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Friday 30 July 2010
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Lord Prescott arrives at the QE2 conference centre in London to give evidence to the Iraq Inquiry. Photograph: Lewis Whyld/PA
Hélène Mulholland reports on Lord Prescott's evidence to the Chilcot inquiry as it happened
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Wednesday 28 July 2010
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Don't mention Kashmir. That is the unequivocal message from every minister accompanying David Cameron on his trip to India.
The six cabinet ministers have been drilled by the Foreign Office, which was bruised after Labour ministers repeatedly slipped up on the acutely sensitive issue, to say absolutely nothing on Kashmir.
Vince Cable, the business secretary who is attuned to Indian sensitivities after visiting the country regularly since 1965, gave a taste of the new approach this morning. Asked about Kashmir, he said:
That is a dispute within the sub-continent that we are not expressing a view on.
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Asbo statistics mapped. Click image for full graphic. Illustration: Paul Scruton for the Guardian
Theresa May says anti-social behaviour orders are on the way out. See what the data says
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General Sir Michael Jackson, a former chief of the general staff, arrives to give evidence to the Iraq Inquiry. Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty Images
Live coverage as Dannatt, former chief of the army, and Jackson, former chief of the general staff, give evidence to the Chilcot panel
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Tuesday 27 July 2010
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David Cameron, who willarrive in India with the largest British delegation since 1947. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA
Not since the days of the Raj, which came to end 63 years ago next month, have so many Brits traipsed to India on an official visit.
David Cameron will tonight fly into India with the largest British delegation since the sun came down on the Raj in August 1947.
Previous prime ministers, notably Tony Blair, have led large delegations to India before. But Cameron has gone one stage better by taking captains of industry plus six cabinet ministers.
There are the obvious big names like John Varley of Barclays and Richard Olver, chairman of BAE. On the ministerial side George Osborne will be heading to India's commercial capital Mumbai. William Hague will accompany Cameron. Continue reading...
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Former United Nations chief arms inspector, Hans Blix. Photograph: TONI ALBIR/EPA
Live coverage as the UN's former chief weapons inspector gives evidence to the Chilcot panel
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The Guardian and ICM have been conducting monthly polls since 1984. Here is the full data going back to then. Plus, for the first time, we can bring you the trends in the big questions and how they've changed over time. Continue reading...
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David Cameron prepares for a fight with France and Germany over Turkey's admission to the EU. Photograph: Pool/REUTERS
The European Union has perfected the art in recent years of offending Turkey.
I remember a miserable evening in Luxembourg in 2005, during the British presidency of the EU, when formal membership negotiations with Turkey were meant to open. A predictable snag within the EU meant that foreign ministers, under the chairmanship of Jack Straw, could not confirm that the talks would actually begin.
Abdullah Gul, then the Turkish foreign minister who is now the country's president, is no fool. And so he told the foreign ministers that he would not sit in a hotel room in Luxembourg while the EU foreign ministers worked through their differences. Continue reading...
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Friday 23 July 2010
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Stephen Crabb, the Conservative MP, is leading Project Umubano as it enters its fourth year in Rwanda
The French will not be happy. A group of Conservatives will tomorrow start distributing 2,000 English language dictionaries to teachers in the former Francophone colony of Rwanda.
The dictionaries, provided by Penguin, are another sign of how the former Belgian colony is turning its back on the Francophone world in favour of greater ties with English speaking countries. Rwanda joined the Commonwealth in 2009.
Paul Kagame, the Rwandan president, blames France for aiding and abetting the Hutu genocide of 1994 in which 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were massacred. Tutsi rebels defeated the Hutu regime and the killing came to an end in July 1994.
The dictionaries, whose arrival shows how Rwanda has been transformed under Kagame, will be distributed by Conservative volunteers who will tomorrow embark on their fourth mission to the country. It will last until 7 August.
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Thursday 22 July 2010
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George Monbiot: The decision to stop funding the Sustainable Development Commission is the definitive false economy
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Nick Griffin had his invitation to a Buckingham Palace garden party withdrawn today. Photograph: Steve Parsons/PA
Join Andrew Sparrow for rolling coverage of today's events at Westminster
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Wednesday 21 July 2010
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The House of Commons. Photograph: PA
Join Andrew Sparrow for rolling coverage of the day's events at Westminster including prime minister's questions at midday
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Tuesday 20 July 2010
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David Miliband, announcing in his South Shields constituency that he would contest the Labour leadership, delivered some home truths to his party today. Photograph: Nigel Roddis/Reuters
Michael Settle, the softly spoken UK political editor of the Herald, had one of the best political scoops of the day.
David Miliband, the former foreign secretary, told Settle in an interview that the Scottish government had been wrong to release Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing:
It was clearly wrong because it was done on the basis he had less than three months to live and it's now 11 months on.
The remarks by Miliband were picked up on both sides of the Atlantic as David Cameron responded to US anger by announcing that the cabinet secretary would review the relevant papers. Patrick Wintour has filed a report from Washington on the prime minister's announcement.
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Gordon Brown was a fan of slogans, Labour pollster Deborah Mattinson reveals in her new book. Photograph: Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters
The Times reportedly paid £350,000 to serialise Lord Mandelson's book. My budget for book serialisations is rather more modest – but I did manage to wangle a copy of Deborah Mattinson's book, Talking to a Brick Wall, and it's definitely worth a blog.
Mattinson was involved in polling and focus group research for Labour for 25 years, and describes herself on the dustjacket as "chief pollster to Gordon Brown", although the book reveals that they fell out before the 2010 election.
It's not the best book on New Labour, but it contains more insight and less bile than many memoirs and probably deserves more attention than it has received. Continue reading...
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File picture of Eliza Manningham-Buller, who was director general of MI5 between 2002 and 2007 Photograph: Home Office/PA
Rolliing coverage as the former director general of MI5 gives evidence to the Chilcot panel
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