Three quarters of British doctors say they do not believe couples should be able to get free fertility treatment on the NHS.

The online survey by Doctors.net.uk for the Daily Telegraph showed there was support for asking patients to pay for all or part of their treatment.

One in seven couples experience infertility and, after pregnancy itself, it is the most common reason for women aged 20-45 to visit their GP.

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 85

Twenty five years have passed since the Falklands conflict, in which 253 British soldiers died retaking the islands from Argentina.

Tony Blair this week praised the courage of Lady Thatcher for protecting the South Atlantic islands, which have been a British Crown colony since 1833.

A quarter of a century on from the conflict, are there lessons still to be drawn? What did you think of Lady Thatcher’s leadership during this period? How do Tony Blair and Lady Thatcher compare as war-time Prime Ministers?

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 203

Elton John, who celebrated his 60th birthday this month with a party in London and a concert in New York, has been described by some as a "national treasure". But is he? And if not, what makes a national treasure?

Writing in today's Telegraph, Jan Etherington says that a treasure is someone you "want to hug". Her list of national treasures would include Dame Vera Lynn, John Thaw, David Jason, Richard Briers, Julie Walters, Thora Hird, Michael Aspel, Victoria Wood, Alan Bennett.

Jan writes: "They have huge likeability, which transcends their star status, success, age, class and intellectual barriers. Often, they need to have 'come through' some kind of test, to have overcome adversity and to have clawed their way back from the brink. And they need to pass the garden fence test. Is this someone who, I feel, would happily talk to me, over the garden fence?"

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 104

Tension is deepening between London and Teheran as diplomatic efforts fail to secure the release of 15 British sailors and Marines captured a week ago.

One of the servicemen has been broadcast on television "confessing" to illegally entering Iranian waters, prompting Prime Minister Tony Blair to express his disgust at Iran's behaviour.

So far, has Mr Blair reacted correctly? How much time should diplomacy be given before the Government tries other means?

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 1618

An inquiry into the quality of childhood, chaired by David Willetts, Conservative education spokesman, has been launched by Conservative leader David Cameron.

As well as looking at family-friendly measures and improved education the inquiry will also look at how childhood has been changed by the modern world. It will seek to reduce health and safety "red tape on childhood" which Mr Willetts said was preventing young people enjoying "vivid lives and everyday adventures".

Mr Cameron called on business to recognise its responsibility not to harm young people with violent video games or sexualised children's clothes.

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 94

Police and the Home Office are planning a significant upgrade of Britain’s CCTV network in a move that will deepen concern about Britain’s lurch towards a "surveillance society".

New laws would require camera operators to ensure that their equipment produces images good enough for police investigations.

Britain has by far the largest number of cameras in the world with an estimated five million in public and private hands - about one for every 12 people.

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 150

After delivering what is almost certain to be his final Budget as Chancellor last week, Gordon Brown's quest to become Labour leader took another step forward with the announcement today that Jack Straw will lead his campaign.

So far, Mr Brown's path to replace Tony Blair appears free of major obstacles. But opinion polls show that his popularity with the general public lags far behind his support within Labour, fuelling fears that, in the absence of new developments, the party is steering a course to electoral disaster.

Does Labour need to find a credible contender to challenge Mr Brown? Would it enhance the Chancellor's standing if he is allowed to demonstrate that he has earned the premiership by beating off a serious challenger, or would any competition for the leadership be pre-destined to be nothing more than a farce?

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Posted at: 10:01 | Permalink | Comments 64

Europe's leaders are meeting in Berlin this weekend to mark the European Union's 50th birthday, the anniversary of the Treaty of Rome which set first set up a "Common Market" for the continent.

The treaty was signed by France, the then West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, the core of the original European Economic Community, who described themselves as "determined to lay the foundations of an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe".

The treaty is still the legal basis for the workings of EU institutions. How should we celebrate the 50th anniversary of its signing?

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 165

Not all murderers deserve life sentences that literally mean life behind bars, Lord Phillips, the Lord Chief Justice, has argued.

The senior judge in England and Wales also suggested that mandatory life sentences should be confined to a smaller category of homicide. Under the current system, judges are required to pass a life sentence for all homicides, including, as Lord Phillips explained, a mercy killing by a husband who could not bear to watch his wife’s suffering.

Lord Phillips also questioned the logic of keeping "geriatric lifers" behind bars, or, as he put it, “paying £40,000 a year to detain in prison old men who have served most of their lives there and who no longer pose a danger to the public.”

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 45

What was supposed to be a Caribbean celebration of the game of cricket, the sport's World Cup, has been overshadowed by the murder in his hotel room of Bob Woolmer, the Pakistani coach and former English test player.

The head of the International Cricket Council, Malcolm Speed, has already admitted that there is "a problem with corruption" in the sport and accepted that it could be linked to the death.

Regardless of whoever strangled Mr Woolmer, a one-time coach of Warwickshire and South Africa as well as Pakistan, and regardless of why, do you think cricket is crooked?

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Posted at: 10:01 | Permalink | Comments 100

Not all murderers deserve life sentences that literally mean life behind bars, Lord Phillips, the Lord Chief Justice, has argued.

The senior judge in England and Wales also suggested that mandatory life sentences should be confined to a smaller category of homicide. Under the current system, judges are required to pass a life sentence for all homicides, including, as Lord Phillips explained, a mercy killing by a husband who could not bear to watch his wife’s suffering.

Lord Phillips also questioned the logic of keeping "geriatric lifers" behind bars, or, as he put it, “paying £40,000 a year to detain in prison old men who have served most of their lives there and who no longer pose a danger to the public.”

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 87

Europe should be on its guard against political correctness and moralising politicians, José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, has told the Telegraph.

The former Portuguese prime minister is concerned lest freedom be the loser in global culture wars over climate change, cheap air travel, Islam and free speech.

"We should be aware of people who, sometimes for good reasons, try to establish what I call private moral codes, for this or that, be it climate change, religious behaviour or any kind of social behaviour," he said. He also described himself as a "radical" who believes that "if there is an excess of freedom, it is better to have excess than less."

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Posted at: 14:01 | Permalink | Comments 355

Gordon Brown announced a surprise cut in income tax as he delivered his 11th budget as Chancellor of the Exchequer and the last before he is expected to take over as Prime Minister from Tony Blair later this year.

Mr Brown declared that the basic rate of income tax would fall from 22p to 20p, while corporate tax will be trimmed from 30p to 28p.

Has this Budget made Gordon Brown more electable? Will these cuts counterbalance Mr Brown's reputation for stealth taxation?

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Posted at: 14:01 | Permalink | Comments 368

First time UK passport applicants will soon face rigorous compulsory interviews as part of the British Government's plans to tackle identity fraud.

Applicants over the age of 16 who have not previously held a five-year children’s passport will have to answer up to 200 questions on their background to establish a ''social footprint’’ of their identity.

The Government claims the scheme, which comes into force later this spring, will help prevent terrorists from obtaining UK passports. (The Home Office yesterday admitted that around 10,000 British passports were issued to false applicants last year.)

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 147

Gordon Brown is delivering what will almost certainly be his last Budget as Chancellor. In his pre-Budget report last December, Mr Brown unveiled plans to squeeze another £2 billion pounds in tax to finance higher public spending.

Education, defence and the environment have all been earmarked for more cash. For the 11th time since becoming Chancellor, Mr Brown will also highlight that the UK economy is the only major one to have avoided recession in recent years, has enjoyed unprecedented stability and grown faster than its European peers.

Mr Brown will no doubt think he deserves the credit for this track record. But does he? Critics argue that he has been lucky to enjoy a period of great global economic growth and the Bank of England deserves more acclaim for managing the economic cycle.

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Posted at: 18:40 | Permalink | Comments 89

Britain's Conservative Party is working on a thorough review of its policies as, under David Cameron, it prepares to end years of Labour rule.

The results of the review of its policies on six different "challenges" - "competitive", "quality of life", "public services", "our security", "social justice" and "global poverty and globalisation" - are likely to be made public in the run up to the party's autumn conference. (The "mid-term reports" can be seen here.)

But the Telegraph's Your View is canvassing your ideas for debate now. Which will be the right policies for the first Conservative government since John Major left office in 1997? Which Labour laws should the Tories scrap once in power? Do you trust the Cameron leadership to provide conservative remedies to the problems Britain is currently facing? Are the six policy areas listed above the most urgent priorities?

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Posted at: 18:01 | Permalink | Comments 291

Lord Turnbull, Britain's former top civil servant, has launched an astonishing attack on Chancellor Gordon Brown, accusing him of having a "Stalinist ruthlessness" and a "cynical view of mankind and his colleagues".

The attack follows a new opinion poll which puts Mr Brown 15 points behind David Cameron in the run-up to the general election, the biggest lead for the Conservatives in any recent poll.

As Gordon Brown prepares for his eleventh and final Budget as Chancellor, is Lord Turnbull's attack a fatal blow to his chances of succeeding Tony Blair? Would the Labour party be committing electoral suicide if they allowed Mr Brown to run against Mr Cameron at the next election?

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 151

British actors are over-rated in Hollywood because Americans are “fooled by our accent into detecting a brilliance that may not really be there,” Stephen Fry, the thespian and wit, has suggested.

The observation could arguably apply to other spheres of life.

In your experience, do accents really dictate how you are perceived by others? What sort of accent do you think is most prestigious? Is there any accent which carries automatic authority, sophistication or charm?

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 179

Package holidays are in such steep decline that holiday companies are taking drastic action.

First Choice and Thomson Holidays have agreed to team up just over a month after Thomas Cook and MyTravel decided to end their competition and merge.

It is hard to argue that the explosion of easy access to the internet and the growth in low-cost airlines hasn't hurt demand for package holidays. Passenger numbers from the likes of EasyJet and Ryanair show it.

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Posted at: 18:00 | Permalink | Comments 13

The Government has been accused of "betraying" British servicemen after it emerged that thousands of injured soldiers were waiting up to three years to receive compensation.

The Veterans Agency - the Government body that deals with payments to wounded soldiers - admitted that 7,032 former Army personnel were still waiting for financial help.

This latest revelation comes on top of a series of military grievances: from inadequate kit in the field to the closure of army hospitals to take care of the wounded back in Britain.

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Posted at: 11:40 | Permalink | Comments 30

The head of Zimbabwe's central bank has admitted that corruption and mafia-style deals have contributed to the disintegration of his country.

With the World Bank predicting inflation to reach 4,000 per cent by the end of the year, Gideon Gono conceded that Zimbabwe is in a perilous state, and that "illegal, intimidatory dealings" take place "day in, day out."

The vicious beatings dished out to Morgan Tsvangirai and other opposition activists last week also highlighted the repressive nature of Robert Mugabe's regime. Now Tsvangirai has asked southern African leaders to step in.

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 297

Patricia Hewitt has been forced into an embarrassing climbdown over the botched online appointments system by promising that it would not be used for the second round of interviews for posts.

The fiasco has already been described by some doctors as the "biggest crisis to hit British medicine since the start of the NHS".

The chairman of the British Medical Association has announced his resignation after failing to reflect doctors' anger over the failed system.

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Posted at: 13:01 | Permalink | Comments 131

The budget for the London 2012 Olympics has more than trebled to £9.3 billion ($18.3 billion), the Government has admitted after months of speculation.

Ministers also confirmed that an extra £675 million of Lottery money would now be swallowed up by the soaring Olympic budget, which was originally put at just £2.375 billion.

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Posted at: 17:01 | Permalink | Comments 246

Britain's population will rise from 60 million to 69 million by 2050 almost entirely because of immigration, new research by the United Nations suggests.

The latest figures from the UN's population division predict a global upheaval without parallel in human history, with 2.2 million migrants arriving in the developed world every year for decades to come.

Can the UK cope with 9 million more people? Where will they all live?

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Posted at: 00:30 | Permalink | Comments 373

The problem is never far away from the headlines: boys are outperformed by girls at school. The latest idea for closing the gap is to introduce boys-own book shelves and to make role models out of old boys who succeed in life.

Alan Johnson, the Education Secretary, suggests that a book shelf packed with spy novels and action stories "containing positive, modern, relevant role models for working class boys" would help them do better at school.

More male primary school teachers and more male role models in school would also benefit boys, Mr Johnson argued.

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 78

British babies will be given marks for crying, gurgling or babbling under the Government's new curriculum for 0-5 year olds.

All nurseries must follow the guidelines, which state that babies should "communicate in a variety of ways, including crying, gurgling, babbling and squealing" in the first year, and that three-year-olds must start citizenship lessons to grasp that "people have different, needs, views, cultures and beliefs.”

The curriculum has provoked an angry backlash. Parents' groups have accused the Government of putting children under stress by setting targets they should reach before their first birthday, while the Conservatives called the curriculum "an unprecedented supervision of children from birth to primary school" which would undermine childhood.

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Posted at: 12:01 | Permalink | Comments 57

One of Tony Blair's closest allies has criticised the Prime Minister for his habit of "conceding and capitulating" to the demands of Irish republicans.

Peter Mandelson, now a European commissioner but previously a Northern Ireland Secretary and one of the architects of "New Labour", accused his former boss of "unreasonable and irresponsible" behaviour in granting concessions to Sinn Fein, the political wing of the Provisional IRA.

Do you agree with Mr Mandelson? Do you think Mr Blair has appeased Northern Ireland's republicans? What will be the long term consequences of Labour's policy towards the province?

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Posted at: 16:01 | Permalink | Comments 93

David Cameron spent much of yesterday trying to clarify the Conservative Party's position on green taxes, insisting that the proposed fiscal measures would be "replacement taxes, not additional taxes".

The Tory leader faced another test of his mettle last week when one of his front benchers suggested that being called a "black bastard" was a normal part of Army life for ethnic minorities. Mr Cameron sacked him.

Do you think that Mr Cameron and other senior members of his Shadow Cabinet are still Tories? What do they stand for? If not traditional conservatives, are they Tories for the 21st Century? What do they have in common with such historical giants as Margaret Thatcher, Churchill or Disraeli?

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 412

China is determined to crack the social scourge of internet addiction, running bootcamps for 'addicts', raiding unregistered internet bars and banning under-18s from internet cafes.

Meanwhile an Indian university is restricting internet access for students in the evenings, saying it makes them reclusive and causes them to lose sleep and be late for classes. The university wants them to socialise instead.

Does the West have a problem with internet addiction? Should other countries follow China's and India's lead?

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 66

Alliance Boots has become the latest bid target with private equity firm KKR teaming up with the high street chemist’s deputy chairman Stefano Pessina to deliver a tentative £9.5bn offer.

Controversy has hounded private equity firms in recent weeks, with allegations that they overburden companies with debt, pursue short-term goals and slash jobs. However, the firms insist they are good for business and create jobs in the companies they buy.

Alliance Boots has a 20pc share of the UK pharmacy market and is a major supplier of drugs to the National Health Service - should such a firm be allowed to be snapped up by the secretive private equity industry?

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 6

Britain's Conservatives have unveiled a plan for taxes on air travel, including a strict personal “allowance” for business travellers and tourists.

The proposals, described by the Tories as options for consultation, are part of a radical campaign to tackle global warming and include levying VAT or fuel duty on domestic flights.

According to the leaked document Greener Skies, the Conservatives also want to introduce a rationing system whereby individuals are confined to as few as one single short-haul flight each year, with any additional travel attracting higher taxes.

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 293

The average Briton spends more than £4,000 on books during his or her lifetime but nearly half of them remain unread, a new study claims.

DBC Pierre's Booker Prize-winning novel, 'Vernon God Little', topped the list of unfinished fictional works, followed by the fourth installment of Harry Potter and James Joyce’s notoriously difficult 'Ulysses'.

The research, commissioned by Teletext, also found that more than half of the 4,000 respondents, (55 per cent) admitted they often bought books for decoration and had no intention of actually reading them.

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 146

Telegraph.co.uk is inviting you to travel the length of India's "Holy River," the Ganges, in the company of our South Asia correspondent, Peter Foster, our photographer, Heathcliff O'Malley, and Philip Reeves of NPR.

For the next two weeks our three explorers will be discovering the "real" India, starting at the Gangotri Glacier near the Chinese border and ending when they reach the Bay of Bengal.

You can take part in the adventure too by tracking their progress - in words, pictures, audio and Peter's blog - on our special "Holy River" page: www.telegraph.co.uk/ganges

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 41

Tony Blair's former spin doctor in chief, Alastair Campbell, will be publishing the first extracts from his Downing Street diaries later this year, it was announced yesterday.

The exact date of the appearance of "The Blair Years," published by Random House, will be determined by the timing of the Prime Minister's resignation.

But pundits and ordinary punters alike are already drawing up their lists of likely highlights: whether the authorship of "the people's Princess" speech or the drafting of the "dodgy dossier" on Iraq.

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 179

The Government has this week ordered a review of its flawed selection system for junior doctors, which had left many qualified candidates without posts and forced others to relocate to find work.

Up to 30,000 junior doctors have applied for 22,000 places and there has been widespread dismay that some of the most talented applicants were not even offered a single interview. Some are considering emigrating to find work.

The British Medical Association has accused ministers of "arrogance" for ignoring warnings last summer and called for the recruitment process to be suspended.

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Posted at: 16:36 | Permalink | Comments 1842

Britain's drugs laws are "not fit for purpose" and should be replaced by a system which recognises that drinking and smoking can cause more harm, a high powered study recommended yesterday.

The RSA Commission on Illegal Drugs, Communities and Public Policy concludes that the concept of "drugs" should be extended to alcohol and tobacco and criticises the country's current drugs policy "for being driven by moral panic". Some drugs have been "demonised," it said.

Among the commission's recommendations are the setting up of "shooting galleries" in which addicts can inject drugs in a controlled and safe environment. “The use of illegal drugs is by no means always harmful any more than alcohol use is always harmful," said Professor Anthony King of Essex University, the commission chairman and a regular Telegraph contributor.

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 85

Women tend to form deep and lasting friendships while men are more likely to make fickle friends over a pint or a few games of squash, according to new research.

Members of the fairer sex make “deeper and more moral” friends and then stick with them through thick and thin.

By contrast, sociologists from the University of Manchester found that men tend to be more calculating about who they should befriend. They are also likely to base their friendships on social drinking.

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 47

British MPs have voted in favour of a wholly elected House of Lords in a development likely to have a major influence on the course of constitutional reform.

The vote will not pass into law but is expected to inform the Government's plans for the Upper House and could thus mark a decisive break with centuries of Britain's history.

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Posted at: 20:00 | Permalink | Comments 272

After receiving a standing ovation from staff when he joined in January, Michael Grade has given a blunt assessment of the state of ITV.

The broadcaster, says Mr Grade, lacks innovation and is weighed down by bureaucracy. With turkeys such as Celebrity Love Island and Celebrity Wrestling damaging the company's reputation and driving away viewers and advertisers alike, Mr Grade knows the clock is ticking.

While the new boss has said ITV's broad strategy of diversifying into the digital world is broadly right, he will know that fixing the flagship ITV1 channel is his main priority.

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Posted at: 14:12 | Permalink | Comments 38

Tony Blair has proclaimed this as a "golden age" for the arts and hailed London as the "creative capital of the world".

"For me, the whole process of stimulation through plays, books, films, works of art, the delight in design, in architecture, in crafts - all this enlarges a country's capacity to be reflective, interested and bold," the Prime Minister said, speaking in Tate Modern's giant turbine hall. "Dynamism in arts and culture creates dynamism in a nation."

Do you agree? Is Britain really enjoying a cultural "golden age"?

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 61

The Government has backed down and agreed to an immediate independent review of a selection system for junior doctors which left thousands of them without the prospect of a job and many threatening to emigrate or seek work outside medicine.

Hundreds of doctors and their relatives or loved ones have already given vented anger at the new system and feelings have been running high. There is even talk of junior doctors going on strike to protest against the chaos in their profession.

So our question to you is this: who would be a doctor for Britain's National Health Service?

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 217

The number of British soldiers killed in Afghanistan since 2001 has now reached 50, with the latest casualties two lance bombardiers from 29 Commando Regiment, Royal Artillery, caught up in a Taliban rocket attack.

Can British forces "win" in Afghanistan? How would you define "victory" or "defeat" for the British Army in this most inhospitable of countries, one which has seen off foreign forces so often in the past?

Do you understand why British forces are in Afghanistan and, if so, do you support their deployment there and the dispatch, announced only last week, of yet another 1,400 soldiers to join them?

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 175

Prince Charles stands accused in a documentary for Britain's Channel 4 television of being "too political" and of "meddling" in the affairs of state.

The prince's aides say he has never become involved in party politics and argue that, as Prince of Wales, he is filling a perfectly legitimate role, merely seeking to be "relevant" when he makes public statements.

Do you think it is appropriate for the heir to the throne to speak out on issues like global warming, organic farming, architecture and education?

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 273

Sir Menzies Campbell has denied being "too old" to lead Britain's Liberal Democrats, arguing that if a 100-year-old can fight off a gang of muggers then a 65-year-old can lead a political party.

Sir Menzies was referring to Buster Martin - said to be the oldest man in Britain still working - who made headlines earlier this week when he fought off assailants at a bus stop.

The Lib Dem leader has been dogged by criticism that he is too old for his job ever since he took over last year. Next to the youthful David Cameron, the leader of the Conservatives, 40, and even Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, 53, Sir Menzies has been portrayed as out of touch and over the hill.

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 70

An American TV gameshow that pits adults against ten-year-old children is finding that the grown-ups are the dunces.

"Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?" forces adults to answer questions taken from textbooks for 10 and 11-year-olds. If their knowledge on geography, arts, maths and history is lacking, they can turn to a panel of children for help.

Its host, Jeff Foxworthy, says: "You’ve got people who are marketing reps and accountants - people who are out there functioning in life and paying the bills, and then you give them a second-grade question and they’re stumped ... to everyone’s delight."

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 88

New league tables have shown that England's grammar schools get the best out of pupils between the age of 11 and 14, while putting many of Tony Blair’s city academies at the bottom of the class.

Even using a new measure supposed to put schools with an academically poor intake on an equal footing with those that only admit the brightest pupils, the tables reveal that 81 of the top 100 places in the table are occupied by grammar schools.

By comparison, Tony Blair’s flagship city academies appear to be failing to make any impact. Three of the 21 which reported results feature among the bottom 100.

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 237