LONDON - The latest buzz word in the clubby world of British politics is "hung Parliament." It doesn't mean the current Parliament would be hanged, although some voters in these troubled economic times might relish that idea. It means an election so close that no party receives more than half the seats in the House of Commons, the lower house of Parliament.

It's commonplace in most parliamentary democracies, but hasn't happened here for more than three decades - and the very idea has sent financially-battered Britain into a tizzy, causing the pound to tumble.

Former Labour Party leader Michael Foot has died, aged 96.

Mr Foot was elected Labour leader in 1980, succeeding Jim Callaghan, but stood down after a heavy defeat in the 1983 election to Margaret Thatcher.

Mr Foot, who was also a prolific writer, was first elected to Parliament in 1945 and was an MP for 42 years.

Prior to becoming Labour leader, Mr Foot served in the Callaghan and Harold Wilson governments as Minister for Employment and Commons leader.

LONDON - Winston Churchill, 69, a former member of Parliament and grandson of Britain’s wartime leader, has died.

Commander John Muxworthy says Churchill died this morning at his home in London. The politician had been diagnosed with cancer two years ago.

Churchill was a member of the House of Commons from 1970 to 1997. Earlier he had been a foreign correspondent for The Times, The Daily Telegraph and other publications.

The cabinet minister, rather, had fallen victim to a particularly voracious Twitter phishing attack that's been making the rounds this week, one which steals users' passwords and then spams their friends with direct messages containing the same password-stealing link.

He posted a public tweet shortly thereafter that read "Oh dear it seems like I've fallen victim to Twitter's latest 'phishing' scam." And he's not alone: an Associated Press article noted that House of Commons leader Harriet Harman also fell for the same scam or a similar one.

LONDON -- Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown apologized Wednesday to the tens of thousands of poor British children shipped to former colonies such as Australia, where instead of a better life many were treated to harsh conditions, neglect and abuse.

Brown said the country was sorry for the "shameful" and "misguided" child migrant program of the 1920 to 1960s, in which an estimated 150,000 British children were sent to distant colonies.

A committee of British lawmakers says the government should change the country's laws to stop "libel tourism" from stifling investigative journalism and press freedom.

The chairman of the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport committee said Wednesday that it was "a humiliation" that several U.S. states have introduced laws to protect American citizens from the enforcement of legal settlements in foreign jurisdictions such as Britain. A similar federal law is currently before the U.S. Congress.

LONDON - The governor of the Bank of England said Tuesday that Britain's recovery from recession is fragile, and that the next few months are likely to be volatile.

Governor Mervyn King told a Parliamentary committee that recovery appeared to have stalled in the euro area, Britain's largest export market.

"The tensions that underlay the build up of large world imbalances have not been resolved," King told the House of Commons Treasury Committee. "And, at home, bank lending to the nonfinancial sector continues to fall."

Binyam Mohamed has been involved in a lengthy legal battle

The head of MI5 has denied his staff withheld documents relating to the alleged torture of a UK resident from a House of Commons scrutiny committee.

The Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee said it had been assured by director-general Jonathan Evans that no material was withheld.

It has been suggested that a senior judge believed MI5 officials "deliberately misled" the committee.

Gordon Brown has praised the work of the international decommissioning body as he announced three NI paramilitary groups have got rid of their weapons.

Two republican groups - the Irish National Liberation Army and the Official IRA disposed of their arms.

Mr Brown told the House of Commons the loyalist South East Antrim Ulster Defence Association had also done so.

The prime minister said decommissioning was "a central part of the process of moving NI from violence to peace".

london-four british legislators face the prospect of jail in a deepening scandal over lawmakers' expense claims, after the country's chief prosecutor on friday charged the men over alleged shady accounting practices. keir starmer, britain's director

london - four british lawmakers will face criminal charges and the prospect of jail for alleged shady accounting practices during britain’s expense claims scandal, the country’s chief prosecutor said today. keir starmer, britain’s director of public

London, England (CNN) -- Four British Parliamentarians are facing charges over false expense claims totaling more than $93,000 over the past six years, Britain's Crown Prosecution Service announced.

Three members of the House of Commons and one member of the House of Lords are to be charged with false accounting, which could bring prison terms of up to seven years, the CPS said.

London's Metropolitan Police Service has been investigating the expense claims of many members of Parliament, following a spending scandal last year.

nine months after the house of commons was plunged into crisis by news accounts of extravagant expense claims by hundreds of lawmakers, the official appointed to audit the claims ordered 390 members of parliament on thursday to repay $1.8 million

london - an inquiry into a scandal that tarnished british politics found thursday more than half the house of commons made excessive or bogus expense claims worth about 1 million pounds ($1.6 million). in a report that party leaders hope will draw

london-more than half the lawmakers in britain's house of commons made excessive or bogus expense claims, an auditor reported thursday after investigating a scandal that tarnished british politics. thomas legg, appointed after legislators' leaked

LONDON, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- The London inquiry into the British role in the Iraq war said Friday that Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his top ministers will testify before June elections.

The inquiry announced before a holiday recess in 2009 that it would not be used as a political platform. Brown and other Cabinet ministers were not expected to testify before general elections in June.

The announcement that Tony Blair, Brown's predecessor, would face questioning before the inquiry Jan. 29 put pressure on the British premier to appear before the inquiry.

LONDON - Britain's main opposition party accused the government Thursday of drafting plans to close embassies and reduce anti-terrorism work to cope with a huge national debt and a slump in the value of the pound.

Conservative Party lawmaker David Lidington told the House of Commons an internal Foreign Office memo urges diplomats to draft contingency plans to fire staff and close some overseas posts.

LONDON - Britain suspended direct flights with Yemen on Wednesday and the prime minister said the U.K. will introduce new no-fly lists as it seeks to tighten airport security following the failed Detroit airliner attack.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown told the House of Commons the measures are in response to a growing threat from Al Qaeda affiliated terrorists based in Yemen.

"We know that a number of terrorist cells are trying to target Britain and other countries" from Yemen, Brown told lawmakers, following a meeting Tuesday with Britain's military, intelligence and border security chiefs.

LONDON-Britain's government is suspending direct flights between the U.K. and Yemen over security concerns following the failed Detroit airliner attack.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown told the House of Commons the measures are in response to a growing threat from al Qaeda-affiliated terrorists based in Yemen.

"We know that a number of terrorist cells are trying to target Britain and other countries" from Yemen, Mr. Brown told lawmakers, following a meeting Tuesday with Britain's military, intelligence and border security chiefs.

LONDON (AFP) – Tony Blair's ex-chief spin doctor Alastair Campbell insisted on Tuesday the former premier was determined to deal with Saddam Hussein's regime peacefully until just before the 2003 Iraq war.

At a public inquiry on the conflict, Campbell, one of the ex-prime minister's closest allies, said Blair wanted to pursue a diplomatic route right up to a crucial vote on the Iraq war in the House of Commons on March 18, 2003.