LONDON (Reuters) – Polls suggest George Osborne is one of Britain’s least popular finance ministers, but fellow Conservatives say it would make no sense to sack one of the masterminds of their coalition government.

After a slide back into recession and a poorly communicated budget in March which appeared to make the poor and elderly pay for a tax cut for the rich, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has faced his toughest period since taking office in 2010.

LONDON, July 18 (Reuters) – Britain may have to call up more
soldiers to guard the Olympic Games after a failed private
sector recruitment drive left an embarrassing hole in security.

The security fiasco and doubts over the ability of London’s
transport system to handle large numbers of visitors to the
Games have overshadowed an event which the government still
hopes will give recession-hit Britain something to celebrate.

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain may have to call up yet more soldiers to police the Olympic Games, the government said on Wednesday, after a failed private sector recruitment drive left an embarrassing hole in security and dashed London’s dreams of a spotless showcase.

The security fiasco and doubts over the ability of London’s strained transport system to handle a swarm of visitors have overshadowed an event which the government still hopes will give recession-hit Britain something to celebrate.

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain may have to call up yet more soldiers to police the Olympic Games, the government said on Wednesday, after a failed private sector recruitment drive left an embarrassing hole in security and dashed London’s dreams of a spotless showcase.

The security fiasco and doubts over the ability of London’s strained transport system to handle a swarm of visitors have overshadowed an event which the government still hopes will give recession-hit Britain something to celebrate.

LONDON, July 18 (Reuters) – Britain may have to call up yet
more soldiers to police the Olympic Games, the government said
on Wednesday, after a failed private sector recruitment drive
left an embarrassing hole in security and dashed London’s dreams
of a spotless showcase.

The security fiasco and doubts over the ability of London’s
strained transport system to handle a swarm of visitors have
overshadowed an event which the government still hopes will give
recession-hit Britain something to celebrate.

LONDON (Reuters) – The government said on Wednesday it would stand behind up to 40 billion pounds’ worth of stalled infrastructure projects struggling for funding, the latest attempt to kick start a recession-hit economy without using taxpayers’ money.

The Treasury said it would guarantee finance for ready-to-go “nationally significant” projects, enabling contractors in areas such as transport and energy to raise funds from financial markets with the backing of the government’s balance sheet.

LONDON, July 18 (Reuters) – The British government said on
Wednesday it would stand behind up to 40 billion pounds’ worth
of stalled infrastructure projects struggling for funding, the
latest attempt to kick start a recession-hit economy without
using taxpayers’ money.

The Treasury said it would guarantee finance for ready-to-go
“nationally significant” projects, enabling contractors in areas
such as transport and energy to raise funds from financial
markets with the backing of the government’s balance sheet.

LONDON (Reuters) – Pressure grew on Barclays Plc chief executive Bob Diamond to quit as Britain launched an inquiry on Monday into a market rigging scandal, saying a “culture that flourished in the age of irresponsibility” among bankers had to end.

Barclays Chairman Marcus Agius resigned on Monday, saying “the buck stops with me” as the scandal over manipulating Libor interest rates claimed its first major scalp.

LONDON (Reuters) – Prime Minister David Cameron’s suggestion he is ready to hold a referendum on Britain’s future in the European Union backfired on Monday after his opponents and some in his own party accused him of sending vague or conflicting messages.

Cameron appeared to rule out such a vote on Friday – at least for now – telling voters after an EU summit it would not be “the right thing to do”, but on Sunday he said the words “Europe” and “referendum” could go together.

LONDON (Reuters) – Parliament will investigate an interest-rate fixing scandal that has rocked London’s banking sector, in a wide-ranging inquiry which a source said would encompass issues such as culture and standards in the industry.

“I want us to establish a full parliamentary committee of inquiry involving both houses,” Prime Minister David Cameron told parliament on Monday, stopping short of giving further details on its full remit.