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| Civil service reform plans unveiled: Politics live blog | Civil service reform plans unveiled: Politics live blog |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| 10.39am: Do you know what Serbia's new president looks like? | |
| No, nor did I, so I have some sympathy for Lady Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief, who has been caught on camera asking aides to help her identify Tomislav Nikolic. | |
| 10.26am: If you read the Guardian's exclusive story today about almost seven million people living in extreme financial stress, do check out Patrick Butler's Breadline Britain live blog. He's hosting a live Q&A about the report later and he's inviting readers to post comments about their own experience of living on the breadline. | |
| 9.58am: And while we're on the subject of polls, Ipsos MORI have got an interesting one from Scotland. Here's an extract from their news release. | 9.58am: And while we're on the subject of polls, Ipsos MORI have got an interesting one from Scotland. Here's an extract from their news release. |
| Three weeks after the 'Yes' campaign was launched, support for Scottish independence has fallen in our latest poll for The Times and The Sun. | Three weeks after the 'Yes' campaign was launched, support for Scottish independence has fallen in our latest poll for The Times and The Sun. |
| Among those certain to vote in the referendum, 35% agree that 'Scotland should be an independent country' while 55% disagree and 11% are undecided. This represents a fall of 4 points in support for independence compared to our previous poll in January 2012, while support for staying in the union has risen by 5 points over the same period. | Among those certain to vote in the referendum, 35% agree that 'Scotland should be an independent country' while 55% disagree and 11% are undecided. This represents a fall of 4 points in support for independence compared to our previous poll in January 2012, while support for staying in the union has risen by 5 points over the same period. |
| This means the anti-independence lobby is now 20 points ahead - up from an 11 point lead in January. | This means the anti-independence lobby is now 20 points ahead - up from an 11 point lead in January. |
| 9.46am: Here's the top of the Press Association story about the inflation figures. | 9.46am: Here's the top of the Press Association story about the inflation figures. |
| The rate of inflation unexpectedly fell to a two-and-a-half-year low last month as declining oil prices started to filter through to the petrol pumps. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rate of inflation dropped to 2.8% in May, from 3% in April, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, the lowest level since November 2009. City analysts expected the rate to remain unchanged. The decline was driven by a sharp drop in petrol pump prices, as the average petrol price fell by 4.5p per litre between April and May to stand at 137.1p. Last year, the average petrol price rose 2p to 136.3p. Inflation has fallen from 5.2% last September due to the waning impact of the VAT hike at the start of 2011 and falling energy, food and commodity prices, easing pressure on squeezed household incomes. Despite today's fall, inflation has still not pulled back as quickly as the Bank of England initially expected, after fears over increasing tensions between the West and Iran pushed oil prices higher in March. But the cost of crude oil has fallen since then and May's inflation figures show that this is starting to benefit consumers. Average diesel prices also decreased, dropping 4.4p to 143.3p between April and May, compared with a 0.7p rise last year to 141.5p. The fall in inflation in May is likely to bolster the case for the Bank to pump more emergency cash into the economy through its quantitative easing programme, as the eurozone crisis escalates and threatens to destabilise the UK economy. Britain's economy entered a technical recession in the first quarter of the year as gross domestic product declined 0.2%, following a 0.3% drop in the final quarter of 2011. Last month, inflation moved to within 1% of the Government's 2% target, meaning Bank Governor Sir Mervyn King did not have to send a letter of explanation to the Chancellor. A Treasury spokesman said: "Inflation is out of Open Letter territory for the second month in a row, which is good news and is providing some welcome relief for family budgets." | The rate of inflation unexpectedly fell to a two-and-a-half-year low last month as declining oil prices started to filter through to the petrol pumps. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rate of inflation dropped to 2.8% in May, from 3% in April, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, the lowest level since November 2009. City analysts expected the rate to remain unchanged. The decline was driven by a sharp drop in petrol pump prices, as the average petrol price fell by 4.5p per litre between April and May to stand at 137.1p. Last year, the average petrol price rose 2p to 136.3p. Inflation has fallen from 5.2% last September due to the waning impact of the VAT hike at the start of 2011 and falling energy, food and commodity prices, easing pressure on squeezed household incomes. Despite today's fall, inflation has still not pulled back as quickly as the Bank of England initially expected, after fears over increasing tensions between the West and Iran pushed oil prices higher in March. But the cost of crude oil has fallen since then and May's inflation figures show that this is starting to benefit consumers. Average diesel prices also decreased, dropping 4.4p to 143.3p between April and May, compared with a 0.7p rise last year to 141.5p. The fall in inflation in May is likely to bolster the case for the Bank to pump more emergency cash into the economy through its quantitative easing programme, as the eurozone crisis escalates and threatens to destabilise the UK economy. Britain's economy entered a technical recession in the first quarter of the year as gross domestic product declined 0.2%, following a 0.3% drop in the final quarter of 2011. Last month, inflation moved to within 1% of the Government's 2% target, meaning Bank Governor Sir Mervyn King did not have to send a letter of explanation to the Chancellor. A Treasury spokesman said: "Inflation is out of Open Letter territory for the second month in a row, which is good news and is providing some welcome relief for family budgets." |
Here's the Office for National Statistics release with the headline figures. And here's the ONS statistical bulletin, with the full details (pdf). | Here's the Office for National Statistics release with the headline figures. And here's the ONS statistical bulletin, with the full details (pdf). |
| 9.29am: There are two polls around this morning. Here are the figures. | 9.29am: There are two polls around this morning. Here are the figures. |
| YouGov for the Sun Labour: 44% (no change from YouGov in the Sunday Times) Conservatives: 33% (up 1) Ukip: 8% (no change) Lib Dems: 7% (down 2) | YouGov for the Sun Labour: 44% (no change from YouGov in the Sunday Times) Conservatives: 33% (up 1) Ukip: 8% (no change) Lib Dems: 7% (down 2) |
| Labour lead: 11 points | Labour lead: 11 points |
| Government approval: -39 (no change) | Government approval: -39 (no change) |
| Populus in the Times (paywall) | Populus in the Times (paywall) |
| Labour: 41% (no change since Populus for the Times in May) Conservatives: 33% (no change) Lib Dems: 9% (down 1) | Labour: 41% (no change since Populus for the Times in May) Conservatives: 33% (no change) Lib Dems: 9% (down 1) |
| Labour lead: 8 points | Labour lead: 8 points |
| 9.07am: The BBC's Mark Easton says the governnment's response to the Dilnot report on social care has now been delayed until at least July. On his blog, he explains why the Treasury is so reluctant to accept the Dilnot plan. | 9.07am: The BBC's Mark Easton says the governnment's response to the Dilnot report on social care has now been delayed until at least July. On his blog, he explains why the Treasury is so reluctant to accept the Dilnot plan. |
| Whispers from Whitehall tell a story of agonising inside the Treasury - not only the question "Can we afford it?", but also asking "Is Dilnot's solution the right one?" | Whispers from Whitehall tell a story of agonising inside the Treasury - not only the question "Can we afford it?", but also asking "Is Dilnot's solution the right one?" |
| The commission's plan is for a cap on how much individuals must fork out before the state starts paying the bills. Recommending it be set at £35,000, the cost to the Treasury is put at around £1.7bn a year. Two NHS staff walk with an elderly patient | The commission's plan is for a cap on how much individuals must fork out before the state starts paying the bills. Recommending it be set at £35,000, the cost to the Treasury is put at around £1.7bn a year. Two NHS staff walk with an elderly patient |
| But with a second round of deep public sector cuts in the offing, the question being asked is whether the government can really agree to spend close to another couple of billion on subsidising residential care costs for people who may be relatively affluent in terms of property ... | But with a second round of deep public sector cuts in the offing, the question being asked is whether the government can really agree to spend close to another couple of billion on subsidising residential care costs for people who may be relatively affluent in terms of property ... |
| Treasury officials have been looking at whether the money could be found from cuts to other services currently provided to the same group. Should winter fuel allowance and free TV licences be means tested? What about the state pension? For the moment, it seems the politics and economics of such moves cannot be made to add up. | Treasury officials have been looking at whether the money could be found from cuts to other services currently provided to the same group. Should winter fuel allowance and free TV licences be means tested? What about the state pension? For the moment, it seems the politics and economics of such moves cannot be made to add up. |
| Easton's blog also includes the "Barnet graph of doom" - a graph doing the rounds in Whitehall, apparently, showing that "unless things change dramatically, within 20 years Barnet Council will be 'unable to provide any services except adult social care and children's services: no libraries, no parks, no leisure centres - not even bin collections'." Andy Burnham (pictured), the shadow health secretary, was talking about this on the Today programme this morning. There are cross-party talks on social care underway and Burnham offered to suspend "politics as usual" to enable these talks to succeed. | Easton's blog also includes the "Barnet graph of doom" - a graph doing the rounds in Whitehall, apparently, showing that "unless things change dramatically, within 20 years Barnet Council will be 'unable to provide any services except adult social care and children's services: no libraries, no parks, no leisure centres - not even bin collections'." Andy Burnham (pictured), the shadow health secretary, was talking about this on the Today programme this morning. There are cross-party talks on social care underway and Burnham offered to suspend "politics as usual" to enable these talks to succeed. |
| It's for the government to set forward the options as they see it, but without political courage there is no progress, and the offer I would make today to the Government is almost to suspend politics as usual – to give them the space to bring forward some difficult options without the usual point scoring. | It's for the government to set forward the options as they see it, but without political courage there is no progress, and the offer I would make today to the Government is almost to suspend politics as usual – to give them the space to bring forward some difficult options without the usual point scoring. |
| But Burnham could not resist a tiny bit of point scoring himself. He said he would not comment in detail on how the cross-party talks were going. However, he also made it quite clear that he thought Andrew Lansley, the health secretary, was not handling them very well. | But Burnham could not resist a tiny bit of point scoring himself. He said he would not comment in detail on how the cross-party talks were going. However, he also made it quite clear that he thought Andrew Lansley, the health secretary, was not handling them very well. |
| I have some concerns about the way the government has approached the talks, but I don't want to go into those details today, because I want those talks to succeed. We have met, and there's been exchange of information between the parties. It is going on – it's not happening anything like as urgently or as quickly as I would like to see. | I have some concerns about the way the government has approached the talks, but I don't want to go into those details today, because I want those talks to succeed. We have met, and there's been exchange of information between the parties. It is going on – it's not happening anything like as urgently or as quickly as I would like to see. |
| I've taken the quotes from PoliticsHome. | I've taken the quotes from PoliticsHome. |
| 9.00am: David Cameron is still at the G20 summit in Mexico and it sounds as if he's in a gloomy mood. As Patrick Wintour reports, yesterday Cameron was floating the idea of Britain having to seek fresh export markets outside the EU because he thinks the eurozone crisis is so intractable. | 9.00am: David Cameron is still at the G20 summit in Mexico and it sounds as if he's in a gloomy mood. As Patrick Wintour reports, yesterday Cameron was floating the idea of Britain having to seek fresh export markets outside the EU because he thinks the eurozone crisis is so intractable. |
It may be that the eurozone crisis is going to continue for some time, in which case the UK must do all it can to put its own house in order and link up with the fastest growing parts of the world. | It may be that the eurozone crisis is going to continue for some time, in which case the UK must do all it can to put its own house in order and link up with the fastest growing parts of the world. |
| What does that mean? The UK joining Asean? Nice idea, but I doubt they'll have us. | What does that mean? The UK joining Asean? Nice idea, but I doubt they'll have us. |
| Back in the UK, it's fairly quiet. The main event seems to be Francis Maude's civil service reform announcement. As Juliette Jowit and Nicholas Watt report, it will feature two key proposals. | Back in the UK, it's fairly quiet. The main event seems to be Francis Maude's civil service reform announcement. As Juliette Jowit and Nicholas Watt report, it will feature two key proposals. |
| • All permanent secretaries in what are known as the main delivery departments, such as health and education, will be required to have had more than two years in a commercial or operational role. Maude, whose plans are based on a consultation process with staff across the country, is keen to provide opportunities to the 70% of civil servants outside Whitehall who do not fit into the Yes Minister policymaking mould. | • All permanent secretaries in what are known as the main delivery departments, such as health and education, will be required to have had more than two years in a commercial or operational role. Maude, whose plans are based on a consultation process with staff across the country, is keen to provide opportunities to the 70% of civil servants outside Whitehall who do not fit into the Yes Minister policymaking mould. |
| • A more rigorous appraisal system, which will identify the top 25% and the bottom 10%. The high performers will be recognised while the poor performers will be "tackled". | • A more rigorous appraisal system, which will identify the top 25% and the bottom 10%. The high performers will be recognised while the poor performers will be "tackled". |
| I'll be covering the announcement when we get it at 3.30pm. | I'll be covering the announcement when we get it at 3.30pm. |
| Here's the full agenda for the day. | Here's the full agenda for the day. |
| 9am: Jeremy Hunt, the culture secretary, attends the launch of the London 2012 Festival. | 9am: Jeremy Hunt, the culture secretary, attends the launch of the London 2012 Festival. |
| 9.25am: Sarah Teather, the children's minister, speaks at the Early Years 2012 conference. As Patrick Wintour reports, the government is launching a government childcare commission that will look at lengthening the school day and allowing childcare workers to look after more children at any one time, in an attempt to cut costs for parents. | 9.25am: Sarah Teather, the children's minister, speaks at the Early Years 2012 conference. As Patrick Wintour reports, the government is launching a government childcare commission that will look at lengthening the school day and allowing childcare workers to look after more children at any one time, in an attempt to cut costs for parents. |
| 9.30am: Inflation figures for May are published. | 9.30am: Inflation figures for May are published. |
| 10am: Rail experts give evidence to the Commons transport committee | 10am: Rail experts give evidence to the Commons transport committee |
| 10am: Pension funds and investment managers give evidence to the Commons Treasury committee about City pay. | 10am: Pension funds and investment managers give evidence to the Commons Treasury committee about City pay. |
| 10.15am: Jeremy Browne, the Foreign Office minister, gives evidence to the foreign affairs committee on human rights. | 10.15am: Jeremy Browne, the Foreign Office minister, gives evidence to the foreign affairs committee on human rights. |
| 11am: David Nutt, the former chairman of the advisory council on the misuse of drugs, and other drugs experts give evidence to the Commons home affairs committee. | 11am: David Nutt, the former chairman of the advisory council on the misuse of drugs, and other drugs experts give evidence to the Commons home affairs committee. |
| 11am: Nick Herbert, the policing minister, gives a speech on elected police commissioners. | 11am: Nick Herbert, the policing minister, gives a speech on elected police commissioners. |
| 1.50pm: David Anderson, the government's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, gives evidence to the joint human rights committee on the justice and security bill. | 1.50pm: David Anderson, the government's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, gives evidence to the joint human rights committee on the justice and security bill. |
| 3.30pm: Francis Maude, the Cabinet Office minister, is expected to make a statement in the Commons about plans to reform the civil service. | 3.30pm: Francis Maude, the Cabinet Office minister, is expected to make a statement in the Commons about plans to reform the civil service. |
| At some point today Dave Prentis, the Unison general secretary, is speaking at his union's annual conference. | At some point today Dave Prentis, the Unison general secretary, is speaking at his union's annual conference. |
| 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 at about 4pm. | 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 at about 4pm. |
| 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. |