Chief executive handed over £600k after being duped by lover, court hears

A chief executive was duped by her lover into handing over thousands of pounds after the man, who had been living with his mother, claimed he was a wealthy investor, a court hears

View the Original article

Put bobbies back on the beat, says ex-Scotland Yard chief

Lord Stevens says wide-ranging reform is needed to restore public trust in the police and warns officers are "retreating" from neighbourhood patrols

View the Original article

Too much effort put into prosecuting British soldiers over Northern Ireland, ex-Army chief says

Colonel Richard Kemp says those behind alleged IRA killings still in high office should be pursued as he defends role of controversial British unit which may have killed unarmed civilians

View the Original article

Chief Constable: police manipulate crime figures because of pressure from senior figures

The head of the Derbyshire force, said "inadvertent" pressure from senior officers meant statistics did not depict the true level of crime in Britain

View the Original article

Co-op chairman stands down after drug allegations involving company's ex-bank chief

I fully accept that the deal turned out to be not as attractive as we thought it was going to be - but I don't believe it brought down the bank.

David Anderson

The Co-operative Bank is facing a rescue plan which will see majority control turned over to investors including US hedge funds, after it was left with a £1.5 billion gap in its finances following the takeover of the Britannia Building Society in 2009.

Mr Flowers, a former Bradford councillor, now faces a police investigation. He has apologised over the scandal and been suspended by the Methodist Church as well as the Labour Party.

Mr Wardle's departure will see him replaced by his deputy, Ursula Lidbetter, chief executive of the Lincolnshire Co-operative.

The Co-operative Group said: "It is intended that Ursula will chair the group through the current governance review, which will include consideration of how the board is constituted and chaired."

Just hours after Mr Wardle announced his departure, the former Co-operative banking chief who instigated its merger with Britannia Building Society defended the move.

Appearing before the Treasury Select Committee, David Anderson said: "I fully accept that the deal turned out to be not as attractive as we thought it was going to be - but I don't believe it brought down the bank."

But he said that three years after the merger, the bank was hailed in a Treasury report as a "strongly capitalised mutualised business".

"For some considerable time afterwards, this didn't look like a daft thing to do.

"I believe it was the right decision to take at the time given the information that we had."

Related articles Former Co-op bank chief Rev Paul Flowers apologises after 'crystal meth and cocaine deal' Shame of bank boss minister caught trying to buy cocaine Tweet Share this Print Email 2Comments Add Your Comment Your Name: Comment: 1000 characters remaining Post Comment Comments (2) parisclaims 9:16pm on Tuesday, 19th November 2013 Report This Comment

Sounds like he missed his true calling......a career in politics.

mozzy 5:47pm on Tuesday, 19th November 2013 Report This Comment

it just gets better and better good gried.

Share Your Opinion? Post Comment More UK More

View the Original article

Cooperative Group chairman quits having led board that appointed drugs shame bank chief

Paul Flowers resignationCooperative Group/PA

The long-standing chairman of the Cooperative Group has quit after the drugs scandal involving former bank boss Paul Flowers.

Len Wardle, who has held the position since 2007, was due to leave next May but said he will go straight away, having led the board that appointed Flowers.

Flowers, who chaired the Co-operative Bank for three years from 2010, was exposed on video apparently buying and using illegal drugs.

Mr Wardle said: "The recent revelations about the behaviour of Paul Flowers, the former chair of the Co-operative Bank, have raised a number of serious questions for both the bank and the group.

"I led the board that appointed Paul Flowers to lead the bank board and under those circumstances I feel that it is right that I step down now, ahead of my planned retirement in May next year.

"I have already made it clear that I believe the time is right for real change in our operations and our governance and the board recently started a detailed review of our democracy.

"I hope that the group now takes the chance to put in place a new democratic structure so we can modernise in the interests of all our members."

It emerged yesterday that disgraced Methodist minister Flowers committed gross indecency in a public toilet.

The ex-chairman of Co-op bank, who is gay, admitted the offence in June 1981 and was fined

View the Original article

Ed Miliband caused 'grotesque harm' calling for Falkirk police investigation, says former election chief

Tom Watson, the MP for West Bromwich East, says Ed Miliband was wrong to demand a probe into two people involved in allegations of seat-rigging by the Unite union

View the Original article