Labour has offered to suspend “politics as usual” in an attempt to find a long-term solution to the problems of funding social care for the elderly in England.

Europe looked on with wary relief as Greek conservative leader Antonis Samaras launched coalition talks after winning elections following weeks of uncertainty over whether the country could remain in the eurozone.

Perhaps, before Olympic madness seriously sets in, we could quietly drop the much-repeated mantra of the Games, "sport for all". The events of this week have made that principle seem a touch silly, maybe even hypocritical. Far from providing what Lord Coe has called "a symphony of inspiration that will create lasting change", the London Olympics, along with English football's Premier League, have been offering a stirring overture of financial exploitation. The true motto of the moment is "sport for maximum profit" and, as one has come to expect, it has been those least able to afford it who are being exploited.

Fears of new credit crunch prompt Bank of England to kickstart emergency lending scheme

The Chancellor is not altogether disingenuous in his claim that the convulsions in the eurozone are "killing off" Britain's recovery.

A lunch at Reform, one of our most productive think-tanks, focused on the private finance initiative, the contractual arrangement much favoured by Gordon Brown in which private-sector expertise and money was enlisted to build schools, swimming pools, hospitals and much else.

Spain successfully raised 2.1 billion euros (£1.7bn) today from the bond markets — but at higher interest rates as investors remained concerned the country might still need external help to shore up its troubled banking sector.

Prime Minister David Cameron is committed to protecting pensioners' entitlements to benefits such as the winter fuel allowance and free prescriptions, eye-tests and bus travel in their current form, Downing Street said today.

Local communities should be "bribed" to accept more wind farms in the countryside so Britain can meet its renewable energy targets, a senior Conservative MP said yesterday

Is the spirit of Jo Moore alive and kicking in Whitehall?

George Osborne's closest political aide secretly gave News Corp information about the likely contents of the Government's first budget, it was revealed last night.

Being a special adviser at the heart of the Government is necessarily a privileged but hugely sensitive role. When Alistair Darling, then the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, asked me to be his special adviser in the Treasury in 2007 I had little idea of what was expected. There was no job description. It was a case of feeling my way, finding a modus operandi best suited to looking after his interests.

Vladimir Putin has named his new cabinet, retaining some of the outgoing government's key figures but adding a few fresh faces, and tightening his grip on power as he begins his third presidential term.