Governor of Bank of England will take extended holiday after stepping down this monthSir Mervyn King is to become one of the growing number of high-profile business and finance figures to take a so-called “grey gap year” when he steps down as governor …
Coalition energy policy ‘threatens to destroy environmental case for HS2’
On eve of energy policy debate, Conservative MP Tim Yeo reiterates call for target to decarbonise UK electricity generationMinisters’ failure to set firm targets on cutting carbon emissions from electricity generation will destroy the environmental cas…
Atheists challenge churches’ free parking permits
National Secular Society takes Woking council to court over ‘worshipper-only’ free parking, which it claims is discriminatoryMany churches give out holy communion wine and wafers to the faithful. In Woking, Surrey, congregations can also queue up to ha…
Endemol’s Tim Hincks: ‘Big Brother remains central to what we do’
The global entertainment maker’s president on producing drama such as Ripper Street and creating an app for the Rolling StonesDown the road from the BBC’s Television Centre, evacuated to make way for the bulldozers, is another small screen “fun factory…
The week ahead: Bilderberg 2013 comes to … the Grove hotel, Watford
The Bilderberg group’s meeting will receive greater scrutiny than usual as journalists and bloggers converge on WatfordWhen you’re picking a spot to hold the world’s most powerful policy summit, there’s really only one place that will do: Watford. I gu…
Gay marriage: it’s only fair | Michael Bloomberg
I backed same-sex weddings in New York for the sake of democracy. British lawmakers should tooAcross Europe and the US support for same-sex marriage is growing, and for a simple reason: it is consistent with democracy’s promise of equal rights for all …
Labour peers stripped of whip over lobbying row
Suspension of Lords Cunningham and Mackenzie from party comes after resignation of UUP’s Lord LairdThree peers have stood down from their parliamentary parties pending inquiries into allegations they broke rules by offering to carry out parliamentary w…
Gibraltar tries to lure London hedge fund bosses with promise of low taxes
Peninsula launches campaign weeks after David Cameron asks overseas territories to ‘get houses in order’ over taxGibraltar is launching a campaign to persuade hedge funds to ditch their plush Mayfair offices for the low taxes of “the Rock”.Fabian Picar…
Will we ever really know why people turn to terrorism? | Peter Beaumont
We need to ask what leads a person to rationalise an act of murder and see themselves as above the lawThe first suicide bombing I covered took place 11 years ago on Jerusalem’s Jaffa Street. My strongest memory remains not the sight of blood or the sme…
Lord Laird resigns Ulster Unionist whip after lobbying scandal
Peer was among subjects of sting by undercover reporters, who offered cash incentives to ask questions in House of LordsAn Ulster Unionist peer has resigned the party’s whip pending an inquiry into allegations he broke rules by offering to carry out pa…