Gove aide implied journalist needed therapy – Media and blog round up: February 20th 2013

“A controversial aide to the Education Secretary, Michael Gove, faces questions over a potential breach of the code of conduct for ministers’ special advisers after he implied that a journalist required therapy. Dominic Cummings delivered the jibe in an email protesting about reports describing the sometimes heavy-handed methods adopted by special advisers in the Department for Education. The remark was aimed at Chris Cook, the former education correspondent of the Financial Times who has been involved in a long wrangle with Mr Gove about ministers’ use of private email accounts for government business. Mr Cummings made the comment in an angry message to The Independent’s education editor, Richard Garner. He criticised a comment article written by Garner and told him he should “speak to Chris Cook about a good therapist”.” – Independent

“Thousands of disabled people could lose their homes and be plunged into debt thanks to the bedroom tax, charities say. Anyone in a council or housing ­association property will have their housing benefit cut by 14% if they have a spare room and by 25% if they have two or more spare rooms. But campaigners say 420,000 disabled people, their families and carers will be hit harder by the changes in April.” – The Mirror