What's on in the Commons today?published at 09:50
Image source, parliament.ukSummary
David Cameron has held talks with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels
The prime minister says there is no deal yet on curbing welfare payments to EU migrants
Eurosceptics criticise talk of an "emergency brake" on in-work benefits that would have to be agreed by a majority of EU states
What's on in the Commons today?published at 09:50
Image source, parliament.ukFishermen protest outside Scottish Parliamentpublished at 09:42 Greenwich Mean Time 27 January 2016
BBC Scotland's environment correspondent tweets...
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End of twitter postGoogle tax deal: 'Firms have to earn public trust', says PM's former adviserpublished at 09:30
Today Programme
BBC Radio 4Earlier, Steve Hilton, former senior strategy adviser to David Cameron, spoke about Google's tax deal on the Today programme:
Quote MessageThere is a growing sense that companies that are so big and so dominant - not just in the marketplace but in the way they relate to governments, their lobbying efforts and so on - that they really are above the law. In this particular case they have made clear that they were abiding by the law then, when the arrangements caused anger, and now that they have new arrangements.
Quote MessageThe truth is that those of us who really believe in the power of business and capitalism to do good things for society - and I am definitely one of those people - we have really got to make clear to businesses that they have a responsibility to behave in a way that earns public trust. Otherwise you are going to see a growing call for policies that actually damage the capacity of business to grow and create jobs and do all the things we want them to do."
BBC News hears from Holocaust survivor and Bosnian genocide survivorpublished at 09:12 Greenwich Mean Time 27 January 2016
BBC News producer tweets...
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End of twitter postShould firms publish tax deals?published at 09:04 Greenwich Mean Time 27 January 2016
BBC political editor tweets...
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End of twitter post 2Migration Watch report 'disingenuous', says Britain Stronger in Europepublished at 08:55
A report by pressure group Migration Watch that claims net UK migration could be cut by 100,000 if the UK were to leave the EU has been described as "disingenuous" by James McGrory, spokesman for Britain Stronger in Europe.
Quote MessageThis disingenuous report is another example of the Leave campaigns fudging the facts because they know they're losing the argument. Freedom of movement isn't on the ballot paper - and neither Leave campaign even proposes ending it. As Norway, Switzerland and Iceland all show, access to the single market comes hand in hand with freedom of movement. To suggest we can simply pick and choose which bits of Europe we like after voting to leave is a dishonest fantasy."
Flood hit communities could face council tax increasepublished at 08:50
Image source, Getty ImagesPeople in flood-hit areas could face higher council tax bills under plans being considered by ministers.
Environment Secretary Liz Truss praised Somerset - where local authorities are being allowed to increase levies by 1.25% specifically to bolster flood defences - as a "very good model".
The comments, in evidence to MPs, came as Storm Jonas battered the country, triggering alerts in many areas.
First UK council 'set to vote to leave EU'published at 08:45
Conservative Havering Borough Council, which also has six UKIP councillors, is set to be the first UK publicly-elected body to vote to leave the EU, says The Telegraph, external.
The UKIP councillors are expected to join with Eurosceptic Conservatives, it says.
Hinkley Point nuclear plant decision 'delayed'published at 08:40
Image source, PABritain's first new nuclear power plant in decades could be delayed amid reports an EDF board meeting to decide whether to invest in Hinkley Point Power Station has been postponed.
The French energy firm's board was expected to meet on Wednesday to finalise the decision.
But French paper Les Echos and environmental group Greenpeace said the decision had now been delayed reportedly due to funding difficulties.
EDF declined to comment on the reports.
Quarter of people in UK 'witnessed hate crime last year'published at 08:35
A quarter of people in the UK have witnessed hate crime in the last year, research suggests.
The poll, carried out by The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, showed 27% of those questioned had seen a form of hate crime, with a fifth witnessing abuse based on religion and 25% based on race or ethnicity.
Of the 2,007 people asked, 440 said they had witnessed hate crime and regretted not challenging it.
New row over Scotland's Marine Protected Areaspublished at 08:20
Image source, ThinkstockA new row has broken out over Scotland's network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) where fishing would be limited to protect habitats.
The legislation enforcing the rules of the MPAs has still to be passed.
Holyrood's rural affairs committee is due to consider a motion from Conservative MSP Jamie McGrigor that seeks to remove certain restrictions.
Conservation group, Scottish Environment Link, has urged the committee not to support the motion.
Criticism of care services after autistic woman's suicidepublished at 08:18
Image source, ThinkstockThe Mental Welfare Commission (MWC) has called for a review of services for adults on the autistic spectrum after the suicide of a woman in a care home.
The 44-year-old woman, named only as 'Ms MN', took her own life after being sent to a home which did not have the specialist skills to care for her.
MWC said the "tragic case" contained lessons for all of Scotland.
The Scottish government said it was "absolutely committed" to improving the lives of people with autism.
EU 'useless and corrupt' says Inghampublished at 08:11
Image source, Getty ImagesThe European Union is useless, corrupt and riddled with fraud, Sir Bernard Ingham has said.
In a withering attack in the Yorkshire Post, external, Margaret Thatcher's former press secretary said:
Quote MessageThe institution is corrupt and so riddled with fraud that the auditors have felt unable to sign off its accounts for nigh on 20 years; why should the UK throw another £12bn a year at the EU?"
Google 'paid less than 3% tax'published at 07:56
Image source, ReutersGreen MEP Ava Joly says that Google is using the £130m figure of back tax deal with HMRC as a kind of publicity, relying on the figures being so high that "people don't understand them".
"When you say 'We will pay £130m' people think it's a lot of money," she says.
However, according to her calculations Google made at least £7bn in the UK over the decade covered by the back taxes, and so should have paid £1.8bn, she says.
"So you see they are only paying less than 3% taxes," she adds.
Google tax deal 'shabby' says McDonnellpublished at 07:42
Image source, Getty ImagesLabour shadow chancellor John McDonnell, writing in the Daily Mirror, has called Google's £130m tax settlement a "shabby deal" and criticised Chancellor George Osborne for not answering his questions in the Commons.
Mr McDonnell said:
Quote MessageWe can't have mates rates when it comes to taxes, but that's what Osborne's cosy deals are offering to giant firms. And rumour has it that similar deals could be offered to Facebook and Amazon. "We believe government should stand up to corporate giants, not cuddle up to them."
'More transparency needed' over tax dealspublished at 07:34
Today Programme
BBC Radio 4It's either a major success or a national disgrace, depending on whether you're the Chancellor or one of the many critics of Google's £130m back tax deal with HMRC.
The European Commission is about to publish plans to force government's to disclose the details of such deals, at least to each other.
French Green MEP Eva Joly has campaigned for governments to do more to take on corporations.
"There must be much more transparency... we want the information not only to be disclosed to the tax administration, but to the common public," she says.
'Tiny acts of political participation'published at 07:15
Today Programme
BBC Radio 4What connects the rise of Donald Trump, the election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader, and the Arab Spring? Social media helped their success, says the Oxford Internet Institute.
Professor Helen Margetts, who has been studying what makes a cause take-off online, says:
Quote MessagePeople spend growing proportions of their time on social media - there's 33 million people in the UK on Facebook, and it's almost ubiquitous among younger people, and all the time they're invited to undertake tiny acts of political participation - liking something, sharing something, downloading something, signing an electonic petition, and sometimes those are scaling up to something really important."
Lord Green: UK 'needs to clamp down on EU migration'published at 07:01
Today Programme
BBC Radio 4The UK could slash net migration by more than 100,000 if it were to leave the EU, according to pressure group Migration Watch UK.
Lord Green is its chairman. He says were the UK to leave the European Union, EU migrants could only come to the UK if they had a work permit, raising the bar for entry.
Quote MessageIt's the work route that we need to clamp down on, because roughly three quarters of EU migrants come here to take jobs that are low paid. They may be quite skilled, some of them, but actually the jobs that they take are low paid, and therefore their contribution to the economy is very limited."
Leaving EU 'would cut migration by 100,000' - Migration Watchpublished at 06:51
Image source, Getty ImagesNet migration to the UK could fall by about 100,000 a year if Britain votes to leave the European Union, pressure group Migration Watch has estimated.
The group, which advocates tighter immigration controls, says in the event of a "Brexit", the government should introduce work permits for EU citizens.
Such a move would cut net migration - the difference between the number of people arriving and leaving - from 180,000 to 65,000 a year, it says.
Pro-EU campaigners dismissed the claim.
Roadworks plans 'common sense' says McLoughlinpublished at 06:45
Image source, Getty ImagesTransport secretary Patrick McLoughlin, on plans to reduce traffic disruption caused by roadworks including £5,000 fines for councils, says:
Quote MessageI want to deliver better journeys for drivers. Roadworks can be essential but that doesn't mean they should be in place any longer than is absolutely necessary. That is why I am looking at proposals to reduce queues and make drivers' lives easier. These common sense measures will be a welcome relief to those trying to get from A to B on our local roads. Over Christmas we were able to lift a massive number of roadworks on trunk roads, but this package of measures will benefit drivers all the year round."
