Newslinks for Saturday 2nd June 2012

6pm VIDEO: My message to kidnappers is that Britain doesn't pay ransoms, says David Cameron, and they may meet "swift and brutal" ends

6pm Local government update: Sir Merrick Cockell, Tory leader of the LGA doesn't quite understand Eric Pickles' announcement - thinking that granny flats are already exempt from council tax

9.30am MPsETC update: Tobias Ellwood's campaign to rename Parliament's Clock Tower after the Queen almost certain to succeed after it wins backing of majority of MPs

ToryDiary: Most EU leaders would give their eye teeth to be in Cameron's shoes, claims Matthew Parris

Mark Field MP on Comment: Christians are being ethnically-cleansed from the Middle East's hollow new democracies

On Local government Harry Phibbs welcomes Eric Pickles' plan to end council tax on granny flats

VIDEO: John Major tells Channel 4's Krishnan Guru-Murthy that The Queen meets more ordinary people than TV news presenters

VIDEO: David Cameron celebrates Queen's "incredible service" in video message for the Jubilee weekend

LISTEN: After a week of U-turns, Lord Oakeshott urges Osborne to become a full-time Chancelllor and stop trying to be in involved in every aspect of government

Tobias Ellwood's campaign to rename the tower housing Big Ben for the Queen has received the backing of the majority of MPs - BBC

• She will never, never abdicate: Queen will serve the country for the rest of her life, confidantes tell the Daily Mail
• "Most of Queen Elizabeth’s subjects want her to reign for ever, partly because they cherish the continuity she represents in a turbulent age, and partly because of unease about what might follow if her son succeeds her. The Prince of Wales conspicuously lacks his mother’s discipline and discretion; he pursues eccentric causes with messianic zeal. Courtiers assert soothingly that if he assumes the crown he will relapse into Trappist silence, accepting its constraints. But there seem grounds for doubt whether, as a sexagenarian, he will suddenly acquire the prudence that characterises his mother." - Max Hastings in the FT (£)
• Thanks, Ma’am. You’re a marvel - The Sun Says

The Bishop of London has warned, however, that Britain should use the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee as an opportunity to reflect and reassess values, claiming that Britain is suffering from an epidemic of promiscuity, divorce and separation - Daily Mail

Hundreds of thousands of families will be offered tax breaks on “granny flats” under plans to ease the housing crisis - Telegraph

Government makes FIFTH tax U-turn in a week by abandoning 'skip tax'

"It is the Coalition’s 29th U-turn since coming to office two years ago and the fifth this week after climbdowns on pasties, caravans, charities and buzzard nests. The Sun highlighted the damaging effect of the skip tax earlier this week. Last month the taxman insisted that landfill tax on crumbled rubble, concrete, brick or clay would have to rise from £2.50 a ton to an eye-watering £64." - The Sun

The Government has made an incredible 29 reversals so far and they all plot a rightwards path - Tom Clark in The Guardian

"The chancellor and the Treasury have been held up to ridicule, as they embarked on an apparent bid to set a record for u-turns conducted in a 72-hour period" - FT (£)

• Reflecting on the U-turns Simon Heffer calls for Cameron's "yes-men" advisers to be replaced by people of real talent and weight - Daily Mail

Andrew Grice: Osborne should have U-turned on 50p

"Despite all the fuss, the revisions to the Budget were at the margins. A real U-turn would have seen Mr Osborne admit the private sector recovery on which his economic strategy is based had failed to materialise, and announce a stimulus to start the economy... Crucially, a U-turning Chancellor would have abandoned the Budget's cut in the 50p top rate of tax, which advertised the Government's biggest weakness – that, in the words of the Tory MP Nadine Dorries, it is run by "two arrogant posh boys". The tax cut for those earning more than £150,000 a year will be a lasting symbol of this Government, remembered long after the pasty tax." - Andrew Grice in The Independent

Matthew Parris: Britain isn't in crisis. The Coalition is actually doing quite well.

After cataloguing Britain's relatively good economic record The Times' Matthew Parris (£) writes: "Outside economics, we have a Government that in two short years has been incredibly productive. They have bitten the bullet on university financing and in schools policy turned an evolution into a revolution. Changes to social welfare, with universal credit, will prove a bigger revolution. A massive, Lib Dem-inspired hike in the threshold at which the lower-paid pay tax is an underpraised triumph. An almost untold story is the measured and modest way spending is being curbed, ministers showing steadiness under fire from the proponents both of the axe and the splurge. Almost as a sideline our Armed Forces and diplomatists have saved a revolution in Libya and planned an orderly withdrawal from a futile war in Afghanistan."

Taxes in Britain and Europe are much higher than in Japan and USA - John Redwood

Cameron and Osborne can and will be persuaded of case for In/Out referendum - Patrick O'Flynn in The Express

• Ireland's Yes to fiscal treaty drowned out by Spain - Independent leader

Theresa May has ordered an independent review into allegations that police corruption shielded the killers of Stephen Lawrence - Guardian

• Top officials responsible for a catalogue of failures at the Border Agency have received £3.25million in bonuses - Express

William Hague has warned that al-Qaeda is taking advantage of Syria's slide into all-out civil war - Sun | BBC

In rescue operation authorised by David Cameron four kidnapped aid workers are freed in Afghanistan - BBC

Lord Lawson says a separate Scotland would not have a seat on the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee, the body that sets interest rates - Scotsman

Chris Huhne forced his wife to take a speeding penalty for him, a court heard yesterday - The Sun

Alan Milburn: Independent schools should be stripped of charitable status if they refuse to sponsor an academy - Times (£)

Alan Milburn embodies the phenomenon of social mobility and he is determined that the next decade should be an era of opportunity for all - Times (£)

It's time to shut down the diversity industry; Whoever we are, we are not reducible to a single, wretched label - Graeme Archer in The Telegraph

The contradictions of UKIP

"The history of UKIP indicates that it will need to overcome its propensity to be bedevilled by its own internal contradictions – a libertarian party with authoritarian policies, an anti-EU party with its strongest representation in the EU, a populist party with an upper-class leadership, a naturally conservative party that despises the Conservative party, an avowedly non-racist party that needs to attract the support of racists." - Adam Carter for Searchlight

Tatler magazine profiles Tim Montgomerie, Editor of ConHome

"My first political memory,' says Montgomerie, 'was probably the debate about the stationing of cruise missiles in Britain, about 30 years ago, when I was 11 years old. My father, who was in the Army, talked to me about the importance of deterrence - and it made a lot of sense. I soon became interested in someone else who was making similar arguments - a woman with big hair on the TV.' That 'woman with big hair on the TV' was, of course, Margaret Thatcher." - Pete Hoskin's Tatler magazine profile

And finally... Illinois legislator loses temper during debate (big time) - VIDEO

> Please use the thread below to provide links to news topics likely to be of interest to ConservativeHome readers and to comment on political topics that haven't been given their own blog. Read our comments policy here.

Newslinks for Friday 1st June 2012

3pm Local government: Council byelection results from yesterday

2.30 Alex Deane on Comment: Neglecting our friends: "I have it on good authority that the flags of the British Overseas Territories will not be flown. Not because some fool in our bureaucracy opposed their flying; oh no - someone made the sensible observation that they ought to be flown and there was agreement with that suggestion. The simple problem, it has emerged, is..."

1pm ToryDiary: First they came for Tim Chatwin...

John Glen MP on Comment: Will Ofcom throw away 30 years of free markets?

ToryDiary: Jeremy Hunt's future

Columnist Bruce Anderson: The good and bad sides of Ken Clarke

Chris Heaton-Harris MP on Comment: The choice is between economic growth and onshore wind. We should choose the former.

Local Government:

• Salford appoints assistant mayor for "humanegement"
• Shock byelection defeat for Conservatives in Barnet

The Deep End: From Gin Lane to porn superhighway

WATCH: Former Commons Speaker Betty Boothroyd says she wants MPs to be noisy

Hunt: The Leveson fallout

1) Cameron dismisses enquiry

"Jeremy Hunt was given a clean bill of health by David Cameron last night just 25 minutes after disclosing damning new details of his closeness to James Murdoch. The Prime Minister backed his Culture Secretary despite the revelation that Mr Hunt exchanged friendly texts with Mr Murdoch before and after assuming responsibility for the BSkyB takeover bid." - Daily Mail

2) The Culture Secretary considered resignation

"Among many revelations, it was disclosed he considered resigning – admitting he was shocked when he learnt of the volume of the communications between News Corp and his special adviser Adam Smith. Hunt said the language sometimes used by his adviser in a series of text messages had been inappropriate. But he suggested that News Corp besieged Smith and claimed that the "barrage … ended up pushing him into certain situations and language that wasn't appropriate"." - The Guardian

3) Operation Prop-Up-Hunt continues...

"For now, all he and his cabinet colleagues are focused on is making sure the secretary of state for culture, Olympics, media and sport, crosses the finishing line represented by the 2012 Olympics…For Mr Hunt to be pulled up, before the Olympic flame is lit, by an inquiry into the appropriateness of his conduct of the UK’s biggest media deal, is a political and diplomatic calamity the government is determined to avoid." - Financial Times (£)

4) ...As does Operation Bring-Down-Hunt

"Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman said it was “frankly disgraceful” that Mr Hunt was not being referred to Sir Alex Allan, the Prime Minister’s adviser on the ministerial code of conduct. She said: “Jeremy Hunt should not be in his job now as he has broken the ministerial code and misled Parliament. David Cameron said he would stand up for high standards but he is sweeping this matter under the carpet.” " - Daily Express

• Doctors urged by Labour leadership to call off strike - The Independent

5) Osborne is dragged into the fray

"George Osborne is expected to be called to the Leveson Inquiry to explain his text messages with Jeremy Hunt on the day he was handed control of the BSkyB takeover bid. Whitehall insiders predicted the Chancellor, who has not so far been asked to appear, will be summoned alongside David Cameron, who is expected to give evidence on June 14." - Daily Mail

• It's no LOL matter for Osborne as he's drawn into BSkyB affair - Andrew Grice, The Independent

And meanwhile, Coulson is at bay

"Andy Coulson, the former editor of the News of the World, vowed yesterday to “vigorously contest” allegations that he committed perjury during the 2010 trial of Tommy Sheridan. Mr Coulson, the Prime Minister’s former communications chief, was charged by Strathclyde Police on Wednesday night over testimony he gave during the Socialist MSP’s trial. A report is to be sent to the procurator fiscal which will decide if Mr Coulson will face court proceedings." - The Times (£)

• BSkyB and the ugly stain on Tory integrity - Daily Mail Editorial
• Jeremy Hunt acted properly when acting in a quasi-judicial role and should not have to resign - The Times (£)
• Murdoch’s many friends were far too obliging - Daily Telegraph Editorial
• It's no longer the Murdoch press in the dock, it's the politicians - Mary Dejevsky, The Independent

> Yesterday: WATCH - Hunt at Leveson:

• My text to James Murdoch wasn't inappropriate
• I didn't hide behind a tree
• Adam Smith's role
• I was sympathetic to the BSkyB bid - but I didn't support it

Talking of the Chancellor, it's another day, another U-turn

"The chancellor said he would exclude charitable donations from a limit on how much tax relief individuals can claim in a single year, giving way to sustained pressure from the voluntary sector…Announcing his abandonment of the so-called “charity tax”, the chancellor said: “It is clear from our conversations with charities that any kind of cap could damage donations, and as I said at the Budget that’s not what we want at all.” It comes just two days after he had a similar change of heart on other tax rises, dropping plans to put VAT on hot pasties and caravans, at which time his advisers insisted he would not make a similar move on charities." - Financial Times (£)

• Clegg furious at U-turn timing - Daily Telegraph
• George Osborne's U-turns are in danger of overshadowing the good things in his Budget - Daily Telegraph Editorial
• "Why doesn’t George Osborne just get a box of matches, set fire to his Budget and start all over again?"- Sun Editorial
• British Chamber of Commerce argues for £5bn emergency measures - The Guardian
• Osborne comes out for EU referendum - Daily Express
• Osborne sues to deter EU overreaching on financial products - Financial Times (£)

> Yesterday on ToryDiary

• Overheard in the Treasury: Part One
• Overheard in the Treasury: Part Two
• Overheard in the Treasury: Part Three
• Plus John Howell MP on Comment: Labour always fails when it comes to economic responsibility, as the IMF's 1976 report shows

Spain reveals €100bn capital flight

"Madrid was dealt a double blow on Thursday after it emerged that almost €100bn in capital had left the country in the first three months of the year and the head of the European Central Bank lambasted its handling of Bankia, the troubled Spanish lender. High quality global journalism requires investment. Data published by Spain’s central bank showed €97bn had been pulled out in the first quarter – around a 10th of the country’s GDP – as concerns mounted over Madrid’s ability to contain its twin economic and financial crises, which have forced government borrowing costs to euro-era highs." - Financial Times (£)

• Ireland votes on EU fiscal pact – and polls indicate early lead for 'Yes' camp - The Independent
• Thomas Cook eyes the return of the drachma - Daily Express
• Never mind Greece and Spain, have the Irish seized their last chance to fight back? - Simon Heffer, Daily Mail

Fraser Nelson: Britain could renegotiate a looser EU membership - without a referendum

"So Europe need not split the Coalition. Both Cameron and Osborne can renegotiate a looser membership, which would not trigger a referendum because no more powers would be passed to Europe. As one Clegg ally puts it, “this is a narrow landing strip” which both parties could use. But it would require much political agility and a willingness to compromise; certain elements in both the Lib Dem and Tory parties would need to be confronted." - Daily Telegraph

Boris launches Met police review - The Independent

Hague: Syria is sliding to civil war

"Syria is sliding towards all-out civil war which could spread to neighbouring Middle East countries, Foreign Secretary William Hague warned yesterday. Mr Hague voiced his fears as he led Europe in drafting new sanctions against President Assad’s regime. Mr Hague, speaking at a conference in Istanbul, said Syria’s bloodshed was becoming more sectarian. He said the country is moving towards “all-out civil war or a state of collapse”." - Daily Express

• Syria shows the lessons of Libya still unlearnt - Lord Ashdown, The Times (£)
• Oil, blood and the west’s double standards - Philip Stevens, Financial Times (£)

Scottish independence: Treasury slaps down Alex Salmond’s bank claim - Scotsman

"Striking as a doctor can never be justified – I am resigning from the BMA"

"As a doctor, my priority is always to look after my patients, yet the proposed strike action will put patients' lives at risk and damage the esteemed reputation of the medical profession. Moreover, it comes at a time when the majority of public and private sector workers are facing the reality of dealing with Britain's legacy of debt inherited from the previous government by having to work longer while contributing more to their pensions." - Dan Poulter MP in the Guardian

Huhne to appear in court over speeding points claims - The Guardian

Warsi on tsunami tour as expenses row rages on - Daily Express

Grayling blames record high of 4m homes where no one goes to work blamed on recession and benefits - Daily Mail

MPs query MoD spending on golf clubs, bars, hotels and restaurants - The Times (£)

More than a third of MPs say Commons loos aren't up to scratch - The Sun

Three main party leaders pay tribute to the Monarch - Daily Telegraph

Sinn Fein set to approve gift to the Queen - Belfast Newsletter

More than half the public say they will celebrate the Queen’s 60-year reign during the coming double Bank Holiday weekend and a majority plan to watch the River Thames pageant on television on Sunday - Daily Express

> Please use the thread below to provide links to news topics likely to be of interest to ConservativeHome readers and to comment on political topics that haven't been given their own blog. Read our comments policy here.

Newslinks for Thursday 31st May 2012

6.30pm WATCH: Hunt at Leveson -

• My text to James Murdoch wasn't inappropriate
• I didn't hide behind a tree
• Adam Smith's role

4pm ToryDiary: Overheard in the Treasury: Part Three...

3.45pm Local Government: Less red tape for housing associations selling vacant properties

3.30pm ToryDiary: Overheard in the Treasury: Part Two...

3pm ToryDiary: Overheard in the Treasury: Part One...

1.15pm WATCH: Hunt at Leveson: I was sympathetic to the BSkyB bid - but I didn't support it

ToryDiary: Increasingly pessimistic Tory grassroots think Labour government is likeliest outcome of next election

Columnist Andrew Lilico: Whether Scotland stays in the Union is not purely up to the Scots

John Howell MP on Comment: Labour always fails when it comes to economic responsibility, as the IMF's 1976 report shows

Local Government: Michael Mates seeks nomination for Hampshire police commissioner

The Deep End: The German banker's cunning plan

WATCH: 

• Andrew Lansley: Doctors' strike will cause "inconvenience or harm" for patients and the public
• Ashley Fox MEP: EU Financial transaction tax "will fall upon pensioners and small businesses", not the bankers

Osborne to launch £500m in business loans

"The government will on Thursday invite bids to manage a further 500 million pounds of credit easing funds, the second tranche of business loans aimed at easing the flow of finance to cash-strapped companies, the Treasury said on Wednesday." - Reuters

• "Mr Osborne will today pledge to stand by another £500million of cheap loans to struggling businesses. It follows £700million offered up in March’s Budget." - The Sun
• IEA: Cut Chancellor's pay if he fails to balance Budget - Daily Telegraph
• Osborne warned of fly-tipping chaos as 'skip tax' gets messy - Independent
• Brussels launches own plan for growth as leaders argue - Scotsman
• Illiterate school-leavers and workless households are destabilising UK economy, says European Commission - Daily Mail

Paul Goodman: An in/out referendum promise would be Osborne's biggest gamble yet

"Such a gambit would disrupt the UK Independence party, which is committed to an in-out poll; outmanoeuvre Ed Miliband, who is mulling the same option; and spike the guns of the London Mayor, who is flaunting his eurosceptic views before the Tory faithful like a medieval jester parading his livery. Such a course would carry risks to the party’s unity, to put it mildly, not to mention Britain’s future. But then this chancellor is in the risk business. A renegotiation referendum would be his biggest gamble of all." - Paul Goodman for the FT (£)

> From yesterday - WATCH: Channel 4 News report on ConservativeHome poll showing Tory members want an in/out referendum pledge in the next manifesto

Cameron: I rely on the Queen's Great British common sense

"The Prime Minister says the Queen is able to “cut through the fuss and see what really matters” when they discuss domestic and world events in their hour-long conversations. Mr Cameron, the 12th prime minister of the Queen’s reign, says that her “time-tested wisdom” has been invaluable during his two years in office, when he has faced the pressure of keeping a Coalition together as well as running the country." - Daily Telegraph

• 'Our common sense Queen', by the Prime Minister: Cameron pays tribute in book chronicling Her Majesty's six decades - Daily Mail

Jeremy Hunt's ministerial career in balance as he goes before Leveson

"Jeremy Hunt, the culture secretary, will set out his version of events to the Leveson inquiry on Thursday as he fights to save his ministerial career amid a weight of allegations casting doubt on his handling of the BSkyB takeover bid. ... Hunt is expected to make a day-long appearance and be grilled on evidence revealed over the past five weeks suggesting that his office set up a private back channel to Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation" - Guardian

• Leveson inquiry questions Jeremy Hunt is likely to face - Guardian
• Hunt aide told News Corp of licence fee deal - FT (£)

More Leveson coverage

• Andy Coulson arrested and charged with perjury - Daily Telegraph
• Top civil servant ‘exposed Cameron to Leveson risks’ - The Times (£)
• Andy Coulson charge shows how David Cameron's past overshadows his future - Guardian
• Britain needs a free, aggressive, irreverant press, Ken Clarke tells Leveson Inquiry - Daily Mail
• Ken Clarke says journalists entitled to bribe in extreme cases - Guardian
• News Corp made veiled threats, says Cable - Guardian
• Michael Gove breezed in and said the whole inquiry was fundamentally flawed. No wonder Leveson was irritated! - Melanie Phillips for the Daily Mail

> From yesterday - WATCH: Vince Cable: Lib Dems were threatened with being "done over" in the News International press if I didn't make the "right" decision on Sky takeover

Damian Green says genuine students don't need to fear crackdown on overseas recruitment

"The immigration minister yesterday insisted genuine foreign students have nothing to fear from a crackdown on overseas recruitment. ... However Mr Green said: ‘There is no limit on the number of genuine students who can come to the UK and our reforms are not stopping them. But we are determined to prevent the abuse of student visas as part of our plans to get net migration down. Students coming to the UK for over a year are not visitors – numbers affect communities, public services and infrastructure.’" - Daily Mail

Justine Greening: Retailers may be forced to pass on price cuts

"Transport Secretary Justine Greening has said she will consider legislation to force petrol retailers to pass on cuts in the wholesale price of fuel. The Department for Transport says pump prices paid by motorists have fallen by just 7p despite a 10p fall in wholesale prices since April. Ms Greening told the BBC she would consider taking further action to ensure motorists "get a better deal"." - BBC

1922 Committee Secretary Nick de Bois warns Government not to make too many u-turns, or risk reputation for competence

"Nick de Bois has warned that the continuing U-turns by the government are "frustrating" and "irritating" to Tory Backbenchers, suggesting that any more policy reversals could start to seriously damage the coalition's credibility. ... "Eventually there will come a point when competency can become an issue... When it goes from a question of being a listening and responding government, it is quite possible that it becomes a government which has its competency challenged."" - Huffington Post

Sue Cameron: How Whitehall views Cameron's potential successors

"William Hague, the Foreign Secretary. Able and talented, he’s seen to be doing a good job at the Foreign Office ... Michael Gove would be another serious contender. Courteous, he’s a man of steel but a “dreaded choice” for many civil servants ... Philip Hammond ... a safe pair of hands – always high praise in Whitehall terms ... Theresa May is given credit simply for surviving for two years in the notoriously treacherous job of Home Secretary ... Boris Johnson ... Despite his buffoonery, he has the kind of winning streak that civil servants always like" - Sue Cameron for the Daily Telegraph

Douglas Carswell to allow online voters to decide an idea for a private member's bill

"Irritated that he came bottom in a ballot of 20 MPs, Douglas Carswell has decided to let voters decide which of his five ideas for a new law he should attempt to guide through parliament. Without Government support, a private member's bill stands little chance of becoming law, but Mr Carswell hopes one of his ideas might take off and persuade ministers to back it."- Daily Telegraph

Tory donor withdraws funding over tax relief cap

"Venture capitalist Jon Moulton, who has given more than £300,000 to the Conservatives since 2004, has also expressed his disagreement with George Osborne's economic strategy. In a newspaper interview, Mr Moulton called for a swift about-turn on the decision to include charitable gifts in a cap on tax breaks announced in the Budget." - Daily Telegraph

David Cameron to discuss Chagos Islands sovereignty with Mauritius - Guardian

Alex Salmond's £46 billion green 'gamble' with Scotland's economy

"Alex Salmond is gambling with Scotland’s economy by placing a £46 billion “fantasy” bet on green energy despite its “catastrophic” record of making money, one of the world’s leading banks has told MSPs." - Daily Telegraph

• The tension between developers of wind farms and new housing and Nimbys is sure to grow – but something has to give - Bruce Anderson for the Daily Telegraph
• "The taxman has confirmed he is under no obligation to collect any new levies introduced by SNP ministers in Scotland if they differ too much from the UK system" - Daily Telegraph

MSPs vote to keep Queen as head of state if Scotland splits from UK

"An attempt to reject the Queen as the head of state in an independent Scotland was overwhelmingly rejected by MSPs in a debate held at the Scottish Parliament to mark the monarch’s Diamond Jubilee." - Scotsman

• "The Scottish Parliament is to formally to endorse plans for independence, in a vote by MSPs." - BBC

Doctors vote to go on strike on 21st June - Independent

• "The BMA decision to call for industrial action over pensions is not justified. A strike by doctors will hinder the NHS" - The Times (£) editorial
• "What part of “Britain is broke” do doctors not understand?" - The Sun Says
• The shameful self-interest of doctors - Independent editorial
• Shabby, disreputable and just plain wrong - Daily Mail editorial
• Doctors should know it’s the same bitter pill for all - Daily Telegraph editorial

> Yesterday on ToryDiary: Andrew Lansley is right to reform doctors' pensions

Civil servants in charge of policy delivery failures to be named and shamed - Daily Telegraph

Number of A&E patients waiting more than four hours is highest since 2004 - Guardian

It may seem painless, but drone war in Afghanistan is destroying the West's reputation - Peter Oborne for the Daily Telegraph

The people of Syria wonder why the West will not help. Twenty years ago, jihadis stepped into the breach in Bosnia - David Aaronovitch for the Times (£)

• "International troops could be forced to intervene in Syria if the collapse of President Bashar al-Assad's regime were to leave stockpiles of his chemical weapons vulnerable to terrorists" - Daily Telegraph

The Queen is Defender of all Britain’s Faiths - Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi, for the Times (£)

> Please use the thread below to provide links to news topics likely to be of interest to ConservativeHome readers and to comment on political topics that haven't been given their own blog. Read our comments policy here.

Newslinks for Wednesday 30th May 2012

8pm WATCH: Alan Milburn: "The glass ceiling might have been scratched, but it certainly hasn't been broken"

4.30pm ToryDiary: Andrew Lansley is right to reform doctors' pensions

2.15pm WATCH: Vince Cable: Lib Dems were threatened with being "done over" in the News International press if I didn't make the "right" decision on Sky takeover

1.15pm MPsETC: Tory MPs refute media myth that Parliament being in recess means they are "on holiday"

10.45am LISTEN: "You're English!" - Welsh nationalist gets into heated argument with Welsh MP (and Chairman of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee), David TC Davies MP

ToryDiary: Ken Clarke bids to end unjustified compensation payouts for terrorist suspects

Columnist Jill Kirby: It's time to scrap the child poverty target, and replace it with broader measures

Richard Ashworth MEP on Comment: In the EU, "austerity" means reality, and growth can only be achieved through competitiveness

Local Government: Independents and Conservatives reach deal to run Mole Valley

The Deep End: What it means to be a conservative

WATCH: Channel 4 News report on ConservativeHome poll showing Tory members want an in/out referendum pledge in the next manifesto

David Cameron is "consulting" on plans to put a referendum in the next manifesto

"David Cameron is consulting senior Conservatives over plans to promise a referendum on Europe in the party’s next manifesto. ... Chancellor George Osborne is believed to be encouraging senior ministers to make their views known on the issue. ... A senior Government source said the Prime Minister was inviting views on whether to promise a referendum. ‘We are thinking a lot about Europe and wanting to hear Conservative views,’ they said." - Daily Mail

70% of Tories 'want to quit EU'

"Seven out of 10 Conservative members would vote to leave the European Union and eight out of 10 want the party to promise an in/out referendum in its manifesto at the next general election, according to a poll released today. The Channel 4 News survey found that more than one-third of Tories (36 per cent) believe Britain will be outside the EU in 10 years time, while 38 per cent said the UK would remain a member but on renegotiated terms, while just 26 per cent expect the relationship to remain the same." - Independent

> Yesterday on ToryDiary: Special ConHome poll: Almost three in four Tory members would vote to leave the EU now

Ministers are "preparing the ground" for a u-turn on the charity tax

"On Tuesday Conservative MP David Ruffley, a member of the Treasury select committee, told the BBC minsters were "preparing the ground" for another major policy reverse on the plan to limit tax relief for charity donations at £50,000 or 25% of a person's income, whichever was bigger." - Guardian

"Treasury sources confirmed that ministers were considering raising the proposed cap above £50,000 and allowing the tax relief to be rolled over between years. They are also examining whether the proposed rules can be redrawn to protect legitimate UK charities by specifically outlawing donations to bogus foreign charities." - Independent

• Government turns on petrol fat cats - The Sun
• Greggs shares leap over pasty tax U-turn - The Times (£)

More U-Turn coverage

• From secret justice to VAT, coalition U-turns are in the right direction - Simon Jenkins for the Guardian
• The stakes are perilously high for our winner-takes-all Chancellor - Benedict Brogan for the Daily Telegraph
• "Mr Osborne’s reputation as the master strategist – the man who persuaded Britain to embrace austerity and who made the country a “safe haven” – has taken a battering." - FT (£)
• A U-turn every three weeks: Government's 32 major policy retreats in two years - Daily Mirror

> From yesterday:

• ToryDiary: The Government is wrong to U-turn on the pasty tax
• Dr Eamonn Butler on Comment: It's Tax Freedom Day today. Yes, for almost five months you've been working just to pay taxes.

Michael Gove warns Leveson on liberty

"The case for more regulation of the press needs to be very strong "before we further curtail liberty", Michael Gove has told the Leveson Inquiry. The education secretary said he was "concerned about any prior restraint and on their [journalists'] exercising of freedom of speech." He said existing laws should be used to judge individuals and institutions."" - BBC

• Michael Gove plays a blinder at Leveson - David Hughes for the Daily Telegraph
• Links between media and MPs can be too close, says Gove - Scotsman
• Michael Gove: Rupert Murdoch is an 'impressive and significant figure' - Guardian
• Michael Gove open-minded over state schools being run for profit - Guardian

> Yesterday on ToryDiary: If Michael Gove wants to stop the party leadership talk...

Secret court hearings still under attack, despite concessions

"The Government's original plans for a major extension of "secret courts" in civil proceedings have been substantially scaled back in the face of protests from lawyers and MPs of all parties. But the Justice and Security Bill, which was finally published after wrangling within the Coalition, still faces widespread criticism for undermining fundamental British principles of open justice. Critics also warned that the revised proposals could still prevent the public from learning about allegations of complicity in rendition by the intelligence services." -Independent

• "If the Justice and Security Bill passes, the security services will have greater jurisdiction to withhold information" - John Kampfner for the Independent
• 'Nobody's going to stop me chillaxing:' Clarke brushes aside photos of him yawning at the cricket and vows to carry on - Daily Mail

Damian Green says the Government's student immigration policy will not harm Britain

"Immigration Minister Damian Green said the government was "determined to prevent the abuse of student visas as part of our plans to get net migration down to the tens of thousands." "Students coming to the UK for over a year are not visitors", he said. "Numbers affect communities, public services and infrastructure." - BBC

• Immigration policies will damage higher education, say education experts - Guardian

Daniel Finkelstein: The Government needs Police Commissioner elections to succeed to help restore trust in politicians

"The Right cannot afford the November police commissioner election to be a similar flop. It needs to take very seriously the fears that turnout could be low and candidates could be of poor calibre. The elections are not a minor event; they are a major test of a central idea. Because, when it comes to trust in politicians, if this fails, what else is there?" - Daniel Finkelstein for the Times (£)

William Hague kicks out Syrian diplomats

"The country's Charge D’Affaires is being expelled along with two other diplomats as an expression of “horror” at the regime, Foreign Secretary William Hague said. ... Mr Hague said there was no desire by the United Nations Security Council for a military intervention but said international pressure on the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad would continue to be increased." - The Sun

• Syrian diplomats expelled across world as outrage over Houla massacre grows - Guardian
• The time has now come to act and show that the Assad regime is wrong - Times (£) editorial

A new special relationship: Cameron holds eight conversations with Blair on how to run the country

"David Cameron has developed a ‘special relationship’ with Tony Blair, holding at least eight conversations with him on how to run the country. Mr Blair visited Mr Cameron’s official country residence of Chequers last July – a meeting that has previously never been disclosed by Downing Street. The pair have also had at least seven phone conversations since Mr Cameron took the keys to No10, a rate of around once every three months." - Daily Mail

Work Programme has made £9bn ‘black hole’ - The Times (£)

Wildlife minister under fire in another game-shooting case - Independent

Nick Clegg unveils "flexi-hours" for parents

"Parents will be able to drop their children off earlier and pick them up later under a new shake-up of childcare rules, it will be announced today. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will unveil plans which offer greater flexibility to mums and dads over how they use their 15 hours a week of free childcare. ... But this time limit will now be extended by two hours so that parents can use their free entitlement from 7am to 7pm." - Daily Mail

> From yesterday - Alistair Thompson on Comment: Cowardly Clegg - and his attempt to distract attention from his own links to the Murdochs

'First nuclear station for 30 years': Ministers 'on cusp' of signing new deal - Daily Mail

Labour 'underestimated Galloway in Bradford by-election'

"The Labour Party "massively underestimated" the threat from George Galloway and Respect in local elections in West Yorkshire, a report has said. The report found that the Labour Party in Bradford West failed to engage with the community, which has a large population of Asian origin. ... The report, conducted by the party's ruling National Executive Committee (NEC), said Labour had failed to win the trust of Bradford West voters." - BBC

Scottish independence supporters disagree about celebrating the Diamond Jubilee 

"Divisions in the Yes Scotland camp over the monarchy will be laid bare in parliament today when Alex Salmond proposes a motion praising the Queen. ... However, the wording of the motion will not sit easily with those in the parliament, including SNP MSPs Roseanna Cunningham and Christine Grahame, who believe that an independent Scotland should dispense with the monarchy." - Scotsman

Olympic Tube strike averted - Independent

Blackberrys for police scheme fails to cut costs, say MPs - BBC

Decision due on doctors' industrial action vote - BBC

• Medical profession must open doors to poor students, says Alan Milburn - Guardian

School children need compulsory body image lessons, say MPs - BBC

Ignorant officials sidelining religion, warns Archbishop of Canterbury - Daily Telegraph

Sinn Fein faithful back meeting the Queen and Troubles apology - Belfast Telegraph

And finally... The odd couple: Angelina Jolie brings Hollywood to the Foreign Office as she teams up with William Hague to tackle sexual violence in warzones - Daily Mail

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