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PM rocked by extraordinary claims from former Tory treasurer Lord Ashcroft that he was in a 'dope smoking group' and took part in a debauched initiation, but No 10 says it 'does not recognise' the accusations.

The ultimate tribute: Iraq-hero Hall nominated for George Cross medalBy JONATHAN POWELL - More by this author » Last updated at 22:53pm on 13th October 2007  A British security guard who died as he saved the lives of four colleagues in Iraq is to be recommended for Britain's highest civilian honour, the George Cross. Simon Hall and his companions were unarmed when they were overpowered by gunmen near the Kuwait border, bundled into a pick-up truck and taken on a terrifying journey to almost certain death. But the captives launched a daring escape attempt, with Simon heroically grabbing hold...

Make my day, sir, shoot a hoodie Jeremy Clarkson Almost every day a politician comes onto the news and tells us all that Britain’s town centres are being overrun by teenage gangs who drink vast quantities of cider and then run about all night stabbing passers-by. While the event is videoed on mobile phones for the edification of YouTube viewers. It all sounds frightful, but frankly they could be talking about events on the moons of Jupiter because, happily, I live in Chipping Norton, where a lost kitten is front page news. Of course there are teenagers here, and some...

Friday, October 25, 2013 Friday Afternoon Roundup - A Fighting Elephant Posted by Daniel Greenfield @ the Sultan Knish blog THE BETA ELEPHANT The GOP would like to win without fighting. It wants to wait for the voters to come around and recognize that itÂ’s the better choice because it compromises. Like the nerd waiting for the pretty girl to recognize his niceness, the Republican Party is futilely courting an American voter who barely even knows itÂ’s thereÂ… at least until he watches the next Saturday Night Live skit depicting Republicans as crazy evil billionaires who want to power Christian...

Jeremy Clarkson launches attack on teenage thugs after hoodies ruin daughter's birthdayJeremy Clarkson was at the centre of a police investigation after grappling with a hooded teenager - and has hit out at the human rights laws that prevent teachers tackling the problem in schools. In a typically outspoken attack, this time focusing his attention on the anti-social behaviour, the Top Gear star has said that "hoodies" are being allowed to run riot, and blamed parents for not controlling violent behaviour. Approached by a group of youngsters outside an entertainment complex, the BBC presenter assumed they were fans of his...

Hundreds of birdwatchers queued outside a suburban house today to catch a glimpse of a rare bird in the back garden – after paying a £5 fee imposed by the canny homeowner. More than 500 twitchers descended on the doorstep of amateur ornithologist Steve Akers, 56, from 6.30am after he spotted the Oriental Turtle Dove feeding in his garden. The bird – normally found in Russia and Siberia – has only been spotted twice before in Britain and news of the discovery spread like wildfire through the birdwatching world on Monday afternoon. By yesterday morning a queue of ornithologists stretched...

Professor Richard Dawkins has claimed that forcing a religion on children without questioning its merits is as bad as 'child abuse'. In typically incendiary style, the leading atheist said he was against the 'indoctrination of religion' and teaching it as fact. The evolutionary scientist and Emeritus Fellow at Oxford University, speaking at the Chipping Norton Literary Festival yesterday, was repeating claims he made last year which were roundly condemned by charities and politicians. Professor Dawkins said at the festival that children should be taught religion but scorn should be poured on its claims. 'What a child should be taught is...

The Tories’ biggest donor has stopped funding the party after privately questioning whether the Prime Minister is still a proper Conservative. Lord Ashcroft, who has given the Tories £10 million ($15 million), has withdrawn support after becoming dismayed with David Cameron’s obsession with “fringe issues” such as gay marriage. The Tory peer also told friends he has given enough money and is not hopeful of the party winning a majority in 2015. … In another blow to Cameron, his local Chipping Norton party chairman, Cicely Maunder, quit her post and tore up her party membership over his promotion of gay...

AS bonfires and fireworks light up the night sky over the next few days, many people enjoying the spectacle may not realise how close West Oxfordshire’s link is to the events Bonfire Night recalls. Chastleton House, near Chipping Norton, used to be owned by the leading figure behind the ill-fated plot to blow up Parliament, Robert Catesby. Although Guy Fawkes, the man caught in Parliament’s cellars with the barrels of gunpowder, is remembered each year – and effigies of him burned on bonfires – it was actually Catesby who led the 1605 plan. Catesby was a devout Catholic who grew...

Here in Chipping Norton, there is a picture-perfect little theatre. It’s exactly the same as a London theatre, with a balcony and a bar, only it’s much, much smaller. You really do feel, as you perch on your primary-school chair, gazing on the Punch and Judy stage, that you are locked in a Cotswold-stone dolls’ house. It’s an enchanting place and everyone round these parts is very proud of it. So consequently everyone is very cross that the Arts Council recently announced it would no longer be supplying £40,000 a year to help fund it. And Chipping Norton is not...

As thousands of homes were left without power during the recent storms, engineers were diverted to fix a simple problem at David Cameron’s home. Two workmen were part of a team battling to restore electricity to 11,000 houses in Oxfordshire after storms and floods left families ­shivering in the dark. But they were suddenly diverted to the PM’s £2million family home after he lost his power while watching the Sound of Music on TV. George Faulkner and Alan Paton told BBC Radio 4 they were “diverted to a house in ­Chipping Norton” – which was later confirmed by their company...