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[JohnCenaFan28]

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been plunged into a damaging row about the use of "dodgy" knife crime figures after a scathing attack by the official statistics watchdog.

Sir Michael Scholar, chairman of the UK Statistics Authority, condemned the release of figures showing an apparent fall in the number of teenage stab victims as "premature, irregular and selective".

In his first public criticism of the Government since the launch of the authority earlier this year he said the release of "unchecked" figures was "corrosive of public trust".

His damaging comments came in an official letter of complaint to the Permanent Secretary at 10 Downing Street, Jeremy Heywood.

He wrote: "These statistics were not due for publication for some time, and had not therefore been through the regular process of checking and quality assurance. I hope you will agree that the publication of prematurely released and unchecked statistics is corrosive of public trust in official statistics, and incompatible with the high standards which we are all seeking to establish."

The Official Statistician, Karen Dunnell, revealed she told Mr Heywood the release of the figures would be a breach of protocol but was ignored.

Downing Street and the Home Office defended the decision to publish the figures ahead of their official release date in March.

But opposition politicians accused ministers of "peddling dodgy figures" and two senior Labour backbenchers also condemned the move.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said: "Yet again this Government has been caught peddling dodgy statistics. This seems like a failed attempt to cover up criticism of Gordon Brown by rushing out a flimsy good news story. Gordon Brown promised to end armchair government and the culture of spin when he entered Number 10, but this sorry affair shows both are still alive and well."

In a joint statement No 10 and the Home Office said: "The figures on hospital admissions were published (on Thursday) in order to give the public the most up to date information available about the current knife crime situation in priority areas. They were part of a wider package of statistics ... which detail the impact that our knife crime strategy is having in these areas. Obviously ministers and officials in all departments take very seriously the importance of maintaining the integrity of official statistics. Home Office and Cabinet Office officials will be in touch with Sir Michael Scholar at the earliest opportunity to discuss his concerns."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The creation of a UK "super-bank" has been given the green light after HBOS shareholders backed a rescue takeover by rival Lloyds TSB.

Investors also approved an £11.5 billion taxpayer bail-out, including £8.5 billion in new shares underwritten by the Treasury.

Taxpayers are currently sitting on more than £3.4 billion in paper losses on this stake after HBOS shares slumped 23% on Friday.

At the meeting held at Birmingham's NEC, HBOS chairman Dennis Stevenson apologised for the bank's woes - but management were branded "reckless" and one shareholder said he was "appalled" at the way the business was run.

The attacks came as a gloomy update from the bank also disclosed a further £3.2 billion rise in bad debts since the end of September - taking the total to £8 billion in the first 11 months of the year.

Following the bank's capital raising, existing HBOS shareholders will be left with just 20% of the new bank after the takeover, with the Government potentially holding up to 43.5%. The new company, to be known as Lloyds Banking Group, will have around 145,000 staff and 3,000 branches - although Lloyds TSB is looking to make £1.5 billion in cost savings.

Investors gave strong backing to the proposals as HBOS faced an uncertain future and potential nationalisation if the deal was rejected. Based on votes cast before the meeting, the takeover and funding moves were supported by an 84% majority of individual shareholders, and 98% by the value of shares voted. The bank said a record 56% of HBOS's shares voted in the meeting. Lloyds TSB investors voted in favour of the takeover in November.

Mr Stevenson said the board of the bank - crippled by the freeze in money markets - was sorry about the financial impact of the crisis on investors, adding that he was "neither happy nor proud". He told the meeting that the world was living through "the most pronounced financial crisis since the Great Depression".

Unions fearing thousands of job losses protested outside the meeting, although Mr Stevenson described reports of 40,000 job losses as "scaremongering".

The Merger Action Group, which lost a legal challenge against the Lloyds TSB takeover, said a "proud history" had disappeared.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Road charging plans have hit grid-lock after voters delivered an overwhelming "No" in a public referendum.

More than a million voted on the scheme planned for Greater Manchester - with 79% against and just 21% for.

It left plans for Britain's biggest road charging zone in the region "dead in the water" - and put in doubt similar schemes being considered elsewhere.

Opponents said it would be "brave" for any politician to suggest such schemes now, given the massive rejection in Manchester on Friday.

The Greater Manchester scheme needed approval in seven of the ten local boroughs to get the green light - but was voted down in every one. A total of 218,860 voted "Yes" with 812,815 voting "No" - a turnout of 53.2%.

Local councils wanted to charge drivers up to £5 a day to use the region's roads, to help pay for £2.7 billion of investment in local, trains, trams and buses, promising a revolution in public transport - but voters were not convinced.

Graham Stringer, MP for Blackley in Manchester, a long-time opponent of the scheme, said: "It's a brave politician that goes forward with such a scheme, unless it is an extraordinarily good scheme that virtually everybody benefits from."

"It does show there is a hostility to road charging. You have to come up with an extremely good scheme whereby you reduce other road taxes if you ever want road pricing by consent in this country."

RAC motoring strategist Adrian Tink said motorists are "tired" of being taxed, adding: "The "no" vote will have ramifications up and down the country in cities such as Leeds, Bristol and Cambridge which have been watching this decision closely.

The Government argues that it must tackle congestion and just building more roads is not financially possible or environmentally acceptable.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Spanish banking giant Santander is to axe 1,900 jobs in its three UK businesses next year under efficiency moves.

The job cuts will hit staff at Abbey, Alliance & Leicester and Bradford & Bingley, and compulsory redundancies have not been ruled out.

Head offices in London, Leicester and Bradford will be affected by the cuts, which are equivalent to 8% of Santander's UK workforce.

Unions reacted with dismay to the news, especially as it was announced so close to Christmas.

Santander said the efficiencies were part of plans to save £180 million by the end of 2011 following its acquisition of Alliance & Leicester.

The firm said there will be minimal impact on customer-facing roles in branches, with the focus of the reductions in back office roles and across operational and head office sites.

The bank said it had no current plans to close major sites although it may consolidate some smaller offices into larger sites.

Andy Kerr, deputy general secretary of the Communication Workers Union, said: "At this time of great uncertainty in the banking sector, the CWU has managed to secure commitments that there will be a voluntary approach to the redundancies.

"While job losses have been expected following the takeover by Santander, we are determined to ensure that A&L follows the voluntary route to job losses."

National officer Nigel Cotgrove said 1,000 jobs will be cut from Alliance & Leicester during 2009, equivalent to a 13% reduction, which was "very unwelcome", especially just before Christmas.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Hundreds of workers at Woolworths' distribution division have been made redundant after administrators failed to find a buyer for the business.

Entertainment UK shed 700 staff, according to Deloitte, which said it planned to scale down efforts to sell the operation as a going concern.

EUK - a wholesale supplier of music, DVDs and games - will continue operating with a reduced workforce of 375 while the company is wound down.

Deloitte said the job cuts would affect both EUK's head office and distribution centres in Middlesex.

It added it would continue to consider offers for the sale of the business as a going concern, but would now focus on realising value from the company's assets.

Reorganisation services partner Dan Butters said: "Regrettably, despite our continued efforts, we have been unable to identify a suitable buyer for the business.

"Unfortunately, it has been necessary to make 700 redundancies at the company's head office and distribution centres in Middlesex. We will retain a core team of 375 employees."

He said administrators were working closely with Jobcentre Plus to provide support and advice to employees who had lost their jobs and the Insolvency Service's Redundancy Payments Service was prepared to quickly approve claims for employee entitlements.

Entertainment UK and Woolworths were placed into administration last month.

This week Deloitte launched a closing-down sale at Woolworths' stores after failing to find a buyer for all or part of the business.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Flowers have been laid at the spot where a child sex offender was stabbed to death.

The bloody, mutilated corpse of Andrew Cunningham, 52, jailed in 2000 for unlawful sex with a 15-year-old girl, was found in the caravan where he lived on an industrial estate in Wandsworth, south-west London, on Wednesday.

He had been stabbed repeatedly, reportedly suffering wounds to his genitals, and police believe he may have been murdered because he was a convicted paedophile.

Anti child-abuse campaigners condemned the attack and warned it would damage efforts to have more information on sex offenders' whereabouts made public.

The gruesome discovery was made at the Windmill Business Centre in Riverside Road, where Mr Cunningham worked as a lorry driver. A post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as multiple stab wounds to the head, neck and chest.

Sara Payne, whose daughter Sarah was murdered by a convicted paedophile in 2000, and who campaigns for more information on sex offenders to be made public, said the attackers were "no better" than the man they killed.

In an interview with Independent Radio News (IRN), Mrs Payne said she was appalled by the attack. "My initial reaction is of gut-wrenching. I find this vile killing of another human being revolting. It's foul," she said. "This man may have been a sex offender and may well have had children in his home, but these people that have committed this act are now murderers. That makes you no better."

Mrs Payne said the attack would set back her campaign for the names and addresses of sex offenders to be made available to the public. "It's better to know where these people (sex offenders) are, but every single time this happens, every time people feel they need to use their fists to create these vigilante acts it puts us back - it puts those of us who are fighting for disclosure back, and it gives sex offenders another reason to remain anonymous," she said.

Mr Cunningham was put on the sex offenders' register following his conviction in 2000 and it is believed this was widely known in the area where he lived. Police said the 2000 incident was Mr Cunningham's only conviction for sexual offences, and he came off the list in March.

Detective Chief Inspector Nick Scola, from the Metropolitan Police, said: "Regardless of who he was or what he may have done, Andrew was the victim of a vicious assault which ended his life. We're still examining CCTV from the area and working to establish the number of suspects involved. However, there is nothing to suggest this was a mob attack."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Up to 2,000 postal workers at seven sorting offices are to stage a 24-hour strike just days before Christmas in a row over office closures, it was announced.

The Communication Workers Union said its members in Liverpool, Coventry, Stockport, Oldham, Oxford, Crewe and Bolton will walk out on December 19 - the day before the last Christmas posting day for first-class letters.

The union warned of a "devastating" impact on local economies at planned closures of mail offices in the areas and raised fears of job losses.

CWU official Ian Taylor said: "The decision taken by Royal Mail fails to recognise the real concern members have for their livelihoods, particularly as we enter a nationwide recession.

"We believe that Royal Mail's plans have been drawn up without any real joined-up thinking about how the changes will affect the rest of the network. These changes will see a decline in the quality of service we provide to our customers with later deliveries, fewer and earlier collections.

"Royal Mail's actions pose a real threat to a large number of jobs."

The union said it had "no alternative" to industrial action, claiming that managers were attempting to move work out of some of the offices listed for closure before Christmas.

Carl Webb, the union's North West regional secretary, said: "Royal Mail's aggressive action has led to the unfortunate timing of this industrial action. We sincerely apologise for it and would have preferred for it not to have happened, but management action and legislation have forced our hand.

"Industrial action could still be avoided if Royal Mail abandon their policy of imposition and enter into meaningful negotiations with the union nationally.

"We want a sensible agreement that protects the service we provide to the public but also takes into consideration Royal Mail's employees' concerns."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The head of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority has resigned his post.

Dr Ken Boston said he was "taking responsibility" following this summer's Sats fiasco which left thousands of children breaking up for the school holidays without their results.

It comes just days before an independent inquiry into what went wrong is due to be published.

In a statement, Dr Boston said: "I have reflected since the summer on the delivery failure and on the difficulties associated with key stage testing.

"In my 40 year career as a public servant in England and Australia I have always believed in public bodies and public officials taking responsibility when things go wrong.

"In the light of that reflection and that belief, and in view of the challenges facing the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) in the coming year, I believe it would be in the authority's interests to find new leadership.

"I have therefore decided that I should step down from my position as chief executive."

The QCA, and its testing arm, the National Assessment Agency, were the government bodies responsible for the overall delivery of this year's Sats tests.

In his statement, Dr Boston repeated his apology to pupils, teachers and parents for the failure to deliver the test results on time. Problems with the delivery of this year's Sats tests first came to light in July, when schools secretary Ed Balls announced that the results would be delayed.

Contractor ETS Europe, which was hired to carry out this year's marking by the QCA, was widely criticised for its handling of the tests, and was sacked by the agency in August. Lord Sutherland of Houndwood was asked to conduct an inquiry into the delays and he is due to report back with his findings on Tuesday.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Prime Minister Gordon Brown paid tribute to four Royal Marines killed in Afghanistan as he visited their comrades on the frontline.

In a surprise visit to the main UK military base in southern Afghanistan, Mr Brown told troops that Britain was safer because of the work they are doing fighting the Taliban.

A 13-year-old suspected suicide bomber killed three Royal Marines south of the town of Sangin, while a fourth died in a separate explosion.

The youth approached a unit south of the Sangin area of Helmand province on Friday with a bomb which detonated, killing two soldiers from 45 Commando and one from Commando Logistics Regiment.

Earlier in the day, a Marine from 45 Commando was injured in a blast in the Sangin area. He died later of his wounds while being taken to the military hospital at Camp Bastion.

On Saturday morning, Mr Brown went nearer to the frontline of the battle against insurgents than any previous Prime Minister, visiting Musa Qala, which was captured from the Taliban last year.

Speaking to troops in Camp Bastion, Mr Brown said: "It is a terrible commentary on the Taliban that they should use a 13-year-old child to be a suicide bomber to kill some of our British troops.

"My thoughts are with the families of those who have died, with the friends of those who have died.

"These men will never be forgotten for what they have achieved on behalf of our country.

"We are safer in Britain, the people of Britain are safer because of what you do there, checking the Taliban, operating as the frontline against them, making sure that they can't make advances, holding them in and holding al Qaida in as well."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The Justice March For Baby P delivered a petition to 10 Downing Street in London calling for "urgent far reaching changes to the child protection system".

The campaigners - estimated by police at around 300 - marched through the capital to demand that no other children should suffer the same fate as Baby P. Organisers said the petition contained 20,000 signatures.

Baby P, who cannot be named for legal reasons, died in a blood-splattered cot in August last year.

Stacey Crisp, 21, from Harlow, Essex, said: "We are handing in a petition calling for a public inquiry into the system and for tougher sentences for child abusers.

"We have asked for all professionals involved to be sacked without pay and urgent far reaching changes to the child protection system. We want justice for this baby and for all the children out there that are being let down by these professionals."

Another organiser, Antonia Price, 34, from Basildon, Essex, added: "I think Ed Balls has started the process but there are still lots of unanswered questions. I think there is a lot more to this case than we have been allowed to know and there are still a lot more people that need to answer for what happened to Baby P."

Crowds gathered at Millbank in central London wearing Baby P T-shirts and carrying banners which said: "The Nation's Angel" and "March For Baby P. Don't forget Babies A-Z".

Baby P suffered more than 50 injuries at the hands of his abusive mother, 27, her 32-year-old boyfriend, and their lodger, Jason Owen, 36, despite 60 contacts with the authorities in Haringey, north London, over eight months. The trio will be sentenced at the Old Bailey next month for causing or allowing the death of a child.

The Justice March For Baby P gathered pace after 11 mothers and other women from all over the UK set up a group on social networking site Facebook.

The march then moved on to Trafalgar Square for speeches and prayers. The event was concluded by eight doves being released.

-Nova