Victim seeks abuse investigation

2 November 2012 Last updated at 19:26 ET

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Abuse survivor Steve Messham: ''We have been swept under the carpet''

A man who was sexually abused as a child in care in Wales has called for a new investigation into the true scale of the abuse and who was involved.

Steve Messham was one of hundreds of children abused in the 1970s and 80s - exploitation brought to light by the Waterhouse Inquiry Report in 2000.

But he told BBC Newsnight the inquiry uncovered just a fraction of the abuse.

He and another victim also told the BBC a leading Thatcher-era Conservative politician took part in the abuse.

Since the Jimmy Savile sex abuse allegations surfaced, politicians have been raising questions about other historic abuse cases.

During the 1970s and 1980s almost 40 children's homes in north Wales were the scene of horrific child abuse in which youngsters were raped and abused by the very people who were paid to look after them.

In the early 1990s, allegations of the abuse started to surface and in March 1994 Clwyd County Council commissioned an independent inquiry into claims of widespread abuse across north Wales.

Professor Jane Tunstill, who was on that inquiry panel, told the BBC in 2000 that along with a "litany of abusive practices going on in the home on the part of the care staff" there were rumours that people outside the care system were also involved in the abuse.

'Shadowy figure'

However, the inquiry's report was never published and the copies were pulped to ensure that the local authority was able to maintain its insurance cover.

In the wake of this, and amid growing public pressure, in 1996 the-then Secretary of State for Wales, William Hague, ordered an inquiry into allegations of hundreds of cases of child abuse in care homes in former county council areas of Clwyd and Gwynedd between 1974 and 1990.

The tribunal, led by Sir Ronald Waterhouse, heard evidence from more than 650 people who had been in care from 1974 and took almost three years to publish its report.

Counsel for the inquiry mentioned the existence of a shadowy figure of high public standing, but said that there was no substantial evidence to support the allegations.

An investigation by BBC reporter Angus Stickler at the time of the report's publication revealed allegations of a much wider circle of abuse than that uncovered by the inquiry.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

One particular night that I always recall is when I was basically raped, tied down, and abused by nine different men"

End Quote Steve Messham Abuse survivor

He uncovered allegations of widespread physical and sexual abuse of children not just by care system staff, but that children were being lent to paedophiles from all walks of life including businessmen, police, and a senior public figure in a paedophile ring stretching beyond the borders of north Wales, to Chester, London, Brighton and beyond.

One of the victims that Angus Stickler spoke to in 2000 was Mr Messham, who described some of the abuse he suffered. Now, reporting for BBC Newsnight and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, he has re-interviewed Mr Messham.

"In the home it was the standard abuse which was violent and sexual. Outside it was like you were sold, we were taken to the Crest Hotel in Wrexham, mainly on Sunday nights, where they would rent rooms," Mr Messham recalled in this latest interview.

"One particular night that I always recall is when I was basically raped, tied down, and abused by nine different men."

He also stood by his claims then that his abusers included a leading Tory politician of the Thatcher era.

"You were taken by car, where basically you were sexually abused. Various things would happen, drink would be involved, it was basically rape. But it wasn't just him, there be other people involved as well," he said.

When asked how many times he was abused by the politician Mr Messham said:

"Off my head I couldn't give an exact number as it goes back many years but certainly more than a dozen."

Faxed photograph

In his new interview, Mr Messham also said that he had gone to the police in the late 1970s to report the abuse, but that he was not believed:

"I was called a liar. I was pinned up against a wall. I could still name to this day the police officer who had done it," he said.

"The police denied it and when they looked back, they finally admitted in the inquiry [that] statements were made. That's all they would say. They wouldn't say who was named in them. But they did admit I did make a statement of sexual abuse."

Mr Messham also insisted that his statements to the police included allegations of sexual abuse against the politician.

In his original investigation Angus Stickler also spoke to another victim who claimed to have been abused by the politician, as well as others.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

At that time... the idea that senior public figures; politicians; celebrities could be involved in child abuse was seen as a bit far-fetched"

End Quote Richard Scorer Solicitor for victims

Newsnight/the Bureau of Investigative Journalism has been unable to track him down for this latest report. However, in 2000 he described how as a teenager he was abused by the politician:

"We went out for something to eat and he pulled over in a layby and then, hey presto, oral sex took place," the man - who wanted to remain anonymous - said.

He told Angus Stickler that at the time, in the early 1990s, he went to North Wales Police to report the abuse, showing them faxed photographs of the senior Tory politician.

However, he said that the two police officers he showed the photograph to dismissed his claims, saying that since the pictures were faxed they were not sufficiently reliable evidence and no further action was taken.

The Waterhouse inquiry, which cost £12m to stage, promised to leave no stone unturned in its endeavour to uncover abuse.

However, there have been complaints that the terms of reference were too narrow, restricting investigations to abuse taking place within the care system, not beyond it.

"I don't understand why on Earth we had an inquiry when we had to leave out 30% of the abusers," Mr Messham said in his latest interview.

"And basically I was told to do that. I was told I couldn't go into detail about these people, I couldn't name them and they wouldn't question me on them."

Mr Messham says he wants a new investigation into what happened:

"I would like a meeting now with David Cameron. He's made a statement, a sweeping statement that abused people need to be believed, we haven't been believed, we've been swept under the carpet.

"It's time he knew the truth. It's time a full investigation took place and until I can meet with him and get some reassurance I don't believe we will get anywhere."

Richard Scorer, a solicitor with Panone and Partners, who represented 30 victims at the Waterhouse inquiry, believes the original remit of the inquiry and attitudes at the time were at the heart of the problem:

"The terms of reference were an important restriction. It's also fair to say at that time, and we're going back to the mid to late 1990s here, at that time the idea that senior public figures; politicians; celebrities could be involved in child abuse was seen as a bit far-fetched," he told Newsnight/the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

"We now know of course from recent revelations that it isn't far-fetched at all - and that's part of the reason why it's important that these allegations are looked at again," he added.

Anyone with information into these allegations - or who needs support on the issues raised in this article - can call the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000 or email help@nspcc.org.uk, or call their local police station by dialling 101.

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NY marathon off amid Sandy uproar

3 November 2012 Last updated at 01:07 ET

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BBC's Steve Kingstone: "A street re-made by a vicious act of nature'

This year's New York City marathon has been cancelled in the aftermath of the super storm Sandy, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced.

In a statement, he said: "We would not want a cloud to hang over the race or its participants, and so we have decided to cancel it."

Plans to press ahead with Sunday's event had prompted widespread anger in cyclone-ravaged parts of the city.

Ninety-six US deaths, 40 of them in New York, have been blamed on Sandy.

The storm had already killed 69 people as it swept across the Caribbean.

Across the US East Coast, some 3.5 million homes and businesses - 1.2 million in New York state alone - still have no electricity, four days after the storm made landfall.

Petrol shortages have also caused forecourt confrontations from New Jersey to Connecticut - one motorist was arrested after pulling a gun during an argument at a petrol queue.

In a bid to ease the fuel crunch on Friday, the US waived a law that normally bans foreign oil tankers from entering its north-eastern ports.

The Obama administration also ordered the purchase of up to 12m gallons (45m litres) of petrol and up to 10m gallons of diesel for areas affected by Sandy.

On Friday evening, musicians including Bruce Springsteen, Christina Aguilera and Billy Joel performed in an hour-long televised benefit for those affected by the storm.

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New York marathon runner: ''We are very angry.... (they should have) cancelled it before we came''

Staten Island's anger

Mayor Bloomberg had previously insisted that the marathon would go ahead and would "give people something to cheer about".

But in his statement, he said that while hosting the event would not, as critics had said, divert resources from the recovery effort, "it is clear that it has become the source of controversy and division".

"We cannot allow a controversy over an athletic event - even one as meaningful as this - to distract attention away from all the critically important work that is being done to recover from the storm and get our city back on track," he said.

Food, blankets, portable toilets, generators and other items originally intended for the race are being donated by the organisers to storm-hit areas of the city.

The New York marathon is the largest in the world, with than 47,000 runners - about 20,000 of them from overseas - registered to take part this year.

It had been due to start in Staten Island, the hardest-hit part of the city, where 19 people died as a result of Sandy.

But before the race was cancelled, US Representative Michael Grimm, whose district covers the island, told CNN: "We're still pulling bodies out of the water and the mayor is worried about marathon runners and returning to life as normal."

Other local politicians, Republicans and Democrats, had also demanded the race be stopped.

Anger has also been rising in Staten Island at delays in bringing aid, as residents pick through the debris of their storm-pummelled homes.

Sandy swamped the low-lying borough with record tidal surges, sweeping entire houses off their foundations.

The bodies of two boys, aged two and four, who were torn from their mothers' arms by rushing floodwaters, were recovered in a Staten Island marsh on Thursday.

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Time-lapse footage shows Sandy's passage over New York City - Footage courtesy New York Times

Earlier, some runners who had signed up for the race told local website Gothamist they would instead volunteer on Staten Island. As the cancellation was announced, other runners said they would do the same.

However, some runners criticised the mayor's decision as having coming too late, after they had already arrived in the city.

"We spent thousands of dollars to bring our family here, paid for hotel rooms, airline tickets," said Terri Butler from Houston, Texas. "Cancel it before we come."

Meanwhile, New York utility company Consolidated Edison has announced it has begun restoring electricity to parts of lower Manhattan - including tens of thousands in the East Village and Lower East Side.

The firm says many in Manhattan will see electricity return by Saturday, and most of the city will be connected again by 11 November. But some customers could be without power for weeks.

New Jersey remains the hardest hit by outages, affecting 1.5m people.

In the city of Hoboken, on the banks of the Hudson river, the National Guard has been evacuating those stranded by floodwaters.

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Rebels 'attack key Syria airbase'

3 November 2012 Last updated at 04:03 ET

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BBC's Peter Biles: "The rebel offensive began at first light"

Rebels in Syria say they have launched a major offensive to capture a key airbase in the north of the country.

Video posted on the internet showed fighters attacking the Taftanaz base in an attempt to control a strategic zone between Syria's two biggest cities, Aleppo and Damascus.

The attack comes a day before a crucial opposition meeting in Doha, Qatar.

It also follows the apparent murder of a number of Syrian troops by rebels, which drew international condemnation.

New leadership

The attack on Taftanaz took place as dawn broke, with five different units of rebel fighters opening fire with multiple rocket launchers, mortars and other weaponry, according to the video.

The BBC's Jim Muir, in neighbouring Beirut, says this appears to be a major operation aimed not just at striking the airport, but at occupying it.

In recent months, the government forces have been making increasing use of air power to strike areas held by the rebels, who lack anti-aircraft weapons to deter the attacks.

Rebel forces are reported to have taken control of the main roads in much of the area south-west of Aleppo.

The video said the rebel groups involved included several brigades of the Free Syrian Army, but also the radical Islamist al-Nusra Front.

Our correspondent says that although nothing certain has been established, al-Nusra has been named in connection with the killing of captured army soldiers two days ago at Saraqeb, just 15km (10 miles) from where this latest attack is taking place.

The UN has said the video that appears to show the murder of the soldiers or pro-government militiamen could be evidence of a war crime.

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Video allegedly showing the shooting of Syrian troops drew international condemnation

The footage shows gunmen beating and shooting a group of prisoners who were cowering on the floor.

On Friday, the US said it "condemned human rights violations by any party in Syria".

State department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said: "There is no justification for that kind of behaviour ever. Anyone committing atrocities should be held to account."

The question of apparent brutality by some rebel units has become a serious concern ahead of the major opposition meeting being held in Qatar this weekend.

Continue reading the main story

At the most basic level, Western governments who oppose the Assad regime need a single address for their diplomatic contacts"

End Quote Jonathan Marcus BBC diplomatic correspondent

The US is hoping a new leadership will help unify the disparate opposition elements and bring a successful conclusion to an uprising that has killed more than 36,000 people since protests against President Bashar al-Assad erupted in March 2011.

Divisions have arisen not just between Islamist and secularist groups, but also between those operating inside Syria and opposition figures working abroad.

Ms Nuland said there was a need for cohesion of rebel forces within Syria and a strong organisation outside the country that could work with the international community.

A previous opposition meeting in Cairo in July accepted that the Assad government must fall but failed to appoint a committee to act for the opposition internationally.

The US this week signalled the opposition needed to be expanded from the main overseas grouping, the Syrian National Council, to take in more of those operating inside Syria.

Representatives at Doha will include various other religious and secular groupings, plus Kurdish figures and dissident members of Mr Assad's Alawite sect.

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US rivals to target swing states

3 November 2012 Last updated at 07:02 ET

The US presidential election rivals are preparing for a crucial swing through key battleground states that will determine who wins next Tuesday.

Barack Obama campaigns in Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa and Virginia on Saturday, while Mitt Romney targets New Hampshire, Iowa and Colorado.

Both candidates will visit the Iowa town of Dubuque within hours.

Opinion polls suggest the rivals are almost tied, although Mr Obama is slightly ahead in most swing states.

The BBC's Paul Adams in Washington says that, on the eve of the election, the pendulum appears to be moving towards Mr Obama, as the opinion polls are not shifting in Mr Romney's favour in enough battleground states.

Our correspondent adds that Mr Obama has arguably had the better of the past week, given Friday's moderately good news on the employment front and the wide praise of his handling of the aftermath of Storm Sandy. He also won the endorsement of independent New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Tipping point?

Correspondents say Mr Romney has the tougher task for victory on Tuesday, as he must win a majority of the nine most keenly contested states.

Continue reading the main story

Mitt Romney does not seem to have the same confidence he had a week earlier "

End Quote

But Mr Obama's opinion poll lead in all the swing states is within the margin of error and Tuesday's vote is likely to be close.

The election is run using an electoral college. Each state is given a number of votes based on its population. The candidate who wins 270 electoral college votes becomes president.

Ohio is proving to be a tough battle and, with 18 college votes, could prove a tipping point.

Mr Obama begins his Saturday campaigning in the Ohio town of Mentor, while Mr Romney staged his biggest rally of the campaign so far - 18,000 people - in West Chester on Friday.

Mr Romney was joined by former primary rivals Rick Santorum and Rick Perry, as well as the defeated 2008 presidential candidate John McCain.

Mr Romney said: "We're almost home. One final push will get us there. The door to a brighter future is there, it's open, it's waiting for us."

The Republican, whose main manifesto pledges are lower taxes and a $500bn federal budget cut by 2012, said Friday's jobs report was actually a "sad reminder that the economy is at a virtual standstill".

Barack Obama has held mid-range rallies so far but plans to increase the size over the weekend, when he will be joined by former President Bill Clinton in Virginia on Saturday and in New Hampshire on Sunday.

Mr Obama campaigned hard in Ohio on Friday, highlighting his decision to bail out indebted US carmakers in 2009, a move that was politically unpopular but which he says helped restore the industry.

The president's manifesto sets out tax rises for the wealthy and more funding for job creation.

Mr Romney has tried to make inroads into Pennsylvania, where opinion polls suggest the Democrats lead by four to five points but which would be a crucial boost to his chances if he could secure its 20 college votes.

The Republican challenger has also wooed Michigan and Minnesota, forcing the Democrats into late advertising there.

Early voting has been a key focus of this presidential election - some 25 million voters have already cast ballots in 34 states and the District of Columbia.

Some states have released the affiliation of early voters, giving Mr Obama an edge in Florida, Iowa, Nevada, North Carolina and Ohio, while Mr Romney is favoured in Colorado.

However, the figures suggest Mr Obama does not have the lead he had over Mr McCain four years ago.

Nevertheless, the Obama team has released data showing that two-thirds of those who have voted early are women, young people, blacks and Hispanics - demographics the Democrats say favour them.

The BBC will be providing full online live results of the US presidential election on 6 November. More details here

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Savile: BBC 'witch-hunt' attacked

3 November 2012 Last updated at 07:18 ET

There has been a "disturbing relish" in the way critics have laid into the BBC over the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal, Jonathan Dimbleby has said.

The broadcaster told the Times newspaper there has been a "witch-hunt" against the corporation, which had become "horribly out of proportion".

"The real focus should be on what Savile did wrong," Mr Dimbleby said.

It was "very distressing" that people were being "hounded" in a way that was "unwarranted" at the BBC, he added.

Presenter Mr Dimbleby, who first worked at the BBC in the late 1960s said: "Paedophilia is a huge national problem that no one thought about 50 years ago and is now something that concerns everyone, but this has become a witch-hunt against the BBC.

"Organisations that have come under flack recently such as newspapers and MPs want to get their revenge. They think the BBC is too smug and holier-than-thou.

"But there is a disturbing relish in the way the critics have laid into the BBC, holding today's office-holders to account for what happened 30 years ago," he told the paper.

Other historical allegations of abuse have since come to light in the wake of the Savile allegations.

A victim of child sex abuse in north Wales has told BBC Newsnight that his abusers included a leading Thatcher-era Conservative politician, and called for a new investigation.

On Saturday, the Sun newspaper claimed that actor Leonard Rossiter, who died in 1984, watched an 18-year-old extra in a BBC play being sexually assaulted in a rehearsal room.

The BBC said it could not comment on individual cases, but asked "anyone with allegations of this nature to report them to the BBC's Investigation Unit or the police directly".

"As this has already happened in this case, the BBC will help the police in any way that it can in the course of any investigation," a spokeswoman said.

Independent review

Continue reading the main story

• Operation Yewtree: Scotland Yard criminal investigation into sexual abuse claims
• BBC investigation into management failures over the dropping of Savile Newsnight report
• BBC investigation into culture and practices during Savile's career and current policies
• BBC investigation into handling of past sexual harassment claims
• Department of Health investigation into Savile's appointment to Broadmoor "taskforce" and his activities at Broadmoor, Stoke Mandeville Hospital and Leeds General Infirmary
• Director of Public Prosecutions review into decisions not to prosecute Savile in 2009

Police believe former BBC presenter and DJ Savile, who died last year aged 84, could have abused as many as 300 people over a 40-year period.

They have described him as a "predatory sex offender" and are following 400 lines of inquiry.

On Friday, comedian Freddie Starr was released on bail after being arrested on Thursday and questioned twice by police.

Mr Starr, of Warwickshire, 69, was arrested under Operation Yewtree on suspicion of sexual offences and has been bailed until December. He denies claims he groped a girl of 14 while in a BBC dressing room with Savile.

Police say Mr Starr's arrest falls under the strand of the investigation classed as "Savile and others".

On Sunday, ex-pop star Gary Glitter was arrested and bailed after being questioned as part of the inquiry.

Glitter, 68, whose real name is Paul Gadd, was arrested at home and questioned at a London police station before being released on bail until mid-December.

Meanwhile, Savile's estate, the BBC and three other organisations are facing the prospect of legal action.

Liz Dux, from law firm Russell, Jones and Walker, said letters had been sent to the Savile estate, Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Broadmoor, Leeds General Infirmary and the BBC saying 20 clients who claim they were abused by the late presenter are considering legal action.

An independent review into BBC Newsnight's dropping of a programme about the allegations against Savile will report later this month.

Led by ex-Sky News boss Nick Pollard, it will seek to establish whether there were any "failings" in the decision to drop the Newsnight investigation.

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Jimmy Savile's £4m estate frozen

1 November 2012 Last updated at 03:06 ET

The estate of television presenter Jimmy Savile has been frozen in response to the sex abuse claims made against him, NatWest bank says.

The bank, which is acting as the late DJ's executor, said: "Given the claims raised, distribution of the estate has been put on hold."

Savile's estate is thought to be worth about £4m.

Lawyers representing those who claim they were attacked by Savile are planning to sue the estate for damages.

Police believe the former BBC presenter and DJ, who died last year aged 84, could have abused as many as 300 people over a 40-year-period.

They have described Savile as a "predatory sex offender".

Scotland Yard has said it is following about 400 lines of inquiry as part of the investigation into claims Savile abused hundreds of young girls and some boys, sometimes on BBC premises.

Continue reading the main story

• Operation Yewtree: Scotland Yard criminal investigation into sexual abuse claims against Savile and others linked to the presenter
• BBC investigation led by former Sky News head Nick Pollard into management failures over the dropping of Newsnight report about Savile
• BBC investigation led by former Appeal Court judge Dame Janet Smith into corporation's culture and practices during Savile's career and current child protection and whistle-blowing policies
• BBC investigation led by Dinah Rose QC into handling of past sexual harassment claims
• Department of Health investigation into its own conduct in appointing Savile to lead a "taskforce" overseeing management of high security psychiatric hospital Broadmoor in 1998 and probes into Savile's activities at Broadmoor, Stoke Mandeville Hospital and Leeds General Infirmary
• Director of Public Prosecutions review into decisions by the Crown Prosecution Service not to prosecute Savile in 2009

He is also alleged to have carried out abuse at a number of other institutions, such as the high security psychiatric hospital Broadmoor, Stoke Mandeville Hospital and Leeds General Infirmary.

The former BBC TV presenter and DJ, who was knighted in 1996, had been a household name since he presented the first edition of Top Of The Pops in 1964.

The BBC has already announced inquiries into the Savile abuse claims. The first, led by former Sky News head Nick Pollard, is examining whether there were any failings in the BBC's management of the Newsnight investigation into Savile abuse claims.

It emerged recently a Newsnight report into abuse allegations against Savile was dropped in December 2011, shortly before the BBC ran Christmas tributes to the late presenter.

A huge number of claims later came to light following an ITV documentary - Exposure: The Other Side of Sir Jimmy Savile - about the alleged abuse that was broadcast early last month.

Former Court of Appeal judge Dame Janet Smith has begun a review into the culture and practices of the corporation during Savile's time at the BBC. A further review will examine sexual harassment policies at the BBC.

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Osborne: Real EU vote test ahead

1 November 2012 Last updated at 05:25 ET

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George Osborne: "We'll only do a deal if it's good for Britain"

Chancellor George Osborne says that the "real test" of the government's authority will come when any proposed EU budget deal is put before MPs.

He spoke to the BBC after Labour backed Tory rebels to defeat the government and call for a real-terms cut in EU spending between 2014 and 2020.

Mr Osborne said the government would only put to MPs any proposed deal which it thought was good for UK taxpayers.

Labour described Wednesday's defeat as a humiliation for David Cameron.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

There's always a row in Europe over how much money should be spent and how it should be divided up.

Remember that the EU is a club of 27 countries - all with different priorities. There are several who - like Britain - believe that since national governments are making cuts now, so too should the EU.

Then there are those (many in eastern Europe) who want a larger EU budget that would focus on investment and help create growth. For those outraged by the idea that the EU should get more money - the Commission here in Brussels points out that Britain and others together took decisions that expanded the size of the EU and increased its powers.

That costs more money. They also say that the EU is cheap. EU spending as a proportion of the size of its economy is a fraction of that of UK government expenditure.

Others point out the benefits of membership of the club - most notably the single market which generates far more in terms of income for Britain each year than the treasury pays to Brussels.

Such arguments don't sit well with many Eurosceptics, who believe the EU is a bureaucratic institution that bleeds money.

It's a row not just in the UK, but across the continent - with a summit towards the end of the month at which all 27 have to agree. If they don't, the negotiations will be scuppered and Europe plunged into another crisis.

But Mr Osborne accused the opposition of taking a step away from government by being opportunistic - saying they were making the same mistakes the Conservatives had in opposition after losing the 1997 election.

Although Wednesday's vote was not binding, it was embarrassing for the Tory leader and has led to some comparing the splits on Europe with those suffered by John Major's government in the 1990s.

The prime minister has said he would "at best" like to see the budget cut, and "at worst" seek to have it frozen.

The budget amendment, passed by 307 votes to 294, comes ahead of key talks next month.

The defeat, the most significant since the coalition came to power in May 2010, came despite efforts by ministers to woo rebels and Mr Cameron earlier saying he would veto any budget deal that was not good for Britain.

The rebel amendment was passed after a stormy debate in Commons on the 27-member union's next seven-year budget and UK contributions.

The European Commission's proposed budget for 2014-2020 would see a 5% increase in spending on the current seven-year period.

Government supporters said it would be "nigh on impossible" to negotiate a budget reduction given the lack of support among other EU nations and urged MPs to back Mr Cameron's call for an inflation-linked rise as the minimum acceptable outcome.

Mr Osborne told BBC Radio 4's Today programme "I want a cut in the EU budget, David Cameron wants a cut in the EU budget" and both were determined to "end the outrageous increases in European spending".

He refused to rule out a possible a cut in the EU's budget, saying it was the "beginning of a negotiation".

Election warning

"We've got to listen to what the House of Commons said last night. We've got to listen to all Conservative MPs and coalition MPs," he added.

He emphasised too that the real decision for MPs would come - in around a year's time - when it came to ratifying any deal the government reaches in Brussels.

"If it comes to a vote, the House of Commons will face a choice - a deal or no deal," he said - adding that the alternative to ratifying a multi-year deal would be a series of annual negotiations.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

Voters were waking up once again to hear two Tories rowing about Europe after a news bulletin about a prime minister who had lost a Commons vote"

End Quote

Former Conservative minister Sir Tony Baldry told the same programme: "If colleagues want the Conservative Party to be in government after the next general election then we're going to have to start supporting the prime minister when he goes to negotiate on behalf of Britain."

Asked if it was a re-run of the Major government, he said electors "do not vote for parties that they see as being divided", adding the only people who were "chuckling" as a result of the rebellion were Labour leader Ed Miliband and his party.

But Conservative rebels said that by backing the rebel amendment Parliament would be sending a clear message and strengthening Mr Cameron's negotiating hand.

Sarah Wollaston MP, who was among the Conservative rebels, told BBC Radio 4's Today her party was "absolutely united on Europe" and Mr Cameron had been given a mandate to push for a "real cut".

"I don't know a single Conservative MP who wanted to see an increase in our contributions by £300m a year, because that's what we mean by a real terms freeze. It's still, in fact, an increase from us."

She said the vote was "about saying to the prime minister 'when you go into those negotiations, the country wants to see Europe get real'". She said she has "full confidence that our prime minister will deliver the very best deal he can".

As the fall-out of the defeat continued, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg - Lib Dem leader - said in a speech on Europe that Labour had been "dishonest" and "hypocritical" in changing its policy on the issue.

Labour criticism

In the speech to the Chatham House international affairs think-tank, Mr Clegg said Labour was well aware there was "absolutely no prospect" of achieving a real-terms cut.

"Their change of heart is dishonest, it's hypocritical. And worst of all, Labour's plan would cost the taxpayer more, not less," he said.

Continue reading the main story

What is the UK's net contribution to the EU?

• The UK is one of 12 EU members which makes a net contribution to the EU budget - meaning it pays in more than it gets back in EU funding.
• But there are different figures for what the UK's net contribution is depending on how it is calculated.
• The EU financial year runs from January to December. The Treasury says that in 2011 the UK net contribution to the EU budget was £8.1bn. But for the UK financial year, running from April 2010 to March 2011, the Treasury says the contribution was £8.91bn.
• The European Commission has a different figure. In 2011 it says the UK's net contribution was 7.25bn euros (£5.85bn; $9.4bn).

"Because in pushing a completely unrealistic position on the EU budget - one that is miles away from any other country's position - Labour would have absolutely no hope of getting a budget deal agreed."

In his speech Clegg went on to say: "We've been waiting for years for the Labour Party to finally announce how they would cut spending.

"Now they have finally come out in favour of cuts but in a way they know is undeliverable, and in a way that would hurt British taxpayers. And it turns out even their cuts cost money."

He also said that the Tory rebels have "absolutely no hope" of achieving their goal of forcing the EU to cut spending.

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls said there had been cross-party support for the idea of reducing EU expenditure at a time of austerity at home.

"It is not about party politics, it is about the national interest. Parliament has spoken and David Cameron has got to listen and deliver."

Shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander responded to the criticism of Labour's stance by saying its policy had been "consistent and clear" since July and it believed the "right approach for Britain, in fact the right approach for Europe, was to go for a real-terms cut".

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Comet 'on edge of administration'

1 November 2012 Last updated at 07:00 ET

Comet, the electrical retailer, is close to going into administration, putting about 6,000 jobs at risk, reports say.

The company, bought by private equity firm OpCapita last year for just £2, has struggled from the downturn in consumer spending.

Two weeks ago, OpCapita said it was examining a number of potential bids for 240-strong chain.

But there are reports Comet will appoint an administrator imminently.

The Financial Times and trade journal Retail Week said that OpCapita had lined up Deloitte to act as administrator, which would run the business as a going concern while it assesses options for sales, closures and liquidation.

Comet was sold to OpCapita last February by Kesa Electricals, which had also struggled to turn around the business. Comet is thought to have had operational losses of about £35m last year.

The economic downturn and pressure on consumer spending has led many people to put off purchases of big-ticket items such as TVs and large appliances. But sales of such items have also moved increasingly online.

Dan Wagner, a technology entrepreneur who has backed several internet businesses, told the BBC that Comet "was an accident waiting to happen" because successive managements had failed to understand the online world.

Retailers must now offer multi-channel options - shops, a website, purchases via mobile phones - to be successful, he said. "Comet failed to understand the importance of this for driving business."

Should Comet go under, it would be one of the biggest retail casualties since the demise of Woolworths in 2008. Other recent High Street collapses have included JJB Sports, Clinton Cards, Blacks Leisure, Game, and Peacocks.

America's Best Buy recently pulled the plug on 11 giant electrical stores after failing to make inroads into the UK market.

Comet was founded in 1933 as a business charging batteries for wireless sets. It opened its first store in 1968, in Hull, and was bought by Kingfisher in 1984, which expanded the Comet brand into one of the most familiar names on the High Street.

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US campaign restarts after Sandy

1 November 2012 Last updated at 07:49 ET

President Barack Obama is to resume an election campaign suspended in the aftermath of storm Sandy, which wreaked havoc in the north-eastern US.

Mr Obama visited storm-hit New Jersey on Wednesday, while Republican rival Mitt Romney has been holding rallies after restarting his own campaign.

Meanwhile New York's first subway trains set off since Monday, when the network closed for the storm.

Sandy left at least 64 dead in the US, causing havoc on the east coast.

It cut power from millions of homes and paralysed transport.

The storm made landfall on Monday night in New Jersey, where some 20,000 people remain trapped in their homes by sewage-contaminated floodwater.

Continue reading the main story

The president might have spent another day above the fray, but he is heading out west, where it seems his team think supporters may need a little personal encouragement to vote"

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In New York City, the storm brought a record tidal surge that swamped the subway system and caused widespread blackouts.

Earlier, it killed nearly 70 people in the Caribbean and caused extensive crop destruction in impoverished Haiti.

Severe congestion

New York has begun a slow recovery from the storm.

Subway trains started running again at around 05:30 (09:30 GMT) on Thursday, but services were limited and there were no trains in lower Manhattan.

The New York Times reported that some trains were relatively empty.

Many bus services are already back on the roads, and most of the city's bridges have reopened.

But the newspaper said that on Wednesday there was severe congestion in the streets, and buses were extremely slow and crowded. TV footage showed similar scenes on Thursday.

Police are refusing access to Manhattan to vehicles carrying fewer than three people.

New York State governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that all fares on commuter trains, subways and buses will be waived on Thursday and Friday, in the hope of relieving traffic jams.

As the city struggled to return to normal, people were seen gathering round power strips in the street to recharge their mobile phones and filling up buckets of water at fire hydrants.

The New York Stock Exchange reopened on generator power after two days of closure, along with the Nasdaq exchange.

But New York City's Bellevue Hospital had to order the evacuation of some 500 patients after back-up electricity failed.

The Holland Tunnel, connecting New Jersey and New York City, remains flooded.

Flights have now resumed at JFK and Newark Liberty airports. The city's LaGuardia airport is also expected to reopen on Thursday. Nearly 20,000 flights were grounded by Sandy.

'Long haul'

Mr Obama has planned campaign stops on Thursday in Nevada, Colorado and Wisconsin.

On Wednesday, he toured parts of New Jersey struck by the storm with Republican Governor Chris Christie.

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President Obama pledged help for those affected by Sandy as he visited Brigantine, New Jersey

"You guys are in my thoughts and prayers," the president said during a visit to an emergency shelter in Atlantic City. "We are going to be here for the long haul."

Of more than six million homes and businesses across the north-east that still have no electricity, a third of them are in New Jersey.

In the New Jersey city of Hoboken, across the Hudson River from New York City, the National Guard has arrived to evacuate about 20,000 people and distribute meals.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, usually one of Mr Obama's fiercest critics, spoke of his "great working relationship" with the Democratic president.

"I cannot thank the president enough for his personal concern and compassion for the people of our state," said Mr Christie.

Mr Romney held two rallies in Florida on Wednesday, where his campaign said he tried to strike a "positive tone".

Election day is on 6 November, and polls suggest the candidates are running neck and neck.

Eight out of ten voters in a Washington Post/ABC poll gave Mr Obama an "excellent" or "good" rating for his handling of the emergency.

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Prison officer murdered on M1

1 November 2012 Last updated at 07:58 ET

A prison officer has been murdered after shots were fired at his car, which then crashed on the M1 in Northern Ireland.

The shooting happened on the Belfast bound carriageway between the M12 Portadown exit and the Lurgan interchange at 07:30 GMT on Thursday.

Police are investigating a link between the attack and a burnt-out car found in Lurgan, County Armagh.

NI's first and deputy first ministers condemned this "brutal attack".

In a joint statement, Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness said there could be no justification for this murder.

"People who work for the Prison Service play a crucial role in our community and any attack on them is an attack on all of us," they said.

"Actions like this have no place in society and those who carried out this murder have nothing positive to contribute.

"We refuse to let the people behind this attack divert us from building a better and peaceful future for everyone."

NI Secretary Theresa Villiers said it was "a cowardly and evil attack".

"The thoughts and deepest sympathy of us all are with the family, friends and colleagues of the murdered prison officer," she said.

"Like his colleagues across the prison service he was dedicated to serving the whole community in Northern Ireland. This is in stark contrast to the people responsible for this despicable crime."

Labour's Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Vernon Coaker said the attack was "sickening and despicable".

"Prison officers do a remarkable job in very difficult circumstances. An attack on any one them is an attack on the criminal justice system, the law and the community," he said.

SDLP assembly member for Upper Bann, Dolores Kelly, said the incident was "sickening and disturbing".

East Belfast MP Naomi Long also expressed sadness following the shooting.

"It has particular ramifications for people," she said. "It is very distressing but also very upsetting in a political way. What the people in Northern Ireland want is for this to be over."

This is the thirtieth prison worker to be murdered since 1974 in Northern Ireland.

The last prison officer killed was Jim Peacock who died on 1 September 1993.

Loyalist paramilitary gunmen from the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) sledgehammered their way into the Peacock family's Joanmount Park home in north Belfast and shot him dead.

The motorway has been closed in both directions.

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