05/03/2016 BBC Weekend News

The Chancellor, George Osborne, has dropped plans to cut tax relief

He had been expected to announce the move in the Budget in less

than two weeks, but was warned the changes could reduce

Campaigners say he has missed a "huge opportunity" to tackle

pension inequality and help the lower paid.

Our Political correspondent, Chris Mason reports.

In less than a fortnight George Osborne will dust off his red

We now know one thing that won't be in it.

The current system allows workers to put some of the money that

would have been paid in income tax into a pension pot to allow

all but the very richest to save for old age tax-free.

Income from that pension is then taxed when

This arrangement is going to stay, a decision welcomed by a former Lib

It is very good news the Chancellor has dropped

his pensions ISA idea where you tax people's money as they go

into a pension because I simply do not

think people would have trusted politicians of future generations

People need confidence in pension saving and a promise of a politician

in a generation would not have given that confidence.

The current system benefits the better off.

Higher earners pay income tax at a higher

rate and so avoid paying more of it by saving more for their attention.

rate and so avoid paying more of it by saving more for their pension.

So the government decision not to change things

It is a missed opportunity to try to make the pension system

better for people like the self-employed and people on zero

hours contracts and other people who are facing economic

But the Chancellor has concluded now is not the time

We will find out exactly what he does have planned on budget

With me now is our Poltical Correspondent Chris Mason.

What are the politics of this? In the short-term there were too many

critics of the plan. So the pension industry, nervous and many

Conservative MPs nervous, as they felt it would take away a perk from

core voters. Arguing that better off people pay income tax already.

Government are nervous about incentive, putting off people from

saving. But the law is that political report is that we have to

talk about the EU referendum. Yes, there is a connection. Government in

nervous, given an appointment in the polling station for the voters about

creating reasons why people pay want to exact revenge on ministers. One

reason amongst a number leading to the postponement, which begs the

question, could it come back? Is it an issue that the Government may

The Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce

has been temporarily suspended over his comments about Britain

On Thursday John Longworth said that "the UK would be better off taking

a decision to leave the European Union".

He's stressed that's a personal opinion -

but the organisation's policy is to remain neutral

in the forthcoming in-out referendum.

Turkish police have raided the offices of Zaman,

the country's biggest newspaper, hours after a court ruling placed it

Police entered the building in Istanbul late yesterday,

firing tear gas at protesters who had gathered outside.

Turkey says Hizmet is a "terrorist" group aiming to overthrow

Homes and cars have been damaged in County Antrim overnight,

after thieves broke into a fire station, stole a fire engine

Two men, aged 66 and 19, are being questioned by police.

It's understood that no-one was injured in the collision

which happened at around 4.30 this morning.

China's economy faces a "diffcult battle ahead".

That's the warning from the country's Premier at the start

The meeting, which sets out China's agenda for the year ahead,

has been warned of another slow-down in the rate of economic growth.

Once a year, China Opens the gates on a peace of political theatre.

The Communist Party leaders use the event to tell the 3,000

delegates what policy will be and this year,

they said, economic growth may fall as low as 6.5%, the lowest

TRANSLATION: Domestically, problems and risks that have been

building up are becoming more evident.

Downward pressure on the economy is growing.

The Chinese Premiere spoke about huge overcapacity

in manufacturing, what he called "zombie enterprises".

This shipyard, with its rusting, unfinished hulls is already closed.

This shipyard, with its rusting, unfinished hulls, is already closed.

Others will follow along with steel mills and coal mines,

an admission of the need for painful reform.

TRANSLATION: People are looking everywhere for work.

This man, now re-ememployed at a neighbouring shipyard says,

And as the economy slows, the authorities are increasingly

At this building in Beijing, where those with grievances come

to lodge complaints against the government,

ranks of policemen keep a careful watch.

This man said that they forced his factory to close but then

Well if the parliamentary pomp and ceremony on display a little way

up the road are meant to portray a sense of national unity,

these scenes tell a different picture.

One of repression that many people believe is growing increasingly

heavy handed under the President, Xi Jinping.

China's leaders have also announced more spending to keep growth

China's leaders have also announced more spending to keep growth

They make look confident but they know they are entering

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his new wife, actress and model

Jerry Hall, have had their marriage blessed

at London's St Bride's Church, in Fleet Street this morning.

The couple wed in a civil ceremony yesterday.

Among the guests attending today were actor Sir Michael Caine,

musicians Bill Wyman and Sir Bob Geldolf

and Rebekah Brooks, CEO of News UK, the British division of Mr Murdoch's

That's it for now - the next news on BBC One

Hello. If you have been out this morning, you will know there is a

bit of a chill in the air out there. More late winter than early spring.

A weather watcher caught confused looking spring bulbs in the snow.

In the south there is more likely rain in the