DAVID Cameron said today that childcare is 'the issue' for families as ministers announced a major expansion of government support which could benefit more than two million working families.
Chancellor George Osborne will use tomorrow s Budget to impose a further £2.5 billion of cuts on Whitehall, with the proceeds to be invested in capital projects designed to kick-start growth.
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David Cameron said today that childcare is the issue for families as ministers announced a major expansion of government support which could benefit more than two million working families. Under tax-free plans, set out on the eve of the Budget, eligible families will receive up to £1,200 a year towards care for each child - up to a maximum of 20% of their annual costs.
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Chancellor George Osborne will use tomorrows Budget to impose a further £2.5 billion of cuts on Whitehall, with the proceeds to be invested in capital projects designed to kick-start growth. Mr Osborne and Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander briefed Cabinet on the plan this morning, on the eve of a Budget in which the Chancellor is coming under intense pressure to inject vigour into an economy teetering on the brink of a triple-dip recession.
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Pope Francis has urged princes, world leaders and thousands of ordinary people at his installation Mass to protect the environment, the weakest and the poorest. Mapping out a clear focus of his priorities as leader of the worlds 1.2 billion Catholics, echoed the gentleness for which St Francis is known saying tenderness can "open up a horizon of hope."
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At least 56 people have been killed and more than 200 others injured in a wave of bombings which tore through Baghdad today, highlighting increasing sectarian tensions in Iraq on the eve of the anniversary of the US-led invasion. The attacks, mostly car bombs, targeted small restaurants, day labourers and bus stops in the Iraqi capital and nearby towns over a period of more than two hours.
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Energy Secretary Ed Davey gave the go-ahead today for the first of a planned new generation of nuclear power plants in the UK. Mr Davey told MPs that he was granting planning consent for French energy giant EDF to construct a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C, in Somerset.
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Coronation Street star Bill Roache today said he was "very sorry" over his controversial comments on the victims of paedophiles which seemed to suggest they were being punished for past sins. Roache, 80, who has played Ken Barlow in the ITV soap for more than 50 years, had told New Zealands One News that the public should not be judgmental but be "totally forgiving" of people who have committed child sex crimes.
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Former England striker Michael Owen has announced he will retire from football at the end of the season. The 33-year-old made his name with Liverpool and went on to play for Real Madrid, Newcastle and Manchester United before signing for Stoke at the start of this season.
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Ten of Diana, Princess of Waless dresses are going under the hammer today, when they are expected to fetch nearly £1 million. Among the cocktail frocks, ballgowns and formal evening dresses up for sale is the Victor Edelstein gown which the late Princess wore when she danced with John Travolta at a White House state dinner in the 1980s.
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Joss Stone told a court today that she was only aware of an alleged plot to kill her when she was visited by the police. The 25-year-old was giving evidence in the trial of Kevin Liverpool and Junior Bradshaw, who are charged with plotting to rob and kill the singer in June 2011.
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Scratch and sniff cannabis cards are being handed out by police to help members of the public detect drug farms. In 2011/12 the number of cannabis factories rose by 15% and they are increasingly being set up in residential areas. Hot spots targeted in the Crimestoppers campaign include West and South Yorkshire, London, Greater Manchester and Avon and Somerset.
