ConservativeHome's ToryDiary

February survey is now live

ConservativeHome's February survey is now live. In addition to the regular tracker questions we are seeking your views on restoring public trust in politics and on some European issues. Click here to take the survey.

The 2005 Conservative intake recommends new powers for voters to remove ethically questionable MPs

Yesterday, in a comment left on CentreRight.com (and discussed by Jonathan Isaby on Three Line Whip), Robert Key MP questioned the dedication of some of the younger MPs:

"Too many young Members are entirely predictable in what they say and how they vote. They are just as boring as the handful of insecure MPs who only ever speak about their constituencies and forget they are sent here as independent representatives to shape national policies and decisions and Britain's place in the world."

Well the younger MPs - 27 of the 2005 intake (listed opposite) - are certainly setting the pace on public trust in politicians this morning.  In a letter to The Telegraph they say that consideration should be given to constituents having the power to "recall" Members of Parliament between elections:

"We would want safeguards to be put in place to ensure that this mechanism was not abused, such as requiring a high percentage of registered voters in a constituency to petition for a recall ballot, or only permitting a recall ballot when the Commons Standards and Privileges Committee has recommended it as a sanction.  None the less, a mechanism of this sort used in exceptional circumstances would increase MPs' accountability, address some of the frustration felt by a disenchanted public and help restore trust in our democratic institutions."

ConservativeHome strongly supports this initiative - it was one of the recommendations we made in the fourth theme of our still unfolding Agenda 2008.  We are also encouraged to learn that the letter was submitted with the full knowledge of the Tory leadership.  On his blog yesterday, Guido noted that the Tories were waking up to the scale of voter discontent with the political establishment.  We can only hope so.  The party leadership still has a long way to go if it is to convince this site that it is genuinely anti-establishment.  Admitting that he has been wrong about supporting more state funding for political parties and ending the incumbent-favouring control freakery that has characterised the reselection of MEPs would be signs that David Cameron was really serious.  He shouldn't be afraid of admitting he was wrong on state funding.  Voters are very supportive of politicians who hold their hands up, say sorry and adopt a position in tune with them.

Related link: Matthew Elliott of The TaxPayers' Alliance on how an anti-politician strategy is the right way forward

4pm: Dan Hannan salutes David Gauke's role in producing the letter

Tories DO NOT plan to spend more on health than Labour

Lots of excitement this morning across the blogosphere about an interview that Andrew Lansley gave to The Times.  Both The Times and Telegraph have interpreted Mr Lansley's remarks as a commitment to increase NHS spending even faster than Labour and to increase spending as a percentage of GDP - perhaps by as much as £28bn.

This morning ConservativeHome has spoken to people in the health and Treasury teams - as well as CCHQ - and have been told that there are no plans for the Tories to spend more on health than is planned by Labour.  The Tory commitment is to match Labour until 2011 and further intentions have not been decided.

We've read and re-read Mr Lansley's remarks and can see why The Times made the conclusions that it did but are satisfied with the assurances we've received from party insiders.  As Peter Hoskin writes at Coffee House: "If ten years of Blair and Brown have taught us anything, it's that increased inputs don't necessarily equate to improved outputs. Today's National Audit Office report only serves to underline this."

What we're told Lansley does believe is that without big improvements in public health - Cameron has promised him that he will be Secretary of State for Public Health - and improvements in NHS productivity there is a real danger that the NHS will swallow up a much bigger slice of the national economy.  The aim, however, is to harness more private resources and know-how in order to help avoid this.

Different messages for different newspapers

The Tory You can get it campaign has ten messages and there are adverts in many of this morning's newspapers for the different themes...

Sun readers have an advert focusing on cutting paperwork so that more police are on the streets, fighting crime.

Mail readers are promised proper controls on immigration.

Telegraph readers are reminded about the Tory promise to axe inheritance tax for homes under £1m.

Times readers are promised an end to economic incompetence and reckless borrowing.

Guardian readers are promised a good school for their children with teaching by ability and tough classroom discipline.

And Independent readers are going to get more help to go green and produce their own energy.

Coming soon: A daily poll of political insiders

Tim Montgomerie writes:

This morning, a group of political insiders from all over Westminster will be getting emails from myself and Martin Bright, Political Editor of the New Statesman, asking them to be part of a new daily opinion survey. I can't tell you everything about it yet, but with invitations going out rumours might start flying... and I wanted you to know about it first.

As part of a new enterprise backed by Stephan Shakespeare we are setting up a 100-strong panel of top Westminster insiders – MPs, journalists, think tank leaders, political staffers, columnists – who will answer, anonymously, a couple of key tick-in-the-box questions every day. It will be called the PHI100 (after the PoliticsHomeIndex, a new website on which the results will be published every afternoon).

For the first time, it will be possible to put a number on the "inside track" on issues of the day: Is there any truth to that rumour in the paper this morning? Will Michael Martin survive? Who won PMQs?

Some questions will also be tracker questions, which are asked regularly and which can be plotted over time: Who will win the mayoral contest? Which cabinet ministers/ news sources/ columnists do insiders rate most highly?

Broadly speaking, I am recruiting people on the right and Martin is responsible for people on the left, but we are both talking to a good number of non-aligned insiders - the 100 will represent all political angles. The response has been fantastic. The column on the right identifies a few of the names who have already agreed to take part (many other members of the PHI100 are only taking part on the condition of anonymity).  We are also recruiting some people at the heart of the LibDems.

We expect to have first daily findings in a couple of weeks, just in time for the BETA launch of the PoliticsHomeIndex website. Will keep you posted. In the mean time, comments and suggestions for the kind of questions you would like to see asked are welcome…

New Tory video

Click here to watch the Tory video that accompanies the You can get it if you really want campaign.

"You can get it if you really want" (and become a friend of the Tories)

You can get it if you really want is the theme of a £500,000 upbeat advertising campaign that the Conservatives are launching on Facebook, on billboards across Britain and in tomorrow's national press.  Versions of the two ads that you see below will be appearing in seven national newspapers and many regional newspapers:

There are ten themes to the Tory campaign: the NHS, policing, borrowing and the economy, inheritance tax, stamp duty, pensions, benefits reform, a tougher approach to immigration, green energy and classroom discipline.  No mention of Europe - that's deliberate with the explanation that the Tories are currently working with the cross-party IWantAReferendum campaign.

The party is also introducing a new form of recruitment: Friends of the Conservatives.  People will be able to register as friends of the party for a minimum of £1 and in return they'll receive a weekly online newsletter and suggestions of how they can get involved in their communities.

A few reactions to all of this:

1. A half-a-million pound investment is a big deal for a British political party; this far from an election.
2. It's a positive and upbeat campaign and it's very broad - a good, balanced mix of traditional issues (tax, crime, immigration) with newer messages (protecting the NHS, encouraging greenery).
3. But is it too broad?  The Tories still lack a big theme.  We think the party would be better to pick fewer, more defining messages and pursue them with hare-like boldness.  We don't necessarily have to pick those defining issues now but we still believe that a war on crime and protecting the NHS would be good bets.
4. The Friends idea is a good one.  The age of mass membership political parties is over.  CCHQ doesn't have up-to-date Tory membership numbers but the guess is that it's probably still down from 2005.   Our preference, though, would be for people to be invited to be Friends/ Supporters of Conservative campaigns rather than the party.  This is the age of single issue campaigns.  We think people will give money to vigorous campaigns on issues that they really believe in.  Those campaigns will need good websites to give the campaigns life.  Conservatives.com remains an uninteresting site - too focused on us and not the voters and their concerns.

The Chingford skinhead mugs Michael Gove

Lord Tebbit has written a letter to this week's Spectator in response to an article from Michael Gove.  The full text is printed below...

"Sir: Michael Gove (Politics, 23 February) gives a eulogy to Tony Blair, 'I admired Tony Blair. I knew Tony Blair'.

I had hoped that David Cameron's claim to be 'the heir to Blair' was just a silly mistake springing from inexperience. It is more worrying to find that Blair worship is now the doctrine of modern compassionate Conservatism. No wonder 40 per cent of electors are unwilling to vote; nor that, when asked which party could best meet any challenge facing Britain, those saying 'neither' regularly exceed those naming either party.

Blair's admirers in the shadow Cabinet might reflect on his record: the bungled war on Iraq, the dispatch of men and women to fight without the equipment they need, the sensational increases in tax without measurable improvement in services, the debauchment of the civil service, the identity card fiasco, the criminal justice fiasco, his surrender of British sovereignty to Brussels, his remorseless attacks on the conventional family, despoliation of education, use of the benefit system to deepen the poverty trap, lesser incentives to work or save, his fuelling of the culture of drugs, alcohol, yobbery and violent crime which has left the Home Secretary fearful of walking the streets of London at night.

It was Blair who introduced uncontrolled, unmeasured immigration of people determined not to integrate, but to establish, first ghettoes, and now demands for separate legal jurisdiction. In biblical terms, Blairism is the poisonous tree which can give forth only poisonous fruit and must be rooted out. In 2005 Blair had the votes of only 21.6 per cent of the electorate. With the poisonous tree of Blairism planted in the shadow Cabinet, where can the other 78.4 per cent turn?"

Live blog of PMQs: Cameron focuses on measures to restore public trust in politicians

EDITORIAL VERDICT: "PMQs was a bit of a non-event today and the broadcasters have decided that the rooftop protest was more newsworthy.  Sky (above) had live 'Skycopter' images of the protest playing alongside pictures from inside the chamber.  BBC Online decided to lead on the PM's condemnation of the protest.  So who wins PMQs overall today?  The rooftop protestors."

Highlights, not verbatim:

12.18pm: Rob Wilson asks a question from the Tory backbenchers about record numbers of people wanting to leave Britain.  What is it about his Government that makes so many want to emigrate, he asks.  Brown doesn't answer properly but talks about global patterns of migration.

12.16pm: Nick Clegg asks a question about anti-depressant drugs but is ridiculed by the PM and Tory and Labour backbenchers for yesterday's pantomime walkout.

12.13pm: Gerald Kaufman wins the 'scraping-the-barrel-of-the-day' award by asking the PM to affirm the importance of visits to Auschwitz and urging condemnation of David Cameron for something of course he never said.

12.12pm: David Cameron says that PMQs are not a substitute for presidential debates.  Not enough people watch PMQs and many don't think much of proceedings, the Tory leader says.

How the EPP have shackled the Tories before (and how they intend to do so again)

EPP leaders are pressing David Cameron to reverse his commitment to take Conservative MEPs out of the Group.

At a meeting in Strasbourg last week, Frederik Reinfeldt, the Euro-fanatical Prime Minister of Sweden, spent hours in private discussions with the former EPP leader, and current President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Poettering.

Reinfeldt was in London yesterday to make his case. Poettering is following up today. Poettering is enough of a politician to understand that he cannot simply ask David Cameron to break his word. Instead, he is likely to propose some form of compromise. “By all means create your new group,” he will say, “but let’s not break off all relations. Surely there is a way for your group and the EPP to retain some kind of technical alliance in the European Parliament, even if only as a way to maximise our share of committee chairmanships and other posts”.

We can reasonably surmise that this will be the EPP’s argument, because they have used it before. When William Hague initially negotiated a new deal with the EPP in Málaga in 1999, the EPP promised to create an autonomous “European Democrats” bloc, which would be free to pursue Euro-sceptic policies while being allied with the EPP. Once Hague’s signature was on the agreement, the EPP dropped the whole notion, and carried on exactly as before, with the Conservatives as full members.

Conservatives visit Auschwitz and Birkenau

Nadine Dorries MP has been blogging and taking pictures of her visit today with Baroness Warsi, Eric Ollerenshaw, Andrew Robathan MP, amongst others.

It was planned before the silly hype about such trips supposedly being called gimmicks. Here are some highlights from each post:

• "I am leaving now after 1.5hrs sleep and I will get back home at midnight. If anyone calls this a ‘jolly’ I will flatten them... I will be blogging live with photographs once I arrive. As living witnesses diminish in numbers, it is important that others learn and tell the story of that terrible place."
• Mother's letter: "I am taking you, Mirele, to the back entrance of dear, brave Hermann's grocery and the child rescuers will be waiting there for you and the thirty two other children under the age of three. They'll inject you with a sedative so you won't cry and then they'll slip off in the pre-dawn with you - my life, my love, out of this barbaric country to safety..."
• "The feeling which overwhelms you, as you walk through the gate of Camp 1, is the desire to leave. I'm finding it difficult to write as this place leaves you stunned. I didn't want to go into the gas chamber, but of course I had to, I had a choice."
• "The Nazis then destroyed the cemetery, which in itself was symbolic, as in Judaism death is regarded as part of the cycle of life. The Nazis then lined the streets with the gravestones. No Jews live here now. The cemetery is locked overnight, since two swastikas were painted on the cemetery walls."
• "They were asked which of their children were aged over 14 - a mother's first instinct was to keep all her children together, so that she could look after them. She would tell the guards that children as old as 15, 16 and even 17, were under 14. All children under 14 went straight from the train in through the doors of the chamber."
• "Birkenau is vast, cold, oppressive and eerie. I want to leave now and come home - I have never been anywhere so depressing."
• Is this necessary or relevant after 60 years? Anti-Semitism is on the increase, even in England, with attacks on Jewish cemeteries reported regularly - denial of the Holocaust has become an almost accepted academic position.

Lord Forsyth backs ConservativeHome on public spending

Lord Forsyth, the man George Osborne appointed to run his Tax Commission in 2005, has backed ConservativeHome's campaign for tighter control of public spending.  Speaking to the IEA today Lord Forsyth, Former Scottish Secretary, has said that a slower rate of spending growth - 1.5%pa - would mean that all of his tax relief recommendations could be implemented over the course of a Parliament:

"Matching Labour’s plans to increase spending by 2.1 per cent a year in real terms for the next three years was a mistake, but one which the Conservative Party is unlikely to have to implement as the Prime Minister will almost certainly go to the wire before calling a General Election.  Far more important is whether any subsequent pledges to match the Government’s spending plans are made – if they are, they tie the Party into spending promises that could mean higher taxes or higher borrowing in a downturn.  It is not enough to pledge that things will improve over the course of an economic cycle.  If the next economic cycle lasts ten years like the last one, that is far too long to wait for the tax competitiveness that Britain’s economy so urgently needs.  The Institute of Directors has in previous Budget submissions called for total public spending to be increased by 1.5 per cent a year in real terms.  That would seem like a much more sensible target to aim for. It would be sufficient to allow all the Tax Reform Commission proposals to be implemented over a parliament, which on a static basis would have reduced tax revenue by £21 billion."

Download the full text of Lord Forsyth's IEA speech.

6.15pm: Iain Martin at Three Line Whip has also welcomed Lord Forsyth's intervention.

Could we get a referendum after all?

Nick Clegg has wanted to avoid a referendum on the EU Treatystution by saying that it would be more useful to have a vote on whether Britain should stay members of the European Union at all.  As Neil O'Brien explained earlier today - that really won't do.

Pro-referendum Labour MP Ian Davidson (pictured) is calling Mr Clegg's bluff.  He's written a letter to the LibDem leader inviting him to back an amendment that would give the British people a vote on Lisbon and on our whole membership of the EU.

By agreeing to such a vote Mr Clegg will reaffirm the 'Democracy' half of his party's title.  We need then the Tories to agree to the double vote and enough Labour rebels to honour their party's own pledge.

We're not holding our breath at ConservativeHome Towers but we're hoping...

Download PDF of full Ian Davidson letter.

5pm: The LibDems have walked out of the Commons after Mr Speaker blocked their in/out referendum amendment.  Neither Ben Brogan nor Pete Hoskin are impressed...

Ben Brogan: "he Lib Dems staged a protest over the Speaker's refusal to choose their amendment on an in-out EU referendum. Ed Davey protested and was expelled for his pains. After much rhubarb in defiance of the Chair, Nick Clegg led his troops from the Chamber, to laughter and jeers. Dep Speaker Michael Lord handled the stunt with a light touch. I sympathise with the Speaker: is the Lib Dem leader's internal difficulties on his referendum commitment really a matter for the Commons?"

Peter Hoskin: "I've been praiseworthy of Nick Clegg in the past.  But now he's shuttled from the sublime to the ridiculous at supersonic speed.  The problem is: I don't know whether he'll be able to find his way back."

Learning the right lessons from America

Over at Comment Central Danny Finkelstein is enthusing about the McCain campaign, the changing nature of the Republican Right and what it means for Britain.  There are always lessons we can learn from American politics but it is dangerous to import techniques and trends without thinking.

The Republican Party is having to change.  Three of its most potent issues - crime, tax and welfare - have been significantly 'retired'.  But they haven't been retired in Britain...

As we consider learning from America let's not forget those big differences.  We fear that Danny wants to take the very different position of US conservatives and impose the wrong lessons on British conservatives.  See this article from him: The Right Knows It's Wrong.

Here are three lessons that are worth learning, though...

1. The internet continues to mature as a political tool and UK politicians are ignorant of most of the possibilities.  See this from Robert Colvile.
2. Leading Republican thinkers like David Frum and Michael Gerson are urging their fellow conservatives to be less hostile to government.  We must remember we are the party of limited government, not antipathy to government.  [Related link: The era of big government conservatism?].
3. Green issues are now central stage in conservative politics and McCain and Cameron helped put them there.

ComRes gives Tories 11% lead

More tomorrow...

8.15am, 26/2:

Other findings from the poll as recorded in The Independent:

• "ComRes, formerly CommunicateResearch, puts the Tories ahead among every social class, including the bottom DE group in which Labour has recently held the advantage. Among the top AB group, the Tories enjoy a commanding lead – they are on 43 per cent to Labour's 24 per cent."
• "Mr Cameron's party holds the advantage over Labour in every region of Great Britain apart from Scotland. It has even edged one percentage point ahead in Labour's traditional heartland in the North, where jobs are likely to be lost at Northern Rock. In the South-east including London, the Tories (45 per cent) are well ahead of Labour (30 per cent), boosting their hopes that Boris Johnson will oust Ken Livingstone in May's election for London Mayor."
• "People who regard themselves as natural Tories are more loyal than those who identify with other parties. Some 94 per cent of Tory identifiers say they will support Mr Cameron's party. For Labour, the figure is 84 per cent."

Portillo's programme on Lady Thatcher

There's a programme on BBC4 tonight at 9pm entitled Portillo on Thatcher: The Lady's Not For Spurning. We'll be watching, if you are planning to too then do join the chatroom below to comment on it live.

51% agree that Brown is a ditherer

That's the good news from a Populus survey for BBC1's Daily Politics.  Asked if they agreed that the Prime Minister was 'indecisive' and a ditherer, 51% agreed and 38% disagreed.  That's a big victory for David Cameron and his repeated attempts at PMQs to paint Mr Brown as unable to take decisions.  For Mr Brown it's a big reversal from last summer when he was seen as strong and commanding.

The other Populus findings concern Northern Rock and they are less encouraging:

• Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling handled the Northern Rock crisis as well as they could under the circumstances... Agree 39%, Disagree 50%
• David Cameron and George Osborne would have handled the Northern Rock crisis better than the Government... Agree 28%, Disagree 52%
• I trust David Cameron and George Osborne more than I trust Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling to take the best decisions on tax and the economy... Agree 39%, Disagree 46%.

David Cameron pledges to vote for lower abortion limit

This morning's Daily Mail reveals that the Conservative leader will vote for an abortion limit of 20 or 21 weeks should there be an opportunity when the Commons debates the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill:

"I would like to see a reduction in the current limit, as it is clear that, due to medical advancement, many babies are surviving at 24 weeks."

24 weeks being the current abortion limit.  Michael Howard made a similar pledge in March 2005 when he was Tory leader.

Mr Cameron makes it clear, however, that the issue of abortion will remain a free vote in the Conservative Party with every MP, frontbencher and backbencher, able to choose which way that they will vote.

82% of Tory members recently told ConservativeHome that they supported the issue remaining a free vote.  59% agreed with Mr Cameron that the abortion time limit should be lower.

A lower time limit is just one of the legislative options for increasing protection of the unborn child.  Other options (summarised here) include tighter definition of handicap so that minor 'defects' cannot justify late abortions and a policy of fully-informed consent where women considering an abortion are given much more information.

Mr Cameron has previously made it clear that he also opposes euthanasia.

3pm: "Responding to the call, the prime minister's spokesman said the government had no plans to change the law: "He has always made clear that he thinks we should be guided by the best medical advice on this.  At the moment, the key organisations in the medical profession are not pressing for a review in this area.  For example, both the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists have said they do not believe there is a case for changing the time limits for abortion.  The government has no plans to change the law on abortion.''" (From ePolitix.com).

The politics of small promises

In his interview with yesterday's Telegraph William Hague was reported as saying that promising big is over-rated.

The politics of what might be called small promises is one of the persistent beliefs of Team Cameron.  Both Michael Gove and Oliver Letwin have expounded it.

The idea is a response to the lack of respect that most voters have for today's politicians.  Voters, the argument goes, won't believe big promises so it is better to promise a little in opposition and deliver more in government.  It's one of the big reasons why the tortoises are currently triumphing over the hares in deciding Tory strategy.

Like nearly all of the arguments between hares and tortoises the 'small promises argument' is reasonable enough but is it correct?  Do we overcome voter suspicion of politicians by shrinking ourselves to match voters' low expectations or do we find a way of reigniting their enthusiasm?

The politics of small promises may win over those individuals that are sure to vote (and are floating between the main parties) but will it work for the non-floating voters - those voters identified by Stephan Shakespeare as floating between voting and not voting at all?  Iain Martin is in pursuit of those forgotten voters in his Sunday Telegraph column.  He notes that millions of Britons have stopped voting and politicians are expending far too little effort in trying to decide how to win them back.  The forgotten voters have long been a concern of Norman Tebbit.

And there are very practical reasons why Conservatives cannot trust in the politics of small promises:

(1) We have an electoral mountain to climb because of the unfair distribution of seats and
(2) The fact that disillusioned Labour voters can choose the LibDems or can choose to abstain - instead of voting for us.

Dr David Green of Civitas has suggested that a preferable answer to the real problem of voter distrust is to present a compelling account of what is wrong with Britain.  What is wrong with the economy, for example, or education and welfare and then chart a way to solve the problems by pointing to other nations or cities where similar remedies have triumphed.  Zero tolerance policing in New York, for example, or Swedish school choice.

We are very much with David Green on this issue.  Voters are ready for some straight-talking from politicians.  We can't tackle every problem simultaneously but we might be surprised at the electorate's reaction to a political party that tells the truth.  Straight-talking certainly brought McCain's presidential bid back from the dead.  It might just be enough to give the Tories that elusive election-winning lead.

Time's up, Mr Speaker

"Times's up" was one of the familiar phrases of former Speaker, Betty Boothroyd.  It's time for Michael Martin to realise that time is up for his tenure as Speaker.

Here are the key reasons:

He favours the Labour Government: "Mr Martin has connived with the Labour leadership against both its own backbenchers and Opposition MPs. His rulings from the chair too often are fumbling, incoherent and often downright partisan. To give just one recent example, he bizarrely ruled out of order an amendment by Labour MPs calling for a referendum on the European constitution." (Telegraph)

His own ethical lapses: "Mr Martin has been forced to admit that he used air miles, accumulated when he flew at our expense, to fly seven members of his family on business-class trips from Glasgow to London for a New Year break.  And this is the man expected to ensure others behave honourably?" (Daily Mail)

His poor judgment: "Mr Martin chose to put the allowances inquiry in the hands of a committee, five of whose six members have come in for criticism over their own financial dealings. One of them even claimed £3,300 on his Commons expenses for a quad bike." (Daily Mail)

His delays to necessary reform: "Michael Martin faced down a plan for MPs to declare their spouses in the Register of Members of Interests, the Evening Standard is reporting.  Last week plans from Sir George Young (a contender to replace Martin) emerged for an 11th column for listing relatives enforced by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. These have been defeated because "pressure has been put on the standards and privileges committee to shelve the proposal so as not to upstage the Speaker's own report, due later this year." (RedBox, Times)

BBC is reporting tonight that the Speaker's spokesman has resigned after misleading a journalist at the Mail on Sunday about the Speaker's wife using taxis for shopping.  It is increasingly clear that a new Speaker - someone with the moral authority, for example, of Sir George Young - is needed to help restore the standing of MPs and Parliament.

7.15pm: Over at CentreRight Conor Burns wants MPs to be more active in ending Michael Martin's tenure.

Hague: America needs to restore its moral authority in the world

William Hague has given an interview for today's Telegraph and has called for a restoration of America's moral authority.  The call is enthusiastically endorsed by The Telegraph's leader-writers.

His remarks come at the end of a week in which Britain's view of America has taken another battering.  Foreign Secretary David Miliband had to apologise to the House of Commons after US authorities revealed that British sovereign territory had facilitated extraordinary rendition.

Okay then: What should America do to restore its standing in the world?

300 Labour members set to defect to Derby Tories?

That is what the Derby Telegraph is reporting:

"Tories in Derby claim 300 Labour members in the city are to defect to their party tonight.  They are confident the mass defection will take place and are bringing party chairman Caroline Spellman MP to the city to welcome them.  It follows frustrations within the Asian community about the de-selection of popular Sinfin councillor Hardial Dhamrait.  Asian community leaders also say they are disillusioned with Labour policies and are no longer prepared to offer the party the unquestioning support it has traditionally received from their fathers and grandfathers."

ConservativeHome has spoken to Cllr Richard Smalley of Derby Conservatives and he has confirmed that the broad outline of the story is true.  He told ConservativeHome that there were serious tensions within Derby Labour - partly because of the establishment's "dictatorial" manner.  He dismissed the idea that there was something unbelievable or suspicious about mass defections of this kind.   He said that there had been extensive discussions between Derby Conservatives and a large number of the individuals that were defecting.  The defectors could have chosen the Liberal Democrats but had made a very considered decision to join the Tories.

This is a developing story.  ConservativeHome has contacted CCHQ for their view and we will be asking if our party needs to enact similar procedures as Labour enacted some years ago to combat entryism - whereby large numbers of individuals are signed up to join local parties but are not necessarily fully committed to the Conservative Party.

Hat-tip: WestBrom blog.

4.20pm: A Tory spokesman has supplied this statement to ConservativeHome: "Under David Cameron's leadership more and more people who previously may not have felt inclined to support our party are now coming to help us make the changes our country needs. Attracting new or lapsed supporters is vital in helping us win the next election.  Responsibility initially rests with the local association to consider each membership application and in most cases they do so very effectively.  However if the party had concerns about a particular aspect of an association, including membership, it can get involved from the centre."

25th February: Derby Telegraph report offers conflicting reports on numbers of defectors.  One suggestion is that the number of defectors may be as low as 25, another closer to 200.

Blogosphere reaction to CCHQ's Auschwitz gaffe

Earlier today CCHQ emailed out a list of "gimmicks" associated with Gordon Brown's time as PM:

1. Community kitty for every neighbourhood
2. Funding for flooding
3. Honours for sportsmen
4. Trips to Auschwitz
5. New Border Police
6. Reversing 24-hour drinking policy
7. Police to confiscate alcohol from teens
8. Titan prisons
9. Prison ships
10. Engaging the public in policy making
11. 1,300 new train carriages
12. Protecting Public Spaces against terrorist attacks
13. British jobs for British workers
14. Deep Cleaning of hospitals
15. NHS constitution
16. Screening tests: cervical cancer
17. Screening tests: C.difficile
18. 1,000 troops home before Christmas
19. Deportation of foreign nationals
20. Inheritance Tax
21. Tenants forced to work
22. Five hours of culture a week
23. Netball to be introduced for the 2012 Olympics
24. Migrant Charges
25. Knife Scanners
26. Petition plans.

Spot the problem?  Yep.  Number 4 on the list.  Here's what the blogosphere is saying...

YouGov confirms disappointing week for George Osborne

A new YouGov survey for The Economist confirms that the gains made by the Tories at the end of last year are being eroded a little.  The party is 6% ahead according to YouGov and 5% ahead in ConservativeHome's poll of polls.  The average lead was 7.2% at the end of December.

Further to Populus for The Times, YouGov finds that Northern Rock has not been disastrous for Labour.  Only 5% blame the Government most of all for the bank's difficulties although a small majority (51%) think that the Government's handling has been poor or awful.  21% think the Tories would have handled Northern Rock better, 16% say worse.  47% think things would have been pretty much the same whoever had been in office.  59% think that the Tories were playing politics in opposing nationalisation.  29% of YouGov's sample of more than 2,000 voters thought the Tory opposition was genuine.

The Tory leadership will be disappointed with these numbers.  On Sunday George Osborne declared that Labour's reputation for economic competence had died.  The next day, appearing in a wood-panelled venue, Cameron and Osborne invited comparisons to Britain's exit from the ERM and called for Darling to be fired and the whole government reconstructed.  Many of the journalists thought that the two most powerful figures in the Conservative Party had overdone it.  One told ConservativeHome that they were being too political and insufficiently serious.  This impression wasn't helped by George Osborne joking about Channel 4's news budget during the press conference.  Try serious, serious, serious in future George when people's mortgages and shares are at risk.  Ben Brogan and Peter Riddell have both reached similar conclusions today about the Tory handling of the last five days.

There are real concerns about George Osborne's tendency to be too political.  We referred to them on 1st January.  But, in his defence, the Shadow Chancellor got the big judgment right: to oppose nationalisation.  The nationalisation of Northern Rock may not have had a dramatic impact on Labour's standing but there is likely to be a steady drip, drip, drip of bad new stories over coming months.  As an opponent of nationalisation, unlike Vince Cable (who Fraser Nelson praises a little too much here), the Conservatives are better positioned to exploit those stories.

There are only 21 places left in Britain's prisons

"A man murdered his girlfriend after he was released early from prison to ease overcrowding.  Andrew Mournian had already served five jail terms when he was jailed for 20 weeks for attacking Amanda Murphy.  But eight weeks into that sentence, he joined the roll-call of 11,000 other inmates given their freedom early.  And five days later he beat Miss Murphy so badly that the mother-of-two died in hospital of her injuries."

That story appeared in the Daily Mail last December.  Amanda Murphy is just one of the victims of Labour's failure to provide enough prison places to maintain public safety.

We learn today that there are just 21 places left in Britain's prisons (total capacity c82,000).  Justice Secretary Jack Straw's response is to urge magistrates to send fewer people to prison.

This combination of increasing the number of non-custodial sentences and early release is unacceptable to Nick Herbert, Tory spokesman.  He issued this statement last night:

"Only weeks after a National Audit Office report revealed that offenders are let off community sentences when they lie in, Jack Straw is yet again desperately trying to persuade magistrates to use these weak alternatives for repeat or serious offenders when justice demands a custodial sentence.  Victims of crime will be outraged at the suggestion that criminals should be spared jail simply because of this Government's incompetence in failing to provide sufficient prison places.  It would be quite wrong for the Government to extend its early release scheme which has already seen almost 20,000 prisoners freed onto the streets and a murder committed.  The prisons are literally full, but instead of doing its duty and securing emergency capacity to protect the public, the Government's response is to give criminals a break.  This Government's catastrophic mismanagement of prisons cannot continue. In place of panic measures it is time for a new approach to break the cycle of re-offending and re-build confidence in the penal system."

Home Office research (cited by Civitas) suggests that "the average prisoner admitted committing 140 crimes in the year before capture."  That means, on average, that the incarceration of every 100 criminals avoids 14,000 crimes.  That's why, as Michael Howard once said, prison works.

The Tories were due to unveil prison reform plans this week but our understanding is that they have been rescheduled because of Northern Rock.