Monday 21st April 2008

11pm ToryDiary: Voters prefer Darling to Osborne in ICM poll

3.15pm CentreRight: Liam Fox MP cites figures showing the UK grows more opium poppy than Pakistan and Dr Crippen offers his thoughts on polyclinics

2.15pm PlayPolitical comedy videos: Headcases mocks Cameron, Hague and Osborne and Rory Bremner targets the private lives of the Mayoral hopefuls

Lunchtime on CentreRight: Mark Field MP has "deep misgivings" about today's Bank of England bail-out

11.45 LondonMayor: 'Sick' Kate Hoey pulls out of Boris event

11.30am CentreRight: Latest poll puts Boris 6% ahead on second prefs

ToryDiary:

• Ken Clarke to recommend that MPs from Scotland and Wales should retain final say on English laws
• David Cameron launches campaign to save 1,600 GP surgeries

LondonMayor: Ten reasons to vote for Boris Johnson

PlayPolitical video: Boris Johnson faces hostile questioning on gay issues at Stonewall hustings

Elizabeth Truss and Lucy Parsons on Platform: Moving from a "why bother" to a "can do" economy

Seats and candidates: How many people in today's politics have run a business or served in their country's armed forces?

Been away? Click here for ConservativeHome's one page guide to all recent developments in our party.

Tories consider paying mums to stay at home - Daily Mail

David Cameron woos Tony Blair's inner circle

Lord Adonis, Alan Milburn and Stephen Byers all praised by the Conservative leader - Telegraph

Will the SNP put David Cameron into office?

"Alex Salmond yesterday promised to force "Westminster to dance to a Scottish jig" by more than trebling the number of SNP MPs.  The First Minister set a target of winning 20 seats at the next General Election, a total which he claimed could give the party the balance of power in the Commons." - Telegraph

"The polls suggest a stronger-than-usual chance that Labour and Conservative could be close run, and that the LibDems risk losing ground. If either of the dominant parties need support, they are going to have to do deals, and the LibDems are not the only potential suitors. The SNP or Northern Irish votes could become crucial. That reflects the other proposition: that the SNP grows from its current six seats to Mr Salmond's new target of 20." - The Herald

Iain Duncan Smith Q&A

Q. Do you regret backing Tony Blair on Iraq?

A. "No. I believe it was the right thing to do. I am sorry that the post-invasion strategy in the first six months was so woeful and that in that period we let the terrorists gain a hold. A stable and prosperous Iraq is worth striving for. No one shed too many tears for the 5,000 to 10,000 children a month that were dying before the invasion as a result of our failed sanctions that also allowed Saddam Hussein to stay in power and murder his people."

Read the other Q&A in The Independent

Amir Khan complains of being used by Labour

"The Labour Party will tomorrow receive a call from Amir Khan's management, querying the boxer's appearance on campaign leaflets for next week's local elections. Khan, 21, is pictured with Labour candidate Amina Lone on pamphlets for the Manchester ward of Whalley Range, a fiercely contested seat which used to be a red-light district but now has a significant Muslim population.  Khan and his management, including promoter Frank Warren, are so careful to avoid politics that the puncher cannot even campaign for his uncle, Shahid Mahmood (father of the cricketer Sajid Mahmood), who is standing for the Conservatives in Bolton." - The Independent

Prescott's bulimia

"John Prescott's struggle with bulimia is no laughing matter. This is a serious psychological condition with potentially dangerous consequences. But in the Fat Controller’s case, it was surely a wrong diagnosis. Prezza blames pressures of high office and says he spent every waking hour working or “stuffing my face” (and, occasionally, Tracey’s).  More likely, he was just a greedy incompetent who gobbled every tasty treat going." - Trevor Kavanagh in The Sun

Yasmin Alibhai Brown lists the reasons she won't be voting for Boris - The Independent

The 10p tax con

"To tax the dustman to provide the Duke's opera, or the nursery nurse to feed the Navy, as we do, might be objectionable, but to tax the poor so that bureaucrats can give money to the poor is simply ludicrous. We should stop doing it." - Tim Worstall in The Times

TUC leader slams Brown over 10p rate - Guardian

Taxing the rich will be counterproductive

"The Institute for Fiscal Studies said it had “new, albeit tentative” evidence that ratcheting up income tax rates for those earning more than £100,000 was likely to be counter-productive, based on the evidence of the past 40 years.' - FT

Seats and candidates: Conservative candidates who are making headlines

ToryDiary: Are the Conservatives planning a £700m rescue package for the 10p tax victims?

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