The leader of the Liberal Democrats Tim Farron has told BBC Radio London moving some of this summer's GCSEs and A Levels forward to accommodate Muslim students who are fasting during Ramadan is "a decent and fair thing to do".

Tim Farron told Vanessa Feltz "we should react to and be reasonable towards the society in which we live".

And he pointed out the British school system is largely designed around two major Christian festivals yet most non-Christians "don't think that is ramming religion down other people's throats and making them change their lives because of somebody else's faith".

Dan Hodges, a political commentator for the Daily Telegraph, vowed in 2012 to streak down Whitehall if UKIP got more than 6% of the popular vote at the general election - they received over 12%. He has raised over £600 for two charities, Elizabeth's Legacy of Hope and the Terrence Higgins Trust. He made the pledge in 2012 on Twitter. 

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

George Osborne insists David Cameron has not "changed his mind" on allowing cabinet ministers to campaign for whichever side they want in the EU referendum. John Humphrys quotes an interview Mr Cameron did with Andrew Marr last year in which he appeared to say he wanted to impose collective cabinet responsibility. Mr Osborne says that's not how he interpreted it and the government will be "much better off with this approach". 

Mr Osborne says he "respectfully disagrees" with his Conservative colleague Lord Heseltine, who said Mr Cameron would be seen as a "laughing stock" around the world if he allowed his ministers a free hand to campaign for in or out.

George Osborne is pressed by John Humphrys on banking regulation - the chancellor insists he has got the balance right on regulations and is not too "cosy" with the bankers. He claims Britain has a "pretty exemplary system of regulation".

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

George Osborne says "if and when interest rates go up it will be a sign of a normalising economy". He says the government is preparing for this by clamping down on potential "asset price bubbles" through things like new taxes on buy-to-let landlords. 

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Chancellor George Osborne says: "We are doing everything possible in this country to prepare for whatever the world throws at us." He insists Britain's economic recovery is not debt-fuelled, citing the Bank of England's assessment, and accuses his political opponents of "complacency" by calling for more spending. 

BBC Newsnight

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Chancellor George Osborne says Britain's economy faces a "dangerous cocktail of threats" in 2016 from instability in the Middle East and slowing growth in China.

Image source, Reuters

Jeremy Corbyn is expected to finalise his frontbench team later by filling posts left vacant after three shadow ministers resigned on Wednesday.

Kevan Jones, Jonathan Reynolds and Stephen Doughty quit, citing policy differences with the Labour leader.

The resignations were in protest at sackings made by Mr Corbyn in his reshuffle.

Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell, dismissed the three MPs as being part of "a narrow, right-wing clique".

Mr Jones quit his defence role over the issue of Trident after Mr Corbyn replaced pro-nuclear weapons MP Maria Eagle with unilateralist Emily Thornberry.

Meanwhile, shadow rail minister Jonathan Reynolds and Stephen Doughty, a shadow foreign minister, quit over the sacking of shadow Europe minister Pat McFadden.

Mr Corbyn fired Mr McFadden for "disloyalty" after he appeared to criticise his stance on terrorism.

Read more

Image source, PA

David Cameron has made a fresh appeal for German support over changes he is seeking to the European Union, saying they are key to the UK's membership.

The UK prime minister, who is on a visit to Germany, argued that his desired changes would benefit Europe's largest economy as well as the UK.

Curbing migrants' benefits and other moves would make a "big difference" to whether the UK stayed, he suggested.

Mr Cameron is pushing for an EU-wide agreement at a summit next month.

He is seeking a "better deal" from the EU as a prelude to holding an in-out referendum on the UK's continued membership by the end of 2017 at the latest.

If a deal is reached on the UK's four main renegotiation objectives in February, there is speculation that Mr Cameron will call the referendum - in which voters will be asked whether they want the UK to remain a member of the EU or to leave - in June.

Read more

Image source, PA

The UK faces a "cocktail" of serious threats from a slowing global economy as 2016 shapes up to be one of the toughest since the financial crisis, George Osborne is to warn.

The chancellor will later lay out a litany of risks the economy faces over the next 12 months.

His message will be in contrast to the positive tone of his Autumn Statement, when he said the UK was "growing fast".

People must not be "complacent" that the economy is fixed, he will say.

Significant challenges - including tension in the Middle East, slowing growth in China, and low commodity prices - are all weighing on global confidence, he will say in a speech in Cardiff.

Read more

Hello and welcome to our rolling political coverage on Thursday - we'll start with a quick recap of the stories around this morning as we wait for George Osborne to appear on Today at 08:10 GMT and for Jeremy Corbyn to fill the three shadow ministerial vacancies caused by resignations yesterday... 

The fallout from Labour's reshuffle looks set to continue on Thursday but the focus could move elsewhere to Europe and the economy. David Cameron will make a major speech in Germany on his renegotiation of the UK's EU membership while Gordon Brown and prominent eurosceptics are also due to make major interventions in the Europe debate. Meanwhile, George Osborne will give his first major speech on the economy of the year. We will be covering all that so please join us then.

BBC Newsnight

Asked about Jeremy Corbyn's working relationship with Hilary Benn, Dianne Abbott says Labour has learned the lessons of its divisions over the Syria vote and Mr Benn will be expected henceforth to reflect Labour policies and the broader views of Labour members when it comes to foreign policy, and not simply "his own views". The international development secretary tells the BBC's Newsnight that "what is being asked for is not unusual but a measure of collective responsibility". She says Kevan Jones is a "big loss" to the party but suggests that the other people who have resigned today are all special advisers and that, under Jeremy Corbyn, the culture of the party is changing and more "authentic" politicians are taking place in the upper ranks. 

A Labour MP has reacted angrily to comments by the shadow chancellor John McDonnell who claimed earlier there was a "hard right" conservative faction within the Labour party, associated with the campaign group Progress. 

Tony Blair has denied trying to prevent IRA victims getting any financial compensation from Libya. 

The former prime minister's comments came in written evidence to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee. 

The committee is examining the role of the government in seeking compensation for victims of IRA attacks made possible by the provision of weapons by Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. 

Among the weapons he supplied was Semtex explosives.

Read the full story

Image source, PA

David Cameron has discussed the UK's EU renegotiations with German Chancellor Angela Merkel this evening in Bavaria, where he is attending the annual conference of Mrs Merkel's sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU). 

A No 10 spokeswoman said.