Marriage Tax Breaks: Cameron Faces Revolt

Tax breaks for married couples will not be part of next month's Budget, a senior Government source has said.

The news is likely to upset many Conservative backbenchers who have suggested the change should be included in Chancellor George Osborne's next Budget in return for their supporting plans to introduce gay marriage.

The Conservative general election manifesto pledged to introduce a marriage tax break, and the commitment was included in the coalition agreement.

It is expected that one member of a married couple or civil partnership would be allowed to transfer £750 of their tax-free personal allowance to their partner, reducing their tax bill. This would be worth around £150 a year to basic-rate taxpayers.

But the senior Government source flatly rejected the idea of a "quid pro quo" deal, and ruled out a marriage tax break featuring in the Budget.

"It won't be in the Budget but it will be in this Parliament," the source said. "This Budget obviously, with all that has happened in recent weeks and months, will be very much focused on growth in the economy".

Mr Cameron views the introduction of same-sex marriage - which is expected to split his MPs when it is put to a Commons vote next week - as the "Conservative Party delivering the promise it made".

"This is a difficult issue for some in the Conservative Party and he understands the strong feelings that people have, and of course it's a free vote," the source said.

"He is proud of the fact that it's a coalition Government with strong Conservative participation that is bringing forward a modern and progressive change.

"It is good to encourage people to come together and stay together."

David Cameron is said to have 'full confidence' in George Osborne

The source also said Mr Osborne had the "full confidence" of the Prime Minister - insisting he will still be Chancellor at the 2015 general election.

It came as some MPs are said to be circulating a letter demanding that Mr Osborne is replaced as the economy continues to falter.

"He is an extremely successful Chancellor. He is battling very difficult economic circumstances," the source said.

"George Osborne will be Chancellor at the next general election."

The issue of gay marriage is causing Conservative party members to quit in significant numbers, according to The Times.

Backbenchers insist the issue has sparked "serious unrest" among the party's rank and file and are claiming some constituencies have lost as many as 100 card-carrying Tories each.

Conservative headquarters, however, does not hold up-to-date membership records, the newspaper said.

Tory MP David Burrowes told The Times: "There's serious unrest in the grassroots. You cannot avoid the fact that the troops are unhappy. People are drifting away."

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Seabird 'Pollution' Substance May Be Palm Oil

A mysterious sticky substance covering more than 100 birds which washed up on the coast of southern England could be palm oil dumped in the sea.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) was called in on Thursday after the troubled guillemots, a member of the auk family, were discovered on Lyme Bay near Weymouth, Dorset.

The seabirds were taken to West Hatch Animal Centre in Taunton, Somerset, but early attempts to clean them have been hampered by not knowing what the thick, white, substance is, said the RSPB's Grahame Madge.

Many were found on the shores of Chesil Cove in Dorset, but others appeared up to 200 miles away in Cornwall.

An investigation is continuing and Mr Madge said: "We could be dealing with quite a large incident as all these birds could be proved to come from the same pollution incident."

Sky's Ashish Joshi, reporting from Chesil Cove, said more of the birds have been washing up on the shore this morning.

He said of the RSPB: "They think it might be palm oil which has been dumped in a container load out there somewhere."

Joshi added: "If the birds get to this shoreline, they're exhausted, they're unable to fly, they can't get back into the water so their chances of survival are near to minimal.

"So it's important that members of the local community, including the RSPB, are coming to this shoreline and finding these birds."

The rescue operation is being run by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA). A spokesman said they were pleased with the public's willingness to help the stricken birds, but warned of the dangers involved.

The spokesman said: "We would urge people to be cautious going down to the coastline affected.

"The instinctive reaction is to go down and look, or to help out. But we don't know what this substance is, so our message is for people - especially those taking dogs down to the coastline - to please be careful."

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Aamir Siddiqi: Hitmen Guilty Of Teen's Murder

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

Two hitmen who managed to kill the wrong person have been found guilty of murder.

Ben Hope, 39, and Jason Richards, 38, were convicted of the murder of talented student Aamir Siddiqi.

Aamir, 17, was savagely stabbed to death by the pair after opening the door of his family home in Roath, Cardiff.

Prosecutors said drug users Hope and Richards had been paid £1,000 each to kill a local businessman who was involved in a property dispute.

Aamir Siddiqi (pictured) died on his doorstep in Roathe

They planned to carry out the "hit" at lunchtime on Sunday, April 11, 2010 and went to the house they believed belonged to the businessman.

Their intended target lived on Shirley Road in an affluent part of the city, instead they went to Ninian Road - the adjacent street. 

As he was expecting his Koran teacher to call, Aamir opened the door of his parents' home. Within seconds the masked men started attacking him with a knife.

They said nothing during the attack and the court heard how they made strange "howling noises".

Aamir's parents rushed to the front door and desperately tried to pull the men off their son.

Both parents were injured in the attack but they could not save their son, who had suffered fatal injuries.

Shortly after the killing, both defendants went shopping with their blood money.

Richards bought a new pair of trainers and a laptop computer.

A man who is still wanted in connection with the investigation is waiting to be extradited from India.

Outside the court, Aamir's sister Umbareen read a statement from her family.

"Aamir was a beautiful person with a bright future. If he was still with us he would be looking forward to turning 21 this year and completing his law degree," said Ms Siddiqi.

"We are pleased today that justice has finally been done and we can finally start to deal with the reality of losing Aamir," she said.

Umbareen Siddiqi (centre) said her family is pleased justice has been done

South Wales Police scoured an enormous amount of CCTV in their murder investigation.

If officers had viewed every frame they collected it would have taken eight years to watch.

Detective Superintendent Paul Hurley, of the South Wales Police Specialist Crime Investigations Team, said: "Aamir Siddiqi was a kind and talented young man who had a bright future ahead of him.

"He continues to be sorely missed by his family and all those fortunate to have known him.

"Despite being left totally devastated at losing their beloved son and brother in such tragic circumstances, Aamir's loving family have shown tireless strength and remarkable dignity throughout this ordeal.

"The investigation team was overwhelmed not only by their support but also that of the community who came forward with information and played an invaluable role during such as complex inquiry.

"South Wales Police would like to thank Aamir's family for their support, all the prosecution witnesses, and the community for ensuring the successful outcome here today at Swansea Crown Court."

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The Shard Opens Viewing Deck To Visitors

Thousands of tourists with a head for heights have scaled one of Europe's tallest skyscrapers for the first time.

Among the visitors to The View from The Shard on its opening day were James Episcopou, who proposed to his girlfriend Laura Taylor more than 240m above the ground.

James Episcopou and Laura Taylor celebrate their engagement

The 22-year-old got down on one knee moments after the Mayor of London officially opened the panoramic viewing platform on level 72 of the 310m (1,016ft) tower.

He said he had "no idea" Boris Johnson - and a host of journalists and photographers - would be there to share the moment.

"I've had it planned since July last year," he said. "When tickets first came out I thought I had to buy them. It's the perfect place to propose.

"Laura means everything to me and I wanted to make her feel on top of the world.

"We had no idea the media were going to be there, but when we arrived we saw Boris Johnson and there were cameras everywhere.

"When people plan a proposal they think 'how can I make it special?' I managed to do quite a good job."

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson delcares The View from The Shard open

Mr Johnson described The Shard's observation deck as "a most amazing place".

He said: "I don't think there's anything in London like this. It's the closest thing to being in an aeroplane and looking down on London.

"You can see all the bends in the river, you can see my office, you can see Buckingham Palace, you can see the whole (city) for 40 miles around."

A grey, overcast day greeted visitors to the attraction on its opening day

Some 4,800 people visited The Shard on its opening day, paying up to £24.95 for a ticket.

On a clear day, visitors are promised spectacular views of the capital - but visibility has been hampered by wet and cloudy weather so far.

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Kids Given Lessons On Dangers Of Social Media

By Emma Birchley, Sky News East of England Correspondent

The danger of posting personal information online is being taught to children as part of a pilot project to keep them safe from criminals.

Pupils at a primary school in Shropshire and a high school in Cambridge have been taking part in the trial launched by the Information Commissioner's Office.

The Information Commissioner, Christopher Graham, said: "I think the danger is of jigsaw identification. You can put little bits of information out there and somebody can piece it all together.

"So the name of the game with the primary school kids is to explain to them how the online world works and how there are organisations who make money by getting a hold of your information and selling it on to someone else."

Between January and October 2012, 35 million pieces of personal information were illegally traded online - up from 19 million during the whole of 2011.

As much as 90% of that trade was in the form of login and password details.

It helps to explain why 24% of UK residents have been the victim of identity fraud.

And the need to teach children early in life became even more evident after an expert at the London School of Economics recently estimated a million nine to 12-year-olds already use Facebook, despite the fact they are meant to be 13 before becoming members.

Mark Neighbour has been leading the pilot project at St Bede's School in Cambridge with year nine pupils.

He said: "We want them to think about what type of information could be used by a third party ... Why do they need to know their age for instance? Why do they need to know where they live? Why do they need to know where they shop?

"What we want them to do is question themselves before they put pen to paper or finger to a keyboard because once the information is gone, once they hit return, it's out there and anyone can get to it and use it."

Many children are also unaware that what may be quickly posted on the internet can potentially still be seen by universities or employers checking up on candidates years later.

Melissa, 14, was one of the pupils who attended the lessons.

"The internet is really scary and you should think twice before you start posting things. What you tweet, talk about on Facebook, pictures, things like that ... it's out there forever."

Rebecca, who is 13, thinks all pupils would benefit from the classes.

"It's actually helped everyone understand what we need to be aware of using the internet and what people can do."

Schools already warn children about online safety as part of the IT curriculum but these lessons are said to go into more detail about the importance of protecting personal data on the internet and in everyday life.

If the pilot proves a success, it will be rolled out in schools nationwide.

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Red Tape 'Strangling Youth Jobs Drive'

Attempts to get more than a million young people into work are being hampered by excessive bureaucracy and central government control, council leaders have claimed.

The Local Government Association (LGA) says a new, more local approach to tackling youth unemployment could reduce the number of young jobless people by a fifth.

In a report it complains of an "overly complicated" system of tackling youth unemployment, with 33 different national schemes covering 13 different age boundaries and costing £15bn a year.

The report says more than 94,000 people completed hair and beauty courses last year, even though there were only 18,000 new jobs in the sector.

By contrast, just 123,000 people were trained for around 275,000 advertised jobs in construction - more than two vacancies for every qualified person, said the LGA.

Young people at a jobs fair

David Simmonds of the LGA, said: "Youth unemployment is a worrying trend for us all, particularly long-term youth unemployment which has doubled since 2008 and continues to grow.

"All the evidence in this report points to the success that local organisations, such as councils, businesses and education providers, can achieve when working together... but this is being hampered by successive centrally-driven government approaches."

He added: "Councils are in a unique position and can play a pivotal role in identifying young people that are likely to slip into periods of long-term unemployment.

"But we need to be given the powers to prevent this happening and help equip future jobseekers with the skills, confidence and real-life experience they need to find work in their area."

The LGA said councils should be the main commissioners of employment programmes aimed at young people, not central government.

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Car Park Dug Up Around Marooned Mercedes

Workers were forced to resurface a car park around a stranded vehicle after its owner decided to move barriers to park there.

The area was blocked off by diggers at Edinburgh Waverley railway station, but when they turned up the next day, they found the Mercedes parked in the middle of the site.

Nonetheless, the workers got on with the job as planned and dug up the surface around the marooned blue car.

However, they also built a small ramp so the vehicle could be removed.

A Network Rail spokesman said: "Part of the car park had been cordoned off so we could begin resurfacing it and improve the lighting too.

"Whoever the driver was, he or she decided to move the barriers and park in the worksite anyway.

"We did the work but we left a ramp for them to exit and will be happy to return their vehicle if they contact us."

The scene was caught on camera by Twitter user Alice Robertson, who tweeted: "Not a good day to park in the Edinburgh Waverley car park."

The work is part of Network Rail's £100m refurbishment project of the station.

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Halal Prison Food Found To Contain Pork DNA

A company which supplies Halal meat to prisons has had its contract suspended after traces of pork DNA were found in pies and pasties.

The Ministry of Justice said it had withdrawn the products immediately, while justice minister Jeremy Wright said the Prison Service was investigating "as a matter of urgency".

It comes after traces of horsemeat were found in burgers sold by some UK supermarkets, including Tesco.

"All prisons have been informed about this very regrettable incident and we reported this issue to the Food Standards Agency immediately," a spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said.

"We are taking immediate steps to suspend the contract with the relevant sub-contractor."

Mr Wright said: "This is an absolutely unacceptable situation and one which we regret greatly.

"This must be distressing for those affected and they can be reassured we are doing everything we can to resolve the situation. The Prison Service is investigating this as a matter of urgency."

The company involved has not been named and it is not known where the firm is based.

Islamic law forbids the consumption of pork and prison rules dictate that Halal meat must be offered to inmates.

Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: "This lapse will have offended and distressed high numbers of Muslim prisoners and their families so apologising, suspending the supplier and investigating the incident are the right steps for the Ministry of Justice to take."

A spokesman for the Food Standards Agency said a local authority investigation would look into the cause of the contamination and determine where the products had been sent.

It is due to meet with retailers and suppliers to remind them of their responsibilities surrounding food labelling after the recent horsemeat scandal.

Burger King has dropped the Irish food processing plant which supplied the contaminated burgers.

The Silvercrest plant in County Monaghan, which is part of the ABP Food Group, has also lost contracts with Tesco, Aldi and the Co-operative Group.

A sample of Tesco's Everyday Value Beef Burgers was found to contain 29% horsemeat.

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RBS Told To Pay Libor Fine From Bonus Pot

Chancellor George Osborne wants any fine paid by the Royal Bank of Scotland over the Libor scandal to come out of its bankers' bonuses.

RBS, which is majority-owned by the taxpayer, is expected to agree a fine of £400-500m next week with US and British authorities.

It is accused of attempting to rig benchmark interest rates.

Sky's City Editor Mark Kleinman said: "A Treasury source has told Sky News that the money that the US regulators will fine RBS will have to come out of the bank's bonus pot.

Sky's Mark Kleinman said the demand is politically important

"It's very important politically, I think, for the Chancellor to be able to say that the taxpayer is not bearing the financial cost of misconduct by bankers who work for a company that is majority-owned by the taxpayer.

"The Treasury is obviously playing hardball on this, and we'll find out exactly how much RBS is going to be paying in fines in the coming days."

The Treasury expects the fines to be paid not just from the bonus pot for 2012 - likely to be around £250m - but money from future years' bonus pots as well.

RBS - which is 81% owned by taxpayers - is also looking to claw back up to £100m from pay deals previously awarded to executives in its investment bank.

The bank's remuneration committee, which is chaired by Penny Hughes, a non-executive director, is assessing plans for a "flat tax" on the pay packets of hundreds of directors and managing directors in its markets business.

The idea would involve about 15% of prior-year pay awards to the relevant individuals being clawed back, netting a total of as much as £100m.

"George Osborne is sending out a clear signal: 'You're paying for this, not us'," said Sky's Glen Oglaza.

"What the Treasury are saying is there won't be bonuses paid this year, but actually your bonuses are going to be clawed back not just this year but probably next year and the year after as well."

Barclays was fined £300m last year for its role in the scandal.

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Blackpool Burning Body: Teen Stabbed To Death

A 16-year-old girl whose body was found burning in an alley was stabbed to death, a post-mortem examination has found.

Sasha Marsden's body was set on fire after she had died from stab wounds to the head and face, police said.

Police cordoned off the area in South Shore, Blackpool, after her body was discovered at 9pm on Thursday.

A 22-year-old man was arrested nearby and police have been granted a further 36 hours to question him.

A woman aged 20 was also held but later released without charge.

Police released this image of Sasha

A police spokesman said: "Following the death of Sasha Marsden, a Home Office post-mortem examination has been carried out and has found that Sasha died as a result of receiving significant stab wounds to the head and face.

"It also showed that attempts were made to set the body on fire and this was after Sasha had died.

"The results have been shared with the family, and specially trained officers are continuing to support them."

The teenager was on a childcare course at college (Facebook picture)

On Friday, specialist crime scene investigators carried out forensic searches of the alley behind Kirby Road and at the Grafton House bed-and-breakfast hotel on the same road, which is a few streets off the Promenade.

Carl Evans, owner of the nearby Kimber Guest House, told Sky News he spotted the fire when he walked out into his back garden on Thursday evening.

"I heard the alarms going and saw the smoke, but I thought it was just someone burning rubbish," he said.

He added that some residents had attempted to put out the flames before realising it was a body on fire.

The crime scene in Blackpool has been cordoned off by police

"The lass two doors up said someone seemed to have put something out - like a mannequin - but it turned out to be the body of a 16-year-old girl."

Sasha was in the first year of a childcare course at Blackpool and The Fylde College and lived with her parents in Staining, near Blackpool.

In a tribute to her, Mandy Pritchard, head of the college's school for society, health and childhood, said she was "a friendly, considerate individual who cared about her fellow students".

Numerous tributes were paid to the youngster on a Facebook page set up in her memory.

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