Britannia Radio

Today's top ConservativeHome features

BREAKING NEWS: Lord Ashcroft announces plan to become "resident and domiciled in the UK for tax purposes"

ToryDiary: The Brighton relaunch of the Tory campaign

Eamonn Butler on Platform: Britain must follow the Canadian model for cutting the deficit

LeftWatch: More immigration + more welfare dependents + more state workers = More Labour voters

Local government: BBC survey predicts 10% cut in council jobs and Mark Wallace argues that Referenda to veto Council Tax rises should be just the start

Ed Northover on Seats and candidates reports that he finally has a Labour opponent in Leyton and Wanstead - a seat which Labour can no longer claim to be "safe"

Martin Parsons on CentreRight: Government plan to close main coastguard station on East Coast

Highlights from the weekend

WATCH: Key extracts from David Cameron's speech to the Brighton Spring Forum

ToryDiary: More clues as to which of the Shadow Cabinet could expect to make the transfer straight into their roles in government

Seats and Candidates: David Cameron gives his full backing to Speaker Bercow's re-election bid in Buckingham

David T Breaker on CentreRight: The Internet could decide the election

Also on CentreRight, Melanchthon offers Six critiques of Labour (to balance the six reasons for voting Conservative)

MyLabourPoster: Guess who got selected as the Labour candidate in the one Midlands seat without an All Women Shortlist?

Today's newslinks

Michael Gove will fast track academy status for best schools

"Hundreds of the best state schools will be allowed to break free of local council control within months under Conservative plans being outlined today. They will be able to convert into semi-independent academies as early as September this year if the Tories win the General Election, it is revealed." - Telegraph

The Daily Mail welcomes Cameron's Spring Forum speech

"After warning his party against being complacent about victory, he made the case that only the Tories offer a credible alternative to this big-State Government 'of spending, bloat, debt and taxes'. And he undertook to tear apart Labour's dismal record 'piece by piece'. He signalled a firm manifesto pledge to recognise marriage through the tax system, promised to restore the earnings link to pensions, free schools from bureaucracy, reduce immigration (though some detail on this pledge would have been welcome), nurture the NHS, cut numbers of MPs and public employees, and generally 'give people back control over their lives'. We applaud Mr Cameron's new concentration on policy issues rather than slick soundbites. Now he must quickly add detailed flesh to the bones." - Daily Mail leader

"David Cameron has shown us repeatedly that he could be prime minister. He has yet to show us why he wants to be." - Times leader

Tories will detail marriage pledge in manifesto

"Cameron's only major new policy announcement – that the Tories would set out proposals to recognise marriage in the tax system in their election manifesto – caused some surprise within the shadow cabinet. One shadow minister said: "I have to say this did come as a surprise to me. I knew we would be setting out our plans. I just didn't know that David would be indicating that now."" - Guardian

"Mr Cameron put support for marriage, the NHS and tackling the spiralling budget deficit at the heart of his election campaign." - Daily Mail

From statistical blunders to Nicholas Winterton: The seven slips that have hurt the Tories since the start of the year - The Guardian | MyLabourPoster

Ignore the opinion polls, urges Boris Johnson, the money of the punters is still invested in a Tory victory - Telegraph

"Liam Fox, the Shadow Defence Secretary, compounded the uncertainty in the ranks by suggesting “there is a distinct possibility that people could wake up with Gordon Brown on the steps of No 10 for another five years." - Times

Gordon Brown is expected to go on the offensive over law and order, accusing the Tories of stoking the "fear of crime" among the public - Sky News

"Meanwhile Peter Hain, Welsh secretary, on Sunday urged Liberal Democrat supporters to vote tactically for Labour in marginal seats, arguing that the “decent, progressive majority” had to unite to prevent a Conservative victory." - FT

"Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg will stress the importance of early years education in the home and pledge £2.5bn to help cut school class sizes." - BBC

SNP in trouble

"For the first time since [Alex Salmond] took power in May 2007, more Scots also think he is doing a poor job as First Minister than a good one. The YouGov survey shows Labour has opened up a huge 17-point lead over the SNP in Scot’s Westminster voting intentions, and the Nationalists are only one point ahead of the Tories." - Telegraph

A close election will be good for our democracy - Independent leader

And finally.... in case you missed it...

PlayThe Forces of Hell video game.

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