George Osborne has been talking about his attitude towards the European Union and the aims of the government's proposed renegotiation strategy. 

Speaking in the City of London, George Osborne has paid tribute to his former Lib Dem Treasury deputy Danny Alexander, praising him for his "good humour and determination" in restoring the nation's finances during the coalition government. He also spoke kindly of his former adversary Ed Balls, who lost his seat at the election, saying that while he did not agree with the former Labour MP on many economic matters he respected his "deeply held convictions" and thanked him for his "many years of public service". 

The government plans to sell its stake in the Royal Bank of Scotland, Chancellor George Osborne is to announce in his annual Mansion House speech.

Mr Osborne is to say the "decision point" had been reached.

He will say he has received advice from Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney and a review by investment bank Rothschild.

Mr Carney said a phased sell-off "would promote financial stability, a more competitive banking sector and the interests of the wider economy."

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Green Party leader Natalie Bennett is not impressed by George Osborne's upcoming Mansion House speech, accusing the chancellor of going soft on the City over tougher regulation. She says:

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Anti-EU parties including UKIP have voted against a European Parliament resolution, which condemns Russian human rights abuses.

The strongly-worded, non-binding resolution, external was passed by a majority of MEPs. It called for a ban on funding of political parties in the EU by non-EU "political or economic stakeholders".

Reports say the French National Front (FN) has received loans worth several million euros from a Russian bank.

Russia remains under EU-US sanctions. Read more here.

Planning laws are "favourably skewed" towards gypsy and traveller communities, an MP has claimed.

Conservative Philip Hollobone said the law should apply equally to everyone.

Citing examples of antisocial behaviour, the Kettering MP urged ministers to "listen to these concerns from the heart of middle England".

But during the Westminster Hall debate, he was criticised by Labour MPs who said his "offensive" comments would "stigmatise" the communities.

Mr Hollobone called for the end of a section of the Housing Act 1994, external, which says councils must take into account the "accommodation needs of gypsies and travellers residing in or resorting to their district". Read more here.

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Crossbench peer and constitutional expert Lord Norton of Louth has welcomed the prominence of women in senior positions in the House of Lords.

In his blog,, external he says four female peers have just been appointed to chair four ad hoc committees: on the 2010 Equality Act; Sexual Violence in Conflict; Social Mobility; and the Built Environment. And he notes that five of the past eight leaders of the House have been women.

The Commons has more to do to match the Lords' progress, he writes.

SNP MP Pete Wishart is to become the new chairman of the Scottish Affairs Select Committee. He was the party's sole nominee for the role.

It will be the first time the SNP has chaired a Commons committee. The party has also been given control of the Energy and Climate Change Committee in recognition of its new status as the third largest party in the House. This will be chaired by Angus MacNeil, MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar.

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Bank of England governor Mark Carney is to call for rogue bankers to face criminal sanctions, in his Mansion House speech later.

Institute of Directors chief Simon Walker thinks it "will go down well", saying ordinary, honest businesses are "as much the victims of that kind of abuse as anyone else". He adds that it is a "scandal that no-one has gone to jail for events that brought the economy to its knees".

Asked for his thoughts on the proposed budget surplus rule, he says it's "an excellent approach". It may be "more symbolic than real", but George Osborne has already been "pretty determined" on that course, he adds. Hopefully it'll stop some of the "wilder excesses" seen in the past.

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The more interesting question is whether this is the right fiscal rule, Paul Johnson says.

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Institute for Fiscal Studies director Paul Johnson says he thinks the chancellor intends that the surplus will run when growth is at 2% or more. 

What change will legislating for it make in practical terms? Little, he thinks, noting that the child poverty target "hasn't made any difference at all to what government appears to have done". Rather it "signposts" what the government wants to do, Mr Johnson adds.