Anti-austerity marches take place - BBC News Anti-austerity marches take place Media captionDemonstrators want the coalition to end public service cuts Tens of thousands of people have marched in protest at the government's austerity measures. Labour leader Ed Miliband, among dozens of speakers who addressed crowds at the biggest march in London, received a mixed reaction. Other rallies took place in Glasgow and Belfast. The government says austerity measures are vital to cutting the deficit. Away from the rally, the Met Police said it had responded to anti-social behaviour in the Oxford Street area. Organiser Trades Union Congress (TUC), which said workers and campaigners from across the UK were involved with the demonstration, estimated that more than 150,000 people took part while the Met Police has not released an estimate. Media captionEd Miliband: "I have said whoever was in government now there would be some cuts." That compares with the more than 250,000 people who took part in a London anti-cuts march and rally in March 2011.

Mr Miliband, speaking at a rally in Hyde Park at the end of the march, said his party was there for "all the young people in this country who want work, but can't find it in Britain today". He was booed when he suggested there would still be spending cuts under Labour - Union leaders recently criticised Labour for supporting a public sector pay freeze. "I have said whoever was in government now there would be some cuts, but this government has shown that cutting too far and too fast, self-defeating austerity is not the answer, it is not the answer to Britain's problems," he said. But there were cheers when he referenced the incident in which Chancellor George Osborne had to pay for an upgrade after he sat in a first class train carriage with a standard class ticket. At the scene By Luisa BaldiniBBC News Two hours after the march began, there was still a sea of people snaking their way from the Embankment, through Whitehall, along Piccadilly and into Hyde Park for the rally. The party atmosphere, complete with whistles, hooters and brass bands, belied the serious message from those taking part that government cuts are too harsh.

But the placards - including "no cuts" and "24 hour general strike" - said it all. Once in Hyde Park, listening to speakers such as Ed Miliband and union leaders, the mood was more sedate. Such were the numbers taking part in the event that the rear of the march only arrived at Hyde Park shortly before the rally ended. He was also cheered when he spoke about Andrew Mitchell's resignation after the chief whip admitted swearing at police officers during a Downing Street confrontation, but denied calling them "plebs". "Andrew Mitchell may have resigned, but the culture of two nations runs right across this government," Mr Miliband said. "They cut taxes for millionaires and they raise taxes for ordinary families." But Conservative Business Minister Michael Fallon said later that Mr Miliband's speech showed Labour could not be trusted with public finances. Mr Fallon said: "By turning up at a rally that opposes every single spending cut that's necessary to deal with our debts, Ed Miliband has shown that he's still in favour of more spending, more borrowing and even greater debt.

"That's what got us into this mess in the first place." The marchers - brought to London in more than 250 coaches - had assembled along Victoria Embankment on the north bank of the Thames from 1100 BST and set off at about noon. Banners on display included those reading "Cameron has butchered Britain", "no cuts" and "plebs on parade". In a separate development, the Met Police said it had responded to a number of incidents of anti-social behaviour in the Oxford Street shopping area and that some arrests had been made. At the March 2011 demonstration, there were clashes between police and protesters in Trafalgar Square - hours after a peaceful march to Hyde Park. A total of 201 arrests were made that day. Elsewhere around the UK: The Wales TUC chartered a train and coaches so that people from all over Wales could march in London. The BBC's Laura Maxwell, at the Glasgow march , said the people there had come from all over Scotland and the north of England to add their voice to the national demonstration.

Most of the criticism there was levied at the Westminster government, but the Scottish TUC says the Scottish government has to stop hiding behind Chancellor George Osborne's public sector pay cuts, our reporter added. At the Belfast rally , organised by the Northern Ireland Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu), assistant general secretary Peter Bunting said Stormont must not "slavishly" cut back on the say-so of the government in London. He said workers must not allow themselves to be divided into sectarian blocs, as they had been in the past. Earlier this month, Mr Cameron warned more "painful decisions" would be necessary to repair the UK economy, adding that he would not waver from austerity measures. And on Saturday, around the time of the start of the London march, he posted a message on Twitter stating: "Today Ed Miliband is headlining a rally calling for an end to every single spending cut needed to clear the deficit #labourisntlearning." Media captionBrendan Barber describes the government's austerity measures as a "negative strategy" However, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "The evidence is mounting that austerity is failing.

"More than 2.5 million people are out of work, a further three million are not working enough hours to make ends meet, and wages have been falling every month for the last three years." He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the "huge squeeze on wages and living standards" had led to a "massive hit on confidence and on demand in the economy". "That's why some of our biggest companies that are sitting on big cash reserves aren't investing that and getting our economy moving again." However, he said he did not think a general strike by unions was likely, adding: "Some of my colleagues may talk about that. I don't hear too many people calling for a general strike." Media captionTaxpayers' Alliance: "Most of the public understand and accept cuts are needed." Calls for a mass walk-out over spending cuts have grown in recent months, with the TUC Congress voting in September to look into the practicalities of organising one. A government spokesman said: "It is disappointing that some unions insist on pushing for irresponsible and futile strike action which benefits no-one.

As we have said time and again, pension talks will not be reopened and nothing further will be achieved through strike action." Conservative Party Chairman Grant Shapps said of Ed Miliband: "You can't be serious about clearing the deficit when you attend a march that calls for an end to austerity." GDP figures show UK out of recession: Political reaction live | Politics | The Guardian GDP figures show UK out of recession: Political reaction live Thursday 25 October 2012 04.03 EDT First published on Thursday 25 October 2012 11.18 EDT 4.18pm BST Afternoon summary • Lord Patten, chairman of the BBC Trust, has said that he understands why Grant Shapps, the Conservative chairman, objected to an email he received from the BBC urging him not to criticise Newsnight when he appeared on BBC’s Question Time . This is what Patten said on the World at One. I have said in replying to [Shapps] that if I had been in his position, I would have felt much the same and written the same sort of letter. There were two points he made in that letter.

The first is that it is wrong for the BBC to make a briefing about its corporate position. I’m not sure I would agree with that. But the fact that it was misleading, that is what was wrong. I also think the terms in which it was expressed were unfortunate. • David Cameron has said that the EU must keep costs and spending “under control”. Speaking before a meeting with Herman van Rompuy, the European Council president, in Downing Street, Cameron said they would be talking about various issues including “how important I think it is that we keep our costs and our spending under control”. That's all from me for today. I'm off next week, but I'll be back a week on Monday. Thanks for the comments. 3.54pm BST Here's an afternoon reading list. • James Kirkup at the Telegraph says Sky’s Ed Conway was right to ask George Osborne about travelling second class and suggests what Osborne should have said. (See 1.49pm.) If Mr Osborne doesn’t travel standard class, he should say so, and explain why. Perhaps: “I work on trains and I often work on sensitive documents so I need a bit of privacy and space.

I pay for the first-class tickets myself, and yes, I do that because I’m fortunate enough to be able to afford it. I know that not everyone is so fortunate. I wish they were, and that’s why I do this job — to make everyone in this country better off, richer, more able to afford the things they want.” So yes, Chancellor, you should focus on what matters. If you want to be re-elected, that includes your train tickets. • David Clark at Shifting Ground says Robin Cook commissioned legal advice on the status of an independent Scotland when he was foreign secretary. Three conclusions stood out in the advice that came back. First, there is no existing procedure for handling a breakaway from an EU member state. The Council of Ministers would therefore need to improvise one according to its own design. Second, an independent Scotland could either be considered a successor state, inheriting the United Kingdom’s rights and status, or a new applicant, but would have no automatic right to the former. A political decision would have to be taken by the Council of Ministers acting unanimously.

Third, even if Scotland was granted the status of a successor state, there would still have to be extensive negotiations to disentangle Scotland’s legal and financial obligations from those of the United Kingdom. There would be no certainty that Scotland would get a good deal out of those negotiations given that it would be UK rather than Scottish ministers sitting in the relevant EU decision-making bodies. What emerges from this is that the real determining factors are political rather than legal. The status and rights of an independent Scotland in relation to the EU would be decided by a body comprised of twenty-seven countries (possibly more by the time it happens), any one of which might use its veto to block the process in pursuit of its own national interests and to the detriment of Scotland’s. • Progress has launched the Purple Papers, an attempt to start a debate on the hard policy choices that would face a Labour government in 2015. The election of Helle Thorning-Schmidt’s social democrats in Denmark last October and François Hollande in France this year were notable exceptions. The fate of both, though, should be at the forefront of Ed Miliband’s mind as he builds on the momentum of his ‘One Nation Labour’ conference address.

Six months after its election victory, Thorning-Schmidt’s party had plummeted to 16 per cent in the polls, its lowest ratings in a century. In France, Hollande has seen the sharpest decline in popularity of any newly elected president in the history of the fifth republic. Hollande’s socialist deputies and their Green allies are in revolt against the president’s request that they approve the European fiscal pact he disingenuously vowed to renegotiate. The Red-Green Alliance, which formed part of the electoral bloc that brought Thorning-Schmidt to power, are up in arms at the prime minister’s tight fiscal policy and centrist welfare reforms. While the fate of neither government is by any means sealed, both are suffering from a failure to prepare the voters prior to coming to office for the tough decisions they would have to take. • Rafael Behr at the New Statesman says Ed Miliand needs to prepare the voters for what Labour might need to do in 2015. [Miliband's] plan involves promising epoch-defining change to the way society and the economy are structured without divisive talk of winners and losers – the cosy one-nation revolution.

It is a feasible strategy for sneaking up on power but with a hollow mandate. If Miliband forms a government without permission to inflict pain or make enemies, he will quickly find Britain ungovernable. • Mark D’Arcy on his BBC blog pays tribute to the later Walter Harrison, the former Labour deputy chief whip. Harrison ran one of the most effective whipping operations in parliamentary history, conjuring majorities out of thin air week in, week out. Famously, he provided disguises so that Labour MPs could vote twice in a division, after the Conservatives called an unexpected vote - in breach, he thought, of an agreed deal. He registered the only half-vote recorded in Hansard, having jammed his foot in the lobby door, just as it was about to close, after being delayed because he was stuck in a lift. After a dispute with the parliamentary authorities, he was ruled to have been half in the lobby, and so a demi-vote was registered, and the day was saved for the government again. • Isabel Hardman at Coffee House says the Lib Dems have not signed up to Iain Duncan Smith’s plan to cap child-related benefits for families with more than two children.

As this is simply a kite rather than a policy announcement, the Lib Dems are keeping their mouths shut about whether this could be part of the package that they will approve. One senior party source tells me: ‘It’s not government policy and we haven’t signed up for it.’ Whether it will end up in their agreed package in exchange for a new policy that ensures the rich bear the greatest burden remains to be seen. 2.58pm BST Ed Milliband and Yvette Cooper at the launch of Labour's police commissioners election campaign. Photo: Peter Byrne/PA Labour's police commissioners election campaign launch has not received much attention on BBC News or Sky today, but Press Association reporters were at the event in Preston and they have filed this story. Ed Miliband hit the campaign trail today to launch Labour's bid to win the forthcoming elections for police and crime commissioners. But Miliband said the elections were in danger of being "invisible" as he met voters in Preston, Lancashire. "These are perhaps the least known elections in the history of elections," Miliband said. There are concerns the relatively low-profile of the vote, dark nights and wintry weather could push turnout as low as 15%.

Today Miliband visited the Catherine Beckett Centre in Preston to speak to residents and local shop-keepers about how they are tackling crime on their streets. Locals set up a residents association to get CCTV cameras installed in the area and the initiative, started in 2009, has seen crime fall between 50% and 75%. But locals also told Miliband there had been recent cuts in policing in the area with fewer officers on the beat ... Voters across England and Wales are due to go to the polls on November 15 to elect a commissioner for each force area outside London. The new commissioners will control police budgets, set priorities and have the power to hire and fire chief constables. Miliband was accompanied on his visit by Yvette Cooper, Labour's shadow home secretary, and Clive Grunshaw, Labour's candidate for the position of police and crime commissioner in Lancashire. The three later held a question and answer session at Preston North End FC's Deepdale Stadium. The leader of the opposition added: "Labour would not have chosen to spend £100 million of public money on these elections. Our choice would have been to use that money saving the jobs of thousands of front line police officers.

The Conservative and Liberal Democrats had different priorities. "But, because policing is so important to our communities and our country, our candidates are doing everything they can to make this system work." Labour party leader Ed Miliband has a drink as he launches Labour's police and crime commissioner election campaign in Preston. Photo Peter Byrne/PA Wire Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA 2.15pm BST Labour: 43% (up 1 point from YouGov yesterday) Conservatives: 33% (down 1) Lib Dems: 9% (no change) Ukip: 8% (no change) Labour lead: 10 points (up 2) Government approval: -36 (down 1) And here are the figures from the Ipsos MORI monthly political tracker. Labour: 43% (up 2 points from Ipsos MORI last month) Conservatives: 33% (up 3) Lib Dems: 9% (down 4) Labour lead: 10 points (down 1) And here's a comment from Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos MORI.

The conference season hasn’t yet changed the underlying dynamics between Labour and the Conservatives, but what the public has noticed certainly hasn’t helped the Liberal Democrats at all. Meanwhile the economy remains voters’ top concern, and after the mood improved – just like Britain’s GDP – in September, pessimism has increased again this month. Updated 1.49pm BST Lunchtime summary • David Cameron and George Osborne have cautiously welcomed figures showing Britain is now out of recession . But Labour has stressed that there is no room for complacency. Here’s a Guardian interactive graphic showing how this recession compares to every other since the 1930s. And my colleague Larry Elliott, the Guardian’s economics editor, has just posted his own analysis of the figures. Interestingly, the Treasury did not rule out the possibility of the economy weakening again in the fourth quarter as the temporary effects wear off. Dearer energy bills, a spike in food prices caused by the US drought and a deepening recession in the eurozone make that a real possibility ... All bets would be off if Greece was bundled out of the single currency or the US jumped off the fiscal cliff – the package of tax increases and spending cuts worth 4% of GDP due to be implemented in January.

So is there a risk the UK will suffer a triple-dip recession for the first time in its history? Yes, although in the absence of a fresh external threat a period where the economy “bumps along the bottom” currently looks more likely. • Iain Duncan Smith, the work and pensions secretary, has said that parents with more than two children could have their child-related benefits capped under plans to control the welfare bill . • Alex Salmond has sought to deflect allegations that he breached the ministerial code by misleading Holyrood on the existence of official legal advice on Scotland’s EU membership after independence, by appointing a former UK government mandarin to investigate him. As my colleague Severin Carrell writes, Salmond told MSPs during a stormy first minister’s questions that Sir David Bell, a former permanent secretary at the Department of Education, now vice chancellor of Reading university and an assessor to the Leveson inquiry on press standards, had agreed to run that inquiry. The first minister said he expected to be cleared of breaching the code, telling Holyrood he had been exonerated in all five of the previous occasions he had been referred under the code since becoming first minister in 2007.

Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Tory leader, likened him to Del Boy, and former US presidents exposed as liars - Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton. The “inescapable truth” was that Salmond could not be trusted to tell the truth, she said. • Grant Shapps, the Conservative party chairman, has complained to the BBC Trust about an alleged attempt to stop him criticising the corporation over the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal on Question Time . As Mark Sweney writes, in his complaint Shapps said that the BBC head of public affairs executive told him he should not to talk about whether there had been pressure from management to scrap Newsnight’s investigation in late 2011 into Savile, according to Thursday’s Daily Mail. A copy of the email sent to Shapps is now on the Daily Mail website. • Caroline Lucas, the Green MP, has urged the government to drop its “ill-judged, unscientific and deeply unpopular” plan to cull badgers next year. She was speaking at the opening of a backbench debate and 29 other MPs from all three main parties, including the Tory MPs Zac Goldsmith and Tracey Crouch, have signed her motion opposing the cull.

My colleague Damian Carrington is covering the debate on a live blog. • The Commons Scottish affairs committee has said that a vote for Scottish independence could force the UK to “unilaterally disarm” its Trident nuclear weapons unless a clear deal is reached to ensure the fleet continues operating . • George Osborne has sidestepped questions about his supposed attempt last week to travel first class with a second class ticket. He was visibly irritated when asked about this in a Sky interview (the key part starts three minutes in). “I’m not getting into my train travel today,” he said. “What I’m getting into is the important issues facing the British economy.” 1.08pm BST Here's Ed Miliband on the GDP figures. It's good news that the economy has come out of the double-dip recession it was in but there is no cause for complacency because the economy really is only back to where it was a year ago. And I think what families are feeling is that their living standards are squeezed, it's still hard for people to find work and small businesses are really struggling.

So what I want to see from the government is now them building on today's figures with a proper long-term plan for a strong, sustained recovery in this country - not just one quarter, but a strong sustained recovery. 1.00pm BST Toby Latimer in the comments wanted to know about the winner of the parliamentary dog competition. I'm always keen to please my readers, so here goes; it's Star, who belongs to the Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke. Charlie Elphicke MP with his dog Star Photograph: The BBC's Daily Politics 12.52pm BST Here's some more reaction to the GDP figures. From David Cameron Well we still have a long way to go and there are still difficulties ahead but I think these figures do show that we are on the right track, that we’ve got the right approach. We can see that with unemployment falling, with a quarter of the deficit paid down in the last two years. There is more to do but these figures are good progress.

From Len McCluskey, the Unite general secretary While any growth in the economy is to be welcomed, the picture is clouded by the artificial boost to the economy generated by Olympic ticket sales – a once-in-a-lifetime occasion - which was responsible for 0.2 per cent of this growth. “Too much of the growth is centred on London and the service sector, a more realistic indicator is that the construction industry is still in the doldrums and its contribution to the last quarter’s GDP figures declined by 2.5 per cent. David Cameron and George Osborne’s austerity polices are still causing serious problems to the economy which remains flat. If you strip away the economic fillip created by the Olympic ticket sales, you have an economy stuck on the starting blocks with anaemic growth, and you still have the food banks on the rise and long-term unemployment on the increase. From John Cridland, the CBI director general It’s really encouraging news that growth has snapped back so strongly in the third quarter. Although the Olympics and Jubilee have made up the majority of that growth, these numbers do also seem to point to some acceleration in underlying momentum.

We expect conditions to remain positive going into the fourth quarter, reflecting some easing of the pressure on household budgets from lower inflation. But the global economic environment remains challenging. From Jonathan Edwards, the Plaid Cyrmu Treasury spokesman These figures today showing a return to growth in the past quarter are very welcome but the reality is that the economy has flatlined in the past year and for most people life is harder than before the crash. In Wales, we still have 50,000 more people unemployed than in 2007, showing the need for Leanne Wood’s Plan C programme to create jobs in Wales. A Party of Wales government would be a real boost for Wales. From Graeme Leach, chief economist at the Institute of Directors The bounce back in GDP growth is good news but not enough to pop the champagne corks. More than half of the quarterly increase is attributable to the Olympics and the reversal of the Jubilee effect in Q2. The key message is that we’re out of recession but uncertain where we’re going. Not for the first time we need to heed the warning that you can’t see the road ahead through the rear view mirror.

Our view is that growth will continue in Q4 but we have to recognise there could be a fallback. From Tony Dolphin, the IPPR's chief economist Weak growth for the past two years can be partly accounted for by the combination of high food and energy prices, which have hit consumers hard, exports falling short of expectations due to the euro crisis and a shortage of credit for small businesses which has led to weak business investment. It is also clear that the Government’s austerity plan has held back growth. “The outlook is still very uncertain, not least due to the prospect of increases in food and energy prices renewing the squeeze on households. The Chancellor should respond in his autumn statement. Spending on infrastructure gives the biggest boost to the economy in the short-term. George Osborne should announce an immediate increase in infrastructure spending of £15 billion over the next two years to kick-start growth. 12.19pm BST You can read all today's Guardian politics stories here. And all the politics stories filed yesterday, including some in today's paper, are here.

As for the rest of the papers, here is the PoliticsHome list of top 10 must reads, here is the ConservativeHome round-up of today's politics stories and here is the New Statesman list of top 10 comment articles in today's papers. And here are some stories I found particularly interesting. • Tom Newton Dunn in the Sun says Sir George Young, the new chief whip, has cancelled the Jaguar ordered as an official car by his predecessor, Andrew Mitchell. 11.49am BST The backbench debate on the badger cull has just started. My colleague Damian Carrington is covering it in a live blog. Paul Waugh has been listening in too. Paul Waugh (@paulwaugh) Badgercull debate just started. Lab MP Denis Macshane just referred to 'badgicide' in the Commons. I'm not making this up. October 25, 2012 11.39am BST David Cameron had access to the GDP figures 24 hours in advance. And so did more than 30 people in Whitehall. My colleague Simon Rogers has the full list on his data blog.

11.29am BST Here is some reaction to Iain Duncan Smith's comments about his reforms following Beveridge's principles and about capping child-related benefits for families with more than two children. (See 9.25am and 11.08am.) This is from Liam Byrne, the shadow work and pensions secretary. Iain Duncan Smith is destroying Beveridge not renewing Beveridge. For all the tough talk the truth is it’s working people who are seeing their help axed. Never before have working people paid so much in and got so little back. Yet this Government sees fit to give £40,000 to 8,000 millionaires in tax cuts, yet is cutting tax credits so hard that thousands are now better off on benefits. We were promised a welfare revolution and all we’ve got is welfare chaos - chaos that working people are being forced to pay for. This is from Fiona Weir, the chief executive of Gingerbread, the single parent pressure group. A cap on child related benefits for families with more than two children would have a devastating impact on children.

The reality is that many parents will find themselves cycling in and out of work as stable, well-paid jobs are difficult to come by. Families cannot be expected to predict the future state of the economy and adjust their family size accordingly. Instead of penalising families, the government must focus on providing real solutions to get more people into work, such as affordable childcare, more flexible working options for today’s modern families and ensuring that the welfare system supports people into work and out of poverty. This his is from the Labour MP Karen Buck. Karen Buck MP (@KarenPBuckMP) 1% of benefit families have five kids+ statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/PQ_FOI/foi… . Working people need/get benefits too. Too many IDS myths @ radio4today to list! October 25, 2012 11.15am BST And here's a statement from the Lib Dems on the growth figures. It's from Stephen Williams, a party Treasury spokesman. Today’s positive GDP figures are another encouraging sign. Together with falling unemployment and inflation, these are signs that the economy is healing. The UK suffered a huge economic shock during the financial crisis.

Liberal Democrats were clear when we joined the coalition government that it would be a choppy road to recovery but that we needed to create the right conditions to support growth and deal with the deficit. 11.08am BST Iain Duncan Smith, the work and pensions secretary. Photograph: Ian Nicholson/PA I've already posted an extract from the speech that Iain Duncan Smith is giving this evening. (See 9.25am.) As promised, here are the main points from his interview on the Today programme. I've taken the quotes from PoliticsHome, the BBC and the Press Association. • Duncan Smith said that families living on benefits, and very wealthy families, were more likely to have large numbers of children than families on average incomes. That was because families on average incomes had to decide how many children they could afford, he said. Families living on benefits should be forced to make the same decisions, he said. When you look at families across the board in all incomes, you find that the vast majority make decisions about the numbers of children they can have, the families they want, based on what they think they can afford and how it’s going to work.

Where you see the clustering of large families is really down at the very lowest incomes – those on significantly levels of welfare – and those on the very top incomes. In other words, the problem for those who are paying the taxes, paying the bills - they make the decisions about their lives, even if they would sometimes have extra children, they make decisions. People who are having support through welfare are often free from that decision. Duncan Smith said he wanted to support out-of-work families with children. But he also wanted to make them realise that "you have to cut your cloth in accordance with what capabilities and what finances you have." • He said that he was considering capping child-related benefits for families after they have more than two children. "My view, if you did this, you would start it for people who begin to have more than, say, two children," he said. • He said the government was right to cap housing benefits because paying more than £100,000 a year for some families was "madness". • He said benefits should be "temporary" for most people and that the welfare system should encourage people to find work. This was what universal credit would do, he said.

Benefits should be for many people – unless you’re chronically sick – a temporary place. It’s a place you then move on into work. And we want to help you do that. • He said the current welfare system "destroys lives" because it allows people who should be working to remain on benefits long-term. That was why the government was reforming the system, he said. We have accepted far too long in this country that it is possible just to stay on benefits, that we write them off, and we work only with those who get up in the morning and go to work. And that’s simply not acceptable. It’s not acceptable because it destroys their lives; it also destroys the lives of taxpayers who have to pick up that bill to pay for them. 10.48am BST Ed Balls, the shadow chancellor Photograph: Allstar Picture Library/Alamy Ed Balls, the shadow chancellor, has now put out a statement about the GDP figures. Here it is in full. It's good news that, with the help of the Olympics, Britain is finally out of the longest double-dip recession since the Second World War. Our economy desperately needs an injection of confidence. But this is no time for complacency and wishful thinking.

Today's figures show that underlying growth remains weak and that our economy is only just back to the same size as a year ago - twelve months of damaging flatlining which has seen borrowing rise in the first half of this year. And with living standards falling, more tax rises on the way, small business lending down and the eurozone still in crisis, it would be very unwise of David Cameron and George Osborne to just sit back, cross their fingers and hope for the best. The complacent thing to do now is simply to wait and hope things will get better. The cautious thing to do is to act now to secure and strengthen growth in our economy. Britain needs a plan to secure and sustain a strong economic recovery, including using funds from the 4G mobile spectrum auction to build 100,000 affordable homes, a temporary VAT cut and a bank bonus tax to fund jobs for young people out of work. We also need action to ease the squeeze for people on low and middle incomes, rather than a tax cut for millionaires. And we need long-term changes to make our economy stronger, including a long-term plan to rebuild our infrastructure and radical reform of the banks.

In the two years since the spending review our economy has grown by just 0.6 per cent, compared to the 4.6 per cent George Osborne said his plan would deliver and growth of 3.4 per cent in the USA and 3.3 per cent in Germany. So the question for the coming months is whether and how we can catch up all the ground we have lost over the last two years and not keep falling behind as other countries move ahead. A one-off boost from the Olympics is welcome. But it is no substitute for a plan to secure and sustain the strong recovery that Britain desperately needs if we are to create jobs, get the deficit down and make people better off. 10.28am BST In Scotland the SNP government is doing its best to draw a line under the controversy about Alex Salmond misleading voters about non-existent legal advice. My colleague Severin Carrell has sent me an update on the latest developments. Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish deputy first minister, is leading an urgent damage limitation exercise to calm the explosive row over allegations that Alex Salmond deliberately misled the public and his opponents about holding legal advice on an independent Scotland's potential EU membership.

when a powerful alliance of 60 Scottish environment groups, churches, development charities and trade unions will accuse Salmond's government of failing to uphold its promises to cut CO2 emissions. Ministers confirmed on Wednesday it had missed its 2010 emissions reduction target. Previously uncritical supporters of Salmond's strong push for renewable energy and Holyrood's ambitious climate act, the Stop Climate Chaos Scotland coalition is lobbying MSPs inside Holyrood, claiming the first minister should “get your act together”. 10.23am BST A quirky tweet from Channel 4's Faisal Islam, who is waiting to interview George Osborne. Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) I'm in the Chancellor's waiting room at the Treasury... A sketch of a man on a bike being howled at by a hound... twitter.com/faisalislam/st… From the IPPR's Will Straw at Huffington Post Given the OBR's poor track record in predicting growth there are five reasons to be cautious about whether the UK is now on an upward trajectory. First, today's figures include a bounce of at least 0.5% due to lost output from the Jubilee bank holiday and sales of Olympic tickets and TV rights all scoring in the third quarter.

Second, 80% of the spending cuts are still to come. As the IMF admitted earlier this month, austerity may have had a bigger impact on growth than previously predicted. If true, this is likely to further dampen domestic demand and, worse still, affect confidence by discouraging people from spending and businesses from investing. 10.05am BST There's more reaction to the GDP figures on our business live blog. 9.56am BST Here is some Twitter reaction to the GDP figures. From ITV's Chris Ship Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) We have not seen 1% #gdp growth for FIVE years (2007) say @ ons . That will be a much needed/long overdue shot in the arm for George and pals From the Spectator's Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson (@frasernelson) @ hmtreasury You've taken decisions to "deal with the debt" you say - that's the same debt that you've INCREASED by 25% in two years? From Tory MP Charlie Elphicke Charlie Elphicke (@CharlieElphicke) Celebrating excellent growth figures of 1% today. Manu and services excellent.

Construction shows how Chx is right on infra guarantees From Iain Martin Iain Martin (@iainmartin1) Hurrah. 1% growth in Q3.Great news for the UK, at risk of being caveated to death. What matters here is the impact on confidence. From Steve Collins at London & Capital Asset Management Steve Collins (@TradeDesk_Steve) GDP number is the fastest single q. of growth since Q3 2007, and in US eqv. would be a +4% at annual rate. From ITV's Laura Kuenssberg Laura Kuenssberg (@ITVLauraK) Overall, economy same size now as this time last year - treasury sources already warning growth may 'retreat' again From the Sunday Times' David Smith David Smith (@dsmitheconomics) Good 1pc Q3 GDP bounce, distortions or not. First time in a long while an ONS GDP preliminary estimate has exceeded expectations. From the BBC's Robert Peston Robert Peston (@Peston) I suspect Treasury would have liked GDP figure to have been less strong. Risk of return to stagnation after big one-offs drop out. And here's David Cameron on the GDP figures.

David Cameron (@David_Cameron) There is still much to do, but these #GDP figures show we are on the right track, and our economy is healing. j.mp/PRSHbG October 25, 2012 9.47am BST And here's the first response to the GDP figures from Labour. It's from Alex Belardinelli, Ed Balls' press spokesman. Alex Belardinelli (@abelardinelli) We now need plan to strengthen & sustain recovery – build houses using 4G funds, temp VAT cut, bank bonus tax to fund jobs for young people 9.44am BST Here's a comment from George Osborne on the growth figures. There is still a long way to go, but these figures show we are on the right track. This another sign that the economy is healing and we have the right approach: we’ve cut the deficit by a quarter, over a million new jobs have been created in the private sector, inflation is down, and the economy is growing. Yesterday’s weak data from the eurozone were a reminder that we still face many economic challenges at home and abroad.

By continuing to take the tough decisions needed to deal with our debts and equip our economy for the global race we’re in, this government is laying the foundations for lasting prosperity. 9.40am BST at 9.31am BST 9.25am BST Sir William Beveridge. Photo by Hans Wild/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images Photograph: Hans Wild/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images Sir William Beveridge is backing the government's welfare reform plans - from his grave. At least, that's what Iain Duncan Smith, the work and pensions secretary, is implying in an extract released in advance from the speech he is giving tonight. In all this, we take our lead from Beveridge. His guiding belief, that a “revolutionary moment in the world's history is a time for revolutions, not for patching" is as true now as it was in the 1940s. All too often, government’s response to social breakdown has been a classic case of "patching" – a case of handing money out… containing problems and limiting the damage… but supporting – even reinforcing – dysfunctional behaviour. This has to change, and is beginning to.

Yet if we are committed to a radical overhaul, there is scope to scrutinise the existing system further still, driving out perverse incentives. First, you have to ask which bits of the system are most important in changing lives. And you have to look at which parts of the system promote positive behaviours, and which are actually promoting destructive ones. Should families expect never ending amounts of money for every child… when working households must make tough choices about what they can afford? Is it right that young people should be able to move directly from school to a life on housing benefit, without finding a job first… when so many of their peers live at home, working hard to save up for a flat? As Beveridge said: “The insured persons should not feel that income [from the state] can come from a bottomless purse.” Especially so, when the economy isn’t growing as we had hoped, the public finances remain under pressure AND the social outcomes have been so poor. So these kind of questions need to be asked as we develop this theme. I'll post on what Duncan Smith had to say in his Today programme interview after we've had the GDP figures.

9.19am BST David Cameron buying his poppy in Downing Street Photograph: Sky News David Cameron has just appeared on camera, buying his poppy from the Royal British Legion in Downing Street. He did not have anything to say about "good news" on the way, or anything to say about anything else. 9.03am BST Stories about the chief whip swearing at the police and the chancellor trying to blag a seat in a first-class carriage are all great fun, but they are irrelevant compared to the things that really matter in politics, like the state of the economy, which is why today is a big deal. At 9.30am we are expected to hear that Britain is out of recession. It’s not really a “crack-open-the-champagne” moment; the double-dip was never expected to happen in the first place, and when David Cameron came to power, anyone predicting that Britain would spend the first half of 2012 in recession would have been branded an extreme pessimist. But, for a government desperate for every scrap of good news, it’s a bonus.

Here’s Patrick Wintour’s Guardian splash about the GDP announcement, and the row over whether Cameron “leaked” the figures in advance. And here’s an analysis from Larry Elliott about what we should expect. He says a rise in output of less than 0.6 or 0.7% would be a disappointment. Assuming a 0.5 point bounceback from the depressed activity in the second quarter and 0.1 to 0.2 points from the Olympics, anything less than a 0.6% or 0.7% increase in gross domestic product will be seen by the City as a disappointment. A figure of 1% or higher would exceed expectations and put paid to any prospect of further stimulus from the Bank of England. One thing is certain: the figures – whether good, bad or indifferent – will not end the political debate about the state of the economy. Rachel Reeves, Labour’s shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, said even if the economy were to grow by 1% in the third quarter, it would only take the level of activity back to where it was a year ago.

“The question is what the underlying growth rate of the economy is when we strip out the one-off Olympics and bank holiday effects,” she said. “What really matters for jobs, living standards and the deficit is whether there is a strong and sustained recovery and whether and how we can catch up all the ground we have lost over the last two years.” Your highlights of 2012 in drawings - BBC News BBC News Your highlights of 2012 in drawings 30 December 2012 Close share panel This has been a very busy year for news and big events, both nationally and internationally. We have been asking you what story grabbed your attention in 2012 - and for your own unique depiction of it. Here is a selection of your drawings sharing your memories from the past 12 months. Image caption Nick Headland on Felix Baumgartner's jump: "This was a rare moment of true adventure and derring-do. I watched the whole two-hour ascent, streaming to the TV.

The tension was almost unbearable, leading up to that amazing moment when he tipped up and fell into miles of nothingness." Image caption Sarah Moorby on the Essex Lion: "I chose to draw that picture because I found it humorous that the BBC gave it so much airtime. It is normally something that maybe makes the front page of the local newspaper. I just remember it being a big deal for a few days, and thinking that it must be some elaborate hoax." Image caption David Farrer on the Olympics: "I was worried before the Olympics started that the streets of London would be 'jammed' with Olympic traffic, but they weren't. In retrospect 2012 will be remembered for what is good about our lovely island that did itself proud. A cherished memory to be 'preserved'." Image caption Renos Lavithis beautifully captures the spirit of London 2012 with this painting and says: "I was so impressed by the Olympic atmosphere that existed in London so I wanted to record it. Image caption Linda Bestwick captures one of the summer's big events in her work of art: "I did this pen-and-ink painting of Kylie Minogue at the Diamond Jubilee concert. There were so many highlights this year!

I thoroughly enjoyed the concert and I just captured this one little moment in 2012." Image caption Rich James on the Jubilee: "I've been living in Jordan for over a year and I've realized the international respect for the British monarchy. This was best symbolised at a party celebrating the Jubilee, attended by many Arab diplomats. It shows both the length of the Queen's reign and its international importance." Image caption Jose Coto shows the plight of the Great Mosque in Aleppo, Syria: "I think it depicts the Syrian tragedy from a different perspective rarely shown in the news media. Syria is a magnificent country with a deep cultural heritage and seeing it ravaged like this is heart breaking." Image caption Samantha David was thrilled to see new EU rules introduced on 1 January, stated that all laying hens must be kept in "enriched" cages with extra space to nest, scratch and roost.

Samantha said: "The end of battery cages was the best news story of the year for me, and for chickens." Image caption Stephanie Sampson on Greek troubles: "2012 will remain in my memory as a tragic and historic year for Greece, a turning point, when economic and political corruption was exposed and the harsh measures taken made most people here poorer. The portraits I painted on the streets of Athens represent the faces of the new poor and marginal who spilled out into the streets." Image caption Nick Headland on George Osborne's infamous train journey: "It's always fun seeing the high and mighty brought to the level of us all, that none of us are exempt. I carried the fantasy further and had George removed from First and sat in Standard with all the lazy stereotypes I could think of." Image caption Gerald O'Connell says: "I live in a deprived area in north-east London with a complex ethnic mix. It has become a magnet for homeless people. I help out at the local shelter and got to know a few of the homeless people well and started to draw them.

I wanted to draw attention to them, real people with real stories." Image caption Craig Hausman on youth unemployment: "Inspired by my friends, some of which are university graduates, who seem to find it impossible to find a job, and long queues at the job centre are becoming a frequent reality." Image caption Patricia's sketch was inspired by her exams: "When I originally applied to Cambridge, I'd been under the misapprehension that we were graded on continuous assessment - but no, I quickly discovered that three years of study is assessed by a few three-hour exams written over a couple of days at the very end." Image caption Giuseppe Boscherini: "2012 was a year of ups and downs. I thought of illustrating this using a topographical metaphor of moments of high spirit, represented by the three peaks of happiness and moments of low morale represented by the three troughs or valleys of despair: a kind of Dantesque vision, if you will." Were you able to recognise the stories above? Here are some more details and links to help remind you. Austrian Felix Baumgartner became the first skydiver to go faster than the speed of sound.

In October 2012, he reached a top speed of 833.9mph (1,342km/h). Back down to earth and police were called to investigate sightings of a "lion" in Essex . Thirty-one officers took part in the search but were unable to find the elusive large cat. This summer more than 11 million people travelled to Olympic and Paralympic events around the UK. Artists including Gary Barlow, Cliff Richard and Kylie entertained crowds at a concert to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee . Events in Syria dominated the headlines throughout the year, with the divided nation at the centre of a bloody battle . An EU ban on battery cages saw better conditions for egg-laying hens. The ban was introduced in January 2012. The Eurozone Crisis continued to have an impact across the continent with Greece at the forefront of economic troubles. George Osborne was forced to pay for an upgrade after sitting in a first-class train carriage with a standard-class ticket. The homeless charity Crisis claim unemployment, the housing market and welfare cuts are to blame for an increase in homelessness in England while youth unemployment is one of the biggest problems confronting societies.

UK universities have taken four of the six top slots in a global university "league table" . However, this year saw a record fall in the number of people starting university courses in the UK. Osborne denies ticket dispute - ITV News 19 October 2012 at 4:47pm Osborne denies ticket dispute The Chancellor George Osborne paid a £189.50 upgrade after boarding a first class train carriage with a standard class ticket this afternoon. The Treasury said Mr Osborne was not aware of any row with a ticket officer. Speaking to Sky News Education Secretary Michael Gove has confirmed that George Osborne paid for his upgrade to first class on a train journey to London which he boarded with a standard class ticket with his own money. Virgin trains have said that the cost of the upgrade for the Chancellor was £189.50. Miliband: 'Osborne train incident shows a government that is out of touch' When asked about the incident of George Osborne apparently being caught with the wrong ticket on a train to London, Ed Miliband said, "it's part of a pattern of events with this government, they seem totally out of touch with most people.

"The incident with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the train is just the latest example, along with Andrew Mitchell, along with cutting taxes for millionaires is a government that is out of touch and standing up for the wrong people." What the newspapers say about Osborne train incident The Telegraph uses the 'Great Train Snobbery' headline with a picture of Mr Osborne in his first-class seat above the caption 'Not for moving'. The Sun's front page promises 'Two 1st class Tory c**k-ups' and carries a picture of the smiling ticket collector John McGann. The Independent also pairs the story with Andrew Mitchell's decision to quit, using the headline 'Mitchell quits at last – but then Osborne makes a first class howler'. The Financial Times reports on speculation that Mr Mitchell's resignation may have been timed to knock the Osborne affair off today's front pages. Eyewitness' full account of Osborne ticket incident ITV Granada correspondent Rachel Townsend was on the same train as George Osborne when she overheard his aide tell the ticket inspector that the Chancellor was sat in first class with a standard class ticket, but would prefer not to pay for the upgrade. Watch Rachel Townsend's video account of the incident on ITV Granada .

Virgin Trains: 'No refusal to pay for upgrade' A Virgin Trains spokesman said: Rt Hon George Osborne, Chancellor, was travelling on Virgin Trains' 15.11 Wilmslow to London Euston service this afternoon (October 19). The Chancellor, who was travelling in first class accommodation, held a standard class ticket. As soon as the train left Wilmslow, an aide went to find the train manager to explain the situation and arrange to pay for an upgrade. It was agreed that the Chancellor would remain in first class and an amount of £189.50 was paid by the aide to cover the upgrade for Mr Osborne and his PA. The situation was dealt with amicably between the train manager and George Osborne's aide. At no time was there a disagreement or a refusal to pay for the upgrade. Nor was there any discussion between the train manager and Mr Osborne.

BUSTED: Upper Class UK Politician Caught In First Class Train Car Without The Proper Ticket BUSTED: Upper Class UK Politician Caught In First Class Train Car Without The Proper Ticket Adam Taylor Pin it Share George Osborne, the UK Chancellor, has something of a reputation for being snooty — both due to his privileged background and his harsh austerity budgets. As such, many in the UK are very interested that Osborne apparently sat in a first class train carriage even though he did not have the correct ticket. His aide even had the audacity to ask the train's staff for an exception to the rules for his boss, rather than pay to upgrade his ticket. Rachel Townsend (@RachTownsendITV) October 19, 2012 CLASS. His aide tells ticket collector he cannot possibly move and sit with the likes of us in standard class and requests he is allowed to— Rachel Townsend (@RachTownsendITV) October 19, 2012 remain in First Class.

Ticket collector refuses #standoff — Rachel Townsend (@RachTownsendITV) October 19, 2012 £160 for First Class upgrade… aide says no!— Rachel Townsend (@RachTownsendITV) October 19, 2012 @ edsaunt I am a carriage away from the action but have asked ticket inspector if he was going to let him stay "no chance"— Rachel Townsend (@RachTownsendITV) October 19, 2012 Breaking news: George Osborne pays £160 to stay in first class!— Rachel Townsend (@RachTownsendITV) October 19, 2012 Townsend has also put a story of Osborne in first class on the ITV News website . "George Osborne" is now trending on Twitter in the UK. UPDATE: Amazingly, this isn't the first time this has happened. Ticket inspector on my train just got a high five: george osborne tried to sit in 1st class with a std tkt.

Inspector said NO BBC News - Today - Today: Saturday 20th October Printable version Today: Saturday 20th October Labour says the resignation of the government chief whip Andrew Mitchell has exposed David Cameron as a weak leader. Tens of thousands of people are expected to join anti-austerity protests in London, Glasgow and Belfast. And also on the programme Hemingway turns existentialist in alternative endings to A Farewell to Arms. 0709 The government's Chief Whip, Andrew Mitchell, has resigned after coming under mounting pressure since it was alleged he called police officers "plebs" during an incident in which the police said he could not leave Downing Street by the front gate but must use the side gate. The BBC's Alan Soady reports from Westminster. 0712 The TUC is holding a mass demonstration on Saturday entitled A Future That Works to protest against the government's austerity policies and to call for an alternative economic strategy that puts jobs, growth and people first. The BBC's Theo Leggett reports from the demonstration. 0715 Reading striker Jason Roberts told the BBC that the Kick It Out campaign was not working. Lord Ouseley, chair of Kick it Out, explains why there is still a problem with racism.

0719 Cern, the research centre that discovered the Higgs Boson, have hosted a debate between scientists and religious scholars over how the universe came to exist. The BBC's Victoria Gill went to the gathering in Geneva to find out more. 0722 A new law aimed at tackling abuses which can cost people who live in mobile homes tens of thousands of pounds went before MPs yesterday. The BBC's parliamentary correspondent Mark D'Arcy explains the effect the implementation of the new law would have. 0726 Sports News with Rob Bonnet. 0732 Lance Armstrong has made an appearance at an evening gala dinner celebrating the 15th anniversary of his charity Livestrong, having resigned from it after revelations of drug taking. The BBC's James Pearce and Paul Willerton, Lance Armstrong's former teammate, analyse the culture of drug-taking in the sport in the past. 0739 It is a year since the brutal death of the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. The BBC's Rana Jawad finds out what has changed and how ordinary Libyans are feeling one year on. 0743 Thought for the Day with Catherine Pepinster, editor of the Tablet.

0750 The Pakistani teenager, Malala Yusufzai, who was shot in the head by the Taliban after campaigning for education for girls, is making signs of recovery in a Birmingham Hospital. Dr Farzana Shaikh, associate Fellow at Chatham House, and Wajid Shamsul Hasan, the Pakistan High Commissioner in London examine the political impact of the shooting by the Taliban. 0810 The TUC is holding a mass demonstration today entitled "A Future That Works'" to protest against the government's austerity policies but the demonstration comes in a week when official figures show that the number of people in work has hit a record high and unemployment has fallen more sharply than expected. Professor Len Shackleton, labour market expert from the Institute of Economic Affairs, explains what is happening with the job market and Brendan Barber general Secretary of the TUC outlines the reasons for the demonstration. 0818 A woman has been killed and 11 others injured, including seven children, in a series of hit and run crashes in Cardiff. 0821 A new edition of Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms has been published, including for the first time the many alternative endings the author originally considered.

The Today programme's Evan Davis spoke to Sean Hemingway to find out what was the purpose of this new edition. 0826 A look at the day's papers. 0843 Frankel has been dubbed the Usain Bolt of horse racing and according to some estimates is worth a £100m, but it may be the horse's last race when he competes at Ascot today. David Redvers, Bloodstock agent, and BBC sport presenter Clare Balding explain what is so special about Frankel, ask what makes a great flat racing horse. 0849 Europe's last single heir Crown Prince Guillaume is getting married in Luxembourg today. The BBC's Maddy Savage reports on the royal wedding fever that's been sweeping through Luxembourg. 0853 A panel will be discussing the rise of choirs and their use as a tool for well-being and social cohesion today at the Barbican. Suzi Digby OBE, president of the Incorporated Society Musicians and founder of the Voices Foundation and Niall Crowley, singer in the amateur chorus of Birmingham Opera Company, outline why choirs have been making a come-back.

0857 The Chancellor George Osborne had to pay for an upgrade after he sat in a first class train carriage with a standard class ticket. Gyles Brandreth, a former Conservative MP, looks back at getting the train to London. in touch with Today via email , Twitter or Facebook or text us on 84844. Bookmark with: Liberal England: George Osborne and Thomas Isaac Mardy Jones George Osborne and Thomas Isaac Mardy Jones There has been much merriment today at George Osborne's antics aboard the train to Euston. As B BC News tells it: George Osborne has been forced to pay for an upgrade after sitting in a first class train carriage with a standard class ticket. An aide to Mr Osborne initially refused to pay the £160 supplement and said the chancellor did not want to move into standard class, Virgin Trains said. ITV reporter Rachel Townsend , who was on the same train as the chancellor, Tweeted about the incident. He is lucky he is not living in the 1920s.

Back in 2005 I wrote about the fall of Thomas Isaac Mardy Jones in a House Points column: In 1922 Mardy Jones was elected Labour MP for Pontypridd. He had begun work in the mines at the age of 12, and like many working-class Members found life difficult financially. Payment for MPs was one of the Chartists’ demands in the 1830s. It was not introduced until the Liberal government’s 1911 Parliament Act. In Jones’ day the salary was small, but MPs did receive a perk in the form of vouchers that could be exchanged for railway tickets between their constituencies and Westminster. As Matthew Parris reports in his Great Parliamentary Scandals, those tickets were strictly non-transferable. Mardy Jones broke the rules. He sent two tickets to Wales to allow his wife and young daughter to make a rare trip to London. Unfortunately, one of them was six weeks out of date and the Great Western Railway pressed charges. Despite an ingenious defence involving vital papers that had to be brought to him, Jones was found guilty and fined £2 plus costs. Worse, he was obliged to resign his seat before the case came to court.

Mardy Jones did fight the 1931 general election as an Independent Labout candidate, but came third in the poll. Posted by

Question: In October 2012, which British MP was said to have had to pay for an upgrade after he sat in a first class train carriage with a standard class ticket?
Answer: George Osborne