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| PMQs and Cameron statement on G8 and Nato summits: Politics live blog | PMQs and Cameron statement on G8 and Nato summits: Politics live blog |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| 11.52am: PMQs is coming up soon. And there's a good chance that we'll hear about David Cameron's Fruit Ninja habit at some point in the next 30 minutes. For those of you who missed it, Fraser Nelson brought this to the attention of the nation in his Telegraph column last week. He later wrote this about it at Coffee House. | |
| In my Telegraph column yesterday, I quoted a senior adviser to the Prime Minister saying that he 'spends a crazy, scary amount of time playing Fruit Ninja' on his iPad. It seems No.10 has been denying it — telling The Times (£) that 'the real culprit' is 'his six-year-old son'. Now, all fathers will immediately recognise this transparent defence ... but it doesn't wash. | |
| 11.41am: The retail sales figures for April were very poor. My colleague Zoe Wood has all the details here. | |
| Here's a comment from Cathy Jamieson, a shadow Treasury minister. | |
These are very disappointing figures which show just how much last year's VAT rise has backfired. Retail sales are not only down in the last month, but down compared to a year ago. And even stripping out petrol sales, which were pushed up at the end of March when the government needlessly created panic at the pumps, retail sales are still down. | |
| 11.35am: Maria Miller, the disabilities minister, has announced a wage incentive scheme to encourage employers to take on young disabled people. They will receive up to £2,275 if they recruit young disabled people throught the work choice programme. | |
| 11.17am: Prospect has got an interesting interview with the Labour MP Tom Watson (pictured), and Prospect's James Macintyre has written up the highlights in a lengthy post on his blog. Watson says the hacking scandal is far from over and that revelations about computer hacking which may come out in future may turn out to be far more serious than the allegations that have been made about phone hacking. | |
| We are not through this scandal yet. Computer hacking is next and it may dwarf what we have seen so far ... I have seen evidence that strongly suggests computer hacking was more widespread across a number of industries. By this I mean the use of "Trojan" devices used to illicitly disclose the content on hard drives. The police inquiry has quite a long way to go before the full scandal is revealed. | |
| There's quite a lot more in the interview. I particularly liked Watson's description of News International titles "the ultimate floating voters—with menace". And I was intrigued to see Watson admit that he likes the Daily Mail. | |
See, I like the Mail. I would disagree with half the things it stands for but it's a well-written paper and you know where you stand with it. They kind of pretty much treat all MPs with an equal amount of contempt. | |
| 11.09am: There's a meeting of the joint ministerial committee, the body bringing together ministers from the UK government and the devolved governments, in Westminster today. Carwyn Jones (pictured), the Welsh first minister, is attending and, before he arrived, he issued a statement saying he would be complaining that Wales will be hit disproportionately by the coalition's welfare cuts. | |
We have consistently made the Welsh government's position clear – we feel Wales will be hit disproportionately compared to the rest of the UK by the welfare reforms currently on the table. | We have consistently made the Welsh government's position clear – we feel Wales will be hit disproportionately compared to the rest of the UK by the welfare reforms currently on the table. |
| The principle of welfare reform is fine as long as it provides genuine support to individuals to help them find and keep work. But the current proposals will really hit parts of Wales and the JMC is an opportunity for us to raise our real concerns. | The principle of welfare reform is fine as long as it provides genuine support to individuals to help them find and keep work. But the current proposals will really hit parts of Wales and the JMC is an opportunity for us to raise our real concerns. |
| 10.59am: 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. | 10.59am: 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, I've already covered Nick Clegg's interview in the Financial Times and Adrian Beecroft's interview in the Daily Telegraph. Here are two other articles that are interesting. • Jill Sherman in the Times (paywall) says that Danny Alexander, the chief secretary to the Treasury, is announcing a clampdown on civil servants being paid through private companies. | As for the rest of the papers, I've already covered Nick Clegg's interview in the Financial Times and Adrian Beecroft's interview in the Daily Telegraph. Here are two other articles that are interesting. • Jill Sherman in the Times (paywall) says that Danny Alexander, the chief secretary to the Treasury, is announcing a clampdown on civil servants being paid through private companies. |
Up to 3,000 civil servants are employed via private firms to keep their tax bills down, with some on contracts for ten years, Danny Alexander will disclose today. | Up to 3,000 civil servants are employed via private firms to keep their tax bills down, with some on contracts for ten years, Danny Alexander will disclose today. |
| The Chief Secretary to the Treasury will announce a series of measures to clamp down on tax avoidance in Whitehall which could be costing the country millions of pounds. | The Chief Secretary to the Treasury will announce a series of measures to clamp down on tax avoidance in Whitehall which could be costing the country millions of pounds. |
| Under these contracts thousands of officials avoid paying national insurance contributions and can minimise tax overall by staying off the Whitehall payroll. In future anyone who has been employed on a civil service contract for more than six months will have to prove they are paying full income tax and national insurance. | Under these contracts thousands of officials avoid paying national insurance contributions and can minimise tax overall by staying off the Whitehall payroll. In future anyone who has been employed on a civil service contract for more than six months will have to prove they are paying full income tax and national insurance. |
• Matthew Taylor in the Financial Times (subscription) says it is hard to see what the Lib Dem pitch to the voters will be in 2015. | • Matthew Taylor in the Financial Times (subscription) says it is hard to see what the Lib Dem pitch to the voters will be in 2015. |
For the Lib Dems, not just the route but the destination for 2015 is unclear. Two of Nick Clegg's biggest assets from last time – his image as an outsider and honest broker – have gone up in smoke. It is very difficult to see how the Lib Dems can credibly maintain a position of "wait and see" in relation to their response to another hung parliament. | For the Lib Dems, not just the route but the destination for 2015 is unclear. Two of Nick Clegg's biggest assets from last time – his image as an outsider and honest broker – have gone up in smoke. It is very difficult to see how the Lib Dems can credibly maintain a position of "wait and see" in relation to their response to another hung parliament. |
| 10.27am: The Daily Telegraph's full interview with Adrian Beecroft (pictured) is also worth reading. The paper has splashed on his comments about Vince Cable being a "socialist", but he's also quite critical of David Cameron and George Osborne. | 10.27am: The Daily Telegraph's full interview with Adrian Beecroft (pictured) is also worth reading. The paper has splashed on his comments about Vince Cable being a "socialist", but he's also quite critical of David Cameron and George Osborne. |
| I'm constantly struck by how un-robust the prime minister and the chancellor are when it comes to pushing back. Nick Clegg [is] always threatening to go nuclear and dissolve the whole thing if he doesn't get his way with this, that and the other. Which you'd think actually must be a hollow threat. Therefore, why can't the government be more robust? I don't know what the answer is. But it is disappointing. | I'm constantly struck by how un-robust the prime minister and the chancellor are when it comes to pushing back. Nick Clegg [is] always threatening to go nuclear and dissolve the whole thing if he doesn't get his way with this, that and the other. Which you'd think actually must be a hollow threat. Therefore, why can't the government be more robust? I don't know what the answer is. But it is disappointing. |
| Incidentally, Beecroft's comment about Cable being a socialist has been deemed as a gross insult - to socialists. Here's the author and commentator Owen Jones on Twitter. | Incidentally, Beecroft's comment about Cable being a socialist has been deemed as a gross insult - to socialists. Here's the author and commentator Owen Jones on Twitter. |
| Tory class warrior Adrian Beecroft calls Vince Cable a 'socialist'. An outrageous smear on the good name of socialism | Tory class warrior Adrian Beecroft calls Vince Cable a 'socialist'. An outrageous smear on the good name of socialism |
| — Owen Jones (@OwenJones84) May 23, 2012 | — Owen Jones (@OwenJones84) May 23, 2012 |
| 10.14am: And while we're on the subject of the Lib Dems being "not in a great place", here are the YouGov GB polling figures from last night. | 10.14am: And while we're on the subject of the Lib Dems being "not in a great place", here are the YouGov GB polling figures from last night. |
| Labour: 43% (down 1 point from Monday night) Conservatives: 32% (no change) Ukip: 9% (up 1) Lib Dems: 8% (up 1) | Labour: 43% (down 1 point from Monday night) Conservatives: 32% (no change) Ukip: 9% (up 1) Lib Dems: 8% (up 1) |
| Labour lead: 11 points | Labour lead: 11 points |
| Government approval: -35 | Government approval: -35 |
| 9.42am: I've mentioned the Nick Clegg interview in the FT already (see 9.00am), but it's worth looking at in detail because it seems to signal a significant shift in government economic thinking. Here's the main story (subscription) and here's the write-up inside (subscritiption). If Clegg's proposal isn't quite Plan B, it's certainly Plan A version 2. Here are the key points. | 9.42am: I've mentioned the Nick Clegg interview in the FT already (see 9.00am), but it's worth looking at in detail because it seems to signal a significant shift in government economic thinking. Here's the main story (subscription) and here's the write-up inside (subscritiption). If Clegg's proposal isn't quite Plan B, it's certainly Plan A version 2. Here are the key points. |
| • Clegg says there will be a "massive" increase in state-backed investment in housing and infrastructure. The coalition is "massively amplifying the principle of what we did on credit easing", he says. David Cameron referred to this briefly in his economy speech last week, but Clegg describes this much more explicitly as a fresh government commitment. | • Clegg says there will be a "massive" increase in state-backed investment in housing and infrastructure. The coalition is "massively amplifying the principle of what we did on credit easing", he says. David Cameron referred to this briefly in his economy speech last week, but Clegg describes this much more explicitly as a fresh government commitment. |
| From the top of government, a few weeks ago we decided this was the route we're going to take. That's the instruction we've issued to the Treasury. | From the top of government, a few weeks ago we decided this was the route we're going to take. That's the instruction we've issued to the Treasury. |
| Clegg is talking about the government using its balance sheet to inject credit into the economy by issuing lending guarantees. As I understand it, this does not increase public sector net borrowing directly. But it does create a contingent liability, and could leave ministers vulnerable to the charge of "off-the-books" borrowing. | Clegg is talking about the government using its balance sheet to inject credit into the economy by issuing lending guarantees. As I understand it, this does not increase public sector net borrowing directly. But it does create a contingent liability, and could leave ministers vulnerable to the charge of "off-the-books" borrowing. |
| • He suggests that some Treasury officials are opposed to the plan. "I think there are people about who will be nervous – even neurotic – about any kind of innovation in this area for fear that it somehow would be criticised by people in the markets," he says. • He denies that this amounts to a Plan B. | • He suggests that some Treasury officials are opposed to the plan. "I think there are people about who will be nervous – even neurotic – about any kind of innovation in this area for fear that it somehow would be criticised by people in the markets," he says. • He denies that this amounts to a Plan B. |
| • But he accepts that the government needs to cut its austerity rhetoric. At the beginning the coalition had to set out the challenge facing the UK "in very lurid terms", he says. But "that kind of language over a prolonged period of time can have a dampening effect on mood, which is very important in an economy." • He welcomes the election of François Hollande as French president. "I personally massively welcome the arrival of Hollande on to the scene," he says. | • But he accepts that the government needs to cut its austerity rhetoric. At the beginning the coalition had to set out the challenge facing the UK "in very lurid terms", he says. But "that kind of language over a prolonged period of time can have a dampening effect on mood, which is very important in an economy." • He welcomes the election of François Hollande as French president. "I personally massively welcome the arrival of Hollande on to the scene," he says. |
| • He says the Lib Dems are "not in a great place". But he says that eventually voters may be "much more receptive to that mix of credibility on the economy and social fairness that I think is unique to us". | • He says the Lib Dems are "not in a great place". But he says that eventually voters may be "much more receptive to that mix of credibility on the economy and social fairness that I think is unique to us". |
| 9.13am: Is Ed Balls (pictured) ever off the TV? He seems a constant presence on the screens in my office, and he was on ITV's Daybreak this morning, with some robust arguments to make. Here are the main points. | 9.13am: Is Ed Balls (pictured) ever off the TV? He seems a constant presence on the screens in my office, and he was on ITV's Daybreak this morning, with some robust arguments to make. Here are the main points. |
| • Balls said that Labour would support the government if it opposed the European court of human rights on prisoner voting. In fact, Balls sounded even more gung-ho on this than some Tory ministers. | • Balls said that Labour would support the government if it opposed the European court of human rights on prisoner voting. In fact, Balls sounded even more gung-ho on this than some Tory ministers. |
| This is one of those times in politics where there is cross-party consensus. The court first said this in 2004, that prisoners should be able to vote, and Labour then said we disagree and we did not implement it. I am all in favour of prisoners having the right kind of support and being rehabilitated but voting is one of the things I think you give up if you go to prison. So we all agree that this is the wrong thing ... If David Cameron's going to go out and fight this one we'll be supporting him on that. | This is one of those times in politics where there is cross-party consensus. The court first said this in 2004, that prisoners should be able to vote, and Labour then said we disagree and we did not implement it. I am all in favour of prisoners having the right kind of support and being rehabilitated but voting is one of the things I think you give up if you go to prison. So we all agree that this is the wrong thing ... If David Cameron's going to go out and fight this one we'll be supporting him on that. |
| Yesterday Sadiq Khan's, the shadow justice secretary, also said Labour was opposed to prisoners having the right to vote, but Balls's language is more confrontational. | Yesterday Sadiq Khan's, the shadow justice secretary, also said Labour was opposed to prisoners having the right to vote, but Balls's language is more confrontational. |
| • He rejected suggestions that the IMF managing director Christine Lagarde was criticising Labour yesterday when she talked about Britain's economic position in 2010. Lagarde said: "When I think back to May 2010, when the UK deficit was at 11%, and I try to imagine what the situation would be like today if no such fiscal consolidation programme had been decided, I shiver." Asked about this, Balls said Labour did have a plan to get the deficit down. | • He rejected suggestions that the IMF managing director Christine Lagarde was criticising Labour yesterday when she talked about Britain's economic position in 2010. Lagarde said: "When I think back to May 2010, when the UK deficit was at 11%, and I try to imagine what the situation would be like today if no such fiscal consolidation programme had been decided, I shiver." Asked about this, Balls said Labour did have a plan to get the deficit down. |
| If there was no plan to get the deficit down, I would be shivering too, of course. But there was a plan back then, our economy was recovering and George Osborne in this Parliament is going to have a bigger deficit than the plans Labour had. | If there was no plan to get the deficit down, I would be shivering too, of course. But there was a plan back then, our economy was recovering and George Osborne in this Parliament is going to have a bigger deficit than the plans Labour had. |
| • He said he disagreed with the IMF's call for interest rates to be cut further. | • He said he disagreed with the IMF's call for interest rates to be cut further. |
| There are lots of people in their 50s or 60s saving for their retirement worried about interest rates being low. Actually, it's been important to have them low, but making them even lower, I'm not sure that will make the difference. | There are lots of people in their 50s or 60s saving for their retirement worried about interest rates being low. Actually, it's been important to have them low, but making them even lower, I'm not sure that will make the difference. |
| I've taken some of the quotes from PoliticsHome. | I've taken some of the quotes from PoliticsHome. |
| 9.00am: We'll be hearing a lot from David Cameron today. He's got PMQs, and then he's giving a statement in the Commons about the recent G8 and Nato summits in the US. The G8 summit seems to have been one of the least productive in recent years, but, with the eurozone on the brink of collapse, MPs will have plenty to ask Cameron about. And there are at least three stories in the news today that are likely to come up in some form. | 9.00am: We'll be hearing a lot from David Cameron today. He's got PMQs, and then he's giving a statement in the Commons about the recent G8 and Nato summits in the US. The G8 summit seems to have been one of the least productive in recent years, but, with the eurozone on the brink of collapse, MPs will have plenty to ask Cameron about. And there are at least three stories in the news today that are likely to come up in some form. |
| • Nick Clegg has told the Financial Times (subscription) that the government is planning a "massive" increase in state-backed investment in housing and infrastructure. It sounds suspiciously like Plan B. Here's an extract. | • Nick Clegg has told the Financial Times (subscription) that the government is planning a "massive" increase in state-backed investment in housing and infrastructure. It sounds suspiciously like Plan B. Here's an extract. |
| In an interview with the Financial Times, the deputy prime minister sounded a new tone on economic policy, when he said the government's "absolute priority" was to use the government's strong balance sheet to inject credit into the economy. | In an interview with the Financial Times, the deputy prime minister sounded a new tone on economic policy, when he said the government's "absolute priority" was to use the government's strong balance sheet to inject credit into the economy. |
| Mr Clegg said the coalition was looking at "massively amplifying the principle of what we did on credit easing" – a reference to the Treasury's £20bn scheme to support lending to small businesses. | Mr Clegg said the coalition was looking at "massively amplifying the principle of what we did on credit easing" – a reference to the Treasury's £20bn scheme to support lending to small businesses. |
| • Adrian Beecroft, the Tory business adviser, has told the Daily Telegraph that Vince Cable is a "socialist" who should not be running the Deparment for Business. | • Adrian Beecroft, the Tory business adviser, has told the Daily Telegraph that Vince Cable is a "socialist" who should not be running the Deparment for Business. |
| [Beecroft] claims the Business Secretary's objections to the proposals are "ideological not economic". "I think he is a socialist who found a home in the Lib Dems, so he's one of the Left," Mr Beecroft says. "I think people find it very odd that he's in charge of business and yet appears to do very little to support business." | [Beecroft] claims the Business Secretary's objections to the proposals are "ideological not economic". "I think he is a socialist who found a home in the Lib Dems, so he's one of the Left," Mr Beecroft says. "I think people find it very odd that he's in charge of business and yet appears to do very little to support business." |
• The BBC has revealed that ministers have taken legal advice on how Britain could, or could not, intervene in a war between Israel and Iran. This is from Nick Robinson. | • The BBC has revealed that ministers have taken legal advice on how Britain could, or could not, intervene in a war between Israel and Iran. This is from Nick Robinson. |
| I have learnt that UK ministers are discussing not just the possibility of a military confrontation but what role, if any, Britain might play and whether any involvement would be legal. | I have learnt that UK ministers are discussing not just the possibility of a military confrontation but what role, if any, Britain might play and whether any involvement would be legal. |
| Last week in London, the National Security Council discussed what would happen if the latest set of negotiations with Iran failed and if Israel carried out its threat to launch a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. | Last week in London, the National Security Council discussed what would happen if the latest set of negotiations with Iran failed and if Israel carried out its threat to launch a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. |
| Ministers were told that this could trigger a wider war in the Middle East in which Iran might respond not just by attacking Israel, but also by closing the vital trade route - the Strait of Hormuz - through which more than a fifth of the world's oil shipments are carried. | Ministers were told that this could trigger a wider war in the Middle East in which Iran might respond not just by attacking Israel, but also by closing the vital trade route - the Strait of Hormuz - through which more than a fifth of the world's oil shipments are carried. |
| I understand that the government's law officers are now examining the legality of any British involvement if this happen. | I understand that the government's law officers are now examining the legality of any British involvement if this happen. |
| I expect we'll hear more on all three of these stories later today. | I expect we'll hear more on all three of these stories later today. |
| Here's the full agenda. | Here's the full agenda. |
| 11am: BBC presenters Andrew Marr and Jeremy Paxman, the Tory MP Stephen Dorrell and the Labour peer John Reid give evidence to the Leveson inquiry. | 11am: BBC presenters Andrew Marr and Jeremy Paxman, the Tory MP Stephen Dorrell and the Labour peer John Reid give evidence to the Leveson inquiry. |
| 12pm: David Cameron and Ed Miliband clash at PMQs. 12.30pm: Cameron makes to Commons statement on the G8 and Nato summits. | 12pm: David Cameron and Ed Miliband clash at PMQs. 12.30pm: Cameron makes to Commons statement on the G8 and Nato summits. |
| 2.05pm: The Commons transport committee takes evidence on transport and the Olympics. | 2.05pm: The Commons transport committee takes evidence on transport and the Olympics. |
| 2.30pm: Kenneth Clarke, the justice secretary, gives evidence to the Commons justice committee on the Ministry of Justice. | 2.30pm: Kenneth Clarke, the justice secretary, gives evidence to the Commons justice committee on the Ministry of Justice. |
| 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. |