Newslinks for Sunday 3rd June 2012

6.45pm WATCH: Who cares about the weather? cries Boris, insisting a celebration without rain wouldn't be British

6.15pm MPsETC: Photographs of David Cameron and various Tory MPs celebrating the Jubilee

2.45pm WATCH: Boris Johnson tells ITN that Jubilee River Pageant is opportunity to thank "remarkable" Queen and see London - "the greatest city on earth" - at its best

11am LeftWatch: As figures reveal Lib Dem membership has shrunk by 20% we also learn that Cable speaks regularly with Ed Miliband

10am Local government: Lincolnshire Conservatives introduce presumption against wind turbines

ToryDiary: Osborne can still prosper but he must choose between being Chancellor and general busybody

Columnist Nadine Dorries MP: The Chancellor must cancel August's 3p increase in fuel duty

Baron Leach of Fairford on Comment: A Queen's Speech fit for today's economic emergency

David Cameron hosts Downing Street Jubilee party

"David Cameron will join his staff and guests today for a party in Downing Street to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The event is part of the Big Jubilee Lunch - which will see thousands of neighbourly meals being staged across the country in honour of the Queen's 60-year reign. The street outside the official London home of past prime ministers will also host charities, who have a royal patron or are supporters of the Lunch." - ITV

"Elizabeth II comes out on top in an ICM survey for The Sunday Telegraph, with Victoria in second place, Elizabeth I in third, and Henry VIII and Henry V finishing behind the queens. The poll also reveals that 55 per cent of voters think Britain will remain a monarchy for ever. Just 28 per cent predict the country will one day become a republic." - The Sunday Telegraph

John Redwood: "She is an important source of stability and continuity in a ceaselessly changing world. She has many well wishers. She commands respect by staying above the political debate. As a constitutional monarch in a democracy she leaves her Ministers to govern as they wish.  She acts as a focus for state occasions, sounds a voice for unity and  acts as a very distinguished   and regal representative of the United Kingdom at home and abroad. She is the UK’s greatest Ambassador."

George Osborne demands massive cuts to windfarm subsidies

"The Observer has learned that George Osborne is demanding cuts of 25% in subsidies, a reduction the industry says would "kill dead" the development of wind power sites. The Treasury's stance has put the chancellor at loggerheads with the Liberal Democrat energy secretary Ed Davey, whose party strongly supports more renewable energy."

The Chancellor will rush forward a raft of spending projects amid growing pressure to go for growth - The Sun

BUT... "If Osborne were to adopt plan B — a boost to public spending and borrowing — he would concede the entire economic argument upon which this shaky government stands... No 11 is therefore adamant that no such pirouette will be performed. Stand by, though, for plan A-plus: more imaginative ways will be required to pump credit to business, encourage house-building and roll out infrastructure projects." - Martin Ivens in The Sunday Times (£)

Coalition loses benefit of doubt over U-turns. They are longer seen as pragmatic but as a sign of weakness, incompetence and failure to plan - YouGov

YouGov also finds 31% of voters blaming Osborne for the U-turns compared to 18% for Cameron. In The Sunday Telegraph Iain Martin asks: "Will George Osborne be able to restore his credibility?"

• John Rentoul: Six U-turns in one week looks like carelessness - Not believing in anything is becoming a dangerous flaw - Independent on Sunday
• Anxious about another U-turn, Which? consumer group urges Osborne to stand firm on banking reforms - BBC

Sayeeda Warsi twice went to Saudi Arabia in visits funded by country's London Embassy - Mail on Sunday

And The Sunday Telegraph also has more questions for the Tory Chairman: "She has never registered a controlling stake in a spice manufacturing firm with the House of Lords authorities. The disclosure appears to be in breach of rules that order peers to declare their business interests, particularly if they are the principal shareholders in a company."

Ministers have been accused of "cynical spin" over claims that they are offering new tax breaks on "granny flats" - Independent on Sunday | Yesterday's Local government report

Andrew Lansley tells striking doctors to protect patients - Independent on Sunday

YouGov can't find much sympathy for striking doctors. 92% think GPs are well-paid. Just 4% disagree.

• "I envy the advertised pensions of family doctors. The London government wants me to be envious. Thanks to that envy they can, they hope, breach another bulwark. While we're all busy being jealous of one another, they can go on laying waste to the belief that the state should provide, and society should decide. This isn't about doctors. This is about the idea that a public service is worth protecting." - Ian Bell for The Sunday Herald

Cameron backs controversial IVF plan to create children with three parents - Mail on Sunday

Education Minister Nick Gibb attacks Channel 4's 'shocking' sex education film aimed at five-year-olds - Mail on Sunday

Steve Hilton will not return to Number 10 but Cameron considers appointing bright new MPs to Downing Street Policy Unit - Independent on Sunday

Cameron had to fight Black Rod in order for Aung San Suu Kyi to address both Houses of Parliament - The Sunday Telegraph

A new ICM Wisdom Index gives Labour an 8% lead over the Conservatives - Martin Boon of ICM explains how it works in The Sunday Telegraph

• In the latest YouGov/ Sunday Times poll Labour has a 10% lead

James Forsyth in the Mail on Sunday reports on the analysis of Cameron's polling maestro, Andrew Cooper: "Margaret Thatcher had far worse numbers at the equivalent moment in her first two terms and still went on to win the elections that followed. He urged the MPs to remember that the almost constant poll leads enjoyed by Tony Blair were the exception,  not the rule. He also emphasised that Cameron remains ahead of Miliband on the question of who would be the best PM."

Meanwhile, The Sunday Times (£) reports: "A Downing Street pollster, Andrew Cooper, has warned the Tories they face embarrassment in elections to the European parliament unless they make a dramatic manifesto pledge. His research suggests that UKIP could come first in the 2014 poll because of mounting public anger about issues such as human rights. Although the European Court of Human Rights is not an EU body, it is widely believed that the two are linked."

Should Cameron be talking to Tony Blair? Ted Jeory in The Sunday Express

"Ten child sex fiends are spared jail EVERY week by soft judges"

"MPs last night accused Justice Secretary Ken Clarke of putting kids at risk as he bids to slash inmate numbers. Tory Priti Patel said: “This shockingly illustrates what’s wrong with our justice system.The priority must be to protect the public from these vile criminals who harm children. “The answer is to ensure these prolific offenders are kept behind bars.”" - The Sun

Nick Clegg has refused to give unequivocal backing to Jeremy Hunt over his handling of the BSkyB takeover - Observer

Senior Liberal Democrats are holding secret talks with Labour with a view to closer co-operation between the two parties in the future - The Sunday Telegraph

Spain is in 'total emergency’, the EU in total denial - Janet Daley in The Sunday Telegraph

How long before the people of Europe wake up to the fact that they are not living in a democracy? - Nick Cohen in The Observer

Why are the French getting an 'MP for London'?

"French citizens in the UK will for the first time be able to vote for an MP, with the creation of a Northern Europe constituency in the French parliament. What role will London play? London is home to the majority of the vibrant UK French population for whom the capital is not just a city of transit. They will soon be represented by a new French MP for the recently established Northern Europe constituency comprising the UK, Ireland, Scandinavia and the Baltic states." - BBC

And finally... How do MPs relax? Nadine Dorries MP tells The Observer.

> Please use the thread below to provide links to news topics likely to be of interest to ConservativeHome readers and to comment on political topics that haven't been given their own blog. Read our comments policy here.

Newslinks for Saturday 2nd June 2012

6pm VIDEO: My message to kidnappers is that Britain doesn't pay ransoms, says David Cameron, and they may meet "swift and brutal" ends

6pm Local government update: Sir Merrick Cockell, Tory leader of the LGA doesn't quite understand Eric Pickles' announcement - thinking that granny flats are already exempt from council tax

9.30am MPsETC update: Tobias Ellwood's campaign to rename Parliament's Clock Tower after the Queen almost certain to succeed after it wins backing of majority of MPs

ToryDiary: Most EU leaders would give their eye teeth to be in Cameron's shoes, claims Matthew Parris

Mark Field MP on Comment: Christians are being ethnically-cleansed from the Middle East's hollow new democracies

On Local government Harry Phibbs welcomes Eric Pickles' plan to end council tax on granny flats

VIDEO: John Major tells Channel 4's Krishnan Guru-Murthy that The Queen meets more ordinary people than TV news presenters

VIDEO: David Cameron celebrates Queen's "incredible service" in video message for the Jubilee weekend

LISTEN: After a week of U-turns, Lord Oakeshott urges Osborne to become a full-time Chancelllor and stop trying to be in involved in every aspect of government

Tobias Ellwood's campaign to rename the tower housing Big Ben for the Queen has received the backing of the majority of MPs - BBC

• She will never, never abdicate: Queen will serve the country for the rest of her life, confidantes tell the Daily Mail
• "Most of Queen Elizabeth’s subjects want her to reign for ever, partly because they cherish the continuity she represents in a turbulent age, and partly because of unease about what might follow if her son succeeds her. The Prince of Wales conspicuously lacks his mother’s discipline and discretion; he pursues eccentric causes with messianic zeal. Courtiers assert soothingly that if he assumes the crown he will relapse into Trappist silence, accepting its constraints. But there seem grounds for doubt whether, as a sexagenarian, he will suddenly acquire the prudence that characterises his mother." - Max Hastings in the FT (£)
• Thanks, Ma’am. You’re a marvel - The Sun Says

The Bishop of London has warned, however, that Britain should use the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee as an opportunity to reflect and reassess values, claiming that Britain is suffering from an epidemic of promiscuity, divorce and separation - Daily Mail

Hundreds of thousands of families will be offered tax breaks on “granny flats” under plans to ease the housing crisis - Telegraph

Government makes FIFTH tax U-turn in a week by abandoning 'skip tax'

"It is the Coalition’s 29th U-turn since coming to office two years ago and the fifth this week after climbdowns on pasties, caravans, charities and buzzard nests. The Sun highlighted the damaging effect of the skip tax earlier this week. Last month the taxman insisted that landfill tax on crumbled rubble, concrete, brick or clay would have to rise from £2.50 a ton to an eye-watering £64." - The Sun

The Government has made an incredible 29 reversals so far and they all plot a rightwards path - Tom Clark in The Guardian

"The chancellor and the Treasury have been held up to ridicule, as they embarked on an apparent bid to set a record for u-turns conducted in a 72-hour period" - FT (£)

• Reflecting on the U-turns Simon Heffer calls for Cameron's "yes-men" advisers to be replaced by people of real talent and weight - Daily Mail

Andrew Grice: Osborne should have U-turned on 50p

"Despite all the fuss, the revisions to the Budget were at the margins. A real U-turn would have seen Mr Osborne admit the private sector recovery on which his economic strategy is based had failed to materialise, and announce a stimulus to start the economy... Crucially, a U-turning Chancellor would have abandoned the Budget's cut in the 50p top rate of tax, which advertised the Government's biggest weakness – that, in the words of the Tory MP Nadine Dorries, it is run by "two arrogant posh boys". The tax cut for those earning more than £150,000 a year will be a lasting symbol of this Government, remembered long after the pasty tax." - Andrew Grice in The Independent

Matthew Parris: Britain isn't in crisis. The Coalition is actually doing quite well.

After cataloguing Britain's relatively good economic record The Times' Matthew Parris (£) writes: "Outside economics, we have a Government that in two short years has been incredibly productive. They have bitten the bullet on university financing and in schools policy turned an evolution into a revolution. Changes to social welfare, with universal credit, will prove a bigger revolution. A massive, Lib Dem-inspired hike in the threshold at which the lower-paid pay tax is an underpraised triumph. An almost untold story is the measured and modest way spending is being curbed, ministers showing steadiness under fire from the proponents both of the axe and the splurge. Almost as a sideline our Armed Forces and diplomatists have saved a revolution in Libya and planned an orderly withdrawal from a futile war in Afghanistan."

Taxes in Britain and Europe are much higher than in Japan and USA - John Redwood

Cameron and Osborne can and will be persuaded of case for In/Out referendum - Patrick O'Flynn in The Express

• Ireland's Yes to fiscal treaty drowned out by Spain - Independent leader

Theresa May has ordered an independent review into allegations that police corruption shielded the killers of Stephen Lawrence - Guardian

• Top officials responsible for a catalogue of failures at the Border Agency have received £3.25million in bonuses - Express

William Hague has warned that al-Qaeda is taking advantage of Syria's slide into all-out civil war - Sun | BBC

In rescue operation authorised by David Cameron four kidnapped aid workers are freed in Afghanistan - BBC

Lord Lawson says a separate Scotland would not have a seat on the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee, the body that sets interest rates - Scotsman

Chris Huhne forced his wife to take a speeding penalty for him, a court heard yesterday - The Sun

Alan Milburn: Independent schools should be stripped of charitable status if they refuse to sponsor an academy - Times (£)

Alan Milburn embodies the phenomenon of social mobility and he is determined that the next decade should be an era of opportunity for all - Times (£)

It's time to shut down the diversity industry; Whoever we are, we are not reducible to a single, wretched label - Graeme Archer in The Telegraph

The contradictions of UKIP

"The history of UKIP indicates that it will need to overcome its propensity to be bedevilled by its own internal contradictions – a libertarian party with authoritarian policies, an anti-EU party with its strongest representation in the EU, a populist party with an upper-class leadership, a naturally conservative party that despises the Conservative party, an avowedly non-racist party that needs to attract the support of racists." - Adam Carter for Searchlight

Tatler magazine profiles Tim Montgomerie, Editor of ConHome

"My first political memory,' says Montgomerie, 'was probably the debate about the stationing of cruise missiles in Britain, about 30 years ago, when I was 11 years old. My father, who was in the Army, talked to me about the importance of deterrence - and it made a lot of sense. I soon became interested in someone else who was making similar arguments - a woman with big hair on the TV.' That 'woman with big hair on the TV' was, of course, Margaret Thatcher." - Pete Hoskin's Tatler magazine profile

And finally... Illinois legislator loses temper during debate (big time) - VIDEO

> Please use the thread below to provide links to news topics likely to be of interest to ConservativeHome readers and to comment on political topics that haven't been given their own blog. Read our comments policy here.

Newslinks for Friday 1st June 2012

3pm Local government: Council byelection results from yesterday

2.30 Alex Deane on Comment: Neglecting our friends: "I have it on good authority that the flags of the British Overseas Territories will not be flown. Not because some fool in our bureaucracy opposed their flying; oh no - someone made the sensible observation that they ought to be flown and there was agreement with that suggestion. The simple problem, it has emerged, is..."

1pm ToryDiary: First they came for Tim Chatwin...

John Glen MP on Comment: Will Ofcom throw away 30 years of free markets?

ToryDiary: Jeremy Hunt's future

Columnist Bruce Anderson: The good and bad sides of Ken Clarke

Chris Heaton-Harris MP on Comment: The choice is between economic growth and onshore wind. We should choose the former.

Local Government:

• Salford appoints assistant mayor for "humanegement"
• Shock byelection defeat for Conservatives in Barnet

The Deep End: From Gin Lane to porn superhighway

WATCH: Former Commons Speaker Betty Boothroyd says she wants MPs to be noisy

Hunt: The Leveson fallout

1) Cameron dismisses enquiry

"Jeremy Hunt was given a clean bill of health by David Cameron last night just 25 minutes after disclosing damning new details of his closeness to James Murdoch. The Prime Minister backed his Culture Secretary despite the revelation that Mr Hunt exchanged friendly texts with Mr Murdoch before and after assuming responsibility for the BSkyB takeover bid." - Daily Mail

2) The Culture Secretary considered resignation

"Among many revelations, it was disclosed he considered resigning – admitting he was shocked when he learnt of the volume of the communications between News Corp and his special adviser Adam Smith. Hunt said the language sometimes used by his adviser in a series of text messages had been inappropriate. But he suggested that News Corp besieged Smith and claimed that the "barrage … ended up pushing him into certain situations and language that wasn't appropriate"." - The Guardian

3) Operation Prop-Up-Hunt continues...

"For now, all he and his cabinet colleagues are focused on is making sure the secretary of state for culture, Olympics, media and sport, crosses the finishing line represented by the 2012 Olympics…For Mr Hunt to be pulled up, before the Olympic flame is lit, by an inquiry into the appropriateness of his conduct of the UK’s biggest media deal, is a political and diplomatic calamity the government is determined to avoid." - Financial Times (£)

4) ...As does Operation Bring-Down-Hunt

"Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman said it was “frankly disgraceful” that Mr Hunt was not being referred to Sir Alex Allan, the Prime Minister’s adviser on the ministerial code of conduct. She said: “Jeremy Hunt should not be in his job now as he has broken the ministerial code and misled Parliament. David Cameron said he would stand up for high standards but he is sweeping this matter under the carpet.” " - Daily Express

• Doctors urged by Labour leadership to call off strike - The Independent

5) Osborne is dragged into the fray

"George Osborne is expected to be called to the Leveson Inquiry to explain his text messages with Jeremy Hunt on the day he was handed control of the BSkyB takeover bid. Whitehall insiders predicted the Chancellor, who has not so far been asked to appear, will be summoned alongside David Cameron, who is expected to give evidence on June 14." - Daily Mail

• It's no LOL matter for Osborne as he's drawn into BSkyB affair - Andrew Grice, The Independent

And meanwhile, Coulson is at bay

"Andy Coulson, the former editor of the News of the World, vowed yesterday to “vigorously contest” allegations that he committed perjury during the 2010 trial of Tommy Sheridan. Mr Coulson, the Prime Minister’s former communications chief, was charged by Strathclyde Police on Wednesday night over testimony he gave during the Socialist MSP’s trial. A report is to be sent to the procurator fiscal which will decide if Mr Coulson will face court proceedings." - The Times (£)

• BSkyB and the ugly stain on Tory integrity - Daily Mail Editorial
• Jeremy Hunt acted properly when acting in a quasi-judicial role and should not have to resign - The Times (£)
• Murdoch’s many friends were far too obliging - Daily Telegraph Editorial
• It's no longer the Murdoch press in the dock, it's the politicians - Mary Dejevsky, The Independent

> Yesterday: WATCH - Hunt at Leveson:

• My text to James Murdoch wasn't inappropriate
• I didn't hide behind a tree
• Adam Smith's role
• I was sympathetic to the BSkyB bid - but I didn't support it

Talking of the Chancellor, it's another day, another U-turn

"The chancellor said he would exclude charitable donations from a limit on how much tax relief individuals can claim in a single year, giving way to sustained pressure from the voluntary sector…Announcing his abandonment of the so-called “charity tax”, the chancellor said: “It is clear from our conversations with charities that any kind of cap could damage donations, and as I said at the Budget that’s not what we want at all.” It comes just two days after he had a similar change of heart on other tax rises, dropping plans to put VAT on hot pasties and caravans, at which time his advisers insisted he would not make a similar move on charities." - Financial Times (£)

• Clegg furious at U-turn timing - Daily Telegraph
• George Osborne's U-turns are in danger of overshadowing the good things in his Budget - Daily Telegraph Editorial
• "Why doesn’t George Osborne just get a box of matches, set fire to his Budget and start all over again?"- Sun Editorial
• British Chamber of Commerce argues for £5bn emergency measures - The Guardian
• Osborne comes out for EU referendum - Daily Express
• Osborne sues to deter EU overreaching on financial products - Financial Times (£)

> Yesterday on ToryDiary

• Overheard in the Treasury: Part One
• Overheard in the Treasury: Part Two
• Overheard in the Treasury: Part Three
• Plus John Howell MP on Comment: Labour always fails when it comes to economic responsibility, as the IMF's 1976 report shows

Spain reveals €100bn capital flight

"Madrid was dealt a double blow on Thursday after it emerged that almost €100bn in capital had left the country in the first three months of the year and the head of the European Central Bank lambasted its handling of Bankia, the troubled Spanish lender. High quality global journalism requires investment. Data published by Spain’s central bank showed €97bn had been pulled out in the first quarter – around a 10th of the country’s GDP – as concerns mounted over Madrid’s ability to contain its twin economic and financial crises, which have forced government borrowing costs to euro-era highs." - Financial Times (£)

• Ireland votes on EU fiscal pact – and polls indicate early lead for 'Yes' camp - The Independent
• Thomas Cook eyes the return of the drachma - Daily Express
• Never mind Greece and Spain, have the Irish seized their last chance to fight back? - Simon Heffer, Daily Mail

Fraser Nelson: Britain could renegotiate a looser EU membership - without a referendum

"So Europe need not split the Coalition. Both Cameron and Osborne can renegotiate a looser membership, which would not trigger a referendum because no more powers would be passed to Europe. As one Clegg ally puts it, “this is a narrow landing strip” which both parties could use. But it would require much political agility and a willingness to compromise; certain elements in both the Lib Dem and Tory parties would need to be confronted." - Daily Telegraph

Boris launches Met police review - The Independent

Hague: Syria is sliding to civil war

"Syria is sliding towards all-out civil war which could spread to neighbouring Middle East countries, Foreign Secretary William Hague warned yesterday. Mr Hague voiced his fears as he led Europe in drafting new sanctions against President Assad’s regime. Mr Hague, speaking at a conference in Istanbul, said Syria’s bloodshed was becoming more sectarian. He said the country is moving towards “all-out civil war or a state of collapse”." - Daily Express

• Syria shows the lessons of Libya still unlearnt - Lord Ashdown, The Times (£)
• Oil, blood and the west’s double standards - Philip Stevens, Financial Times (£)

Scottish independence: Treasury slaps down Alex Salmond’s bank claim - Scotsman

"Striking as a doctor can never be justified – I am resigning from the BMA"

"As a doctor, my priority is always to look after my patients, yet the proposed strike action will put patients' lives at risk and damage the esteemed reputation of the medical profession. Moreover, it comes at a time when the majority of public and private sector workers are facing the reality of dealing with Britain's legacy of debt inherited from the previous government by having to work longer while contributing more to their pensions." - Dan Poulter MP in the Guardian

Huhne to appear in court over speeding points claims - The Guardian

Warsi on tsunami tour as expenses row rages on - Daily Express

Grayling blames record high of 4m homes where no one goes to work blamed on recession and benefits - Daily Mail

MPs query MoD spending on golf clubs, bars, hotels and restaurants - The Times (£)

More than a third of MPs say Commons loos aren't up to scratch - The Sun

Three main party leaders pay tribute to the Monarch - Daily Telegraph

Sinn Fein set to approve gift to the Queen - Belfast Newsletter

More than half the public say they will celebrate the Queen’s 60-year reign during the coming double Bank Holiday weekend and a majority plan to watch the River Thames pageant on television on Sunday - Daily Express

> Please use the thread below to provide links to news topics likely to be of interest to ConservativeHome readers and to comment on political topics that haven't been given their own blog. Read our comments policy here.

Newslinks for Thursday 31st May 2012

6.30pm WATCH: Hunt at Leveson -

• My text to James Murdoch wasn't inappropriate
• I didn't hide behind a tree
• Adam Smith's role

4pm ToryDiary: Overheard in the Treasury: Part Three...

3.45pm Local Government: Less red tape for housing associations selling vacant properties

3.30pm ToryDiary: Overheard in the Treasury: Part Two...

3pm ToryDiary: Overheard in the Treasury: Part One...

1.15pm WATCH: Hunt at Leveson: I was sympathetic to the BSkyB bid - but I didn't support it

ToryDiary: Increasingly pessimistic Tory grassroots think Labour government is likeliest outcome of next election

Columnist Andrew Lilico: Whether Scotland stays in the Union is not purely up to the Scots

John Howell MP on Comment: Labour always fails when it comes to economic responsibility, as the IMF's 1976 report shows

Local Government: Michael Mates seeks nomination for Hampshire police commissioner

The Deep End: The German banker's cunning plan

WATCH: 

• Andrew Lansley: Doctors' strike will cause "inconvenience or harm" for patients and the public
• Ashley Fox MEP: EU Financial transaction tax "will fall upon pensioners and small businesses", not the bankers

Osborne to launch £500m in business loans

"The government will on Thursday invite bids to manage a further 500 million pounds of credit easing funds, the second tranche of business loans aimed at easing the flow of finance to cash-strapped companies, the Treasury said on Wednesday." - Reuters

• "Mr Osborne will today pledge to stand by another £500million of cheap loans to struggling businesses. It follows £700million offered up in March’s Budget." - The Sun
• IEA: Cut Chancellor's pay if he fails to balance Budget - Daily Telegraph
• Osborne warned of fly-tipping chaos as 'skip tax' gets messy - Independent
• Brussels launches own plan for growth as leaders argue - Scotsman
• Illiterate school-leavers and workless households are destabilising UK economy, says European Commission - Daily Mail

Paul Goodman: An in/out referendum promise would be Osborne's biggest gamble yet

"Such a gambit would disrupt the UK Independence party, which is committed to an in-out poll; outmanoeuvre Ed Miliband, who is mulling the same option; and spike the guns of the London Mayor, who is flaunting his eurosceptic views before the Tory faithful like a medieval jester parading his livery. Such a course would carry risks to the party’s unity, to put it mildly, not to mention Britain’s future. But then this chancellor is in the risk business. A renegotiation referendum would be his biggest gamble of all." - Paul Goodman for the FT (£)

> From yesterday - WATCH: Channel 4 News report on ConservativeHome poll showing Tory members want an in/out referendum pledge in the next manifesto

Cameron: I rely on the Queen's Great British common sense

"The Prime Minister says the Queen is able to “cut through the fuss and see what really matters” when they discuss domestic and world events in their hour-long conversations. Mr Cameron, the 12th prime minister of the Queen’s reign, says that her “time-tested wisdom” has been invaluable during his two years in office, when he has faced the pressure of keeping a Coalition together as well as running the country." - Daily Telegraph

• 'Our common sense Queen', by the Prime Minister: Cameron pays tribute in book chronicling Her Majesty's six decades - Daily Mail

Jeremy Hunt's ministerial career in balance as he goes before Leveson

"Jeremy Hunt, the culture secretary, will set out his version of events to the Leveson inquiry on Thursday as he fights to save his ministerial career amid a weight of allegations casting doubt on his handling of the BSkyB takeover bid. ... Hunt is expected to make a day-long appearance and be grilled on evidence revealed over the past five weeks suggesting that his office set up a private back channel to Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation" - Guardian

• Leveson inquiry questions Jeremy Hunt is likely to face - Guardian
• Hunt aide told News Corp of licence fee deal - FT (£)

More Leveson coverage

• Andy Coulson arrested and charged with perjury - Daily Telegraph
• Top civil servant ‘exposed Cameron to Leveson risks’ - The Times (£)
• Andy Coulson charge shows how David Cameron's past overshadows his future - Guardian
• Britain needs a free, aggressive, irreverant press, Ken Clarke tells Leveson Inquiry - Daily Mail
• Ken Clarke says journalists entitled to bribe in extreme cases - Guardian
• News Corp made veiled threats, says Cable - Guardian
• Michael Gove breezed in and said the whole inquiry was fundamentally flawed. No wonder Leveson was irritated! - Melanie Phillips for the Daily Mail

> From yesterday - WATCH: Vince Cable: Lib Dems were threatened with being "done over" in the News International press if I didn't make the "right" decision on Sky takeover

Damian Green says genuine students don't need to fear crackdown on overseas recruitment

"The immigration minister yesterday insisted genuine foreign students have nothing to fear from a crackdown on overseas recruitment. ... However Mr Green said: ‘There is no limit on the number of genuine students who can come to the UK and our reforms are not stopping them. But we are determined to prevent the abuse of student visas as part of our plans to get net migration down. Students coming to the UK for over a year are not visitors – numbers affect communities, public services and infrastructure.’" - Daily Mail

Justine Greening: Retailers may be forced to pass on price cuts

"Transport Secretary Justine Greening has said she will consider legislation to force petrol retailers to pass on cuts in the wholesale price of fuel. The Department for Transport says pump prices paid by motorists have fallen by just 7p despite a 10p fall in wholesale prices since April. Ms Greening told the BBC she would consider taking further action to ensure motorists "get a better deal"." - BBC

1922 Committee Secretary Nick de Bois warns Government not to make too many u-turns, or risk reputation for competence

"Nick de Bois has warned that the continuing U-turns by the government are "frustrating" and "irritating" to Tory Backbenchers, suggesting that any more policy reversals could start to seriously damage the coalition's credibility. ... "Eventually there will come a point when competency can become an issue... When it goes from a question of being a listening and responding government, it is quite possible that it becomes a government which has its competency challenged."" - Huffington Post

Sue Cameron: How Whitehall views Cameron's potential successors

"William Hague, the Foreign Secretary. Able and talented, he’s seen to be doing a good job at the Foreign Office ... Michael Gove would be another serious contender. Courteous, he’s a man of steel but a “dreaded choice” for many civil servants ... Philip Hammond ... a safe pair of hands – always high praise in Whitehall terms ... Theresa May is given credit simply for surviving for two years in the notoriously treacherous job of Home Secretary ... Boris Johnson ... Despite his buffoonery, he has the kind of winning streak that civil servants always like" - Sue Cameron for the Daily Telegraph

Douglas Carswell to allow online voters to decide an idea for a private member's bill

"Irritated that he came bottom in a ballot of 20 MPs, Douglas Carswell has decided to let voters decide which of his five ideas for a new law he should attempt to guide through parliament. Without Government support, a private member's bill stands little chance of becoming law, but Mr Carswell hopes one of his ideas might take off and persuade ministers to back it."- Daily Telegraph

Tory donor withdraws funding over tax relief cap

"Venture capitalist Jon Moulton, who has given more than £300,000 to the Conservatives since 2004, has also expressed his disagreement with George Osborne's economic strategy. In a newspaper interview, Mr Moulton called for a swift about-turn on the decision to include charitable gifts in a cap on tax breaks announced in the Budget." - Daily Telegraph

David Cameron to discuss Chagos Islands sovereignty with Mauritius - Guardian

Alex Salmond's £46 billion green 'gamble' with Scotland's economy

"Alex Salmond is gambling with Scotland’s economy by placing a £46 billion “fantasy” bet on green energy despite its “catastrophic” record of making money, one of the world’s leading banks has told MSPs." - Daily Telegraph

• The tension between developers of wind farms and new housing and Nimbys is sure to grow – but something has to give - Bruce Anderson for the Daily Telegraph
• "The taxman has confirmed he is under no obligation to collect any new levies introduced by SNP ministers in Scotland if they differ too much from the UK system" - Daily Telegraph

MSPs vote to keep Queen as head of state if Scotland splits from UK

"An attempt to reject the Queen as the head of state in an independent Scotland was overwhelmingly rejected by MSPs in a debate held at the Scottish Parliament to mark the monarch’s Diamond Jubilee." - Scotsman

• "The Scottish Parliament is to formally to endorse plans for independence, in a vote by MSPs." - BBC

Doctors vote to go on strike on 21st June - Independent

• "The BMA decision to call for industrial action over pensions is not justified. A strike by doctors will hinder the NHS" - The Times (£) editorial
• "What part of “Britain is broke” do doctors not understand?" - The Sun Says
• The shameful self-interest of doctors - Independent editorial
• Shabby, disreputable and just plain wrong - Daily Mail editorial
• Doctors should know it’s the same bitter pill for all - Daily Telegraph editorial

> Yesterday on ToryDiary: Andrew Lansley is right to reform doctors' pensions

Civil servants in charge of policy delivery failures to be named and shamed - Daily Telegraph

Number of A&E patients waiting more than four hours is highest since 2004 - Guardian

It may seem painless, but drone war in Afghanistan is destroying the West's reputation - Peter Oborne for the Daily Telegraph

The people of Syria wonder why the West will not help. Twenty years ago, jihadis stepped into the breach in Bosnia - David Aaronovitch for the Times (£)

• "International troops could be forced to intervene in Syria if the collapse of President Bashar al-Assad's regime were to leave stockpiles of his chemical weapons vulnerable to terrorists" - Daily Telegraph

The Queen is Defender of all Britain’s Faiths - Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi, for the Times (£)

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