Snoopers Check We Don't Split Atoms

'They can show up without notice or warrants and with 1,208 reasons to enter your home, workplace or land without your permission. This is Gordon Brown’s new model army of snoopers, which is gaining new home invasion powers at the rate of two a week. The Prime Minister promised a crackdown on them in 2007 but it is Conservative peer Lord Selson who is leading the fightback.' ...Read more

Brown Peddles State Controlled Web Under Auspices of 'Social Justice'

'Our rulers are slick. They know we will not stand for an outright takeover of the internet, so they are cloaking the effort under a thin veneer of “social justice” and broadband for all. Gordon Brown in Britain is leading the charge: Every home in the UK will have access to “super-fast” broadband by 2020, according to Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The government has already pledged to offer super-fast internet connections to 90 percent of the country by 2017, as part of the Digital Economy Bill, paid for by a ‘broadband tax’ – a £6 per year levy on telephone lines.

Now, Brown has revealed it will take just three years to ensure the remainder of the country also has access to the service. Nice. The average Brit will pay to have the internet stolen from him and turned into a control mechanism.' ...Read more...

Now The Dead Must Pay Council Tax

'Gordon Brown will clobber the elderly with a savage pay-as-you-die tax bombshell that could force people to give up their home on their death, it can be revealed today. Millions of householders will be encouraged to sign away their estate to foot the bill for soaring council tax demands.

Under the scheme ratepayers can defer inflation-busting council tax payments until they die. Town hall chiefs will then be able claw back the cash, with interest, from the value of their estate. Over 20 years, for a couple with a typical home, that could amount to more than £73,000.'

Read more

The Queen tells Brown of grave concern over MPs' expenses

The Queen has told Gordon Brown she is worried that the scandalous revelations about MPs' expenses could damage Parliament.

She discussed the explosion of public outrage over the scandal in what is understood to have been a candid exchange of views when she met the Prime Minister for their weekly audience at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday. Details of their conversation - which covered the vital need to restore trust in Parliament - came to light as:

The identities of the shadowy figures who leaked the MPs' expenses were revealed.

Speaker Michael Martin told friends he is ready to quit.

A shock new poll put the anti-EU UKIP on course to overtake Labour in next month's European elections.

Public demands for criminal charges against at least five expenses-cheat MPs grew.

Labour's overall poll rating fell to yet another all-time historic low - just 20 per cent.

A Labour MP was discovered to have claimed £125,000 expenses for a run-down garage via his 'office' expenses.

Another Labour MP was suspended for claiming £13,000 for a mortgage that had been paid off.

Neither Buckingham Palace nor Downing Street would comment on the conversation between Mr Brown and the Queen, insisting that it remain confidential. However, well-placed sources say the Queen is 'deeply troubled' by the scandal and had made it clear that she feared it could inflict 'long-lasting damage' to the Commons.

'She won't discuss individual MPs but she feels this scandal has done a lot of long-lasting damage,' said the source. 'She is aware the public feel repulsed by this sort of thing. She is conscious there is a recession on.'

An entirely separate source told The Mail on Sunday that the Queen had expressed her 'disappointment' at the expenses disclosures. (Daily Mail)

Rothschilds Poodle to Deliver Instructions to US Congress

Gordon Brown will deliver an address to both Houses of Congress when he visits Washington next week, it was announced today.

The invitation represents a considerable coup for Brown, who will become only the fifth British prime minister to deliver a speech to a joint sitting of both Houses of the US legislature. The speech – almost certain to focus on the global financial crisis – will bolster his claim to be a world leader in economic affairs.

The prime minister has repeatedly made the point that the bank recapitalisation programme he launched in the autumn has been copied by other countries, and has suggested that the G20 summit – which he is hosting in London in April – could lead to significant reform of the global financial system.

Even before the invitation was announced, Brown had already achieved acts of diplomatic oneupmanship. He became the first European leader to speak to Barack Obama after his inauguration as the US president and the first to secure an invitation to Washington for face to face talks with him.

The other British prime ministers to have addressed both Houses of Congress were Winston Churchill, Clement Attlee, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair.

Downing Street confirmed that Brown would be delivering the address after the news was released by US sources (Source: The Guardian)

I warned of global financial crisis ten years ago, claims Brown

Gordon Brown today said that he had warned of the current global financial crisis tenyears ago - and that the current crisis is the birth pangs of a 'new global order'.

The Prime Minister claimed that he had called for a stronger regulatory framework in the wake of the Asian money markets collapse in 1999.

'As I said in Harvard ten years ago, we need an early warning system so that international financial flows are properly monitored,' Mr Brown said in a speech yesterday. 'We must create a framework for the international governance that we currently lack. We must consider at a global level the regulatory deficit. For a decade I have said that the current patchwork arrangement is inadequate.’ (Daily Mail)

Don't mention the economy (let's have a game of soccer instead)!

A blistering German attack on Gordon Brown plunged London and Berlin into a bitter diplomatic row tonight. The Prime Minister was publicly slated for his handling of the recession in an extraordinary outburst by a senior aide to chancellor Angela Merkel. It was the second time in two days that a member of Germany's ruling coalition has broken with diplomatic convention to deliver a highly personal attack on Mr Brown's economic record.

Steffen Kampeter, one of Miss Merkel's economic advisers, branded Britain's soaring debt levels a 'complete failure of Labour policy'. And he made clear Germany felt it was patronised by Mr Brown when he was Chancellor. The savage criticism left the two nations' governments scrambling to save their relationship from serious damage.

The apparently concerted attempt to belittle Mr Brown also risked making a mockery of his claim to be leading the global fight against recession. (Source: Daily Mail)

The day New Labour died: Brown ditches historic pledge not to raise income tax in £1TRILLION gamble to save economy

Alistair Darling defended his high tax, high borrowing £20billion giveaway today amid Tory claims it will ultimately make anyone earning more than £19,000 worse off.

Old Labour came roaring back in his mini-Budget thanks to plans to hit the middle classes and target the rich if Labour wins another term. But today, the Chancellor insisted it had not torn up the New Labour project and that only workers on more than £40,000 would end up losing out.

'People earning less than £40,000 won't be paying more. The burden really is falling on people on higher incomes,' he said.

Borrowing will rocket to a record £300billion over five years to produce a national debt of more than £1trillion under the Government plans.The success of the drastic action depends on rose-tinted forecasts that the recession will be over by next autumn although experts expert it to last far longer. (Source: Daily Mail)

Millions WILL benefit as mortgage giants are forced to pass on historic interest rate cut

Source: Daily Mail

Banking giants were shamed into slashing their mortgage rates yesterday following a direct order from the Prime Minister.

The move will be cheered by more than a million homeowners whose monthly bills will drop by around £135 on an average £150,000 loan, and many more should benefit soon. It comes after banking chiefs were summoned to an emergency meeting at the Treasury yesterday morning and read the riot act.

On Thursday, the Bank of England axed rates by 1.5 points to 3 per cent, the lowest since 1955 and the biggest cut for nearly 30 years.

But most of the big banks totally ignored the central bank's extraordinary move.

To make matters worse, they rushed to pull their cheapest tracker mortgage deals, a major blow for homeowners and first-time buyers trying to save money.

The culprits which scrapped trackers included the three - Lloyds TSB, HBOS, owner of Halifax, and Royal Bank of Scotland, owner of NatWest - which are getting a £37billion taxpayer bail-out.

Labour Ask: Why All The Fuss About Europe?

GORDON Brown agreed another plan to give even more control to Brussels last night – before the ink had dried on the controversial Lisbon Treaty.

On the same day Downing Street dismissed the outcry over the signing as a “fuss over nothing”, Mr Brown rubber-stamped the setting up of a so-called Reflection Group to plot the next power- grab by the EU.

It will look at ways to expand EU control over Britain’s economy, immigration, the police and terrorism.

The Prime Minister continues to turn his back on the opinion of millions of Britons. Thousands of Daily Express readers responded to our poll yesterday, with 99 per cent agreeing that Gordon Brown has sold us out to Europe.

And, in a clear indication of a mis-reading of the level of public outrage, a Number 10 spokesman said: “He signed the treaty. It was in public. What’s the issue?”

Yesterday, in another blow to Mr Brown, the Reflection Group – dubbed the “Wise Men” – is set to be led by former Spanish socialist premier Felipe Gonzalez, known for his fervent belief in a European federal superstate.

Mr Brown insisted last night the group was banned from looking at further “institutional change”.

But French president Nicolas Sarkozy – whose brainchild it is – said its job was to discover “the new European dream”. He added: “I want a politically integrated Europe.” The group’s formal task is to look at what shape the EU should take between 2020 and 2030. Tory Shadow Europe Minister Mark Francois accused the Prime Minister of failing the British people.

He said: “He signed the renamed EU Constitution without any democratic mandate. He offended everyone by arriving late. And he has opened a Pandora’s box by agreeing to a Reflection Group with no clear remit, chaired by a Spanish Socialist. Gordon Brown has failed Britain at this summit. If this discredited Prime Minister does not keep his promise to let the British people make the choice in a referendum, trust in his Government will evaporate.”

In another sign of Mr Brown’s growing isolation in Europe, missing from the summit’s final declaration was a demand by Britain that the Wise Men rule out any further big changes for the next 10 years. Neil O’Brien from think-tank Open Europe said: “Gordon Brown knows that the group he has endorsed will lead to yet another round of integration and more new powers for the EU. He must now rule out a further handover of powers.” (Daily Express)

Calls For Police Probe Into 'Dodgy Donations'

Gordon Brown is facing calls for a police investigation into the "dodgy donations" to the Labour Party.

The Liberal Democrats said there appeared to have been "serious breaches of the law". The Prime Minister has been under mounting pressure since it emerged that more than £600,000 of donations to the party had been made via middlemen.

Property developer David Abrahams had tried to keep his contributions to the party's coffers quiet by using associates as conduits for the cash. He did not declare his own involvement to the Electoral Commission.

It emerged yesterday that Mr Brown's chief fundraiser, Jon Mendelsohn, had been aware of the situation - described by the premier himself as "unlawful". (Sky News)

Things Just Got Worse For Brown

Gordon Brown faces journalists later to talk about Labour's £600,000 "secret" donations, the resignation of a top party official - and a disastrous slump in poll ratings. His monthly press conference follows the decision by the party's most senior official to quit after admitting he knew a wealthy donor had hidden his identity from regulators.

General secretary Peter Watt's departure marks another low point for Mr Brown, who had already suffered his worst week since taking power from Tony Blair in June.

The loss of millions of child benefit records, the ongoing Northern Rock crisis and attacks from former army chiefs have left the administration reeling.

And the latest opinion poll published today by The Independent put the Tories 13 points in front - its biggest lead for nearly 20 years and enough to secure a 64-seat Commons majority. (Sky News)

'Balmy' Brussels bureaucracy

Daily Mail Headline 'Brussels wants to scrap labels saying 'Made in Britain'; says: ' Ministers were last night under pressure to reject an attempt by Brussels to scrap 'Made in Britain' food labels.

Proposals to switch to a Europe-wide 'Made in the EU' labelling system will be discussed by the European Commission next month.

The scheme provoked outrage at Westminster, with the Tories pledging to save the traditional British labels on foods ranging from Stilton to Marmite.

If implemented it would leave British consumers unable to tell where the contents of their shopping basket come from in the EU. The rule would apply even if the final product is based on imported foodstuffs. Only meat would be exempt, so that goods such as Danish bacon and Parma ham could be identified by their origin.

Westminster sources indicated that Gordon Brown, who has made no secret of his dislike of Brussels bureaucracy, is likely to veto the idea.

Fraud Risk To Millions In Records Blunder

Millions of people are facing the threat of identity theft after personal details of nearly half the UK's population were lost in Britain's worst ever data protection breach. The "catastrophic" blunder by HM Revenue and Customs affects around 25 million people - including leading politicians and businessmen.

Chancellor Alistair Darling revealed the staggering scale of the debacle in an emergency statement to MPs yesterday, as Paul Gray, the head of HMRC, fell on his sword.

Two compact discs containing names, addresses, dates of birth, child benefit numbers, national insurance numbers and bank or building society account details of some 25 million individuals and 7.25 million families have gone missing. The Commons emitted a collective gasp as Mr Darling explained how a junior official sent the entire child benefit database from the HMRC HQ in Newcastle to the National Audit Office in London on October 18.

In breach of the agency's procedure, the package was not even posted recorded delivery through contracted courier TNT, and never arrived at its destination. However, senior management at HMRC were not informed of the problem until November 8, with Mr Darling and Prime Minister Gordon Brown finally brought into the loop two days later.

The Metropolitan Police is now leading the hunt for the package, while Mr Darling has ordered a probe into security procedures at HMRC. The Chancellor stressed there was no evidence that the information had fallen into criminal hands and said the public would be protected against any fraud by the Banking Code.

The details of virtually every family in the country with children under the age of 16 has been lost. (Sky News)

PM: New Protection For Airports

Gordon Brown has unveiled a raft of new measures to combat terrorism, with a twin-track approach aimed at tightening security and winning "hearts and minds".

Following a report by the Prime Minister's security minister Admiral Lord West into safety in public places, Mr Brown announced that barriers will be built outside airports, railway stations and ports while new security advice will be sent to cinemas, theatres, restaurants and sports stadia.

At the same time, a new unit will attempt to counter extremist propoganda, particularly in schools and universities, and to identify anyone at risk of falling under the influence of terrorists.

A forum of headteachers will advise on how young people can be protected from extremists, and how to build bridges between faith communities. This comes in the wake of last week's warning from MI5 Director-General Jonathan Evans that terrorists were targeting and attempting to "groom" children as young as 15.

Restrictions at airports could be relaxed from early January. Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly said passengers maybe allowed to carry more than one bag onto a plane - but other restrictions on liquids and cabin luggage size will remain in place. Responding to concerns that civil liberties are being systematically eroded, Mr Brown said: "We will only seek new powers that are essential to the fight against terrorism." (Sky News)

Brown defends EU treaty position

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has defended his stance on the EU Reform Treaty, saying key opt-outs mean UK law will not be over-ruled by Europe. Mr Brown told the Commons MPs would be given the chance next year to debate ratification of the treaty whose text was agreed in Portugal last week.

He also said the government would oppose further EU institutional change.

The Tories called for a referendum on the issue and accused ministers of breaking their manifesto commitment.

The prime minister told MPs that he had secured "special treatment for the UK in a range of areas" at the European summit and that Britain would keep opt-outs on foreign policy, labour rights, tax and social security.

"The protections we have negotiated defend the British national interest," he said.

Promising to oppose any further EU institutional reforms within this parliament and the next, Mr Brown said he would now focus on setting out a new agenda for the EU. (BBC News)

Heavyweight Backing Over Obesity

Gordon Brown is throwing his weight behind a campaign to urge parents and schools to do more to tackle the problem of obesity in children. The Prime Minister is backing plans to try to get young people to eat more healthily and do more exercise. The proposals involve schools offering a wider range of activities such as yoga and playing with a frisbee.

Mr Brown's support for the campaign will seek to leave behind the debris of a General Election that never was and a weekend opinion poll which put David Cameron's Conservatives seven points ahead of Labour. He is joining Families Secretary Ed Balls in announcing action ahead of a report warning of massive obesity levels in future years.

The Foresight research, commissioned in 2005 to help ministers understand the scale of the problem, indicates half the population will be obese within 25 years if current trends continue. (Sky News)

Polls didn't sway me, says Brown

Gordon Brown says he takes "full responsibility" for the snap election speculation - and denied poor opinion polls led him to decide against one. Pressed at his No 10 media briefing, he said he had considered an election but his "first instinct" had been to have more time to set out his vision.

He also denied "dithering", saying he always planned to make his decision at the end of the party conference season.

David Cameron has accused Mr Brown of "not being straight with the public". And Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell has called the episode "deeply damaging".

As he seeks to regain the political initiative, Mr Brown is currently making a Commons statement on Iraq. He has told MPs that troop numbers will be reduced, from 5,500 to 2,500 by next spring. He also said some Iraqis who have worked for British forces will be able to apply for financial aid to settle there, elsewhere in the region or "in agreed circumstances" in the UK. (BBC News)

Gordon Brown struggles after election decision

Gordon Brown will today attempt to pick up the pieces of his premiership after a disastrous 48 hours during which he was forced to call off the planned general election. He will face a grilling at a Downing Street press conference that will be dominated by his decision to pull back from the brink, and in the Commons he will make a statement on Iraq outlining troop withdrawals. That will give David Cameron and Tory backbenchers the first opportunity to tackle Mr Brown over his election indecision.

Even Mr Brown's closest allies admit that it has been a terrible few days for the Prime Minister. One said: "It's a bad moment. There will be a hit, but we need to absorb it." The Prime Minister hopes that Whitehall spending announcements in tomorrow's Comprehensive Spending Review will help start Labour's recovery. (Daily Telegraph)

'Weak' Brown Rules Out Early Election

Sky News Headline; says: 'The Prime Minister has confirmed he will not call a General Election this year or next - and been accused by his opponents of showing weakness and indecision. Gordon Brown's announcement - in a recorded interview with a single journalist - came ahead of the publication of an opinion poll of 83 crucial marginal seats giving the Conservatives a 6% lead over Labour.

The PM told the BBC: "I have a vision for change and I want to show people in government how we're implementing it. What I want to do is show people the vision we have for the future of this country. I want the chance in the next phase of my premiership, to develop and show people the policies that will make a huge difference and show a change in the country itself."

Sky News political editor Adam Boulton said recent polls made grim reading for the Prime Minister.