Labour releases spoof version of Tory manifesto

A brief guide to David Cameron’s Christian “moral code”

As we approach Easter, David Cameron has talked about his “moral code”, called for a more strident Christianity that is “more evangelical about a faith that compels us to get out there and make a difference to people’s lives” and praised ”countless acts of kindness carried out by those who believe in and follow Christ”. Meanwhile, a “Whitehall Source” was today smearing the Christian charity The Trussell Trust, who yesterday revealed that in the past year food bank use has reached […]

Labour’s PPC for Colne Valley stands down

Binnie Joshi Barr, Labour’s candidate in Colne Valley, has decided to step down due to health reasons. Barr announced her decision in a letter to local party members. She said: “Colne Valley deserves and will have a Labour MP in 2015. Unfortunately due to ill health, it is not going to be me. “Since the birth of my daughter Aarya eight weeks ago, my rheumatoid arthritis has returned and worse than before. I have regrettably come to the conclusion that […]

How Putin shows the same ‘maskirovka’ as his own soldiers

By Richard Howitt

Yesterday in the European Parliament the EU Commissioner at the heart of the Ukraine crisis told MEPs that the rhetoric from Russia was “worse than at any time in the Cold War.” Today in Geneva four-way talks are taking place which are bringing Europe back to the forefront of the diplomacy seeking to de-escalate the crisis. But the stand-off in towns across Eastern Ukraine remains at least as likely to trigger the very opposite. On behalf of Labour in Europe, we have continued to maintain […]

NHS waiting list reaches nearly 3 million

The amount of patients waiting for NHS treatment has risen to 2.9 million, according to new referral to treatment times (RTT) figures. Meanwhile, the Health Service Journal reports (£): “The NHS has breached the target for 90 per cent of admitted patients to start treatment within 18 weeks for the first time since 2011, the latest figures from NHS England reveal.” With 550 of those patients having waited over a year for treatment, two thirds of England’s major A&Es missing their […]

“So long, it’s been good to know you” – Austin Mitchell’s farewell video

As LabourList reported earlier, Great Grimsby MP Austin Mitchell has announced his decision to stand down at the next election. He won the seat in a by-election in 1977 – back when Jim Callaghan was Prime Minister. To coincide with his announcement, Mitchell has made a farewell video to Parliament and the people of Grimsby. There’s a healthy dose of sentimentality, a couple of jokes, and even a montage. Before entering Parliament, Mitchell worked as a broadcast journalist, and it […]