Dear God, can’t the queen save?

Would anyone really notice if the Queen did less? I ask because Buckingham Palace is softening up public opinion for a bumper pay rise.

Lookers dealership see profits increase

The slump in new car sales has proved a double-edged sword for dealership Lookers.

Politicians have turned Parliament into a vile snake pit after latest expenses abuse

Winston Churchill called Westminster the “shrine of the world’s liberties”.

Qatada should remain behind bars, says May

Home secretary tells MPs she finds it unacceptable that bailed Islamist cleric cannot be deported to Jordan

The home secretary, Theresa May, has tried to assuage cross-party anger over the decision to grant bail to the radical Islamist cleric Abu Qatada, telling MPs it "simply wasn't acceptable" that such dangerous foreign criminals could not be deported.

Labour MPs, including two former home secretaries, voiced strong concern on Tuesday over a judge's warning that in three months' time he will relax the stringent bail conditions imposed on Qatada if a fresh diplomatic attempt to secure a fair trial for him in Jordan proves unsuccessful.

May told MPs she wanted to deport Qatada "so he is not in this country when the Olympics come". But this may prove a forlorn hope as his lawyers have already warned the special immigration appeals commission (Siac) – which made...

Defence cuts threaten ability to run concurrent campaigns, MPs say

Report warns that military would struggle to run Libya-level campaign in future while sustaining other commitments

Britain would struggle to conduct another campaign like the one carried out in Libya and still sustain its other military commitments because of the impact of sweeping defence cuts, a parliamentary report has warned.

The government also failed to reconcile the "apparent conflict between the military and political objectives" in Libya – whether the aim was to protect Libyan civilians or to remove Muammar Gaddafi from power – and needs to be much more transparent about how it calculates the cost of such operations, MPs say.

The report from the defence select committee released on Wednesday praises Britain's involvement in the Operation Ellamy campaign in Libya, but raises several concerns. They include Nato's reliance on the US and the Royal Navy being forced to halt routine tasks to concentrate on...

Coalition will force NHS bill on to statute book, says David Cameron

PM to get behind Andrew Lansley as No 10 suggests it may have taken eye off ball, allowing opposition to reforms to grow

David Cameron is to rally behind his health secretary Andrew Lansley on Wednesday and insist that the coalition will force its health and social care bill on to the statute book despite growing opposition within the NHS and the Conservative party.

Speculation over Lansley's future in the cabinet was sparked by an unnamed No 10 insider being quoted saying he should be "taken out and shot".

The briefing was described as unauthorised, but No 10 acknowledged it may have taken its eye off the ball, allowing opposition to the bill to re-emerge.

Cameron and Lansley have met within the last 48 hours to discuss tactics. There is widespread frustration inside Downing Street at the way in which the professions were brought on side, but...