ToryDiary: Nick Clegg to announce the Coalition's plans to hand power back to people from the state (though he still doesn't want to reduce the tax burden)
Also on ToryDiary: Paul Goodman's seven pieces of advice for new MPs
Michelle Donelan on Platform: Quality, not quotas – why we need to encourage (not coerce) women into politics
LeftWatch: Top civil servants made formal protests over spending by Labour Government in its dying days
- Who will run Derby City Council?
- Bournemouth Council's £3 million artificial surf reef "falls short"
International: Tea party beats establishment conservatism in USA
ThinkTankCentral: IEA warns against Coalition policy on Capital Gains Tax
WATCH: Jon Cruddas explains why he is not standing for the Labour leadership
Recommendation 4 of ConservativeHome's General Election Review: Team Cameron needs a conventional Chief of Staff or/and full-time Campaign Director
Cameron faces Tory discontent over tax, voting reform and hunting
"Conservative MPs returned to Westminster yesterday promising a guerrilla campaign to scupper coalition policies on tax and voting reform. David Cameron will have to contend with unhappy MPs, from rightwingers angry at policy compromises to those who failed to secure ministerial jobs because room had to be made for Liberal Democrats... The Tory faithful also faced difficulties over the issue of hunting. The ban will still be in force when the new season begins in November after hunting chiefs were told that a repeal would not be in the Queen’s Speech next week." - The Times
MPs will get a vote on lifting the hunting ban - Daily Telegraph
John Redwood leading "mutiny" against possible Capital Gains Tax rise - Daily Mail
Tory Right ruffles by trade-offs - FT
Ann Widdecombe hates the coalition (but hopes it works)
"I hate the coalition between the Conservatives and Lib Dems and wish there could have been a different way of putting David Cameron into No10. But there wasn’t given the hand the electorate had dealt us. That means we have to wish the arrangement well if we want a sufficiently long period of stable government to get the country out of its economic mess." - Ann Widdecombe in the Daily Express
Judge's decision not to deport al-Qa'ida operative sparks questions over what the Coalition will do about the Human Rights Act
"Two men considered to be a serious threat to national security including one described as a fully-fledged "al-Qa'ida operative" were told by a judge yesterday that they could stay in Britain because it was too dangerous to deport them back to Pakistan... The Home Secretary, Theresa May, said she was "disappointed" by the ruling but would not contest the decision. Her party has promised to repeal the Human Rights Act which incorporates the European Convention on Human Rights which the men used to argue their appeal on the grounds that they faced possible torture if returned." - The Independent
"A battle between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats over whether to introduce a British bill of rights, supplanting the European convention on human rights, is to be passed to an independent commission after a disagreement within the new coalition. The decision has been taken prior to the publication of a full coalition agreement between the two parties , replacing the seven-page agreement rushed out following weekend talks. The Conservative party has been divided over whether to support a bill of rights, and whether it would interpret or supplant the European convention." - The Guardian
"Worried Conservative MPs told The Sun of their fears over any fudge on the Act last night. Douglas Carswell said: "The Human Rights Act must be addressed. If we control the Government but don't do something to address this, we won't be able to deliver on a whole load of things." Andrew Rosindell said the party could not be "held to ransom" by the Lib Dems. He added: "Scrapping the Human Rights act was a massive vote-clincher. People cheered when we told them we'd get rid of this ridiculous claim culture. We cannot renege on it now." - The Sun
> Robin Simcox on CentreRight yesterday: A member of al-Qaeda? Come on in...the more the merrier
Theresa May will hand power back to police to charge thugs and cut 'soft' punishments
"Police will be given the power to charge suspects themselves to cut red-tape and stop vicious thugs and thieves escaping with 'softer' punishments. The policy is the centrepiece of the new Government's first attack on Labour's legacy of harmful targets and suffocating bureaucracy. In her first speech as Home Secretary, Theresa May will today promise to roll back the hugely controversial system of 'statutory charging', which consumes up to one million police hours each year." - Daily Mail
Ken Clarke warns Cameron not to lose touch with Middle England
"Ken Clarke has warned the Tories will be 'nothing at all' if they lose touch with Middle England as the price of coalition. The new Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary said he understood that the 11million voters who backed the party were not getting 'exactly what they voted for'. But he said that that was inevitable in a hung Parliament - and warned everyone would have to share the pain of spending cuts and tax rises." - Daily Mail
George Osborne bows to EU hedge fund rules
"George Osborne, chancellor, has bowed to pressure for tighter regulation of Europe’s hedge fund and private equity firms, but insisted there was still “much to play for” in improving the final deal. The approval of the controversial rules by finance ministers follows a similar endorsement by a group of EU lawmakers on Monday and brings regulation of the “alternative investment fund” industry closer." - FT
Chancellor tells EU to scrap plans for 6% increase in spending - The Times
> Mark Field on CentreRight yesterday: Hedge fund headaches
David Cameron to meet Sarkozy and Merkel in Paris and Berlin later this week - The Guardian
Cameron and Clegg set out 'big society' policy ideas"David Cameron and Nick Clegg have given details of how the Conservatives' flagship idea of a "big society" will shape the coalition's policies. The prime minister and his Lib Dem deputy said people should have more say over planning decisions and voluntary groups be able to run public services. " - BBC
John Bercow stays on as Speaker after Commons rebellion fails
"John Bercow was re-elected to the role of Commons Speaker after an attempted parliamentary rebellion to oust him fizzled out... The question of a vote was put to all MPs as they gathered for their first sitting in the Commons chamber, but the calls by his critics were drowned out by the majority of MPs who roared to express support. Although a single voice speaking out against a motion is enough to trigger a formal vote, the father of the house, Sir Peter Tapsell – who was in the Speaker's chair and overseeing procedures while Bercow's fate was in the balance – decided not to take the issue further." - The Guardian
> Yesterday in Parliament: John Bercow re-elected Speaker without the need for a division
Daniel Finkelstein: Good news, boys - we’re not a left-wing nation
"Even though I ran for Parliament twice and have interrupted a thousand dinners and ruined as many episodes of EastEnders, not one single time did anyone come to the door and say: “Sorry mate, we’re all progressives here”... I think what all this talk of progressive majorities is really about is asserting that most people in this country are broadly on the Left and that, intellectually, that is the only place where the Liberal Democrats can function. And both of these assertions are wrong. Quite wrong." - Daniel Finkelstein in The Times
Paul Goodman: What should an MP be for?
There is a choice. MPs can be citizen legislators, who are free to work and earn outside the Commons, or professional politicians, who aren’t. In the first instance, they’re performing a public service; in the second, doing a job. The first model is where we’ve come from... The second model is where we’re going... MPs are taking not the high road to independence from the taxpayer but the low road to dependence on him. We’re seeing the emergence of a political class distinct from those who elect them." - Paul Goodman in the Daily Telegraph
Gordon Brown tried to announce resignation before election
"Gordon Brown drafted a speech on the eve of the general election campaign setting out plans to stand down within a year of the poll, but was persuaded by senior ministers not to go ahead. At a meeting on the eve of the election, his proposal to announce his plan to stand down was supported by David Muir, his director of political strategy and chief polling adviser. But Ed Balls, Lord Mandelson and Douglas Alexander argued against the idea." - The Guardian
Ed Balls enters Labour leadership race
"Former Children's Secretary Ed Balls is to take on the Miliband brothers in the race for the Labour party leadership. Mr Balls will formally announce his candidacy today during a visit to a marginal constituency in the Midlands.... Left-wing MP John McDonnell will also announce his candidacy today during a speech to the Public and Commercial Services Union in Brighton." - Sky News
Labour 'fixing' leadership race, says Left-winger John McDonnell - BBC
William Inboden and Lisa Aronsson: Obama and the Special Relationship
"President Obama reaffirmed the importance of the "special relationship" in his warm congratulatory phone call to British Prime Minister David Cameron, and new Foreign Minister William Hague visited Washington only 48 hours after taking his post. But friendly relations between governments are only one component of the special relationship. Its enduring value depends just as much on policies and the commitment of citizens in both countries. A new survey of British public opinion reveals chastened hopes for close ties with the United States." - William Inboden and Lisa Aronsson in the Wall Street Journal
Posts
