Author: By Andy McSmith

With both sides blaming the other for the impasse, it appeared yesterday that the dispute could still be rumbling on when the general election is called.

“There will be no strikes over the Easter period, as we already promised, but further industrial action will be called to take place after 14 April if the dispute has not been resolved,” Len McCluskey, who led negotiations on the union side, said yesterday.

Read more on BA cabin crew to strike after talks with airline break down…

Defending the comments left by BellaMack, a spokesman says staff “cannot
be expected to be automatons”, but admits the moderator “was
reminded of guidelines”. So who is the mischievous BellaM? Step forward
Isabella Mackie, or, as her birth certificate records, Isabella Rusbridger,
daughter of Alan, editor of The Guardian. As she wrote in one thread: “Eff
me, I’m famous. But not in a good way. Or maybe in a good way. Depends.”

Read more on The feral beast: Editor’s immoderate offspring…

Author: By Andrew Grice, Political Editor, and Sean O’Grady, Economics Editor

The Tories claimed the Prime Minister made a secret deal with Nicolas Sarkozy
in which the French President backed the Labour peer Baroness (Cathy) Ashton
as Europe’s “foreign minister” on Thursday, in return for being
able to put his man in as the commissioner in charge of financial services
and the internal market.

Read more on Tories accuse Brown of selling out the City in deal with France…

Yesterday it was David Cameron’s turn and like the Prime Minister ? he did not come away unscathed. A faulty laptop was apparently to blame for the Tory leader’s momentary absence from his eagerly anticipated appearance on the online forum. Technical problems also meant he was slow to answer the questions put to him by the website’s users, which provoked angry responses from many taking part.

Read more on Cameron keeps Mumsnet waiting…

Author: By Ben Russell, Political Correspondent

In an interview with The Independent, the Liberal Democrat leader demanded the scrapping of new nuclear and coal-fired power stations, instead proposing the establishment of a renewables delivery authority to oversee a massive expansion of wind, solar and wave energy, funded by guaranteed premium prices for green energy.

Read more on Clegg reveals his grand vision on renewable energy…

Author: By Nigel Morris, Deputy Political Editor

The complaints were led by Sir Christopher Kelly, the anti-sleaze watchdog, who said he was “disappointed” by the omission. He listed 10 measures he believes need to be passed into law before the general election to ensure his reform plans are implemented in full.

Read more on MPs’ expenses ’still a mess’…

Author: By Vanessa Mock and Nigel Morris

Her appointment as the EU High Commissioner would satisfy calls for a woman to hold one of the EU’s two top jobs.

“We have to have a woman on board,” said one EU diplomat. “And there’s a growing consensus that we can’t have a stronger European foreign policy without having the British in pole position. It would be like having created the Euro without the German Deutschmark.”

Read more on Brown’s Baroness emerges from the shadows…

Author: By Andrew Grice, John Lichfield and Vanessa Mock in Brussels

Following a trade-off that managed to juggle the competing demands from Europe’s left and right political blocs, from the region’s big and small states and from those calling for a gender-balanced ticket, the victorious couple were formally anointed at a dinner of the European Union’s 27 leaders.

Read more on European leaders choose the path of least resistance…

Author: By Gavin Cordon, Press Association

The apparent concession came after the architect of the reform plan, Sir
Christopher Kelly, said he was “disappointed” that there was no mention of
it in yesterday’s Queen’s Speech.

Read more on Government plans ‘unravelling’ over expenses, says Cameron…

Author: By Nigel Morris, Deputy Political Editor

Sir Christopher Kelly, who this month drew up sweeping plans to overhaul the
Commons allowances system, said it was important for the new Parliament due
to be elected next spring to start with a “clean sheet”. He
protested that the “relatively straightforward” legislation
essential to establishing the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority
(Ipsa), which will police MPs’ expenses, was absent from the package.

Read more on Why were expenses spared? PM asked…