News - Mid Suffolk Liberal Democrats

Taxpayers cannot continue to dole out money to Northern Rock says Cable

Northern Rock may have borrowed as much as £29 billion from the Bank of England since its crisis began, after a jump in loans last week, according to Bank of England data. Northern Rock is likely to have borrowed 2.7 billion pounds last week, up from an estimated 1.1 billion pounds in the previous week, the latest Bank of England balance sheet data showed on Thursday. That would be the biggest weekly loan for five weeks.

4 Dec 2007

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Police to investigate Labour Party donations amid new revelations

The Metropolitan Police have launched an investigation into secret donations to the Labour Party. The Electoral Commission asked them to investigate after it emerged Labour received more than £650,000 from David Abrahams via middlemen. Harriet Harman yesterday appeared to implicate Gordon Brown in the affair by revealing it was his leadership campaign manager, Chris Leslie, who suggested Janet Kidd as a possible donor. But Downing Street has played down reported tensions between Mr Brown and Ms Harman. Durham Police are to speak to Chris Huhne, after he raised questions about the decision to allow a company controlled by Mr Abrahams to build a business park in County Durham. In a separate development Peter Hain has said he failed to register a £5,000 deputy leadership campaign donation from Labour's chief fundraiser, Jon Mendelsohn, blaming an "administrative error".

3 Dec 2007

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Climate Change Bill doesn't go far enough

The environment secretary Hilary Benn has published the government's Climate Change Bill, introducing legally binding targets for reducing carbon dioxide emissions for the first time. The Bill sets a target of reducing emissions by at least 60 per cent by 2050 and a mid-term target of between 26 and 32 per cent by 2020 with five-year "carbon budgets" from next year. The budgets are set 15 years in the future and are intended to help direct businesses and policy-makers towards a low-carbon economy.

3 Dec 2007

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Vince Cable's Bean jibe stings Gordon Brown

The Liberal Democrat Party's deputy leader, treasury spokesman and now acting leader has proved exceptionally adept at the job. Gone are the panto-style groans that have greeted previous Lib Dem leaders when they stand to take their turn in the Commons hurly-burly of question time. Instead this week he brought the House down, with his quip about the "prime minister's remarkable transformation in the last few weeks from Stalin to Mr Bean, creating chaos out of order rather than order out of chaos". It was the kind of ridicule politicians fear as it might just stick.

1 Dec 2007

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Cool 2B Winners: Folkestone Sports Centre Scoops Lottery Cash

Folkestone Sports Centre Trust won an £57,403 slice of good cause cash from the Big Lottery Fund's regional People's Millions contest. ITV Meridian South East viewers voted for the project to win the award after a nail biting head-to-head contest for community votes screened on Tuesday on ITV Meridian South East regional news.

30 Nov 2007

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Bowles Takes Shepway Lib Dems Into Europe

Liberal Democrat South East Region MEP Sharon Bowles is playing host to more than 30 Liberal Democrats from the Shepway area this Monday. The trip from Folkestone will be visiting Brussels and will then visit the European Parliament building itself on Monday, before returning to the UK.

1 Dec 2007

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