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Thursday 15th May 2008

10.30pm: Chatroom now live for Question Time

8.30pm PlayPolitical video: Gasp! Obama has to apologise after calling female reporter "sweetie"

4.15pm: Coffee House are inviting people to come up with ideas for a Cameron version of this McCain ad.

3pm ToryDiary: Scottish Tories lead calls for inquiry into last night's violence in Manchester

12.30pm CentreRight selections:

• Greg Hands MP argues that "Brown's fingerprints all over Labour's 'disgusting' campaign in Crewe & Nantwich"
• Tim Montgomerie highlights an article from Peter Oborne that documents the "electoral genocide" being waged by Robert Mugabe but politicians who promise to 'go through the UN' are deceiving their voters, he writes.

10.45am ToryDiary: Liam Fox is leader of the Right within shadow cabinet

Parliament: Increases in Vehicle Excise Duty are a "ticking time bomb" under Labour MPs warns Philip Hammond MP

Mark Wadsworth on Platform makes A Case for Legalising Cannabis: "If a main aim of the War On Drugs is improving the UK's physical health, why not reclassify hamburgers as a Class C substance and punish failure to attend the gym' daily with five years in prison?"  He argues that a legalised cannabis would raise £1.5bn a year for the taxpayer; enough to fund serious drug education and rehab programmes.

PlayPolitical video:

• The Tories are only doing well because Gordon Brown is so dreadful says Simon Heffer
• John Edwards endorses Barack Obama (but the Obama-supporting crowd jeer when John Edwards offers praise to Hillary Clinton)

Today's must-read

"A truly nasty party" - Left-wing commentator John Harris attacks Labour's Crewe campaign, Guardian

Economy is key to revival of Gordon Brown's fortunes - Peter Riddell in The Times

• The Independent summarises the PM's draft agenda
• The Sun welcomes much of it
• "Just what can Mr Brown, the great architect of massive public spending, do to reduce the size of the state? Judging by yesterday, it doesn't seem to be even on the agenda." - Daily Mail leader

Tory government would find role for Labour minister who was architect of Academy Schools

"I don't want to embarrass [Lord Adonis] and make his position more difficult but I know David Cameron would be happy to have him serving as a minister provided he left the Labour Party, or carrying on in some role [if he did not]. My view is we want talented people who want the best for this country and Andrew Adonis is one of them." - Michael Gove quoted in The Independent | More in The Times

Conservatives to order scruffy teachers to smarten up - The Sun

Tories promise to end health and safety "nonsense" that hinders the police

"Police will be made to put protecting the public ahead of their own personal safety under Conservative plans due to be announced today. Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said the law would be revised to end the "nonsense" of health and safety rules which lead to "overly-cautious" or "defensive" policing." - Daily Mail

Nicholas Soames MP gets a two-month driving ban for taking friends on 'dangerous' quad-bike ride - Daily Mail

Watch Mr Soames' ride here | The ban is a waste of police time, blogs Donal Blaney

Sir Robert Atkins MEP to sue News of the World

"North West MEP, Sir Robert Atkins, who lives in Garstang, said he would be taking legal action in the wake of a story published in the News of the World on Sunday." - Lancashire Evening Post

John Rentoul: Cameron hasn't stood up for the poor

"One of the explicit claims of Cameron's statement of values, which his party members endorsed in a ballot, was: "The right test for our policies is how they help the most disadvantaged in society, not the rich." That was a test that Cameron failed, because he did not come up with any policies to help the losers from the abolition of the 10p tax rate. He and the Tory modernisers say the right things, but they have not backed them up with the hard policy work that is required. Labour's record on poverty has its flaws, which Cameron is sharp enough to identify. But he hasn't yet proposed an alternative approach." - John Rentoul in The Independent

The TaxPayers' Alliance attack Commons rules after Speaker's wife gets green light to fetch shopping in taxpayer-funded taxis - BBC

Labour MP mentions death threats as contributor to descision to step down - BBC

Regulator calls for part privatisation of the Post Office - BBC

And finally...

LibDem Julia Goldsworthy calls for Secretary of State for Culture "to put pressure on the owners of Facebook to grant Cornwall network region status" - Hansard

Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary and visit PoliticsHome.com for breaking political news and views throughout the day.

Wednesday 14th May 2008

8.15pm ToryDiary: The "nice decade" is over

5pm ToryDiary: Boris Johnson resumes his Telegraph column

4.15pm ToryDiary: Still governing by proxy

2.45pm Parliament: David Cameron's Commons response to Gordon Brown's statement on draft Queen's Speech

ALERT: LORD LAWSON ON FIVE LIVE NOW DISCUSSING GLOBAL WARMING !!! (We'll try and get a link to the audio of this thirty minute interview later).

1.30pm Seats and candidates: LibDems abandon Crewe for Henley

1pm Seats and candidates: Seven (mainly plum) seats start selecting

LIVE PMQs BLOG FROM NOON

11.45am PlayPolitical musical video: There's a hole in my Budget, dear Gordon, dear Gordon...

10.45am ToryDiary: Senior Tories promise to vote for lower abortion limit

10am PlayPolitical: Watch Labour's Crewe candidate repeatedly refuse to say if Gordon Brown is an asset to her campaign

Matthew Elliott on Platform: Twice in eight months, the tax burden has been centre stage in British politics

Tim Montgomerie on CentreRight: Imagine the Tories losing Kensington & Chelsea... that's what happened to the Republicans last night.

Two PlayPolitical videos:

• The real Boris tells the Equality Commission that he's a bit Turkish, a bit Russian, a bit German, a bit Jewish (he also uses the interview to tell an Evening Standard writer to "bog off").
• Rory Bremner's Boris appears on Britain's Got Talent

Reaction to Darling's £2.7bn announcement on 10p tax band

"Crude, simple and costly, yesterday's tax cut epitomises the brand of economic populism that Mr Brown has, over two decades, defined himself against." - Guardian leader

"In policy terms, the plan to put up personal allowances makes sense. Allowances are the best way to direct help towards the worst-off. The £600 increase should mean that four in five households hurt by the abolition of the 10p rate will be compensated in full: the remaining one-fifth will see at least half their loss made up. Meanwhile, the lowering of the threshold at which the higher rate of 40 per cent kicks in means that those on higher incomes are unaffected." - FT leader

"Last Friday we urged Alistair Darling to introduce a mini-budget and increase personal tax allowances so that people are left with more of their own money to spend. Yesterday, the Chancellor obliged and for that deserves congratulations.' - Telegraph leader

"Other countries, including Spain and the U.S, are splashing out tens or hundreds of billions to try to kick-start their economies.  Indeed, the British move may even be seen as long overdue.  The danger, of course, is that this mini-budget will further fuel inflation, which showed an alarming surge in the official figures published yesterday.  That is why it is vital that the Government keeps the lid on public sector pay rises." - Daily Mail leader

Gordon Brown to set out his plans for the next year - BBC

"House prices are set to fall by 5 to 10 per cent "at best" this year – but ministers have no idea how badly the market could slump, according to confidential cabinet documents accidentally revealed by the Housing minister, Caroline Flint." - Independent

A welcome for Tory plans for small business

"Business welcomed Tory plans unveiled on Tuesday to simplify radically the £2.5bn ($4.8bn)-a-year “out of control” system of business support and appoint a small business minister reporting direct to the prime minister." - FT

Cameron: PM has lost Scotland and is putting the UK at risk - Herald

Bendy Wendy is forced to bend again on an independence referendum - Scotsman

Simon Heffer: "Mr Cameron is not a Conservative, and certainly not a Tory"

Simon Heffer lists opposition to grammar schools, support for Labour spending plans and weakness on tax as supporting evidence for his belief - Telegraph

The implications of Labour losses on Welsh councils are discussed in the Western Mail.

The Liberal Democrats select a non-local for Henley - Liberal Democrat website

Jonathan Isaby notes how they dumped a local councillor to put the new candidate in place.

Cherie Blair: 'Tony's heart sank at Bush election win' - Times

"Cherie Blair should be "ashamed of herself" for dredging up David Kelly's suicide while promoting her memoirs, the scientist's family said yesterday." - Daily 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.

Tuesday 13th May 2008

7.15pm PlayPolitical videos: Alistair Darling explains policy shift to Adam Boulton, Frank Field apologises to Brown for allowing his 10p campaign to become personal

6.45pm ToryDiary: Eric Pickles says voters in Crewe have seen straight through "this bribe"

3.45pm ToryDiary: Darling raises tax allowances to compensate 10p tax victims

3pm ToryDiary: The leaders of 'The Right'

Noon on CentreRight: Behind a BNP vote

11.45am CentreRight: Andrew Haldenby reviews the main themes of Nick Herbert's speech on public reform

11am ToryDiary: Boris more popular than Dave

11am CentreRight: Andrew Lilico reacts to the increase in inflation to 3%

Seats and candidates: Tory campaign in Crewe emphasises tax and soaring living costs

Local government: Slough was one of the few good stories for Labour on 1st May but the new Labour group has self-destructed and handed power back to the Conservatives.

CentreRight: Greg Hands MP exposes the "Immigration chaos" in Britain

Charles Tannock MEP on Platform: In defence of PR for European elections

The left-wing internet campaign, MoveOn.org, invited US citizens to make thirty second videos extolling Barack Obama.  The best ideas have recently been published.  Watch them here.

Although she mentions the next primary states, this 'Thank you' video from Hillary Clinton is leading people to think the former First Lady may be about to drop out of the race.

Also on PlayPolitical: John McCain produces a video that offers a third way between those who deny climate change and those who advocate a heavy-handed approach to remedying it.  Conservative bloggers question McCain spending his limited resources on such ads that do not appeal to his base.

Cameron attacks Labour's top-down government in speech to CPRE

Full speech on conservatives.com

"David Cameron hit out at regional development agencies, the “inadequate regulation” of supermarket chains and the “big-is-beautiful” approach to public sector reform in a speech on Monday that will revive business unease about the Conservative agenda." - FT

Bar lesbians from IVF treatment in absence of father figure, say Tories

"Lesbian couples should be blocked from having IVF treatment unless they agree that a father figure would be involved in the upbringing of their child, the Tories said yesterday." - Guardian

"Andrew Lansley, the shadow health secretary, told MPs on Monday he would seek to make it easier for women to have an abortion at an early stage, while lowering the time limit for late procedures." - Telegraph

“Giving barely three hours to consider the principle of human admixed embryos, saviour siblings and whether we need a father ... surely that is bringing Parliament into disrepute.” - David Burrowes MP quoted in The Times

BBC accused of wasting millions on props, costumes and catering

A committee of MPs chaired by Edward Leigh MP finds the BBC wasting millions of pounds every year because of a confusing procurement system - Guardian

National school tests are distorting children's education - Sky

Ministers round on Frank Field - BBC | Listen to Frank Field's attack on Brown

After Ed Balls' attacks on Frank Field, the Daily Mail talks abour "civil war" inside Labour.

The Financial Times launches full attack on the Prescott-Cherie "nobody" diaries

"One cannot but admire the hypocrisy of Mrs Blair and Mr Prescott. A woman who fiercely defended her children’s rights to privacy while her husband was prime minister now mentions the death of an unborn child. Her youngest son will struggle to live down the toe-curling revelation that he was conceived at Balmoral, the Queen’s summer holiday residence. Mr Prescott, in office, repeatedly attacked the media for its accounts of cabinet bickering. But his own depiction of the relationship between Mr Blair and Gordon Brown – Prezza – My Story: Pulling No Punches – is calculated to generate the same headlines." - FT leader

Robert Harris blames Tony Blair for Labour's woes: "The fact that Blair isn't around to take part in the fight over Labour's future starts to look less like a gesture of unity and more like a dereliction of duty: a symptom of the selfishness and indifference to others that have always been the least attractive marks of his personal and political style." - Guardian

Why did the people of Maltby in Yorkshire swing to the BNP?  The Independent investigates.

Loss of God is making us miserable says report from Christian MPs

"The authors claim everyone's wellbeing would improve if Christian values were taken more seriously in society. Gary Streeter, a Conservative MP and a member of the working party, said: "I think many policymakers sense these things, but don't know what to do about it. "The faith communities have a great opportunity to lead here, but only if they stop carping and being against everything and start to be more positive. It is as much a message to the faith communities as other opinion formers.""- Telegraph 

Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary and visit PoliticsHome.com for breaking political news and views throughout the day.

Monday 12th May 2008

8.30pm ToryDiary: Right?

5pm PlayPolitical video: Is this the maddest political YouTube? Watch the English Democrats' Crewe and Nantwich video.

3pm Ben Rogers on Platform: We have a “responsibility” to “protect” in Burma

2.15pm Seats and candidates: Another Labour MP quits

2pm Seats and candidates: Statement from Sir Robert Atkins MEP in response to News of the World story

10am ToryDiary: Labour should keep Brown in place

9.30am CentreRight: Graeme Archer notes research that shows that Tories spend less council taxpayers' money on "free"newspapers but that they are effective in helping incumbents.

Seats and candidates: Even Labour activists are disowning their party's campaign in Crewe

David Eyles on Platform: Is food security incompatible with a free a market?

PlayPolitical video: ITV's Headcases' treatment of the Tories is more savage than funny 

Why do we have fewer by-elections these days? - Peter Riddell in The Times

Will Cameron offer the same strong sense of direction that characterised Margaret Thatcher's 1979 manifesto?

"There is a myth around that her 1979 manifesto was not especially robust. It is certainly an interesting document in retrospect. The section on Europe which condemned the “obstructive and malevolent attitude” of some in the Labour Cabinet towards Brussels and which calls for a common EU foreign policy is ironic. The core of it, however, is unambiguous. It stated “we shall cut income tax at all levels”. It noted that: “Any future government which sets out honestly to reduce inflation and taxation will have to make substantial economies, and there should be no doubt about our intention to do so.” It was scathing about the nationalised industries and there were more words devoted to reducing the power of the trade unions than any other subject. Although the Tory majority that year was not vast (43), it had immense authority behind it to introduce necessary reforms." - Tim Hames in The Times 

But Max Hastings, in The Guardian, thinks that the Tories are offering enough policy beef: "Since the local elections, there have been blasts of media hot air about the Tories' need to strengthen policy commitments, to underpin their image-making with substance. This seems otiose. The opposition has produced policies on the issues about which the public cares most - rescuing education, capping immigration, curbing benefit fraud, reforming sentencing. Rather than threaten radical change, for which there is little public appetite, the Tories promise competent administration, for which there is an intense hunger."

> Yesterday's ToryDiary looked at six predictors of what we can expect a Cameron premiership to be like

Two political lists: The Western Mail draws up a fantasy Cabinet listing the best Welsh politicians of all time and The Telegraph lists the top fifty influences on David Cameron

Johann Hari questions David Cameron's claim to be a progressive - Independent

Brown set to outline the need to reform social care for ageing population - BBC

William Hague criticises Gordon Brown's decision to meet the Dalai Lama away from Downing Street - Times

A review of 'Squandered' - Trevor Kavanagh in The Sun

End City tax loopholes, says Clegg - FT

Families need £1,000 more just to put food on the table - Daily Mail

George W Bush's daughter gets married - Story and photographs at NYTimes.com

From Seats and candidates: News of the World launches attack on "greedy" Tory MEPs

ToryDiary: A review of Boris Johnson's impressive first week and Michael Forsyth calls for a referendum on the future of the Union next May

Louise Bagshawe on CentreRight: Frank Field MP threatens Gordon Brown with a no confidence motion

Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary and visit PoliticsHome.com for breaking political news and views throughout the day.

Sunday 11th May 2008

8.30pm: Over at WebCameron David Cameron reviews his conversations with members of London's Burma community, from a little earlier today.

7.45pm ToryDiary: What will a Cameron premiership be like?

6pm PlayPolitical video: Sky News notes how autobiographies from Cherie Blair, Lord Levy and John Prescott are only compounding the Prime Minister's difficulties

Noon ToryDiary: England and Scotland should vote on the future of the Union in May 2009, says Lord Forsyth

Seats and candidates: News of the World attacks "greedy" Tory MEPs

Oberon Houston on Platform: A vision for Britain

Simon Chapman on CentreRight: Labour plays the race card in Crewe

Tories are 4% ahead in Crewe by-election

"The Tories are poised to achieve their first parliamentary by-election gain since the heyday of Margaret Thatcher, dealing a hammer blow to Gordon Brown's hopes of survival... The ICM survey for The Mail on Sunday puts the Tories on 43 per cent with Labour trailing on 39 – a dramatic ten per cent swing in the Cheshire constituency since the last General Election." - Mail on Sunday

> How you can help deliver Tory victory

Brown's ratings collapse in PoliticsHome.com survey of 5,000 voters

"Respect for Gordon Brown has dropped so calamitously that only one in five voters now reckons the Prime Minister is doing a good job while three-quarters of them think he is doing a bad one... It is not just the depth of this collapse that is stunning. It is the sheer width of it, the comprehensive shattering of his reputation in all the areas that matter to the public. On every leadership quality that is important, the Prime Minister is now regarded less favourably than David Cameron... The brutal but inescapable truth revealed by this survey is that the voters do not want to change anything about Gordon Brown. They want to change absolutely everything." - Andrew Rawnsley in The Observer

There is much more about this new opinion tracker at PoliticsHome.com.

Boris Johnson accused of hiring mates

The Sunday Times profiles 'Team Boris'

Member of Boris' financial audit committee predicts savings of tens of millions of pounds - Sunday Telegraph

Brian Paddick's farcical London campaign diary - Mail on Sunday

...And - it's proving to be a Mirror speciality - the red top accuses Boris of cycling through red lights...

"The blundering Tory zipped through SIX red lights, one pedestrian crossing and cycled on the pavement - on his 20-minute journey to and from work." - Sunday MIrror

Another day, another Labour autobiography bashing Brown

"Brown was “frustrating, annoying, bewildering and prickly”. He sulked so often during meetings that they had to be abandoned. On other occasions he could “go off like a bloody volcano”." - The Sunday Times serialises John Prescott's account of tensions between Blair and Brown

"John Prescott urged Tony Blair to sack Gordon Brown as chancellor when tensions ran high after their frequent rows," - Independent on Sunday

And there's one very good reason why all the memoirs are being published now: "Cherie surely shares the Blairite view – even if her husband's opinion remains inscrutable – that Brown's chances of leading the party into the next election are no better than 50-50. Best to publish now before her account becomes the dry-as-dust history of two prime ministers ago. That is her book's most wounding judgement about her husband's rival and successor." - John Rentoul in The Independent on Sunday

Labour MPs launch rival attempt to cut abortion limit - The Sunday Telegraph

Wendy Alexander ordered by Brown to shut up about independence vote - Scotland on Sunday

Controversial Scottish plans to decriminalise sex for 13 to 15 year-olds - The Herald

And finally...

Michael and Sandra Howard appear on ITV1's revival of Mr & Mrs (but get most questions about each other wrong) - The Sunday Times

Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary and visit PoliticsHome.com for breaking political news and views throughout the day.

Saturday 10th May 2008

8.45pm: ICM poll puts Tories 4% ahead of Labour in Crewe and Nantwich - Iain Dale and UK Polling Report

7pm Louise Bagshawe on CentreRight: Frank Field threatens Brown with "no confidence"

3.30pm Seats and candidates: Labour MP Chris Mullin MP quits in face of the Tories' 'Sunderland surge'

1.15pm Seats and candidates video: Meet Edward Timpson MP... the next Conservative MP for Crewe and Nantwich?

ToryDiary: Boris' first week

Neil Reddin on Platform: Shifting the centre rightwards

Martin Parsons on CentreRight: A Conservative government should...replace the term 'Islamophobia' with 'Muslimophobia'

PlayPolitical video: McCain says it's "nonsense" that he didn't vote for George W Bush

Nick Clegg calls for aid to be parachuted into Burma

"The Lib Dem leader told BBC Radio 4's The World at One: "I think the time is now coming, drawing very close to taking the most drastic step of all, which is dropping aid directly into Burma, irrespective of the wishes of the Burmese regime.  "This, of course, in practical terms is not an ideal solution because you're dropping aid from the air, it doesn't guarantee it gets to the people who need it.  "But I think it would be an important step to show that the international community is simply not going to stand idly by."" - BBC

John Redwood blogs that only negotiation will succeed in bringing aid to the stricken.

News from Crewe and Nantwich

"Gordon Brown has been warned that "class war" attacks on the Tories are backfiring.  Senior ministers are said to be dismayed over attempts to mock the Conservative candidate in the upcoming Crewe by-election for being a "toff."  Labour activists, dressed in top hats and tails, have been sent to shadow Edward Timpson - son of John Timpson, the founder of the key- cutting chain - on the campaign trail." - Daily Mail

The Independent finds Labour supporters in open revolt.

Jonathan Isaby notes the Tory strategy of getting out their vote in Nantwich and outlying areas.

> Click here if you can join other ConservativeHome readers on Sunday 18th May for an action day in Crewe.

An overview of David Cameron's week - Rosa Prince in The Telegraph

Greg Clark MP highlights doubling of 'garden-grabbing' in last decade - Daily Mail

New Tory councillor resigns over allegations he lied about cancer - Guardian

Brown and Cameron both opt for state schools - Scotsman

Peter Oborne: Does Cameron understand that politics has changed?

"Voters have woken up to the fact that the Clinton governing method, as adapted by Tony Blair and now attempted by Gordon Brown, doesn't work. They have lost faith with the recycled initiatives, the bogus announcements and the structural dishonesty.  If Cameron carries on with this flawed methodology, he may win office at the next election, but he will ultimately fail in government." - Peter Oborne in The Daily Mail

Jon Cruddas MP warns that Labour is being 'out-thought' by David Cameron

"Labour must re-establish its belief in equality. Equality is the moral standard of fraternity. It is the ethical core of social justice. It holds that each person is irreplaceable and of equal worth. As the dust settles on these elections, Labour needs to rediscover its soul." - Guardian

Unhappy Labour supporters let rip on party website - Independent

Peter Hyman suggests Gordon Brown makes David Miliband his Chancellor - Times

Serialisation of Cherie Blair's autobiography begins in The Times

"Tony Blair would have resigned ahead of the 2005 general election if Gordon Brown had not dragged his feet over the pace and direction of public service reform, Cherie Blair claims today.  In an interview with the former premier's wife which accompanies extracts from her forthcoming memoirs, she also says Blair is advising Brown on how to win the next election, and she says Blair believes Brown can beat David Cameron." - Guardian

"The former Prime Minister’s wife tells how Mr Blair had a “crisis of confidence” over the Iraq war and feared that he had become an electoral liability.  But he decided to stay and fight for his domestic legacy because Mr Brown was “rattling the keys above his head”." - Telegraph

Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary and visit PoliticsHome.com for breaking political news and views throughout the day.

Friday 9th May 2008

7.30pm PlayPolitical video: John McCain's 'Happy Mother's Day' message

3.45 PlayPolitical: Cameron tells Bob Geldof and the IoD that change is possible, and tours the BackBoris call centre

3.30pm CentreRight selections: Peter Cuthbertson notes that Americans are advocating Boris as President; Peter Franklin fears the Union is doomed if bendy Wendy is its cheerleader and, more seriously, Andrew Lilico discusses regulatory impact assessments.

12.15pm Seats and candidates: CCHQ mustn't delay Henley by-election

Noon ToryDiary: 'New Labour has already won the next election'

Seats and candidates: Fancy a coach trip to Crewe and Nantwich?

Daniel Kawczynski MP on Platform: Conservatives should abolish Proportional Representation for GLA and EU elections

ToryDiary: Tory MPs queue up to offer Brown some advice

Tim Montgomerie on CentreRight: Portillo didn't vote for Boris

A YouGov poll for The Sun gives the Conservatives a 26% lead

Yesterday evening's ToryDiary has more.

"Labour has almost no representation in the south after it lost Reading council. [John] Denham called the fight to win back support in the south "crucial"." - Telegraph | Denham writes for The Guardian

Britain needs an emergency tax-cutting budget - Telegraph leader

David Cameron: Conservatives are the champions of progressive ideals

"A painful reality is dawning on Labour MPs: in its longest unbroken period in office, Labour has done little to advance progressive ideals. A government that promised social justice and economic efficiency has in fact delivered neither, to the dismay of the Labour Party. Instead, it is the Conservative Party that is the champion of progressive ideals in Britain today."- The Conservative leader writing for The Independent

Cameron appoints close friend to be new Tory CEO

"Andrew Feldman, currently a deputy treasurer, will take charge of the party’s national headquarters from July, The Times has learnt. The Tory leader is thought to have assured Caroline Spelman, the party chairman, that she will retain control of the voluntary sector and candidates and that Mr Feldman will report to her." - Telegraph

Networked from birth - John Harris looks at the high number of privately-educated Tory frontbenchers, Guardian

News from the Mayor's office

Boris Johnson to meet New York Mayor, Michael Bloomberg - BBC

Guto Harri to be Boris' communications chief - ToryDiary

"The transition is being handled by Nick Boles, the urbane former head of the Policy Exchange think tank and a dead cert to be a Cameron Cabinet minister. He's assisted by a canny Australian, James McGrath, who has toiled away at Central Office. They will keep Boris on the straight and narrow and ensure that his orders are carried out to the letter. Both have the steel needed to charm, and, where necessary, confront." - Iain Dale in The Telegraph

The Guardian profiles Ray Lewis, Boris Johnson's deputy mayor

The party needs to put itself at the forefront of a progressive alliance that can inspire the electorate - Ken Livingstone writing in The Guardian

Alex Salmond offers Commons pact to Conservatives - Herald

Brown furious as ITV asks about sick son - Independent

Gordon Brown's £1bn boost to Ulster - Telegraph

Driving and cheap flights mean that Britain's carbon footprint is rising - Times


Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary and visit PoliticsHome.com for breaking political news and views throughout the day. 

Thursday 8th May 2008

LIVE CHATROOM NOW ONLINE

9pm ToryDiary: Guto Harri to be Boris' communications chief

7.45pm ToryDiary: YouGov puts Conservatives 26% ahead

5pm PlayPolitical video: Watch Alex Salmond get the better of Wendy Alexander at Scottish First Minister's Questions  

3.30pm ToryDiary: Cameron presses Brown again on his split with Wendy Alexander

1pm ToryDiary: Boris launches full audit of City hall finances

Noon ToryDiary: Tories relaunch promise to abolish stamp duty for most first-time buyers

Dominic Grieve QC MP on Platform: Is "Britishness" useful or redundant?

ToryDiary: Labour's Scottish nightmare

Parliament: David Cameron initiates Westminster Hall debate on flooding

PlayPolitical videos:

• Michael Gove tells Telegraph TV that the party has big ideas on crime, families, schools and welfare
• Clinton's Communications Director explains why Hillary is fighting on

Telegraph and Mail welcome tougher classification of cannabis and Boris' booze ban

Gordon Brown made a brave and justified decision on cannabis - Daily Mail leader

"For more than four decades, social liberalism has had a largely unfettered run in this country. The tilt towards permissiveness which began during Roy Jenkins's tenure at the Home Office in the mid-Sixties has largely shaped the way we live... Yesterday, two things happened that may just start to turn that tide..." - Telegraph leader

"Recognising that downgrading cannabis was a mistake is a step towards mending Broken Britain." - Sun Says

> Video: RMT union leader mocks Boris' public transport booze ban

> Video: Home Secretary Jacqui Smith tells the Commons why she is toughening the classification of cannabis

> ToryDiary: Boris moves quickly to impose alcohol ban on London's tube and buses

> Peter Franklin: Who decided to downgrade cannabis in the first place?

Boris promises to give crime maps to Neighbourhood Watch groups - Guardian

 George Osborne backs Telegraph petition against new motoring taxes - Telegraph

What should David Cameron do next?

In an article for The Telegraph Iain Martin advices David Cameron to present a balanced team, not just Etonians; against premature triumphalism; and of conducting themselves ethically as money starts moving again to the Conservatives

ConservativeHome Editor Tim Montgomerie argues for measures to 'lock in the base', reach into Labour's heartland and create an online supporters' base - The Guardian

Labour is £20m in red and its lenders are due to be repaid - FT

Mandelson: Scrapping 10p band was "very big mistake" - BBC

Peter Riddell examines latest Populus poll's findings on tax - Times

MPs spend £100,000 to keep expenses secret - Telegraph

 What if Scotland did become independent? - Andrew Roberts looks forward to 2025 in the Daily Mail

MPs attack "inept" handling of junior doctors recruitment crisis - BBC


Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary and visit PoliticsHome.com for breaking political news and views throughout the day.