Miliband welcomes US troop surge
US and UK troop surges in Afghanistan will ensure a "full-scale counter-insurgency" against the Taliban, David Miliband says.

Welsh Labour await leader result
The result of the Welsh Labour leadership contest between Carwyn Jones, Edwina Hart and Huw Lewis is to be announced.

Media 'bullied MPs' on expenses
Former Commons Speaker Lord Martin says MPs were "bullied" into referring their expense claims for investigation.

Bid to free UK crew held by Iran
Efforts continue to try to free five Britons held in the Gulf, as Iran warns of potentially "serious" consequences.

Blair's 'pledge on regime change'
Tony Blair said he would be willing to back regime change in Iraq when he met George Bush in Texas in 2002, the inquiry hears.

SNP education secretary demoted
Scotland's under-fire education secretary, Fiona Hyslop, has been demoted, the government announces.

Bank pay details 'may be widened'
Banks may be forced to publish more information about high-earning staff, Alistair Darling has told MPs.

SNP sets out plan for referendum
The SNP publishes its white paper on Scotland's future, which could pave the way for an independence referendum.

Lib Dem rethink on 'mansion tax'
The Liberal Democrats have doubled the threshold at which they say homeowners should pay an annual "mansion tax" to £2m.

UK bolsters forces in Afghanistan
Gordon Brown confirms he will send 500 more troops to Afghanistan - taking the total UK deployment to more than 10,000.

MPs must reach out, says Bercow
Commons select committees must be used to reach out to disenchanted voters, Speaker John Bercow says.

Polls apart - the 'best and worst' Stormont performances
Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness has been named as the most impressive minister in Stormont, according to a new poll.

Final report
Commonwealth stand on climate change ups profile

Not so special
The changing fortunes of the US-UK relationship

Councils 'blind to white needs'
Local councils and government agencies have been "blind" to the needs of white working class people, a cabinet minister has said.

Baroness Warsi pelted with eggs
Eggs are thrown at the Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion and Social Action, Baroness Warsi, as she visits Luton.

Cameron apology over school claim
David Cameron apologises to MPs for getting facts wrong over schools with alleged links to Islamic group Hizb ut-Tahrir.

Political jargon condemned by MPs
Government jargon should be taken more seriously, say MPs, particularly if it means people are missing out on benefits.

UK yacht crew detained by Iran
Five Britons have been detained by the Iranian navy while sailing a yacht from Bahrain to Dubai for a race, the Foreign Office (FCO) says.

Crackdown on council house cheats
A crackdown is launched against thousands of people who fraudulently acquire or sublet their council and housing association homes.

Goldsmith denies non-dom tax gain
Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith says he has gained "very few benefits" from having non-domiciled tax status.

Prescott sheds tears for ancestor
John Prescott is moved to tears when he discovers one of his ancestors fathered children by his own daughter.

Migrant children 'held too long'
MPs attack the practice of holding children in immigration detention centres, saying many are kept in them for too long.

Find Bin Laden, PM urges Pakistan
Gordon Brown tells the BBC that Pakistan must do more to "break" al-Qaeda and find Osama Bin Laden.

BNP leader at climate conference
Nick Griffin, who has said global warming is "essentially a hoax", will be at the Copenhagen climate conference.

Commonwealth backs climate fund
Commonwealth leaders pledge backing for a multi-billion-dollar fund to help developing nations cope with climate change.

Drop independence plan, SNP urged
Labour urges Alex Salmond to shelve his plans for a Scottish referendum and concentrate on fighting the recession.

Afghans must meet targets - Brown
Afghanistan's president will be set targets for training Afghan forces and tackling corruption, Gordon Brown says.

UKIP offered Tories election deal
UKIP says it offered not to fight a general election if the Tories promised to hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

Des Browne to leave the Commons
Former defence secretary Des Browne announces he is to step down as MP at the next general election.

UN chief urges deal at Copenhagen
UN head Ban Ki-moon urges world leaders to "seal a deal" on climate change when they meet in Copenhagen next month.

College of social work proposed
A national college of social work could be set up in England and Wales to give the profession a voice, the children's secretary says.

Iraq war 'legitimacy' questioned
The Iraq war was not illegal but was of "questionable legitimacy", a former senior UK diplomat tells the Chilcot inquiry.

Tories 'to squeeze public sector'
The Conservatives announce plans to save billions every year by doing 'more with less' in the public sector.

Home reports 'benefited market'
Chartered surveyors believe home reports have not hindered the Scottish housing market, a study suggests.

FROM DEMOCRACY LIVE >>
Guide to the Scottish Parliament
BBC Democracy Live takes you on a tour of the Scottish Parliament.

Number of education boards halved
Education and Library Boards remain in place but their numbers are to be halved by the education minister .

FROM DEMOCRACY LIVE >>
Guide to N.Ireland Assembly
A tour of the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont.

New bid on 'right-to-buy' powers
A new attempt to gain powers over the right of tenants to buy council housing goes before the assembly government.

FROM DEMOCRACY LIVE >>
Guide to the Welsh Assembly
A guide to the National Assembly for Wales.

The Cabinet: Who's Who
Here is a minister-by-minister guide to the members of Gordon Brown's Cabinet.

Shadow Cabinet: Who's Who
Here is a minister-by-minister guide to the members of Tory leader David Cameron's Cabinet.

In full: Lib Dem front bench
Here is a spokesman-by-spokesman guide to the members of Nick Clegg's front bench team.

FROM DEMOCRACY LIVE >>
Guide to the House of Commons
An introduction to the working of the House of Commons.

FROM DEMOCRACY LIVE >>
Guide to the House of Lords
What does the House of Lords do? Who sits there?

Political websites
Links to parties and other useful websites covering UK politics.