Every police force in the UK was tonight scouring the leaked British National party membership list for names of serving officers, after the Merseyside force confirmed it was investigating one officer's links to the far-right party.The Prison Service pledged to oust any employee on the list and far-right supporters spoke of fear for their livelihoods as the BNP was plunged into crisis.Party officials complained that hundreds of members had received threatening or abusive telephone calls within hours of the list being posted on the internet, and feared that the episode could lead to a damaging slump in support and membership.Merseyside police, who discovered the name of one of its constables on the list, identified him and said that he had served briefly as the chief constable's driver. A...

Britain is to lead an armada of EU warships to the Gulf of Aden next month to tackle the escalating problem of piracy in a mission expected to last 12 months.The naval fleet, under UK command, would "disrupt and to tackle the scourge of piracy", foreign secretary David Miliband said today on a visit to Beirut. Piracy threatens trade and prosperity, he added.EU military planners this week drew up a detailed mandate, including rules of engagement for the use of force, for the mission at a meeting at Northwood, Britain's joint operations centre in north-west London. Plans for the EU fleet, led by HMS Northumberland and known as Operation Atalanta, are due to formally agreed early next month, European defence officials said today.The EU fleet, originally proposed to escort boats carrying food...

The Bank of England sent out a clear message today that interest rates would be cut again next month when it revealed that the nine-strong monetary policy committee considered reducing borrowing costs by more than the 1.5 percentage points it announced earlier this month.Minutes of the MPC's November meeting showed that Threadneedle Street believed "a very significant reduction in bank rate - possibly in excess of two percentage points - might be required" to prevent inflation falling below the government's 2% inflation target.The City is now convinced interest rates will be cut by at least 0.5 points from 3% next month, because of the doveish tone of the MPC minutes coupled with a warning from the CBI that UK factories expect to cut output over the next four months at a rate not seen...

Edmund King: Britain's auto industry is in dire need of help. But a 1970s-style bail-out is not the...

Shannon Matthews' mother tells friends that she asked Michael Donovan to look after Shannon while she broke up with Craig...

Shareholders in Lloyds TSB have overwhelmingly backed the bank's merger with the ailing HBOS group after a stormy meeting which saw large institutions comprehensively out-vote smaller investors who were unhappy over the deal.Nearly 96% of Lloyds TSB shareholders voted to endorse the deal, paving the way for its agreed merger with HBOS early next year.But small shareholders - mostly elderly, some travelling from as far as Devon to Glasgow to make their points - assailed chairman Victor Blank with a series of questions about the controversial deal in which Lloyds will raise £5.5bn to boost its balance sheet and swallow its rival.The event in the cavernous Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre on the banks of the Clyde was supposed to last only two hours but overshot hugely as the...

"I know women in this country ... I think I can smell a British woman," said George Davis, rather creepily, a few years ago. Davies, who today announced his plans to step down as chairman of the Marks and Spencer brand Per Una, must have something seriously awry with his sense of smell. How else to explain the overpowering whiff of cheese that has permeated the Per Una section of M&S; the past few years? What started out in 2001 as an attempt to attract younger buyers is now a signifier of just how out of step with today's fashion-savvy consumer the entire M&S; empire has become. When Per Una first hit the high street, back in the days when Topshop was still cheap and Kate Moss was known only for her modelling, it was actually something of a success. So much so that Davies sold the brand...

BNP membership by...

A flight attendant helped steer a Heathrow-bound passenger flight to safety after the co-pilot suffered a breakdown in mid-air, investigators have revealed.The flight attendant was temporarily promoted to the cockpit after the captain of the Air Canada service ordered his colleague to be handcuffed and dragged from his seat. The flight attendant, a qualified commercial pilot, came forward after the captain asked the 155 passengers and crew if there were any professional pilots onboard. The unnamed attendant sat in the co-pilot's seat of the Boeing 767-333 jet as the Toronto to Heathrow service was diverted to Ireland's Shannon airport on January 28.The report by the Irish Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) said: "The commander requested that the flight attendant occupy the right-hand...

A British paedophile who ran a Christian missionary orphanage for abandoned street children in Albania has been sentenced to 20 years in jail after being found guilty of sexually abusing children. David Brown, 57, a charity worker from Edinburgh, opened the orphanage seven years ago, claiming to be receiving instructions from God. He was found guilty in Tirana's district court today of "sexual relations with minors".When the Guardian recently interviewed him in prison, Brown denied ever abusing the boys at the "His Children" orphanage, a ramshackle and overcrowded home for Gypsy children in Tirana, Albania's capital."I came to Albania because I wanted to help the Albanian children," he said. "Everything that I set out to do has been violated. I was these children's father."During his...

The doctor accused of failing to notice that Baby P had a broken back and ribs has spoken of her shock at the "tragic circumstances" of the child's...

The UK government was under fire today for "undermining" the European Union's fight against climate change by auctioning off carbon allowances for the first time and not earmarking the cash for "green" projects. Around four million permits are being distributed today under a new phase of the European Union's (EU) emissions trading scheme (ETS) with expected receipts of up to £60m going to the Treasury for general spending purposes."The policy of the UK government on this issue undermines the very purpose of the EU ETS... Auctioning undermines this flexible mechanism as it takes money away from those who can do something about climate change, the emitters, and it gives it to those who can't, the politicians," said James Emanuel at emissions trading broker, CantorCO2e.The Institute for...

Train company removes London to Norwich restaurant car as part of a wider cull of...

A recent survey showed many Brits had a woeful grasp of the UK and the world's geography. Can you do any better? Here are ten questions to...

Chair of the London organising committee for the Olympic games seeks to allay fears that the downturn could see sponsorship dry...

Former ITV political editor John Sergeant has quit Strictly Come Dancing.The popular contestant on the BBC1 entertainment show has pulled out following a storm over his continuing success, with judges such as Arlene Phillips questioning his commitment. He said today in a statement: "I am sorry to say I have decided to leave Strictly Come Dancing. It was always my intention to have fun on the show and I was hoping to stay in as long as possible. The trouble is that there is now a real danger that I might win the competition. Even for me that would be a joke too far. I would like to thank Kristina and all those viewers who have been rooting for me through the series."Phillips hit the headlines earlier this week after saying that if Sergeant won it would leave her feeling "desolate".She...

How many countries make up Great Britain? If you know the answer, you're among the precious few in the UK that do.A study to raise awareness of geography found that two thirds of people (65%) mistakenly believe Britain is made up of four countries, rather than the correct three: England, Scotland and Wales.Half of the 2,000 people surveyed (51%) wrongly believe English is the most spoken language in the world, as opposed to Mandarin Chinese. And one in 10 think Everest is Britain's highest mountain.Struggling with the "how many countries" question, 6% said Britain was made up of five countries, 3% thought one and 2% chose two.Yet asked what profession they would most like to be out of list of six, 23% of respondents said explorer, compared with doctor (22%), painter (16%), teacher (15%),...

Net immigration into the UK rose to 237,000 people last year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).The increase triggered a political row between government ministers and the Conservatives over immigration controls.Statistics released today reveal that the numbers arriving to live here for a year or more in 2007 fell slightly but the emigration level dipped significantly. Figures show that 577,000 people came to live in the UK for a year or more while 340,000 people left. In the previous year, the comparable figures were 591,000 people arriving in the UK and 400,000 leaving to live overseas. That produced a net immigration figure of 191,000 in 2006.The annual report from the ONS attempts to track arrivals at and departures from UK borders. Most of those arriving last year...

Minutes of November's MPC meeting raise expectations that rates could be cut to 2% next...

Too many schools are providing education that is "patently inadequate" and people in the most disadvantaged areas of the country are being let down the most, according to the chief inspector of schools.Overall, children's services spanning childcare, schools colleges and children's homes are good or outstanding, says the Ofsted annual report, but a significant minority are being let down by inadequate provision.The report, published today, also highlights failures in child protection systems, under intense scrutiny since the death of Baby P in Haringey. The report says that 8% of children's homes were judged inadequate at their most recent inspection.It highlights failures of staff to identify child abuse and judges 38 out of 92 serious case reviews, conducted after the death or serious...

New prostitution laws to be set out today will mean a plea of ignorance is no defence for men facing prosecution for buying sex from a woman who has been trafficked or is being exploited by a pimp.Under proposals to be published today by the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, a man who pays for sex with a woman who has been trafficked or is under the control of a pimp could face a charge of rape, which carries a potential life sentence.The new offence of paying for sex with somebody who is "controlled for another person's gain" is to carry a hefty fine and a criminal record.The decision to criminalise men who pay for sex with trafficked women is likely to have a widespread impact. The Metropolitan police have estimated that 70% of the 88,000 women involved in prostitution in England and Wales...

If the deal is approved, it will create a group with 145,000 staff and 3,000 branches across the...

The entire membership list of the British National party has been posted on the internet, identifying thousands of people as secret supporters of the far right and exposing many to the risk of dismissal from work, disciplinary action or vilification.The BNP leader, Nick Griffin, claimed today that he knew the identity of the person who published the list, describing him as a "hardliner" senior employee who left the party last year."He didn't like the direction the party was going and broke away, taking the list with him," Griffin told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.Around 13,500 names and home addresses were posted on a website on Monday evening.As well as names and addresses, the list includes the home and mobile phone numbers and personal email addresses of BNP members. It is thought...

Woolworths confirmed this morning it is in talks to sell its ailing high street chain, sending its shares...

Doctors have successfully carried out the world's first airway transplant on a young woman using an organ partly grown from her own stem cells in a groundbreaking operation which scientists believe will transform the future of surgery.Surgeons replaced a section of Claudia Castillo's windpipe, that had been irreparably damaged by tuberculosis, with a donated organ that was stripped of its cells and used as a scaffold for her stem cells. Because Castillo's body recognises her own cells in the replacement organ she does not need to take powerful drugs to suppress her immune system, unlike all other transplant patients. The technique raises the prospect of transplants for patients whose organs are damaged by cancer, who then cannot take the drugs as they increase the risk of cancer...

MPs have questioned BBC executives over the announcement that Jonathan Ross will return to broadcasting in January. By John...

Judges disqualify 17-year-old winner after angry mothers argue that she lives outside contest's catchment...

Labour backbenchers last night began to forecast a general election next summer after a day when the effects of the economic crisis slashed the Tory poll lead to three points and led David Cameron to abandon his commitment to match Labour spending plans if the Tories win power.Cameron's move liberates him to offer tax or spending cuts, but left him isolated in opposition to the government's plans to use short-term financial help to boost consumer spending and help the economy. The Tory leader claimed: "We cannot afford a massive tax giveaway." But his position was undermined as the Institute of Directors came out in favour of a £20bn stimulus, including a 3p cut in income tax, and the CBI also gave its support. The Mori survey yesterday showed Cameron's advantage had collapsed to...

Architect Irena Bauman takes the Guardian's northern editor Martin Wainwright for a stroll around Leeds and outlines her manifesto for being a happy...