The increasing commercialisation of childhood has fuelled a rise in bullying among British youngsters, with many targeted simply for wearing the wrong brands, damning research carried out by the National Union of Teachers has revealed.

Companies are accused of routinely hiring child and consumer psychologists to help them target children effectively, with devastating consequences ranging from obesity to depression.

The research found that about 70 per cent of children surveyed felt there was too much pressure to look perfect and wear the latest goods. Nearly a third said that how they looked made them unhappy.

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David Cameron has revealed himself as a staunch Unionist in an interview with The Daily Telegraph, refusing to pander to what he described as 'English Nationalism'.

The Tory party leader offered his backing to the Telegraph's Call Yourself British campaign and championed Britain's shared values and history.

While conceding that there is increasing discontent over thorny issues such as the distribution of public spending across Britain, Mr Cameron argued for the need to persevere with the Union.

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More than two thirds of people in England want the Union with the rest of the United Kingdom to continue and less than a fifth feel "English, not British," reveals an ICM poll for the Sunday Telegraph to mark 300 years of the Acts of Union.

Asked to choose between independence, an English parliament within the Union or the status quo, just 15 percent of those polled preferred independence and only 20 percent a new English parliament. No less than 57 percent believed that Westminster should continue to legislate for England, even though Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland now have devolved parliaments or assemblies of their own.

Do you feel British or do you think of yourself as, first and foremost, English, Scottish, Welsh or coming from Northern Ireland? Do you agree with Andrew Porter that the Union is the root cause of British greatness?

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Ministers will target parents in a new drive to boost education standards and improve children’s lives.

Millions of pounds will be earmarked for safety equipment to prevent children being injured at home as part of the Children’s Plan, which will also include advice for parents on how to get involved in school life and how to keep their children healthy.

Critics have accused the Government of persistently intruding into family life after previous policies to extend school opening hours and open waves of children’s centres failed.

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Led Zeppelin reform on Monday for a concert at the O2 arena, a gig so historic that 11 million people signed up for the chance to buy tickets.

Telegraph.co.uk has been celebrating the occasion by streaming classic live performances every day this week.

But are they really the best rock band of all time, as many people believe? What makes them so special? Were you a fan of the band in their heyday? Are you worried that your favourite youthful memories will be ruined by the spectacle of a group of elderly men on stage? How do you think they will have changed?

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New Government guidelines will tell local councils and other public bodies that translating too many documents and signs into foreign languages is hampering integration of immigrants.

The Department for Communities and Local Government has gathered examples of "unnecessary or bizarre" translation, including reports translated into languages that are not spoken in the local area and routine road signs translated in languages such as Polish.

Hazel Blears, the Communities Secretary, will call for a greater emphasis on teaching people to speak English.

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The mystery surrounding the disappearance of John Darwin, who re-appeared almost five years after he was declared dead, took a dramatic twist today when it emerged that his son has now left home leaving only a cryptic note to his girlfriend.

Have you ever dreamed of disappearing? Where would you go?

What do you think you would miss most while you were gone? How would you plan your re-appearance?

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High streets are quieter than a year ago with retailers reporting they have been forced to knock as much as 50 per cent off their prices, adding to the pressure on the Bank of England to cut interest rates today.

Kevin Hawkins, director of the British Retail Consortium, has called on the BoE not to “duck the issue” and recommended a cut now and another in early 2008 in order to avoid a hard landing in the New Year.

Are you spending less this Christmas than you did last year? Have the recent rate rises left you counting your pennies?

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The nine members of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee face one of their toughest ever decisions tomorrow on interest rates.

The crisis that has engulfed financial markets since July has left Governor Mervyn King under huge pressure to slash interest rates from their current level of 5.75pc.

Add into the mix a slowing housing market and increasingly brittle consumer confidence, and the case to cut seems clear.

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British Christian traditions are being threatened by "Christianophobia" created by a "politically correct brigade", a Tory MP has warned.

Mark Pritchard, MP, who is leading a parliamentary debate on the issue today, said that he feared that Christianity could be hijacked by extremists if mainstream political parties fail to support this country's Christian tradition.

Do you agree with Mr Pritchard that British Christian traditions are being undermined? Is this the result of "political correctness"? Does "Christianophobia" actually exist and, if so, how would you define it?

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Over a decade after Labour came to power with the pledge of prioritising “education, education, education”, British schoolchildren have slipped down an international league table of reading, mathematics and science standards.

In reading 15-year-olds in the UK dropped from seventh in 2000 to 17th, behind countries such as Estonia and Liechtenstein. In maths, pupils fell from eighth to 24th - placing them below the international average for the first time. In science, secondary school students in the UK dropped from fourth to 14th.

The performance tables, compiled by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, were based on independent tests taken by 400,000 secondary school pupils worldwide.

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Almost 2 million speeding tickets are being inflicted on motorists in England and Wales each year, because of a dramatic increase in the number of speed cameras since Labour came to power in 1997.

The data, released by the Home Office, reveals that the total sum drivers paid in fixed penalty notices for speeding fines has increased almost four-fold since 1997 to nearly £120 million.

A road safety charity defended speed cameras, though road deaths have not declined as sharply as speeding fines have increased. In 2006, 3,172 people were killed on British roads, while 3,421 died in 1998.

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Ministers are to abandon proposals to hold terrorist suspects for up to 56 days without charge, after a public outcry over the planned rise from the current 28 days.

Campaigning group Liberty has been at the forefront of this and other debates where it identifies attempts by the British state to increase its powers over ordinary citizens.

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Some 12,700 British troops will this year spend Christmas abroad on active service, facing danger in Iraq and a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan, while hundreds more man bases in Cyprus and on the Falklands Islands.

As well as spending the festive season in treacherous conditions far from home, the 7,700 troops in Afghanistan and 5,000 in Iraq are also contending with chronic Government under-funding, former heads of the military have complained.

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The number of British children living in poverty rose by 200,000 in 12 months, according to a new survey which highlights the Government’s failure to tackle the issue.

The report comes after it emerged that a key Government committee to cut child poverty, headed by Gordon Brown, had not met for nearly five years.

With the Government still well short of its original targets, David Cameron has labelled the Prime Minister’s methods ineffective and called for a change.

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Gordon Brown has launched a desperate attempt to restore Labour’s credibility after the “Donorgate” scandal, promising a major clean up of party funding.

The Conservatives have dismissed the plans as a “smokescreen” to mask the damage done to the party and former Blairite MP Brian Wilson has criticised Mr Brown’s lack of “strategic vision”, suggesting he may be approaching his “sell-by date.”

Do you think the Prime Minister can distance himself from the latest sleaze allegations or is his future now seriously in doubt?

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British retailers are battling for the right to extend their opening hours on the final Sunday before Christmas to boost last-minute sales of festive food and presents.

Department stores, clothes shops and supermarkets want the Government to ease Sunday trading laws and let them stay open an extra four hours on December 23rd.

Rob Templeman, the chief executive of Debenhams, argued: “With shoppers leaving their shopping later and later every year, the 23rd is going to be a really big day. We would really like a few extra hours.”

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