By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Ken Clarke, who was responsible for privatising the steel industry under Thatcher, showed how out of touch he his with the area his party is about to destroy. He said, during The BBC's The World at One Programme, that he knew South Wales well, and had "driven past Port Talbot many times." Jeremy Corbyn repeated his call for the Tata businesses to be nationalised. He said: "The Prime Minister has offered no solutions today to the threat...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor The Chancellor has come out fighting and has defended the Government’s handling of the steel crisis, but his special relationship with China is clouding his judgment, critics have claimed. He said the Tories were doing all that is "practicable and possible" to slap tougher tariffs on cheap steel. The steel crisis has been squarely blamed on China continually dumping cheap steel on European markets and making UK steel far too expensive. Instead on intervening, it...

MS Dhoni took a novel approach to questions over his retirement today by inviting a journalist up to answer his own question. The Indian captain faced the media in a press conference following his side's World Twenty20 loss to West Indies. But rather than take a conventional approach to criticisms, he decided to turn the table on a journalist and fielded questions to him.

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor A video has emerged which features a traffic warden giving a ticket to a taxi driver, only moments after he had pulled up to let out an elderly disabled woman at an M & S in Chelmsford, Essex. The warden ignores the driver when he asks: “You’re giving me a ticket for dropping off a disabled lady?” The customer objects to the warden’s actions, saying he is a “nasty person” and asking “don’t you think he...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Generous tax breaks have helped create a “shadow” welfare state for the 20 per cent wealthiest in the UK, research has revealed. The Fabian Society believe these high earners will take almost the same as the worst off fifth take in benefits. The Fabians’ general secretary, Andrew Harrop, indicated his research illustrates the latest Budget was another step in remodeling the welfare state as we know it. This shift has moved resources from the poorest...

Britain has a real problem with foreign languages. A study by the British Council recently found three-quarters of the population cannot hold a conversation in a foreign language. Our apathy could prove to be a big risk to the economy, with an "alarming shortage" of people able to speak the ten languages vital to our future prosperity and global standing. So what's stopping us? New research by the Goethe Institute has revealed that 73 per cent of Brits have considered learning a second...

By Harry Bedford  As one of the five remaining communist countries, Laos is very much a victim of its political history. The domino that fell along with Vietnam in the 1970s is only just starting to pick itself back up - much to the delight of the tourist. Laos is the country nestled between Thailand and Vietnam, landlocked by Burma and China to the north and Cambodia to the south. Buddhism, French colonialism and centuries old Laotian traditions come together...

Leicester City chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha will lay on free beer and doughnuts for fans this Sunday. The Foxes take on Southampton at the King Power stadium as they look to continue their march towards the Premier League title. With four home games left of the season, and only seven overall, the club’s top brass confirmed that free Singha beer and Krispy Kreme donuts will be doled out as a token of their continued gratitude. ? FREE ? & ? ALERT! ? There's...

A widespread wave of gentrification has hit Britain in the wake of the new mandatory National Living Wage (NLW) which came into force today. Tesco reported that its ‘finest’ range had sold out and Café Nero was forced to close its doors early after supplying what it described as a “tsunami” of espressos. The threat of mass gentrification had been outlined by town planners in the run-up to the new bill, who warned that an influx of middle-class people could...