ConservativeHome

Tuesday 31st July 2007

9.15pm Seats&Candidates: Ali Miraj suspended from the candidates list

4.45pm ToryDiary: Nick Herbert responds to Law Commission's cohabitation proposals

12.15pm ToryDiary: The July ConservativeHome survey is now live

Noon ToryDiary: David Cameron says good discipline is the key to successful schools

10.30am ToryDiary: Cameron questions Miraj's motives

ToryDiary: Labour lead just 3% in new Independent poll (and Tories are ahead with women)

BritainAndAmerica: The Petraeus/Bush surge is delivering results in Iraq

Andrew Lilico: The difference between a modern Conservative and a Blairite

CF Diary: There is good news as well as bad, you know! and Apply for your Fresher's Fair pack

Seats and Candidates: Jonathan Evans MEP on shortlist for Cardiff North

Ben Rogers on Platform: Like an army, let us learn some discipline, unite and fight for our vision

School discipline focus

"In a speech to the rightwing thinktank Policy Exchange, the Tory leader will take advantage of the late cancellation of a trip to Pakistan to explain the Conservatives' plans to give headteachers more control over expulsions, and to argue that discipline is the foundation of all successful schools." - Guardian

EU treaty referendum to fend off early election

"David Cameron will make a referendum on a new EU treaty a key general election issue if Gordon Brown calls a snap poll in October or next May, senior Conservatives said yesterday. The treaty reviving the European constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005 is due to be agreed by EU leaders by the end of the year, possibly as early as October." - Telegraph

The right balance

"David Cameron said he is ready to 'get the balance right' after a Tory grandee warned him focusing on 'nicey-nicey' politics would not win the next election. The Conservative leader, bruised by internal rows and a slip in the opinion polls, insisted he was focusing on domestic issues such as crime, not just climate change and global poverty." - Daily Mail

Pupils failed by special school closures

"Shutting special schools has damaged the prospects of thousands of vulnerable children, the Tories claimed. A report commissioned by party leader David Cameron found that 146 have been closed since 1997 with the loss of around 9,000 places." - Daily Mail

Lord Saatchi's critique

"David Cameron faces fresh criticism over his leadership today as a senior Tory figure warned "nicey-nicey" politics would not win him the next general election." - Guardian

"David Cameron’s ratings as a leader and potential prime minister have fallen back further, compared with those of a strengthening Gordon Brown, according to a Populus poll for The Times. Mr Cameron faced more dissent yesterday as a former Conservative Party chairman and a senior backbencher called on him to abandon efforts to reposition the Conservatives." - Times

>>> Yesterday's ToryDiary - Lord Saatchi calls for an end to "nicey-nicey" politics

Ali Miraj's critique

"Criticism of David Cameron's leadership from within his own party grew yesterday when a senior Tory figure, an MP and an activist who was part of his 2005 leadership campaign, questioned his strategy.The BBC reported comments last night from Ali Miraj, an activist it said was part of Mr Cameron's campaign for the leadership two years ago." - Financial Times

>>> Ali Miraj expanded on his comments on Platform last night

Howard's end?

"John Howard has become an icon for uncompromising conservatives the world over. His election victories predicated on his staunch support of the war on terror, tough stance on illegal immigration and commitment to low taxes are seen as proof that traditional conservatism can still win elections in the modern world. But it is Howard’s desire to keep on fighting the old battles with the trade unions that has placed his political career in jeopardy." - James Campbell on Spectator online

Men the most impressed with Brown

"Pressure on David Cameron will mount today with the publication of poll showing that the Tory lead over Labour has been reversed by Gordon Brown with a swing among male voters. The former party chairman Lord Saatchi warned him that "nicey nicey" politics would not win the next election, but the Conservative leader is rejecting calls for him to shift to the right to address the Tory "wobble"." - Independent

Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary...

Monday 30th July 2007

10.45pm Ali Miraj on YourPlatform: Dave, where has the sunshine gone?

10pm ToryDiary: Labour 6% ahead in Populus survey

9.15pm BritainAndAmerica: Bush and Brown bond at Camp David

3.30pm ToryDiary: Lord Saatchi calls for an end to "nicey-nicey" politics

12:10pm ToryDiary: Improving Special Needs Education

ToryDiary: Ainsworth calls for Environment Agency to pay back bonuses

Stephan Shakespeare: Changing the leader would be madness for the party; but it is also madness not to change a flawed strategy.

Interviews: Any questions for Mark Field MP?

LondonMayor: Andrew Boff sets out the themes of his campaign

Keith Standring on YourPlatform examines government plans further to restrict our freedom.

William Hague offers support to private referendum on new EU Treaty

"The Conservatives could back a privately funded referendum on the new European Union treaty if Gordon Brown refuses to allow the British people the final say, William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, said yesterday." - Telegraph

>>> Sign The Telegraph's online petition

Hague and Davis offer support to Cameron

"Recalling his own time as Tory leader, Mr Hague said Mr Cameron had achieved wonders for the Conservatives in the past 18 months. "He has been able to achieve things, as I can say with authority, previous leaders were not able to achieve over the last 10 years."" - Telegraph

"On reports that several disaffected MPs were demanding a no-confidence vote in Mr Cameron, Mr Hague said: "I don't know whether that is the case, but I don't think that would be the view of 99 per cent of the Conservative Party."  He added: "We have a very strong and united team around him. It is the most cohesive team I have known in my time at the senior levels at the party." Mr Hague concluded: "The last thing we should be is disheartened about this situation." - The Independent

"Mr Davis also made an impassioned plea to the party to 'hold its nerve'.  He said: 'David has passed his first test. Now the party must pass its first test, and that is a test of discipline.  'We have done a great deal in bringing the party back into the arena where people are paying attention to us. We have now got to stick to the course. What we must not do is lurch to the Right. There must be no lurches to the Right or Left.'" - Daily Mail

Bruce Anderson is unimpressed with the reaction of Tory MPs to the party's recent difficulties

"Mr Cameron does not appear to do self-doubt. To his regret and exasperation, the same cannot be said of his party. It is instructive to contrast Labour and Tory MPs over the past few months. Until it became clear that there was no alternative to Gordon Brown, lots of Labour MPs - including ministers - were full of doubt. Then came the coronation, and suddenly all was loyalty. Almost all Labour MPs still want to win." - The Independent

Tim Hames believes that David Cameron's problems began when he failed to move George Osborne...

"The first was the Shadow Cabinet reshuffle conducted four weeks ago today. In it, the Conservative leader spectacularly failed to deal with his two most pressing personnel problems: George Osborne and William Hague. One has too little credibility for his present post and the other is too good for his position. Shadow Chancellors, like Chancellors, are supposed to have the air of a bank manager about them. Who wants to turn up to their local Barclays or NatWest to ask for a loan and be confronted with someone who looks 14, seems immensely pleased with himself and has a voice that might qualify him for a Bee Gees tribute group, sitting behind the manager’s desk?" - The Times

Q&A with Sayeeda Warsi

In a feature for The Independent the party's new community cohesion spokesman defends David Cameron's trip to Rwanda and underlines her own opposition to the Iraq war.

Brown says the world owes America for its leadership on terror

"Gordon Brown has countered growing American fears that he is preparing for a British withdrawal from Iraq by lavishing praise on George Bush.  As he flew out to his first meeting with the President since taking over from Tony Blair, the Prime Minister spoke of the 'debt' the world owes the U.S. for its 'leadership' in the fight against international terrorism." - Daily Mail

Interview with Tory mayoral hopeful Andrew Boff - PinkNews.co.uk

MORE SOON >>>

Sunday 29th July 2007

Columnists: Graeme Archer's Diary: Shambo and racial profiling

ToryDiary: Brady calls for more balance in the party's politics and Platform 10 launches

Platform: Martin Sewell: Jack Straw's Bill of Rights

Conservative fortunes

"David Davis, the shadow home secretary, made an impassioned plea to Conservative MPs and activists last night to hold their nerve and rally behind David Cameron." - Telegraph

"A defiant David Cameron is facing down his Tory critics by declaring he will not 'go on a wobble' and will press ahead with his campaign to place the Conservatives firmly in the centre ground." - Observer

"Pressure is growing on David Cameron to embark on a shake-up at his party headquarters amid plunging opinion poll ratings." - Sunday Times

"The first signs of a split between David Cameron and George Osborne emerged as the Conservatives blamed each other for Gordon Brown's surge in the polls." - Mail on Sunday

"As David Cameron finished his end of term address to backbenchers last week ...Tory MPs rose to their feet and cheered him to the rafters. As they did so one veteran parliamentarian leaned over to whisper in his neighbour's ear: "I haven't heard support like this since IDS addressed us the week before he resigned." - Telegraph

A Labour view of Cameron - John McTernan in the Telegraph

Platform 10 launches

"We are Conservative supporters, but we're not part of the Conservative Party. We have set this up so there is a forum to make the case for a modern, liberal Conservative agenda." - Platform 10

Cameron to announce more special school places

"David Cameron will promise tomorrow to increase the number of places at special schools, in his first major move on education policy since the Conservatives' bitter row over grammar schools." - Observer

Interviews with David Cameron

"When I caught up with the leader of the opposition he didn’t look like he wanted affection. He was still pumped up with adrenaline and anger after his bumpy ride at prime minister’s questions last Wednesday when Labour MPs jeered his return from a disastrously timed trip to Rwanda. Under the permatan Cameron is cool and fierce. I would sooner have hugged a hoodie." - Sunday Times

"So is David Cameron worried? In a timely interview in Rwanda last week, just hours before he boarded a plane back to a furious waterlogged constituency (and saintly, welly-shod Gordon Brown), the Tory leader was relaxed and resolute, ready to face down not only the kamikaze wing of his party, but his critics within the media who fuel such tendencies." - Observer

A referendum on the new EU "treaty"

"One of Tony Blair's last acts was to renege on the promise of a referendum and it is almost unbelievable that one of Gordon Brown's first acts has been to do the same." - Gisela Stuart MP in the Telegraph

Brown and Bush will get on

"Gordon and George may never bond in the same way as Tony and George, but it is important to the administration that, in the words of one State Department official, "they at least get to second base". They will. Mr Brown wants to win the next election, and win big. But he has no desire to be the first PM since Heath not to form a strong alliance with at least one US president." - Matthew d'Ancona in the Telegraph

"He knows that his predecessor paid a colossal price for binding himself so inextricably to this President. He equally knows that, as hated as his host may be in both Britain and America, there is a large penalty for not having a functioning relationship with the White House." - Andrew Rawnsley in the Observer

Brown's progress

"On each of the electorate’s priorities, Brown has moved towards higher spending, higher taxation and more government, and away from the public sector reform efforts of the Blair government. It is not an exaggeration to say that in 30 days the government has undone much of the progress achieved by its predecessor in 10 years." - Andrew Haldenby in the Sunday Times

Conservative concern over possible political charities

"A government document has proposed that the rules be modified so that charities can make political campaigning their "dominant" activity. The document, issued by Ed Miliband, the cabinet minister responsible for the voluntary sector, has alarmed Tory MPs, who fear it will usher in American-style political campaigning by charities." - Independent

Identity Cards

"Brown is clearly willing to give up Blair’s ideas and accept those of his political opponents. Dropping identity cards would not be a sign of weakness but rather of his increasing strength." - Michael Portillo in the Sunday Times

London Mayoralty

"An outspoken radio disc jockey is preparing to enter London’s mayoral contest on an independent platform after rejecting David Cameron’s advances to stand as a Tory candidate.Nick Ferrari, the presenter of LBC’s breakfast show, is believed to have secured a substantial war chest from business leaders to mount a challenge to Ken Livingstone, the incumbent." - Sunday Times

Boris Johnson's application form - Telegraph

Mandelson rebuked on lobby links

"EU trade commissioner, Peter Mandelson, has been the subject of an official rebuke after refusing to reveal details of meetings with industry lobbyists." - Sunday Times

28 days later - how is Tony doing?

"He may be heading off to Barbados for another holiday at Sir Cliff Richards' villa this summer, but this spell of R&R aside, Mr Blair seems intent on setting up a Downing Street in exile." - Independent

Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary...

Saturday 28th July 2007

7.30pm BritainAndAmerica: Don't expect big policy shifts at first Bush-Brown heads of government meeting

ToryDiary: Is the Conservative Party in a a "very grave crisis"?

Columnists: Cameron Watt's notes from Northern Ireland

Platform: Cllr Derek Tipp on how members' voices should be heard on MEP selection

Hard-working, law-abiding, tax-paying...

"We want the Conservatives to hold out concrete incentives to the coping classes: working people struggling with rising bills and mortgage payments, who resent the way higher taxes have failed to improve services. These are the swing voters, let down by Labour, but looking for reasons to install an alternative. The Tories need to start speaking to and for the hard-working, law-abiding, tax-paying, lied-to, ripped-off classes. Time is short but winning over this group is achievable. They should get cracking." - Telegraph leader

Labour too poor for an election

"Gordon Brown is unlikely to call a snap general election this autumn because Labour is still deeply in the red and fears it could be outspent by the Conservatives. Speculation that the Prime Minister will soon seek his own mandate from the voters has been fuelled by a series of opinion polls since he took over from Tony Blair giving Labour a clear lead over the Tories." - Independent

Policy groups pushed forward

"The Conservative Party leadership is to bring forward publication of its policy commissions in an attempt to regain the political momentum from Gordon Brown. The review, on issues ranging from economic competitiveness to green policies, would form the centrepiece of a Tory manifesto if Mr Brown cashes in on his poll lead with an autumn general election." - Telegraph

C5 interview

"David Cameron, the Conservative Party leader, faced hostile questioning from the general public on television yesterday. The Daily Telegraph's parliamentary sketchwriter Andrew Gimson watched as Mr Cameron was interrogated on Channel Five over everything from his commitment to the environment to his decision to travel to Africa while his constituency was flooded. Initiation through hardship is the British way, and David Cameron is now enduring it. The aim is to put the new recruit through hell and see whether he can take it with stoical good humour." - Telegraph leader

Cameron's week (by Hugo Rifkind)

"After some last-minute jitters, I make a panic phone call from the airport. “Of course you should go,” says David Davis, soothingly. “Rwanda is very important. Don’t you worry about a thing. William Hague and I can hold the fort.” Good old William. And to think some people reckon he isn’t pulling his weight!" - Times

Philosophical base

"David Cameron has spent too much time and effort polishing his public image and too little on creating a philosophical base, a senior Conservative said last night. With the party feeling punch-drunk from a series of bad polls, the latest of which puts Labour nine points clear, the Tory leader has ordered an "aggressive" summer offensive against Gordon Brown, whose honeymoon bounce is higher than anyone expected. However, the Tory front bencher told The Herald he doubted a "summer of nastiness" would work or impress the voters, who are looking for a credible alternative to Mr Brown's government."  - Herald

Legalistic nitpickers

"Mr Cameron knows that no Leader of the Opposition has it in his power to reverse the fortunes of the Government. What he must do is be in the right place when those fortunes are reversed.A couple of suggestions about where that place might be. On security and terrorism, the Conservatives tend to look like legalistic nitpickers who play down the threat. They would better be the party which insists on targeting likely trouble rather than persecuting the general public." - Charles Moore in the Telegraph

Incorporate UKIP

"Guess a new and more rigidly Rightwing party, incorporating most of UKIP, would emerge out of the wreckage. All this may never happen, and only very foolish people ever try to predict the future. But one observation can be made with total confidence. The Conservative Party really is in a very grave crisis indeed, and that crisis is about much more than the temporary difficulties facing David Cameron and the small group of modernisers who advise him." - Peter Oborne in the Daily Mail

David Davis

"This summer he needs to go one step beyond loyalty (already displayed) and convince his potential supporters that the future of the Conservative Party, its Centre-Right as well as its Centre-Left, and perhaps the future of Mr Davis himself, lies in the success of Mr Cameron’s political project. To every mutterer, a knockdown answer should be available: “Apart from David Cameron, no imaginable leader is available.” Only Mr Davis can really convince his admirers that this is true." - Matthew Parris in the Times

Constitution Treaty

"In terms of the sovereign powers transferred to Brussels, of expanded roles for the European Court of Justice and the European Parliament, of the potentially intrusive and legally binding Charter of Fundamental Rights, and of expanded majority voting in the EU Council, the “reform treaty” is indeed the old constitution revisited." - Times leader

Shadow Minister for Cornwall

"The Conservative leader, David Cameron, has appointed a new shadow minister for the county of Cornwall. Cornish born MP Mark Prisk says he wants to make sure the county remains at the "heart" of Conservative Party policy making." - BBC

Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary...

Friday 27th July 2007

3:40pm ToryDiary: Rob Wilson appointed Shadow Minister for Higher Education

Matthew Elliott of The TaxPayers' Alliance uses The Platform to discuss a new watchdog for the 2012 Olympics

12.30pm BritainAndAmerica: Conservatism in America - a report card

ToryDiary: It's time for hardball against Brown on security

Columnists: Theresa May MP on the disappointment of the draft Queen's Speech

CF Diary: Update on CF's campaigning activities

Platform: Mark Pritchard MP on the BBC's double taxation with representation

Cameron should play the EU card

"While David Cameron has found some of the right words to denounce the treaty, he has not seriously engaged the Prime Minister on this issue. The politics of the treaty would be transformed if David Cameron committed his party unequivocally to the following stance. The Prime Minister keeps teasing him with the possibility of an election this year. Cameron's response should be to snatch up the gauntlet by declaring that, if an election was held during this year or next, he would commit a Cameron government to holding a referendum on the treaty." - Frank Field MP in the Telegraph

Security taskforce recommendations

"The Conservatives are considering hiving off part of the army to create a new national civil emergency response force to deal with terrorism, disasters and floods." - Guardian

"Unquiet World, the report from a Tory policy group chaired by Pauline Neville-Jones, a former chair of the joint intelligence committee, says a new government department is needed to tackle the increasingly pressing issue of protecting Britain's energy supply, "the lifeblood of a modern society"." - Guardian

"A Conservative government should support new nuclear power stations to ensure security of supply, a Tory policy group said on Thursday, in seemingly direct contrast to David Cameron’s insistence that nuclear should be a “last resort”. The security policy group warned that security of energy supply “requires nuclear energy and renewables to form part of the picture”, to reduce dependence on Russia and other gas producers." - Financial Times

Summer offensive

"David Cameron has sanctioned an "aggressive" summer offensive against Gordon Brown as the Conservative leader seeks to regain the initiative after his toughest few weeks in the job. George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, and Chris Grayling, the shadow work and pensions secretary, will spearhead the drive to expose how Mr Brown has failed to deliver on a range of key policies over the last decade. The Tories will seek to show how the Prime Minister has broken pledges and missed targets on issues such as pensions, child poverty and unemployment." - Telegraph

Cameron's faith was tested by Ivan

"David Cameron has admitted he questioned his belief in God when his son was born severely disabled. In an interview with John Suchet for Channel Five, he said the test of faith had come at the birth of his eldest son Ivan, now five years old. "He is severely disabled. He has had a very difficult life and you ask yourself, 'If there is a God, why can anything like this happen?"' He said he had a lot of sympathy for Gordon Brown whose son has cystic fibrosis." - Sky News

Brown outflanks Tories from the right

"Daily, the Cameron camp is riled as the Prime Minister secures favourable headlines by marching on to Tory territory, stealing Tory policies on plans for a border police force and 24-hour drinking, while outflanking them from the Right on anti-terrorism. While those in the Cameron camp are jumpy, a strategy of sorts is beginning to take shape for getting through the roughest patch of his leadership so far. Those close to him say the task now is to promote Mr Cameron as just as serious as Mr Brown because seriousness is in fashion." - Telegraph

"The Conservatives are in an awkward dilemma. They want to convey the impression both that little has changed and, at the same time, that Mr Brown has turned to the Left. That has muddled their attacks. Mr Cameron responded to the draft legislative programme by claiming that almost all the Bills had been announced before and were therefore recycled old policies." - Peter Riddell in the Times

"The poll reveals just how ruthlessly effective he has been in outflanking the Tories from the right. By big majorities, the voters approve of the social conservatism that has been the hallmark of his first month. He has shown a sure touch on some of the issues - super casinos, cannabis reclassification, round-the-clock drinking - that are a bellwether for those who care about the social fabric of this country." - Telegraph leader

Connecting to a bygone era

"Republican presidential candidates are flocking to see Britain's icon of conservatism, Margaret Thatcher, in the hope that her blessing could help to secure them the presidency. Rudy Giuliani, the Republican front runner, will become the latest 2008 candidate to kiss the former prime minister's hand when he travels to London in September to deliver the inaugural Margaret Thatcher memorial lecture to the Atlantic Bridge think tank." - Telegraph

>>> Last week's ToryDiary: Fox brings Giuliani to London

What not to do

"There was everything for an honourable Tory to dislike about the Blair junta - the meretricious vulgarity, the intellectual dishonesty, the cheap demagoguery, the sheer deadly emptiness at the heart of New Labour. Anyone who thinks those words exaggerated will find them amply confirmed by reading incomparably the most damaging book ever published about Blair, which is Campbell's diaries. Cameron could do worse than study what Catherine Bennett has rightly called that monumentally lowering book, and say to himself and his colleagues: this is everything we must not be." - Geoffrey Wheatcroft in the Guardian

The BBC's inability to fire people

"In a commercial organisation, these undesirables would be driven out by market forces. The yardstick of success and failure provided by profit and loss is a visible reminder of whether you are winning or losing. When results are poor, or mistakes are made, heads roll. A line is drawn and the business moves on. This rarely happens at the BBC. Instead of the boil being lanced, the poison stays in the system. And so a drama is turned into a crisis, made worse by an unusual capacity for self-flagellation." - Jeff Randall in the Telegraph

Public funding deal

"Hopes are rising of a deal between Labour and the Tories over reforms to the way political parties are funded in the wake of the "cash for honours" affair. The proposed agreement could see more than £20m of taxpayers' money handed   to the parties. In return, they would halt the "arms race" at   elections and could accept an eventual £50,000 cap on individual donations   to end their dependency on rich backers." - Independent

Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary...

Thursday 26th July 2007

10pm ToryDiary: It gets worse... Labour now 9% ahead

3.45pm ToryDiary: David Cameron in Rwanda - video

12:45pm ToryDiary: National and International Security Policy Group reports

ToryDiary: Neville-Jones to present security ideas and We need to stop an autumn election - not change party leader

Platform: Clare Foges on the death of passionate political oratory

LondonMayor: Mayoral primary voter registration opens

Control poll

"More than half of voters do not believe that Tory leader David Cameron is in control of his party, a new poll has found. The survey of 1,877 people, conducted by YouGov for Channel 4 News at Noon, revealed voters consider the Conservative Party to be well to the right of its leaders in terms of politics. Just 22 per cent of those questioned said Mr Cameron was in control of the Tories, compared to 52 per cent who said he was not." - Telegraph

"David Cameron faced down the most serious challenge to his leadership last night with a warning to Tory MPs that further disunity would cost the party the next election. He rejected calls to shift to traditional Conservative issues such as tax and immigration, saying that the party's mission was to fix Britain's "broken society" as Margaret Thatcher had fixed the country's broken economy." - Telegraph

Tories £4.2m in the black after paying £6.1m to Ashcroft

"The huge disparity in finances between the Conservatives and Labour is laid bare with the publication of their accounts for 2006 yesterday by the Electoral Commission. The Conservatives disclose donations running at four times the rate to Labour since David Cameron became leader, their first surplus since 2001, and a big increase in staffing at Tory headquarters." - Guardian

Disaster supremo

"David Cameron once said that one of the Conservative Party’s problems was that it was always “banging on about Europe”. Yesterday Mr Cameron banged on about Europe to great effect, drawing much-needed cheers from backbenchers growing restless over Gordon Brown and his opinion poll bounce." - Western Mail

Not doing badly

"Step back from the current, equally irrational, "Get Cameron" fashion, and the Tory leader is not doing badly. Being Leader of the Opposition is the second most difficult job in British politics. At the moment, his critics condemn his every move, from flying to Rwanda to his lack of detailed policies. Yet Cameron was right not to announce a range of policies almost immediately after he became leader, and he has shown a seriousness of purpose by holding a series of detailed reviews." - Steve Richards in the Independent

Bojo on London commuting

"When are we going to end the fantastically expensive ideological warfare between Gordon Brown and the present Mayor of London about how to repair the Tube? Judging by this week's announcement, the Government seems to hope that, if it charges enough for rail travel, people will just give up and stay at home. Labour must understand that this is going against human nature. Our species yearns for the office, and the job of government is to help it get there." - Boris Johnson in the Telegraph

AC vs JM

"Alun Cairns and Jonathan Morgan are two of youngest AMs in the Assembly, but among the longest-serving of the Welsh Conservatives. Mr Cairns aspires to serve as a Westminster MP, but Mr Morgan has decided to pursue his ambitions in Cardiff Bay." - Western Mail

"Flinging aside his pith helmet and missionary tracts, David Cameron hurried into the Chamber. The Tory leader was just back from Africa where he was thought to have strengthened his claims to become the next Bishop of Bechuanaland, but had perhaps weakened his prospects of becoming prime minister." - Telegraph sketch

"Dave had a few good lines and produced some biting anti-Europe quotes from Labour people. But Gordon matched him quote for quote. It really is pointless getting in a quote fight with Gordon Brown. He has files of them." - Times sketch

Rwanda/flood debate

"Why he had chosen to go there when the Commons was in its last week, and not during the summer when he could have grabbed the headlines for the right reasons, remains a mystery. At Conservative headquarters there was outright derision that the trip had been planned when the Rwandan parliament, which Mr Cameron addressed, was not officially sitting." - Times

"Conservative Party leader David Cameron is back in West Oxfordshire tonight, and has already been inspecting damage caused by flooding in his constituency." - Oxford Mail

Flood recovery

"The announcement by the Prime Minister yesterday that the amount of short-term relief has been raised to £46 million, and the decision to approach the EU Solidarity Fund for help, are examples of the state taking proper care of the vulnerable. Yet in a country with a thriving civil society, there is a limit to what the state should be expected to do." - Telegraph leader

"The CLA announced yesterday that the losses for farmers and landowners in affected areas could be worse than in the foot and mouth epidemic - because there is no automatic right to compensation. Some farmers will have lost every crop they have. Livestock farmers will not have been able to make forage for the winter, not just because they can't get on the field, but also because hay must dry and even silage must be allowed to wilt or it will spoil. Silage without dry matter is no good for stock." - Charles Clover in the Telegraph

PMQs

"Under-fire David Cameron used the final Prime Minister’s Questions before a three-month Commons break to demand a referendum on the new EU Constitution. The Tory leader lashed Gordon Brown for failing to honour a promise made at the last election. The PM is ruling out a national vote on the treaty, even though it is basically the same as the hated EU Constitution." - Sun

"It will comprise officers from the Border and Immigration Agency, Revenue and Customs and UKVisas creating a "single primary checkpoint" for travellers. At first, the Tories welcomed the plan, which they have been pushing for years. But when it emerged that the police would be excluded they voiced concern that it was merely ''window-dressing.''" - Telegraph

"A home defence supremo would handle terrorist attacks and disasters such as flooding under Tory plans. The chief would oversee the response of police, armed forces, ambulances and fire and rescue crews. The full-time crisis commander - possibly ex-Army - would have a hotline to the Prime Minister. And there would be a dedicated force with a permanent command HQ on round-the-clock alert." - Sun

Peter Duncan resignation

"The chairman of the Scottish Conservatives quit yesterday, months after a controversial party memorandum called for his removal. Peter Duncan's departure will see him replaced in the interim by the party's only Scottish MP, David Mundell - the man who called for Mr Duncan's "immediate replacement" in the internal memo. Party insiders last night insisted Mr Duncan "jumped and was not pushed"." - Scotsman

Brown's border police

"Gordon Brown moved yesterday to dominate the terror and security agenda, grabbing a Tory proposal for an integrated single border force and then challenging David Cameron to accept that the scale of the terrorist threat requires an extension of detention without charge to up to 56 days." - Guardian

Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary...

Wednesday 25th July 2007

11pm ToryDiary: Two reasons to be cautious about an autumn poll

8pm ToryDiary: Cameron calls for "discipline, passion and hunger"

12:45pm ToryDiary: PMQ's Review

Columnists: Peter Franklin: Abolish the Treasury

ToryDiary: Labour lead is 6% in new ICM poll

Seats&Candidates: Alun Cairns selected for Vale of Glamorgan

Platform: Stephen Crabb MP: In defence of the Rwanda trip

Brown's broken promises on EU Referendum

"Gordon Brown is guilty of a "flagrant breach" of Labour's 2005 election manifesto for failing to grant a referendum on the new European Union treaty, William Hague has insisted." - Telegraph

The Rwanda trip

"Mr Cameron's 32 hours in Rwanda may have looked bad at home; here, however, it has felt more positive." - Guardian

"Even Rwandan journalists asked Mr Cameron why he was in their country discussing aid when parts of his Witney constituency in Oxfordshire were "devastated by floods". - Daily Mail

David Cameron flies home to problems

"David Cameron is losing his appeal to voters, according to a Guardian/ICM poll published today which suggests that many Conservative voters are losing their enthusiasm for the Tory leader." - Guardian 

"David Cameron is heading for a clash with David Davis tonight at a private meeting with Conservative MPs...relations between Mr Cameron and Mr Davis, former leadership rivals, are deteriorating." - Times

"The crisis over David Cameron's leadership deepened last night after an opinion poll showed the Conservative Party on the lowest share of the vote since he took over." - Telegraph

"David Cameron will tonight face his parliamentary party critics with an appearance before the Tory 1922 Committee...Cameron's response should be terse. His strategy is on course." - Simon Jenkins in the Times

"The salvage operation by the Tory party after its hopes sank in two by-elections last week has been almost charming in its amateurishness." - Simon Heffer in the Telegraph

David Davis: How we can beat the terrorists

"Our priority should be to strengthen operational capacity, not enact more repressive law. We will not improve our operational edge if we are constantly on the back foot, passively over-relying on tracking - rather than tackling - terrorism." - David Davis in the Telegraph

Brown and the Special Relationship

"Brown thinks that the Bush Administration is unaffected by his effort to satisfy his party by putting some clear blue water between himself and the President. And diplomatic courtesy will prevent the Bush Administration from disabusing the PM of that idea." - Irwin Stelzer in the Telegraph

Commons' Honours Inquiry

"Tony Blair should give evidence to a reopened cash for honours inquiry by MPs in the autumn, members of the Commons public administration committee demanded." - Guardian

How's Brown doing?

"Brown's first month looks like a striking success. Last week, Labour won two byelections - despite being in mid-term in its 11th year in office." - Jonathan Freedland in the Guardian

Who matters in Brown's Government

"Gordon Brown lifted the veil on who matters in his Government yesterday: he published the list of Cabinet committees and their membership." - Peter Riddell in the Times

BBC stars to attend "honesty" training

"John Humphrys and Jeremy Paxman will be required to join Mark Thompson, the director general of the BBC, on a mandatory new training programme to teach honesty to BBC staff." - Telegraph

Blair in the Middle East

"Tony Blair said he saw a "moment of opportunity" in the Middle East as he met Israeli and Palestinian leaders yesterday." - Guardian

Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary...

Tuesday 24th July 2007

1.15pm Interviews: Any questions for Global Poverty Group Chairman Peter Lilley?

1pm: ToryDiary: The Global Poverty Policy Group publishes its final report and The econo-centric frontbench

Columnists: Andrew Lilico: House of Electors

Interviews: Jeremy Hunt answers your questions

BritainAndAmerica: Obama needs to raise the stakes if he is to defeat Hillary Clinton

Platform: James Duddridge MP: How restorative justice can help tackle the blight of graffiti

Flooding across Britain

"The government was last night accused of failing to act on its own advice to overhaul UK flood defences and drainage systems which first highlighted deep-seated problems three years ago." - Guardian

"A flying visit is as close as Brown gets to misery faced by thousands." - Times

David Cameron in Rwanda

"David Cameron will move to assert himself as an international statesman by calling for a campaign against "immoral" trade barriers to the developing world, which he says should be mobilised with the same force as efforts to end global poverty and apartheid." - Guardian

"David Cameron yesterday dismissed critics who said he should have called off a trip to Africa and stayed home during the flooding crisis." - Telegraph

"David Cameron contrasted the “tiny number” of MPs anonymously calling for his resignation with the “spirit of the Conservative Party” shown by party volunteers working to improve the lives of the sick and poor in Rwanda." - Times

"David Cameron's constituents voiced their anger last night over his decision to visit Africa while they struggle with the devastation of the floods." - Daily Mail

"Where the hell is the leader of Her Majesty's Official Opposition? His constituents may be up to their knees in mud, but CMD is sitting in a mud hut in Rwanda." - Richard Littlejohn in the Daily Mail

Globalisation and Global Poverty Policy Group to publish report

"People have strangely mixed reactions about aid for developing countries.Asked by pollsters whether they think "aid is a good thing and should be increased" or "aid is largely wasted and stolen", the largest group of replies were not those who said yes to the first question, nor yes to the second, but those who said yes to both." - Peter Lilley in the Telegraph

Lord Kalms' concerns over Cameron

"Lord Kalms, the former Tory party treasurer, said he was “disillusioned to a substantial degree” with Mr Cameron. He warned that the leader “has not quite got the party behind him at the moment”." - FT

Liam Fox speech to the CPS - Telegraph

Minister calls referendum on the constitution "absurd"

"Gordon Brown was shaping up for a bitter and prolonged battle over Europe with the Conservatives last night after his Europe minister described calls for a referendum on the new European Union treaty as "frankly absurd". - Telegraph

Brown must give us a vote on EU treaty, says Hague - Daily Mail

Brown orders review of 24 hour drinking

"Gordon Brown yesterday burnished his moral credentials further when he ordered a Home Office review of legislation permitting 24-hour drinking." - Guardian

Boom time for builders

"Yvette Cooper announced a huge £8 billion building programme yesterday to help first-time buyers and families on low incomes. An extra 210,000 affordable homes will be built over the next three years." - Times

Gordon knows he will lose his bounce

"After Teflon Tony, it's Gore-tex Gordon. For years, it looked as if nothing would stick to Mr Blair and now Mr Brown also seems to be protected by an impermeable trouble-proof coat." - Rachel Sylvester in the Telegraph

Any questions for Sayeeda Warsi? - Independent

Donor rational to leave money to the Conservatives

"A consultant psychiatrist yesterday argued that a "delusionary insane" Tory donor had been "rational and logical" to leave millions of pounds to the Conservatives to fight "satanic monsters" and "dark forces" around the world." - Guardian

Galloway suspended from the Commons

"George Galloway, the firebrand left-wing MP, was suspended from the Commons for 18 days last night after a stormy debate that saw him thrown out of the House amid angry clashes with the Speaker, Michael Martin." - Independent

Democrats' YouTube debate - Guardian

Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary...

Monday 23rd July 2007

7pm ToryDiary: Reports from Rwanda

1pm ToryDiary: Immigration and security concern voters most

Columnists: Stephan Shakespeare: The public need to be convinced that changing government is worth the risk

Platform: Greg Hands MP: War in Iraq is now longer than the Great War; the conflict in Afghanistan longer even than World War Two

Seats and Candidates: Stretford & Urmston shortlist

David Cameron stands firm

"David Cameron is to hold a "showdown" meeting with his MPs in an attempt to stamp on the first signs of internal revolt against his leadership." - Telegraph

"Aides said the Tory leader was relaxed about signs of renewed strife in the party's ranks after two byelection defeats and a run of negative polls." - Guardian

"David Cameron flew to Rwanda last night determined to face down critics who want him to return the Tories to their home ground." - Times

Janet Daley says the "modernisation mania has come irretrievably, irreparably unstuck" but that one thing is clear: David Cameron will survive it. The Conservative Party would have to be insane to dispense with him before the next general election." - Telegraph

"Chaos, flash floods, stagnant pools: an apt metaphor for the current state of sections of the Tory party." - Bruce Anderson in the Independent

Alice Thomson has six pieces of advice for David Cameron - Telegraph

"Unfair it may be, but Mr Cameron's party is beginning to look insubstantial. The imagery is creative and the ambition impressive, but the excitement that this has generated has not yet produced a party that looks ready for government." - Leader in the Guardian

Warnings over an early election

"Brown should be reeling over Ealing" - William Rees-Mogg in the Times

"The most telling reason for caution about an Autumn election, however, is that by the time people come back after their summer holidays, the economy may not look quite so clever from Labour's point of view." - Larry Elliott in the Guardian

Cross-party MPs urge renegotiation of the new EU Treaty

"A cross-party group of MPs is calling on Gordon Brown to renegotiate urgently the wording of the new European Union treaty because they say it risks relegating national parliaments to mere satellites of Brussels." - Telegraph

Tackling the housing shortage

"A “carrot-and-stick” approach aimed at forcing local councils and private sector developers to address the UK’s housing crisis will be outlined by the government." - FT

Smaller casinos under threat

"Councils awarded licences for smaller casinos have been asked if they still want them by Culture Secretary James Purnell. But only four of the 16 say they will definitely go ahead with the plans." - Daily Mail

Tony Blair's new job

"Tony Blair arrives for his first visit to the Holy Land as an international envoy today with his predecessor already warning that his mandate is so weak that he will have little chance of significantly aiding the peace process." - Telegraph

"Hamas, which seized control of Gaza last month, said for the first time yesterday that it would be willing to speak to Tony Blair." - Times

Lord Tebbit on an upper age for driving

"The idea of an upper age limit is basically stupid." - Telegraph

Interview with Ed Miliband - Guardian

Profile of Dick Cheney - Guardian 

YouTube users provide questions for presidential debate

"CNN and YouTube, the video-sharing website, are holding a joint debate in which the public have sent in video-recorded questions for Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and the other candidates." - Guardian

Turkish Government in landslide reelection victory

"Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister, secured a landslide election triumph last night, winning a second five-year term with nearly half of the national vote after being forced by veiled threats of a military overthrow to call an early ballot." - Guardian

Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary...

Sunday 22nd July 2007

2.15pm ToryDiary: There'll be no "retreat to the comfort zone" says Cameron

Columnists: Graeme Archer urges all good Tories not to buy Alastair Campbell's diaries

Platform: Cllr Adam Tugwell on what we can do to truly be the party of opportunity

Seats and Candidates: Are selections being delayed because of the quest for more candidates?

ToryDiary: MORI poll suggests 6% Labour lead and Talk of ousting Cameron is crazy

Cameron on prison reform

"I believe that we need to harness the expertise, the compassion and the common sense of independent organisations who have a freedom and flexibility that national agencies like the prison service and the probation service can sometimes lack. Ex-offenders needs human relationships as well as official ones. I am convinced that the voluntary sector has a central role in resettlement, putting in place the supportive structures so that former criminals make the right decisions for themselves: our society, your life.Knowing Gordon Brown, he will shortly announce plans with a striking similarity to those I am proposing." - David Cameron in the Sunday Telegraph

Two to six MPs urge change of leader

"David Cameron faces calls to resign from a handful of Conservative MPs who have lodged formal requests for a vote of no confidence in his leadership." - Melissa Kite in the Sunday Telegraph

"I find it extraordinary that there is a single Tory MPs who looks back on the last 18 months and think that they would be better off without Mr Cameron. He has taken a party that seemed doomed to lose and made it, at the very least, a contender for power. Until the Brown bounce, he was consistently ahead in the polls. Before Mr Cameron, public support for a particular policy halved when the voters were told it was held by the Tories. No longer: he has successfully decontaminated the brand." - Matthew D'Ancona in the Sunday Telegraph

"They have not learned one of the most glaringly obvious political lessons: the only outcome of division is disaster. No divided party has won an election, and none ever will. If the disgruntled MPs want to hand the next one to Gordon Brown, they can do no better than to continue to plot the removal of their leader." - Sunday Telegraph leader

Car manual for social problems

"The Conservatives have produced an eye-catching pamphlet called Breakdown Britain - in the style of the hard-back motoring manuals found in every garage - to highlight their plans to combat drugs and family breakdown. Described as a 'citizen's repair manual' it illustrates social problems as if they were broken car components, suggesting potential Tory solutions." - Mail on Sunday

The Sundays respond to by-election and opinion poll results

"Downing Street is feeling confident amid signs that the 'Brown bounce' in the polls is holding firm. The Prime Minister will also be encouraged to learn that members of the shadow cabinet have started to voice unease about the Cameron strategy after the Tories' poor performance in the Ealing Southall and Sedgefield by-elections." - Observer

"What went wrong? The Tories’ Ealing campaign lost out because it misjudged the mood. It offered showbiz and razzmatazz at a time when Britain is feeling sober and reflective. It was style without substance and the style set the wrong tone." - Deborah Mattinson in the Sunday Times

"A friend of mine who lives in Southall described Lit as the Tory party’s “Great brown hope”, its first Asian candidate in what is an overwhelmingly Asian neighbourhood. Lit had been until recently the managing director of his father’s Sunrise Radio, a hugely successful Asian station; but his selection, my friend mischievously remarked, was merely a clumsy attempt to “curry favour with the natives”, proving how out of touch the Conservatives are with local communities." - Nirpal Dhaliwal in the Sunday Times

"Fearful Tories have more reason to worry this weekend that he might turn out to be their Neil Kinnock, a leader who does much to rescue and rehabilitate the party, but who can't deliver power. Might this be David Cameron's ultimate fate? Could he be a leader who looks electable, but is never actually elected?" - Andrew Rawnsley in the Observer

"The political map is becoming a little clearer. David Cameron is not the transforming political force that his supporters made him out to be, or even the Tories’ Tony Blair. Mr Blair enjoyed large opinion poll leads from the day he took over as Labour leader; leads which lasted until late in his premiership." - Sunday Times leader

Now more than ever is not the time for more state funding for political parties

"Mr Blair is a three-time winner. The gods that smiled on him during the Hutton and Butler inquiries on Iraq have looked after him at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Gordon Brown may now seek a deal with the Tories for the state funding of parties. Before he does so, he should think about the lessons of cash for honours." - Sunday Times leader

Mellor advising Qataris

"The Qatari royal family has a secret weapon in its £10.4bn bid to buy J Sainsbury: David Mellor, the former Tory cabinet minister and renowned Chelsea fan. Mellor is the business development director of Three Delta, the investment fund behind the deal, and is advising the Qataris on various "political and presentational" aspects of their bid for Sainsbury, according to an executive close to the situation." - Sunday Telegraph

Brown could call election in the Spring

" Following victory in Thursday’s two by-elections, the first electoral test for the new prime minister, it can be revealed that he is unlikely to go to the country this autumn, as has been speculated, because he wants to give enough time to show he can deliver on big issues such as housing and public services." - Sunday Times

Umubano

"These Conservative MPs and candidates are working long hours, with few breaks and not much in the way of food or drink, to refurbish a centre that is of enormous significance to this community. To describe the facilities as 'basic' would be an understatement: the two toilets consist of filthy holes in the floor, which the gang is trying to make safe and hygienic." - Clemency Burton Hill in the Observer

The virtues of understatement

"Cameron still has the relative innocence of untried opposition. He could, perhaps, try a style of emotional appeal that is traditional and very British - that of understatement. It is not insincere, or untruthful, but on the other hand it has highly developed powers of persuasion. It tries to convince by its unwillingness to try to convince, so it is not and never has been entirely innocent of the black art of manipulation. But it does have the advantage of being truthful, of being literally true." - Minette Marrin in the Sunday Times

Lycra lout

"David Cameron has been accused of joining cycling's growing army of 'Lycra louts' who openly flout the rules of the road after he was snapped riding through a red light. The Tory leader, who sparked controversy last year with his 'hug a hoodie' speech, breached the Highway Code as he cycled home through London's Notting Hill. And although he had a helmet with him, Mr Cameron decided not to wear it - leaving it dangling from his handlebars." - Daily Mail (and pic)

Tory voters have never had it so good

"New Labour's rule has been very good for most Tory voters and it shouldn't be a surprise that they can't find the passion and the single-mindedness to drive Labour from power. As for the poor, their state remains pitiful. But they don't vote, so few politicians care what happens to them." - Nick Cohen in the Observer

Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary...

Saturday 21st July 2007

7pm ToryDiary: Another 7% Labour lead

5.45pm LondonMayor: Boff, Borwick, Johnson and Lightfoot proceed to hustings stage

Columnists: Cameron Watt on Building to Win

ToryDiary: The papers on the Ealing result

By-election fallout

"With his party less sure of his leadership than at any time since he took over in December 2005, [Cameron] desperately needs to restore confidence in his modernisation project." - Telegraph

"The Conservative inquest has begun into yesterday's embarrassing result in the Ealing Southall byelection, which has exacerbated concerns about the party's performance." - Guardian

"David Cameron is facing a backlash from sections of his party after the Tories failed to make progress in their first test at the ballot box since Gordon Brown became Prime Minister." - Daily Mail

"Short of being a lesbian heading a one-parent family, Tony Lit, the very defeated candidate in the Ealing by-election, had everything Dave has always wanted for "his" Conservatives." - Simon Heffer in the Telegraph

Sedgefield shows Labour vote is down - Martin Kettle in the Guardian

The need for authenticity

"One idea, one word, one strand, pulls together three big stories in the news this week...it threads through the doubts and hesitations about David Cameron’s renewal of the Conservative Party, tracing out a question that the Tory leader needs to start answering after his party’s failure to break through in Thursday’s two parliamentary by-elections.That word is “authenticity." - Matthew Parris in the Times

Conservative volunteers in Rwanda

"You could not turn a corner at Giribuntu school yesterday without finding a Tory doing good. In their sky blue "Project Umubano" T-shirts, David Cameron's volunteers were digging, plastering, sawing and repairing alongside Rwandans." - Guardian

"Tory volunteers repairing latrines in a school for Rwandan orphans rejected claims yesterday that the project to be visited by David Cameron this weekend is a public relations stunt." - Times

CPS decision not to prosecute over Cash for Honours

"The three main suspects officially cleared yesterday of any wrongdoing in the cash for honours investigation are considering retaliatory action against the police as the backlash began against Scotland Yard's conduct of the marathon inquiry." - Telegraph

"Scotland Yard is disappointed that the CPS has been so cautious and some senior Scotland Yard figures believe it lacked the courage to support a prosecution in such high-profile circumstances and took "the most pessimistic view" of circumstantial evidence that had been amassed." - Guardian

"Now the case is dropped. Again, I am not suggesting that Mr Brown and Sir Ian, or Mr Brown and the Crown Prosecution Service, or anybody acting for any of these, have had a quiet word. I am just saying that it suits everyone pretty well." - Charles Moore in the Telegraph

"I believe that Assistant Commissioner Yates is not a villain, but a hero." - Peter Oborne in the Daily Mail

Interview with Shaun Bailey

"There cannot be many Tories who boast of winning a fist fight with their local crack dealer." - The Sun

Britain running out of troops

"The head of the Army has issued a dire warning that Britain has almost run out of troops to defend the country or fight abroad." - Telegraph

Conservative Trafford says no to Manchester congestion charge - Manchester Evening News

Mayoral candidates face interview panel

"The Conservatives are to announce their shortlist of candidates for the election for London Mayor, expected to be headed by prominent MP Boris Johnson." - Pendle Today

Will we see some action over Darfur?

"Gordon Brown and President Nicolas Sarkozy have made an unprecedented pledge to travel to Sudan together and make every effort to end the suffering in Darfur." - Telegraph

Prosecution increases demands over Conrad Black's sentencing

"The US Government last night asked a judge in Chicago to sentence Lord Black of Crossharbour, the disgraced former chairman of the Telegraph group, to between 24 and 30 years in prison — effectively a life term." - Times

Cherie does jury service

"Cherie Booth QC missed the first meeting of an inquiry into English prisons yesterday because she has been on jury service." - Guardian

Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary...

Friday 20th July 2007

10pm ToryDiary: George Bridges resigns

3.40pm ToryDiary: The Evening Standard's view on the Ealing result

12:45pm ToryDiary: No charges over cash for honours

Mark Field MP on YourPlatform identifies 'Some urgent lessons from Ealing Southall'

10am Columnists: Theresa May: Proper scrutiny.  Real accountability.  Healthy democracy: Conservative proposals to improve the Westminster scrutiny of European legislation

ToryDiary: The Ealing gamble and Rolling blog on by-election results

Mark Pritchard MP on YourPlatform: Gordon Brown's Irritable Vowel Syndrome

NO CHARGES IN CASH FOR HONOURS - Guardian | Telegraph | BBC

Cameron clashes with MPs over loyalty to central messages

The Telegraph's Andrew Pierce notes David Cameron's unsuccessful efforts to ensure Cornerstone and other MPs clear statements through CCHQ.

The cannabis Cabinet

"Seven Cabinet ministers, including the Home Secretary and the Chancellor, admitted smoking cannabis as students yesterday." - Telegraph

Brown's good start may force strategic rethink from Tories says Telegraph

"Nothing illustrates Mr Brown's political skills better than his ability to capitalise on, rather than merely deflect, anxiety about drugs, housing and crime.  As Chancellor, he found money for all sorts of crazy New Labour initiatives; yet he has somehow persuaded people that he is bringing a new approach to government.  He is thinking along sensible lines. Britons cannot exercise their historic liberties until a degree of order - and sobriety - is restored to the streets.  Whether this adds up to electoral success remains to be seen. But if Mr Brown continues to outflank the Opposition on this territory, the Tories are going to need to have a summer strategy rethink." - Telegraph leader

Brown's plan for an 80% elected Lords

"Gordon Brown is to bring in legislation for at least 80 per cent of the House of Lords to be elected by the public but has postponed a showdown with peers until after the next general election." - Independent

Peter Riddell, in The Times, believes that the challenge of Upper House reform is to preserve the strengths of the bolder, more effective Lords that have emerged since the hereditaries were kicked out.

Labour's licensing reforms increase violence

"Government claims that all-night drinking would create a relaxed Mediterranean cafe culture and cut alcohol-related crime were shattered yesterday as figures showed that early morning violent offences had soared since 24-hour licensing." - Telegraph

Iain Dale defends David Cameron's Rwanda trip in his regular column for The Telegraph

David Davis warns that extended period of detention without trial will drive Muslims into hands of terrorists - Guardian

The Independent's Pandora gossips that David Davis' former researcher is consulting her lawyers

Tories call for investigation into collapsed Metronet - Guardian

Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary...

Thursday 19th July 2007

CLICK HERE FOR LIVE BY-ELECTION BLOG

10.30pm news update: BBC is reporting that there will be no charges in cash-for-honours

Interviews: Any questions for Matthew d'Ancona and Warwick Lightfoot answers your questions

Columnists: Louise Bagshawe: Protect women and children – reform the judiciary

ToryDiary: Summer campaign to "keep the heat" on Brown

LondonMayor: A coronation would be wrong says Victoria Borwick

Seats and candidates: Rowena Holland adopted for Nottingham South and Alf Doran selected for Chorley

Ealing and Sedgefield by-elections today

"The Ealing poll today is the most crucial by-election for the parties in more than a decade. Not only is it Mr Brown's first test at the ballot box; it is the last major political event of the summer." - Alice Thomson in the Telegraph

"Allegations of dirty tricks overshadowed the final day of campaigning for today’s by-election in Ealing Southall as the Tories accused Labour of orchestrating an ambush on David Cameron." - Times

"Police launched an investigation last night into allegations that someone had broken electoral law by leaking the results of the postal ballots in today's Ealing Southall byelection." - Guardian

"With Tony Blair sitting on a majority of more than 18,000, only an electoral earthquake would prise his Sedgefield seat from Labour's grasp." - Independent

Conservatives planning for early poll

"The Tories will launch a summer campaign today to "keep the heat" on Gordon Brown." - Telegraph

Cannabis rethink

"Gordon Brown made another gesture to middle Britain yesterday when he announced that the government would consider whether to return cannabis from class C to the class B classification it held until three years ago." - Guardian

"Home Secretary Jacqui Smith admitted today that she smoked cannabis when she was at university." - Daily Mail

Referendum pressure on Brown

"A cross-party campaign to be launched in September will personally target Gordon Brown for refusing voters a referendum on the new European Union treaty." - Telegraph

Of course children should be allowed to take risks

"Drop these mad new restrictions on nursery schools, stop trying to use regulation to nationalise pre-school education, and let's hear it loud and clear. Children should be allowed to climb trees again - and you don't need a degree to teach a child to climb a tree." - Boris Johnson in the Telegraph

The Government and the Muslim Council of Britain

"But another, even more important, battle is being waged behind the scenes. Who should be the Government’s chosen Muslim partners in the struggle against radicalisation?" - Dean Godson in the Times

Will Galloway be prosecuted?

"George Galloway suffered a fresh blow yesterday when a Tory MP urged the Metropolitan police to investigate his activities." - Telegraph

Conservatives call for NAO Tube investigation

"Conservatives have called for an investigation by Whitehall's spending watchdog into public-private partnerships on London's Tube system, in the wake of this week's financial crisis at Metronet." - Ananova

Government plans to get lone parents back to work

"Single parents will be forced to look for work as soon as their youngest child reaches the age of 7 under benefit reforms that will also introduce a form of workfare to Britain." - Times

Tony Blair starts his new job today

"Tony Blair arrived in Lisbon last night to begin a second career in which he must know that success may prove even more difficult than being the first British Labour prime minister to win three elections in a row." - Independent

Mandela launches group of Elders on his birthday

"The Elders, which is based on the idea of traditional African village elders offering wise counsel, will include the talents of former US President Jimmy Carter, 82, the former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, 69, and the former Irish President Mary Robinson, 63." - Times

Is pressure being put on Conservative candidates?

"Is David Cameron using his influence to bring Conservative parliamentary candidates into line on Europe?" - Telegraph Spy

Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary...

Wednesday 18th July 2007

10.15pm Seats and candidates: Glyn Davies is first candidate adopted in Wales

9.45pm ToryDiary: Another black day for the BBC

7.30pm Platform: Edward Leigh MP on leaving Iraq and challenging the EU Treaty

12.45pm LondonMayor: Reservist Rotherham publishes his policing policy

11.20am ToryDiary: Open thread on PMQs

Platform: Mark Prisk MP on why a stalemate in German domestic politics may encourage Merkel abroad

Columnists: Peter Franklin reveals the most important fact in British politics

ToryDiary: Chairman Maude's legacy

BritainAndAmerica: An election like no other?


LondonMayor: Coronation or primary challenge for Boris?

Seats and Candidates: Matthew Riddle selected for Thornbury & Yate

Largest single donation to the party may be recalled

"A mentally ill tycoon left his £10million fortune to the Tories so they could save him from a “Satanic plot”, a court heard yesterday. Branislav Kostic gave the staggering donation — a Conservative Party record — in his will after suffering psychiatric delusions for 20 years. Kostic, who died aged 80 in 2005, sent letters to ex-PM Margaret Thatcher and top Tories asking for help to battle “dark forces” trying to kill him." - The Sun

"Now the son of Branislav Kostic is taking the Conservatives to the High Court, claiming he did not know he was doing when he left his estate to the party." - Daily Mail

Sinking lifeboat

"MPs have overturned a Lords move to set up a "lifeboat" fund for workers who lost out when their final-salary pension schemes went bust. They voted 303 to 253 against Tory changes to the Pensions Bill, giving the government a majority of 50." - BBC

Buy local, eat local

"A campaign aimed at encouraging people to eat locally produced food is being launched by the Conservative Party. They claim that boosting Scotland's local food production industry can deliver both environmental and health benefits. To back the "buy local, eat local" campaign, the party have launched a website and are calling for public support through an online petition." - icScotland

Cameron's marriage incentive should be a dowry

"The one-off dowry doesn’t discriminate against anybody who is already a single parent, say, or widowed. It doesn’t judge their relationships or even appear to do so. It keeps Mr Cameron’s promise, encouraging people to get married, but doesn’t divide society into taxpayers who conform and those who don’t. It’s liberal and Conservative at the same time." - Daniel Finkelstein in the Times

Gay rights fight

"Gordon Brown has challenged David Cameron as a champion of gay rights. The Prime Minister pledged that a new equality 'superwatchdog' would crack down on discrimination. In his first major interview with a gay publication, he said he was proud to have changed the tax system to support homosexual couples." - Daily Mail

Cameron in Ealing Southall again

"David Cameron shrugged off the row over his candidate’s attendance at a Labour fundraising event as he made his fifth visit to Ealing Southall yesterday before tomorrow’s by-election." - Times

"The Tories have accused two of their main rivals in the Ealing-Southall by-election of plotting to scrap weekly rubbish collection in Ealing and tax people to take their waste away." - Ealing Times

MPs' passes come under scrutiny

"As the Leader of the Lords promised to investigate the allegations in yesterday’s Times that peers have been issuing the passes to members of campaign organisations which pay them thousands of pounds, it emerged that MPs are giving passes to chief executives, senior consultants, and, in one case, an employee of an executive search firm." - Times

Snap election alert

"Gordon Brown yesterday ordered a summer offensive against the Tories, fuelling talk of a snap election. He has called a meeting of ministers at Chequers next week to discuss how to exploit what Labour believes are signs of weakness in opposition ranks." - Daily Mail

"Labour MPs were put on election alert as the party's general election co-ordinator claimed the Tory leader David Cameron would make a "lurch to the right". Douglas Alexander said the choice would be between the Conservatives and a forward-looking Labour Party. The strategy for presenting Mr Cameron as a right-wing Tory leader was discussed at Downing Street yesterday." - Independent

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Tuesday 17th July 2007

7pm CONSERVATIVEHOME EXCLUSIVE:
SIX CANDIDATES GO THROUGH TO THE NEXT STAGE OF THE MAYORAL PROCESS

7pm Seats and candidates: Graham Robb issues final campaign video

2.50pm LondonMayor: Richard Barnes pulls out and backs Boris

1pm LondonMayor: We all know about Boris. but who are the others?

ToryDiary: John Bercow and Progress in the wrong direction

Columnists: Andrew Lilico: Should we care about the demise of the constitutional monarchy?

Platform: Julia Manning criticises resistance to MMR and other vaccines

LondonMayor: Norris and Paddick decline to run

BORIS JOINS THE RACE

"Boris Johnson electrified the contest for London Mayor today by announcing that he was seeking the Conservative nomination to challenge Ken Livingstone next May." - Telegraph

"Barring an extraordinary run of gaffes - by no means impossible - few in Westminster expected the selection process to deliver anything other than a Johnson victory." - Guardian

"Boris Johnson...personally assured David Cameron before he threw his blond mop into the ring that he intended to run a serious campaign." - Times

"Boris Johnson...has guaranteed the capital the electoral fireworks display it deserves, instead of another shoo-in for Ken Livingstone's coalition of the disgruntled." - Martin Vander Meyer in the Telegraph

"The decision by Boris Johnson to stand for Mayor of London should be celebrated by all those who mourn the dearth of mavericks in British politics." - Andrew Roberts in the Times

"David Cameron has just made his worst mistake. He will bitterly regret the day he encouraged Boris Johnson to stand as London's mayor." - Polly Toynbee in the Guardian

BROWN PLEDGES NO REFERENDUM

"Gordon Brown began his first trip abroad since becoming Prime Minister with a pledge to introduce the European Treaty without calling a referendum in Britain." - Independent

CONCERN OVER PEERS' PASSES

"Peers are handing out exclusive access to the Houses of Parliament to lobbyists and pressure groups, who pay them thousands of pounds a year." - Times

RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA

"Russia threatened Britain with "serious consequences" last night after David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, revived memories of the Cold War by announcing that four Russian diplomats were to be expelled from London." - Telegraph

"Shortly before Tony Blair left Number 10, he said the main lesson he had learnt as Prime Minister was that "you can't please all the people all the time". Gordon Brown is acquiring this knowledge fast." Rachel Sylvester in the Telegraph

THE STATE OF THE COUNTRYSIDE

"An exodus of young people to the towns is one of the biggest threats to the viability of villages and hamlets in England" - Times 

FAMILY LIFE UNDER THREAT

Family life is under threat from rising divorce rates and the longest working hours in Europe, the Children's Society has warned." - Daily Mail

WEALTH GAP WIDENS

"The wealth gap is at its widest for more than 40 years, creating ghettoes of the richest and the poorest that have virtually nothing to do with each other, a report finds today." - Telegraph

BAE SCANDAL

Ministers unsure how to respond to US Department of Justice request for information. - Guardian

"You say ‘when Tony Blair stopped the investigation’. Well, he didn’t, I did." - Interview with the head of the SFO in the Times

MORE BRITISH SPACEMEN?

"The government should reconsider its decades-long ban on sending Britons into space, MPs say." - Guardian

Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary... 

Monday 16th July 2007

4.15pm ToryDiary: Members divided on tax allowance for same sex couples

3.15pm Seats and Candidates: Conclusion of Gray's expenses inquiry

3pm LondonMayor: Chaos at Boris' Launch

10am LondonMayor: Boris officially joins the race

ToryDiary: Grassroots welcome IDS' recommendations with one notable exception

Platform: Daniel Kawczynski MP argues against independence for Kosovo

Columnists: Stephan Shakespeare says the Brown Honeymoon will likely endure for at least six months

Twenty candidates wait for Boris' decision

"A Johnson candidacy would help the Tories to challenge Labour’s current domination of the airwaves, although some Conservatives believe that it would be a mixed blessing if he slipped up badly. But Mr Johnson again kept everyone, including his party, guessing yesterday as he struggled to make a decision. All the signs are that he will run, but because he is believed to have changed his mind three times already, no one is taking anything for granted." - Times

Cameron explains Stand Up Speak Up

"Power resides solely in a parliamentary majority, whipped through by the governing party; democracy merely means a visit to the ballot box every four or five years. I want democracy to mean far more than this. People should have the right to have their say, to make their wishes felt, far more frequently and far more openly. Rather than simply putting a secret X in a voting booth alongside the name of the person you hope to represent you, I want people to be standing up and speaking up themselves." - David Cameron in the Telegraph

"The public is bored with its elected politicians, few of whom can conceive of a life outside politics or its associated pursuits. Westminster today is dominated by a thin-skinned, score-settling "political class" that ordinary people find unappealing. It is a paradox that, at a time when politicians are keener than ever to monitor the behaviour of the public, they have never been so disconnected from potential voters." - Telegraph leader

Ealing Southall

"Last week the word was that the Tories were improbably in with a chance of coming from third to take a seat that is one of Labour’s safest. “The bookies,” claimed the Conservatives, confusing bets and voters, “have pushed the LibDems firmly into third place, pushing them completely out of the race.” Towards the end of the week there was the customary by-election betting shop surge for the Liberal Democrats, fuelled, said the cynics, by party members taking a disciplined punt on themselves." - David Aaronovitch in the Times

"The campaign leading up to Thursday's byelection has been characterised by craven opportunism on the part of both parties. Rather than think "same old Tories", British Asians are more likely to be thinking "same old politicians"." - Hamant Verma in the Guardian

MPs need beliefs not just likability

"Either there is virtually no difference between the parties or Mr Lit is the physical embodiment of the critical weakness in the Cameron strategy, a living testament to the apparent truth of the accusation that the party is now so obsessively concerned with image (in this case, its relationship with ethnic minorities) that it will scoop up an attractive Asian candidate without asking any significant questions about his political history. And all of this remains true, even if Mr Lit wins his by-election." - Janet Daley in the Telegraph

Howells accuses "new breed" of being to the left of Labour

"A former chairman of the Conservative Party in Wales has attacked its “leftward drift”, claiming some of the “new breed” now in charge are politically to the left of Labour. Sir Eric Howells was expelled from the Conservative Party in May after threatening to support an independent candidate in the National Assembly election in his home constituency of Carmarthen West and Pembrokeshire South." - Western Mail

Local government can be revived with business

"Councils could get agreement from businesses to fund a project by borrowing a lump sum and repaying the money and interest over the course of ten years or more. That would allow councils to make themselves more competitive and attractive to investors without crippling local industry." - Times leader

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Sunday 15th July 2007

7.30pm Seats and candidates: Watch our Sedgefield candidate debate his Labour and LibDem opponents

7.15pm ToryDiary: Noisy Zulu warriors greet the return of the quiet man

6.30pm ToryDiary: Davis and Chakrabarti slam "internment" suggestion

3pm BritainAndAmerica: Brown and Miliband "resolute" in determination to work with Bush

10.30am ToryDiary: Stand Up, Speak Up is launched

ToryDiary: The couple who are better off living apart

CF Diary: My time on Castaway by Clare Hilley

Columnists: David "David" Cameron and other things - Graeme Archer begins his diary-style column

Tories' Ealing Southall candidate made £4,800 corporate donation to Labour less than one month ago

BBC Online has the story.

After the Brown bounce voters will see that Tories can mend Britain's broken society

A Sunday Telegraph leader says that their ICM poll and the revelations about Tony Lit giving £4,800 to Labour are disappointing for the Conservatives but this week's report from Iain Duncan Smith on 'broken Britain' is proof that the party is facing up to Britain's long-term problems.

>>> Yesterday's ToryDiary on Labour's 7% lead

A leader in The Sunday Times is equally positive about the IDS report: "If the prime minister was as inclusive as he proclaims, he would put Mr Duncan Smith in charge of leading the assault on “breakdown” Britain. David Cameron must push the government hard on these issues and pledge to introduce real change when in power. The test for the Tories is whether they can force Labour to confront their agenda."

The importance of marriage

The ICM survey for The Sunday Telegraph reveals strong support for the institution of marriage but only a small majority in favour of tax breaks for marriage.

The News of the World has a real-life example of a couple who have split up because of the way in which the benefit system penalises two parent families.

The Conservative Party's Rwanda mission

The Sunday Times previews the trip to Rwanda by Tory MPs and activists - including a three day visit by David Cameron to launch Peter Lilley's development report

Brown woos "moderate Conservatives"

"In a clear appeal to Tories who Labour believe may be having second doubts about the effectiveness of Cameron and his ability to recreate a new form of Conservatism away from the image of the "nasty party", Brown said: "As we reach out to those who share our vision of a better Britain of rising aspirations and new and better opportunities, I urge all who share our values - from progressives in all areas of Britain to moderate Conservatives - to join us in making Britain the country it can be." - Sunday Herald

Energy and the new cold war

Liam Fox writes for The Sunday Times about the threats to our energy security.

Sayeeda Warsi under fresh attack

"During the 2005 General Election campaign, Sayeeda Warsi distributed one set of leaflets bedecked in Union Jacks and seemingly aimed at white voters and another – stripped of 'British' images – allegedly aimed at Muslim voters." - Mail on Sunday

Brian Paddick may be LibDems' London mayoral candidate

"Boris Johnson, the Tory MP for Henley, is poised to enter the fray against Ken Livingstone (right). The Liberal Democrats, meanwhile, are discussing fielding Brian Paddick, the former Scotland Yard officer who pioneered a scheme to relax the penalties in Lambeth for smoking cannabis." - Independent on Sunday

Politicians are play acting with morality

"The public senses that Brown/Cameron on morality is play acting. When maintenance-shy fathers are caught, they face little sanction. Repeat offenders are released from jail after comically short sentences. Known terrorists are not prosecuted or even asked for their passports when entering the country." - Jasper Gerard in The Observer

Transatlantic relationship

David Miliband insists that the UK-US relationship is Britain's most important bilateral relationship - BBC

Nicolas Sarkozy

The Sunday Telegraph reviews how Nicolas Sarkozy has decimated the French left by defeating them, embracing them or appointing them to international bodies.

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Saturday 14th July 2007

8pm Seats and Candidates: Conservatives suing LibDems for copyright infringement

6.45pm ToryDiary: Labour 7% ahead in ICM poll

11am ToryDiary: Media liberalism and Bercow defection is expected at time of maximum embarrassment

CF Diary: Youth General Manager Wanted

Seats and Candidates: Jackie Doyle-Price selected for Thurrock

Columnists: The CSJ's Cameron Watt reviews his hectic week

EU can chip away at red lines

"Europe's leaders will be able to use a little-noticed clause in the revived European constitution to extend and bolster the document's powers by stealth, the Conservatives claimed last night. The Tories voiced concern about the so-called "ratchet" clause that allows EU leaders to amend and strengthen the constitution without the need for further treaties or summits. They said the powers meant Brussels would be able to chip away at Britain's "red lines" in areas such as law and order or social policies." - Telegraph

Blessings of marriage

"Labour accuses the Tories of moralising, but insists that it, too, is the party of the family. Someone who had been in a coma these past 20 years would find the debate little altered.What has changed is that the empirical evidence is now overwhelming. Stable families are measurably better providers of social security, health care, education and, when necessary, rehabilitation, than are the state organs formally charged with these functions. Never mind moralism: the two-parent unit is the best and cheapest way to turn children into honest, contented, productive citizens." - Telegraph leader

Boris' decision

"He said he would be consulting his constituency. If he won, he would have to give up his seat at Westminster and was discussing the issues that the contest would raise with his family. Few of his allies doubt he is ready to take the plunge, in spite of the mud that inevitably will be thrown at him if he does decide to enter the race." - Independent

"Boris Johnson has been given permission by his constituency party in Henley to run for London Mayor next year after receiving an overwhelming number of calls from Tory party members urging him to stand. But he is known to have reservations about the impact that the press attention would have on his wife Marina and four children." - Telegraph

Conrad Black loses Tory whip

"The Conservative Party has said it will withdraw the whip from Conrad Black after he was convicted of fraud and obstructing the course of justice. It means that former Telegraph proprietor Lord Black of Crossharbour will no longer be a member of the Tory group in the House of Lords." - BBC

Cameron in Ealing Southall

"Outside a row of shops and cafés in west London yesterday, David Cameron took on the daunting challenge of reaching out to voters previously immune to the Tories' charms. The party has poured huge resources into fighting next week's by-election in Ealing Southall. The area has been loyal to Labour since the 1920s, but there are signs of a slump in the Government's traditional support among the ethnic minorities who make up two-thirds of the electorate." - Independent

>>> Image of yesterday's Evening Standard, courtesy of Cllr Phil Taylor

"David Cameron came to Ealing Southall intending to make the earth move in next Thursday's by-election. The Tory leader assured reporters that there was "something quite seismic happening among British Asians": they were at last realising that the Tory party was their natural home. But when Mr Cameron went canvassing yesterday morning down Northfield Avenue it became clear that the message had not yet reached every British Asian." - Telegraph

"A furious row broke out in the Ealing Southall byelection campaign today after David Cameron claimed that two former Labour councillors had defected to the Tories. Labour said that the Conservative leader was well aware that Parmod Kad and Sarbjit Singh Gill had been expelled from the Labour party after standing as independents against Labour candidates in last year's council elections." - Guardian

Malloch Brownism

"What I really hate is the effort to paint me as anti-American, but I am happy to be described as anti-neo-con. If they see me as a villain, I will wear that as a badge of honour." - Telegraph interview with Malloch Brown

"Any doubts our readers have about the wisdom of appointing unelected officials to the Government are likely to be confirmed by our interview today  with Sir Mark (soon to be Lord) Malloch Brown, the former senior United Nations official who is now the minister for Africa, Asia and the UN. Or, as he puts it, "the wise eminence behind the young Foreign Secretary"." - Telegraph leader

"Muscular multilateralism reflected the willingness of the Anglosphere countries to uphold liberal international order. The new Washington-London convergence is around the idea of leaving these decisions to bodies like the UN - and to fellows like Malloch Brown, Alexander, and "the tranzis" (short for "transnational progressives"). If you want to know the likely result, ask the people of Darfur and Rwanda. Of course, you'll need a spiritualist medium if you expect a reply." - John O'Sullivan in the Telegraph

Muslim conspiracy theories

"I spent many years in the British Jihadi Network. While I was a member of that extremist group, I was told to encourage the spread of such theories because they created a useful, murky state of confusion. Propagating the idea that the Government was victimising Muslims by painting them as the bogeymen of the 21st century recruited young men to the radical camp." - Hassan Butt in the Times

11/06/09 ?

"Gordon Brown is laying plans to hold a general election on June 11, 2009 - the same day as the next European elections - in a ploy aimed at driving euro-sceptic Tories into the arms of anti-EU parties. Ministers say that Mr Brown sees a "super Thursday" of national, local and European elections as the best option for hitting the Tory vote and also maximising Labour's notoriously sluggish turnout." - Telegraph

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Friday 13th July 2007

6.30pm Seats and candidates: Sir Patrick Cormack's future is in hands of local members

3.45pm ToryDiary: Nick Wood

11am ToryDiary: New Cameroonian blog on the way

9.45am LondonMayor: Boris Johnson confirms candidacy on his website... and ten minutes later the confirmation is deleted!

Columnists: Theresa May MP: Gordon Brown’s respect for Parliament - A glorious epiphany, or just a new type of spin?

Seats and candidates: Fifty to sixty Tory MPs would be women if David Cameron secures Commons majority

Orlando Fraser on YourPlatform: Freeing the Third Sector to achieve its potential

Boris Johnson will run for Mayor...

...so says the front page of today's Daily Telegraph: "An announcement from Mr Johnson, which could come as early as today, will electrify the race and pose the most serious challenge to Ken Livingstone's hopes of winning a third term."

Read the ConservativeHome editorial urging a Boris V Norris contest.

Government waste, fraud and incompetence

An investigation by The TaxPayers' Alliance has identified £23bn of cost overruns in government projects including the 2012 Olympic Games, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, a super-computer for the NHS and the Eurofighter military aircraft.  Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Philip Hammond told the Mail:

"It is outrageous that hard-working British families have been hit to the tune of £900 each to pay for Labour's project cost overruns.  During his ten years as Chancellor, Gordon Brown has overseen the wasting of taxpayers' money on an industrial scale. Labour's inability to manage projects effectively partly explains why he has spent so much and achieved so little."

Fraud and overpayments in Gordon Brown's tax credit system have cost taxpayers £9.6bn - The Guardian

Michael Gove attacks decision to downgrade Winston Churchill's place in the curriculum

Hitler, Gandhi, Stalin, Martin Luther King and Winston Churchill are, says the Daily Mail, going to have a smaller place in secondary schools in order to find more time to teach children about debt management, health eating and green issues.  Michael Gove, the party's new education spokesman, said: "Winston Churchill is the towering figure of twentieth century British history.  His fight against fascism was Britain's finest hour. Our national story can't be told without Churchill at the centre."

Cameron supports tax breaks for gay partners

This morning's Mail has the same story ToryDiary covered yesterday evening.

Tara Hamilton-Miller sees risks in Iain Duncan Smith's emphasis on marriage - New Statesman

What do you think of Iain Duncan Smith's report?  Have your say in this special ConservativeHome survey.

An early General Election?

Early timetabling of Pre-Budget report raises new suspicions that there'll be an autumn election - The Times

Ronald Reagan's Diaries

George Osborne reviews the diaries for The Spectator

Iraq and foreign policy

"President George W Bush has insisted that there is "cause for optimism" in Iraq despite a White House report stating there had been "unsatisfactory progress" from the Baghdad government in 50 per cent of key areas." - Daily Telegraph

Gerard Baker argues that now is not the time to quit Iraq.  Progress is being made and the consequences of withdrawal would be grotesque - The Times

Douglas Alexander signals Team Brown's faith in multilateral institutions - The Times and The Guardian

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Thursday 12th July 2007

10pm CF Diary: Ealing Southall video and Urgent: Working Life Conference cancelled

7.45pm ToryDiary: Cameron supports tax breaks for same sex partnerships

6pm ToryDiary: What do you think of Iain Duncan Smith's social justice report?

12.45pm ToryDiary: Davis and Herbert attack Labour for prisons crisis

London Mayor: Boris vs Norris would put London Tories on the map

ToryDiary: The Mail praises Brown's "return to decent values"

YourPlatform: Tom Richmond on the drawbacks of financial rewards for marriage

Columnists: Louise Bagshawe on why we must not let up on demanding a referendum

Interviews: Any questions for Jeremy Hunt? 

LibDems announce tax change plans

"The Lib Dems want to cut the basic rate of income tax from 20p to 16p in tax changes they say will leave all those earning up to about £68,000 better off.  "Green" taxes on cars and flights and the ending of £13.5bn of tax breaks for high earners would fund the cuts." - BBC

Brown's predictable marriage counter-attack                                        

"Gordon Brown has launched an attack on Conservative "moralising" over marriage by insisting Tory plans would leave 11 million married couples no better off. Mr Brown clashed angrily with David Cameron, insisting he was "very pro-marriage", but condemning Conservative proposals for tax breaks as unfair. Mr Cameron is understood to favour a version of proposals published on Tuesday for transferable tax allowances that would be worth £1,000 a year to couples with only one earner - or twice that for people paying top-rate tax." - Independent

Cameron calls for statement on supercasinos

"Conservative leader David Cameron has called for a Government statement on supercasinos after Prime Minister Gordon Brown seemed to back away from the concept. Mr Brown outraged supporters of the massive gambling venues on Wednesday when he announced a review of whether they are the best way to revive run-down areas." - Ananova

We need more marriageable men

"David Cameron and Iain Duncan Smith are plainly right to extol the benefits of marriage, and, if a £20 tax credit would really begin to bubblegum together our broken society, then that would clearly be a price worth paying. The Tory Social Justice Policy Group is bang on in its analysis of the damage done by family breakdown, and it is certainly right to think that it is outrageous that the benefit system should be so heavily skewed in favour of single parent families. Recipients of tax credits face clear disincentives to find a partner or form a two-parent family, and those need to be removed." - Boris Johnson in the Telegraph

Willetts shouldn't have been demoted

"After his thoughtful speech explaining the reasons for new Conservative thinking on grammar schools, it is sad to see David Willetts moved sideways from his post as shadow Education Secretary. Willetts was right to seek to change the party's position on selection – and David Cameron should have stuck by him." - Independent leader

At least he's honest

"The new Conservative spokesman on Wales in the House of Lords admitted yesterday he knew “nothing about Welsh politics”. Eton-educated hereditary peer Lord Glentoran, an Olympic Bobsleigh gold medallist in 1964, is taking over from Lord Roberts of Conwy, who is retiring from front-line politics. Lord Glentoran said, “As far as the politics of Wales is concerned, as of 48 hours ago I knew absolutely nothing."" - Western Mail

Data Protection Act needs stronger penalties for breaches

"A future Conservative government is likely to strengthen Information Commissioner Richard Thomas’ hand to tackle data breaches, despite Ministry of Justice claims he already has ‘adequate powers’." - Precision Marketing

Are setting and choice compatible?

"11- to 16-year-olds are in sets for around 45 per cent of the time. If Mr Cameron wants to increase this proportion, he needs to be clear whether he is suggesting less choice for 14- and 15-year-olds, or more personal and social education, physical education, art and music taught in sets. Or perhaps he is suggesting setting for 11-year-olds, as soon as they arrive in secondary schools?" - John Dunford in the Independent

Queen Brown's speech

"The Tories reacted with a great yawn to Mr Brown’s statement. The proposals, they said, have virtually all been announced before. Mr Brown is certainly fond of re-announcing initiatives, but the Tory response is knee-jerk and fatuous. Legislation is not a matter of birthday surprises but involves a long process of discussion and consultation." - Peter Riddell in the Times

"Neoliberal" Brown

"Throughout the years of their simmering rivalry, the political differences between Gordon Brown and Tony Blair were always wildly exaggerated by their camp followers. The idea that Brown was a closet radical held in check by Blair's untamed Thatcherism was never more than wishful thinking or paranoid fantasy: both were architects of New Labour and its embrace of neoliberal Atlanticism." - Seumas Milne in the Guardian

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