£350m Boost For British Nuclear Submarines

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond will today announce an additional £350m to design the future generation of British nuclear-armed submarines.

This investment will sustain 1,200 UK jobs and follows the initial £350m of design work announced earlier this year, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

Mr Hammond will make the announcement on a visit to the home of the UK's nuclear deterrent at Faslane on the River Clyde in Scotland.

Commenting on the Scottish independence debate, the Defence Secretary will reiterate the Government's commitment to keep the naval base in Scotland.

He will say: "We are confident that the Scottish people will choose to remain part of the United Kingdom.

"The Faslane complex is the largest employment site in Scotland with over 6,500 jobs underpinning the local economy.

"We have no plans to move the nuclear deterrent from the Clyde.

"On the contrary, we intend to move the Astute and Trafalgar Class attack submarines to Faslane, creating a further 1,500 jobs.

"The Scottish Government needs to explain how their policy would benefit Scotland's economy and safeguard Scottish jobs."

The announcement follows the successful firing of an unarmed Trident ballistic missile by HMS Vigilant during a test launch in the Atlantic Ocean last week.

HMS Vigilant during last week's test launch

HMS Vigilant is one of four Vanguard Class submarines which maintain the UK's nuclear deterrent.

The Vanguard submarines will be replaced from 2028 by the Successor which is currently being designed by British companies.

As a result of today's announcement, BAE Systems will proceed with an additional £315m worth of work.

A further £38m will be carried out by engineering support services company Babcock.

The decision to press ahead with spending on the design for the new submarines is likely to renew coalition tensions over the replacement for Britain's Trident nuclear deterrent.

The issue divides the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, and as part of their coalition-forming agreement both parties promised to delay the final decision on whether to replace the nuclear deterrent until after the next general election.

A senior Lib Dem source appeared to downplay Mr Hammond's announcement, saying: "There has been no change in policy on Trident. This is just some detail around the announcement of funding that was made back in May 2011.

"The crucial decision on maingate and whether there will be a like-for-like replacement for Trident will not be made until 2016.

"The Liberal Democrats will continue to make the case for alternatives to a like-for-like replacement. Our current review into those alternatives will report next year."

SNP MSP Bill Kidd attacked the move and accused Mr Hammond of using "fantasy figures" relating to the number of jobs dependent on the nuclear weapons system at Faslane.

He said: "For the UK Government to boast about spending hundreds of millions of pounds on weapons of mass destruction - while at the same time implementing brutal welfare cuts and slashing investment in the economy - is obscene.

"More than that, Philip Hammond's weak attack on the Scottish people's choice in the independence referendum continues to use fantasy figures relating to the number of jobs associated with Trident at Faslane.

"His own Ministry's figures obtained through FoI show that there are not thousands of jobs dependent on the nuclear weapons system but 520 - all of which and more will be taken up by Faslane continuing as the main Scottish naval base."

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Police Poised For More Savile Case Arrests

By Darren McCaffrey, Sky News Reporter

Police investigating Jimmy Savile are preparing to make fresh arrests - as today marks the anniversary of the TV presenter's death.

Yesterday, former pop star Gary Glitter became the first high-profile arrest under Scotland Yard's Operation Yewtree, which is looking at child sex abuse allegations against Savile and others.

Police have drawn up a detailed arrest strategy as 30 officers work through 300 claims of abuse.

Today marks one year since Savile's death. At the time he was saluted for his charity work and long TV career.

Gary Glitter was arrested yesterday

Now the depictions of Savile could not be more different, described as a predatory paedophile and one of Britain's most prolific sex offenders.

For many of Savile's victims, including his own great niece, too many turned a blind eye for too long.

Caroline Robinson told Sky News: "The rewards they got from Jimmy Savile's name and everything else kept them in a lifestyle that they became accustomed to.

"I am sure the BBC, if they could have stopped this in the 60s when they first found out about the allegations, I would not be a victim now.

"I would not be sat here. They have wrecked my world apart. They are to blame.

"I think a vast amount of people knew at the BBC, at the NHS and the council.

"I think everybody knew who surrounded themselves with Jimmy Savile."

Today former Court of Appeal judge Dame Janet Smith begins the first of two independent inquiries.

It will focus on whether the culture and practices at the BBC allowed Savile to carry out his abuse.

A further review will examine current sexual harassment policies at the corporation.

Over the weekend, Savile's Highland cottage has been targeted by vandals, with graffiti spray-painted across the outside.

"Jimmy the beast" was written on the wall of the remote holiday home outside the village of Glencoe, and the door was badly damaged.

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New Road Tax Plan For Motorways And A-Roads

Drivers who use motorways could be charged a higher rate of road tax than those who stick to slower routes.

According to reports, motorists face a two-tier road tax under proposals being considered by the Government.

It has been suggested drivers could be offered a lower rate of the tax if they agree not to use the country's trunk road network of motorways and major A-roads.

Those paying a higher rate of vehicle excise duty would be free to use any roads.

Proponents say a network of automatic number-plate recognition cameras could be used to catch any drivers who were using the motorways without paying the higher rate.

A Department For Transport (DFT) said: "The department and Treasury are currently carrying out a feasibility study to review new ownership and financing models for the strategic road network.

"This is looking at how best we can secure investment in the network to increase capacity and boost economic growth."

Governments have long sought to explore revenue generation options for road users.

Sky's Deputy Political Editor Joey Jones said: "The fact is when they look years down the line with people changing their pattern of road use - some people getting electric or hybrid vehicles, or vehicles that have lower emissions - that means they are going to be paying less in vehicle excise duty."

Money-raising concepts raised by previous governments have included expanding toll booths across the motorway network and a system based on mileage.

But a DFT spokesman added: "The Government has made clear it will not implement tolls on existing road capacity and has no plans to replace existing motoring taxes with pay-as-you-go road charging."

The AA said it was opposed to an overhaul of road tax.

"This is the last thing drivers want on top of high fuel prices," said spokesman Paul Watters.

"This would create a two-tier system on Britain's roads, which would push many drivers away from trunk roads and into towns and villages where congestion would increase.

"Governments keep coming back to the idea of charging motorists for the roads they use, but the costs of implementing such a scheme would be huge."

Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said that a scheme could work if the proceeds were used to improve the road network.

He said: "Ministers would go a long way to restoring trust among drivers if the proceeds were ring-fenced and ploughed back into road provision."

Dr Richard Wellings, head of transport at the Institute of Economic Affairs, said the road network had been "neglected" by successive governments.

"For too long British drivers have had to pay over the odds for a road network that is simply not up to scratch," he said.

"It is lamentable that this vital area of infrastructure has been neglected by government after government."

Road tax is currently paid based on a sliding scale of 13 bands from zero to more than £1,000 in the first year of registration.

Drivers pay according to how much carbon dioxide their vehicle produces.

Another option is to replace the annual road duty charge on cars with a one-off charge on new vehicles.

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Chelsea Accuse Ref Of Inappropriate Language

Chelsea have made a formal complaint against referee Mark Clattenburg after accusing him of using "inappropriate language" towards two of their players during a controversial defeat to Manchester United.

The European champions confirmed they have reported the official to the Premier League match delegate following the London team's 3-2 loss at Stamford Bridge.

That complaint is set to be passed on to the Football Association (FA).

It is understood Jon Obi Mikel is one of the two players Chelsea believe "inappropriate language" was directed at.

A club spokesman said: "We have lodged a complaint to the Premier League match delegate with regards to inappropriate language used by the referee and directed at two of our players in two separate incidents in today's (Sunday's) match.

Mr Clattenburg pictured during the fiery clash at Stamford Bridge

"The match delegate will pass the complaint to the Football Association. We will make no further comment at this time."

Mr Clattenburg, 37, has vowed to co-operate with any investigation.

Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO), the body which represents Premier League referees, released a statement which read: "PGMO is aware of the allegations and they are being treated with the utmost seriousness.

"Mark will co-operate fully and welcomes the opportunity for the facts to be established.

"No further comment will be made until this matter has been properly investigated."

The hotly-anticipated match between two of the Premier League's top three sides was eventful.

Chelsea had two players controversially sent off, including striker Fernando Torres who was dismissed for a second yellow card after allegedly diving.

Meanwhile, Manchester United were allowed a winning goal that some thought was offside.

All of the referee's conversations during the game would have been audible to his two assistants Michael McDonough and Simon Long as well as the fourth official Michael Jones, who are all connected by audio headsets. However, the audio itself is not recorded.

Mr Clattenburg is regarded by Fifa - the sport's world governing body - as one of the top officials in the game.

At the Olympics, he was chosen to referee the final between Brazil and Mexico, and he is expected to be put forward to be part of the English representation at the 2014 World Cup.

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Jimmy Savile: Thompson's Office 'Was Warned'

The Jimmy Savile child abuse allegations were flagged up to the office of former BBC boss Mark Thompson at least twice, according to new claims.

The then director-general's office was formally alerted by journalist Miles Goslett in May and by an ITV email in September, The Sunday Times reports.

According to the paper, his aides were told on both occasions that the allegations concerned Savile's alleged abuse of minors on BBC premises.

Mr Thompson, who has since left the BBC and is about to start a job as chief executive of The New York Times, denies he was ever personally informed.

Mr Goslett is said to have spoken to Jessica Cecil, the head of Mr Thompson's office and asked to speak to him about allegations that Savile had molested underage girls on BBC premises.

Ms Cecil told Mr Goslett to speak to the press office and said she did not tell Mr Thompson of the allegations.

A BBC spokesman said: "Jessica Cecil's firm recollection of this brief call is she advised the journalist to put their points to the BBC press office. She then informed the BBC's director of communications about the call."

A spokesman for Mr Thompson said: "Mark was not aware of the conversation between Miles Goslett and Jessica Cecil on May 18, 2012. He was on holiday at the time and this brief conversation was not relayed to him, either then or subsequently."

Hundreds have come forward claiming to be Jimmy Savile's victims

On September 7, ITV is reported to have contacted Mr Thompson's office with detailed questions about its findings based on interviews with 10 victims.

Again, Mr Thompson was not informed.

The former BBC chief has previously said he was neither "notified nor briefed" about details of Newsnight's investigation into the Jim'll Fix It star which was later controversially dropped.

He later told reporters he had "formed the impression it [the Newsnight investigation] was about sex abuse" after a conversation at a party but when he called the news department he was told it had been axed for editorial reasons.

Police have now described Savile, who died in 2011, as a sexual predator who could be one of the worst paedophiles the UK has ever seen.

Hundreds of people have come forward claiming to be his victims. Around 130 have so far been questioned. A further 114 assault claims have been made.

Amid major questions about the culture at the BBC and its decision not to proceed with the Newsnight programme on Savile, the corporation has ordered three inquiries.

The chairman of the BBC Trust, Lord Patten, has said he is dedicated to getting to the bottom of the scandal, vowing there would be "no covering our backs".

He wrote in the Mail on Sunday that the broadcaster "must tell the truth and face up to the truth about itself, however terrible".

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles told Sky News that the BBC should take it as a wake-up call to become more open.

"I think it's in all our interests for the BBC to be held in the highest esteem that it deserves and I think the problem at the heart of the BBC is that the organisation is too secretive," he told Sky's Dermot Murnaghan.

"I think it should think now that it should open itself up to Freedom of Information requests. I think it should look towards publishing a lot of its expenditure online... I don't think it can see itself away from the real world."

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'Professional' Burglaries On The Rise

By Liz Lane, Sky News Reporter

Burglars are taking an "increasingly professional attitude" towards their crime, according to research.

More than 100 recently reformed burglars were questioned for home security firm ADT.

Almost three-quarters (72%) said they planned a break-in by researching a property beforehand, with many observing from gardens and bushes nearby.

Bob Turney, who gave up stealing from houses three decades ago, said they often work in teams.

"They will pick on an area and they will then three-handed go through a house like a swarm of locusts, and they'll all know what their own little job is, and they know where people hide things, so they just go for the obvious places and they can be in and out in five minutes and gone," he said.

He added that householders who have not secured their property properly are considered "fair game". Particular green lights are valuables in clear view, partially open windows, unlocked sheds and a lack of outside lighting.

Sensored lights are key to deterring burglars, says the report

Mark Shaw, residential director for ADT, said: "There's an element that there's no human victim here - it's just taking property that can just be claimed back on insurance.

"But the reality is there are victims and the feeling of violation that they're left with lasts a lot longer than any insurance claim."

Nubur Gupta's home in Middlesex was broken into last month. The thieves took around £20,000 worth of jewellery, electronics and clothes.

"It's a really big hassle, it's a feeling of unsafety, plus it's all the stress you have to go through, plus the emotional loss.

"So it's hurting, especially now with the baby, I feel unsafe for the baby because he's at home with the child minder so I think they could have come while he's here, they could have hurt him, they could have hurt me."

The survey found burglars are well aware of traditional hiding places many people use - including biscuit tins, cereal packets, fridges, freezers, washing machines, ovens, behind wardrobes, under mattresses, in pillow cases and at the back of sock drawers.

However, key deterrents include gravel driveways, dogs, new-looking doors and locks, sensor lights and CCTV cameras. Some 94% of ex-burglars say a monitored alarm would put them off.

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Beer Tax Debate Heads To Parliament

By Emma Birchley, Sky News Reporter

Campaigners calling for an end to a policy which pushes beer prices up faster than the rate of inflation have won the right to a debate in Parliament.

The beer duty escalator was introduced by the last government in 2008. It means the cost of a pint rises by an additional 2% every year.

Stephen Pugh is the financial director of the brewer Adnams in Southwold, Suffolk. He believes the policy is misguided.

"The duty will be 50p or so on the pint and the VAT will be a similar amount, so you are talking about adding £1 of tax for the government on that.

"I think that's an expensive and damaging level of costs to the consumer."

Many pubs have been unable to survive in the recent economic climate. Six thousand have closed in the past four years.

It is causing so much concern that more than 100,000 people have signed an online petition urging the government to scrap the escalator. The petition has been organised by the beer campaign group CAMRA.

Beer duty has increased by 42% since 2008

The issue will now be debated in Parliament on Thursday.

David Sanchez runs the Lord Nelson pub in the Suffolk seaside town.

To get a realistic profit after paying all the tax he says he should sell his bitter for £4 a pint. But he believes that price is too high and so it sells for £3.40.

"You can't really price the beer where it needs to be to maintain the current profitability so we have to keep the beer prices down to encourage customers to keep coming in.

"They still whinge at the price... It's all part of the banter these days."

Beer duty has increased by 42% since the escalator was introduced in 2008 while sales have fallen by 15% in that period.

And the rate of decline is rising. Between July and September there was a 5.6% fall in the volume of beer sold in pubs and shops compared to the same quarter last year, although it is thought the bad weather this summer may have had an impact on sales.

A spokesman for the Treasury said a range of tax measures had been introduced to help the alcohol industry, and pubs in particular.

"However at a time when we are working hard to get down the deficit, alcohol duty revenues do make an important contribution to the public finances.

"Crucially, the Government has not made any changes beyond what was announced at the budget in 2008."

But in the past three months 117 million fewer pints have been sold.

And, according to the industry, that means that tax revenue from beer is actually being hit because people cannot afford to buy it.

The British Beer and Pub Association wants duty to be frozen in the next budget.

Research carried out for the organisation suggests it would save 5000 jobs in the industry.

But the fear is, if prices keep being driven higher, more pubs will be forced to call time for good.

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Gary Glitter Arrested By Savile Police

Former pop star Gary Glitter has been arrested as part of a police investigation sparked by sexual abuse claims against the late Jimmy Savile.

Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, was taken from his central London home by officers early on Sunday morning and is to be questioned at a police station in the capital.

The ex-glam rock star, who had a string of hit singles in the 1970s, is being held on suspicion of sexual offences.

Gadd, 68, was detained by officers working on Operation Yewtree, which is investigating allegations of child sex abuse against Savile and others.

A police spokesman said: "Officers working on Operation Yewtree have arrested a man in his 60s in connection with the investigation.

"The man, from London, was arrested at approximately 0715 on suspicion of sexual offences, and has been taken into custody at a London police station.

"The individual falls under the strand of the investigation we have termed 'Savile and others'."

Gadd served almost three years in jail in Vietnam after being convicted in March 2006 for child abuse offences.

He had moved to Vietnam to avoid media attention into his private life.

Gadd was deported back to the UK in 2008.

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British And French Navies Team Up For Drill

By David Bowden, Sky News Senior Correspondent

Thousands of sailors and marines and a flotilla of warships from Britain and France are on manoeuvres in the Mediterranean in preparation for combined operations around the world.

Codenamed Corsican Lion, the operation - the biggest since the two countries signed a military cooperation treaty in 2010 - is designed to get both sets of troops used to each other's fighting methods.

The exercise, which involves 6,000 service personnel, is using a range of vessels from both navies, although the centrepiece is the French aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle and her fast jets.

Her presence has re-ignited the controversy over the scrapping of the UK's own carriers almost a decade before their replacements will be in service.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond watched the exercise

The Defence Secretary, Philip Hammond, who flew in to observe the exercise and hold bi-lateral talks with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, faced a barrage of tricky questions from reporters about the potential embarrassment of the UK having to go cap in hand to her allies to provide carrier cover in the meantime.

Mr Hammond insisted that tough decisions had had to be made and that the new Queen Elizabeth class British carriers would provide an enhanced capability when they came on stream at the end of the decade.

"As I stand on the deck of the Charles De Gaulle, I shall be remembering that we are building two brand new modern carriers," he said.

The commander of the UK Response Force Task Group, Commodore Paddy McAlpine, said the combination of land, sea and air abilities means that in any future deployment, anywhere in the world, "we are the crystal everything else forms around".

The week-long exercise involves not only five British naval ships but Royal Marines from 3 Commando Brigade and their French counterparts.

Air support comes from French Rafaele and Super Étendard jets and dozens of helicopters ranging from Apaches to Sea Kings and Chinooks.

On the water, small boats and landing craft allow the Marines from both sides of the Channel to practice their drills.

It is not without its problems though.

French Lieutenant Benoit Bouquin said: "It's very interesting for us because we can use all the British boats, but quite difficult with the language. Not many of our soldiers speak English."

Few Royal Marines speak French either, although Corporal Ben Cussons says they manage to communicate.

"On the shop floor, you just make do," he said. "It's all smiles and nods and 'hellos'. At our level, that's enough."

Once Corsican Lion is complete the fighting flotilla will move on to the Adriatic and further exercises, this time with the Albanians.

That exercise is imaginatively tagged "Albanian Lion".

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Smokers Who Quit 'Live Up To A Decade Longer'

By Nick Martin, Sky News Correspondent

The largest ever study of the hazards of smoking amongst women has revealed that those who give up by middle age can extend their lives by more than a decade.

The research, published in the medical journal The Lancet today, shows that women who stop smoking before the age of 30 slash their chances of a smoke-related death by 97%.

In one of the biggest studies of its kind more than 1.3m women were recruited between 1996 and 2001.

Those who were still smokers after three years were nearly three times as likely as non-smokers to die over the next nine years, the study revealed.

Professor Sir Richard Peto from the University of Oxford, who co-wrote the report, said: "If women smoke like men, they die like men.

"But whether they are men or women, smokers who stop before reaching middle age will, on average, gain about an extra 10 years of life."

Leanne Dixon, 21, a customer service assistant from Manchester, started smoking when she was 13.

"These statistics really make me think," she told Sky News.

"I've thought about giving up for ages but never have. But it makes you think that you have to stop while you're young."

Alyson Aston and her friend Lyn Faulkner started smoking at the age of 15. Now in their 40s, they say giving up is not an option.

"It's not these statistics that make me want to give up, it's the cost," said Ms Aston.

Ms Faulkner added: "I think a lot about giving up but I don't have the willpower.

"But when you think about living an extra 10 years, it really is a long time."

Those who have had a brush with cancer have a cautionary tale to tell.

June Atherton, 66, used to smoke 60 cigarettes a day. She gave up at the age of 50 but was diagnosed with lung cancer 10 years later.

She said: "I stop young women in the street and tell them that they're killing themselves by smoking. They think I'm mad but it's an important message."

Paula Chadwick, chief executive of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, told Sky News: "This is important research and tells us that stopping as early as you can will prolong your life.

"More women are being diagnosed with lung cancer and we need to bring those figures down by supporting those who want to give up and making sure the young don't start."

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