Tories would cap accident claims

New restrictions to curb Britain's billion-pound "compensation culture" are being proposed by the Conservatives today.

Shadow home secretary David Davis wants a cap on the amount hospitals, schools and local authorities have to pay in claims. He also wants limits on liabilities for company directors and businesses. Mr Davis says payouts are crippling public services, affecting doctors' decisions and threatening the future of charities.

Schools paid ?200 million last year in claims and teachers are finding it harder to take pupils on school trips as they fear being sued in the event of accident.

Mr Davis wants to scrap parts of the sex and race discrimination laws. He will also announce plans to review the Human Rights Act, which incorporates the European Convention of Human Rights into British law.