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REACTIONS TO PMQS

"Today was one of those PMQs when you sensed that both sides were fairly happy with how it had gone. Ed Miliband turned in one of his stronger performances, cleverly splitting his questions and so allowing himself to have a go at both the economy and the coalition’s troubled NHS reforms." - James Forsyth
"There’d been a clear win sitting there for Ed Miliband. But for some reason, he didn’t seem to want to take it. Still, he’d learnt one thing; at least his crap economic strategy is finally a match for David Cameron's." - Dan Hodges
"For the first time since last summer, Ed Miliband got through the session without triggering talk of a leadership crisis." - Lloyd Evans
"How much does today's session matter in the grand scheme of things? Not a lot. But it's a useful corrective to those who have started to talk as if Mr Miliband has one foot in the political grave." - James Kirkup
ToryDiary: Miliband attacks weak growth figures, but Conservatives fight back on benefits cap
WATCH: Ed Miliband: "Growth has been flat-lining in our economy since well before the €urozone crisis"

NEGATIVE GROWTH FIGURES

The full figures from the ONS website
"Britain probably is in the middle of a light recession now. We won’t know for sure until April. But today’s Q4 GDP number was doubly disappointing, if not, a great surprise. For a start it was a larger fall than expected, at -0.2%. It showed weak construction and production figures." - Faisal Islam
"...the economy has essentially been stagnant for six months. Over the course of 2011, growth was 0.9 per cent of GDP – far below the full throated roar back to action that the Government was counting on... this means the recovery in the UK is now weaker than the one that followed the Great Depression." - Daniel Knowles
ToryDiary: George Osborne would still get wet in a thunderstorm with an umbrella... but I'd prefer he had one
ThinkTankCentral: Think tanks give continued support for deficit reduction, but urge more short-term growth measures

DAVID CAMERON'S ECHR SPEECH

"Cameron will call for greater "filtering" to allow the court to clear a backlog of 150,000 cases. He will say that decisions should be made more quickly on the admissibility of cases – 97% of UK cases between 1959 and 2010 were deemed inadmissible. He will also say the court should cut down on "repetitive" cases" - Guardian
Our post-war human rights settlement has degenerated. David Cameron must press for urgent reform of the ECHR - Blair Gibbs
Andrew Boff on Comment: The ECHR - putting the figures in context
Amber Rudd MP on Comment: Day two of the Council of Europe's meeting

BORIS JOHNSON'S BUDGET SPEECH

SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM CONSULTATION LAUNCHED

The referendum question will be: "Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?"
"The Scottish government's position is for independence. Therefore that option will appear on any ballot paper in a straightforward manner. We set out our proposal for the question in the consultation document. However, this is a consultation with the community of the realm of Scotland and it is imperative that the referendum is seen to be fair, democratic and inclusive."
WATCH: Alex Salmond: "I think we could win the argument and win the referendum"

GOVERNMENT LOSES COURT APPEAL ON SOLAR SUBSIDIES

"The government lost its appeal on Wednesday against a judge's ruling that its cuts to solar power subsidies were illegal, suggesting thousands of homes and businesses will now be able to claim the higher payments." - Guardian

IN BRIEF

What about a 45p rate? Downing Street debates an interim tax reduction - Benedict Brogan
"An increasing number of Conservative MPs are starting to think the unloved health reforms ought somehow to be killed." - New Statesman
Is would-be Tory MEP Rupert Matthews the victim of a witch hunt? - Simon Richards
Gordon Brown to release a new book later this year

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