26/03/2011

Available for over a year

Peter Riddell looks behind the scenes at Westminster. A rapid conclusion in Libya? Or a long stalemate? The senior Conservative, Sir Malcolm Rifkind, and the Labour peer, Lord Malloch-Brown, discuss whether a new UN resolution is needed to bring about the downfall of Colonel Gaddafi. The government has volunteered to set in statute a duty to consult Parliament in the event of future military action. Labour's Graham Allen, long-term campaigner for more parliamentary power, is delighted. Boxed in? Or just pursuing a steady course towards economic recovery? Verdicts differ about the second budget of the Chancellor, George Osborne. The Observer's William Keegan and the Conservative, Peter Lilley, weigh the arguments. Finally, MPs agreed this week to reject a one per cent pay rise and freeze their salaries at £65,738 a year. The Conservative Mark Field,and Labour's Helen Jones want an independent body to decide their pay in future.