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| Ed Miliband launches Labour's 2012 local election campaign: Politics live blog | Ed Miliband launches Labour's 2012 local election campaign: Politics live blog |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| 10.16am: On jobs, Miliband says Labour would tax bank bonuses and use the money to create jobs for young people. | |
| On the NHS, he says Labour councils will "act as the last line of defence against the fragmentation of the NHS". | |
| 10.11am: Miliband says the government is out of touch. | |
| Labour would make a difference on living standards, jobs, the NHS and crime, he says. | |
| On living standards, he says Labour councils are showing what can be done. | |
| In Manchester, despite having their budgets cut, the council are keepin every Sure Start centre open which helps keen childcare affordable. | |
| In Newcastle, Labour councillors have kept libraries open, so families can| afford to find a book to read to their children. | |
| And just up the M42 in Gedling, the council is helping keep mortgages and parking affordable. | |
| If Labour was in government in Westminster, we would end rail rip-offs by capping fare increases on every route. | |
| We would force the energy firms to give pensioners over the age of 75 the lowest possible tariff. | |
| 10.07am: Ed Miliband is speaking now. | |
| He says Labour cannot just rely on the unpopularity of the government to get elected. | |
| 10.04am: Ed Miliband will be launching Labour's election campaign shortly. My colleague Nicholas Watt is at the event in Birmingham and he's just sent me this. | |
| A large, predominantly elderly, group of Labour supporters have crowded into a community hall in Birmingham Selly Oak for the launch of the party's local election campaign by Ed Miliband. The Labour leader hopes to focus the launch around his plans, outlined in a piece in this morning's Daily Mirror, for the use of more restorative justice. But it is Miliband's first public appearance since Labour's heavy loss in the Bradford West byelection last Thursday. In the key section in his speech on crime Miliband will criticise the Tories for wanting to do away with Asbos altogether and say that some criminals should be encouraged to make a contribution to their community: | |
| "Instead of just giving people a caution knowing they will commit further offences, those who do the wrong thing should be forced to make it up to the victim. Make good on the damage they have caused, help rebuild the community project, clean up the graffiti, fix a wrecked garden. Of course, it won't be appropriate in all circumstances and should only happen if the victim wants it to happen. When offenders have to confront the consquences of their crimes and meet their victims, they can come to understand what they have done and the damage they have caused. This has made some less likely to commit further offences: it puts them back onto the right path." | |
| 9.58am: You can read all today's Guardian politics stories here. And all the politics stories filed yesterday, including some in today's paper, are here. | |
| As for the rest of the papers, here are some stories and articles that are particularly interesting. | |
| • James Kirkup and Holly Watt in the Daily Telegraph say Conservative MPs have warned David Cameron that he needs to make major changes to the way he runs his government and party to reconnect with the voters. | |
| Speaking both publicly and privately, MPs have identified four areas where they say Mr Cameron should make changes: | |
| •The Downing Street machine should be overhauled amid widespread concern that Government policies are being poorly explained to voters, especially those in key marginal seats. | |
| • Mr Osborne is under mounting pressure to end his dual role as both Chancellor and head of Conservative political strategy. | |
| • A senior MP should be appointed as full-time Conservative Party chairman, ending the current arrangement where job is shared by two peers. | |
| • This year's ministerial reshuffle should be used to promote more MPs from working-class and northern backgrounds, to counter the perception of a Government dominated by privileged public schoolboys. | |
• Lord Tebbit in the Times (paywall) says Tories begin to think we're being ruled by "government by chums". | |
After another week of hasty, ill-thought-through policy initiatives and the calls to hoard petrol, many Conservatives are questioning this style of government by chums. Those doubts now extend to whether Mr Cameron still has the intellectual quality, grit and determination to lead the country through difficult times. | |
| Mrs Thatcher was dumped by her party after she had steered the country out of danger and it then concluded that her character was too abrasive for easier times. Mr Cameron's task now is to show that, regardless of his pedigree, he also has the qualities needed in our hard times today. | |
| • Iain Martin in the Daily Telegraph says the Conservatives should prepare for life after Cameron. | |
| The Conservatives need to prepare for life after Mr Cameron. He is not going anywhere in a hurry. But he is now easily at least half‑way through his time as Tory leader. By this autumn he will have been in the post seven years, and once he has fought the next election he has no desire to go on and on, believing that staying too long in office did the reputation of his predecessors considerable harm. He will not seek a Blair-style peripatetic existence in retirement – in five years or so, he will probably want to retreat into rural England to enjoy seeing his children grow up. | |
| In the interim, those waiting for him to have an epiphany on Europe, the economy or tax are destined for disappointment. Mr Cameron is highly competitive and pragmatic, pleased to have got the top job but not gripped with a desire to take the country in a particular direction. | |
| • Richard Ford in the Times (paywall) says police chiefs have told the government that its plan to ban so-called "legal highs" won't work. | |
| The substances, which mimic the effects of controlled drugs such as cannabis, cannot be tackled by declaring them illegal, chief constables say in a document seen by The Times. They also say that they will treat leniently anyone found with one of the substances, meaning that the holder could be cautioned instead of having to go to court. | |
| Their intervention is an embarrassment for the Home Office, which is preparing to use new powers to deal with an explosion in the drugs' use. The Home Affairs Select Committee, to which the police submission was sent, is inquiring into drug policy. | |
| • Louise Gray in the Daily Telegraph says Boris Johnson has been accused of "public health fraud" for ordering the use of "dust suppressants" to keep down pollution where official monitoring is carried out and thereby avoid millions of pounds in EU fines. | |
A report by the Mayor's office recommends the use of a sticky salt spray along busy streets to reduce the amount of dust in the air, especially during the Olympic Games. | |
| The biodegradable saline solution is sprayed by trucks usually used for salting the roads in winter. It acts like a glue attracting particles of dirt to stick to the ground rather than make dust. | |
| Already so-called "dust suppressants" are being used in 15 sites around London, including on Upper Thames Street, Marylebone and in Neasden Lane. | |
| However, Simon Birkett, Director of Clean Air London, has pointed out that all of the sites are close official air quality monitoring stations to measure the level of pollution in London. | |
| 9.29am: And here's some more reaction to the government's plans to extend email surveillance. | 9.29am: And here's some more reaction to the government's plans to extend email surveillance. |
| From Lord Carlile, the Lib Dem peer and former independent reviewer of terrorist legislation | From Lord Carlile, the Lib Dem peer and former independent reviewer of terrorist legislation |
| There is nothing new about this. The previous government intended to take similar steps and they were heavily criticised by the coalition parties. But having come into government, the coalition parties have realised this kind of material has potential for saving lives, preventing serious crime and helping people to avoid becoming victims of serious crime ... | There is nothing new about this. The previous government intended to take similar steps and they were heavily criticised by the coalition parties. But having come into government, the coalition parties have realised this kind of material has potential for saving lives, preventing serious crime and helping people to avoid becoming victims of serious crime ... |
| When I was independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, I looked at this issue for the last government and I suggested there should be an independent board which scrutinised all this activity and ensured it was not simply the police or the security services that makes these decisions but they were properly, independently monitored - and that is what I expect parliament to demand. | When I was independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, I looked at this issue for the last government and I suggested there should be an independent board which scrutinised all this activity and ensured it was not simply the police or the security services that makes these decisions but they were properly, independently monitored - and that is what I expect parliament to demand. |
| There is actually very little, if any, evidence known to me to show current powers have been used improperly. I agree we do need to ensure there is proper independent scrutiny, maybe of a much more substantial kind than exists at the moment to ensure these powers, when they are used, they are used proportionately. | There is actually very little, if any, evidence known to me to show current powers have been used improperly. I agree we do need to ensure there is proper independent scrutiny, maybe of a much more substantial kind than exists at the moment to ensure these powers, when they are used, they are used proportionately. |
| From Isabella Sankey, Liberty's director of policy | From Isabella Sankey, Liberty's director of policy |
| Whoever is in government, the grand snooping ambitions of security agencies don't change. Proposals to stockpile our web, phone and texting records were shelved by Labour. Now we see plans to recycle this chilling proposal leaking into the press. | Whoever is in government, the grand snooping ambitions of security agencies don't change. Proposals to stockpile our web, phone and texting records were shelved by Labour. Now we see plans to recycle this chilling proposal leaking into the press. |
| The coalition agreement explicitly promised to 'end unnecessary data retention' and restore our civil liberties. At the very least we need less secret briefing and more public consultation if this promise is to be abandoned. | The coalition agreement explicitly promised to 'end unnecessary data retention' and restore our civil liberties. At the very least we need less secret briefing and more public consultation if this promise is to be abandoned. |
| From Nick Pickles, director of the Big Brother Watch campaign group | From Nick Pickles, director of the Big Brother Watch campaign group |
| No amount of scare-mongering can hide the fact that this policy is being condemned by MPs in all political parties. The government has offered no justification for what is unprecedented intrusion into our lives, nor explained why promises made about civil liberties are being casually junked. | No amount of scare-mongering can hide the fact that this policy is being condemned by MPs in all political parties. The government has offered no justification for what is unprecedented intrusion into our lives, nor explained why promises made about civil liberties are being casually junked. |
| The silence from Home Office ministers has been deafening. It is remarkable that they wish to pry into everything we do online but seem intent on avoiding any public discussion. | The silence from Home Office ministers has been deafening. It is remarkable that they wish to pry into everything we do online but seem intent on avoiding any public discussion. |
| 9.18am: David Davis (pictured), the Conservative backbencher, sounded like an Irish Republican when he appeared on the Today programme this morning criticising the government's plans to allow the police and security services to extend their monitoring of email and social media. He talked about the "securocrats". In the past, I think I've only ever heard the word being used by Sinn Fein. | 9.18am: David Davis (pictured), the Conservative backbencher, sounded like an Irish Republican when he appeared on the Today programme this morning criticising the government's plans to allow the police and security services to extend their monitoring of email and social media. He talked about the "securocrats". In the past, I think I've only ever heard the word being used by Sinn Fein. |
| This needs to be done because it can be done - that's been the attitude of many 'securocrats' over the ages ... The simple truth is this is not necessary. If we have a warrantary arrangement, whereby any agency that wants to intercept needs to get content or addresses, then that is the way to do it - simply go through the law ... What is proposed is completely unfettered access to every single communication you make. This argument it doesn't cover content - it doesn't cover content for telephone calls, but your web address is content. If you access a web (site), that is content. I'm afraid it is a very, very big widening of powers, which I'm afraid will be very much resented by many, many citizens who do not like the idea. | This needs to be done because it can be done - that's been the attitude of many 'securocrats' over the ages ... The simple truth is this is not necessary. If we have a warrantary arrangement, whereby any agency that wants to intercept needs to get content or addresses, then that is the way to do it - simply go through the law ... What is proposed is completely unfettered access to every single communication you make. This argument it doesn't cover content - it doesn't cover content for telephone calls, but your web address is content. If you access a web (site), that is content. I'm afraid it is a very, very big widening of powers, which I'm afraid will be very much resented by many, many citizens who do not like the idea. |
| 9.00am: For my money, there was only one really important political fact that emerged at the weekend. It was near the bottom of the press notice that ComRes sent out about their poll for the Independent on Sunday and the Sunday Mirror and it was about economic trust. Labour have been well ahead of the Tories in most polls for some time. But, on the key indicator relating to which party is trusted most on the economy, the Tories have been comfortably ahead ever since the election. | 9.00am: For my money, there was only one really important political fact that emerged at the weekend. It was near the bottom of the press notice that ComRes sent out about their poll for the Independent on Sunday and the Sunday Mirror and it was about economic trust. Labour have been well ahead of the Tories in most polls for some time. But, on the key indicator relating to which party is trusted most on the economy, the Tories have been comfortably ahead ever since the election. |
| Not any more. ComRes asked people if they trusted David Cameron and George Osborne to make the right decisions about the economy, and if they trusted Ed Miliband and Ed Balls to make the right decisions about the economy. The results suggest the budget has been a political disaster. | Not any more. ComRes asked people if they trusted David Cameron and George Osborne to make the right decisions about the economy, and if they trusted Ed Miliband and Ed Balls to make the right decisions about the economy. The results suggest the budget has been a political disaster. |
| Here are the figures. | Here are the figures. |
| Tories | Tories |
| Trust: 25% (down 4 since mid-March) Don't trust: 60% (up 11) | Trust: 25% (down 4 since mid-March) Don't trust: 60% (up 11) |
| Rating: -35 (down 15) | Rating: -35 (down 15) |
| Labour: | Labour: |
| Trust: 21% (up 6) Don't trust: 60% (up 1) | Trust: 21% (up 6) Don't trust: 60% (up 1) |
| Rating: -39 (up 5) | Rating: -39 (up 5) |
| And here's the key figure. In mid-March the gap between the two parties was 25 points. Now it's just four points. | And here's the key figure. In mid-March the gap between the two parties was 25 points. Now it's just four points. |
| Ed Miliband is launching Labour's local election campaign this morning. Bradford West was dreadful for Labour, but there's only one George Galloway and overall, as the ComRes figures show, Miliband has grounds to be feeling optimistic. I'll be covering the launch in as much detail as I can. | |
| Otherwise, parliament is not sitting and there's not much in the diary, as you can see. | Otherwise, parliament is not sitting and there's not much in the diary, as you can see. |
| 10am: Neil Wallis, the former News of the World executive, is giving evidence to the Leveson inquiry for the second time. Other witnesses include Stewart Gull, the detective who led the hunt for the "Suffolk Strangler" who murdered five women working as prostitutes in Ipswich in 2006. | 10am: Neil Wallis, the former News of the World executive, is giving evidence to the Leveson inquiry for the second time. Other witnesses include Stewart Gull, the detective who led the hunt for the "Suffolk Strangler" who murdered five women working as prostitutes in Ipswich in 2006. |
| 10.15am: Ed Miliband launches Labour's local election campaign at an event in Birmingham. | 10.15am: Ed Miliband launches Labour's local election campaign at an event in Birmingham. |
| The Association of Teachers and Lecturers is holding its conference in Manchester. And events are being held to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the start of the Falklands War. | The Association of Teachers and Lecturers is holding its conference in Manchester. And events are being held to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the start of the Falklands War. |
| As usual, I'll be covering all the breaking political news, as well as looking at the papers and bringing you the best politics from the web. I'll post a lunchtime summary at around 1pm and another in the afternoon. | As usual, I'll be covering all the breaking political news, as well as looking at the papers and bringing you the best politics from the web. I'll post a lunchtime summary at around 1pm and another in the afternoon. |
| If you want to follow me on Twitter, I'm on @AndrewSparrow. | If you want to follow me on Twitter, I'm on @AndrewSparrow. |
| And if you're a hardcore fan, you can follow @gdnpoliticslive. It's an automated feed that tweets the start of every new post that I put on the blog. | And if you're a hardcore fan, you can follow @gdnpoliticslive. It's an automated feed that tweets the start of every new post that I put on the blog. |