Jobless Households In Liverpool, Nottingham And Glasgow: One In Three

Figures show Liverpool with the highest number of workless households in five of the last seven years.

Inside a Jobcentre. Around a third of unemployed people are sick or disabled.

Almost a third of households in Liverpool, Nottingham and Glasgow were classed as workless in 2010, against one in nine in other regions, the Office for National Statistics has said. For Liverpool and Glasgow the figure fell from 32.1% and 31.1% to 31.9% and 30.7%, while for Nottingham it rose from 31.3% to 31.6%. Liverpool has had the highest number of workless households in five of the past seven years. Around a third not working in Liverpool and Glasgow were sick or disabled, the same as the national figure., while 43% of people in workless households in Nottingham gave study as their main reason, compared with 12% nationally. Areas with the fewest workless households were Oxfordshire, Surrey and Aberdeen, and north-east Moray, all around 11%. The national figure for workless households is 18.9%.

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May Warned That Rioters Could Target 2012 Games

Gangs involved in last month’s riots could attempt to disrupt the 2012 London Olympics, Theresa May, the Home Secretary, was told yesterday.

Fears over attempts to disrupt the Games have been privately relayed by a former police officer to the Commons home affairs select committee, which is examining the worse wave of unrest to hit England for 30 years.

MPs on the committee confronted her with the warning from a recently retired officer who served on Operation Trident, the Met’s operation against gun crime in the black community. Ms May, appearing before the committee, acknowledged the danger that the gangs could use the Olympics as a catalyst for looting and violence.

She said the team planning Olympic security was examining the riots to see if there were implications for the safe staging of the Games. David Cameron originally blamed gangs for much of the trouble and said he was seeking advice from Bill Bratton, the US police chief, on tackling the problem.

However, Ms May accepted the proportion of gang members involved in the unrest was “not as high as people first thought”. But she added: “There is some evidence that obviously there was some gang activity taking place in terms of encouraging people to take part in these events and as we saw, some of that encouragement was being propagated on social media.”

She announced she was staging an international conference next month to share ideas for the best way of tackling gang culture. Ms May refused to be drawn on the causes of the sudden outbreak of rioting.

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Ministers ‘Could Get Powers To Overrule European Court Of Human Rights’

A commission set up by the government to examine ECHR reforms has floated the idea of allowing ministers to strike out court rulings.

Judges of the European Court of Human Rights in 2010 hearing a case relating to the Russian oil firm Yukos.

The European Court of Human Rights could have its powers downgraded by handing ministers across the continent the right to strike down rulings under plans being examined by the British government.

A commission set up by the government to examine reforms to the Strasbourg-based ECHR has floated the idea of handing ministers and parliamentarians on the Council of Europe the right to override rulings of the court.

The suggestion by the commission on a Bill of Rights, in a letter to Nick Clegg and Kenneth Clarke, was published as ministers made clear that the court needed to undergo wide-ranging reforms. Clarke, who is the most pro-European Tory member of the cabinet, told MPs on Wednesday there were “important decisions” to be made about the workings of the court.

Sir Leigh Lewis, the chair of the Commission on a Bill of Rights, showed the depth of thinking about the future of the court when he said that the 2010 Interlaken Declaration on the future of the ECHR raised the possibility that other institutions of the Council of Europe could qualify the European Convention on Human Rights. The 47-strong Council of Europe, which is separate from the EU, is the continent’s human rights watchdog. Its European Court of Human Rights enforces the European Convention on Human Rights.

In his letter, Lewis wrote of the proposed change: “This could allow the effect of a court decision to be overridden if such was the will of the parliamentary assembly or committee of ministers, or perhaps of both acting collectively. A variant of this approach might be a power in the committee of ministers to determine that a court judgment should not be enforced if it considered that that course of action was desirable and justifiable in the light of a clear expression of opinion by the relevant member state’s most senior democratic institution. Another variant could be a requirement in respect of proposed ground-breaking findings of violations for the court first to consult the other Council of Europe institutions and for the court to take a collective expression of opinion into account.”

But Lewis, who said that one member of his commission had insisted that a proposal on guaranteeing the democratic legitimacy of the court must be included in the interim advice to ministers, warned that his proposal had not been yet fully considered. He also said there were critics.

“Those opposed to this concept argue that any possibility of override is fundamentally inconsistent with the rule of law inherent in the convention system and with the concept of the convention as a charter of fundamental rights and freedoms. They ask how, if a right or freedom is fundamental, it can be right to allow any legislature, however democratic, to override it.

“They point, for example, to the fact that there are examples in history of discriminatory laws being passed by democratically elected assemblies. They note that the ECHR as a judicial body is an essential protection against majorities voting to discriminate against minorities.”

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Larry The Cat Fundraiser Quiz Night To Be Held At No 10

Downing Street state rooms to host event to help pay for famous feline’s upkeep to uphold promise not to use public purse.

Larry the Downing Street cat in the cabinet room. A quiz fundraiser is to be held for his upkeep.

Until now, David Cameron’s staff have made their own contribution to the Big Society by paying for Larry’s upkeep.

A special quiz night is reportedly being held in Downing Street, to provide for a furry neet, conspicuously not in education, employment or training, since he can usually be seen asleep on or under a chair at No 10.

A No 10 spokesman said cautiously: “I’m afraid we cannot confirm staff events,” but the quiz for Downing Street staff is said to be happening in the state rooms, to raise funds for rations for Larry the cat.

When Larry, a rescue cat from Battersea dogs and cats home, moved in last spring, No 10 promised that he would be a community cat, not a drain on the public purse. The commitment is solemnly recorded on the official Downing Street website, under the magnificent heading “Prime minister’s meeting with Russian foreign secretary Lavrov, AV Bill, MoD email sackings, inflation and Larry the cat”.

Larry was invited to join the team soon after a large rat was spotted trotting calmly across the No 10 doorstep, clearly visible in the background of a television news report.

He is the latest in a procession of Downing Street cats as long as the line of prime ministerial portraits along the staircase, including Wilberforce, renowned as a mouser, who outlasted several prime ministers and is said to have been bought a tin of sardines by Margaret Thatcher on an official visit to Moscow.

The most famous recent incumbent was the magnificently whiskered Humphrey, a stray who was given the official title of mouser to the Cabinet Office, and provoked a habeas corpus scandal when he was alleged to have been exiled or even assassinated because Cherie Blair disliked cats. The late contrarian Tory MP Alan Clark demanded in parliament that the government either produce his body or prove he was still alive: Humphrey was duly photographed posing with the daily newspapers. Humphrey died in peaceful retirement at the home of a civil servant in 2006, aged 18.

Larry came highly recommended as a mouser, but questions have been raised about his area of special responsibility, since it reportedly took him more than two months to catch his first mouse.

Downing Street declined to comment on the scurrilous suggestion on the PoliticsHome blog that Larry is involved in a clandestine relationship with Maisie, the cat from the park keeper’s cottage at St James’s. At least he is unlikely to add absent father to his list of crimes: that possibility is believed to have been forestalled by Battersea before he was handed over.

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Homelessness Up As Cuts Take Effect

Homelessness is on the rise in the wake of the recession and government cuts to housing benefit, official figures show.

In the three months to June there was a 17 per cent rise to 11,820 in the number of households accepted by local authorities as in priority need of rehousing, compared to the same quarter last year.

The figures show that on almost all measures homelessness is now rising, reversing a trend that has seen more or less continuous declines since 2003, according to Crisis, the homelessness charity.

A report commissioned by Crisis and carried out by academics at York and Heriot-Watt universities to coincide with the figures warned the “worst is yet to come” after the combined effect of the economic downturn and significant cuts to housing benefit takes hold.

“Government reforms, in combination with the pressures of the economic downturn seem certain to increase all forms of homelessness, from rough sleepers on our streets to homeless people hidden out of sight,” said Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick of Heriot-Watt’s institute for housing.

The latest figures are the first since cuts to the local housing allowance for new claimants – an allowance that determines housing benefit levels – were introduced in April. There has been a big percentage rise, although small numerical increase, from 1,460 to 2,130 in the number of households accepted as homeless because a private rented tenancy has come to an end.

The report for Crisis notes that during the last big housing recession in the early 1990s, homelessness fell as lower house prices eased access for first time buyers, releasing homes for rent.

That is unlikely to happen this time, the report says, as available lettings in the social rented sector are down and first time buyers still face difficulty in getting mortgages.

On top of big housing benefit cuts, the government is moving towards more “flexible” tenancies in social housing while pushing up rents for new homes to 80 per cent of market levels. Both moves will weaken the safety net function of the social rented sector, the report says.

Leslie Morphy, chief executive of Crisis, called on the government to reverse the housing benefit cuts and withdraw its plans to no longer pay benefit on actual housing costs, instead providing an allowance. “We need the government to change course now or risk returning us to the days of countless lives facing the debilitating effect of homelessness,” she said.

Grant Shapps, housing minister, urged those threatened with homelessness to seek help as early as possible, arguing that a wide range of support remained available to people struggling to stay in their homes.

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Government Can’t Rewrite Nature And Allow Gays To Wed – O’Brien

The leader of Scotland’s Catholic community has warned that moves by MSPs to legalise gay marriage will be “strenuously opposed” by the Church.

Keith O’Brien said any attempt to redefine marriage would be ‘strenuously opposed’.

Cardinal Keith O’Brien, in a strongly worded homily delivered at a mass for politicians in Edinburgh last night, claimed that allowing gay people to wed through a civil or religious ceremonies would be a “direct attack” on the institution of marriage.

However, the intervention sparked criticism from MSPs, with the openly gay leader of the Scottish Greens, Patrick Harvie, attacking the Cardinal’s remarks as “absurd” and as an attempt to “suppress” the freedom of gays, lesbians and bisexuals.

The row came after the SNP government launched a 14-week consultation on allowing gay marriage – a change to the law that currently allows same-sex couples to enter a civil partnership, but bans the ceremony from church or other religious premises.

However, Cardinal O’Brien suggested that supporters of gay marriage wanted to “rewrite human nature” as he appealed to MSPs to oppose the proposed reform.

He said: “The Church esteems the institution of marriage as the most stable building block upon which any family can rest.

“The view of the Church is clear, no government can rewrite human nature; the family and marriage existed before the State and are built on the union between a man and woman.

“Any attempt to redefine marriage is a direct attack on a foundational building block of society and will be strenuously opposed.”

There was also a sharply worded statement issued by the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland yesterday, which suggested that the Scottish Government’s consultation was “an exercise for justifying the campaign demands” of the “vociferous” gay rights lobby.

But Green MSP Mr Harvie attacked the Catholic Church’s stance on gay rights and highlighted a Scottish Social Attitudes survey which revealed 60 per cent believe same-sex couples should have the right to marry.

“It’s absurd to suggest that one marriage can undermine other marriages,” he said.

“Just as non-Catholics respect Catholic marriages, so it’s time for the Cardinal to start respecting the right of every adult to love who they please.

“The Cardinal should also remember that he doesn’t speak for all people of faith, or even all Christians.

“There are many faith groups who want to conduct same-sex marriages for their members, and the Catholic Church seems determined to try and suppress their freedom to do so.”

SNP MSP John Mason, who faced criticism for lodging a parliamentary motion that said no-one should be “forced” to approve of same-sex marriage, said he wanted “to encourage churches” to get involved in the debate about the proposals.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “Our consultation, published last week, sets out that the Scottish Government tends towards the initial view that same-sex marriage should be introduced in Scotland but that faith groups and their celebrants should not be obliged to solemnise same sex marriages.”

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Prince Charles Warns Of ‘Sixth Extinction Event’

Mankind faces extinction, the Prince of Wales has warned, unless humans transform our lifestyles to stop mass consumption, run away climate change and destruction of wildlife.

The Prince said if the world carries on ‘business as usual’ then the human race itself could be wiped out.

In his first speech as the new President of the Worldwide Wildlife Fund (WWF) UK, Prince Charles suggested ‘surviving ourselves’ should be a priority.

Referring to himself as “an endangered species”, he warned that the world is already in the “sixth extinction event”, with species dying out at a much faster rate than at any time since the death of most of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.

Despite campaigning for years on global warming, he said climate change was not the only problem but merely speeding up the “rapacious” destruction of natural resources like water, land and food that humans need to survive.

The Prince said if the world carries on “business as usual” then the human race itself could be in danger.

“We are, of course, witnessing what some people call the sixth great extinction event – the continued erosion of much of the Earth’s vital biodiversity caused by a whole host of pressures, from the rising demand for land to the corrosive effects of all kinds of pollution,” he said.

“This is an important point that needs to be stressed more than it is, because its ultimate impact is plainly not at all clear to most people – without the biodiversity that is so threatened, we won’t be able to survive ourselves.”

Alluding to his “spiritual connection to nature”, the Prince said mankind must also protect other species from extinction.

“It may not seem to make much difference economically if the swallows, swifts and house martins no longer turn up each spring, but what would life be like if we just accepted their extinction because their habitats have been destroyed?”

The Prince follows in the footsteps of his father the Duke of Edinburgh who was President of the UK arm of WWF UK before taking on the top role of the international organisation.

The Royal joked that as a “rare species” himself, he has always felt a close connection to the work of WWF.

“Perhaps I warmed to your work from such an early age because, from the outset, you stood up for endangered species!”

The WWF was set up 50 years ago to protect endangered species like the panda but Prince Charles said that the challenge today is far greater.

He said the only way to protect wildlife and ultimately the humans who rely on these ‘ecosystem services’ is to transform the world economy so that growth is not at the expense of nature.

He referred to a “sustainability revolution” that would force people to change their lifestyles so they consume less petrol, food and other resources.

“History will not judge us by how much economic growth we achieve in the immediate years ahead, nor by how much we expand material consumption, but by the legacy for our grandchildren and their grandchildren,” he said. “We are consuming what is rightfully theirs by sacrificing long-term progress on the altar of immediate satisfaction. That is hardly responsible behaviour. There is an urgent need for all of us to concentrate our efforts on sustaining, nurturing and protecting the Earth’s natural capital and, moreover, reshaping our economic system so that Nature sits at the very heart of our thinking.”

In a speech at St James’s Palace to environmentalists, staff the Prince warned that the WWF “may regret” taking him on.

He has faced criticism for his views on the environment and voiced frustration at the failure of governments to address the issue, but he insisted that by working together humanity will “perform remarkable feats of innovation to secure a stable environment”.

“As many of you will know, I have been harping on about these challenges for many years and although this leads to inevitable criticism from some quarters, I must tell you that I put up with it because the issues we face are so important. None of us must be afraid to be stand up and be counted.”

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Baha Mousa Inquiry: MoD’s Guilt For Death Of Army’s Iraqi Prisoner

Nineteen soldiers could face criminal charges for their role in the death of an innocent Iraqi man after a public inquiry found he was the victim of “appalling and cowardly” violence while in British custody.

Baha Mousa with his son.

Military and civilian prosecuting authorities are examining the findings of a three-year inquiry into the death of Baha Mousa, a hotel receptionist who died after a 36-hour ordeal at the hands of British soldiers in Basra in September 2003. Nine other civilians were bound, hooded and subjected to “serious, gratuitous violence”.

The inquiry, chaired by Sir William Gage, a retired judge, found the Ministry of Defence guilty of a “corporate failure” to uphold basic standards by allowing rules to go “largely forgotten”. While clearing the soldiers’ unit, the 1st Bn Queen’s Lancashire Regiment, of having an “entrenched culture of violence”, he said it was clear the abuses were not a one-off.

Dr Liam Fox, the Defence Secretary, said the events described in the report were “deplorable, shocking and shameful” and instructed the head of the Army to take action against any serving personnel who were involved.

Three serving soldiers, including an officer, have already been suspended from duty as a result of the inquiry.

Dr Fox told the Commons: “Baha Mousa was not a casualty of war. His death occurred as a detainee in British custody – it was avoidable and preventable and there can be no excuses. There is no place in our Armed Forces for the mistreatment of detainees and there is no place for a perverted sense of loyalty that turns a blind eye to wrongdoing or erects a wall of silence to cover it up.”

The 1,400-page report details how the victims spent a day and a half with bags tied around their heads while being forced to stand in “stress positions” – practices banned under both domestic law and the Geneva Conventions.

Last night the Chief of the General Staff, Sir Peter Wall, said the incident “cast a dark shadow” over the reputation of the Army while David Cameron condemned the “truly shocking and appalling” abuse which he said should never be repeated.

The £13 million inquiry singled out 19 soldiers whom it concluded were directly involved in the abuse, including some who have already faced unsuccessful prosecution at court martial.

Lawyers for families of the victims said there was potentially the evidence to bring new prosecutions against all of them in the civilian courts. It emerged last night that three soldiers serving in the Army, including an officer, had been suspended from duties and MoD sources believed another 11 former servicemen could also face charges.

The suspended officer, Maj Mike Peebles of the Intelligence Corps, would face a second court martial if Army prosecutors believed there was sufficient new evidence. He was originally acquitted of negligently performing a duty during a court martial in 2007 when he was among six soldiers to walk free after the effective collapse of a £20 million case.

Only Cpl Donald Payne, named as committing some of the worst abuses, was convicted at the original court martial after pleading guilty to inhumane treatment. He was cleared of manslaughter but jailed for a year. Six others, including the regiment’s former commanding officer, Col Jorge Mendonça, were cleared of charges.

Yesterday both he and Maj Peebles were singled out as bearing “heavy responsibility” for what happened. Several soldiers who were not involved in the original court martial are among those who could now face prosecution.

This could include a large number of men who have left the Forces.

Dr Fox said efforts were already under way to determine whether “more can be done to bring those responsible to justice”. He told MPs that the MoD’s Iraq Historic Allegations Team had found evidence of “some concern” and cases would be passed to the Director of Service Prosecutions where there was “sufficient” evidence. Any eventual cases would be likely to be brought by the Crown Prosecution Service as most of the men were now civilians. Sapna Malik, a lawyer representing the Iraqi families, said they “expect” both military and civilian prosecuting authorities to act.

Despite the criticism, Dr Fox rejected a key recommendation in the report for a blanket ban on so-called “harsh” questioning methods, warning that lives could be put at risk unless the Forces could deploy all “necessary” techniques.

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Soldier Jailed After Rape Victim Left Samples Of DNA In Her Attacker’s Car

Teenager left her hair and saliva in Jonathan Haynes’ vehicle leading to indefinite sentence for the ‘clever, cunning predator’.

Jonathan Haynes, 30, a lance ­corporal with the Royal Logistics Corps, has been jailed indefinitely for raping three teenagers.

A brave and quick thinking teenage rape victim helped police trap a serial sex attacker by spitting in his car and leaving a strand of hair hidden in the vehicle.

The girl yanked out strands of her hair and pushed them down the seat of soldier Jonathan Haynes’ car. She also spat in the vehicle to make sure traces of her DNA could be found.

Haynes was jailed indefinitely for raping three teenagers and trying to abduct two schoolgirls.

He raped two of the teenagers after seizing them from the streets of a market town in Wiltshire and bundling them into his car. Haynes, a lance corporal with the Royal Logistic Corps, attacked the third teenager after breaking into a university halls of residence.

Haynes tried to grab the two 14-year-old schoolgirls from a country lane.

Following the sentencing, police said they believed Haynes, 30, could be responsible for more attacks and appealed for any other potential victims to come forward.

Haynes was given an indeterminate sentence for public protection and ordered to serve at least 11 years’ imprisonment but warned he may never be released. Judge Neil Ford QC, the Recorder of Bristol, called him a “clever and cunning predator”.

A jury at Bristol crown court was told that Haynes, who was based at a barracks near Chippenham, Wiltshire, planned his attacks meticulously.

The first kidnap and rape happened in September 2009 in Chippenham as the 16-year-old victim made her way home from a night out.

Just 13 days later he raped an 18-year-old student after forcing entry to her halls of residence in Pontypridd, south Wales.

The following February, he attempted to snatch the two schoolgirls late at night from a country lane near Chippenham.

Weeks later Haynes kidnapped an 18-year-old girl off the streets of Chippenham and repeatedly raped her. She had the presence of mind to yank out strands of her own hair and leave them in the car and spit in the seat – something she had seen on television crime shows.

Speaking outside court when Haynes was convicted last month, she said: “I thought there’s going to be an investigation and I wanted to help.

“When I was in the car I pulled out some of my own hair and I made sure I spat on the seat, so if it was ever found there was proof I had been in the car.

“It still surprises me now, it sounds silly, but I have always been a fan of CSI programmes. I’ve watched so many of them, I know what to do and how things work.”

She said it was terrible to see Haynes in court lying about his offences. “It was horrible and as I stood there I was thinking how someone could make up such detailed lies.

“I’m just disgusted by him. For a human being to have any thoughts like that, to do something to someone … it’s horrible.

“I am so relieved that it is over. It has felt like a very long time that this has gone on for. A huge weight has been lifted.”

Following the hearing the victim of the first attack, who asked to be known by the pseudonym of Abbi, said she felt guilty that she had not been able to help the police prevent further assaults.

She said: “I just want girls, not just young girls but girls of all ages, to be aware of the sort of people that are out there.

“I thought I was safe, only seconds away from my house. I learnt the hard way, I wouldn’t want anyone else to.

“It’s harder to trust men, just because of one sick individual, which is sad.

“I felt really bad when I’d heard someone else had been attacked, I blamed myself for not being able to give more information to help catch him.

“But anyone that goes to the police is doing their bit. It is hard but it’s worth it in the end.”

Forensic analysis of Haynes’ laptop seized from his room at the barracks showed he carried out hundreds of searches on the internet for information relating to the attacks. He would even search for the names of his victims on social networking sites such as Facebook and Friends Reunited.

Haynes, from Northampton, was found guilty of rape, kidnap and attempted kidnap. He was also charged with child pornography offences but the crown decided not to proceed with the prosecution.Speaking after the hearing, Detective Chief Inspector Bob Hamlin, of Wiltshire police, said there could be many more victims and his team were now examining other unsolved cases in the area.

He said: “We are investigating more cases that are unsolved but it is hard to put a figure on just how many more offences this dangerous man could have committed.

“He is one of the most evil men I’ve dealt with in 32 years of work. The horror the victims suffered can never be forgotten.”

The Ministry of Defence has confirmed Haynes is no longer a serving soldier.

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