Latest from The Green Box

MPs are to vote on Gordon Brown's plan for a referendum on changing Britain's voting system later today.

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  • MPs to decide on vote system referendum
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  • Trust is in tatters - voting system reform vital
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  • Reform must keep single member constituencies, insists Benn
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  • I'm definitely backing AV tonight. Every labour candidate is selected by AV and I'm told Tories use exhaustive ballot - virtually the same.

The deaths of three British soldiers in Afghanistan over the past two days brings the number of British military personnel killed there to 256 - one more than the number killed during the Falklands war.

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  • Military death toll in Afghan war passes Falklands
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  • Tory pledge to maintain war capability
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  • The first real test of the new strategy in Afghanistan

The three major political parties clashed on the ongoing row over expenses yesterday as the Labour MPs facing criminal charges were suspended from the party and told they will only receive retirement pay-offs if they're cleared.

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  • Tories promise law change on MPs’ expenses
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  • Cameron's proposals are bold, brave and exciting
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  • What happened to the 19 Conservative MPs who voted to keep MPs’ expenses secret?
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  • Apparently those MPs facing theft charges still take the Labour whip. Tories ditched Spink and Conway straight away for much less.

A new Populus poll for the Times found support for Labour up two points from last month at 30 percent, while the Conservatives were down one point at 40 percent.

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  • Voters will make MPs pay dear for expenses affair, Populus poll shows
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  • Too soon for Cameron’s Tories to panic
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  • Populus poll shows ten point Tory lead

According to a new report, the Treasury does not know why state-owned banks are still not lending money to small businesses.

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  • UK should impose sanctions to boost loans - panel
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  • Treasury is failing to force banks to lend, warn MPs
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  • Bailed-out banks have betrayed small firms, causing 'widespread dismay'

Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth is to face the defence select committee over the latest developments in Afghanistan and the defence green paper today.

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  • Tory pledge to maintain war capability
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  • The first real test of the new strategy in Afghanistan

Labour's manifesto team are considering proposals that would give people who inform on benefit cheats a share of the money saved, according to reports.

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  • Benefit informers could be given share of cash saved
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  • Labour considers paying for people to inform on benefit cheats

Joseph Stiglitz has urged Gordon Brown to reject "fiscal fetishism", defy the markets and maintain, or even extend, the fiscal stimulus of the British economy.

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  • Forget cuts and keep spending, Brown told
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  • How to fix the recession

According to reports, a £20,000 compulsory inheritance levy could be introduced to pay for Labour's social care plans, but some cabinet ministers fear endorsing such a radical plan close to an election.

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  • Inheritance levy to fund social care being considered by ministers

Most voters believe Britain is "broken" and 42% of people say they would emigrate if they could, according to a new Populus poll for The Times.

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  • We're living in broken Britain, say most voters
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  • Broken Britain?

The BBC is set to reveal the total amount paid to its performers who broadcast on radio and television.

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  • BBC to reveal total pay given to radio and TV stars
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  • BBC pays its stars £230m

The Shadow Defence Secreatry, Liam Fox accepted a £50,000 donation from a venture capitalist who helped buy a company selling defence equipment.

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  • Liam Fox accepted £50,000 from defence firm donor

Britain's immigration system is not operating effectively and faces a damaging loss of public support, a report from the Parliamentary Ombudsman has warned.

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  • Asylum failings damage lives, says immigration watchdog
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  • Immigration system "ineffective"
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  • Alistair Darling criticised over hidden £18bn indemnity plan

The City minister Lord Myners will tell institutional investors this morning that an excessive bonus culture is hitting UK pension funds.

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  • Myners argues bonuses are bleeding pension funds

Tony Blair suggested the Iraq Inquiry was part of a British obsession with conspiracy, deceit and scandal.

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  • Blair attacks his critics' tendency to 'conspiracy theories'

Metropolitan Police Commander Ali Dizaei was yesterday sentenced to four years in jail for assaulting a man and trying to falsely accuse him in a spat over money.

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  • Dizaei rascal gets four years
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  • A criminal in uniform: Dizaei jailed
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  • Dizaei a bully and liar who played the system
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  • Met police "without a doubt" still institutionally racist - Sergeant Alfred John, chairman of the Metropolitan Black Police Association

Laws protecting workers' rights must be improved to tackle poverty, according to a report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

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  • Better worker rights laws urged to tackle poverty

The amount of benefits overpaid due to errors by officials has doubled from £400m to £800m since 2000, say the work and pensions select committee.

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  • £800m benefits overpaid in error, say MPs

All paramilitary groups involved in the ceasefire in Northern Ireland have now decommmissioned their weapons, just 24 hours ahead of a scheduled deadline.

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  • Three more Northern Ireland terrorist groups lay down their arms

Harriet Harman is in line for the annual Rear of the Year award, according to The Sun.

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  • Harman fave for rear of the year

Scottish quangos should be scrapped and replaced by independently run organisations, according to think-tank Reform Scotland.

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  • Think-tank urges abolition of quangos and contracted out services

The Archbishop of Canterbury is expected to challenge Anglican infighting over women bishops and gay ordinations at the General Synod today.

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  • Archbishop of Canterbury infighting over gays and women bishops

The BBC needs to "wake up" to the dearth of older females on its programmes, Harriet Harman has said.

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  • Harman slams BBC over older women
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  • Inequality is not a social illness to be 'cured'

The Commons education select committee has said the entry requirements for teacher training courses in England are too low, recommending trainee teachers have at least a 2.2.

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  • Raise the bar for teacher recruits, schools committee says
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  • Beware the market experiment with schools

BSkyB says it has sold a 10% stake in rival broadcaster ITV - more than half of the shares it owned.

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  • BSkyB acts fast to sell ITV stake
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  • BSkyB sells ITV stake at £348m loss

Some 1,000 UK professionals are to be deployed around the world to rebuild countries hit by conflict or disaster.

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  • UK to launch international reconstruction group

The Conservatives have pledged to increase broadband speeds across Britain by providing BT’s rivals with regulatory incentives to introduce new telecom networks.

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  • Tories plan to raise broadband speeds

The Treasury will not pursue reforms to gift aid, it has been reported.

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  • Treasury abandons Gift Aid tax relief reform