Woman Charged With Murdering Young Son

A woman has appeared in court charged with the murder of her young son.

Michelle Owens, 27, did not speak during a brief appearance at Lisburn Magistrates' Court.

Her three-year-old son Brendan was found dead in the town, around 10 miles southwest of Belfast, on July 4.

His body was discovered at a house in Trinity Terrace, close to the city centre.

A spokesman for the Police Service of Northern Ireland said a post-mortem examination had been carried out to determine how the youngster died.

His mother, who was dressed in blue trousers and a sweater and flanked by prison officers as she appeared in court, was remanded in custody to reappear via video link next month.

A 51-year-old man arrested in connection with the boy's death has been released on bail pending further inquiries.

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Prison Smoking Ban 'Could Be Very Risky'

Inmates could soon be banned from smoking inside prisons in England and Wales, the Ministry of Justice has said.

A pilot scheme which will monitor how prisoners react to the move is being planned by the Government but sites have not yet been chosen.

A spokesman for the MoJ said: "We are considering banning smoking across the prison estate and as part of this are looking at possible sites as early adopters."

The pilot scheme is expected to launch in the South West in the spring of next year and if successful the ban would be rolled out across all prisons within 12 months, The Times has reported.

But there are fears the ban could cause disruption in prisons, with around 80% of inmates in England and Wales believed to smoke, according to the NHS.

Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said it would be "very risky" to implement a blanket ban with no extra support for prisoners.

"You're putting extra pressure on a system that's already under pressure," she said.

Prisons in the pilot scheme have not been identified

Ms Lyon says many prisoners use smoking to help "survive" their sentence. 

She says cuts to staffing and resources are already putting added strain on the prison system, and causing "increasing unrest" amongst inmates.

She does not oppose the proposed ban, but said alternate activities to smoking must be offered.

"If the substitute for smoking were more time with staff, more time outside of your cell, more purposeful activity, more skills training that would be a very different picture," she said.

Steve Gillan, general secretary of the Prison Officers' Association, told The Times that introducing the ban would be difficult.

"There is no pretending otherwise," he said.

"It could cause disturbances but they have done it successfully in Canada and in young offender institutions in England and Wales."

He added: "We welcome this move. It is our policy to have smoke-free prisons for our members.

"We will work with the ministry to make sure it works effectively."

Mr Gillan said that without a smoking ban the Prison Service risked legal action from a non-smoker claiming to suffer from the effects of passive smoking.

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Esme Smith: Sister's Plea For Missing Teenager

The sister of a missing 14-year-old schoolgirl who has not been seen for a week has made a plea for her safe return, saying: "We just want her back."

Esme Smith parted from friends after school last Thursday, telling them she was going to Woking and then on to a party.

Instead, she changed out of her school uniform and caught a train from Aldershot just after 4pm, and arrived at London Waterloo around an hour later.

The teenager has not been seen by her family or made contact with them since, prompting concerns among relatives and friends.

Esme's family have urged her to make contact

In an appeal on YouTube issued by Surrey Police, her sister Sian Smith said: "I think she's maybe met somebody out there or planned to meet somebody.

"We just don't know at the moment, and that's the worrying thing. She's not in trouble. We just want her back. We are incredibly worried."

Esme is a pupil at All Hallows Catholic School in Farnham.

CCTV cameras at Waterloo filmed the teenager wearing a white flowery dress and a denim jacket.

Esme Smith walking through Waterloo train station

She was carrying a black school bag and black floral bag with chain straps.

Detective Inspector Martin Stables, of the Surrey Police missing persons unit, said: "We are carrying out extensive inquiries to locate Esme via CCTV, speaking with family and friends and monitoring social media, but as time goes on our concerns about her welfare grows.

"I urge people to watch and listen to the appeal from Esme's sister, Sian, and to contact police if it jogs their memory into remembering any information which might help locate Esme."

Esme is white, 5ft 3in, and of slim to medium build, with shoulder-length brown hair that may be tied in a bun.

She has brown eyes and a tanned complexion and wears size six shoes.

:: Anyone with information is asked to call Surrey Police on 101.

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Leicester Fire Deaths: Teenager In Court

By Adele Robinson, Midlands Correspondent

A teenager has been remanded in custody over the deaths of a mother and her three teenage children who died in a house fire.

Kemo Anthony Porter, 18, spoke only to confirm his name, address and date of birth at the two-minute hearing at Leicester Magistrates' Court.

Dr Taufiq's wife and children were killed

Porter, who was not required to enter a plea at the hearing, will appear before Leicester Crown Court on Monday via videolink and then again on October 4.

The teenager, of Browning Street, Leicester, is charged with four counts of murder over the deaths of Shehnila Taufiq, 47, her daughter Zainab, 19, and sons Bilal, 17, and Jamil, 15.

Their bodies were discovered in the upstairs bedrooms of their home on Wood Hill in the Spinney Hills area of the city on Friday, September 13.

His court appearance came as an inquest into the deaths was opened and adjourned, with the cause of death given as smoke inhalation.

Temporary Detective Superintendent Kate Meynell, senior investigating officer at Leicestershire Police, told the hearing the four family members had been formally identified by a dental examination.

The inquest also heard Mrs Taufiq was a mature student living in Leicester with her children, who were also studying in the city.

Adjourning the inquest to a date to be set, coroner Catherine Mason said: "The family would like to have their loved ones back so that they can rightly and respectfully lay them to rest.

"However in the circumstances it is not possible, but as in all losses I will work very hard to ensure that there is the lawful release at the earliest opportunity so that funeral arrangements can continue."

No members of the Taufiq family were at the hearing.

Mr Akpom was stabbed to death in Leicester

The children's father, Muhammad Taufiq al Sattar, a neurosurgeon who was working in Ireland, has spoken of his grief and said he would "deeply miss" his "beautiful" wife, daughter and two teenage sons.

The Taufiq family, originally from Pakistan, had a home in Ireland for at least 15 years before the children moved to the UK with their mother about five years ago for an Islamic education.

Police are still investigating whether there is a possible link with the fatal house fire and that of the murder of a 20-year-old man seven hours earlier less than a mile away.

Antoin Akpom was found injured on Kent Street on September 12 at 5.30pm after being stabbed. He later died in hospital.

But Assistant Chief Constable Roger Bannister, of Leicestershire Police, said on Thursday that there was no suspicion of a racially motivated element to either the house fire or Mr Akpom's death.

Separately, Abdul Hakim, 19, of Wood Hill, Leicester, appeared in court on Wednesday, charged with 20-year-old Mr Akpom's murder.

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Manu Tuilagi: Lions Star Sorry For PM Prank

A Lions and England rugby player has apologised to David Cameron after making a "bunny ears" gesture behind his head during a photocall.

Manu Tuilagi, 22, played the prank while standing next to the Prime Minister as the British and Irish Lions team posed for pictures in Downing Street.

The players were invited to Number 10 after their series victory over Australia this summer, which they won 2-1.

The 22-year-old later apologised for the prank

As they gathered on the steps outside, with a large toy lion on the floor in front of them, Tuilagi reached out to hold his fingers behind Mr Cameron's head.

After the event, the Leicester Tigers player took to his Twitter page to express his remorse.

He wrote: "Apologies for messing around on Lions photo. No offence intended. Great Day at Downing Street. Thanks to Prime Minister for hosting us."

It is not the first time that Tuilagi, who was born in Samoa, has been at the centre of controversy.

He was fined £3,000 by the Rugby Football Union for jumping from a ferry during England's World Cup campaign in New Zealand in 2011.

He was cautioned by police on that occasion and disciplined by then England coach Martin Johnson.

After the Downing Street prank, teammates also reacted through Twitter.

Ben Youngs, a fellow Lions, England and Leicester player, wrote: "The man @Manutuilagi just couldn't stop himself."

Gloucester fly-half Freddie Burns tweeted: "Great bottle from Manu Tuilagi! Haha. #chief."

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Prince Harry Leaves Big Freeze For Polar Trek

Prince Harry has emerged from a giant freezer where he spent the night in preparation for a charity polar trek.

He joked it was a cold night's sleep after spending 20 hours in a giant freezer to simulate the gruelling conditions he will face on the 208-mile South Pole trek this winter.

Emerging from the huge testing facility, in which temperatures dropped to as low as -55C (-67F) with wind-chill, the 29-year-old blew into his hands and rubbed them together to warm up as he chatted with his teammates over tea and biscuits.

The cold chamber is based at Mira in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, where cars and military vehicles are put through their paces, and simulates blizzards, high winds, and sudden extreme temperature drops.

When asked what the worst part had been Harry, patron of the Walking With The Wounded charity, said: "Going in."

The Prince is to race with a team of injured British servicemen and women against US and Commonwealth groups.

Alongside his four teammates - all of whom have amputated limbs after sustaining injuries in Afghanistan - Harry practised with the clothing he will wear on the expedition and learned how to avoid frost-nip and frost-bite in the inhospitable climate in Antarctica.

Prince Harry spent 20 hours in the cold chamber

The Virgin Money South Pole Allied Challenge will begin in late November and last around 15 days. The teams will trek between nine miles and 12 miles each day.

Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgard, star of True Blood, will head the US team, while English actor Dominic West, star of hit series The Wire, will race alongside the Commonwealth team.

Harry, who took part in the Walking With The Wounded trek to the North Pole in 2011 for five days, is patron of the Antarctica expedition.

He missed out on an attempt to conquer Mount Everest with the group last year because of his military commitments, and he withdrew early from the successful North Pole expedition to attend his brother's wedding.

On the latest exercise, Harry shared a tent with Captain Ibrar Ali, 36, who lost his right arm in a roadside bomb blast in 2007, and Major Kate Philp, who chose to have her left leg amputated after her Warrior armoured vehicle struck an IED (improvised explosive device) in Musa Qala in Helmand Province in 2008.

Maj Philp, from Knightwick in Worcestershire, said Harry was a "good extra pair of hands" during the training exercise.

The 35-year-old Royal Artillery officer said having the prince with the team was "great".

"He's experienced at this, having spent some time at the North Pole also," she said.

"He knows what he's doing. He's got his military training, and it's very, very easy, so he's a good extra pair of hands."

Asked if Harry mucks in with the team, she said: "Oh God, absolutely. We wouldn't let it be any other way and he wouldn't want it to be any other way.

"It's great having Harry along, and hopefully he appreciates it too. It's a chance not just for him to experience all the practical stuff that we've just done as well, but for us to get together as a team and start to get to know each other better."

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Daniel Pelka Report: 'No One Suspected Abuse'

By Lisa Dowd, Midlands Correspondent

Chance after chance was missed to intervene in the case of a four-year-old boy who was beaten to death by his mother and stepfather.

A serious case review into the death of Daniel Pelka found repeated failures by agencies set up to safeguard children's welfare.

But it concluded that nobody could have predicted his death at the hands of an abusive mother and stepfather last year.

The report's author, Ron Lock, said: "No one professional, with what they knew of Daniel's circumstances, suspected or could have predicted that he would be killed.

"This was a complex and tragic case.

"Daniel's mother seemed plausible in her concerns about him, and no concerns were expressed by neighbours or the wider community.

"Strong concerns nevertheless emerged about Daniel's circumstances and his care, although at no point were practitioners who had contact with him prepared to think the unthinkable and consider that he might be suffering abuse.

"But if professionals had used more enquiring minds, and been more focused in their intentions to address concerns, it's likely that Daniel would have been better protected from the people who killed him."

Magdelena Luczak and Mariusz Krezolek were both jailed for life

Daniel was brought up in a chaotic family where violence and heavy drinking were the norm. He was known to police, social services, teachers and doctors.

But the report found that not one professional asked him what was going on at home.

Mr Lock said: "He didn't speak good English. His self-esteem was so low, he was a very isolated little boy so people found it hard to engage him.

"His mother often spoke on his behalf, as did his sibling, so rather than ask Daniel others were asked what he was thinking and to ask his mum and sibling was not going to give the correct answers."

Daniel was terrorised at his home in Coventry by his mother Magdelena Luczak and his stepfather Mariusz Krezolek.

He was starved, beaten and force-fed salt. At school he rooted through bins for food and once turned up with two black eyes. He later died from a serious head injury on March 3, 2012.

The review found the couple misled authorities by lying about his injuries and pretending he had an eating disorder, rendering Daniel "invisible" to health professionals.

But it also highlighted how stretched children's services were in the city.

The four-year-old had 40 injuries on his body when he died

It described overworked staff who were "naive", who were not "inquisitive" and assumed others were "intervening".

It noted missed opportunities to help Daniel, including 27 reports of domestic violence to police.

In January 2011 he went to hospital with a broken arm - a spiral fracture suggested twisting -  but professionals were too ready to accept it was accidental.

In September, when Daniel started school, teachers noticed a pattern of injuries which they failed to record or act on.

In February 2012 he saw a community paediatrician - his weight loss was not recognised and child abuse was not even considered.

A few weeks later the four-year-old was dead. He had 40 injuries and a doctor said he looked like a concentration camp victim.

Martin Reeves, chief executive of Coventry City Council, said: "Professionals didn't have the whole picture. Daniel's voice wasn't heard at all.

"Arguably they are basic errors, but we have to put this against a backdrop of social care workers, police, health colleagues working every day making what some would argue are impossible judgement calls on child protection, so I think our key now is how do we learn from those issues."

The review, by the Coventry Safeguarding Children Board, has published 15 recommendations aimed at preventing such a failure happening again.

Luczak and Krezolek, both originally from Poland, were convicted of Daniel's murder in a trial earlier this year and are now both serving minimum 30-year terms in prison.

Ray Jones, Professor of Social Work at Kingston University, told Sky News that up to 170 serious case review reports were prepared every year.

He said: "We're giving more time to the bureaucracy and procedures than giving time to actually spending the hours finding what is happening in a family. We've got the priorities wrong."

The British Association of Social Workers (BASW) also questioned the effectiveness of serious case reviews.

Chief Executive Bridget Robb said that the findings are not properly shared with child protection social workers.

Research the BASW carried out showed that one quarter of its members never get the chance to read serious case review reports.

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Lloyds Stake Sale Raises £3.2bn For Taxpayer

The initial sale of taxpayer-owned shares in Lloyds Banking Group has raised £3.21bn for the Treasury - representing a small profit.

UK Financial Investments (UKFI), the body which oversees the public's stakes in Lloyds and RBS following their bailouts, said 6% of Lloyds Banking Group was sold to institutional investors at a placing price of 75p per share.

It means the taxpayer stake in Lloyds - rescued after its disastrous acquisition of Halifax Bank of Scotland at the height of the financial crisis - has been reduced from 38.7% to 32.7%.

The sale price represents a £61m cash profit on the 73.6p average price paid by the Labour Government in 2008 but it will register as a paper profit of £586m on the Treasury's books because its stake in Lloyds is recorded in the public finances as 61p per share.

George Osborne says the money raised will help reduce national debt

The reduced cost took into account the fact that the Treasury had already received £2.5bn for insurance fees from Lloyds under the now-disbanded Asset Protection Scheme.

UKFI confirmed that no further sale of the taxpayer's remaining 32.7% stake would take place for a further 90 days.

The public is expected to be given a chance to buy Lloyds stock in future sales.

Chancellor George Osborne kicked off the initial share sale on Monday night, five years after Lloyds was left needing a £20bn bailout.

He said: "Five years ago the previous government forced British taxpayers to put a huge sum of money into bailing out the banks.

"That was a big ask of the British public. I have been determined ever since I became Chancellor to get that money back for taxpayers.

"I can confirm that we have sold 6% of Lloyds Bank at 75p a share. That is a profit for taxpayers, and rightly so. The money will be used to reduce the national debt by over half a billion pounds.

Lloyds shares are trading below pre-crash levels (price correct at 8.14am)

"This is another step in the long journey in putting right what went so badly wrong in the British economy; it's another step in repairing the banks; it's another step in getting the money back for the taxpayer; and it's another step in reducing our national debt.

"All of those things together are good news.

"If you look at what has happened over the last 12 hours with Lloyds, you have investors from around the world  investing in a British bank. That is a sign the British economy is turning a corner."

Lloyds shares were more more than 2.2% down in early trading on the FTSE 100 on Tuesday - still changing hands at more than 60% below their pre-financial crisis peak.

Nevertheless, the start of the re-privatisation marks a milestone for Lloyds, which hailed its recovery earlier this summer after swinging out of the red with half-year profits of more than £2bn.

Last week the bank re-launched TSB with a spin-off of more than 600 branches, which it was obliged to dispose of under European laws on state aid. This is expected to result in a flotation next year.

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Prolific Paedophile Blackmailed Girls Online

A paedophile who used the internet to blackmail young girls all over the world has been jailed for 12 years.

The "sadistic exploitation" conducted by Robert Hunter, from Middlesbrough, was so extensive that an international operation through Interpol was sparked.

Teesside Crown Court heard the 35-year-old had used sites such as Facebook, Skype and MSN to abuse girls as young as nine from across Europe, Asia, Canada and America.

He often posed as the singer Justin Bieber in an attempt to convince the girls to expose themselves and perform sex acts on webcam.

Hunter was arrested in December 2012 but continued to target children while on bail, which resulted in a girl from Tasmania contacting police who traced him to his home.

Some 800 pornographic videos and images were discovered on his computer.

Prosecutors said: "Over the course of 2010, 2011 and 2012, Hunter, using a number of online aliases, had pretended to a number of very young girls that he was a teenager.

"On each occasion he was able to disguise his true age and identity by the clever use of images of young boys or by pretending that his computer wasn't working properly.

"As a further demonstration of the naivete and innocence of his victims, he was also able to persuade some that he was the music artist Justin Bieber.

"He did this in order to dupe and encourage these young girls to strip on webcams and perform sex acts for him."

Hunter also blackmailed some of the victims into agreeing to his demands by threatening to make the videos he had already made of them public.

Defending Hunter, Tamara Pawson said he was remorseful for his actions and the distress he had caused.

Hunter pleaded guilty to 30 offences, which included 15 charges of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and 14 of making indecent photos of children.

Sergeant Paul Higgins, from Cleveland Police, said: "Robert Hunter was a calculating and malicious predator who set out to coerce and bully young girls into exposing themselves over the Internet.

"This investigation highlights the dangers that children face when conversing with people over the Internet."

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Jeremy Browne Wants Veil Ban In Public

A ban on Muslim girls and young women wearing veils in public places should be considered by the Government, according to a Lib Dem minister.

Home Office Minister Jeremy Browne called for a national debate on whether the state should step in to prevent young women having the veil imposed upon them.

Party leader Nick Clegg told Sky News he did not think the full veil was appropriate for airport security or the classroom, but said he strongly felt people in Britain should not be told how to dress.

"My own opinion is that I strongly believe we should not be issuing edicts about what people can and can't wear in this country," the Deputy Prime Minister said.

Mr Browne's intervention came after a row erupted over the decision by Birmingham Metropolitan College to drop a ban on the wearing of full-face veils amid public protests.

The minister said he was "instinctively uneasy" about restricting religious freedoms, but said there may be a case to act to protect girls who were too young to decide for themselves whether they wished to wear the veil or not.

Mr Browne has been accused of 'double standards'

"I think this is a good topic for national debate. People of liberal instincts will have competing notions of how to protect and promote freedom of choice," he told The Daily Telegraph.

"I am instinctively uneasy about restricting the freedom of individuals to observe the religion of their choice. That would apply to Christian minorities in the Middle East just as much as religious minorities here in Britain.

"But there is genuine debate about whether girls should feel a compulsion to wear a veil when society deems children to be unable to express personal choices about other areas like buying alcohol, smoking or getting married.

"We should be very cautious about imposing religious conformity on a society which has always valued freedom of expression."

It is thought that Mr Browne, who is attending his party's annual conference in Glasgow, is the first senior Lib Dem to voice such concerns in public.

However there are signs that his views are shared by a number of Conservative MPs who were dismayed at the way the Birmingham Metropolitan College case was handled.

The college had originally banned niqabs and burkas from its campuses eight years ago on the grounds that students should be easily identifiable at all times.

But when a 17-year-old prospective student complained to her local newspaper that she was being discriminated against, a campaign sprang up against the ban, attracting 8,000 signatures to an online petition in two days.

After the college's decision to withdraw it, Downing Street said David Cameron would support a ban in his children's schools, although the decision should rest with the head teacher.

The Prime Minister has been coming under growing pressure from his own MPs for a rethink on current Department for Education guidelines to protect schools and colleges from being "bullied".

Tory backbencher Dr Sarah Wollaston, writing in The Daily Telegraph, said the veils were "deeply offensive" and were "making women invisible", and called for the niqab to be banned in schools and colleges.

Mr Clegg, speaking at the Lib Dem party conference on Monday, said: "I think one of the great things about our country is that ... we allow people to express their identity, their faith, the communities to which they belong in the way in which they dress.

"There are some exceptions clearly. I don't for instance think it is appropriate to have the full veil through security checks at airports.

"I think there is an issue about teachers having the right to address their pupils and their students face-to-face and make face contact.

"But otherwise I really do think it is important that we protect the British principle that as long as people are law-abiding citizens going about their business in a law-abiding fashion, we shouldn't be telling people what garments of clothing they can wear."

Mohammed Shafiq, chief executive of the Ramadhan Foundation, said he was "disgusted" by Mr Browne's comments.

"This is another example of the double standards that are applied to Muslims in our country by some politicians," he said.

"Whatever one's religion, they should be free to practise it according to their own choices."

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Billy Connolly Diagnosed With Parkinson's

Comic and actor Billy Connolly has undergone surgery for prostate cancer, a spokeswoman for the star has confirmed.

He is also being treated for the "initial symptoms" of Parkinson's disease it has been revealed.

The 70-year-old star, who rose to fame on the Scottish folk music scene, will continue to work in TV and on stage.

His spokeswoman said: "Billy Connolly recently underwent minor surgery in America after being diagnosed with the very early stages of prostate cancer. The operation was a total success, and Billy is fully recovered.

"In addition, Billy has been assessed as having the initial symptoms of Parkinson's disease, for which he is receiving the appropriate treatment.

"Billy has been assured by experts that the findings will in no way inhibit or affect his ability to work, and he will start filming a TV series in the near future, as well as undertaking an extensive theatrical tour of New Zealand in the new year."

Connolly with his wife, Pamela

The Glasgow-born star, affectionately known as the Big Yin, began his working life in the Clyde shipyards but soon moved into entertainment with folk singing and comedy performances.

A string of appearances on Michael Parkinson's chatshow made him a household name and helped launch a career that saw him perform sell-out stand-up shows around the world, present a series of documentaries and become an in-demand character actor.

He is married to New Zealand-born actress and psychologist Pamela Stephenson, whose biography of her husband, simply called Billy, was a huge bestseller.

He is one of around 127,000 Britons with Parkinson's disease, which is caused by a loss of brain cells that produce a chemical messenger called dopamine.

Symptoms differ from case to case but often include a tremor or fine shake while the person is at rest, rigidity of muscles, slowness of movement and unsteady balance.

Other possible symptoms can include memory loss. Earlier this year, Connolly admitted he had started to forget his lines during performances.

He said at the time: "This is ******* terrifying. I feel like I'm going out of my mind."

Actor Bob Hoskins announced his retirement last year after being diagnosed with Parkinson's.

Michael J Fox was diagnosed with the disease more than 20 years ago and continues to act.

There is no cure for Parkinson's and scientists have been unable to work out why people get the condition.

Symptoms can be controlled using a combination of drugs, therapies and occasionally surgery, but often more care and support may be needed as they progress.

The disease was identified by - and named after - Dr James Parkinson who wrote An Essay On The Shaking Palsy in 1817 which established it as a recognised medical condition.

Connolly was made a CBE in the 2003 Queen's Birthday Honours and awarded the freedom his home city in 2010.

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Muslim Woman Must Remove Veil In Court

A Muslim woman will be allowed to stand trial wearing a full-face veil - but must remove it while giving evidence, a judge has ruled.

The issue of whether women should be forced to remove their veil in public has been the subject of recent political discussion.

Home Office Minister Jeremy Browne has called for a national debate on whether the state should step in to prevent young women having the veil imposed upon them.

Party leader Nick Clegg told Sky News he did not think the full veil was appropriate for airport security or the classroom, but said he strongly felt people in Britain should not be told how to dress.

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School Uniform Costs 'Must Be Cut' - Minister

Schools are being urged to avoid branded uniforms and allow parents to "shop around" to cut costs for cash-strapped families.

Schools minister David Laws said the cost of clothing was often "unnecessarily high" at a time when family budgets were being squeezed.

An Office of Fair Trading investigation last year suggested that three quarters of schools placed restrictions on where uniforms could be bought.

That typically added £5 to the price tag for each item, leaving parents an estimated £52m a year worse off.

Mr Laws announced the new guidance for schools at the Liberal Democrat conference in Glasgow.

Exclusive single supplier contracts should not be used, unless regular tendering processes are run to ensure firms provide value for money.

They should also not enter into 'cashback' agreements with shops.

Compulsory items of uniform should be available relatively cheaply, and branding should be kept "to a minimum", under the guidelines.

Schools are urged to avoid changing specifications frequently.

Mr Laws told Sky News the revised guidance on uniforms would end the "over-reliance" by schools on single supplier agreements.

"It ought to be possible for parents to shop around, to get good quality school uniforms but from different suppliers," he said.

"Schools should avoid changing their school uniforms too often and requiring parents to buy different items.

"They ought to keep in mind what is specified in a school uniform and keep it as cheap as possible.

"And they ought to enable standard items like trousers and shirts and so forth to be bought from some of the big supermarkets and other shops where actually those items can be bought very cheaply.

"I think schools can actually do this and give parents a better deal but without actually compromising on quality."

Asked why the guidelines were not being pushed further, the minister said he did not think it was necessary for ministers to legislate and "set out hundreds of pages of bureaucracy in order to get schools to do what is the right thing".

He said he expected schools to follow the guidance, but if they failed to, the Government would respond to parental complaints.

According to an Ipsos Mori put out by Mumsnet, female support for the Lib Dems has fallen by 15% since 2010.

Asked if the move was a bid to win the female vote at the next general election, Mr Laws said households were facing "living cost" challenges across the country and that his party would be making a series of announcements this week on "actions that we are going to take to help hard-pressed families".

Sky's Anushka Asthana said: "The Lib Dems are putting this out today in an attempt to appeal to parents and to say they are on the side of struggling families."

"What the Government wants to see is policy where uniforms can be bought anywhere - at supermarkets or at the more expensive suppliers.

"It is part of what they are doing here at Glasgow, which is trying to say that in government, despite only having 57 MPs, they are having an impact and their policies are pushing through.

"But there is a lot of debate whether this policy will make much difference," she added.

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Jeremy Clarkson 'Considering Bid To Be MP'

Jeremy Clarkson has said he is thinking of running for Parliament - standing in Labour leader Ed Miliband's seat.

The Top Gear presenter suggested he could run as an independent at the next general election.

He tweeted: "I'm thinking I might stand in the next election as an independent for Doncaster North, which is where I'm from. Thoughts?"

In the last election, Mr Miliband had a 10,909 majority in the constituency.

Clarkson's message has so far been retweeted more than 1,000 times - including by John Prescott, Labour's former Deputy Prime Minister.

Mr Prescott also replied to the presenter: "Why not stand in Chipping Norton, where you live now? You've got lots of mates there."

Another Twitter user said: "I think you should. At least then there would be one politician who isn't afraid to speak his mind."

However, it remains to be seen how serious the famously mischievous 53-year-old is about the idea.

In the past Clarkson has had to apologise to Mr Miliband's political mentor and predecessor at Labour, Gordon Brown, after calling him a "one-eyed Scottish idiot".

The current Labour leader also hit out at the Top Gear presenter last year, saying he was one of a number of celebrities making light of people suffering from mental illness.

Clarkson's tweet comes after a difficult summer for Mr Miliband who has had to endure a series of criticisms of his leadership from within his own ranks.

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Mums-To-Be 'Risking Dangers' To Stay Slim

By Gemma Morris, Sky News Reporter

Experts are calling for better detection of eating disorders among pregnant women over fears the number of mums-to-be resorting to dangerous methods to stay slim could be increasing.

The condition, dubbed by some as 'pregorexia', can affect women who have never before suffered with an eating disorder, as well as those who have battled anorexia or bulimia in the past.

A study for the National Institute of Health Research of 739 women attending their first ultrasound scan found one in 13 had an eating disorder.

One of the psychiatrists behind the research, Dr Nadia Micali, said sufferers do not tend to admit they have a problem for fear of being stigmatised or having their babies taken into care.

She wants to see changes in the way the issue is tackled.

"Many healthcare professionals are not aware of eating disorders and certainly I believe that we should improve our efforts at detecting eating disorders in pregnancy."

Some sufferers resort to extreme methods such as food restriction, over-exercising, using laxatives and self-induced vomiting.

Christina Kelly's babies were induced because of stunted growth in the womb

Mother-of-two Christina Kelly, from Bradford, had anorexia during both of her pregnancies after having suffered from the illness for a number of years.

"The thoughts I would get when confronted with food would be "You are fat', "You are not allowed it", "You are shameful and disgusting".

Her children suffered growth problems in the womb and had to be induced early.

"The guilt I experienced was incredible and the support I received at the specialist unit was essential during my pregnancy."

Consultant obstetrician Dr Pat O'Brien, from University College London Hospital, warned about the effects of eating disorders.

"There is an increased risk of miscarriage in the early part of pregnancy, there's also increased risk of poor growth of the baby, so the baby doesn't get enough nutrition and therefore doesn't grow very well, and for that reason might have to be delivered early."

Some experts say high-profile pregnancies are adding to pressure

There is a belief that factors such as media scrutiny of high-profile pregnancies can also create unrealistic pressure on women, something Dr O'Brien said is unfair.

"The body is made to gain weight during pregnancy partly for the health of the woman but also to deposit some stores there that will feed the baby if the woman's breast-feeding afterwards. A good rule of thumb is that if it's taken you nine months to gain this weight, it often takes nine months to lose it."

The charity B-eat said eating disorders are treatable and recovery is possible.

Chief executive Susan Ringwood said: "Everyone we speak to who has recovered says how grateful they were that someone noticed, spoke to them and felt they were worth helping, even if at the time their reaction gave a different impression."

:: Anyone worried about their eating habits should see their GP or midwife. B-eat also has a range of support services.

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Woman's Body Found In House: Man Charged

A 32-year-old man has been charged with murder after a woman's body was found at a house in Walsall.

Bank employee Jasvir Ram Ginday, from Victory Lane, in the town, will appear at Walsall Magistrates' Court on Monday.

Nine other people - four men and five women - arrested at the house in Victory Lane have been released on police bail.

West Midlands Police said the body was found at the property at around 8pm on Friday following a missing persons inquiry.

The body has not yet been formally identified and further forensic tests are due to be carried out on Tuesday.

Detective Chief Inspector Sarbit Johal, leading the investigation, said: "We are undertaking numerous enquiries and are still really keen to speak to anyone who may have information that could help this investigation."

:: Anyone with information is urged to call 101, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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