Mark Field MP Platform: How US-China relations could fatally wound the globalisation project Sally McNamara on CentreRight: The EU is already trying to progress from Superstate to Superpower - and must be stopped "David Cameron and Gordon Brown clashed repeatedly during Prime Minister's Question Time as the Conservative leader attacked the Prime Minister for claiming that government capital spending would rise every year between now and the Olympics. Mr Cameron said Mr Brown should apologise and read out Budget statistics projecting expenditure of £44bn this year, followed by £36bn next year, £29bn in 2011 and £26bn in 2012."You have been caught absolutely red-handed," Mr Cameron told the Prime Minister. "You made a statement to the House about capital expenditure growing every year and the fact is it is being cut." - Independent ...and even the Guardian condemns Brown's line of attack on "Tory cuts" "A Labour government would have to make cuts too to bring the deficit under control, as Alistair Darling says must happen. Mervyn King hammered home the point at Commons committee yesterday. Until Mr Brown confesses that this is true, his attacks on the opposition will always be undermined by the facts." - Guardianeditorial > Yesterday's ToryDiary posts on PMQs and the party's new attack ad on Labour spending plans Osborne: Yesterday was demolition day for Brown's reputation on the economy "Bank of England Governor Mervyn King yesterday blasted Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling for their handling of the public finances. His surprising attack came as an international watchdog warned that Britain was on course to sink further into debt than any other major country... Shadow Chancellor George Osborne said yesterday proved to be a demolition day for the Prime Minister’s reputation. He said: “In the morning new figures showed Britain facing the biggest deficit in the world and in the afternoon the Governor of the Bank of England delivered the coup de grace by demolishing for good any claim that this discredited Government ever had to a credible plan for the recovery." - Daily Express Conservatives to bolster Bank of England's power "The Conservatives plan to overhaul the tripartite system, giving the Bank of England overarching responsibility for the regulation of the UK's largest financial institutions and unwinding one of Gordon Brown's biggest reforms as Chancellor... A spokesman for George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, said on Wednesday night that the Tories would soon publish plans to reform the system of City regulation. "What is clear is that the current system has failed and needs changing," the spokesman said." - Daily Telegraph "Oliver Letwin, the Conservatives’ policy chief, is paid an annual salary of £60,000 by an investment bank for working eight hours a week, The Times has learnt. N M Rothschild Corporate Finance Ltd disclosed his £145-an-hour earnings before a change to parliamentary rules which require MPs to detail the time they spend on outside jobs. Mr Letwin, who is writing the party’s manifesto, approved the release of the information in a sign of growing Tory defiance over the issue of MPs’ outside employment." - The Times David Cameron reiterates promise to put Conservative MPs from Northern Ireland in government "Voters in Northern Ireland can have a say in forming the next Government — and show support for change at Westminster, Conservative leader David Cameron argues today... The Tory chief said Northern Ireland MPs have little or no say on issues including taxes, pensions and welfare, as well as social and foreign policy... “I do not want to be Prime Minister of just England, but of the whole United Kingdom. It follows that the government I lead should seek to draw on the talents of people from all parts of the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland.” -Belfast Telegraph Hague condemns "monumental mess" of Brown’s Iraq War probe "An opportunity to drain the poisonous legacy of the Iraq war from British politics has been lost by the government's handling of the inquiry into the conflict, Gordon Brown was told last night. Opening an opposition debate on the Chilcot inquiry, Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague said the government had made a "monumental mess" of the process of consulting other parties in setting up the inquiry. The original proposal for private hearings, the restricted membership and the timing - the inquiry is due to report back after the next election - was "utterly cynical and politically motivated" said Mr Hague." - The Herald > WATCH: William Hague challenges David Miliband over the scope and remit of the Iraq War Inquiry Grayling: UN report underlines government failure to tackle drugs problem "Britain has the highest number of dangerous drug abusers in Europe, a United Nations report says. It claimed this country has more than 400,000 'problem drug users' who are permanently intoxicated or regularly bingeing on illegal substances... Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling said the report 'underlines just how ineffective the Government's strategy on dealing with the drug problem has been'." - Daily Mail "A senior Tory MEP has become the first to break ranks and voice "real concern" over the inclusion of "extreme Right-wingers" in the new anti-federalist group in the European Parliament. Edward McMillan-Scott said he was unhappy with many of the candidates who would be sitting with the Conservatives in the 55-strong group... "Despite what David Cameron has said there are already indications that some of the members have links with extremist groups and I feel very, very uncomfortable with that," he said." - Daily Telegraph Michael White: Leaving the EPP could backfire for the Conservatives - Guardian Benedict Brogan: The "Great Purge" has started in the Conservative Party "The Conservative Party you see at Westminster will not be with us for much longer. Bewildered and angry, the Tory backbenches find themselves caught up in a slow-motion purge. David Cameron contemplates the prospect that more than half his MPs will be replaced at the general election. So many will go, in fact, that the high command suspects he will have to appoint ministers from among those who are not yet in the House: come the election he may not have enough experienced MPs left to fill the payroll." - Benedict Brogan writing in the Daily Telegraph Ministers must prioritise Parliament, not the media, says Speaker - Guardian > Yesterday in Parliament: Speaker Bercow intends to clamp down on ministers making announcements to the media Boris's taxi bill more than double what he first claimed - BBC Ex-Boris deputy referred to police over expenses "discrepancies" - Guardian Labour MPs "Mr and Mrs Expenses" face house repossession - Independent Government climbdown over increase in MPs' pensions - Independent
Thursday 25th June 2009Britain's leading conservative blog
Local Government:
WATCH: Labour responds to yesterday's Conservative attack ad with its own video on "Tory cuts"Cameron attacks Brown's public spending "lies"...
Oliver Letwin reveals the extent of his outside work
Tory MEP voices "real concern" over new group in Brussels
Thursday, 25 June 2009
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