Commons split to benefit Ukip

Both have been tipped as potential leaders of their respective parties, but now have diminished reputations following a farcical vote that further sullied the reputation of politics.

If the Home Secretary believes that the EAW is a necessary mechanism to bring criminals to justice across Europe, she should not have been so coy with her backbenchers. After all, the Conservatives are supposed to be the party of law and order and most MPs recognise the need for international co-operation in the fight against crime.

Mrs May’s only comfort is that her opposite number chose to put party political advantage before the national interest. Instead of supporting the EAW from the outset and making a virtue of this, Ms Cooper appeared to relish the chaos and confusion on the Government benches.

She was not short of encouragement from her husband, Ed Balls, while the Pontefract and Castleford MP was also influenced by two other factors.

First, her approach helped to mask Labour’s own splits on Europe – a significant number of Opposition backbenchers have misgivings about their party’s pro-EU stance.

Secondly, her belligerence will have been noted by those who want to replace a struggling Ed Miliband as leader. However, such shenanigans will do little to win back the public’s respect at a time when voters expect their leaders to behave responsibly.

Ironically the biggest beneficiary is likely to be Ukip. It has the potential to deny the Tories and Labour victory in next year’s election and Nigel Farage’s plain-speaking could not provide a greater contrast to the sort of chicanery employed by Mrs May and Ms Cooper.

Out-of-hours crisis: GPs profit from broken system

The term “out-of-hours care” is in itself a barometer of the warped perspective that is presently applied in this area of health provision.

People should not be concerned that they will receive a lower standard of care simply because they have the audacity to fall ill outside of the regular office hours worked by GPs.

The parlous state of the current out-of-hours system has now been laid bare by the redoubtable Margaret Hodge in her role as chairman of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee.

Quite rightly, she highlights the scandalous arrangement which allows GPs who are members of clinical commissioning groups to hire services from organisations in which they have a financial interest.

Far from putting the patient first, this highly questionable practice creates conflicts of interest in which pecuniary benefits may become the priority.

Indeed, Ms Hodge highlighted instances of clinical commissioning groups awarding out-of-hours contracts without a competitive procurement process taking place.

It means that as well as helping to line GPs’ pockets, the present system runs counter to the need for the supposedly financially-stretched NHS to deliver value for taxpayers’ money.

This issue must be addressed as a matter of urgency, along with the cause of such variance across the country in terms of patient satisfaction levels with out-of-hours services.

More pressing still is the need for an explanation as to why the cost of such services differs so widely from one area to the next.

Or would this further expose what some may see as an elaborate con-trick being perpetrated against the great British public?

A hidden gem: Ryedale symbolises Yorkshire

YORK will always be the jewel in this county’s crown for the very simple reason that the Roman city’s rich history has a global resonance. With justification, it has become an internationally-acclaimed visitor destination.

Yet a significant number of tourists, from both Britain and further afield, do not appreciate the stunning scenery in the form of the Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Market towns like Malton, Helmsley and Pickering are gaining a burgeoning reputation for the quality of their gastronomic offering – the area is home to two Michelin-starred restaurants – and the Beyond York marketing campaign can only help to underpin Ryedale’s rural economy. With the breadth of attractions ranging from Castle Howard to Flamingo Land, no visit to York will be complete without tourists taking time to venture beyond the City Walls and into a district that is the embodiment of Yorkshire.