Miliband Outlines 'One Member, One Vote' Plan

Ed Miliband wants to scrap the system which gave him a thin victory over brother David in the race for the Labour leadership and replace it with a 'one member, one vote' election.

The proposals will "let people back into our politics" and complete 20 years of unfinished business, Mr Miliband said.

He told The Guardian: "These are the biggest changes to who can become involved in the Labour Party since probably its formation."

Under the current electoral college system for leadership elections, a third of votes go to trade unions, with the same proportion for party members, MPs and MEPs.

The unions will keep their collective voice at party conferences, with 50% of the vote, and their quota of seats on the national executive, although Mr Miliband has pledged to look at this in the future.

Under changes announced by Mr Miliband last year, individual trade union members will no longer be automatically affiliated with the party through the payment of a political levy.

They will be able to take part in elections if they chose to become an affiliated member for a fee of £3, Mr Miliband revealed in the interview.

The electoral college system gave Ed a close victory over David in 2010

The party hopes this will encourage them to become more involved in campaigning and provide a new source of activists.

The reforms were sparked by the controversy surrounding the selection of Labour's candidate in Falkirk.

The Unite union was accused of signing up members in the constituency to try and influence the outcome. An internal inquiry found no evidence of wrongdoing, but some have said it did not have all of the facts.

While he hailed the reforms as a "great advance", Mr Miliband admitted the changes are a risk. There are warnings altering the automatic levy will see the party suffer a significant drop in funding.

To ease these concerns the changes will be implemented over five years.

A decision on whether to adopt the reforms will be made at a special conference in London on March 1.

Some MPs have voiced their unease with the plans. There are warnings the proposals will increase the power of unions, who could try and persuade affiliated members to back their preferred candidate.

"This would be disastrous," one former minister told the Daily Mirror.

"It could be the death of the Labour Party."

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Reception Children Face Compulsory Tests

Four-year-old children will have to sit tests when they start primary school under new Government plans.

The compulsory tests, designed to measure each child's level of development at the start of their formal schooling, will come into force by 2016 under the new proposals.

It comes after a Department for Education (DfE) consultation last year which proposed a "baseline assessment" in primary schools in order to measure how children have progressed by age 11.

The tests are to be carefully crafted to estimate a child's academic abilities in very basic literacy, reasoning and cognition, rather than testing their knowledge as in a traditional exam.

As a result, it is believed the current key stage one tests that take place at the end of year two, when most pupils are aged seven, will be scrapped.

The Government is soon expected to shortly announce the results of the consultation and reveal the new reception class test, which was first reported in The Times newspaper.

A DfE spokesperson said: "We have consulted on our proposed primary school assessment and accountability measures and we are considering our response."

Some educational campaigners fear the tests for the younger age group will place children under undue stress.

Deborah Lawson, general secretary of Voice The Union - a union representing education professionals, told Sky News: "I want to know what is the purpose? Why should we be putting children at a younger and younger age through a testing regime.

"I think also we have to remember that developmentally is this the right thing for young children?"

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Lloyds Sets Target For Women Executives

By Mark Kleinman, City Editor

Lloyds Banking Group is to break new ground in the debate about gender diversity in British business by pledging that 40% of its top 5,000 jobs will be occupied by women within six years.

Sky News can reveal this weekend that the taxpayer-backed lender will become the first FTSE-100 company to establish a formal gender target for its most senior management positions.

The pledge, to be outlined by Antonio Horta-Osorio, Lloyds' chief executive, in a speech next week, will come at a time of unprecedented scrutiny of boardroom diversity and governance.

Mr Horta-Osorio is expected to set the target as part of a broader set of objectives aimed at demonstrating Lloyds' awareness of its wider societal role as the UK's biggest high street lender.

Sources said that he was also planning to establish formal annual goals for lending to small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and to first-time house-buyers.

Targets for the number of female executives and a commitment to the level of funding for Lloyds' charitable causes would be made over a six-year period, they added.

It is the gender diversity target, which will entail the appointment of an additional 600 women to senior jobs at Lloyds by 2020, that is likely to attract the greatest attention.

Speaking exclusively to Sky News, Fiona Cannon, the bank's director of diversity and inclusion, said the initiative made sound business sense.

Fiona Cannon says the workforce should reflect the diversity of customers

"One of our visions is to be the best bank for customers. As the largest UK bank we are located in communities across the country and our customers are incredibly diverse," she said.

"There is a whole body of research suggesting that where organisations have a diverse senior management team they are much more financially successful than those that do not."

The Lloyds executive said that a 40% target was stretching but achievable. 28% of the bank's top 5000 jobs are currently held by women, a spokesman said.

"Creating an organisation that is meritocratic is good for everyone, not just for women," Ms Cannon said.

Lloyds' pledge comes amid mixed results from a concerted push in recent years to get more women elevated to board positions, with advocates arguing that greater diversity improves the stewardship of major companies.

That argument has acquired more weight in the aftermath of the financial crisis, although empirical evidence backing the superior performance of boards populated by women remains patchy.

The Government has thrown its weight behind a voluntary campaign to ensure that 25% of the directorships of FTSE-100 companies are held by women by the end of next year and has threatened to impose formal quotas if the objective is not met.

Since the initiative was launched by the former Trade Minister, Lord Davies, the proportion of women on boards has grown from 12% to 20%.

However, amid additional pressure from Brussels for the introduction of legally-binding quotas, there are concerns that the pace of change has been insufficiently rapid.

Vince Cable supports voluntary targets for women on boards

Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, said he supported Lloyds' work and hoped it would become a template for other major businesses.

"We are not tapping into the talents of half the population. If we are going to get proper balanced representation in companies, it has got to start with senior executives, working up to chief executive level," he said.

Mr Cable has been a supporter of voluntary rather than mandatory targets for women on boards, saying there was little evidence that more female leadership of financial institutions would have averted the 2008 banking crisis.

"I don't buy into that stereotype one way or the other," he said.

"All the evidence we have suggests that companies which do make use of the female labour force do very well at the top end. We need to make sure that becomes standard practice in the UK."

Lloyds' plan to announce the gender target is understood to have been signed off by the bank's board on Friday, less than two weeks before it reports full-year results for 2013.

The company, which provoked a row with Mr Cable by axing more than 1000 jobs this week, is preparing for a return to full private sector ownership in the coming months.

Ms Cannon dismissed the idea that Lloyds' proposals could be labelled as a publicity stunt, although critics of gender targets have argued that they are tokenistic and risk promoting mediocrity at the expense of genuine talent.

The 'gene pool' of available women to fill senior positions is questioned

Only four FTSE-100 companies - Burberry, easyJet, Imperial Tobacco and Royal Mail - have female bosses. Severn Trent, the water company, has also named a woman as its next chief executive, although Angela Ahrendts, the boss of Burberry, has resigned to take up a role with Apple.

Even fewer companies have a female chairman, with reform-minded businesspeople urging the pipeline of executives to be bolstered in order to facilitate future boardroom appointments.

Speaking to Sky News, Ruth Lea, an economist and director of Arbuthnot Banking Group, said doubts remained about the "gene pool" of available women to fill senior positions.

"I don't think positive discrimination is the best way forward for women. It breathes tokenism and suggests that somehow women cannot make it on their own merits," she said.

"It isn't a matter of discrimination. There simply isn't the gene pool of qualified and experienced women in comparison with the number of men. Men and women make different choices about their lifestyles and careers."

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Weather: Rain And High Tides Are 'Risk To Life'

Heavy rain, large waves and strong winds wreaked havoc in Britain and Ireland today, cancelling flights and sparking a "significant risk to life" warning.

The worst of the weather was battering the Republic of Ireland and gusts are expected to pick up across Wales and southern parts of England during the day.

Flooding in central Limerick, Ireland (pic: Sean Keogh/@Fame_For_Sale)

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson is to chair a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergencies committee by conference call at 3pm.

The Environment Agency warned "extraordinary measures" may be taken in Gloucestershire today to keep back tidal and river floods.

England and Wales are covered by flood warnings and alerts

It issued severe flood warnings - meaning there is an imminent danger to life - for several parts of the county and the coasts of Cornwall and north Devon.

Further warnings are in place along the length of the River Severn amid fears it could burst its banks.

Flood barriers have already been installed in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, and Bewdley, Worcestershire, as the water level rises.

River Parrett in Burrowbridge in the 1960s when it was regularly dredged In Spring 2013, without dregdging (pic Flooding on the Levels Action Group) The same river today

The Environment Agency warned against all non-essential travel amid fears drivers could become stranded, while Gloucestershire Police urged people to stay away from river banks.

Lesser warnings remain in place for many parts of Britain, including the already blighted Somerset levels and west Wales, where 49 flood warnings and 15 alerts have been issued this morning.

In the the Republic of Ireland, there were reports of severe flooding in Limerick City with the river Shannon bursting its banks.

With gusts of almost 80mph in coastal areas of the country, several parts were hit by flooding and at one stage 5,500 homes and properties were left without power, 4,000 of them in Ennis, Co Clare.

The Severn laps over a road in Arley, Worcestershire. Pic: Neill Woodward

Flights out of Dublin airport were affected because of the gales force winds. Flights to Manchester, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Cardiff, Paris and Madrid had to be cancelled.

Isabel Webster, reporting from the River Parrett in Burrowbridge, Somerset, tweeted at 8.30am: "High tide in Burrowbridge this morning. It's just touching the sand bags."

Minutes later she tweeted: "Water is seeping through giant sandbags onto road beyond at high tide here in Burrowbridge."

Amid fears the bags would not hold back the water an emergency team from the Environment Agency, rushed to the scene to bolster the defences.

As heavy rain fell in the South, snow swept across parts of the North

There are fears that flooding in the area will worsen as river levels rise over the coming hours and tomorrow.

Meanwhile, David Cameron has admitted a "long-term" action plan is needed to reduce the devastating impact of flooding on communities.

He insisted the Government was doing "everything we can to help people recover as quickly as possible".

However, he admitted there was work to do, especially in Somerset, where some residents remain cut off after the wettest January on record.

Residents in the village of Muchelney, Somerset, have been cut off

In a letter to the Western Daily Press, Mr Cameron said: "Like everybody across the country I feel enormous sympathy for the people who live on the Somerset Levels and are suffering from the devastating impact of the flooding."

He added: "We need long-term action to reduce the risk of this happening again. That is why (Environment Secretary) Owen Paterson is working with the Environment Agency (EA) and local agencies in Somerset to deliver a robust plan for the next 20 years."

The Prime Minister said plans to dredge rivers will begin "as soon it is safe to do so" and the EA will spend "the coming months improving river flows" across the south west, dredging and weed clearance.

Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis has claimed a lack of river dredging for the past 40 years has worsened the impact of the flooding in Somerset.

"The EA decided to abandon the dredging for the sake of the river bank and they sold the wonderful dredging machines for scrap," said the dairy farmer.

"Can you believe it? That was 40 years ago. This (flooding) is the result of that decision."

In the Republic of Ireland, Munster, Leinster, Connacht, Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan were told to prepare for possible flooding, while communities in west Wales and along the south coast from Dorset to Kent were also put on alert.

Hundreds of university students in Aberystwyth were told to leave accommodation on the town's seafront amid fears high tides could hit the town for the second time in a month.

Wintry weather swept across northern areas on Friday, closing the Lake District's exposed Kirkstone Pass and causing hazardous driving conditions elsewhere.

The latest forecasts will be met with trepidation in flood-stricken communities in Somerset, where the military is on standby to help with the relief effort.

On Tuesday, Prince Charles will meet people who remain cut off by water after the wettest January on record.

Some residents have criticised the Government and the Environment Agency for what they say is a lack of action to prevent the floods.

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Baby Boy's Death: Mother Arrested In Oldham

By Becky Johnson, North of England Correspondent

Police are questioning a mother on suspicion of murdering her seven-week-old baby in Oldham.

The 23-year-old mother's partner, a man aged 35, and the couple's lodger, a 26-year-old man, have also been arrested on suspicion of murder.

The baby, named locally as Thomas Gacek, was taken to the Royal Oldham Hospital with serious head injuries last Saturday.

Hospital staff contacted police and the child's mother and her partner were originally arrested on suspicion of assault.

Following the baby's death and the results of a postmortem examination they were re-arrested on suspicion of murder.

The baby was taken to Royal Oldham Hospital

Along with their lodger they are also being questioned on suspicion of conspiring to pervert the course of justice.

All three remain in police custody.

Detectives are searching the house where the child lived in the Clarksfield area of Oldham.

The couple's next door neighbour, who did not want to be named, told Sky News she was "shocked" to hear the news.

She said she understood the couple had only moved into the house in November and said they had put up balloons and banners when the baby was born.

Inquiries are ongoing to trace the child's father.

The infant died at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital

Detective Inspector Andy Cunliffe from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said: "This is a tragic case in which a very young baby has lost his life.

"We are determined to find out exactly what the circumstances were that led to him suffering such injuries.

"News of the death of such a little boy will no doubt come as a great shock to people.

"And I would like to try to reassure the community as much as I can that we have a team of detectives dedicated to working on this investigation, and they will today be interviewing the three people in our custody.

"If anyone has any information at all that they believe may assist us with our enquiries, then please get in touch and tell us what you know."

Anyone with information is asked to contact GMP's Major Incident Team on 0161 856 1722 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Sellafield Nuclear Workers Told To Stay Home

Non-essential staff at the Sellafield nuclear site in Cumbria have been asked to stay at home due to elevated radiation levels.

The plant was operating normally but with "reduced manning levels" while the cause of the higher reading at the north end of the site was investigated.

"Levels of radioactivity detected are above naturally occurring radiation but well below that which would call for any actions to be taken by the workforce on or off the site," it said in a statement.

All day personnel were asked to stay home unless specifically requested to report for duty but that laundry, canteen, utilities and transport staff were told to work as normal.

Those who could work from home were advised to do so if that was approved by their supervisors.

Sellafield later tweeted that it had found no evidence of a nuclear event.

"No risk to the workforce or the public, and no evidence of a nuclear event. All measures taken as a precaution," it said.

Nuclear expert Malcolm Grimston told Sky News that Sellafield was taking sensible steps.

"They have very carefully set out plans for anything of this nature and they'll simply be following those plans," said Mr Grimston.

A 2012 report by the National Audit Office said some facilities at the 68-year-old site had "deteriorated so much that their contents pose significant risks to people and the environment".

Sellafield, the UK's largest and most hazardous nuclear site, stores enough high and intermediate level radioactive waste to fill 27 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

It also has two nuclear plants which are currently being decommissioned.

The cost of cleaning up the waste at Sellafield has been put at £67.5bn.

In 1957, the UK's worst nuclear disaster also occurred at the site when one of the nuclear reactors caught fire, releasing radioactive material that spread across the UK and Europe.

The Government has announced that it wants to build a new nuclear reactor at Sellafield by 2025.

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Midwife Shortage 'Putting Mums-To-Be At Risk'

By Enda Brady, Sky News Correspondent

Maternity services in the UK are at risk from a national shortage of 2,300 midwives and lack of NHS funding, MPs have said.

The damning report by the Public Accounts Committee criticised the Department of Health and NHS England for being unable to tell it who is accountable for "ensuring something as fundamental" as whether the NHS has enough midwives.

It said it had gathered evidence that "many maternity services are running at a loss, or at best breaking even, and that the available funding may be insufficient for trusts to employ enough midwives and consultants to provide high quality, safe care".

The cross-party group of MPs also said more than a quarter of maternity units had to close to new patients for half a day or more between April and September 2012, with one of the reasons being a lack of midwives.

Expectant mother Nikki Cornfield, waiting to give birth at St George's Hospital in Tooting, told Sky News that she agreed with some of its findings.

She said: "I think the care is excellent, let me say that first of all. The staff are brilliant and they are doing a really good job.

"But often, there just aren't enough of them. They're just busy, busy, busy.

"At one point yesterday it looked like I was going to be induced, but there wasn't sufficient staff to do it."

The report said: "Although there has been a welcome increase in midwives, there is still a national shortage of some 2,300 midwives required to meet current birth rates.

Expectant mum Nikki Cornfield said there are not enough staff in hospitals

"Pressure on staff leads to low morale and nearly one-third of midwives with less than 10 years' work experience are intending to leave the profession within a year."

Labour MP Margaret Hodge, who chairs the committee, said: "The vast majority of women who use NHS services to have their babies have good experiences, but outcomes and performance could still be much better.

"Despite an overall increase in the number of midwives there is still a shortage of 2,300 that are required to meet current birth rates - a truly worrying figure.

"What's more, the Department of Health and NHS England struggled to tell my committee who is accountable for ensuring something as fundamental as whether the NHS has enough midwives."

But Minister for Health and Maternity Dr Dan Poulter argued that the "NHS remains one of the safest places in the world to give birth" and added that "most women would recommend their maternity care to their friends and family".

He said: "We have reversed the historic decline in midwife numbers. There are now 1,500 more working in our NHS and we have a record 5,000 in training.

MPs have said there is a national shortage of 2,300 midwives

"The number of consultants working on maternity wards has gone up too. But of course there is always much more to do.

"We are investing significantly in improvements to maternity services right across the country so women have more choice and a better environment when giving birth."

The report also found that rates of stillbirth and babies dying within seven days of birth were still higher in England than other UK nations and there was too much variation in the quality of care offered by different trusts.

The MPs also called for women to be given more choice over where to give birth, with research on more than 5,000 women showing that only a quarter wanted to give birth in a hospital obstetric unit.

Nevertheless, 87% of women gave birth in this setting in 2012.

Cathy Warwick, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, said: "Maternity services are many thousands of midwives short of the number needed to deliver safe, high quality care.

"The birth rate remains exceptionally high and as this and the National Audit Office report state, births are also becoming increasingly complex.

"This puts even more demands on midwives and maternity services.

"We are seeing areas such as antenatal and postnatal care in particular suffering because trusts often do not have enough midwives to provide consistent and high quality care before and after pregnancy."

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Flooding: Army On Standby As Heavy Rain Hits

The Army is on standby to move in to flood-hit Somerset, with further heavy rain and high tides due to hit parts of the UK in the next 48 hours.

An amber severe weather warning has been issued by the Met Office for southwest England on Friday, parts of which have been flooded for more than a month.

The public has been warned of significant disruption from flooding across the Somerset Levels.

Northern Ireland, Wales, the South East have yellow weather warnings for rain and Northern Ireland is also expected to be affected by strong gales into the weekend.

A Land Rover makes its way through floodwaters in Muchelney

Military officials were on the ground in Somerset on Thursday to draw up contingency plans amid fears of further flooding.

Pat Flaherty, deputy chief executive of Somerset County Council, said: "With potential for high winds and high tides and more rain... falling on an already soaked catchment we have potential for further flooding over the weekend.

"And with that, ongoing flooding for a number of weeks to come.

"We're still working very closely with the military who remain in Somerset, planning with us and we also have the resilience of knowing that their equipment  and personnel are ready to be mobilised should we require them."

Flood-damaged furniture outside a farm near Langport, Somerset

The Ministry of Defence has tweeted that personnel involved in helping with Somerset floods are drawn from all three services, with the majority from Taunton-based 40 Commando Royal Marines.

In addition to vehicle crews, up to 100 military personnel are on stand-by for duties likely to include sandbag filling and loading.

The Red Cross has also sent the 7.5-ton Unimog, an emergency supply vehicle capable of driving through deep floodwater.

Drainage experts blame two decades of under-investment in flood defence work for turning the Levels into a "disaster area" and said it was "very, very urgent" that rivers are dredged to prevent more damage to homes, livelihoods and wildlife.

Flood warnings issued by the Environment Agency on Friday

Despite coming under fire from MPs and local councils, the Environment Agency (EA) insists that increased dredging of the rivers would not have prevented the recent flooding and was "often not the best long-term or economic solution".

The EA has issued 43 flood warnings on Friday - most in the Midlands surrounding the River Severn.

Flood barriers have been put up at Frankwell in Shrewsbury and temporary defences are also set to be erected at Bewdley on the Severn.

Another 162 less severe flood alerts are also in place, mostly in the South East.

Rain will sweep into the western UK from Friday afternoon

Teams have been running dozens of pumps to try and drain away an estimated 1.5 million ton of water in Somerset - the equivalent of 600 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

University students in Aberystwyth, Wales, have also been told to leave the seaside resort over fears high tides could hit the town for the second time in a month.

Coastal areas in the South West, parts of the South East, North West, Yorkshire and Hull could also be affected by high tides, rain and strong winds.

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Shrien Dewani Loses Bid To Delay Extradition

The family of a woman murdered on honeymoon in South Africa say they are a step closer to "getting justice" after her husband, who is accused of killing her, lost a High Court bid to delay his extradition.

Three judges ruled it would not be "unjust and oppressive" to extradite Shrien Dewani, if the South African authorities gave a commitment over how long he would be kept in the country without trial.

The country's government has signalled it would give such an undertaking, the court heard.

Dewani, who is currently being held in hospital under the Mental Health Act, faces allegations that he hired a hitman to kill his 28-year-old bride, who was shot dead on the outskirts of Cape Town in November 2010.

Anni Dewani's family said the ruling was a step closer to getting justice

Authorities in South Africa say Dewani, 33, paid for others to hijack their taxi, throw him out and shoot her before abandoning the vehicle - claims he strongly denies.

He has been fighting his extradition from the UK to face trial over his wife's death until he is fit to stand trial.

His lawyers have stressed at various hearings that he will be willing to defend himself in court once he has recovered.

A lawyer for the South African government said it was "delighted" with the court's ruling and expected it would be able to give the undertaking required, but needed 14 days "for final clarification".

Speaking on behalf of the family outside London's High Court, Amit Karia, a first cousin to Anni said: "We are happy with the judgement. We have waited for it for three years, three months."

He said: "It seems a step closer to finally getting justice for our Anni."

But he warned there was still a possibility of Dewani launching a last-ditch appeal over the ruling to the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land.

Mr Karia said: "We are always worried and don't take anything for granted."

He described the situation for Mrs Dewani's parents as "immensely difficult - they do not have normal life anymore."

He added: "They just want the truth - that is all we have ever wanted."

So far three men have been convicted over Mrs Dewani's death.

South African Xolile Mngeni was convicted of premeditated murder for shooting her.

Prosecutors claimed that he was a hitman hired to carry out the killing.

Taxi driver Zola Tongo was jailed for 18 years after he admitted his part in the killing, and another accomplice, Mziwamadoda Qwabe, also pleaded guilty to murder and was given a 25-year prison sentence.

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