Benefits Cap 'Immoral And Socially Divisive'

Plans for a £500-a-week cap on household benefits have been criticised in a savage attack by the former coalition minister for children and families.

Sarah Teather accused ministers of seeking to "gain popularity at the expense of children's lives" by pushing through a measure they knew was popular but ineffective.

The Lib Dem faced calls for her sacking as children's minister in February after she missed a key vote on the reforms which she had publicly questioned.

She eventually departed from the Government ranks in September's reshuffle.

Speaking to The Observer, she said: "I think deliberately to stoke up envy and division between people in order to gain popularity at the expense of children's lives is immoral.

"It has no good intent."

She went on: "There are all sorts of things you have to do when times are tight that have negative consequences but you do them for good purposes.

"But to do something for negative purposes that also has negative consequences - that is immoral."

She added: "I don't think it was even remotely conceived as a financial cost-cutting device. I think it was conceived as a political device to demonstrate whose side you are on."

She said she was "terrified" about the prospects for many families who would be forced to move to cheaper areas where they would find it harder to find work.

"My fear is that a lot of people will effectively just disappear from the area in which they were living. I think some very horrible things are going to happen," she said, questioning how well child protection and education services would keep track of youngsters.

But a spokesman for Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith accused Ms Teather of hugely-misinformed scaremongering.

"The criticisms Sarah Teather is levelling against the Government's welfare reforms are hugely misinformed and therefore result in needless scaremongering," he told the newspaper.

"It's not fair or right that benefits claimants receive higher incomes than hard-working families who are striving to get on in life.

"Our reforms bring fairness back to the system while ensuring we support the most vulnerable."

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Seven-Year High For Labour In Latest Poll

Labour has posted a 12-point opinion poll lead over the Tories - its widest margin of advantage in a ComRes survey for more than seven years.

The opposition gained two points to 43% on a month ago and the Conservatives dropped two to 31%, in the poll conducted for the Independent on Sunday and Sunday Mirror.

It showed the Liberal Democrats static on 10% and Ukip down one on 8%.

Two thirds of voters also backed a cut in British contributions to the EU as Prime Minister David Cameron prepares for a Brussels summit next week to discuss the future budget.

Tory rebels joined forces with Labour last month to defeat the Government by pushing through a call for a real-terms cut. Mr Cameron is arguing for a real-terms freeze.

In the poll, 66% said UK payments "should be cut rather than frozen" with 12% against and 22% unsure.

A majority (58%) also agreed that Britain should withdraw from the EU altogether "if some EU powers cannot be restored to the UK", including a 53% majority of Labour voters.

Even Liberal Democrat voters backed that stance by a margin of 39% to 32%.

Asked if the UK should "leave the EU regardless", 43% agreed - with more Tory and Labour supporters backing the policy than not. While nearly a quarter (23%) of Lib Dem voters agreed, a clear 57% were opposed.

:: ComRes interviewed 2,024 British adults online between November 14-16.

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Prisoner Voting Ban: MPs To Debate Again

MPs are to be given another say on whether to give prisoners the vote, as the deadline for Britain to comply with a European ruling on the controversial issue looms.

The UK's current blanket ban on prisoners voting has been judged as unlawful by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and officials in Strasbourg have given the Government until Friday to comply with the ruling.

Last February, the Commons called by an overwhelming margin of 234 to 22 for the blanket ban to be maintained, while David Cameron has flatly ruled out the option of handing criminals back their democratic rights.

MPs will this week be given another chance to vote on the issue when the Government introduces a draft bill.

The bill, to be published on Thursday, will give MPs three options, according to The Daily Telegraph.

They will be votes for prisoners who have been imprisoned for four years or less, votes for prisoners who have been imprisoned for six months or less, or no votes for prisoners at all.

There is a risk that this week's Commons vote could set up another clash with the ECHR, which could fine the Government if it does not comply with its ruling.

Attorney General Dominic Grieve has warned against defying the Strasbourg court, saying its ruling imposes an international legal obligation on the UK.

But the Prime Minister made it clear he would not be letting prisoners get the vote.

David Cameron told the Commons last month: "I do not want prisoners to have the vote, and they should not get the vote - I am very clear about that.

"If it helps to have another vote in Parliament on another resolution to make it absolutely clear and help put the legal position beyond doubt, I am happy to do that.

"But no one should be in any doubt: prisoners are not getting the vote under this Government."

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has said Parliament has the right in law to tell the ECHR that it does not accept its ruling.

But he added there would be "consequences" for the UK's position in Europe if MPs do chose to defy the judgement.

In 2005, the ECHR said it was up to individual countries to decide which prisoners should be denied the right to vote from jail, but that a total ban was illegal.

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Jaguar Land Rover Launches China Expansion

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent

Jaguar Land Rover is to manufacture cars outside the United Kingdom for the first time.

The company has entered into a joint venture with one of China's largest car makers Chery.

The two firms began work to build a factory near Shanghai today.

"For the first time one of the most famous names in the British automotive industry, Jaguar Land Rover, is poised to begin manufacturing in a market outside the United Kingdom," the company's CEO Dr Ralf Speth said at the stone-laying ceremony.

"It seems only fitting that this new venture will take place here, in the People's Republic of China, the world's fastest-growing market for premium vehicles."

Kay Francis, the company's director of global corporate communications, told Sky News: "This is our first ever manufacture plant outside the UK.

"The facility here in China will include research and development, engine plants and production lines. Start to finish, the cars will be made in China," Ms Francis added.

Executives at Jaguar Land Rover have been in complicated negotiations with their counterparts at Chery for months.

Chery is a state-owned company and Chinese government approval was required before any deal could be signed.

The joint venture project was approved by China's National Development and Reform Commission last month.

The first bricks of the new factory were laid at a ceremony in Changshu, Jiangsu Province, to the northwest of Shanghai.

Yin Tongyao, the president of Chery Automobile, and Dr Speth were both there.

"Soon, on this very site, will be a fully-fledged manufacturing plant, to create employment, stimulate the supply chain and develop game-changing environmental technologies for China. A total of 10.9bn renmimbi (£1bn) will be invested in this joint venture," Dr Speth said.

"In our shared vision with Chery, this partnership will offer Chinese customers the latest generation models from Jaguar and Land Rover, as well as vehicles designed specifically for Chinese customers," he said.

The company hopes that the first cars will roll off the production line in 2014.

It is understood the first vehicle to be built at the factory will be the Land Rover Freelander.

The company would not confirm that suggestion.

"We intend to build Jaguar and Land Rover branded products here... It's likely that a Land Rover badged vehicle will be the first to come out of the plant when it opens in 2014," Ms Francis said.

Volkswagen already manufactures VWs, Audis, Skodas and Seats in China

China has become Jaguar Land Rover's largest market and experts say it has not even begun to reach its potential.

Sales of the company's cars reached 53,000 there in the first nine months of this year - that's up 80 per cent from the year before.

The reason behind the boost is China's demand for luxury goods.

Jaguar Land Rover has sold 20,000 Range Rover Evoques this year alone.

The firm hopes to boost last year's record £1.5bn profits when the new Chinese factory begins work.

Building cars in China rather than importing them from the UK allows the company to avoid massive import duties.

Chinese-made vehicles can be sold for less and the hope is that more will be bought.

The company insists the expansion to China is in addition to their business in the UK and that no UK jobs will be lost as a result.

"Everything we do in China is in addition to our UK operation. We are not shifting production and it doesn't impact the head count and state of play of the plants in Britain," Ms Francis said.

Jaguar Land Rover does have a factory in Pune, India, but that acts simply as an assembly plant, constructing flat-packed cars which are manufactured in the UK.

Compared with other European car makers, Jaguar Land Rover is very late in expanding production to China.

Volkswagen began its first joint venture in China in 1984. Volkswagen Group China now manufactures VWs, Audis, Skodas and Seats in China with year-on-year record sales.

Ageing Volkswagens are a common sight in Beijing; a sign of just how long the company has been operating here.

Audi is now the favoured brand for the political elite in China. Black Audi A6 cars, manufactured in China, are seen all over Beijing.

Jaguar Land Rover says that as well as building cars identical to those built in the UK, it plans to build a new vehicle designed specifically for the Chinese market. 

"We may also build a brand of car that is a blend of the two: a car that is new and designed and developed entirely in China," Ms Francis said.

"Having Chinese research and development means we can tailor cars for Chinese tastes."

British brands are very popular in China. Combine that with the fact that China has an increasingly wealthy urban population and there are significant opportunities which could help strengthen the UK economy.

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British Airways 'Twitter Account Hacked'

British Airways has launched an investigation after its Twitter account was apparently hacked and an offensive message retweeted.

The official BA Twitter account seemingly retweeted an offensive and racist message on Saturday afternoon.

After the offensive retweet was deleted, staff at the airline then tweeted an apology.

It said: "Apologies for the last RT. We are sorry for any offence caused and are investigating how this may have happened."

Within minutes, hundreds of Twitters users resent the retweet and later more than 160 followers had retweeted the apology.

The BA account has more than 210,000 followers.

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Miliband: EU Needs Reform To Work For Britain

Ed Miliband has called for major reforms of the European Union and a "hard-headed" approach taken by Britain, ahead of a crunch EU budget summit this week.

The Labour leader - who last month joined forces with Tory rebels to defeat the Government over its strategy to freeze the EU budget - said Labour must not ignore the legitimate concerns of eurosceptics.

He said reform was needed on the budget, on immigration rules, state aid restrictions and austerity measures - but declined to promise a referendum on the UK's future within the EU.

"What I would say is: never shrink from being open about the problems of the European Union," he told the Sunday Telegraph.

Mr Cameron travels to Brussels on Thursday facing pressure from his backbenchers to push for the real-terms spending cut approved in the non-binding Commons vote Labour helped secure.

The Prime Minister, who insists a rise in line with inflation is a more realistic target in the negotiations, has threatened to use the UK's veto if the rise proposed by the commission is not drastically reduced.

He is under mounting pressure to set out plans for a referendum, with restless MPs increasingly concerned about the threat posed to the Conservatives by the UK Independence Party at the next general election.

Ukip scored its best parliamentary by-election result in Corby, coming in third ahead of the Liberal Democrats and an opinion poll today showed more than a quarter of Tory supporters would "seriously consider" switching.

Mr Miliband - who told French president Francois Hollande in the summer that he saw Britain's place as "firmly in Europe" - was accused of opportunism for voting with the Tory rebels.

But he insisted his party could be at once a keen supporter of EU membership and "realist" campaign for reform.

Mr Miliband, who is due to reinforce his points in a speech to business leaders at a CBI conference on Monday, said he believed bosses were "genuinely worried that we're going to sleepwalk towards an exit under Cameron".

"Nobody thinks he's at those negotiations with anything other than with an arm up his back from the people in his own party," he told the newspaper.

"People are always writing us off as if to say that these guys are going toward the exit. That's very dangerous for us."

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Energy Bill: The Plan To Keep UK's Lights On

By Gerard Tubb, Sky News Correspondent

Crucial plans to ensure the UK's lights stay on for the next 20 years are due to be published shortly by the Government.

The energy and climate secretary, Ed Davey, has to balance the need to create new generating capacity with commitments to a low carbon future and more electricity from renewable sources.

Many power stations are coming to the end of their life and the Government estimates it will cost £110bn to replace and improve electricity infrastructure over the next decade.

Researcher Malcolm Grimston, from Imperial College and Chatham House, said it is essential that the Energy Bill is a success.

Researcher Malcolm Grimston said it is essential the bill is a success

"We've hardly built any new power stations for over 10 years now and a lot of our existing ones are coming to the end of their lives.

"We used to have a lot of our own gas reserves, they've pretty much gone so were now dependent on imports."

Electricity use is increasing, with suggestions that demand could double by 2050.

Advances in generating technology are increasing capacity, but planning concerns have the potential to derail industry targets.

At Ovenden Moor in West Yorkshire, Yorkshire Wind Power wants to replace 23 wind turbines generating 9.2MW of power with nine turbines generating up to 23MW.

But the size of the new turbines has led to campaigners in nearby Haworth, home to the Bronte Museum, complaining that the environment will be blighted - while denying charges of nimbyism.

"This is everyone's back yard, this is heritage landscape," said Chris Gwent, the heritage and conservation officer for the Bronte Society.

"We don't want them dominating this unique landscape."

The UK is signed up to providing 15% of electricity from renewable sources by 2020 and to reducing to zero the amount of carbon pumped into the atmosphere from electricity generation.

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Mousetrap Marks 60 Years On West End Stage

Stars of stage and screen including Sir Patrick Stewart, Julie Walters and Miranda Hart are taking to the stage for a gala performance to celebrate the 60th anniversary of The Mousetrap.

The show, an Agatha Christie whodunit, was due to run for just six weeks when it opened in London's West End in 1952.

It has since become the world's longest-running stage production and is about to reach its 25,000th performance.

Hugh Bonneville and Tamsin Greig will also appear in tonight's one-off staged reading to mark the milestone.

Downton Abbey star Bonneville will play guesthouse owner Giles Ralston, with Greig playing his wife Mollie.

Iain Glen will play policeman Sergeant Trotter, with Hart appearing as guest Miss Casewell.

Walters is cast as Mrs Boyle while Stewart is to play Mr Paravicini.

It will be directed by Phyllida Lloyd, whose films include Mamma Mia! and The Iron Lady.

When the production opened at the Ambassadors Theatre in 1952, Lord Attenborough and his wife Sheila Sim took the lead roles.

It played there for 21 years, moving to St Martin's Theatre next door in 1973 without missing a performance.

Over the years, more than 400 actors and in excess of 200 understudies have worked on the play.

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Lynton Crosby Set To Join Tory Campaign Team

David Cameron is in the process of recruiting the man behind Boris Johnson's ballot box successes to boost his re-election prospects.

Sky sources said the move to hire right-wing strategist Lynton Crosby is "not final", but plans are "well advanced".

The Australian is reportedly set to start work within weeks as the Conservative leader seeks to beef-up his operation ahead of the next general election in 2015.

The possible return of the figure closely associated with the Tories' failed crime and immigration-centred 2005 campaign under Michael Howard has divided opinion in the party.

Mr Crosby was linked with Michael Howard's tough 2005 campaign

Former deputy party chairman Lord Ashcroft warned that the man known as the "Wizard of Oz" for his multiple successes in Australian elections was a "recipe for ... conflict and confusion".

But Mr Johnson, whose two successful London mayoral campaigns were run by Mr Crosby, has played down his right-wing reputation and urged the Prime Minister to "break the piggy bank" to get him on board.

Mr Crosby helped Mr Johnson return to power

The appointment comes as the Tories suffered a heavy reverse in the Corby by-election - losing a mid-term seat to Labour for the first time since 1997 on a swing of nearly 13%.

Elections for police commissioners were also hit by record-low turnouts on Thursday in a humiliating blow to a flagship law and order policy championed by Mr Cameron.

Many Conservatives have expressed concerns about a perceived lack of grip and focus in Number 10.

Labour's Andy Sawford won Louise Mensch's former seat in Corby

Tim Montgomerie, editor of influential website ConservativeHome, said Mr Crosby had "a good record of success and is perhaps the Alpha Male that Team Cameron has been missing since Andy Coulson exited".

"Coming on top of the decision to target 20 Lib Dem MPs, it is a sign that Team Cameron is re-gearing for the kind of ambitious campaign that will be necessary to win a majority at the next election," he wrote.

The son of a cereal farmer, Mr Crosby worked for a petrol company and an oil exploration firm before joining the staff of a Liberal Party politician, later becoming the party's director of Queensland.

In 2002 he left the party to set up campaign strategist company Crosby/Textor with business partner Mark Textor.

He masterminded four consecutive general election victories for John Howard, the "dull dog" of Australian politics, between 1996 and 2004.

Mr Crosby was crucial in John Howard's election victories

The polling guru, who has a skill for tailoring political messages to create eye-catching headlines, was first hired by the Tories to help them win Michael Howard's 2005 crime and immigration-centred campaign.

He was seen as the party's answer to Alistair Campbell and hailed in Westminster a "master of the dark political arts" and "the Australian Karl Rove", a reference to George Bush's legendary strategist.

The hard-line Tory stance on immigration - which targeted gypsies as well as immigrants - led to accusations of racism.

Mr Crosby, who refers to violent crime and immigration as "dog whistle" issues that send coded messages to certain groups of voters, failed in his attempt to elevate the Tories back into power but was appointed to run Mr Johnson's successful 2008 London mayoral election campaign.

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Furby Boosts John Lewis Ahead Of Christmas

Furby Makes Christmas Comeback

Updated: 8:34pm UK, Wednesday 31 October 2012

By James Dale, Sky News Online

Christmas presents will be all too familiar for many parents this year after manufacturers gave age-old favourites a makeover.

According to the Dream Toys for Christmas list released by the Toy Retailers Association (TRA), regenerated gifts such as Furby, first released in 1998, will be most in demand. 

The recognisable cuddly toy now features an iOS app which allows its owner to influence its personality through interaction with it.

For the first time, consumers will be able to communicate with their Furby through the 'Furbish' to English translator.

Mums and dads will be excited to see the return of such classics as Cabbage Patch Kids, Spider-Man, Twister and Lego, which all feature in this year's top 13.

"Parents feel comfortable buying toys they know they had fun with," TRA chairman Alan Simpson explained.

The blend between past favourites and modern ideals can also be seen through Lego's Friends: Olivia's House.

"Two years ago no one in the industry could have predicted the top property would have been a girls' construction product," TRA member Miles Penhallow said.

Reports from market research company NPD Group suggested "the renewed interest from girls is the result of high-profile launches with strong marketing campaigns".

Global toy industry analyst Frederique Tutt added that "the unique blend of social media, content, innovation and technology" is attracting girls when they "would usually be ready to 'leave Toyland'".

Combining technological innovation with nostalgic backgrounds has helped curb the 'getting older younger' problem the toy industry faces.

Items such as the revolutionised Furby are "extending the age range" of the toy market, TRA member Gary Grant said.

Overall, the UK toy market is expected to report a flat year in 2012, but Mr Simpson said he "can take comfort in that".

He put the stability of the toy market down to the "constant updating of toys which make parents pull the stops out at Christmas".

:: The Top 13 toys for Christmas 2012:

Cabbage Patch Kids, JAKKS Pacific, RRP £29.99

Furby, Hasbro, RRP £59.99

InnoTab 2, VTech, RRP £84.99

Jake and the Neverland Pirates - Pirate Ship Bucky, Mattel, RRP £49.99

LeapPad 2, Leapfrog Toys, RRP £89.99

Lego Friends: Olivia's House, Lego, RRP £69.99

Lego The Lord of the Rings: The Mines of Moria, £68.99

Mike the Knight's Deluxe Glendragon Playset, Character Options, £29.99

Monster High Ghouls Rule Dolls, Mattel, RRP £22.99

My Moshi Home, Vivid Imaginations, RRP £39.99

Nerf N-Strike Elite Hail-Fire, Hasbro, RRP £44.99

Twister Dance, Hasbro, RRP £26.99

Web Shooting Spider-Man, Hasbro, RRP £34.99

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