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    • 12:56
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  • Peter Hoskin | Accountability on your iPhone

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    • ......shot by both side...

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  • Iain Martin | Sants Resignation a Headache For Government And Opposition

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  • Mark Pack | Why politics should be about personalities

    • 12:20
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  • FT | FT video: Sants quits as FSA chief

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  • FT | FT video: Sants quits as FSA chief

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  • David Hughes | We have all let Tony Blair down

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  • Natalia Shapovalova | Ukraine's revolution lives on | Natalia Shapovalova

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  • Jessica Shepherd | Swedish-style 'free schools won't improve standards'

    • 11:59
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  • The conspiracy behind it

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  • Michael Crick (BBC News) | How 'AV' made Cameron Tory leader

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  • Hugh Muir | Sorry mess of the Ali Dizaei case | Hugh Muir

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  • Michael Tomasky | Michael Tomasky: Murtha's death and healthcare

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  • Daniel Korski | Yanukovych wins Ukrainian election – but that may not be all bad

    • 11:29
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  • Daniel Korski | Yanukovych wins Ukrainian election – but that may not be all bad

    • 11:29
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  • ConservativeHome | (3) Vote Conservative... because of Chris Grayling

    • 11:28
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  • Haroon Siddique | Ali Dizaei disciplinary charges dropped 'due to politics'

    • 11:26
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  • Hattie Garlick | Tim's ten reasons to vote Tory

    • 11:17
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  • Jim Jepps | Brown's voting reform error

    • 11:14
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  • Guest | Double-dip: The negative impact of inequality and the recession on young people

    • 11:02
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  • Henry Porter | Macho and excessive armed policing | Henry Porter

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  • Ed West | Labour spends billions on the obesity epidemic it helped create

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    • Telegraph politics blog

  • Sunny H | Speculation that Tory PPC left due to pregnancy

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    • Liberal Conspiracy

  • David Blackburn | Plenty to encourage the Tories in the Populus poll

    • 10:55
    • The Coffee House

  • David Blackburn | Plenty to encourage the Tories in the Populus poll

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  • David Burrowes MP, Member of Parliament for Enfield Southgate | At least one War Memorial is desecrated every week

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  • Press | Labour Target Cancer campaign at voteNHS.com

    • 10:54
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  • Stephen Tall | Tories’ policies recalled as economic model proves unroad-worthy

    • 10:50
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  • George Eaton | Labour is wise to target the Mumsnet vote

    • 10:45
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  • Benedict Brogan | Conservatives: we'll listen to the Civil Service

    • 10:42
    • Telegraph politics blog

  • Archbishop Cranmer | Alternative Vote is the least unpopular voting system

    • 10:41
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  • John Prescott | @ericpickles I'll ask again. Does your deputy Lord Ashcroft pay tax in this coun...

  • Iain Dale | Raising Money for Dartford

    • 10:25
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  • Iain Roberts | Are the Tories resigned to pushing lobby fodder?

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  • John Redwood | John Redwood welcomes clarification of householders’ liability when clearing sno...

    • 10:24
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  • Faisal Islam | FSA chief exec resigns: pointed remark: ' “The success of any regulatory structu...

    • 10:21
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  • World News Blog Editor | Oxfam blog: Haiti quake aftermath ‘bringing people together’

    • 10:19
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  • Laura Kuenssberg | Andy Burnham's promise that cancer patients will get test results in a week was ...

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  • Telegraph Opinion | David Cameron must reject Thatcherite apologies for inquality

    • 10:15
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  • The Orange Party | Watch Out, Green Police About

    • 10:12
    • The Orange Party

  • Jon Snow | Why expanding trade with Iran rather than sanctions will terrify the agents of r...

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  • Mark Wadsworth | More Ali Dizaei Fun

    • 10:03
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  • Administrator | David Maddox: The Numbers Game (27) - Marginal results

    • 10:01
    • The Steamie

  • ConservativeHome | (2) Vote Conservative... because of Michael Gove

    • 10:00
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  • hopisen | World Tonight

    • 09:55
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  • Michael White | Indecision is evident across the board in Europe | Michael White

    • 09:47
    • Guardian Politics blog

  • Much ado about nothing?

    • 09:36
    • Andrew Neil's Blog

  • Sunny H | Only 2 Tory MPs sign EDM accepting climate change

    • 09:32
    • Liberal Conspiracy

  • Will Straw | Osborne’s policies are no April Fool

    • 09:32
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  • Tory Rascal | Tower Block of Commons Episode 2

    • 09:30
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  • Joe Dyke | Review: Joseph Stiglitz at the LSE

    • 09:25
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  • Shamik Das | Politics Summary: Tuesday, February 9th

    • 09:05
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  • Time for Maya's voice to be heard amid the non-tears

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    • 09:02
    • Guardian Politics

  • Guest | Has the left won the first round in spending cuts?

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  • Tanya Gold | Was Gordon Brown right to talk about his daughter's death? | Tanya Gold

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  • Peter Hoskin | A day to damage Brown?

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  • Peter Hoskin | A day to damage Brown?

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  • Guido Fawkes | Apparently those MPs facing theft charges still take the Labour whip. Tories di...

    • 08:47
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  • Chris Bryant | I'm definitely backing AV tonight. Every labour candidate is selected by AV and ...

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    • 08:42
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  • Jim Knight | Great quote in Guardian: Cameron may be a pretty face; a pity that lower down he...

    • 08:39
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  • Genuine regionalism could save the economy and Labour

    • 08:24
    • LabourList

  • Dizzy | Derek Wyatt launches MyMP

    • 08:23
    • Dizzy Thinks

  • Guido Fawkes | Will Dave Really Crack Down on Lobbyists?: Yesterday Dave in his speech had a g...

  • Mark Pack | What happened to the 19 Conservative MPs who voted to keep MPs’ expenses secret?

    • 08:20
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  • BBC Radio 4 Today | Met police "without a doubt" still institutionally racist - Sergeant Alfred John...

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    • 08:18
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  • PPC Profile: Chris Williamson

    • 08:13
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    • 08:07
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  • MPs ready to vote on AV referendum - 8 in the morning, February 9th

    • 08:00
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  • Brian Walker | The politicians still don’t get it

    • 07:46
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    • 07:30
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  • ConservativeHome | (1) Vote Conservative... because of George Osborne

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  • Dizzy | Playing the race card?

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Latest from The Green Box

Today's Storys

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

Hector Sants resigned from his position at City watchdog, the Financial Services Authority. He has in the past advocated international and domestic banking reform and criticised the economic proposals of the Conservative party.

Michael Carpenter, the Speaker’s counsel is expected to testify that the three MPs charged with making false expenses claims should not be covered by Parliamentary privilege.

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.

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.

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

Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth appeared before the defence select committee this morning answering questions about Afghanistan and the green paper on the future of defence.

Iran is facing new calls for tougher sanctions from Western nations after it announced it has begun enriching uranium to 20%. Experts say this would increase Iran's ability to create a nuclear weapon.

The 27 new members of the European Commision have been unequivocally backed by a majority in an EU vote.

The information commissioner has ruled the party breached privacy laws by making nearly 500,000 automated calls that played a recorded message from a Coronation Street actor before a local election.

Ones to watch

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.

The Corporation revealed that more than a quarter of its salary bill for presenters went on top names including Jonathan Ross and Graham Norton.

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

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

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

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

Toyota's woes continue as the company is set to recall nearly half a million Prius cars due to braking problems. Around 8,500 will be recalled in the UK.

Health Secretary Andy Burnham has said a plan for a £20,000 inheritance levy to pay for the government's social care programme is "not the right way to go."

The UK trade deficit hit it's highest level since January 2009 in December, the ONS has said. The country imported £7.278bn worth of goods, but exported £6.798bn.

Other stories today

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

RSS On air today

On air

Newsmakers seen and heard on TV and radio

Sunday 8th November 2009 | 09:44

Afghan army not ready until 2014, says Sir Jock Stirrup

  • 09:44
  • Sir Jock Stirrup
    • 08/11/09
    • Sir Jock Stirrup, Chief of the Defence Staff
    • The Andrew Marr Show, BBC1

Sir Jock said that he felt coalition forces would not be able to hand responsibility to the Afghan army until 2014.

"We are there to hold the security ring so that the political solution can be delivered but we are only holding the security ring until the Afghans are capable of doing it themselves," he said.

However he said that General McChrystal's assessment of this taking place in 2013 was "optimistic", suggesting it would be 2014 or even 2015.

"It's another four or five years but it will be a gradual process where the Afghans will be taking more and more responsibility," he said.

Withdrawal

Responding to reports that the military was considering withdrawal from outlying bases including Musa Qala, where battles claimed the lies of 15 troops, Sir Jock said forces may be pulled out of some outlying bases, but not Musa Qala.

"Since this is counter-insurgency you have to focus on the population. It's the people that matter not the geography so you have to follow the people," he said

"ISAF overall may well reconfigure and pull out of some of the more outlying place," he added.

"There are no plans to do that in Musa Qala".

He also rejected comments made by former minister Kim Howells, that Britain should withdraw from Afghanistan to better defend its security within its borders.

"You can't defend just on the goal line. That won't work. You have to defend our nation, our people, and its interests within its border and outside our borders. All of our experience, all of our history tells us that," he said.

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