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Articles tagged with David Cameron
All smoke and no fire
by Caroline Crampton / 03 Aug 2011 10:44
Less than a year ago, the coalition warned us to expect a "bonfire of quangos" as ministers cut back on non-departmental bodies and staff to save money and increase accountability.
Back then, a Whitehall source told the Telegraph:
"These reforms represent the most significant rolling back of bureaucracy and the state for decades. Our starting point has been that every quango must not only justify its existence but its reliance on
So, who's in charge at the moment?
by Amber Elliott / 01 Aug 2011 12:20
David Cameron's on holiday. Nick Clegg's over in Spain. Liam Fox is having meetings in the States and George Osborne is in Disneyland.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council meets today to discuss the situation in Syria. Libyan rebel leaders say their forces have been infiltrated by Gaddafi's supporters. And HSBC announces that it will get rid of 30,000 jobs worldwide.
So who's in charge? Who's in the country manning the ship?
A change of direction is just what defence needs
by Martin Cakebread / 21 Jul 2011 15:55
News this past week that sweeping changes are due to be put forward to the Armed Forces should not come as any surprise. With a budget black hole and limited finances, a solution was desperately needed.
I've campaigned myself for many years on defence matters, from better equipment and procurement, to spending and welfare of returning servicemen and women. The scale of the debate has been truly epic. With commentators from
Phone hacking - the winners and losers
by Charlotte Henry / 20 Jul 2011 14:39
There is nothing like a good old crisis to separate the wheat from the chaff, and phone hacking has been no different. Who then, has come out looking good from this fiasco, and who hasn’t?
Ed Miliband: Pushed his luck a bit when he implied Cameron should stand down as PM, but for the most part Ed M has done what he needed to do, and made sure that the issue
The press must remain free from Westminster’s shackles
by Francesca Preece / 20 Jul 2011 13:34
Is it over yet? Can we mere mortals live a hacking-free existence in our lifetime? Well, judging by the endless coverage, it doesn’t seem so.
The never-ending story is not on its last page, sadly. Yesterday the Murdochs appeared before the select committee in a gruelling three-hour Q&A where Rupert Murdoch was served humble pie and a protester was shown the door with a helping hand from wife Wendi.
Read more…
Cameron isn't out of danger yet
by Caroline Crampton / 20 Jul 2011 12:32
“Stop hunting feeble conspiracy theories and start rising to the level of events.”
Thus David Cameron accused Ed Milband of chasing shadows, marking the start of what was clearly intended to be a fightback on the phone hacking issue after the prime minister’s absence in Africa over the past few days.
His statement was short and to the point, and included quite a bit of detail about the remit of the
Ed Miliband's meetings with the media
by Caroline Crampton / 20 Jul 2011 10:44
*** UPDATE 25/07/2011 11:30 ***
The Labour Party have just published an 'updated' list of Miliband's meetings with the media.
There's been a couple of addition. Most notably, on 24 March, Ed had a 'social' meeting with Colin Myler, editor of the News of the World.
Two questions arise from this that Miliband will need to have quick answes to if he's to maintain his stance over the phone
When is a meeting not a meeting?
by Caroline Crampton / 18 Jul 2011 11:56
The supposedly full list of David Cameron's meetings with media figures was published last week.
Today, we've been told that it's going to be 'updated' to include some that were omitted from the original list.
Apparently, the discrepancy arose from the fact that it was felt that the prime minister taking a 'walk' with a media figure wasn't the same as a formal meeting, and thus didn't merit inclusion in the
Cameron postpones recess
by Caroline Crampton / 18 Jul 2011 10:29
Speaking at a press conference in South Africa with Jacob Zuma, David Cameron has indicated that he may postpone the summer recess by at least a day so that he can answer questions on the phone hacking scandal. He said:
"It may be right for Parliament to meet on Wednesday so I can answer questions."
In a speech at 11 at KPMG, Ed Miliband will go further, saying that if Cameron doesn't
PM details hacking inquiry
by Matt Foster / 13 Jul 2011 13:10
The Prime Minister has revealed the vast scope of the public inquiry to be held into the phone hacking scandal. The inquiry will be led by Lord Justice Leveson and Cameron said he hoped it would report back within the next twelve months.
As well as investigating the specifics of the scandal, the Prime Minister promised that the single inquiry, split into two parts, would look into wider issues including regulation of the
PMQs: In which Cameron gets personal
by Caroline Crampton / 13 Jul 2011 12:32
Today’s PMQs performance marked a shift in strategy by David Cameron. Previously, he’s sought to remain personally aloof from the phone hacking scandal, refusing to be overt in his criticism of Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson in favour of attempting to address the broader issues raised by the scandal.
Looking visibly rattled, the prime minister now seems to have decided that preserving his reputation is more important. Facing noisy derision from the Labour
Why I’m hacked off with Cameron
by Francesca Preece / 13 Jul 2011 11:57
David Cameron was an exciting prospect in 2005 – the Conservatives’ very own Tony Blair. He could speak off the cuff, he was appealing, attractive (well, for a politician!) media-friendly, sharp and a stark change from the usual suspects in the so-called 'nasty party'.
As a young campaigner eager to see a Tory government in my lifetime (or at least in my adult life), I was hopeful that David Cameron was
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"The prime minister has said he does not believe that statutory legislation is necessary to achieve the principles outlined by Leveson."
