Balls 'Couldn't Give A T***' About Criticism

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls has told Sky News he "couldn't give a t***" about speculation by newspapers and bookmakers about his future after stinging criticism of his Autumn Statement speech.

On Sky News' Murnaghan show, Mr Balls insisted he had "never been less bothered" about "gossip and tittle tattle" on his Commons performance following George Osborne's update on the economy.

Despite receiving flak for failing to provide a convincing response to improved economic figures, Mr Balls told the show that Labour is still winning argument over the economy.

Mr Balls said the massed ranks of Tory MPs were always going to try to shout down his message, adding many people had in fact congratulated him on his performance in the following days.

He said: "(We have) a really strong economic argument and that's why 300 Tory MPs were going to shout really loudly from the very beginning.

"I decided I was going to take the argument back to them and say no, there is not a recovery for most working people, living standards are falling."

The shadow chancellor questioned why David Cameron and Mr Osborne were laughing on the front bench as he made his case on Thursday, and added: "I have had people coming to me and saying, keep up the fight, because we need a Labour government because we're getting worse off."

And when challenged on people making judgments on his performance and questioning his future, he added: "I'm not complaining at all - what I want to talk about is what is happening in our country.

"The Daily Mail would love me and Ed Miliband out because they want to keep in an out-of-touch Tory Government which is cutting tax at the top.

"That's the nature of politics ... they're betting on David Cameron and George Osborne and Ed Miliband. It's just the way it is ... frankly, I couldn't give a t***"

Grant Shapps, Chairman of the Conservative Party said in reaction to the interview: "Ed Balls remains in deep denial, unable to accept the severity of the economic mess Labour left behind.

"All Ed Balls offers is the same old Labour answer of more spending, more borrowing and higher taxes.

"In four days Balls has sped from a car crash Commons performance to another one on TV.  And he's made clear that Labour can't be trusted behind the wheel of the British economy."

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RAF Helicopter Forced To Land Near Minefield

An RAF Chinook helicopter has been forced to land near an Israeli minefield after engine failure, Sky sources say.

Sources said the aircraft was flying from Amman in Jordan to Cyprus and was forced to land close to the West Bank town of Jericho.

The aircraft landed near the West Bank town of Jericho

There were no reported casualties.

Sky's Middle East correspondent Sam Kiley said: "It appears this Chinook has had a really lucky escape."

Jericho is located near the Jordan River in the West Bank. It has been held under Israeli occupation since 1967.

Administrative control was handed over to the Palestinian Authority in 1994.

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Air Traffic Control: 'Business As Usual'

Major airports have reported they are back to "business as usual" after an air traffic control centre glitch caused chaos across the UK and Ireland.

Hundreds of flights were cancelled or delayed on Saturday after problems with a telephone system arose at the National Air Traffic Service (Nats) centre in Swanwick, Hampshire, in the early hours.

Thousands of people endured hours of frustration as flights were affected across the country, including the major airports of Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick.

The problem was resolved at about 7.30pm on Saturday, Nats said, more than 12 hours after first being reported.

It was feared there could be knock-on effects but other than a handful of cancellations at Heathrow, there were no further problems.

Passengers bedded down at Heathrow Airport

The issue arose when Nats' night-time operating system, which combines sectors of airspace for when it is less busy, did not properly switch over to the daytime system, causing a communication problem with the centre's internal telephones.

They stressed that safety was not at risk at any time.

Heathrow was the worst affected, with 228 cancellations on Saturday, representing 15% of its usual daily total of 1,300 flights going in and out of the airport.

Nats' control centre in Swanwick, Hampshire

A spokeswoman for Heathrow Airport said: "On Sunday we have 18 cancellations - 11 arrivals and seven departures - and that's mostly due to crew displacement.

"Apart from that we are pretty much running as normal."

She explained crew displacement is when crew are not where they are meant to be, due to Saturday's cancelled and delayed flights.

A Stansted Airport spokesman said they had experienced no problems on Sunday, while a Gatwick Airport spokeswoman said: "We've been back to business as usual from this morning."

Flight misery at Heathrow's Terminal 5

Nats said on Sunday that all operations were running as normal.

In a statement issued last night, they apologised for the disruption, saying: "The reduction in capacity has had a disproportionate effect on southern England because it is extremely complex and busy airspace and we sincerely regret inconvenience to our airline customers and their passengers.

"To be clear, this is a very complex and sophisticated system with more than a million lines of software. This is not simply internal telephones, it is the system that controllers use to speak to other ATC agencies both in the UK and Europe and is the biggest system of its kind in Europe.

"This has been a major challenge for our engineering team and for the manufacturer, who has worked closely with us to ensure this complex problem was resolved as quickly as possible while maintaining a safe service."

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MPs' Pay Rise 'Preposterous' Says Ed Balls

Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls has called a proposal to boost MPs pay by 11% "out of touch" and "ridiculous" given current economic squeeze.

MPs are to get the inflation-busting rise after the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) refused to scale back the increase.

The watchdog will unveil its final proposals next week - including boosting MPs' salaries by £7,600 to £74,000 from 2015.

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls told Sky News: "I think it's preposterous we should be having this discussion and as a shadow chancellor how could I possibly say to Labour MPs, at this time with the economy like this, when people are under real pressure, when there's a cost of living crisis, that they (MPs) should take a pay rise."

Ipsa is expected to try to quell criticism by announcing a tougher-than-expected squeeze on MPs' pensions in a bid to cancel out the £4.6m cost to the taxpayer.

All three main party leaders have condemned the increase at a time of national austerity, with Labour's Ed Miliband and Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg pledging to shun the extra cash.

David Cameron has stopped short of matching that pledge - and is under pressure from some Tory MPs to back the increase.

David Cameron is under pressure to back the pay rise

Mathew Sinclair, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance campaign group, said: "Taxpayers will be furious that the pay rise comes at a time when MPs urge public pay restraint."

Following a consultation on the proposals - first set out in July - Ipsa is set to press ahead however.

And MPs have no way to prevent the rise coming into force after the next General Election - unless they change the law set up in the wake of the expenses scandal to stop them setting their own pay.

Research by Ipsa found two-thirds of MPs believe they are underpaid, and the watchdog's chairman Sir Ian Kennedy said politicians' pay must "catch up" after years of being suppressed.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "We believe that the cost of politics should be going down, not up."

Ed Miliband says he will refuse the extra cash

Commons deputy speaker Lindsay Hoyle - a Labour MP - cautioned against interfering in the system.

"I agree that MPs should not vote on their own pay," he told the Mail on Sunday. "It should be left to an independent body. It's not in the gift of the party leaders."

Ipsa's original report conceded there is no "compelling evidence" that MPs' current salary level is deterring candidates, making people leave Parliament, affecting the diversity of the House, or lowering the standard of ministers.

Among measures already on the table to offset the cost of the wage rise is an end to "resettlement grants" of up to £65,000 for departing MPs.

Under the plans, that would be reduced to two weeks' pay for every year of service if they are under 41, and three weeks if they are older by 2020.

A £15 dinner allowance would be scrapped, claims for tea and biscuits would not be allowed, and taxpayer-funded taxis home only allowed after 11pm.

There would also be a crackdown on claims for running second homes, with costs such as TV licences and contents insurance no longer being met.

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UKIP Politician In 'Send Them Back' Video

UKIP has again become embroiled in controversy after one of its politicians was caught on camera saying immigrants should be sent home.

Victoria Ayling, 54, who defected from the Conservatives in March, made the comments in a 20-minute video seen by The Mail on Sunday newspaper.

She talks about restricting the numbers of foreigners entering Britain, and then between takes, adds: "I just want to send the lot back, but I can't say that."

Mrs Ayling - a Lincolnshire County councillor and deputy leader of the local UKIP party - then jokes that the inflammatory remark may one day come back to haunt her.

"(It could be used for) some future get back at me. Bribery, blackmail - we need the blackmail music don't we."

Mrs Ayling hit the headlines earlier this year when she confronted David Cameron during the Tory conference and told him she was leaving the party.

It is the latest in a string of controversies for UKIP after MEP Godfrey Bloom sparked fury when he referred to "Bongo Bongo Land" and then resigned from the party for calling female activists "sluts".

UKIP leader Nigel Farage described Mrs Ayling's comments as "slightly odd".

He told The Mail on Sunday: "I have met her two or three times and I have discussed policy at length before accepting her into the party.

"I had no reason to believe she held views that were extreme or inconsistent with ours. While this comment looks odd and unpleasant there may be a context here that is slightly different to the way it appears."

Godfrey Bloom resigned from UKIP after his 'sluts' comment

Mrs Ayling's husband, Rob, from whom she has since divorced, helped shoot the footage in 2008 to promote her political career.

At one point, she says: "We must basically repatriate those that shouldn't be here. That's not quite policy yet. Maybe I should soften it a bit." She then added: "OK. Send them back."

Her ex-husband is then heard to mutter: "National Front."

She replies: "Multiculturalism is dead, I'm allowed to say that, but maybe Britishness is waving the National Front flag a bit."

Mrs Ayling told the paper she stood by her comments. She said they had been taken out of context because she was only referring to illegal immigrants.

"It is nothing different from what the Home Secretary is advocating now any way. And the blackmail music is from a Monty Python sketch. I don't think there is anything there that can be seen as offensive or politically incorrect," she said.

In an official statement, a UKIP spokesperson said: "These comments were made five years ago when Ms Ayling was a Conservative candidate. Off the cuff remarks have been deliberately miscontrued.

"We believe, and she assures us, that these comments refer to the status of illegal entrants to the UK.

"We cannot comment on material made while she was a Conservative candidate but we believe her to be a good councillor and upstanding citizen and will support her through this."

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Iraq Deaths: UK Troops To Face 11 Inquiries

British troops are facing 11 separate inquiries into their conduct in Iraq following a ruling by the High Court, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed.

The "semi-inquests" will be held into cases of 11 Iraqi civilians who died in UK custody after the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

Each of the hearings will take an average of three months and the total cost to the taxpayer will be £2m, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

They follow an increasing amount of legal scrutiny being turned on the Armed Forces in the wake of the case of Sgt Alexander Blackman, the Royal Marine sentenced to a minimum of 10 years in prison for murdering a wounded Taliban insurgent in Afghanistan.

There have been calls for his sentence to be reduced or quashed over fears he would need special protection in prison because of the danger he will be attacked by Islamists.

One in three people (35%) believes he should serve no jail time at all, according to a poll by the Mail on Sunday.

Another 23% believe he should do five years, 20% are in favour of 10 years, while 22% think he should be imprisoned for more than 10 years.

One in three believes Blackman should serve no jail time, says a poll

Commenting on the poll, Sir Gerald Howarth, a former defence minister and current MP for army garrison town Aldershot, said he agreed the sentence was too harsh.

"The highest standard of discipline must be maintained in the Armed Forces and this man obviously committed an offence," Sir Gerald told the MoS. "But 10 years is too much. Five years would be more appropriate."

But former Lib Dem leader and ex-Royal Marine Lord Ashdown said he was content with the judge's decision.

An order banning the naming of Blackman, 39, was lifted by High Court judges after he was found guilty at a court martial in Bulford, Wiltshire.

Former senior officers and MPs reacted against that decision, amid claims he may need protection from Islamists in prison, the Sunday Telegraph said.

Lord West of Spithead, a former first lord of the Admiralty, said: "This is a man who has put his life on the line many times. I am not sure due account has been taken of this."

Blackman shot the Afghan, who had been seriously injured in an attack by an Apache helicopter, in the chest at close range with a 9mm pistol.

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Poverty Report: Hard Work Is Not Paying Off

For the first time, there are more people in working families living below the poverty line (6.7 million) than in workless and retired families combined (6.3 million), a report has found.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that almost 13 million Britons are now living in poverty, having suffered a "sustained" and "unprecedented" fall in their living standards.

The social policy research charity found people remaining in poverty despite moving in and out of work, with some facing "very severe hardship".

At the same time the study finds that the support on offer to people who fall on hard times is "increasingly threadbare".

The report found that job insecurity is common for millions of people, with one in six of the workforce claiming Jobseekers' Allowance at some point in the last two years.

There have also been big shifts in terms of which groups are experiencing poverty: the largest group in poverty are working age adults without dependent children - 4.7 million people are in this situation, the highest on record. Pensioner poverty is at its lowest level for 30 years.

Not all of the findings are negative. There has been an improvement in the labour market with falling unemployment and underemployment, and, over the longer term, improvements in health and education outcomes.

Young adult unemployment has peaked at 21%, and unemployment among the whole population has begun to fall.

The number of people underemployed - ether unemployed, economically inactive and wanting work or working part time but wanting a full time job - fell by 100,000 over the last year.

One of the author's of the report, Dr Peter Kenway, told Sky News: "People are hard hit everywhere. It remains the case that young adults are on low incomes, but more than half of people who are low paid are above the age of 30.

"This is not a phenomenon of people who are at the start of their working lives. We've got people who are really hard-pressed and unable to progress."

Julia Unwin, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation's chief executive, added: "This research shows millions of people are moving in and out of work but rarely out of poverty.

"Hard work is not working. We have a labour market that lacks pay and protection, with jobs offering precious little security and paltry wages that are insufficient to make ends meet."

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'Slaves' Rescued In Bristol Police Raids

Three men, believed to be victims of slavery, have been "rescued" by police following a series of raids in the Bristol area.

Police officers raided three travellers' sites, a business unit, a house in South Gloucestershire and a house in Bristol.

Two people have been arrested on slavery offences and five others on suspicion of offences including money laundering and handling stolen goods.

A significant quantity of cash was found at one of the addresses.

Three male victims, one aged in his 30s, one in his 40s and one in his 50s, have been taken to a place of safety and are being offered support.

Avon and Somerset Police launched an investigation into forced labour and human trafficking five weeks ago following intelligence built up by CID.

Head of CID, Chief Superintendent Julian Moss, said: "This is an ongoing and dynamic inquiry; our primary aim is to safeguard and protect vulnerable victims.

"We know from talking with other police forces and charities such as Unseen that victims in such cases are often forced to live and work in poor and unsanitary conditions, sometimes with little or no pay.

"Some of those affected will not view themselves as victims and, even if they do, may have been unable to speak to the police or any other authorities for a variety of reasons."

South Gloucestershire NHS Clinical Commissioning Group, the National Crime Agency and specialist charities, such as anti-trafficking organisation Unseen and the Red Cross have all been involved in the operation.

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Football Spot-Fixing Claims: Three In Custody

Three people are in custody and being questioned by police in connection over football spot-fixing allegations.

The  National Crime Agency, which is working closely with the Football Association and the Gambling Commission, confirmed it had launched its investigation after being contacted by the Sun on Sunday.

As part of its investigation, the Sun on Sunday recorded footage that appears to show players allegedly arranging spot-fixing.

Ex-Portsmouth defender Sam Sodje allegedly claimed he could arrange a yellow card booking in the Football League, in exchange for tens of thousands of pounds.

The former Premier League player and Nigerian international also allegedly told how he punched an opponent in the groin during a game earlier this year to get sent off in exchange for a £70,000 payout.

The Sun on Sunday

And he claimed he could rig Premier League games, and even said he was preparing to fix matches at next year's World Cup in Brazil.

Another player, Cristian Montano, for Oldham Athletic appears to explain in the video how he attempted to get booked during a match against Wolves, in return for cash.

The ex-West Ham player said: "From minute one I was hacking people down.

"People running past me and I would go clip.

"I run against one player and barged him."

Football League chief executive Shaun Harvey, said: "We treat any allegations of criminal activity in our competitions with the utmost seriousness.

"Given that there is an ongoing police investigation into this matter, we cannot comment further at this time.

"Although, we would encourage anyone with any evidence to report it to the police.

"We will be giving our full assistance to the police during their investigation."

The NCA said an active investigation is now under way.

The National Crime Agency is investigating separate fixing claims

A spokesman said: "Three people are in custody and are being questioned by NCA officers. We cannot comment further at this stage."

In a statement, Portsmouth Football Club said: "If these serious allegations are true, then we are extremely shocked and saddened by them, as match-fixing of any type goes to the heart of the integrity of the game.

"The player in question no longer plays for the club and we have not been contacted by the authorities, but of course we would cooperate fully with any inquiry."

The new probe comes after the NCA announced at the end of last month that it had launched a separate investigation into "a suspected international illegal betting syndicate".

Gambling on the matches is thought to have taken place on Asian-based betting services and so far investigators to do not believe British betting markets are involved.

That inquiry was launched after an undercover investigation by the Daily Telegraph newspaper, which recorded one alleged fixer offering to rig two games.

It is understood to involve clubs in the English Football Conference, the level below the Football League.

On Thursday, the NCA revealed that two footballers from Brighton-based Conference South team Whitehawk FC had been charged over match-fixing allegations.

Michael Boateng and Hakeem Adelakun, both 22 and from the Croydon area of south London, were charged with conspiracy to defraud contrary to common law.

The two men have been bailed to appear at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on December 11.

They are the third and fourth people charged to date in connection with the NCA investigation into the alleged international illegal betting syndicate.

Chann Sankaran, 33, from Hastings, East Sussex, and Krishna Sanjey Ganeshan, 43, from Singapore, were charged on November 28 with plotting to defraud bookmakers.

Both were remanded in custody to appear at Birmingham Crown Court on December 13.

Sky News sports presenter Charlie Thomas said both NCA investigations were being carried out separately.

He added: "This is a situation that football has been fearing and had hoped it had nothing to do with football at all, but now it appears it is encroaching on the league as well as the non-league."

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Chemical Experts Investigate Mystery Tent Death

Chemical and radiation experts have been called in following the unexplained death of a man found inside a tent in a field.

A passer-by discovered the body while walking in the Port Meadow area of Wolvercote, Oxford, at around 12.25pm.

A strong chemical odour prompted officials to cordon off the area as specially-trained CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) officers were sent to the scene.

Thames Valley Police, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and South Central Ambulance Service are working together on the investigation.

Members of the public are being told to avoid the cordoned off area, and a number of local footpaths were closed, police said.

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