Thursday, 22 July 2010

Today's newslinks

Clegg backtracks after declaring Iraq war illegal - Independent

Screen shot 2010-07-22 at 07.34.19 The Sun >>>

"Nick Clegg was tonight forced to clarify his position on the Iraq war after he stood up at the dispatch box of the House of Commons and pronounced the invasion illegal. The deputy prime minister insisted he was speaking in a personal capacity, as a leading international lawyer warned that the statement by a government minister in such a formal setting could increase the chances of charges against Britain in international courts." - Guardian

"There are still around 400 British service personnel in Iraq acting as trainers for the Iraq security services. Downing Street moved swiftly to clarify under what auspices they remained in the country." - Telegraph

Cameron insists first job of Foreign Office is to promote UK business

"Speaking in New York on the last day of his trip to the US, the prime minister said he wanted diplomats to use every opportunity to win orders for UK firms. He announced that he was appointing a civil servant with expertise in business to head the Foreign Office. The department would also recruit a commercial director, Mr Cameron said." - BBC

"Simon Fraser, a protégé of Peter Mandelson, former business secretary, was named as the foreign office permanent secretary, bringing with him years of experience in trade negotiations in London and Brussels. Mr Fraser, the top civil servant at the business department, previously served as Lord Mandelson’s chief of staff during his time as European Union trade commissioner from 2004-08, playing a prominent role in failed efforts to strike a global trade deal." - FT (£)

Cameron aims to reassure Wall Street over looming regulation

"David Cameron tried to reassure some of Wall Street’s biggest figures that Britain should be a top investment target, despite the regulatory uncertainty hanging over the City of London. While Wall Street now has a clearer idea of future banking regulation after the US Congress passed a package of financial regulation this month, US investors have serious concerns about the future direction of policy in Europe." - FT (£)

4816381466_7ffb567565 Cameron shares a hot dog with New York Mayor Bloomberg.

The Cameron advisers who still love Obama - Mary Ann Sieghart in The Independent

Tory MPs question Coalition's Afghan timetable

"Julian Lewis said setting a date for withdrawal put pressure on the Afghan government, not the Taliban while Mr Tyrie said: "I certainly think there's a danger of mixed messages. Do we have a fixed timetable or do we have a policy based on conditionality? I was also left a little unclear about what exactly we're leaving behind after 2015. There's certainly a risk that if we are locked into a timetable, we could empower the Taliban."" - Yorkshire Post

Cameron says troop withdrawals may start next year - Times (£)

David Cameron's WWII 'gaffe'

"Prime Minister David Cameron slipped up yesterday when he described Britain as the “junior partner” of the US in fighting Nazi Germany in 1940. America did not actually join the Second World War until a year later, staying neutral until Germany and Japan declared war on the USA in December 1941." - Daily Star

"I simply cannot understand how a patriotic Englishman, which I take Mr Cameron to be, can say what he did about Britain's supposed role in 1940. It betrays, apart from much else, a surprising degree of historical ignorance in someone supposed to have an outstanding brain." - Stephen Glover in the Daily Mail

Officer class will be thinned out to save money, Liam Fox has signalled - Telegraph

Daily Mail welcomes crackdown on Britain's 24 hour drinking culture

15668941 "Taxes will also be imposed on strong lagers blamed for problem drinking. Last night, Mr Brokenshire said: 'We will overhaul the Licensing Act to give local authorities and the police much stronger powers to remove licences from, or refuse to grant licences to,any premises that are causing problems. 'We will toughen the sanctions for those premises found to be persistently selling alcohol to children and will allow local councils to charge more for late-night licences, which in turn will raise money for extra policing. We will also ban the below-cost sale of alcohol.’" - Daily Mail

Tories accused of stalling on election pledge to lift block on life-prolonging cancer drugs - Daily Mail

The Daily Mail warns Cameron against abandoning more election pledges

"From end to end of Whitehall, Tory ministers seem to be back-pedalling on election pledges, from weekly bin collections to life-prolonging cancer drugs for all who need them. Do they think being in coalition means they can simply shred all the promises they made to solicit our votes?" - Daily Mail leader

Crispin Blunt will say Tory prisons policy inspired by Churchill - Independent

Michael Howard has warned that the Government risks driving up crime - Daily Mail

10,000 teenagers will take part in four pilot schemes for Cameron's National Citizen Service - BBC

Eventually, reports The Times (£), hundreds of thousands of teenagers will take part in the scheme which aims "to galvanise a disaffected generation by getting teenagers from mixed social and racial backgrounds together and join in local community activities."

Coalition will reject the graduate tax idea floated just last week by Vince Cable - Mike Baker for the BBC

Budget will cost familes £3,000 a year - Telegraph

Tuesday's ToryDiary: "By 59% to 39% Labour is losing the argument on timing of cuts with majorities in all categories of marginal seats saying that it is right to start cutting now. Labour would be on much stronger ground if they focused on the impact of cuts on "ordinary hardworking people". Only 32% of voters think George Osborne's adjustments are fairly distributed. 64% think "ordinary" families are bearing the brunt of tax rises and cuts."

Ed Miliband emerges as trade unionists' candidate in Labour leadership contest - Independent

Posted by Britannia Radio at 09:29