People are right to ask what has happened to the British press for parts of it to operate in this way. It is beneath contempt.

British newspapers have been – and can be – showcases for some of the best journalism in the world.

What we heard about last night was undeniably an example of the worst journalism in the world.

The police investigation needs to take its course and get right to the bottom of what happened.

But it is up to senior executives at the News of the World and News International to start taking responsibility for criminal activities over a sustained period.

This was not one isolated incident or a rogue reporter, it was far more systematic than that.

I said this morning that Rebekah Brooks needs to consider her position and examine her conscience about the culture over which she presided as editor of the News of the World.

The issue is not simply what she knew, but what happened on her watch.

But I also said this goes well beyond one individual. It goes to the heart of what we expect from our press.

Indeed, every decent British journalist should regard this episode as a stain on their professional integrity and the reputation of their industry.

I remain instinctively a supporter of self-regulation for the press. But like everyone else in this country I can see that the current system is clearly not working.

It is up to the press to prove that self-regulation can work.

Read the full article.

“Boris has been decoupling himself from the Tory leadership for months. This is, in fact, ‘an agreed strategy rather than a unilateral declaration of independence.’

Some time ago, he came to an understanding with Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne – who oversees Tory election planning – that gives him permission to defy them on policy. Both sides recognise that to win, the Mayor must separate himself from the Prime Minister and even at times beard him. In the near daily exchanges of text messages between the three, there is an informal understanding that when Boris plans to go off the reservation, he will alert the high command. As a political manoeuvre, it has worked a treat.”

Commenting on the article, Labour’s Ken Livingstone told Labour Matters: “David Cameron may regard it as a disaster for him if Boris Johnson loses, but they all seem to have lost sight of Londoners’ interests.

“What this shows is that Boris wants Dave’s job, George wants Dave’s job, Dave needs Boris to keep his job so he can hang on to his own job, and the three of them are texting each other to save each other’s jobs.

“Isn’t it about time we had a mayor and a government actually bothered about someone’s interests and jobs other than their own?”

Today we saw the usual pattern from the Prime Minister when he is in a corner. I have seen it at PMQs before – on school sports, NHS competition law and sentencing.

First he denies his own policy, then he tries insults. Usually, the U-turn follows

Will the same happen today? It certainly should.

It is bad enough that he insulted cancer victims by claiming they were a “smokescreen” Labour were using to distract from other issues.

But as I returned to my office after Prime Minister’s Question Time and read the messages to me from people whose loved ones are suffering from cancer it was clear to me he does not understand welfare reform.

He did not understand the detail of what is in his Welfare Reform Bill and that it would take away £94 a week from 7,000 cancer patients. These are people who only get this help because they have paid taxes and contributed all their lives.

Read the full article on Ed Miliband’s blog.

Ed Balls has published the full speech on his own blog, but this is how he concluded:

Let me conclude by saying this. My political opponents have accused me of talking down the economy.

As I have argued before, British history shows us that on previous occasions when major economic mis-judgements were made, broad-based political, media and financial opinion was in favour of the decision at the time. The dissenting voices of economists were silenced or ignored – most recently when Britain joined the ERM in 1990.

So we should learn the lessons of history, and beware British politicians or media commentators who tell us that there is no alternative or that something has to be done because the ‘financial markets’ demand it.

Adopting the consensus view may be the easy and safe thing to do, but it does not make you right and, in the long-term, it does not make you credible.

Read the full article.

A Labour spokesperson said: “It is with great regret that we have to announce that David Cairns, Member of Parliament for Inverclyde, passed away at 11 pm last night at the Royal Free, London. David had been suffering from acute pancreatitis after he was admitted as an emergency patient eight weeks ago. Our thoughts are with his partner Dermot, his father John, his brother Billy and all his many friends and family. David’s untimely death is a huge loss to parliament and politics in this country.”

Ed Miliband, Leader of the Labour Party, said: “David will be missed beyond measure as a former minister, as an MP, as a friend and a colleague by many people and my heart especially goes out to his partner Dermot and his family in Scotland. David was an immensely talented Member of Parliament who campaigned diligently on behalf of his constituents in Greenock and Inverclyde. A highly effective Minister of State in the Scottish Office, he was Labour through and through and yet was much-respected across the political divide. He was also a man with a wide hinterland. As a former Catholic priest he brought a sensitive understanding of others and a ready wit to politics and he never shied away from saying what he believed to be true. The Labour Party will miss him profoundly. He was a good man.”

Read the full article.

“The Labour and Trade Union movement are saturating the streets of Liverpool, even in our heartlands,” Warren Bradley, who was council leader for six years, wrote in the email to the Deputy Prime Minister.

“Liberalism started in Liverpool (Church Ward) during the late 60’s with Sir Trevor Jones and Cyril Carr being the driving force; a ward we have held for many years through thick and thin, sadly this year, because of your actions in Coalition Government, this may not be the case. Never before in 35+ years have I seen the streets of Wavertree snooing with Labour activists, never before have I seen Labour posters in a local election.

“This is only down to the policies that our Parliamentarians are pursuing in Coalition Government.

“The position is untenable, Mike Storey having given many decades to the party is extremely vulnerable, and could well fall because of the Parliamentary party.

“Many other long serving Councillors could be defeated not because of their record, but because of your record and the perception of what we as Liberal Democrats now are.

“I only hope on the 6th May, you will meet with Leaders/Groups/ordinary members and seek their views following a set of results, which if mirrored by our canvass returns will place us back 40 years.”

Read the full article.

The Labour Leader said: “I welcome the opportunity to give my support to the Manchester Evening News’s campaign.

“These cuts are not only unfair but the wrong long-term choices for the future of Greater Manchester.

“Councils are working hard to find savings but the fact is that these cuts go too far and too fast – hitting jobs, economic growth and the vital frontline services people rely on.

“I urge M.E.N. readers to sign the petition and send a message to the Tory-led government to think again.”

The petition has already been signed by thousands of people including a number of Lib Dem councillors.

Read the full article.

In a message of support to the local coastguard team, Mr Miliband said he was ‘very concerned’ about the potential loss of the maritime rescue centre.

He said: “The Brixham, Falmouth and Weymouth waters that this station serves is an extremely busy area both for commercial shipping and for leisure activities.

“I worry that with the closure of this station local knowledge of the waters will be lost and this could have potentially dire consequences.

“I’m hopeful that the government will think again and I know that Patrick Canavan (Labour’s Torbay mayoral candidate) and the Labour party in Torbay are supporting a strong campaign against these ill-thought out proposals.”

Read the full article.

During the election David Cameron said: “Kingston has a safe future under a Conservative government. [Its] future should depend on the choices that patients and GPs make, and overwhelmingly patients and local GPs in Kingston support this hospital and the excellent maternity unit, which I’ve seen for myself.”

Kingston Hospital’s plans published last week reveal that it expects to have to axe 486 staff because of government cuts – 22 fewer consultants, 214 fewer nurses, midwives and health visitors, 55 fewer ’scientific and therapeutic and technical staff’ and 140 fewer ‘non-clinical’ posts.

Meanwhile the Prime Minister flounders, falsely suggesting that the cuts to the NHS can be made without hitting frontline services.

Read the full article.

Mrs Abrahams, who was the 2010 Labour candidate in Colne Valley, polled most votes of party members in a three-way battle.

The vote was held in private at the Queen Elizabeth Hall at Oldham Civic Centre.

We understand that a by-election in former MP Phil Woolas’ constituency will now be held on February 3.

Former Oldham mayors Riaz Ahmed and Abdul Jabbar also stood for selection but were beaten by Mrs Abrahams.

She said today: “It’s an honour and a privilege to have been selected as Labour’s candidate. Now I’m looking forward to getting out and meeting as many residents as possible in the next few weeks to listen to their concerns.

“It’s important that the real issues and concerns of people in the borough are not lost during this by-election campaign. People feel let down by the LibDem-Tory broken promises on police cuts, tuition fees and VAT. It doesn’t have to be this way, there is an alternative.”

Read the full article.