Police cells holding more than 9,000 mentally ill people a year

Prisons and health inspectors warn that those detained with mental disorders should be in hospital not police custodyMore than 9,000 mentally ill people a year are being detained in police custody despite official guidance saying such powers should only be used in exceptional circumstances, watchdogs say.The official investigation of the watchdogs finds that some people being detained are

Ian Livingston's government career may be short-lived

The interesting question is what the outgoing BT chief executive does after being trade ministerArguably, Ian Livingston has already performed useful public service in helping to save BT, a different sort of company that is too big, and too important, to fail.BT was in an horrible state when he became chief executive in 2008. The deficit in the pension fund was huge and unaddressed; the gl

Francois Hollande pledge on political transparency watered down by MPs

French anti-corruption law weakened as false information is criminalised but public get only limited access to asset filesFrançois Hollande's anti-corruption crusade aiming at publishing MPs' assets has ended in a watered-down compromise after parliament voted for details of assets to be accessible to voters but not made public.The decision sparked criticism concerning the limits to freedo

Cameron: Syria’s humanitarian disaster ‘cannot be ignored’ - video

David Cameron discusses the crisis in Syria during PMQs in the House of Commons on Wednesday

Supreme court MoD ruling 'will have huge impact on military operations'

Defence secretary Philip Hammond says human rights ruling could make it more difficult for troops to carry out operationsThe supreme court ruling that the Ministry of Defence can be sued for negligence, that the scope of the Human Rights Act should be extended and the traditional doctrine of combat immunity should be interpreted narrowly, will have a huge impact on military commanders, senior

The G8 made some great decisions. Pity no one can remember what they were

David Cameron caves in on Syria, gets a red face over spying and is left in the limelight by Boris once again. Why can he never seem to get it right?Cameron: It's important Britain should be seen to be taking a lead at the G8 conference.Hague: I agree. How about we all arm the Syrian rebels?Putin: Are you stupid? I'm selling arms to Assad.Cameron: OK … Let's not rock the boat. We can

NHS watchdog cover-up 'deeply disturbing', says Downing Street

No 10 condemns cover-up but says government has taken 'very clear, strong action' to reform Care Quality CommissionThe "whole truth" must come out about the cover-up of regulatory failures at a scandal-hit hospital, the health secretary has said.Jeremy Hunt made his comments after the Care Quality Commission (CQC) was criticised for redacting the name of a senior manager who ordered the de

Anxiety or depression affects nearly one in five UK adults

Office for National Statistics says highest incidence of mild mental illness is in 50-54 age group and among womenNearly a fifth of adults in the UK experience anxiety or depression, according to the latest official figures.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said a higher proportion of women than men reported that they suffered from the conditions, with the highest indication of anxi

Nigel Farage targets Scotland with boast of success in European elections

Undaunted by the hostile welcome in Edinburgh last month and his thwarted campaigning in Aberdeen on Tuesday, the Ukip leader insists his party will take a Scottish seat in next May's European electionsNigel Farage seems serious about muscling his way in to Scotland's relatively crowded political landscape. Brushing aside his often thwarted efforts to campaign twice in Scotland, the UK Indepe

Teacher's plea to Gove: don't take away my teaching assistants

Plans to cut £4bn by axing teaching assistants make no sense, says special needs teacher Cherryl DrabbleDear Mr Gove,I concede that I don't know as much about education as you do as I'm merely a teacher, but this is my plea to you. Please don't take my teaching assistants away. They are the most valuable resource I have. They are unbelievably wonderful and I can't do my job without them. H

Delays and high prices leave rail passengers dissatisfied

Customer satisfaction hits the buffers as railway users complain about delayed journeys and poor-value ticketsPassenger satisfaction on the railways is dipping, with value for money and how companies deal with delays being the biggest cause for complaint, according to a survey of thousands of train customers.Just one train company, Great Anglia, improved its overall satisfaction levels bet

Royal Mail staff vote against privatisation

More than 96% of 112,000 postal workers vote against sell-off despite each being promised £1,500 of sharesRoyal Mail workers have voted overwhelming against the government's controversial plan to sell off the 497-year-old postal service.More than 96% of postal workers who voted opposed the privatisation despite the government promising them each about £1,500 in shares as part of the flotat

Health watchdog investigates 'sham' psychometric tests for jobseekers

Department for Work and Pensions administered tests and threatened to withdraw benefits if they were not completedThe Department for Work and Pensions is under investigation by a health watchdog for administering "sham" psychometric tests to the unemployed and threatening to withdraw their benefits if they did not complete them.The Guardian has learned that the Health and Care Professions

Reckless misconduct proposals will be in banking reform bill, says PM

David Cameron says bill will be amended to introduce measures to allow bankers to be jailed if they behave irresponsiblyThe government will amend a parliamentary bill to introduce the central recommendation of the banking commission to allow bankers to be jailed for reckless misconduct, David Cameron has told MPs.The prime minister said that he wanted to introduce strong legislation to und

BT chief executive exits to become trade minister

Ian Livingston will join the House of Lords, replacing the former HSBC chief executive and chairman Lord GreenBT chief executive Ian Livingston is to leave Britain's biggest telecoms company to join the government, as minister for trade and investment.Livingston will join the House of Lords, replacing the former HSBC chief executive and chairman Lord Green, who has served as a minister sin

Supreme court quashes Iran bank sanctions and criticises secret hearings

Treasury ordered to lift sanctions against Bank Mellat, as critics warn open justice and rule of law are casualties of secret courtsThe government's enthusiasm for secret courts has been set back after the UK's most senior judges quashed anti-terrorist sanctions imposed on an Iranian bank and dismissed the intelligence involved as insignificant.In two related judgments, the supreme court o

Ed Balls calls for reform to curb bankers' recklessness – video

The shadow chancellor, Ed Balls, says a report on banking standards shows the sector needs to change to dissuade bankers from 'reckless misconduct'

David Cameron and other famous wild swimmers

In taking an early-morning dip in a Northern Irish lough, David Cameron has joined an illustrious list of wild swimmers, from Benjamin Franklin to Katharine HepburnAs a self-confessed wild swimming addict, I can't quite believe that David Cameron nearly beat me to the water on Tuesday. While he was swimming at 6am in a Northern Irish lough, I was finishing my own daily dawn dip in the Solent.

NHS regulator apologises after report accuses CQC of cover-up – video

David Prior, chairman of NHS regulator the Care Quality Commission, says an independent report published on Wednesday shows past failings of the CQC

NSA surveillance is an attack on American citizens, says Noam Chomsky

Governments will use whatever technology is available to combat their primary enemy – their own population, says criticThe actions of the US government in spying on its and other countries' citizens have been sharply criticised by Noam Chomsky, the prominent political thinker, as attacks on democracy and the people."Governments should not have this capacity. But governments will use whatev

Nigel Evans arrested on suspicion of three further counts of indecent assault

Deputy speaker is informed he faces additional allegations as he answers bail after initial arrest last monthNigel Evans, the House of Commons deputy speaker already under arrest for alleged rape and sexual assault, has been arrested again on suspicion of three further counts of indecent assault.The Conservative MP for Ribble Valley answered bail on Wednesday following his initial arrest i

Most permanent secretaries don't have commercial or delivery skills

National Audit Office report shows drop in recruitment from private sector to senior civil service and high staff turnoverLess than a third of permanent secretaries have delivery and commercial skills, a report has found.The National Audit office study into senior civil service capability revealed that just four out of 15 permanent secretaries had significant experience in a corporate or d

Shimon Peres feted by celebrities and leaders on 90th birthday – video

Barbra Streisand, Tony Blair and Bill Clinton are among the guests at the 90th birthday of Israel's president, Shimon Peres

Britain's soft power is greater than Gangnam Style – so appreciate it | Dorian Lynskey

While Asian nations pour cash into promoting culture, the UK is slashing budgets. We shouldn't take our position for grantedLike good health, soft power is something you only really appreciate in its absence. Last year, the outgoing Chinese president, Hu Jintao, wrote an essay bemoaning his country's poor performance in the cultural arms race. "We must clearly see that international hostile f

NHS regulator exposed as 'not fit for purpose' by maternity deaths

Care Quality Commission head says previous management was 'totally dysfunctional' after report reveals 'cover-up' over deaths of mothers and babies at NHS foundation trust in CumbriaThe head of the Care Quality Commission has admitted the organisation was "not fit for purpose" after an independent report highlighted key failures in its inspections at a maternity unit where police are investig

Bankers banged up? They need to return to planet Earth first | Polly Toynbee

The banking commission report takes good steps forward and makes fun reading, but can it bring a change in culture?Bang up the bankers! That has a nice ring to it, like the rioter's line in Henry VI (part two) that always gets a roar of approval, "let's kill all the lawyers". But does anyone really think any of them will land in the clink? The degree of personal recklessness would have to be

PMQs and statement on CQC cover-up and G8: Politics live blog

Andrew Sparrow's rolling coverage of all the day's political developments as they happen, including David Cameron and Ed Miliband at PMQs, Jeremy Hunt's statement on the CQC cover-up scandal and Cameron's statement on the G8 summitAndrew Sparrow

G8: what did it achieve? | The panel

On tax, trade and Syria, did the G8 countries made headway at their meeting in Enniskillen? Our panellists give their verdictCAMERON: 'He led the charge on tax avoidance'David Cameron really rolled his sleeves up (both metaphorically and literally) and got stuck in this week at the G8. It's traditional that more heat than light should emerge from summits like this, but this time round, the

Parliamentary commission on banking standards: reaction in full

Politicians and policymakers give their reactions to a major report from the parliamentary commission on banking standards calling for a new law to jail bankers for reckless misconduct, the deferral of bonuses and more measures to foster competitionA major report from the parliamentary commission on banking standards calls for a new law to jail bankers for reckless misconduct, the deferral of

Steve Bell's If ... on the Cameron-Putin G8 face-off

Steve Bell's If ...Steve Bell