More doubts about our Libyan allies expressed in Lords
Earlier in the week I reported how a senior Nato figure had suggested a “flicker” of al-Qaeda among the Libyan rebels, although this idea was later played down.
In the House of Lords today as peers debated the Libya action they were not exactly generous in their praise for our new allies – although they stopped short of mentioning AQ. Here is a sample of the comments: Read more
Coalition narrowly avoids Lords defeat on pension changes
The Telegraph and the Mail have today covered the story that the government will unveil a new universal state pension in an imminent green paper. The £140/week pension (rising to £155 in four years’ time) is roughly as anticipated when the story first broke last autumn. It is a less complicated system than the current basis state pension which can be topped up with additional benefits such as the pension credit.
What has barely been noted, however, is that the coalition nearly endured a defeat in the House of Lords on Wednesday night over its long-standing plans to lift Britain’s retirement age. Read more
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Jim Pickard is the FT's chief political correspondent, having joined the lobby team in January 2008. He has been at the FT since 1999 as a regional correspondent, assistant UK news editor and property correspondent.
Kiran Stacey is an FT political correspondent, having joined the lobby in 2011. He started at the FT as a graduate trainee in 2008, working on desks including UK companies and US equity markets before taking over the FT's Energy Source blog.
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