Labour MPs to declare family jobs

Gordon Brown has ordered all Labour MPs to declare "as soon as possible" details of any relatives they employ.

In a letter to the Speaker, he says he has told Labour MPs not to wait until April, as recommended by the Commons standards committee earlier.

Conservative leader David Cameron has already told his frontbenchers to declare any employed relatives, plus a range of other expenditure.

The initiatives come after a series of revelations about MPs employing family.

The Commons estimates committee announced on Tuesday it was to hold a review of expenses after claims public money was being misused. It is due to report in October.

In a letter to Speaker Michael Martin, the chairman of the estimates committee, Gordon Brown said he welcomed its review, saying a "root-and-branch overhaul of the current system" was needed.

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I feel that Brown is implementing this investigation because he is worried about losing his power in Parliament. I think he feels that if members of opposing parties elect family members with similar views, he could very well be voted out of office.

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Tories step up bug row pressure

The Conservatives are demanding a fresh Commons statement over the bugging of an MP which they say has made a "liar" of the Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
It followed the revelation Home Office and Ministry of Justice officials were told about the incident in December.

Shadow home secretary David Davis said the case made the PM a "liar" as it countered prime ministerial pledges to protect MPs from bugging. Commons leader Harriet Harman said Mr Davis should "apologise" to Mr Brown. She told BBC Radio 4's World at One there was "no justification" for his accusation.

PM's promise 'broken'It follows claims counter-terrorism officers secretly recorded discussions between Tooting MP Sadiq Khan, a government whip, and a constituent he was visiting in jail.
Justice Secretary Jack Straw and Home Secretary Jacqui Smith had not been aware of the incident until the Sunday Times reports emerged this weekend.

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The conservatives are demanding a fresh commons statement. They are demanding this because a bugged mp portrayed British prime Minister Gordon Brown as a liar , this practice is being shown as a li. This article is interesting because it shows how hands on British politics is.

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Brown denies knowledge of police bugging of MP

LONDON (AFP) — Prime Minister Gordon Brown has denied receiving a warning about the police secretly bugging a Labour MP during a prison visit.

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said he had written to the premier about the matter in December. But Brown denies ever having received such a letter.

Downing Street maintains Brown knew nothing about the bugging allegations.

Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Jack Straw said Sunday he had launched an inquiry into the secret bugging of Tooting MP Sadiq Khan.

According to a report in The Sunday Times newspaper, Khan was bugged by Scotland Yard's anti-terrorism unit while meeting with a constituent in prison.

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Events like this could eventually cause other countries around the world to distrust the Great Britain. I wonder how in-depth the U.K. is going to investiate this situation and if the events actually occured.

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Assessment Complete

British Navy

Click Here for a video about the British Navy.

New Stuff

Hey guys, starting February 2nd we’re going to have new feeds about sports and entertainment in the U.K. We’re going to feature feeds about current soccer scores, rugby scores, and even the music that’s topping the charts in the U.K. Keep checking out our blog to stay updated on the British culture.

Egg customers protest credit move

Angry customers of internet bank Egg have hit out at its decision to cancel their credit cards.

Egg says 161,000 cards belonging to people whose credit profiles have deteriorated since they signed up will stop working in 35 days time.

But people who insist they have good records have been contacting the BBC to say they are on the list.

A Labour MP is asking the banking industry watchdog, the Financial Services Association, to investigate.

Nigel Griffiths, a former deputy leader of the House of Commons, said Egg's action was "unacceptable".

A spokesman for the bank said those affected were customers it no longer wanted to lend to "regardless of their current status".

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I don't think that the Egg company should have the ability to just cancel their customer's credit cards. I wonder if parliament is going to intervene.

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Trivia Week 1 Results

The answer to this weeks question was Harry Vardon .

Correct Answers from: Camp,Courtney,Kritesh,Henry,Sean

Storms batter parts of Britain

Passengers are being airlifted from a ferry in the Irish sea as high winds batter much of the UK, with forecasters warning of blizzards to come. A 45-year-old lorry driver died on the M6 near Tebay, Cumbria, as his lorry overturned in gusts of up to 70mph. The Port of Dover in Kent has reopened after gusts of up to 60mph forced it to close, causing widespread disruption.

In Wales some homes are without power and the Forth Road Bridge, west of Edinburgh, has reopened after a crash. However, it remains closed to high-sided vehicles, caravans and motorcycles after a lorry earlier overturned in high winds. In the Irish Sea, six people have been airlifted off a ferry which is listing to 60 degrees amid fierce storms. Still on board are 17 crew members who are attempting to restart the ship's engines, a spokesman for Lancashire Ambulance Service said.

The River Dance, a roll-on-roll-off ferry, ran into trouble eight miles west of Fleetwood. Sea King helicopters are taking those on board to Blackpool Airport. About 1,000 homes were without power in Gwynedd and two schools, John Beddoes High in Presteigne and Whitton Primary schools in Powys, closed because of a power failure.

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This Article is about the awful storms that have hit Great Britain Today . This story is also interesting because of how in depth the knowledge is about the storm. News in Great Britain is for the most part all reported like local news

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History of the U.K.'s Political Parties

Prior to the mid-19th century politics in the United Kingdom were dominated by the Whigs and the Tories. These were not political parties in the modern sense but somewhat loose alliances of interests and individuals. The Whigs were associated with the newly emerging moneyed industrial classes, and the Tories were associated with the landed gentry, the Church of England and the Church of Scotland.

By the mid 19th century the Tories had evolved into the Conservative Party, and the Whigs had evolved into the Liberal Party.

These two parties dominated the political scene until the 1920s, when the Liberal Party declined in popularity and suffered a long stream of resignations. It was replaced as the main left-wing party by the newly emerging Labour Party, who represented an alliance between the trades unions and various socialist societies.

Since then the Conservative and Labour Parties have dominated British politics, and have alternated in government ever since. The UK is nearly but not quite a two-party system however. The Liberals merged with the Social Democrats because they had very similar views and became the Liberal Democrats which are now a sizeable third party whose electoral results have improved in recent years.

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This article provides a brief history on the origin of the U.K.'s political party system.

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