Govt Warned Over Cutting Military Spending

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

The Government must set out its vision of where it wants Britain to stand in the world before cutting the defence budget, an influential cross-parliamentary body has urged.

A report released by the Defence Select Committee suggests the imminent end of operations in Afghanistan provides an opportune moment for the Government to produce a comprehensive national security strategy which would then inform the next strategic defence and security review (SDSR).

It must then clearly articulate to the public what they can expect of the armed forces at home and abroad.

Committee chairman James Arbuthnot told Sky News: "The last defence and security review (in 2010) was strategic only in the sense that it was aimed at reducing money.

"The next one has got to be based on, we say, a prior discussion by the country about what place we want the country to have.

"Obviously money has to come into it, but the first thing that needs to come is the national security strategy, then there needs to be a discussion between the Ministry of Defence and Treasury about how we're going to achieve that strategy.

"There is no point, it seems to us, in having the process we had in 2010 of simply pretending you can achieve things without having the money to do so."

The Defence Select Committee also warned the Ministry of Defence needs to foster a better and more transparent relationship with the public if it wants to win support for future operations to bridge a "disconnect".

"There is a lack of understanding amongst the public of what HM Armed Forces should be for, and this represents one of the greatest strategic threats facing the armed forces," the report concludes.

"Public sympathy and support for the armed forces is to be welcomed, but it must not obscure or undermine a hard-headed understanding of what they are for."

However, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond was critical of the report in his response.

He said: "We welcome the committee's focus on a strategic approach, but it is unrealistic to think that Defence can operate in a vacuum, without having regard to the fiscal challenges the country faces.

"A meaningful SDSR has to balance strategic and fiscal challenges to find a sustainable solution for Defence.

"Public understanding of the wide range of tasks our armed forces undertake to defend our security and interests is vital to maintaining support for defence spending in the future."

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Hundreds Of NHS Direct Staff Face Job Losses

Hundreds of people working for NHS Direct, a failed provider to the NHS helpline, have been told they face losing their jobs.

NHS Direct announced in July that it was planning to pull out of its contracts due to severe financial problems.

In October it said it would close after projecting a £26m deficit for this financial year.

Some 200 of its 700 staff have already been told their jobs are safe, as they move to other providers.

Of the remaining 500, many may also escape redundancy, with back office staff most likely to lose their jobs.

A spokeswoman said: "NHS Direct has today written to around 500 employees, including around 140 nurses, giving them formal notice that they are at risk of redundancy at the end of March.

"The final number of redundancies is likely to be less than this, since we are seeking to mitigate as many redundancies as possible by supporting these staff to find alternative employment within the wider NHS.

"At this stage we do not know what the final number of redundancies will be as it is dependent on several factors including the number of 'at risk' staff who obtain suitable alternative employment elsewhere."

The 111 line, which replaced NHS Direct as the number to call for urgent, but non-emergency care, has been riddled with controversy since its inception on April 1 last year.

Patients complained of calls going unanswered, poor advice being given and calls being diverted to the wrong part of the country.

A month after its launch, leading medics warned the "problematic" roll-out of the system had left many patients not knowing where to turn.

An investigation was launched by NHS England after a number of incidents, including three deaths, were linked to the service.

NHS Direct originally won 11 of the 46 contracts across England to provide the 111 service.

Dr Peter Carter, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, claimed 158 nursing staff at NHS Direct would lose their jobs.

He said: "This is sad news indeed for the individuals affected, and could to lead to patients seeing their NHS 111 service stretched even further.

"After the dismantling of NHS Direct, we've been left with a fragmented, localised NHS 111 service that offers uncertainty and inconsistency across many parts of the country."

:: All this week Sky News will have live coverage examining the crisis in the NHS. Watch 'A Matter Of Life And Death' on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Obese Pregnant Women 'Putting Strain On NHS'

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

NHS chiefs have ordered the first official survey of older and fatter women giving birth following new evidence that maternity units are under increasing pressure from complex pregnancies.

Figures obtained by Sky News show there has been a boom in pregnant women who are obese or over the age of 40.

Some units reported that the number of obese mums had more than doubled in just two years.

And NHS England revealed it will for the first time monitor the data to ensure women are receiving appropriate care.

Dr Catherine Calderwood, NHS clinical director for maternity, said: "Knowing this data is one of the most important things to improve the outcomes for these women and their babies.

"So we are investing in that with a new audit for the first time."

Sky News sent a Freedom of Information request to all maternity units in England.

Dr Catherine Calderwood, NHS clinical director for maternity

Of the 104 that replied, 67 were able to supply data on obesity between 2010/11 and 2012/13.

On average there was a 12.5% rise in women with a body mass index (BMI) over 30.

But Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust reported a rise of 192% and Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said obesity had risen 177%.

Our survey also shows an upward trend in the number of older mums, with an average 7.5% rise in the number of women aged over 40 over the two years.

Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Trust has been at the forefront of one of the biggest baby booms in the country.

Our statistics show that the number of obese mums rose by 59% in two years. Women aged over 40 rose by 33%.

Nicky Griffin, maternity ward manager at the hospital, said obese women need additional care.

"It is a consideration you need to make for their safety when they are in labour," she said.

"There is a risk of deep vein thrombosis, clotting in the leg.

"We have to give medication to prevent that because bigger ladies can be less mobile."

Obese women are also more at risk of diabetes, dangerously high blood pressure and having a premature delivery. Older mums face similar risks.

:: All this week Sky News will have live coverage examining the crisis in the NHS. Watch 'A Matter Of Life And Death' on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Motorist With 45 Points Still On The Road

A motorist who chalked up a record 45 penalty points on his driving licence in a nine-month offending spree is still on the road.

The driver, from Liverpool, was given the points between October 1, 2012, and June 20, 2103, for eight offences of either failing to disclose the identity of the driver or for speeding.

His total exceeds the previous still-driving record of 42 points, revealed the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) which obtained the figures from the DVLA under the Freedom of Information Act.

Drivers who tot up 12 points within three years can be disqualified.

Failing to give the identity of the owner, speeding, and driving uninsured were the most common reasons for points, the IAM said.

IAM chief executive Simon Best said: "Last September, we highlighted a driver with 42 points on their licence and we were told that more would be done to address the issue.

"Incredibly, we now have someone driving with 45 points.

"DVLA must rapidly overall their systems and working relationships with the courts to ensure that the whole principle of 12 points and you are off the road is not undermined."

He went on: "Any suggestion that some drivers may be able to speed with impunity and then talk themselves out of a ban puts our whole approach to enforcement into question.

"The police and the motoring public need to have confidence that those caught speeding or breaking other motoring laws will be dealt with equally."

Laura Woods, spokesperson for road safety charity Brake told Sky News: "It is appalling that people who commit offence after offence, racking up so many points, are allowed to keep driving.

"Drivers who repeatedly flout traffic laws have shown complete disregard for the lives of other road users.

"They have also had ample opportunity to desist breaking the law before reaching 12 points and facing disqualification.

"Brake is calling for all drivers who clock up 12 points to be automatically disqualified.

"Allowing these dangerous and irresponsible drivers to stay on the road puts innocent members of the public in danger and makes a mockery of the system."

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Jimmy Savile Victims Call For Single Inquiry

By Enda Brady, Sky News Correspondent

A single, judge-led inquiry should replace the multiple investigations currently taking place into Jimmy Savile, according to the lawyer representing some of the people abused by the late BBC presenter.

There are now at least 30 inquiries into the activities of Savile - who escaped justice after sexually abusing young people for half a century.

These take in the NHS, Crown Prosecution Service, Independent Police Complaints Commission and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary.

Solicitor Alan Collins, who represents 60 people abused by Savile, told Sky News Online: "There should be one, single inquiry, that's the view of the victims.

"There are now so many inquiries taking place, there is a danger that an opportunity to get to the whole truth may be lost.

"But there has to be a political will for this to happen because it will need to be sanctioned by Parliament. It's make-or-break time now.

"Many of the victims have had to give evidence to the police and to some of these inquiries.

"People want the truth, they want two questions answered: How? And why? That's all they want."

The former DJ and TV presenter died in 2011, but a year later an ITV programme exposed him as a serial abuser.

Within weeks of it being broadcast, hundreds of people had contacted various police forces across the UK to claim they too had been abused by Savile.

Children's charity the NSPCC has received 326 calls about Savile to date since that programme aired.

There has been an 81% increase in contact to its helpline about sexual abuse and a rise of more than a quarter (30%) in calls about all types of abuse.

A NSPCC spokesman said it agreed there needed to be some way of bringing together all of the lessons learned from the inquiries currently taking place.

But the charity believes that the current inquiries should not be stopped or merged into one all-encompassing investigation, the spokesman added.

Peter Watt, the helpline's director, said the NSPCC was still receiving calls from victims and witnesses about Savile, the most recent of which was just before Christmas.

He said: "The emerging picture is that the key to stopping abuse like this is helping children to speak out and then taking them seriously when they do.

"Savile escaped justice because people didn't want to hear or believe what children were saying.

"If one glimmer of hope is to come from this torrid affair, it is that children today will be safer because we all learn to listen."

The BBC's independent inquiry into what the Corporation knew about Savile is due to report its findings this month.

Led by Dame Janet Smith, it has contacted 720 people and spoken to 140 witnesses.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt revealed in November that 19 hospitals are carrying out their own inquiries into Savile.

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Parliamentary Sketch Writer Simon Hoggart Dies

Simon Hoggart, the broadcaster and Guardian parliamentary sketch writer, has died from pancreatic cancer at the age of 67.

The journalist, who had written for the newspaper for 45 years, was diagnosed with the illness three and a half years ago but kept writing columns until December 19.

Hoggart, the elder son of literary and cultural academic Richard Hoggart, had returned to his family home for Christmas Day but went back to the Royal Marsden hospital shortly afterwards and died on Sunday, the newspaper confirmed in an obituary.

The Guardian's editor, Alan Rusbridger, said: "Simon was a terrific reporter and columnist – and a great parliamentary sketch writer.

"He wrote with mischief and a sometimes acid eye about the theatre of politics. But he wrote from a position of sophisticated knowledge and respect for parliament.

"A daily reading of his sketch told you things about the workings of Westminster which no news story could ever convey. He will be much missed by readers and his colleagues."

Hoggart, who has published 20 books, appeared regularly on radio and television, including on Sky News, and chaired Radio 4's The News Quiz for 10 years. He joined the Guardian straight from university in 1968.

According to his obituary in the Guardian, Hoggart's final parliamentary sketch appeared in the newspaper the day after Chancellor George Osborne's autumn statement. In it he likened Mr Osborne to Mr Micawber and said of David Cameron that "he smiled like the Cheshire Cat after a large sherry".

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Storms: UK Braced For More Flooding And Chaos

A violent storm brewing in the Atlantic has brought more flooding and travel chaos as Britain returned to work after the Christmas holidays.

Forecasters warned gusts of up to 70mph will hit western coasts, while officials around the country urged people to remain vigilant and to stay away from high-risk areas with high waves crashing on to land.

A rock fall in Porthcothan Bay, Cornwall

As winds whipped up rough seas in the Atlantic, there were fears of further coastal flooding with 10-metre-high waves potentially striking southwest England, Wales and western Scotland.

Aberystwyth seafront - including 600 rooms of the university's student halls of residence facing the beach - was evacuated before the high tide as more strong winds approached.

A severe flood warning is in place near Bournemouth

Sky's Mike McCarthy, at the scene, said: "It does look as though the worst predictions are being realised. We have seen waves bringing rocks and stones forward over the fencing."

:: Send us your weather photos or video to news@sky.com or text your pictures to 84501

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning - meaning "be aware" - for heavy rain, along with hail and thunder, in southern and western parts of Scotland, across Northern Ireland, north Wales, northwest and northeast England and the South.

Harry Martin went missing in the storms

Up to 40mm of rain could fall in higher ground.

With the ground saturated already following recent storms, the Environment Agency (EA) has issued one severe flood warning - near Bournemouth, Dorset - and more than 320 flood warnings and alerts covering every region in England and Wales.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has 32 flood warnings and alerts in place.

Environment Secretary was in Maidenhead to inspect the town's flood defences and reiterated the Government's commitment to expand schemes to protect homes and businesses.

He said: "It is absolutely awful being flooded and I really do offer my real sympathies to those that have been flooded. It is really shocking for young families and terribly disruptive for businesses.

This is the latest storm front to hit Britain

"I can reassure those people we are determined to carry on long-term flood schemes. We will be spending £2.3bn in the course of this parliament. We have an even more ambitious programme going up to 2020, and over time, we will protect over 165,000 properties during this period and a further 300,000 up to 2020."

The EA has urged communities in Dorset and Oxfordshire to prepare for "significant flooding" in the lower reaches of the Thames, Dorset Stour and Frome rivers.

More flooding is expected on the Somerset Levels and rivers in the South East, including the Severn, remain "very high" after recent rainfall.

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson inspects flood defences in Maidenhead

The EA said some 220 properties have been flooded so far, miles of coastline battered and roads and fields across the country left under water.

The severe weather has already taken its toll on the transport network and more disruption is expected for commuters with roads closed and trains delayed or cancelled in areas.

First Great Western warned passengers there was a risk to services in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Wiltshire and Dorset.

Southern Railway services between Horsham and Dorking in Surrey will be out of action until early February after a landslip in Ockley.

The scene where the man on his mobility scooter fell into the river

And with hail providing an additional hazard, driving conditions are expected to be difficult too with the RAC expecting Monday to be one of the busiest days of the year for breakdowns, with 11,000 call-outs expected.

Residents in Wales are bracing themselves for more flooding and damage after the worst storms in 15 years battered the coastline on Friday.

Sky News weather producer Jo Robinson said: "As the UK returns to work after the Christmas and New Year holidays, some travel disruption is likely on Britain's roads and railways.

A yellow warning has been issued for the whole of west Britain

"Also, there's likely to be more flooding, with coastal areas at greatest risk as winds gust up to 70mph in the West.

"The storm system out in the Atlantic has whipped up the sea creating a large swell which is heading towards us early on Monday morning, so that combined with strong winds could cause flooding at high tide.

"The spring tides are past their peak now, but the high-tide waters are still likely to cause concern."

Tewkesbury is underwater due to floods again

The weather conditions that brought misery over the festive period continued to prove treacherous at the weekend - with a 47-year-old man becoming the third person to die in the storms.

The unnamed victim died when his mobility scooter fell into the swollen River Thames at Osney Lock, Oxford, at 6.30pm on Saturday.

A search is continuing for missing 18-year-old student Harry Martin, who was last seen leaving his home in Newton Ferrers, near Plymouth, on Thursday afternoon to take photos of the storms.

A 27-year-old man from Surrey was found on Porthleven Sands beach in Cornwall after he was swept out to sea on New Year's Eve night and a woman died after being rescued from the sea in Croyde Bay, north Devon.

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NHS 'Needs £1bn' For Longer GP Opening Hours

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

More than 20,000 extra GPs, nurses and other NHS staff are needed if the Prime Minister wants his plan for longer surgery opening hours to work, the head of the Royal College of GPs has warned.

In her first major TV interview since taking up the post, Dr Maureen Baker told Sky News that GPs needed an extra £1bn of taxpayers' money to recruit sufficient staff to keep practices open seven days a week.

Without the extra money, the NHS risks becoming unsustainable as GPs and hospitals struggle to cope with the extra demand from patients over the winter months, she said.

"If we were to move to seven days a week we would need 10,000 more GPs.

"We probably need the same number of practice nurses and a proportionate number of support staff.

"We don't think seven days a week is realistic."

Dr Baker took over as head of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) in November, a month after the Prime Minister declared his intention to get GPs to work more hours.

According to the British Medical Association (BMA), there are just over 40,000 GPs currently working in the UK.

The RCGP wants that figure to rise by a quarter.

In a dire assessment of the current state of GP practices, Dr Baker said family doctors feel "besieged" as they struggle to deal with the influx of patients, particularly in the winter months.

"It is constant demand with very little let-up," she said.

"We know our colleagues are working 11 to 12-hour days, and that is really difficult to do day after day when it is a job you need to be on top form for.

"They are feeling pressurised and besieged and looking for a bit of respite."

She said GPs need more resources, adding: "The consequence (of not having extra resources) will be the winter pressure effect that comes up every year gets longer and longer.

"My fear is the whole of the NHS becomes unsustainable due to the failure to properly invest in general practice."

She also criticised the Government's £500m handout to hospitals to help them cope this winter.

David Cameron wants longer opening hours for GP surgeries

"It wasn't the best use of money. It was a short-term fix, finger-in-the-dyke stuff," she said.

"There is nothing about the use of that money that will stop the same pressures emerging again and again."

In October, the Prime Minister said he would like GP surgeries to open from 8am until 8pm and at weekends to fit in with the lifestyles of working people.

He told Sky News: "Sometimes people using accident and emergency really just need to see a GP.

"But for hard-working people it is often too difficult because you are at work, you can't get an appointment at the time that fits."

A Department of Health spokesperson said: "GPs do a vital job which is why we increased their overall budget last year as part of our protection of NHS funding.

"We have made £50m available to help innovative GPs to extend their services and stay open longer - either on their own or by working with other local practices.

"We have also asked Health Education England to see how we can get 50% of medical students to become GPs."

Some GP surgeries are testing out new ways of working to improve waiting times for appointments.

Under a system devised by the organisation Patient Access, GPs call back patients within an hour of them ringing the surgery.

Within a week of introducing the system GPs at the Phoenix Surgery in Swindon were dealing with 60% of patients over the phone.

The rest were given same-day appointments for a face-to-face consultation.

Dr Peter Swinyard said: "I can deal with two or three patients in the time it used to take me to deal with one.

"I was terrified. You have been working in a certain pattern for 29 years and now you're doing something different.

"But we are providing a better service, a service that patients have a right to expect."

:: All this week Sky News will have live coverage examining the crisis in the NHS. Watch 'A Matter Of Life And Death' on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

We also want to hear your experiences of the NHS - the good and the bad - tweet us using the hashtag #NHSlifeanddeath

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Riot Payouts: Victims 'Failed By PM And Mayor'

Labour has accused David Cameron and Boris Johnson of breaking promises to more than 130 victims of the London riots who have made compensation claims but are yet to receive a single penny.

The Opposition said of all the claims, less than 16% of the requested cash has been paid out more than two years after violence and looting broke out across the capital.

Shadow home office minister Steve Reed, who uncovered the figures through freedom of information requests to the police, claimed  the riot victims felt "abandoned and ignored by the Government and the Mayor of London".

"With the eyes of the country on him, David Cameron promised the victims of the riots they would not be forgotten and would not be left out of pocket," he said.

"It's disgraceful there are still residents and business owners in London facing financial hardship because they have received either too little compensation or nothing at all."

But a spokesman for Mr Johnson's mayoral office for policing and crime said it was "simply untrue to say that people are yet to receive a penny" following the violence.

A carpet showroom in Tottenham was among the buildings torched

"All of the outstanding claims are either funds owed to insurance companies, or to settle under-insured elements of claims," he said.

"Everyone who wasn't insured and made a valid claim has been paid, and over 96% of insured claims have been settled. Only the most complex cases remain.

"In the last year the number of outstanding claims has reduced by over two thirds. During the summer the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime met with a number of claimants and the insurance industry to hear their concerns and to help resolve the final issues around remaining cases, so that they are moved forward in a timely manner."

Policing, Criminal Justice and Victims Minister Damian Green said the Met police and the Mayor's office were "working hard to resolve" the outstanding claims "as quickly as possible".

He added: "In order to make sure the compensation is as quick and efficient as possible in future, the Home Secretary commissioned an independent review in to the Riot Damages Act, which made several recommendations. We will be launching a public consultation on next steps early this year."

The figures released by the Met showed 3,447 claims had been made by March 31, 2013, and 3,535 claims by November 6, 2013. By March 31, 2013, £250.1m had been claimed, and by November 6, 2013, claims had reached £299m.

Cash totals paid out by the Met Police were £35.8m(14.3%) on March 31, 2013, and £46.9m (15.7%) on November 6, 2013.

The total number of outstanding claims on November 6, 2013, was 133.

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Madeleine McCann Parents In Court Setback

A request by Madeleine McCann's parents to give evidence at a Portuguese libel trial over a book by a former local police chief has been rejected, according to a family source.

Kate and Gerry McCann are suing Goncalo Amaral over claims he made in The Truth of the Lie, which they say damaged the hunt for their missing daughter and greatly added to their anguish.

The McCanns are also taking legal action against his publisher and the makers of a documentary based on the book.

They had wanted to testify in the court case, which is taking place in Lisbon.

Goncalo Amaral at the launch of his book in 2008

But a family source said permission had been refused ahead of the next hearing date, which is on Tuesday.

The couple are said to be disappointed by the decision, and their lawyer Isabel Duarte is likely to appeal against the judge's decision.

An application by Mr Amaral to give evidence is also understood to have been turned down.

Mr McCann's sister Trish Cameron told the court last October that the family's pain over Madeleine's disappearance was "multiplied 100 times" by the book, while the trial previously heard how Mrs McCann had considered suicide in the aftermath of its publication in 2008.

Madeleine McCann disappeared from her family's holiday apartment in 2007

Madeleine's mother travelled to Lisbon at the start of the trial, and her husband has attended several times in the hope of being able to give evidence.

Madeleine, who was then nearly four, disappeared from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in the Algarve on May 3, 2007, as her parents dined at a nearby restaurant with friends.

British detectives launched a fresh investigation into the youngster's disappearance in July this year - two years into a review of the case - and made renewed appeals on television in the UK, the Netherlands and in Germany.

After shelving their inquiry into Madeleine's disappearance in 2008, Portuguese authorities said in October that a review had uncovered enough new information to justify reopening it.

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