Osborne 'Not Distracted' By Claims Over Private Life

No 10 has said Chancellor George Osborne is "100% focused" on the economy amid allegations about his private life before he became an MP.









The claims, dating back nearly 20 years, were made in Australia by ex-escort agency boss Natalie Rowe, who had a child with a friend of the MP.

Ms Rowe also claimed her phone may have been hacked by the News of the World.

A spokesman for Mr Osborne has said there is "nothing new" in her claims, which have been repeatedly denied.

The News of the World published a photo of Mr Osborne and Ms Rowe on its front page in 2005, when the Conservatives were in opposition and Mr Osborne was running David Cameron's Conservative leadership campaign.

At the time, Mr Osborne said he had met Ms Rowe when he was 22 and she was the partner of a close friend of his who developed a serious drug problem.

But he strenuously denied any improper conduct himself.

In an interview with Australian broadcaster ABC, Ms Rowe repeated allegations first made in 2005 and also claimed police had told her that her name was on a list of phone numbers seized from private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, jailed for illegally intercepting voicemail messages in 2007.

The Metropolitan Police have not said whether her name had featured in their investigation into phone hacking allegations.

Asked about the allegations, a No 10 spokesman said it was "very clear to me that the chancellor is 100% focused on the UK economy".

A spokesman for Mr Osborne commented: "These are old allegations that were widely reported and denied years ago. There is nothing new in them."

Phone Hacking: 35-Year-Old Man Arrested By olice

A 35-year-old man has been arrested by officers from Operation Weeting investigating phone hacking at the News of the World, Scotland Yard says.









A total of 16 people have now been arrested as part of the investigation into phone hacking.

The BBC understand he is Raoul Simons, who was appointed deputy football editor of the Times in 2009.

He is being questioned by police in north London on suspicion of conspiracy to intercept voicemail messages.

Meanwhile, Guardian reporter Amelia Hill has been questioned over alleged police leaks, the newspaper said.

Ms Hill is believed to have been questioned under caution but not arrested in relation to the arrest of a Met Police detective constable last month who worked in the Operation Weeting team.

Scotland Yard says the "investigation continues" and they are not giving a "running commentary" on events.

Mr Simons moved to the Times from the London Evening Standard. News International, which publishes the Times, would not comment on whether he remained its deputy football editor.

A total of 16 people have now been arrested on suspicion of phone hacking - 15 of whom are still under investigation - since Operation Weeting was launched in January.

Scotland Yard's fresh investigation was set up to examine the illegal interception of voicemails.

Former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks and ex-Downing Street communications chief Andy Coulson are among those who have already been arrested as part of the inquiry.

The scandal has led Met Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson and Assistant Commissioner John Yates to resign, and the News of the World to close down after 168 years.

Shopkeeper Florist Raid Case: Ministers Plan Overhaul Of Self Defence Laws

Pressure is mounting on the government to speed up new legislation on self defence clarifying the law on self-defence in England in the wake of cases such as those of shopkeeper Cecil Coley












72-year-old shopkeeper Cecil Coley.












Police officers guard a house in Salford after a suspected burglar was stabbed to death during a break-in.












Police officers at the murder scene on Ethel Avenue in Salford.

Ministers are planning to clarify the law on self-defence in England, after a string of cases where home owners have faced prosecution for defending their property.

The arrest of Mr Coley, 72, on suspicion of murder following the death of Gary Mullings, 30, who had broken into his shop in Old Trafford placed the issue back in the national media spotlight.

Last month’s stabbing came just days after the Crown Prosecution Service decided no charges should be brought against householder Peter Flanagan, 59, who was arrested on suspicion of murder after the fatal stabbing of a burglar.

John Bennell, 27, was attacked after he broke into his home in, Pendlebury, Salford, in June.

The incident occurred just a few miles from Mr Coley's store in Old Trafford, Manchester.

The incidents led to calls for the Government to speed up new legislation clarifying the law on self-defence in England.

Kenneth Clarke, the Justice Secretary, had earlier said that householders who used “whatever force necessary” against intruders would not be committing a criminal offence .

David Cameron has also promised that the new Justice Bill would "put beyond doubt that home owners and small shopkeepers who use reasonable force to defend themselves or their properties will not be prosecuted".

Under the current law, home owners who use “reasonable force” – which is no more than is absolutely necessary – to protect themselves against intruders should not be prosecuted.

In late June Mr Clarke spelt out the sort of action that would be permitted under the new regime.

He made clear that it would remain illegal to pursue intruders to attack them or to shoot them as they fled.

Speaking about a person’s right to self-defence in their homes, Mr Clarke said there was "constant doubt" about the issue and the proposed legislation would make this "much clearer".

The Justice Secretary said: "It's quite obvious that people are entitled to use whatever force is necessary to protect themselves and their homes.

"If an old lady finds she has got an 18 year-old burgling her house and she picks up a kitchen knife and sticks it in him, she has not committed a criminal offence and we will make that clear.

“We will make it quite clear you can hit the burglar with the poker if he's in the house and you have a perfect defence when you do so."

He added: “We all know what we mean when we say a person has an absolute right to defend themselves and their home and reasonable force.

"Nobody should prosecute and nobody should ever convict anybody who takes those steps."

Labour said the law was "already clear" and the remarks were a "smokescreen" to hide confusion over sentencing changes.

London Council Ordered To Disclose Details Of Empty Properties

A judge has ordered a council to make public a list of empty homes after a squatting campaigner challenged its refusal to reveal the list under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.









Camden Council argued that disclosing the list could lead to organised crime in and around the properties.

However, the judge said any concerns were outweighed by the public interest in returning empty properties to use.

Camden has 28 days to comply with the FOI request.

The ruling was a victory for Yiannis Voyias of the Advisory Service for Squatters.

Mr Voyias argued that making the list public would "rejuvenate the empty homes debate" and put pressure on the government to tackle empty property.

He said academic researchers, homelessness charities - and even English Heritage - would benefit from disclosure of the number and location of unoccupied homes.

Camden's lawyers argued the disclosure of the list would compromise "the prevention or detection of crime".
'Not illegal'

Local police, who are backing the council's stance, said there was a link between squatting and crimes, including vandalism, running crack houses and threatening behaviour.

Camden also pointed out that, after a list of long-term empty homes in Lambeth was made public, the number of squatted properties in that borough almost doubled.

Under the ruling Camden will have to release information on all empty council owned properties and on private properties owned by a non-individuals that it knows to be unoccupied.

Judge Fiona Henderson accepted that disclosure of the list was likely to have "a negative impact on the prevention of crime".

But she said there was a lack of evidence that squatters were the source of more anti-social behaviour than rent-paying tenants.

She also emphasised the fact that squatting "is not illegal".

In a statement, Camden said it was considering its legal options.

MPs' Expenses: Labour's Margaret Moran Faces 21 Charges

Ex-Labour MP to appear before magistrates over charges including false accounting and forgery related to claims worth more than £60,000.












Former MP Margaret Moran, who is to face 21 charges in relation to claims she made for parliamentary expenses.

The former MP Margaret Moran is to face 21 criminal charges for allegedly making illegal parliamentary expense claims, the Crown Prosecution Service said on Tuesday.

The ex-Labour member for Luton South will be prosecuted on 15 charges of false accounting and six charges of forgery related to claims worth more than £60,000.

Investigations into Moran centred on allegations that she repeatedly "flipped" her designated second home, making claims for properties in London, Luton and Southampton over a four-year period.

Moran claimed more than £20,000 to have dry rot treated at her Southampton home, which is almost 100 miles from either her former constituency or Westminster, according to House of Commons documents. She has maintained that she is innocent of any wrongdoing.

She is the last of 10 MPs and peers whose parliamentary expense claims have been referred to a specially convened panel of police and prosecutors for assessment. Of those, seven have been referred for prosecution. The decision to prosecute comes more than two years after details of MPs' claims on their expenses were disclosed to a national newspaper. Detectives handed a file related to Moran's claims to prosecutors in December last year.

Keir Starmer, the director of public prosecutions, said that the charges followed a lengthy inquiry into claims made to furnish and improve her main residences.

"Having thoroughly reviewed the evidence gathered by the police, we have decided there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to bring criminal charges against Margaret Moran.

"The summons relates to 15 charges of false accounting, contrary to the Theft Act 1968. It is alleged that she claimed expenses for the furnishing and improvement of main residences between November 2004 and August 2008 through a scheme intended for the maintenance of second homes or offices.

"Ms Moran also faces six charges of forgery, contrary to the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981, where it is alleged that she submitted forged invoices in support of some of her claims," he said.

A decision on whether to prosecute was held up because of Moran's ill health. She had claimed that she was too unwell to be interviewed by detectives.

She has been summonsed to appear at City of Westminster magistrates' court, central London, on 19 September.

On 15 May 2009, the director of public prosecutions and the Metropolitan police commissioner set up a panel of senior police officers and senior prosecuting lawyers to assess complaints about parliamentary expense claims.

In total 10 files of evidence related to 10 individuals have been submitted to the CPS for a charging decision. Of those, seven cases including that of Moran have resulted in charges. No further action was taken in two cases and the request for a charging decision on one file was withdrawn by the police. There are no longer any cases to be considered by the panel.Former MPs David Chaytor, Eric Illsley, Elliot Morley, Jim Devine, and peers Lord Taylor of Warwick and Lord Hanningfield have been jailed over the scandal. Devine was released in August after serving four months of a 16-month sentence. Illsley and Chaytor were released and were tagged.

In 2009, Moran married her long-time partner of 30 years, Michael Booker, who lives and works at Southampton University as the safety adviser. They have no children. She has written that her personal interests include céilidhs, visiting historical sites, walking and eating curry.

Starmer warned the media over reporting of Moran's impending prosecution. "Margaret Moran now stands charged with criminal offences and has the right to a fair trial. It is extremely important that nothing should be reported which could prejudice her trial," he said.

A Labour party spokesman said: "Margaret Moran is suspended from membership of the Labour party and is no longer an MP."