| Labour's shadow cabinet Ed Miliband has announced his new frontbench team. More than half were members of the old cabinet before Labour was defeated at the general election – but veteran figures such as Alastair Darling and Jack Straw have bowed outPaddy Allen guardian.co.uk |
Three hurt in lorry hotel crash Two men are airlifted to hospital and another treated at the scene after a Royal Mail lorry crashes into a Dorset hotel. bbc.co.uk |
EuroMillions jackpot: £113 million lottery winner decides to remain anonymous The winner of the record EuroMillions lottery jackpot has decided to remain anonymous after finally claiming the £113 million prize. telegraph.co.uk |
In praise of … St Andrew's Day | Editorial The publication of the Scotland bill makes this a day that could, as political tradition promises, genuinely make a differenceAn important tradition in Scottish politics is for its leaders to use St Andrew's Day as an opportunity to launch the next phase of the national debate. Last 30 November, in a distant political world, the first minister, Alex Salmond, published a white paper looking forward to a referendum on independence that might, if he had got his way, have taken place today. In view of the wintry weather sweeping Scotland, it is probably just as well that nothing came of Mr Salmond's plan. Instead it is now the turn of the coalition in London to set the agenda with today's publication of its Scotland bill, which implements most of last year's Calman report on the lessons of devolution's first decade. Localists and nationalists decry the bill because they think it does not go far enough. Yet Calman was a very broadly based report, supported by all the political parties except Mr Salmond's nationalists, and it made recommendations which would extend and enrich the original devolution settlement in important ways which have majority support. Don't dismiss these new powers, headed by the plan for the UK Treasury to deduct 10p from standard and upper rates of income tax and to allow the Scottish parliament to raise the money itself. They are a big step toward giving Scots control over their own money and will pose ticklish dilemmas for the Holyrood government that gets to implement them. Unfortunately this will not be until 2015. But this is a St Andrew's Day which could actually make a difference.ScotlandScottish politicsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Snow closes roads and schools across Britain The worst November snowfall for decades has brought travel chaos as forecasters warn temperatures could dip as low as minus 20C in the coming days. telegraph.co.uk |