Tuesday 30th October 2007

11.45pm TheWrongMan: Halloween ad from the Tories

7.30pm ToryDiary: Tories 5% ahead in ICM poll with leaderless LibDems showing signs of life

7.15pm ToryDiary: Cross-party talks on party funding have broken down

5pm Parliament: Conservatives dominate parliamentary debate on Burma and Jowell accuses CCHQ of perpetuating Red Arrows myth

2.45pm CF Diary: Introducing CF Countryside

1pm ToryDiary: Gove on Brown

12pm CF Diary: New CF website!

10am CF Diary: CF changeover will be at Spring Forum

10am ToryDiary: Conservative members want renegotiation referendum if Treaty is ratified

ToryDiary: Bounceback!

Andrew Haldenby on Platform: Spending more and more on health and pensions adds to the already heavy burden our young people have to bear

Columnist Andrew Lilico:  How we should approach welfare reform

TheWrongMan: The 300,000 immigrants that Mr Brown failed to count

Tories 8% ahead in ComRes poll for Independent

And all because of men?: "Tory support among men has risen from 31 per cent to 41 per cent, while among women it has increased from 37 per cent to 41 per cent. Conversely, Labour's support among men has dropped from 40 per cent to 31 per cent and among women from 35 per cent to 34 per cent. A possible explanation is that men regard Mr Brown's vacillation over calling an election as weak, whereas women may be less concerned about it." - Independent

>> Yesterday evening's ToryDiary on the poll.

Daily Mail welcomes David Cameron's speech on immigration

"For more than 40 years, Left-wingers in politics and the media have successfully silenced rational debate on the impact of mass migration, shouting 'racist' at anyone who dared even raise the subject.  The consequences can be seen all around us. According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, Britain's population is set to soar to more than 71 million by 2031, putting ever more pressure on our public services.  As Mr Cameron pointed out yesterday, the great bulk of this population growth - around 70 per cent - is attributable to net immigration. What is 'racist' about wanting to manage the tide?  There was nothing remotely inflammatory about the Tory leader's speech. On the contrary, it was a dispassionate and intelligent analysis of the pros and cons of the issue." - Mail leader

>> Yesterday's ToryDiary summary of the speech.

Sky News apologises for presenter's remark about Tory immigration policy

"Sky News was forced to apologise after one of its presenters joked on air that the Conservative Party supported a policy of "extermination" for immigrants.  Julie Etchingham's remark was broadcast as David Cameron was outlining Tory policy on immigration.  Mr Cameron was saying: "Some of the increase in population size results from natural change – birth rates, death rates. Here our policy should be obvious...." At that point Etchingham, above, was heard to say "extermination".  Sky News said the "regrettable" remark was "not intended for broadcast". Etchingham is leaving the channel to present ITV's resurrected News At Ten with Sir Trevor McDonald." - Telegraph

Envoy complains about ‘one-legged Lithuanians’ remark from David Cameron - Times

Cameron: I'll work for half pay - Telegraph

"The Tory leader warned that the extravagance of his colleagues was damaging Parliament's reputation, and insisted he was prepared to do his job for half the current pay.  It comes a week after Parliamentary authorities disclosed that members' expenses and allowances topped £87 million for the last time last year, double the rate of inflation." - Daily Mail

Gordon Brown to play part of Union protector - Rachel Sylvester in The Telegraph

Murdo Fraser's Platform article picked up - The Herald

Nigel Evans MP sleeps out as part of Burma protest

"A group of protesters has set up camp on Parliament Square in a vigil for the people of Burma, home to a brutal military regime.  Last night - after a Commons debate on the issue - they even welcomed Tory backbencher Nigel Evans MP, who spent the night in his sleeping bag.  "I spoke to someone who was released after six years' captivity in Burma and he said that things do filter through over there - if you think you can lock them up and extinguish their spirit, you're wrong," he said." - Telegraph Spy

Nigel Evans MP with ConservativeHome's Sam Coates.  Also part of the sleepover was Ben Rogers.

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