10.15pm ToryDiary: YouGov finds voters suspicious of David Davis' motives
6.45pm ToryDiary: ComRes claims Tory lead slipped after David Davis' resignation was announced
6.45pm Seats and candidates: Tory candidate in top Welsh seat compares Italians to "greasy wops"
2pm Matthew Sinclair on CentreRight: "I think that the only thing that we can say with much certainty about the politics of 42 days is that the Conservatives will have to establish that their opposition is to this measure in particular, and that they have robust plans of their own to defend Britain against our enemies."
12.45pm ToryDiary: The Telegraph makes mischief
9.45am CentreRight: Nigel Evans MP wonders if the EU will accept that the Treaty is "stone dead" after its THIRD defeat
ToryDiary: Will The Sun give Mackenzie full backing?
Platform: Dr Michelle Tempest says polyclinics damage health localism
PlayPolitical: Tim Russert, veteran US political journalist and presenter, has died
Grieve says Party might support detention period shorter than 28 days
"A Conservative government could reduce the legal limit on
pre-charge detention to less than 28 days, the new shadow home
secretary has said. Dominic Grieve told The Daily Telegraph that once
in office, the Conservatives would not stop at repealing any law giving
police the power to hold terror suspects for 42 days. Instead, the
party would review the existing limit of 28 days, a period Mr Grieve
described as "much longer" than it should be." - Telegraph
Conservatives call for urgent action to help home-buyers
"The Tories have called for urgent intervention in the housing market to prevent the downturn becoming an all-out crash. The shares of leading housebuilders crumbled this week as figures from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors showed the lowest level of sales since its figures began in 1978." - FT
Public more impressed than Westminster is with Davis, despite supporting 42 days
"There is one big assumption that I do dispute - that the electorate will not be impressed. Theirs is a voice that was not heard, asked for or even mentioned as Westminster, Broadcasting House and Fleet Street whipped themselves into a frenzy on Thursday afternoon. Although I wouldn't bet on it, this Tory maverick may touch a surprisingly popular nerve. Raw courage may be admired, simply as a human quality. Look at George Galloway's weird majority in 2005." - Matthew Parris in the Times
"Contrast most comments by politicians, and the criticism of most newspapers, with the strong support for him on the blogosphere, such as the conservativehome website, and in phone-ins (admittedly reflecting those motivated to blog or ring rather than voters generally). This reflects the widespread mistrust of politicians as self-serving and unprincipled, while Mr Davis, by contrast, is praised widely for his independence and for standing up for what he believes." - Peter Riddell in the Times
Other reaction
"Before the Irish "It isn't", I thought Mr Davis's action was selfish, stupid, and destructive of the party discipline that David Cameron has so carefully rebuilt. Now I think it is also horrifyingly beside the point. If Mr Davis was itching to resign on something, wouldn't the Lisbon Treaty have been a far, far better subject? Resignation really might have achieved something." - Charles Moore in the Telegraph
"As a Cromwellian myself, I smell the legacy of the Lord Protector in what Mr Davis has done. The Roundheads wouldn't much have liked Gordon Brown's plans to lock people up for six weeks without charge... But, of course, Mr Davis is not merely in an ideological quarrel with the Government, however much that is the basis of his decision to have this campaign. He is also making a point to the cavaliers - in every sense of the word - in his own party." - Simon Heffer in the Telegraph
"While the Conservative leader is expected to visit Mr Davis's Haltemprice & Howden constituency, thus avoiding suggestions that they have fallen out, no date has been fixed and he will not be rushing to the North of England, The Times understands... Mr Davis was in danger of staging a contest with none of the frontline parties against him, as only the Monster Raving Loony Party and Kelvin MacKenzie, a former editor of The Sun, showed an early interest in standing." - Times
Davis calls Brown a coward for not contesting the byelection - Express
A distraction Cameron could do without - Andrew Porter in the Telegraph
Heseltine and Tebbit urge Davis to change his mind - Independent
Background to the two MPs who resigned similarly in the past - Graham Stewart in the Times
Ireland votes No. What now?
"EU leaders should ask themselves why the Irish, who have cause to thank
the EU and its taxpayers more than most, should support a "No" campaign
waged by what the government in Dublin regarded as a motley coalition
of extremists. In reality, the 45 per cent of the Irish electorate that
turned out have cast proxy ballots for millions more unconsulted
Europeans. The rest of us should feel ashamed and angry that it fell to
a small and peripheral nation to preserve our democracy." - Telegraph leader
"[The EU] is in danger of suffering from democratic denial by plugging its ears to the voice of Ireland. Gordon Brown yesterday pledged to back Mr Sarkozy and the treaty come what may. He should think better of it. This is his chance to assert his leadership of Europe's constructive sceptics, and give Britain the referendum it deserves." - Times leader
Things have not changed greatly - Denis MacShane in the Times
Is France America's new best friend?
" President Bush heralded a “new era of transatlantic unity” when he arrived in France yesterday, with the location of his speech as significant as its content. By choosing Paris for what White House officials described as “the centrepiece” of his week-long farewell trip to Europe, Mr Bush sought to put the seal on a dramatic transformation in relations with France since President Sarkozy was elected last year." - Times
The real story of the moment is full-scale economic recession
"Although Margaret Thatcher had a reputation as a great tax cutter, in reality, Geoffrey Howe's first Budget raised taxes very substantially, partly in order not to increase interest rates which would have been even more damaging to business. Today, more than three decades later and after the economic events of the past week, there is little doubt that George Osborne would be forced to take the same drastic action if and when the Conservatives win the next General Election." - Peter Oborne in the Mail
Scotland's police pensions crisis - Herald leader
Family values for dummies - Deborah Ross in the Mail
Alun Cairns AM forced to apologise for calling Italians "greasy wops" - Western Mail
Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary and visit PoliticsHome.com for breaking political news and views throughout the day.
