Hilary Benn, shadow leader of the Commons, has written to the government to complain that the spending review debate on October 28 will only be a single day. His point is that this is only a fraction of the 4-day debate which follows each annual spring Budget. Tomorrow (Wednesday) there will be an immediate debate but it will only be an hour or so.

Here is the document:

Dear Sir George (Young)

I am writing to express my deep concern at the lack of time it seems that the House will have to debate the Comprehensive Spending Review, and to ask you to look at this again. Read more

Friends of the Earth have written to Greg Barker, climate change minister, threatening a legal challenge if the tariffs paid to homes, businesses and communities for generating small-scale renewable electricity are cut tomorrow.

The environmental charity warned that “feed-in tariff” levels have been set out by the government, with a clear statement that they will not be reviewed – let alone reduced – until 2013. Any change to tariff levels before this review could lead to a legal challenge from councils, community groups or small-scale energy producers who have already invested in renewable infrastructure, it says.

That seems likely to happen given a report in this morning’s Guardian that the “FIT” will be cut by 10 per cent. Read more

Social housing budget to be slashed by more than half (as predicted here on Sunday): BBC
Half of adults don’t realise that council budgets will be cut – Public Finance
Biggest defence cuts since World War 2 - FT
Trident to be delayed by up to five years - FT
How the carriers sank Britain’s defence strategy – Philip Stephens, FT
New aircraft carrier could be mothballed or sold - Alex Barker, FT
Private sector neither better nor cheaper than public sector - Nick Timmins, FT
Federation of Small Businesses criticises pro-Osborne businessmen letter - Independent Read more