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STEPHEN HESTER'S £1M BONUS FROM THE ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND

Osborne defends Hester's bonus, saying it isn't for the Government to decide, but would be "a lot less" than those of other bank chiefs - Telegraph
However the bonus is condemned by Mayor of London Boris Johnson, who said he was "at a loss to justify" it - Press Association I Daily Mail
'Boris attacks £996,000 bonus for chief of ‘Soviet’ RBS' - Times (£)
PlayPolitical: Boris Johnson: "I’m at a loss to justify" Stephen Hester's £1million bonus from RBS
"London mayor Boris Johnson calls award 'bewildering' and Labour leader Ed Miliband describes it as 'disgraceful" - Guardian
"The political furore picked up on Friday when Ed Miliband, Labour leader, accused Mr Cameron of having “nodded through” the bonus" - FT
"David Buick, a partner at BGC Partners, says Stephen Hester has been "magmanimous" in refusing his bonus last year and "deserves every nickel" that he receives from the bank" - Telegraph
What has Stephen Hester achieved? - BBC
Melissa Kite: 'Whose bonus is it, anyway?' - Daily Mail
Jonathan Jones: "If the government had felt it could do more, it probably would’ve done more" - Spectator
David Davis: "We should distinguish a little more between wealth creation and the activities of some of our bankers, which amount to wealth extraction, and wealth extraction in their own interests at that" - Spectator

GEORGE OSBORNE'S SPEECH ON EUROPE & THE ECONOMY AT DAVOS

George Osborne: Europe must show colour of its money to get extra bail-out from the IMF funded by the British taxpayer - Telegraph
"Osborne has said that the government's shakeup of City regulation would overhaul a failed system and prevent banks from ever again being as exposed to bad loans as they were when the financial crisis broke in 2007" - Guardian
Osborne has revealed details about the Financial Services Bill that will overhaul regulation of the sector - BBC I Times (£)
Unemployment in Spain tops 5.3million - Guardian
Jeremy Warner: "Britain is edging towards agreeing its $30bn share of the $500bn of extra funding demanded by the IMF for eurozone bailouts, a sum so large that it will require parliamentary approval" - Telegraph
Fraser Nelson: "Cameron's speeches are great, and show that he understands capitalism. The Prime Ministerial spirit is willing, but the Treasury flesh seems weak. Do I believe that Osborne is smart enough to come up with a radical, pro-growth agenda at the Budget in March that will pull us out of this lost decade? Absolutely. Does he? We'll see." - Spectator

REFERENDUM ON SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE

Salmond insists his 10-word referendum question on Scotland's independence is 'straightforward and clear', but polling experts disagree - Guardian
Alex Salmond's question over independence gives poll boost to Scottish leader - Telegraph
A campaign to push for 'devo-max' will be launched next week - Press Association
Would an independent Scotland be good for northern England? - Guardian

OTHER TORY & POLITICAL NEWS

Ruth Porter: "The Left's vision of feminism and women's issues, treating women as a homogenous group, is ridiculous" - Telegraph
The Chief Executive of WWF warns that Cameron's eco-friendly image risks 'retoxification' - Guardian
European court of human rights president Sir Nicolas Bratza tells politicians to stop 'exaggerated' criticism of human rights court - Guardian
After pulling out of abortion counselling consultation, Diane Abbott accuses Tory MPs of bringing the worst of the US debate to British politics - Guardian
Toby Young: 'The BBC's next director-general should be a Tory' - Telegraph
Membership to Plaid Cymru increases by 23% - Guardian

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