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SMIRKING QATADA
HAS MADE
MUGS OF
US ALL
HATE preacher Abu Qatada arrived back
at his taxpayer-funded home yesterday
after mocking British justice yet again.
And the sight of angry protesters outside his
comfortable three-bedroom house in north
London caused him to break into a grin.
Released from a maximum security jail, the terror
suspect is now free to walk our streets again.
David Cameron vented his “frustration” over
the failure to deport the man once described as
Osama Bin Laden’s right-hand man in Europe.
The PM said: “I am completely fed up with the
KLIEKFG8><,
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TV’s Holly Willoughby has the most enviable fi gure SEE PAGE 9
N?PNFD<EN8EK
KFCFFBC@B<?FCCP
Daily Express Wednesday November 14 2012
2
UK economy’s on a roll say experts
9p
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9LK@E=C8K@FEI@J<GLKJJHL<<Q<FE=8D@C@<J
BRITAIN’S economic recov-
ery is gathering pace, a report
from leading international
experts said yesterday.
The respected Organisa-
tion for Economic Co-opera-
tion and Development fore-
cast that UK business
activity will “continue to pick
up in growth” in the next six
months.
Its composite leading indi-
cators – a series of bench-
marks for testing economic
growth – suggested expan-
sion of the UK economy has
accelerated during the past
four months.
According to the meas-
ures, the economy will con-
tinue to grow at least 0.5 per
cent every three months.
Official figures in Septem-
ber confirmed Britain had
emerged from the double-
dip recession. And the
OECD’s latest assessment
fuelled City hopes that the
recovery is taking hold.
Howard Archer, chief econ-
omist at IHS Global Insight,
said: “The OECD leading
indicator for the UK rose
modestly further in Septem-
ber, which suggests a modest
pick-up in growth over the
HARD-PRESSED households were dealt
a fresh financial blow yesterday after
inflation suffered a shock rise – with
more pain forecast.
The Consumer Prices Index suffered a
“nasty surprise” with the cost of
living last month jumping 0.5
per cent to 2.7 per cent – the
biggest month-on-month
increase in a year and the first
rise since July.
It dented hopes that
families’ pain was easing
after figures for September
showed inflation had dropped
back to a near three-year low of
2.2 per cent. The Office for
National Statistics’ findings
put pressure on the Bank of England
which today publishes its latest forecasts
and has previously predicted CPI would
fall back to the Government’s two per
cent target by the end of this year.
A near trebling in university tuition fees
to £9,000 a year and sharp food price
increases were blamed by the ONS
for contributing to the rise.
Tom McPhail, pictured left, of
financial firm Hargreaves Lansdown,
said older people’s relatively high
spend on food and energy meant
their inflation was effectively 0.4 per
cent higher than the actual Retail
Prices Index, adding up to £13,757 to
costs for a typical household during a
20-year retirement.
coming months. Specifically,
the OECD’s leading indica-
tor for the UK climbed to
100.2 in September from
100.1 in August, 99.9 in July,
99.8 in June, 99.7 in May, 99.6
in April and a low of 99.3 in
early-2012/late-2011.
“The month-on-month
increase in the leading indi-
cator was 0.19 per cent in
September, which was up
from increases of 0.16 per
cent in August, 0.14 per cent
in July, 0.10 per cent in June
and 0.07 per cent in May. The
OECD commented that the
leading indicator for the UK
points to ‘growth picking up’.
However, the pick-up is
clearly limited at this stage
at least.
“The latest OECD leading
indicator is supportive to
hopes that the UK can keep
on growing after exiting
recession in the third quarter
when gross domestic prod-
uct grew by a better-than-
expected one per cent quar-
ter-on-quarter.” Mr Archer
called the GDP growth
“encouraging”, but warned:
“The UK is by no means out
of the economic woods and
further relapses remain a real
possibility. The economy
may yet struggle to grow at
all in the fourth quarter.”
Pointing out that consum-
ers are still under pressure,
he added: “Much is likely to
depend on whether or not
consumers spend at a rea-
sonable rate.”
Payouts vow in gas
price rigging probe
9p
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;\glkpGfc`k`ZXc<[`kfi
ENERGY companies could be forced to
compensate customers if they are found
guilty of rigging prices, the Government
said yesterday.
Energy Secretary Ed Davey promised
anyone involved in alleged manipula-
tion of Britain’s £300billion wholesale
gas market would face “the full force of
the law”.
On an official visit to Italy last night,
the Prime Minister said: “The allegation
on gas pricing is extremely serious. I’m
absolutely determined we get a good
deal for British customers.”
They spoke after it emerged an indus-
try whistleblower had raised the alarm
over possible attempts to distort
so-called benchmark prices.
Energy Minister Ed Davey, right, pledged firm action if gas allegations were proven
necessary to ensure that the full force of
the law is applied.”
Pressed on what redress there may be
for customers who suffered higher bills
as a consequence of market rigging, he
said: “We do not want to speculate on
the exact nature of the offence so I
would guard against jumping to con-
clusions. However, if detriment to
consumers can be proven, there are
powers in competition law for different
types of redress.”
He stressed inquiries were at an early
stage and urged anyone with evidence
to come forward, with anonymity
guaranteed for whistleblowers.
Shadow energy secretary Caroline
Flint said: “Any suggestion that the
wholesale gas market has been manip-
ulated is a very serious allegation that
needs a full and rapid investigation.”
She called for an overhaul of the energy
market to make it more open, transpar-
ent and competitive, and bring down
bills. All six of the big energy companies
have denied trying to rig the market.
Patrick Heren, who founded ICIS
Heren but has since sold it, said his
team spotted trades at unusual prices
on a regular basis but were told to
discount them when setting benchmark
prices. Anyone who failed to do so, he
said, “was not doing his job”.
Earlier, Deputy Prime Minster Nick
Clegg told Sky News: “If there is
evidence that those household prices
are higher because of cynical manipula-
tion in the wholesale market, I think
people will be enraged.”
In the Commons, Labour former
minister Frank Dobson commented:
“Since the hedge funds and banks got
involved in this market and it is no
longer confined to the producers and
distributors of gas, it has become noth-
ing more than a speculative racket.”
FG@E@FE1G8><()
@eÕl\eZ\
The Financial Services Authority
watchdog is looking into claims by
former City trader Seth Freedman, who
worked for ICIS Heren which sets
benchmarks, that gas price rigging was
widespread.
Energy regulator Ofgem is also look-
ing at a warning it received last month
from ICIS Heren about suspect trading
on September 28 – a key date as it marks
the end of the gas financial year and can
have an important influence on future
prices.
Yesterday Mr Davey told the Com-
mons: “At a time when people and com-
panies are struggling with high energy
bills, the country would expect us to
take firm action if these allegations
prove true, and we will. We will support
the regulators taking whatever steps
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This newspaper adheres to the system of self-regulation set out in the Editor’s Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the
editorial content of the Daily Express, or our website, and you believe the Editor’s Code has been breached, please contact our
Editorial Code Committee promptly, including a postal address for correspondence. By email: code.committee@express.co.uk;
by post: Editorial Code Committee, Express Newspapers, 10 Lower Thames Street, London EC3R 6EN.
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This newspaper adheres to the system of self-regulation set out in the Editor’s Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the
editorial content of the Daily Express, or our website, and you believe the Editor’s Code has been breached, please contact our
Editorial Code Committee promptly, including a postal address for correspondence. By email: code.committee@express.co.uk;
by post: Editorial Code Committee, Express Newspapers, 10 Lower Thames Street, London EC3R 6EN.
Daily Express Wednesday November 14 2012
3
Pictures: STEVE REIGATE
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A MOTHER who ballooned to 21st as
she constantly picked at the cakes
she baked has shed half her weight.
Claire Alsop needed size 28 clothes
following the birth of her children. But
now she has lost a staggering 11st 7.5lb in
just over 18 months to be named Slimming
World’s Woman Of The Year.
She has even carried on baking cakes,
including a low-fat version.
“As I’m not hungry I don’t feel the need
to pick at off-cuts of sponge or fi nish off
the buttercream,” she said.
“But no food’s off limits, so I really can
have my cake and eat it too.”
Claire, 31, whose children are Noah, six,
and four-year-old Ruby, decided to lose
weight after fearing she would not live to
see them grow up.
“I was having severe health problems
and I wasn’t even 30,” she said.
J\i`flj
“I couldn’t stand up to make my cakes
for more than 10 minutes before my back
ached. I started thinking about my 40th
birthday and wondering how big I’d be
then. I thought, ‘Am I going to see my kids
grow up? Will I ever meet my grandkids?’
and knew I had to do something.”
Claire joined Slimming World’s
Brinsworth group in her home town of
Rotherham in January 2011 after
numerous attempts at calorie counting
failed.
The Slimming World diet was based on
not mixing proteins and carbohydrates on
the same day, and Claire decided that if
she failed again she would have to resort
to gastric surgery.
“It was my last chance before I went to
the doctor’s to ask for something more
serious,” she said. But she lost 8lb in her
fi rst week and has slimmed down to a trim
10st 1.5lb, slipping into a size 10 dress.
Claire, who runs an electrical fi rm with
her husband Paul, 30, also revealed her
weight loss had inspired him to drop from
20st 9lb to 12st 4lb.
“I’ve still been able to eat my favourite
meals just by cooking them differently,”
she added. “I’ve eaten myself thin.”
FG@E@FE1G8><()
Claire before her weight loss and, far left, looking svelte yesterday
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Half of all mail is junk – and it will get worse
JUNK mail accounts for almost half
the daily postbag delivered by the
Royal Mail, it emerged yesterday.
And the unwanted post, which often
gets put straight in the bin, is set to
rise as the company seeks to increase
its profi ts ahead of a potential sell-off
or stock market fl otation.
Between March 26 and September
23, Royal Mail delivered a record-
breaking 1.6 billion items of unsolic-
ited mail to Britain’s 29 million
addresses, which brought in £1.1bil-
lion in revenue.
The revelation came as the company
reported a huge increase in half-yearly
9p
EXkXc`\:_Xcb
for the company to continue to adapt
to a rapidly changing postal market
and that the company and the unions
need to work together for the benefi t
of both our customers and our
colleagues.”
Clyde Loakes, of the Local Govern-
ment Association, claimed he had
raised previously concerns about the
increase in unsolicited mail.
He said: “Not only is it a nuisance to
have to pick up and throw away but it
adds thousands of tons to the amount
of waste councils have to collect.”
Robert Hammond, of the campaign
group Consumer Focus, said that
while direct marketing was frustrating
it does help keep down the price of
postage.
He added: “The hard fact is that
without this revenue stream for Royal
Mail and the associated profi ts, cus-
tomers could, in fact, face paying more
for their stamps.”
A Royal Mail spokesman defended
the growing volumes of such post,
saying: “Marketing mail helps drive
commerce – and increases in market-
ing mail volumes refl ect increasing
economic activity.”
:@KP1G8><,(
profi ts. In the six months to Septem-
ber, their profi ts rose to £144million,
compared with £12million in the same
period last year.
Chief executive Moya Greene admit-
ted “direct marketing” was approach-
ing 50 per cent of all deliveries – and
she also warned: “We are poised to
increase our share of it.”
She said Royal Mail was climbing
out of a “very deep hole” with all parts
of the business now profi table.
Ms Greene added: “I believe our
people generally understand the need
Moya Greene, profi t increase
***slip
4
Daily Express Wednesday November 14 2012
Tory outrage as Osborne
champions gay marriage
PM on tour
to fight EU
budget rise
9p
DXZ\i?Xcc
DAVID Cameron was gathering
support last night for his battle
to block a massive rise in the
European Union budget.
The Prime Minister flew to the
Netherlands and Italy yesterday
in his drive to build an alliance
against European Commission
proposals for inflation-busting
hikes in the cash paid to the EU
by member states over the seven
years from 2014.
His whistle-stop diplomatic
tour came amid speculation that
next week’s crunch Brussels
summit could be scrapped
because of the dispute.
Separate talks on a £7billion
emergency increase in this year’s
budget descended into farce
yesterday in Brussels when some
Euro MPs refused to take part.
Mr Cameron spent 45 minutes
in discussions with Dutch
premier Mark Rutte at the
parliament in the Hague before
flying to Rome for talks with his
Italian counterpart Mario Monti.
The PM’s official spokesman
said: “There can’t be any
agreement if we don’t have a
meeting. The negotiations are
continuing.”
GEORGE Osborne angered Tory back-
benchers yesterday by giving his
“strong” support to gay marriage and
opposing curbs on abortion.
The Chancellor said the next general
election should be fought by copying
US President Barack Obama’s liberal
stance on social issues.
But his remarks provoked calls for
the Chancellor to concentrate “on his
day job” of fixing the economy.
Mr Osborne said: “I should declare
my personal position on these social
issues – I wouldn’t change the current
abortion laws and I strongly support
gay marriage on principle.
“Of course in Britain these issues are
ones of individual conscience and free
votes, but I am proud to be part of a
Government that will introduce a Bill
to allow gay marriage.”
He suggested that Democrat Mr
Obama’s White House triumph last
week over his Republican challenger
Mitt Romney was largely “because of
their positions on social issues”.
Mr Osborne said: “I draw some
encouraging lessons from his victory.
President Obama’s high-profile
endorsement of equal marriage for gay
couples also enthused young voters.”
9p
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The Chancellor risked intensifying his
critics’ anger by quoting Margaret
Thatcher to boost his argument.
He pointed to her 1979 Tory mani-
festo which said: “The heart of politics
is not political theory, it is people and
how they want to live their lives.”
However, many Tories are concerned
the Chancellor’s role as the party’s
election strategy chief is distracting
him from his Treasury job, with the
crucial Autumn statement on the
economy just weeks away.
Stewart Jackson, Tory MP for Peter-
borough, said: “He needs to focus on
the real issues, that is jobs, growth and
the cost of living, rather than working
on strategy for future elections.”
Mr Osborne upset the Tory Right Stick to day job, said Mr Jackson
:8CCKFB<<GD8II@<;K8O9I<8BGC<;><
SENIOR Tory MPs have called
on David Cameron to deliver on
his manifesto pledge of tax
breaks to married couples.
A group of 15 Conservatives
want the Prime Minister to
introduce a transferable tax
allowance.
In a joint letter, issued last
night, they said: “We are now
past the half way point of this
Parliament and, as
Conservative MPs, we are
calling on the Prime Minister to
FYj\jj`fej
He accused Mr Osborne of “misread-
ing” the US election result. “Romney
lost because he was not seen as an
authentic conservative – that is an
important lesson,” said Mr Jackson.
“Polls show that people do not support
the redefinition of marriage. The
Chancellor should concentrate
on the day job of getting us out of
recession rather than the obses-
sions of the West London liberal
elite.”
The Coalition for Marriage
group, which opposes plans for
legalising same-sex marriage,
also criticised Mr Osborne.
Colin Hart, campaign director,
said: “Government plans to rede-
fine marriage are unpopular, a
vote loser and loaded with seri-
ous consequences.
“Yet again the Government’s
spin doctors are trying to claim
that redefining marriage is a vote
winner. Quite the opposite is true.
In the US, voters in 31 states have
backed traditional marriage at
the ballot box, often by large
margins – and as recently as May
2012 in North Carolina.
“The four results by the nar-
rowest of margins in liberal states
ensure that these budget
resolutions are put before
Parliament.”
Under the proposed
measure, stay-at-home parents
would be allowed to transfer
part of their allowance to a
spouse, saving four million
married couples £150 a year.
The group, which includes
former Children’s Minister Tim
Loughton, Sir Gerald Howarth
and Stewart Jackson, say the
move will combat child poverty.
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last week are not representative
of US public opinion.”
Mr Hart highlighted a poll by
ComRes suggesting that sup-
porting gay marriage could cost
the Tories up to 30 MPs’ seats
and 1.1 million votes.
“The polls show that a majority
of voters do not support the
redefinition of marriage,” he said.
“Even among the gay commu-
nity the policy is not popular with
fewer than one in five – 19 per
cent – believing the Prime
Minister is proposing this change
for the right reasons.
“A month ago ComRes found
that 51 per cent of the public
agree that marriage should con-
tinue to be defined as a life-long
exclusive commitment between a
man and a woman, with only 36
per cent disagreeing. It’s time for
senior politicians to get a grip.”
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HOMEOWNERS have seen the
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year, official figures show today.
Values increased by 1.7 per
cent in the 12 months to
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The year-on-year increase
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Wales – though Northern Ireland
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In England, the push was
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an increasingly important role in
lending levels.
“However rising inflation is a
source of concern for would-be
buyers, with the rising cost of
living, cutting into the amount
renters can set aside for future
deposits.”
Daniel Solomon, economist at
the Centre for Economics and
Business Research pointed to
figures which showed values
rising just 0.8 per cent over the
year when London and the
South-east are stripped out.
He said: “Looking below the
surface, the regional picture
shows that the capital is a key
driver of the housing market.”
Inflation figures yesterday also
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tough wholesale lending
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***slip
Daily Express Wednesday November 14 2012 5
‘Put Abu Qatada on
a plane home and
worry about Mickey
Mouse judges later’
Picture: STEVE BELL
=IFDG8><FE<
@KËJK@D<=FI:?8E><GC<;><J>I8PC@E>
fact that this man is still at large in our
country.” Speaking during a visit to
Italy, Mr Cameron added: “He has no
right to be there. We believe he is a
threat to our country.
“We have moved heaven and earth
to try to comply with every single dot
and comma of every single convention
to get him out of our country.
“It is extremely frustrating and I
share the British people’s frustration
with the situation that we find our-
selves in.”
Qatada was driven out of Worcester-
shire’s Long Lartin maximum security
jail in a black VW people carrier
yesterday morning.
He arrived home at about 1pm to a
street protest by campaigners angry
that he had chalked up another victory
in his 10-year battle to avoid being
kicked out of the UK.
On Monday, the Special Immigra-
tion Appeals Commission (SIAC)
backed European judges who said
deporting the Muslim cleric to face
terror charges in his native Jordan
would breach his human rights. The
tribunal ordered him to be released on
bail. The Government will appeal.
CHRIS Grayling called for “major
changes” to the Human Rights Act
in the wake of terror suspect Abu
Qatada’s release from jail.
The Justice Secretary pledged to
support Home Secretary Theresa
May’s efforts to send the
cleric back to Jordan to
face trial.
And Mr Grayling told
the House of Commons:
“All of us believe the law
should not operate in
this way.
“This case underlines
my view that there is a
very real need for major
changes to the way the
European human rights
framework operates.”
The minister said he was
“frustrated” by the Strasbourg
court’s rulings, which paved the
way for Qatada’s release, adding
that Tony Blair’s 1998 Human
Rights Act was not meant to help
dangerous criminals.
Mr Grayling insisted: “I do not
believe it was ever the intention of
those who created the human
rights framework that people who
have an avowed intent to
damage this country
should be able to use
human rights laws to
prevent their
deportation back to their
country of origin.”
Jacob Rees-Mogg
urged the minister to
follow Henry VIII and
make it high treason to
appeal to an overseas
court. The Tory MP said
the time had come “for
this Parliament once more to
legislate to prohibit appeals to
foreign courts and to prohibit the
judgments of foreign courts
leading our judiciary”.
Justice chief Grayling
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have all calls and visits monitored. He
will also be confined to a small area
surrounding his home.
The bill is an estimated £100,000 a
week, or £5million a year.
Qatada, 51, has already cost taxpay-
ers about £3million in legal aid, prison
costs and other handouts.
With his wife and five children, he
will now live on state benefits said to
total £2,000 a month.
Eight years ago SIAC called Qatada
an “extremely dangerous individual”.
A Spanish judge branded him “Osama
bin Laden’s right hand man in
Europe”.
Videos of his hate-filled sermons
were found in a flat used by one of the
September 11 bombers.
He is said to have widespread
support among European and north
African jihadists to whom he provides
spiritual justification for terrorist
atrocities.
Yet, on Monday, SIAC was not con-
vinced that evidence which may have
been gained by torture wouldn’t be
used against Qatada in a Jordanian
court, despite Jordan’s assurances to
the contrary. In effect, it backed the
ruling of the European Court of Human
Rights earlier this year.
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But the fact that Qatada may now
be able to stay in Britain for many
more years is a humiliating defeat for
Home Secretary Theresa May.
Yesterday, Tory MP Peter Bone told
Mrs May: “Enough is enough. Put this
man on a plane and send him home
and worry about the European Court
afterwards.
“There are times when we need to
put the public interest in front of the
European Court and this is one of
them.
“The highest court in this land, our
Supreme Court, has said he can go
back. Now, if the highest court in this
land says he can go back, then he can
go back.
“We should not be kow-towing to
this Mickey Mouse European court.
The Supreme Court should be the
ultimate court.”
Justice Secretary Chris Grayling
said that human rights laws needed a
“major change”.
Protester Jackie Chaunt carried a
“Get rid of Abu Qatada” banner and
chanted “Out, out, out” as the Muslim
cleric arrived home in north London.
Security service officials kept watch.
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Mrs Chaunt, 50, said: “He shouldn’t be
here. He was supposed to be deported
to Jordan. It’s a disgrace.”
Ex-soldier Aaron Baker, 31, protest-
ing with about 10 others, said: “I’m ex-
military and I’ve been in some scary
situations but my heart was beating
when he got out of that car.
“We’re all paying for this as taxpay-
ers. It’s ridiculous.”
The grey-bearded cleric is deemed
to be so dangerous he will be placed
under round the clock surveillance,
forced to wear an electronic tag,
banned from using the internet and
Smiling Abu Qatada arrives back at his north London home yesterday
EU ruling could force four million women off road
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MILLIONS of women drivers face
huge hikes in their car insurance
premiums with the introduction of
new EU regulations next month.
From December 21, up to four mil-
lion of Britain’s 17 million female
motorists could be forced off the
road by “gender neutral” pricing.
The European Court of Justice
ruled it unlawful to discriminate
between the sexes when it comes to
drivers, the difference could be as
much as £3,000. The extra cost could
mean a quarter of female motorists
giving up their vehicle.
The research, by price comparison
service uSwitch, found 35 per cent
would have to cut their living
expenses to cope with higher premi-
ums and five per cent may have to
borrow the money. Just 18 per cent
of women think the ruling is fair.
However, male drivers have little
sympathy. Two out of three say the
new rules end unfair discrimination.
The directive prevents insurers
from using a risk analysis of acci-
dents to discriminate on the basis of
gender when setting premiums.
But there is confusion over what
the changes will mean for drivers.
Independent insurance industry
experts Consumer Intelligence fore-
cast that car insurance premiums
will increase by as much as 25 per
cent because of the new rules.
Chief Executive Ian Hughes said:
“These changes will have a signifi-
cant effect on consumers, but a sig-
nificant number of people, especially
women, still aren’t aware of the
potential impact on their finances.”
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financial products. Women currently
pay an average of £102 less than
men, with the figure much higher for
younger drivers.
Research shows that nine in 10
women could receive a “completely
unexpected” price hike of £100 or
more after Christmas. For younger
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