Bank Gives Latest Signal On Rate Rise Timing

The governor of the Bank of England has said that weak wage growth will be more closely watched in relation to the timing of interest rate rises.

At a news conference to outline the Bank's quarterly Inflation Report, Mark Carney insisted that rises in bank rate - when they began - would be limited and gradual and he believed the financial markets broadly shared that timetable.

Economists and markets are expecting the first increase - from its historic low of 0.5% - either late this year or in early 2015.

A key factor in the decision-making timetable will be the public's ability to absorb interest rate rises, given current weak wage growth. 

Just an hour after it was confirmed that pay including bonuses slipped 0.2% in the second quarter compared to a year ago, the Bank announced it had slashed its forecast for wage growth in 2014 from 2.5% to a below-inflation 1.25%.

The Report signalled that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), which sets bank rate, would place an increasing emphasis on the weak pay data in deciding when to raise interest rates.

Mr Carney refused to go further, insisting there would not be a "magic number" for wage growth that would prompt a hike.

The Bank's predictions for the wider economy were better, with UK growth figures upgraded from 3.4% to 3.5% for 2014 and unemployment was expected to drop more quickly, falling below a rate of 6% this year.

One factor supporting those who would argue for an earlier rate rise was a quicker-than-expected narrowing in the key measure of wasteful spare capacity - or slack - in the economy.

Mr Carney said it had fallen to around 1% of GDP, despite the fall in real wages, due to strong employment numbers.

He told reporters: "In light of the heightened uncertainty about the current degree of slack, the committee will be placing particular importance on the prospective paths for wages and unit labour costs."

Sterling fell more than 1.5% against the dollar in the wake of the governor's comments.

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Teachers Plan 'Parent-Friendly' League Tables

Headteachers are planning to publish their own set of league tables - which they say will be fairer to schools than the present system.

The current system, the Association of School and College Leaders says, serves the Government's "political aims rather than pupils' needs".

Under plans drawn up by the ASCL and the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), parents will be able to judge a school not just by qualifications but by the ethos of the school itself.

Tables will cover GCSE results, extra-curricular activities, the curriculum and other details such as class sizes and subjects. The groups say that is what parents want.

"We are educating the whole child," said the ASCL's deputy general secretary Malcolm Trobe, "not just taking them through the exams".

Final grade exams are not published in the DfE's data

He believes the Government's tables do not accurately reflect schools' actual achievements.

"For example, the league tables judge on the first entry grade, and not what is actually achieved," he said.

"So, the first grade may be a D, whereas the student's final result may be a B. It's unfair to the school not to include that."

The alternative tables will also be more concise, Mr Trobe explained.

"The DfE's tables are a myriad of columns and data which we think parents will find difficult to understand," he said.

"Ours aim to give parents the information they want in a clear and concise way they can readily understand, with the final examination grades included which, we believe, is an important piece of information that is missing at present."

Teachers believe extra-curriculum activities should be included in tables

The alternative tables are due to be published at the same time as the DfE's, in January.

NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby said the Government's data often failed to address pupils' needs.

"Schools must be accountable, but the Government's performance tables have become a sledgehammer to crack the system - too often serving political aims rather than pupils' needs and driving the wrong decisions," he said.

"This initiative will, over time, give parents stable, accurate and neutral information about schools.

A Department for Education spokesman said: "We agree that information about school performance should be freely available to parents.

"That's why we have taken steps to make our league tables clearer and, in addition to our data, all schools must publish extensive information on their website - including pupil progress."

The news of the change comes as parents and children anxiously await A level results, which are due to be published on Thursday.

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Elderly Couple Found Shot Dead In Herefordshire

An elderly man and woman found dead at their home in Herefordshire died from gunshot wounds, police have confirmed.

The bodies of John Knott, 71, and 70-year-old Elizabeth - known as Anne - were discovered at their home in Pow Green, Ledbury, on Monday morning.

A post-mortem examination revealed each had died from a single gunshot wound.

Their family had contacted police after being unable to get hold of the couple.

Detective Inspector Richard Rees said: "Police visited their home on Monday after concerns were raised by their relatives.

"Sadly, a search of the property found them both deceased. They each had a single shotgun wound, which the post-mortems have now confirmed were the cause of death.

"A shotgun registered to Mr Knott was recovered at the scene.

"At this stage of our investigation there is no evidence of any third-party involvement and we can confirm we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the shootings."

At the time of Mr Knott's death, he was opposing a planning application for a travellers' site near his home.

The proposal for The Willows was to change the use of the land from agriculture to "a one-family travellers' site, with stationing of one static mobile home, two touring caravans, new access, ablution block and septic tank".

Six weeks ago, Mr Knott wrote a letter to Herefordshire Council objecting to the application.

A Herefordshire Council spokeswoman said: "The planning application for The Willows near Bosbury is still going through the due process and no decision has been made at this time.

"A decision is expected by the end of the month."

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Petition To Stop Ched Evans' Sheffield Return

By Mike McCarthy, North of England Correspondent

Almost 60,000 people have signed an online petition urging Sheffield United not to re-employ disgraced footballer Ched Evans.

The striker is due to be released from prison in the autumn after serving a sentence for raping a 19-year-old woman.

Campaigners say his return to Sheffield would send out a damaging message about rape. 

Speaking exclusively to Sky News his girlfriend says he should be allowed to return to professional football.

Jurors found Evans guilty following a two week trial in 2012.

The Prosecution argued that when Evans had sex with his victim in a hotel bedroom she was too drunk to consent.

His friend and fellow footballer Clayton MacDonald was cleared of the same charge, but Evans was given a five-year sentence following a unanimous guilty verdict.

He will be released in October after serving half of his term.

Alan Smith, who is a member of the Sheffield United Supporters Club executive, told Sky News that he's been given an assurance that Evans will be returning to Bramall Lane.

He believes that most fans will welcome the club's former top goal-scorer back.

"He has served his time, he has served his sentence and we would have him back. Good players like that have got to carry on playing and if not for Sheffield United it would be for someone else, and we would regret that," he said.

But Rape Crisis England and Wales say they are seriously concerned about reports of Evans' possible return.

The organisation does not usually comment on specific cases, but has made a rare exception in appealing to the Sheffield club.

Director of communications Katie Russell said: "It is of course any convicted criminal's right to serve their sentence and then go back into employment. We absolutely stand by that.

"But at the same time we would urge Sheffield United to think very carefully about the message that they send when they immediately re-employ someone who's been convicted of such a very serious crime.

"If they choose to do that, which is their right, we urge them to seriously consider the impact that will have on huge numbers of their supporters and we urge them to make a very strong statement condemning sexual violence, condemning violence against women and girls and making it clear that misogyny, sexism, violence and sexual violence in particular won't be tolerated within football."

Ched Evans' girlfriend Natasha Massey told Sky News that he is determined to clear his name and rejected the possibility of being "in denial" about his guilt.

"At the time I was devastated. I was heartbroken, but the fact that Ched got charged with this crime, that kind of took over the fact that he had cheated so I dealt with that myself," she said.

"It wasn't nice for the whole world to know what happened. My boyfriend had sex with another woman and that wasn't nice for the world to see, but I stood by Ched and still do.

"If Ched wasn't a professional footballer we wouldn't be having this conversation, because that was his job before he went to prison.

"That's part of the whole rehabilitation process when you leave the prison and you go back to work. All Ched wants to do is go back to work, do the job that he loves, play football, score goals and then just come home and have a family life."

Ched Evans' attempts to overturn his conviction have twice been rejected, but his legal team has now referred his case to the independent Criminal Cases Review Commission in another effort to clear his name.

Sheffield United have refused to comment on reports that manager Nigel Clough has been to visit Evans in prison but has confirmed that the club was in contact with him "subsequent to his conviction".

Although some Blades fans at the club's Bramall Lane ground said they did not want the player back the majority - both men and women - said his return would be welcomed.

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Criminal Probe Into Manchester's Police Chief

Greater Manchester Police's top officer is subject to a criminal investigation over a "poorly handled" inquiry into a suspected sex offender, the police watchdog has said.

Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy has been served with criminal and gross misconduct notices following investigations, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said.

A serving detective superintendent and a detective chief inspector have also been handed the same type of notices in relation to the investigation into the alleged sex offender.

The watchdog said a fourth officer, who is retired, will also be served with criminal and gross misconduct notices over the case.

Sir Peter, who joined the police in 1981, issued a statement, saying: "As a chief constable, you face making complex decisions on a daily basis about many high-risk and challenging situations.

"It is right that this decision-making is scrutinised and that I am held to account as part of this investigation."

One of the investigations relates to the victims of Harold Shipman

The IPCC has carried out three investigations - one was about the sexual abuse investigation, another looked into claims concerning serial killer Harold Shipman's victims and a third probed allegations against a detective chief inspector.

Assistant Chief Constable Terry Sweeney has been served with a gross misconduct notice for his oversight in the disposal of body parts belonging to Shipman's victims.

It has been previously reported that tissue samples were taken from 12 of Shipman's female victims in order to confirm the cause of death.

They were stored for a number of years, but in 2011 police decided to "respectfully dispose" of the samples without letting the women's families know.

Relatives of Shipman's victims are being kept informed as the probe progresses and a major incident room has been set up, the IPCC said.

The investigation was prompted by allegations made by a whistleblower.

Investigators at the IPCC said they have a sizeable number of GMP documents which relate to all three inquires and interviewed the whistleblower.

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'Evil' Man Plotted To Kill Lover's Unborn Baby

A man has been jailed for a "sickening" plot to have his pregnant lover attacked to kill their unborn child.

Jamie Smith, 23, hatched the plan with two friends after learning Jessica Santos had become pregnant while they were having an affair.

He recruited Steven Blades and another man to carry out a vicious assault with a crowbar and a knife, after deciding he did not want the child.

His plan was to lure her to a secluded park in Peterborough under the pretence of discussing the pregnancy.

Jamie Smith recruited Steven Blades (pictured) to attack his lover

Smith, of Athena Close, Stanground, Peterborough, planned to make it look like a robbery and would also be injured during the attack, Cambridgeshire Police said.

But the third man decided he did not want to get involved and alerted the police.

Officers arrested Smith and Blades shortly before the planned assault was due to happen on February 21.

Outside court,  Ms Santos, who is due to give birth next month, said: "Part of me wants to believe that he was put up to this by someone, but deep down I know that is not the case.

"It hurts a lot to know that someone I felt so close to could plan this behind my back, yet still be so nice to my face. It's just evil.

"Nobody has the right to say whether someone, especially a baby, should live or die. If Jamie did not want to get involved with the baby, he didn't have to and he knew this.

"This makes what he arranged even harder to understand.

"When my child is old enough, I will tell them about this and let them decide if they want a relationship with Jamie - until then I will do everything I need to do to protect my child."

Detective Constable Vicky Speirs said: "This was a sickening and extremely dangerous plot to cause a young woman to lose her unborn child.

"It is incomprehensible how anyone would want to carry out such a hurtful and violent act.

"It was an incredibly selfish act by Smith who gave no thought as to what effect his actions could potentially have on the victim.

"Given the level of violence they were prepared to use, we could quite easily have been dealing with a murder."

Blades, 23, of Wells Court, Peterborough, pleaded guilty to conspiring to cause grievous bodily harm.

Smith denied the charge, claiming others had come up with the plan.

But he was convicted following a five-day trial at Peterborough Crown Court. Smith was jailed for seven years and Blades for 12 months, the force said.

They were each given a 10-year restraining order against the victim.

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Uber Taxi App Rival 'Made 13,000 Fake Bookings'

Google-backed taxi app Uber says employees of a rival firm have booked then cancelled almost 13,000 trips to disrupt its business.

It was hitting back at a claim by Lyft that Uber drivers and staff had hailed and cancelled more than 5,000 rides.

Lyft said it had identified 177 Uber employees responsible for the apparent sabotage attempt, and a number of short rides booked in an attempt to lure Lyft employees away to Uber.

But Uber denied the claims and accused Lyft of using "questionable tactics" – saying that 13,000 cancelled bookings were made by Lyft employees, including a co-founder.

It also claims that Lyft investors have been pushing Uber to buy Lyft, warning that the firm would "go nuclear" if its wishes were not fulfilled.

A spokesman said: "Lyft's claims against Uber are baseless and simply untrue.

"Furthermore, Lyft's own drivers and employees, including one of Lyft's founders, have cancelled 12,900 trips on Uber.

"But instead of providing the long list of questionable tactics that Lyft has used over the years, we are focusing on building and maintaining the best platform for both consumers and drivers.

"These attacks from Lyft are unfortunate but somewhat expected.

"A number of Lyft investors have recently been pushing Uber to acquire Lyft. One of their largest shareholders recently warned that Lyft would 'go nuclear' if we do not acquire them.

"We can only assume that the recent Lyft attacks are part of that strategy."

Lyft said the allegations were false and that the firm was enjoying large month-on-month growth.

Uber and Lyft do not employ drivers; instead they use smartphone apps to match those looking for a taxi with available drivers signed up to their services.

Uber is currently valued at more than $10bn (£6bn).

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Osborne Rules Out Pre-Election Lloyds Retail Offer

By Mark Kleinman, City Editor

George Osborne is to rule out a pre-election sale of Lloyds Banking Group shares to the general public, confounding expectations that the Government would seek to offload part of its remaining stake to retail investors as soon as next month.

Sky News has learned that the Treasury has decided that stock market volatilty and the time required to execute a public share sale would create an unacceptable level of risk for ministers to undertake a mass retail offering.

Officials have decided that the costs involved with a marketing and advertising campaign would be unjustified at a time when there are residual uncertainties about the ability to complete such a transaction.

Continuing uncertainty over the timing of Lloyds' planned resumption of dividend payments, the outcome of Bank of England stress tests and next month's Scottish independence referendum are also understood to be factors in the decision not to proceed with an imminent mass market share sale in the coming weeks.

The period needed to assemble the documentation for such a transaction would also mean that a retail offering would not be feasible until the turn of the year.

By that point, the General Election will be only four months away, and a multibillion pound share sale to the public could provoke accusations that the Chancellor was using a state-owned asset for political purposes.

Lloyds, which is headquartered in Scotland, has warned of potential risks arising from a 'Yes' vote, most recently in its half-year results last week.

During the last year, the Treasury has sold two tranches of Lloyds stock for a total of about £7bn, in the process reducing its shareholding from just over 40% to 25%.

It is conceivable that Mr Osborne will continue to sell shares to City institutions ahead of the election, although Wednesday's news makes it less likely that the Government will have returned Lloyds entirely to the private sector before next May's poll.

Lloyds shares were trading at around 73p on Wednesday morning, representing a fall of roughly 4% during the last year and slightly below the average price taxpayers paid to bail out the company during the 2008 financial crisis.

The remaining 25% holding is managed by UK Financial Investments (UKFI), which has been closely involved in initial preparations for a retail offering.

Mr Osborne has previously signalled his ambition for a retail offering although Treasury sources pointed out that one had never been formally announced.

A senior banker suggested that the controversy over last year's privatisation of Royal Mail and the fact that thousands of retail investors were angered by having their share applications shares rejected might also have influenced the Treasury's thinking.

Lloyds has been recovering steadily under Antonio Horta-Osorio, its chief executive, although it recently took its bill for payment protection insurance mis-selling beyond £10bn.

It was also fined almost £220m for manipulating the interbank borrowing rate Libor.

Lloyds hopes to resume dividend payments after more than six years when it reports full-year results next February, pending the outcome of discussions with regulators.

The Treasury and Lloyds declined to comment.

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Student Cleared Of Knickers Plot For Jihadists

A 27-year-old woman who tried to smuggle cash in her knickers on a flight to Turkey has been cleared of funding jihadists in Syria.

Nawal Msaad tried to take €20,000 (£15,830) in rolled-up notes on a flight from Heathrow to Istanbul in January, the Old Bailey heard.

She did it for her friend Amal El-Wahabi, 27, whose husband Aine Davis, 30, asked for the money, after leaving Britain to join jihadists in Syria last year.

The plot failed when she was stopped at the departure gate and produced the cash, which had been hidden in a condom, from her underwear.

Ms Msaad, from Holloway, north London, and El-Wahabi, from northwest London, both denied making money available with "reasonable cause to suspect that it would or may be used for the purposes of terrorism".

The jury cleared Ms Msaad but convicted mother-of-two El-Wahabi after deliberating for five days.

El-Wahabi will be sentenced on September 12

El-Wahabi is the first Briton to be convicted under terror laws of funding jihadi fighters in Syria.

She wept in the dock as the jury returned its guilty verdict, saying: "I can't breathe, no, I cant breathe."

The pair are London-born of Moroccan descent and had been close friends for years, the court heard.

Ms Msaad, who had been studying human resources at London Metropolitan University, agreed to take the money in return for €1,000 in expenses, jurors were told.

When she was stopped at the departure gate, she said the three-day trip to Istanbul was a "short break" to buy gold for her mother.

Ms Msaad, left, said she never meant to smuggle cash to bankroll terrorism

She was taken into a private room and produced the cash from her underwear.

The smuggling arrangements were made days before in phone calls and WhatsApp messages between El-Wahabi and her husband and Ms Msaad.

The same day Ms Msaad was arrested, police seized mobile phones and computer equipment from El-Wahabi's home.

Davis, who used the Muslim name Hamza, kept in regular contact with El-Wahabi after leaving London to pursue a jihadist cause.

After six months, El-Wahabi, who was living on benefits, was coming round to the idea of joining him wherever he was, the court heard.

The jury was shown a "selfie" Davis sent her, as well as videos containing jihadist propaganda.

El-Wahabi denied knowledge of any terrorist activities or their funding.

When Ms Msaad went into the witness box, she accused El-Wahabi of "stitching" her up by not telling her where the money came from.

She insisted she had never meant to smuggle cash abroad to bankroll terrorism.

Davis, who was born in London with roots in Gambia, met El-Wahabi at a local mosque and became increasingly interested in Islam six or seven years ago, the court heard.

His current whereabouts are unknown. El-Wahabi will be sentenced on September 12.

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PM: UK To Help In Major Iraq Rescue Mission

David Cameron has said "detailed plans" are being made for an international mission to rescue the Yazidis stranded in the mountains of northern Iraq.

The Prime Minister said Britain would "play a role in delivering" the rescue of thousands of ethnic minority Kurds who have been driven into Mount Sinjar by the Islamic State fighters.

Mr Cameron stressed it would be a "humanitarian operation" and said there was no need to recall Parliament to discuss it. He was speaking after chairing a Cobra meeting following his return from the family holiday in Portugal.

RAF Tornado jets will carry out surveillance mission in Iraq

He has come under increasing pressure to commit to military action in Iraq. A growing number of MPs have told Sky News it is time for the UK to join US airstrikes to stop the advance of the extremists.

The UK has stepped up its aid drops in northern Iraq and is sending a "small number" of RAF Chinook helicopters to the region. It has also already sent RAF Tornado jets equipped with sophisticated surveillance equipment to gather intelligence.

Mr Cameron would not confirm whether the Chinooks would be used to airlift people off the mountains. He added that Britain would continue transporting weapons for the Kurdish forces, who have been outgunned by the jihadists.

Downing Street has consistently resisted calls for UK forces to join the US in taking military action against IS. It has also rejected demands for Parliament to be recalled to debate the crisis.

The Prime Minister has been on a 10-day holiday in Portugal

Thousands of Kurdish ethnic minority Yazidis have been driven into the Sinjar mountains to escape the onslaught of the militants, who have butchered their way through the north of Iraq leaving mass graves of victims in their wake.

The United Nations estimates that between 20,000 and 30,000 people from the ancient Yazidi community remain stranded, others have perished, unable to get food or water to survive, while some have been rescued by Kurdish forces.

Sky's Political Correspondent Sophy Ridge said of the 23 MPs she had spoken to, 18 said they would support military intervention and many urged Mr Cameron to recall Parliament.

Significantly, seven of those MPs who supported action voted against using military force in Syria to end the humanitarian crisis there.

Conservative MP Nick de Bois said: "Whether you support air strikes or not, and they should be on the table for urgent consideration, Parliament has both the moral obligation and a duty to our constituents to examine and advise the Government on whether we should take that step.

The Yazidi community has fled into the Sinjar mountains

"Every day in this humanitarian crisis matters and that's why we should be recalled."

Another unnamed MP said: "It's very different from Syria, where the Government had no plan or conception of what might work. Here we have the Kurds on the ground. Also, recall of Parliament seems essential given world events."

It comes as British commanders with experience in Iraq have urged the Prime Minister to consider taking military action with Colonel Tim Collins warning the ancient civilisations in Iraq could be "extinguished".

Tony Abbott, in London on Tuesday, hinted forces could return to Iraq

Col Collins claimed the Government had "left for lunch" on the issue, and accused politicians of refusing to accept the "moral responsibility" to act.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he said: "Britain helped create Iraq in 1920 and we have a moral responsibility to help."

A YouGov poll carried out for The Times suggests support for the British bombing of militants in Iraq is now at 40%. Some 36% of those asked were opposed to the UK taking action.

US service members prepare humanitarian aid for the Yazidis in Iraq

After talks with Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond in London on Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott indicated his country's combat forces could return to Iraq but stressed it would be to "prevent genocide" on a "fundamentally humanitarian mission".

Germany has pledged to deliver "non lethal" military aid, including armoured vehicles, helmets and night vision goggles, to the Iraqi army. France was expected to deliver arms to Kurdish forces later on Wednesday.

Former Conservative Defence Secretary Liam Fox also said it was time RAF jets were sent in to join US airstrikes. Writing in the Daily Mail, he said sending in aid was not enough.

The US has sent another 130 military advisers to northern Iraq to assess the scope of the humanitarian mission.

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