Parents 'Unaware' Of Shared Leave Rules

By Adele Robinson, Sky News Correspondent

New rules allowing working couples to share parental leave after the birth or adoption of their child have come into force.

Mothers and fathers can split 50 weeks of parental leave between them, in any combination, and divide up the 39 weeks of statutory pay.

The rules, which come into place on Easter Sunday, mean parents can take time off together or share leave separately.

Around 285,000 working couples would be eligible but it is expected that only a few thousand will take it up initially.

At the Wise Hippo birthing class in Hertfordshire, Sky News spoke to parents to get their views on the new rules.

Video: Tackling Parental Depression

Graham and Keeley Clark are expecting their baby in four weeks time. For them, like most, it comes down to finances.

"I think for us it's probably not the most practical thing," Mrs Clark said.

"With Graham being the main breadwinner, it doesn't make sense for us to do that.

"But for women who are the main breadwinners it is a good option for them."

However many people are still confused about how shared leave will work.

A survey carried out by My Family Care and Workingmums reveals that one in four people were unaware of the changes.

Nearly one third (32%) said they did not understand the rules and 41% said they would not consider dividing their leave.

Georgia and Felicien Mathieu are expecting their child in 10 weeks.

Video: The Ethics Of Three 'Parent' Babies

Mrs Mathieu believes not enough information is being sent out about the leave options.

"I don't think many people will take it up because there's a lack of information about it.

"I think there needs to be more out there, more pamphlets in antenatal classes - about what people are entitled to - so it's more widely profiled."

Employment lawyer Merrill April said she believes some companies may change enhanced maternity pay as a result of the changes.

"We might see some of those packages gradually being reduced or withdrawn.

"I think that rather depends on the take-up - if in fact there's very low take-up by men then perhaps that won't happen, but I rather suspect it may.

"It probably depends a bit on the size of the employer, but larger employers are going to be affected by larger numbers of people taking this up."

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Tories Pledge 1980s-Style Housing Revolution

A 1980s-style housing "revolution" doubling the number of first-time buyers by 2020 has been pledged by the Tories, if they are elected.

The plan would mean half a million people a year getting their feet on the housing ladder, George Osborne said.

Labour claims Britain's chronic housing shortage is being fuelled by coalition schemes such as Help to Buy and no action is being taken to boost supply.

Ed Miliband's party unveiled plans on Saturday to take the new ISA scheme for first-time buyers announced in the Budget and use it to finance wide-scale house building.

Speaking on Sky News' Murnaghan programme, Mr Osborne said: "We do need to build more homes. We need to make sure all those brownfields in our cities and towns are being used for that purpose."

Video: Archive: House Building In Crisis

And he pointed to government help being provided to assist people onto the housing ladder, including the new ISA where savings are topped up for a deposit.

Mr Osborne also revealed more than 50,000 people had registered for a scheme offering cut-price homes for first-time buyers.

And a future Tory government would extend the existing Help to Buy scheme in England, which helps those struggling to raise a deposit.

He said: "I am a great believer in a home owning nation, a home owning democracy where families can get on the housing ladder."

Mr Osborne has said as many as one million people would enjoy direct government help to purchase properties over the next parliament.

"I think we can deliver a revolution in home ownership," the Chancellor said.

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"In the next parliament I would like to see over a million more people helped into home ownership by a Conservative government.

Video: 28 Feb: Boost For First-Time Buyers

"I would like to see us double the number of first-time buyers up to half a million. That is the kind of level we saw in the 1980s.

"There is no reason why our country can't achieve that again."

Since 2010 there have been 1.2 million first-time purchases and Mr Osborne wants at least 2.4 million more over the next five years

Shadow housing minister Emma Reynolds said: "More warm words on housing from the Chancellor will be cold comfort to the record number of young people and families priced out of home ownership over the past five years.

"Under this Tory-led government we've seen the lowest levels of housebuilding in peacetime since the 1920s and home ownership has fallen to a 30-year low.

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"Labour's Better Plan will ensure Britain builds the homes working people need.

"Labour will get at least 200,000 homes built a year by 2020, backed by a comprehensive plan - the first in a generation - and a £5bn Future Homes Fund to support the building of homes for first-time buyers."

Video: Archive: London Homes Unaffordable

The Tory pledge came as a YouGov poll for the Sunday Times showed the party overtaking Labour to move into a one point lead by 34% to 33%.

But Opinium research for The Observer had the Conservatives down one point on 33%, level-pegging with Labour (unchanged), while UKIP was up one point on 14%.

Liberal Democrats were down one on 7%, Greens were unchanged on 7% and the Scottish National Party were up one on 4%.

In a dramatic development on Saturday, an inquiry was ordered into the leak of a UK Government account of a private meeting between SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon and the French ambassador.

The Daily Telegraph published the diplomatic memo which suggested she had indicated that she would prefer to see Conservatives remain in power after the 7 May General Election.

Ms Sturgeon complained of a "dirty tricks" attempt to halt the party's advance.

She said it was "100% untrue" that she had expressed such a preference - a denial backed by French diplomats at the meeting.

But the memo was seized on by Labour leader Ed Miliband as a "damning revelation" of the SNP leader's true views.

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Craig Has Knee Surgery After Bond Film Injury

James Bond star Daniel Craig has had knee surgery after sustaining an injury while filming action scenes for the latest instalment of the spy series.

Craig had what was described by Eon Productions as a "minor procedure" during the Easter filming break.

The 47-year-old was filming in Mexico before he returned to New York last weekend, when the surgery is believed to have taken place.

A spokeswoman for Eon Productions denied reports Craig had been forced to miss several days of filming for Spectre, which will be released on 6 November.

It will be the actor's fourth outing as Bond.

Video: The New James Bond Trailer Released

The spokeswoman said: "During a scheduled break, Daniel Craig had arthroscopic surgery to repair his knee injury.

"He will rejoin production on 22 April at Pinewood."

Bond's past looks set to haunt him in the latest film, with 007 receiving a cryptic message leading him on a trail to find out the truth behind a shady crime syndicate called Spectre.

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1. Gallery: Craig Films Bond Blast Scene In Mexico

   Photos have emerged from the set of Spectre which is currently filming in Mexico City

Daniel Craig can be seen looking on during filming for a scene which appears to show the aftermath of an explosion

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Two Dead As Wreckage Of Missing Plane Found

The wreckage of a light aircraft which went missing in western Scotland has been found by search teams, police say.

The remains of two people who were on board the plane have also been discovered.

The wreckage was found in the Glen Kinglass area of Argyll at about 8pm on Saturday after radar contact was lost at around 1.50pm.

Police, the ambulance service and the coastguard had all been involved in the "extensive" search for the aircraft.

The police said in a statement: "Police Scotland can confirm that following an extensive multi-agency search, the wreckage of a light aircraft was discovered on the northern aspect of the Glen Kinglass area of Argyll at around 8pm.

"Sadly, the remains of the two people on board have also been discovered.

"Around 1.50pm on Saturday 4 April 2015, emergency services received a report of a light aircraft having lost contact in the Bein Nan Lus area of Argyll."

Chief Inspector Fergus Byrne said: "Police Scotland has been working with partner agencies throughout the day to locate the aircraft and our thoughts are with the families of the victims.

"Enquiries are continuing to establish the exact circumstances and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.

"Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact police via the non-emergency number 101."

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Sturgeon: Help Me Lock Cameron Out Of No 10

Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon has offered Ed Miliband a new deal to help him take power and "lock David Cameron out of Downing Street".

Writing in the Observer, Ms Sturgeon challenged him to take his party into an anti-austerity alliance with the SNP - despite Mr Miliband ruling out any formal coalition.

Her words come a day after claims – strenuously denied by the SNP leader – that she had told the French ambassador she wanted Mr Cameron to stay as prime minister.

The Tories have seized on the prospect of a Labour-SNP coalition

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According to a leaked memo about the February meeting, she allegedly said Mr Miliband was not "prime minister material".

Video: Miliband Rules Out SNP Deal

But Ms Sturgeon has reinforced her earlier offer to the Labour leader, telling him: "If together our parties have the parliamentary numbers required after 7 May, and regardless of which is the biggest party, will he and Labour join with us in locking David Cameron out of Downing Street?"

The SNP leader also uses the article to repeat denials that the memo claims are "100% untrue – having been comprehensively rejected by both the French ambassador and consul general".

A coalition government seems a likely result after next month's election, with the result seemingly on a knife-edge and no one party looking like getting an overall majority.

The Conservatives have seized on the prospect of a Labour-SNP coalition with posters showing Mr Miliband in the pocket of Ms Sturgeon.

Video: Faisal Files: Sturgeon Memo Leak

The Labour leader has insisted "there will be no SNP ministers in any government I lead" - but crucially has not vetoed a looser arrangement that would see the party offering voting support to shore up Labour.

The SNP is glowing from a big boost in popularity in the wake of last year's independence referendum and - ironically - is expected to rob Labour of many of its Scottish MPs.

Ms Sturgeon was also seen by many as the best performer in the leaders' TV debate.

With just over four weeks to go, latest opinion polls put the Tories and Labour virtually level-pegging.

Video: French Official: No Sturgeon Leak

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Opinium research for The Observer has the Conservatives down one point on 33%, the same score as Labour (unchanged).

UKIP was up one point on 14%; Liberal Democrats down one on 7%, Greens unchanged on 7% and the SNP were up one on 4%.

A YouGov poll for the Sunday Times has the Conservatives overturning a four-point Labour advantage to now lead 34% to 33%. 

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Police Get More Time To Question Syria Suspects

Police have been given more time to question six people arrested in Dover on suspicion of Syria-related terrorism offences.

The five men and one woman were detained around 8am on Friday in the port's departure area.

Officers now have until 8am next Friday to charge or release them, or apply to detain them further.

Police said four of the men arrested are from Birmingham and in their 20s.

A 26-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman of no fixed address were also held.

They are being questioned at a police station in the West Midlands area.

The force said the suspects were not a family group, were not accompanied by children and did not pose any immediate risk to public safety.

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CCTV Appeal As Woman, 93, Hurt In Hit-And-Run

Police are hunting for a driver who left a 93-year-old woman lying in the middle of the road after a hit-and-run crash.

They have issued a CCTV image of the silver Chrysler Voyager thought to have struck Isobel Rawes in Shirley, West Midlands.

The pensioner is still in hospital being treated for the serious injuries she suffered.

Police said she was hit as she crossed Stratford Road at around 11.50am on 24 March.

A spokeswoman said: "The driver failed to stop at the scene and left the victim lying in the carriageway before driving away in the direction of the M42.

Police believe this car hit the 93-year-old

"Following extensive CCTV inquiries, police have identified the car as a silver-coloured Chrysler Voyager.

"It is believed that the vehicle will have damage to the front passenger side."

Sergeant Adam Green, from the Regional Collision Investigation Unit, said: "I would urge anyone that has seen a Chrysler Voyager with damage to the front passenger side to come forward.

"It may be that the driver has confided in a friend or family member or a neighbour has noticed recent damage.

"It is important that we speak to the driver in order to understand the reasons for the collision and the subsequent driving away from the scene to provide answers to the family of Mrs Rawes."

Anyone with information can contact the collision investigation unit on 101.

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Osborne Refuses To Rule Out Top-Rate Tax Cut

Chancellor George Osborne has repeatedly refused to rule out a tax cut for Britain's highest earners if the Conservatives win the election.

Mr Osborne told Sky News' Murnaghan programme his party had "no plans" to further reduce the top rate of tax and insisted it was not a priority.

Prime Minister David Cameron also said: "It's not our policy, it's not our plan."

But Labour claim the Chancellor has been "flushed out", pointing out Mr Osborne had used the same words about VAT before the last election, which he then raised from 17.5% to 20%.

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Video: Osborne Rejects SNP 'Cahoots' Claim

The opposition has promised to bring back the 50p rate for those earning upwards of £150,000, claiming the cut to 45p had benefited the wealthiest by at least £85,000.

Pressed on whether top earners could be in line for another tax cut, Mr Osborne said: "You can judge us by what we say we want to do.

"And what we want to do is increase the tax-free personal allowance to £12,500 so people full-time on the minimum wage don't have to pay income tax and millions are better off.

"And when it comes to higher rate taxpayers our priority is increasing the threshold at which you pay that higher rate, the 40p rate, to £50,000.

"Those are our big tax commitments for the coming parliament."

Tackled repeatedly over whether the top rate could be cut further, Mr Osborne said: "If that was our priority or our plan we would have made it part of our plan and made it one of our priorities.

"I am telling you what our priority is. We have made a big tax-cutting priority and that's what we are absolutely 100% focused on delivering and achieving.

"Not because it's a nice thing to have but because its central to our economic plan and making work pay."

But Labour's Chris Leslie told Murnaghan this was the same argument previously used by Mr Osborne on VAT, which he had then increased in office.

Mr Leslie said: "That's the same formula he had before the last General Election when he said we have no plans on VAT and of course they did it.

"Their priority is always about helping the very richest in society."

Video: Cameron: No Change To Top Tax Rate

But Mr Leslie's reference to "fairer tax changes" in tackling the deficit has caused critics to claim Labour is planning more tax rises.

The clash over tax is just the latest between the two main parties as the General Election campaign gets into full swing.

In recent weeks, Mr Cameron ruled out an increase in VAT while Labour committed not to increase National Insurance in the face of attacks by the respective sides.

Speaking on Murnaghan, Mr Osborne also warned "an unholy alliance" between the Labour and the SNP after the election would risk the future of the UK and its economy.

The party's leader Nicola Sturgeon has offered to help Ed Miliband "lock David Cameron out of Downing Street" as she sought to bat away disputed claims she had told the French ambassador she would prefer a Tory win in May.

Mr Osborne said: "The fact that the Labour Party, that was a party that campaigned for the Union in the referendum, is contemplating an arrangement with the SNP, who want to break up the country, is deeply disturbing.

"People know that Ed Miliband is weak, that the Scottish nationalist leaders are much stronger than he is and we know who would be running that government.

"That would be bad for the entire United Kingdom, bad for the integrity of the Union but also bad for our economy because it would mean higher debts and higher taxes."

But Mr Leslie said Labour had ruled out a coalition with the Scottish nationalists.

"The SNP and the Conservatives, I think, are playing political games with the country's future," he said.

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PM's Wife: Ivan Brought Us To 'Breaking Point'

David Cameron's wife Samantha has told how the couple's struggle to cope with their disabled son brought them to "breaking point".

Mrs Cameron said the couple were physically and mentally "shattered" by the strain of looking after Ivan - who died aged six in 2009.

She spoke of their struggle during an interview with the Mail On Sunday's You magazine, where she also made the case for voters sending her husband back to Number 10.

Mrs Cameron revealed that the couple's Christian faith had helped them cope with their son's illness and death.

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Video: Sam Butterflies Over Dave's Debate

She said Ivan, who had cerebral palsy and suffered from severe epileptic fits, had made their love stronger and brought them immense joy.

"There's lots of people in our situation whose marriages don't survive," she told the magazine.

"Looking after a disabled child pushes you to the limits of what you can cope with physically, emotionally.

"By the end of the first year we were totally shattered and pretty much at breaking point.

"The doctors realised we needed help. But as parents you have this feeling that you shouldn't ask for help.

"We could have been angry with God, but we felt he'd given Ivan to us to look after, and we had to do the best job that we could.

"He was very beautiful, one of the great gifts in our lives."

:: Full coverage of General Election 2015

Making a case for giving her husband another five years in Downing Street, she said the PM's biggest fear was "letting people down".

She suggested he was the best man for the job of running the country because he was "even-tempered, clear-headed, and not scared of making hard decisions".

The interview is the latest in a series of interventions by the spouses of party leaders in the run-up to the election.

Mrs Cameron also gave an insight into some more unusual aspects of life as the UK's "first lady".

These included being forced to leave dinner with Angela Merkel to break up a "huge pillow and duvet fight" between her children at the German chancellor's country residence.

The Prime Minister, in a separate interview with the Sunday Times, put the couple's ability not to fall apart entirely down to his wife's fortitude.

He said his marriage was "easily the best thing that's happened in my life" and said he loved his wife "as much today as when I first met her; more, much more".

He added: "I'm very blessed to have her. She is amazing."

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Boy, 14, And Girl, 16, Held By Anti-Terror Police

A 14-year-old boy and 16-year-old girl have been arrested on suspicion of planning acts of terrorism.

The boy was held after officers from the North West Counter-Terrorism Unit and Lancashire Constabulary executed a warrant at a home in Blackburn, Lancashire, on Thursday.

Police examined a number of electronic devices found on the premises.

They suspect the boy of "preparing for an act of terrorism under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006".

The girl was arrested after police raided a house in Clee Avenue, Longsight, Manchester, the following night.

She is suspected of "engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism".

Both youngsters have been bailed until 28 May.

An eyewitness told the Manchester Evening News that Clee Avenue was "full of terrorist police" when the girl was arrested at around 8pm on Friday.

The ongoing investigation is not thought to be related to the Rochdale family detained in Turkey for allegedly trying to cross into Syria.

The five adults and four children were arrested on Wednesday and are due to be deported back to Britain later.

Police have searched three properties in Rochdale and two in Heywood as part of the inquiry.

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