ToryDiary: Sir George Young returns to the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Leader of the Commons
Dr Michelle Tempest on Platform: Conservatives offer the only remedy for the NHS
- Ben Farrugia: Full disclosure for Town Hall staff paid over £50,000 demanded
- John Fareham: The battle to "out-Focus" the Lib Dems in Hull
WATCH:
- Alan Duncan demoted from the shadow cabinet
- Shadow Security Minister Baroness Neville-Jones reacts to the conviction of the three liquid bomb plotters
Day 2 of the Save General Election Night Campaign
ToryDiary: Save General Election Night attracted more than 1,500 supporters on its first day
Melanchthon on CentreRight: Saving Election Night is important for democracy
LISTEN: Jonathan Isaby was interviewed about the campaign on the PM programme on Radio 4 yesterday afternoon
ToryDiary: The Telegraph is wrong - the latest YouGov poll does not show that the Tories are doing badly in the North of England
ToryDiary: Can a Libertarian also be a Conservative?
ToryDiary: Boris chooses the wrong mosque for his message about Islam
Local Government: New report challenges "tenure for life".
Simon Chapman on CentreRight wants us to know exactly how much tax we are paying
Alan Duncan demoted from the Shadow Cabinet
"Alan Duncan has been sacked from the shadow cabinet by David Cameron over his complaint that MPs were made to live “on rations”. David Cameron stripped Mr Duncan of his role as shadow leader of the Commons. He accepted a job as a shadow junior justice minister with responsibility for prisons. Mr Duncan had been in charge of agreeing changes to the system of MPs expenses but his private comments, recorded by an activist who met Mr Duncan on the House of Commons terrace, made his position untenable. The demotion appears to have scuppered Mr Duncan’s chances of being in Mr Cameron’s first Cabinet." - Daily Telegraph
"As a veteran combatant of the Tories’ extensive periods of internal strife, Mr Duncan will have been realistic about his long-term prospects under Mr Cameron. An early prophet of the need for the party to change, Mr Duncan nevertheless failed to make common cause with the brand of Conservative modernisation fronted by the current leader." - The Times
"Mr Duncan, 52, took his demotion on the chin last night, saying: "This is a sensible decision. You have to be realistic about how difficult the expenses issue has been. What matters most is winning the election and David Cameron becoming the Prime Minister. I don't want to be a brake on that." - The Sun
The Telegraph also profiles Alan Duncan
> Last night's ToryDiary: Alan Duncan demoted from Shadow Cabinet
Oliver Letwin promises detailed Conservative blueprint for power
"The Tories have ruled out a slimmed-down election manifesto modelled on Margaret Thatcher’s 1979 statement of principles and will instead offer detailed policies that will form the blueprint for how Britain will be governed if they win power, the party’s head of policy has disclosed. Oliver Letwin said that, while the party will take its inspiration from the landmark document used by Mrs Thatcher for her landslide victory, it will be packed with detailed proposals. Work on the document is being carried out away from the shadow cabinet by a team of officials and politicians in a suite of offices on the margins of the parliamentary estate." - Daily Telegraph
Paul Goodman MP: Will New Schools be the Tories' big idea?
"If he wins the election, schools reform will be David Cameron's flagship policy. It will make or break his reputation for bringing change to the public services. Labour will target the policy and aim to sink the ship. In political terms, therefore, a great deal is riding on the Conservatives' plan for schools – the future of Michael Gove, the party's education spokesman, and the fortunes of a Cameron government. And in educational terms, even more depends on it – the prospects for the next generation of our children." - Paul Goodman MP writing in the Daily Telegraph
Liam Fox targets MoD civil servants
"Liam Fox, shadow defence secretary, has indicated a Tory government would cut the number of civil servants in the Ministry of Defence to maintain frontline spending. Mr Fox told a defence conference there was one civilian for every two military personnel in the MoD. “How can it be that while we have a navy of only 34,000 we have almost 24,000 people working in procurement alone?” he said... Mr Fox said a Tory government would launch a “wide-ranging and detailed” strategic defence review to define Britain’s strategic interests with further reviews every four or five years. It would also conduct a capabilities review which would target a perceived “over-abundance of senior posts”. - FT
> Yesterday's ToryDiary: Beyond Afghanistan, Liam Fox makes the case for investment in defence
Andrew Lansley: We are unprepared for a second swine flu outbreak
"Critical care is the weak link in the government's swine flu emergency plans, the Conservatives have said. Freedom of Information replies from 80% of hospitals in England show intensive care units were already under pressure before the pandemic, the party said. The Tories added more beds were needed and also cited research suggesting demand at the peak of an outbreak could outstrip supply by 60%. " - BBC
Nadine Dorries is taking legal action after "Smeargate"
"A Tory MP is taking legal action against No10 over unfounded allegations in emails written by Gordon Brown's ex-adviser Damian McBride. Nadine Dorries was one of a number of Conservatives named in the so-called smear emails, written by the Prime Minister's then-special adviser." - Sky News
Plaid Cymru: It's time to tackle to Tories
"Plaid Cymru needs to change its campaigning focus and concentrate on attacking the Conservatives, one of the party’s senior figures said last night. As it prepares for its annual conference in Llandudno this weekend, the party’s outgoing director of elections Adam Price said Plaid needed to adapt to the “probability” of a Tory general election victory." - Western Mail
Jeremy Hunt: The BBC boss should earn no more than the Prime Minister
"Mark Thompson’s successor as Director-General of the BBC should be paid no more than the Prime Minister, a Conservative frontbencher has said. Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Culture Secretary, said that Mr Thompson’s £834,000 pay packet was “just too high” and that whoever followed him should earn a similar amount to Gordon Brown’s £192,250. Mr Hunt told The Times: “Under a Conservative government, we would expect a vacancy for the job to be advertised at a much more realistic salary — and we should look at the Prime Minister’s salary as a benchmark.” - The Times
Chris Grayling salutes Essex Police's cost-cutting
"A police force has managed to employ an extra 239 new officers in just one year – by cutting out waste. Penny-pinching measures by Essex Police included using cheaper petrol stations, cutting back on tea and biscuits, reducing the number of printers and using cheaper pens. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling said: “It’s vital to cut public-sector waste and Essex Police has shown how this can be done." - Daily Express
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Scrap Trident, say voters
"The public wants Britain to scrap the Trident nuclear missile system but believes spending on health and education should rise each year, according to a ComRes poll for The Independent. By a margin of 58 to 35 per cent, people believe that the £25bn renewal of the Trident programme should be abandoned because of the state of the public finances... The ComRes poll gives the Tories a 16-point lead, down two points on last month. They are on 40 per cent (down two points), with Labour on 24 per cent (no change), the Liberal Democrats on 21 per cent (up three points)." - The Independent
> Last night's ToryDiary: Latest ComRes poll puts Tory lead at 16%
Boris ally faces censure after describing blogger as 'poisonous'
"One of London's most outspoken Tory politicians faces censure and a £10,000 legal bill after describing a London blogger as a "poisonous" individual. A hearing will take place this Thursday at Barnet council to consider whether the borough's mayor, Brian Coleman, breached the councillors' code of conduct in his comments to Roger Tichborne, who blogs regularly about Barnet council." - The Guardian
Think-tank criticises Tory local referendum plans
"Conservative Party plans to introduce local referendums could lead to councils being burdened with unmanageable financial commitments, according to a new report. The New Local Government Network thinktank has claimed the Tories’ plans, advocated in their recent Control Shift green paper, could also undermine the role of locally elected government and lead to the rights of minority groups being diminished." - Local Government Chronicle
Alistair Darling prepares to announce big cuts in public spending
"Alistair Darling is to sharpen his axe for big cuts in public spending and admit the Government must 'step back' and let the private sector do more. The Chancellor will declare victory in a Cabinet battle to make Gordon Brown admit sweeping cutbacks will be necessary after the next election because of the catastrophic state of the public finances." - Daily Mail
UKIP targets Labour seats...
"Nigel Farage, who will quit as leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) to fight for a seat as a MP, said on Monday the Eurosceptic group had some of its best chances at the next general election in Labour-held constituencies... He said apart from the constituency of Buckingham, previously a Conservative seat which Farage will contest with House of Commons Speaker John Bercow, UKIP had Labour-held Bootle in Liverpool and Hull particularly in their sights after strong results there in July's European elections." - Reuters
...as the party's treasurer resigns over how UKIP finances are being handled
"The high-profile Brussels whistleblower who became the treasurer of UKIP has stormed out of her new post and blown the whistle again — over the anti-EU party’s financial decisions. Marta Andreasen, who achieved notoriety when she was sacked as chief accountant of the European Commission for exposing the appalling state of EU accounts, was appointed treasurer of UKIP in 2007 to “restore faith” in the party’s finances." - The Times
Speaker Bercow hires a spokesman
"House of Commons Speaker John Bercow has appointed a former Times journalist as his special adviser and spokesman. Tim Hames, who is currently a director of communications for a lobby group, was chosen without anyone else being interviewed for the post." - BBC
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