby and suggested the cost of introducing an AV system could be up to £250m - something the Yes camp disputes.

'Foregone conclusion'

He told BBC Radio 4's Today's programme he was "directly responsible" only for the official Conservative Party no campaign but he stood by the No campaign's claims AV would "very likely" mean electronic counting machines would have to be bought.

Amid opinion polls suggestions that the Yes campaign is heading for defeat, Labour leader Ed Miliband said he did not accept that the AV result was a "foregone conclusion" - adding: "Let's see what happens on Thursday."

He also defended his decision to refuse to share a Yes campaign platform with Nick Clegg due to his perceived unpopularity with voters: "There's a reason the No campaign want to make Nick Clegg the poster child for their campaign."

The Yes campaign is trailing in the opinion polls, with a survey by The Sunday Times/YouGov putting them 10 points behind - a narrowing of the poll before that, which put them 18 points behind.

But campaigners for changing the electoral system insist it is still all to play for, with turnout in different parts of the country likely to prove crucial.

The No campaign also believes turnout will be all-important. A spokesman said: "At this stage no one can be certain what the turnout is going to be like and it is about getting out your vote."

Unofficial 'party' photos wanted

3 May 2011 Last updated at 12:42 About 6,000 people turned up to the unauthorised party Police investigating scenes of disorder at a massive unauthorised party in Glasgow have appealed for revellers to send them their videos and photos.

About 6,000 people turned up at Kelvingrove Park, on the day of the Royal Wedding, after the event was organised through Facebook.

After trouble flared, police made 22 arrests, with 11 officers being hurt.

Police want anyone with images or footage of unrest, to e-mail them to Contactus@strathclyde.pnn.police.uk

Two teenagers organised the party through the social networking site, Facebook, but Glasgow City Council warned people not to attend, expressing concern over safety.

Officers injured

Although the party began peacefully, scuffles broke out and police officers moved in to clear the area.

Mounted officers were called in after reports that some police had been pelted with bottles.

More than 100 officers attended the incident.

Police and paramedics attended after thousands turned up to the park

One of the officers who was hurt was taken to hospital with a head injury but released after treatment.

Det Insp Fil Capaldi, of Strathclyde Police, said: "A major enquiry team has been set up and officers are currently trawling through CCTV footage in an effort to gather more information on the incident and trace those responsible for the trouble.

"We will ensure that those who committed crimes are traced and brought to justice.

"I know that many people who attended the park took photos and video footage, and I would urge them to forward their photos and footage to us to assist with our enquiries."

Police said that many of the 22 arrests had been for alleged offences of breach of the peace and culpable and reckless conduct.

Meanwhile, Glasgow City Council is to explore legal options for recovering the cost - £25,000 - of cleaning up Kelvingrove Park after the gathering.

The council warned beforehand that the gathering was not authorised and outlined concerns over health and safety.

Officials will also discuss the involvement of any clubs or licence holders in the event with the council's licensing board.

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Wild fires cause road disruption

3 May 2011 Last updated at 19:11 A helicopter water bombing fires at Sheil Bridge A wild fire closed the A82 between Bridge of Orchy and Tyndrum in Argyll for about two hours leading to tailbacks in both directions.

Elsewhere, a boat was used to get firefighters to a remote location affected by another wild fire.

Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue said a property was potentially at risk from the blaze near Lochailort.

Crews have also been tackling fires in Glenshiel in Kintail, Inverkirkaig in Assynt, and on the Balmoral Estate.

A wild fire in Torridon in Wester Ross has been brought under control.

Ian Smith, group manager with HIFRS, said the terrain of the north west Highlands made it difficult for firefighters to reach the flames.

He said: "In Glenshiel a fire is burning high up and is inaccessible to firefighters.

"We have a pump there to maintain a watching brief.

"At Lochailort we have had to mobilise a crew via a boat to a remote location where there is house which a fire has been moving towards."

Mr Smith said three appliances were tackling an incident at Inverkirkaig and a helicopter had been brought in to water bomb the flames.

He added: "Firefighters have been putting in a tremendous effort."

The fire at Inverkirkaig has been burning for almost 30 hours.

Units from Lochinver, Scourie and Achiltibuie have been fighting the flames on four fronts, one being the Inverpolly nature reserve.

Several homes in Inverkirkaig and Shiel Bridge in Glenshiel were evacuated because of advancing flames earlier, but Mr Smith said people had since been able to return to their properties.

Exhausting work

Crews have been working on steep rugged terrain and helicopters have been brought in to reach inaccessible areas.

Hundreds of firefighters have been involved - most of them part-time, retained firefighters.

The BBC's Jenny Hill says it has been one of longest periods crews have spent tackling moorland fires in recent years

Much of the effort to tackle the fires has involved the exhausting work of physically beating out the flames, along with water bombing by helicopter.

The largest scale fire was at Torridon in Wester Ross which destroyed about 10 square miles of vegetation.

It has been burning over the long weekend and has led to the evacuation of a campsite and the airlifting of several hillwalkers to safety.

The National Trust for Scotland said the fires had raged over key areas of Scottish woodland, including the Inveralling forestry scheme, and that late on Sunday they hit the forest regeneration plantations above Kintail village.

Walkers and visitors to the countryside were being warned not to light fires or barbeques.

'Simple precautions'

Pete Selman, director of properties and visitor services for the trust said: "We will have a better idea by the end of the week as to how much damage has been done and what we will need to do to make the affected areas safe and accessible again and to begin the work of recovery.

"We would ask that anyone who intends walking in any of countryside properties in this and future dry spells to take a few simple precautions for the sake of their own safety and of others.

"Before venturing into the area check ahead via the media and the web if there are any wildfires."

He added: "Please don't light a fire or make use of disposable barbecues in moorland or woodland and avoid dropping glass objects, such as bottles or jars, whilst out on the property as these can focus the sun's rays and start fires.

"All that we ask is that visitors take reasonable precautions and act sensibly."

Fires also broke out at Kinlochleven in Lochaber and at Davah woods near Inverurie in Aberdeenshire on Monday evening.

Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service had also been dealing with a large area of scrub and gorse on fire at Glengyle, at the northern end of Loch Katrine.

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AUDIO: Spring 'two to three weeks early'

It appears that spring has come early and everything is blooming in the nation's gardens.

Colin Crosbie, curator of the RHS garden at Wisley, analyses what the knock-on effects of an early spring means. Will the flowers all be dead by July?

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Census team brought into force

3 May 2011 Last updated at 18:44 Householders were required to fill in the form on, or close to, 27 March Officials who can conduct interviews under caution are being deployed to visit householders who failed to return the 2011 census.

Nearly 10% of 26 million households in England and Wales have yet to fill in the questionnaire, which was supposed to have been completed around 27 March.

Reminders have been sent and 29,000 collectors have visited homes to offer help with completing the questionnaire.

Anyone who refuses to take part faces prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000.

'Last resort'

ONS census director Glen Watson said: "We are now in the final phase of follow-up and people need to act straightaway to avoid the risk of a fine.

"We realise people lead busy lives and completing their census might not be at the top of their 'to do' list, but the time to act is now.

"Where people refuse to complete their form, a formal investigation is undertaken and they can be interviewed under caution, evidence gathered and those details passed to the Crown Prosecution Service.

"The census provides vital information to enable planners to identify future local needs for housing, roads, school places, healthcare and other public services needed by local communities.

"It also gives a much clearer picture of how much society is changing over time.

"That's why we need everyone to respond and why there is a legal requirement for everyone to fill in the questionnaire.

"Our emphasis has always been to help people complete and return their form as quickly as possible.

"Prosecution is very much the last resort."

Public sector plans 'scaled back'

3 May 2011 Last updated at 17:50 By James Landale Deputy Political Editor, BBC News The documents detail a meeting between Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude and the CBI The government is scaling back plans to use the private sector to deliver public services, the BBC has learned.

Leaked documents suggest ministers have decided the "wholesale outsourcing" of public services to the private sector would be politically "unpalatable".

Ministers instead want to use more charities, social enterprises and employee-owned "mutual" organisations.

Outsourcing was meant to be a key part of the government's drive to cut costs and reduce the UK's budget deficit.

The shift in policy will raise questions about whether the government can make the savings it has promised - or deliver the services it is committed to - just by using charities and mutuals.

The change will also raise questions about whether the Conservatives are bowing to Liberal Democrat pressure to focus more on delivering public services locally rather than privately.

The government's plans will be unveiled in the long-delayed Open Public Services White Paper which is expected to be published later this month.

Continue reading the main story

The government was not prepared to run the political risk of fully transferring services to the private sector”

End Quote Note of a meeting between Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude and CBI director John Cridland The aim of the reform is to find new ways of delivering national public services, such as benefit payments, tax collection, services within the NHS, civil service administration, justice services like prisons and probation, and even the provision of things like driving licences.

The change in the government's thinking is revealed in the note of a meeting in recent weeks between Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude and the director general of the CBI, John Cridland.

The note, obtained by the BBC, is marked "strictly private and confidential" and was drawn up by the CBI as a record of the meeting.

It says: "The minister's messages were clear cut... the government is committed to transforming services, but this would not be a return to the 1990s with wholesale outsourcing to the private sector - this would be unpalatable to the present administration.

"The government was not prepared to run the political risk of fully transferring services to the private sector with the result that they could be accused of being naive or allowing excess profit making by private sector firms."

Private sector involvement would be limited to joint ventures with not-for-profit groups.

The note adds: "Government is very open to ideas for services currently provided within the public sector to be delivered under a private/government joint venture. Government is committed to new models of partnership, and private sector organisations need to offer joint ventures - joint ventures between a new mutualised public sector organisation and a 'for profit' organisation would be very attractive.

"Government... was very interested in turning existing services into government companies. These would avoid the downsides of 'hassle' and adverse political reaction."

'Independent provision'

One source in the outsourcing industry said: "This is a bit surprising. Francis Maude gave the impression when we got called in last year that we would be very much needed.

"There was every expectation that the private sector would be needed to help get the deficit down. This goes the other way. It seems to be different to what the government was committed to a year ago."

The government began consulting on public service reform in November 2010.

In the accompanying Green Paper, entitled Modernising Commissioning, the government said it wanted to "promote independent provision in key public services". It defined independent providers as "voluntary and community organisations, social and private enterprises".

It emphasised how it wanted to save money: "Increasing the diversity of provision can drive innovation and efficiency by increasing competition and consumer choice and can deliver improvements in value for money and outcomes."

In a second consultation document, published at the same time, the government asked: "Can you identify specific opportunities for bringing private sector investment and expertise into the delivery of public services?"

On 17 January this year, the prime minister said in a speech: "We are injecting competition, saying to the private sector, community organisations, social enterprises and charities: come in and deliver great public services."

On 20 February this year, David Cameron wrote in the Daily Telegraph that the government would create a new presumption that all "public services should be open to a range of providers competing to offer a better service" - the only exceptions being national security and the judiciary.

Big Society

Supporters of outsourcing claim that it improves the quality and reduces the cost of public services. Opponents deny this and fear that workers' conditions, pay and pensions would be hit if public services are outsourced.

Mr Cridland told the BBC: "The taxpayer gets the best deal if government is prepared to be radical in remodelling public services in looking at a better way of delivering those services with less money to spend.

"I have every confidence in our conversations with government that that's exactly what government will do."

A Cabinet Office spokesman said: "Too often there has been a binary choice between the government providing a service itself or outsourcing it to the private sector. This has been driven by a belief that services have to be controlled centrally, a one size fits all approach which has left little room for innovation.

"We want to change this. As part of building the Big Society, we want to open public services up to SMEs [small and medium-sized enterprises], employee co-operatives, voluntary sector organisations and social enterprises, who may often partner with the private sector. We believe that this will create more innovative and localised services, while also decreasing costs and increasing efficiency.

"Sandwell Community Caring Trust is just one example where since the staff have taken over, back-office costs have halved meaning more money is spent where it matters. We need all parts of society including businesses, social enterprises and charities to play a part in this radical reform and there's no reason the state shouldn't keep a stake so that taxpayers benefit from the increased value of improved services."