ToryDiary: I will not retreat from immigration pledge, insists Cameron Philip Booth on Platform: Vince Cable risks promoting another financial crisis Neil O'Brien on ThinkTankCentral: Achieving a greener, cheaper energy policy Parliament: Mark Harper quizzed about whether historic boundaries will be observed in review of Commons constituencies Theresa May will unveil plans to overhaul licensing laws and tackle violent disorder - BBC Chris Grayling: 76% of those who say they're sick 'can work' The Sun Says: "The good news is there is still lots of waste to eliminate. Three out of every four people applying for incapacity benefits since tough new checks have suddenly become fit. Either they decided they were OK after all or, when tested, were found to be well enough to work. From October the 2.2million still on incapacity benefit will start getting medical checks. Stand by for a rush to the Job Centre." "David Cameron on Wednesday promised to carry a “spirit of humility” to India as he lands on a “jobs mission” to the subcontinent that will reassure New Delhi that Britain’s immigration cap will be enforced “liberally”. The prime minister will arrive in Bangalore leading a 90-strong delegation ready to address a “new reality” where the booming economies of the east will force Britain to “work harder than ever before to earn its living in the world”." - FT (£) "David Cameron is going to use foreign policy as a tool of economic policy without any hint of embarrassment and this massive trip to India is the biggest sign of it so far. This is a PM in a hurry to rescue the British economy." - Tim Montgomerie quoted in TIME And the inevitable Sun headline: Cameron in India to curry favour The Daily Mail on Vince Cable's attempt to dilute the immigration cap: "Liberal Democrat Vince Cable led a growing rebellion against enforcing a draconian cap on numbers coming into the country, demanding ‘as liberal a policy as possible’. The Business Secretary has privately described the idea of a tight limit as ‘crazy’ at a time when Britain is trying to boost trade." The Guardian on Labour's decision to oppose Clegg's AV vote plan: "The Labour shadow cabinet has decided to vote against a bill introducing reform to the voting system, raising the prospect of a Commons defeat for one of the governing coalition's flagship policies. The decision, taken last night, followed two lengthy shadow cabinet discussions. It could herald a backbench Tory-Labour alliance designed to derail the bill either at its second reading or by rejecting the proposal that the referendum be held on the same day as elections in Scotland and parts of England and Wales next May." Net satisfaction with Coalition down to +2% - YouGov "Even though almost none of the cuts have actually happened yet – as opposed to being trailed and debated ad nauseam – the coalition’s popularity is already in free fall." - Allister Heath in City AM "It's that blessed period for the Government – war's been declared but the fighting hasn't started. The cuts have been itemised but haven't been implemented." - Simon Carr in The Independent > Yesterday's ToryDiary: Can the early opinion polls tell us anything? Francis Maude: Some under-employed civil servants too 'expensive' to make redundant - Guardian Cancer drugs funding receives £50m boost - FT (£) "The people of Gaza are the prisoners of the terrorist organisation Hamas." - Israel Ambassador's reaction in The Guardian "Not only are the above remarks hugely unfair, but they are guaranteed to alienate Britain’s most valuable friend in the Middle East. The comments may have gone down well with an increasingly Islamist government in Ankara which is rapidly turning against the West, but they will seriously damage relations with Israel. They also fail to condemn the real source of Gaza’s problems – the reign of terror carried out by Hamas – a brutal terrorist organisation backed by Tehran and Damascus." - Nile Gardiner in The Telegraph "Downing Street has made much of David Cameron's cost-cutting decision to travel with journalists to Washington last week on a scheduled flight. No such belt-tightening on Monday's flight to Turkey. Travelling press were told to make their own way to Ankara, only to find that the Prime Minister had eschewed the eight-hour commercial option in favour of a 'small' chartered plane." - Daily Mail > Watch Cameron deliver his Gaza remarks The United States is too big for its boots - Ann Widdecombe in The Express All that's needed to beat Obama is a serious Republican - Simon Heffer in The Telegraph "Calculations made by the Office for National Statistics showed that overall, the value for money given by the public sector dropped by 3.3 per cent between 1997 and 2008. The decline in efficiency came as public spending almost doubled from £318 billion a year to £621 billion last year. The dismal performance of the public sector compares with a clear record of growing efficiency in private business and industry." - Daily Mail And finally... "Tim Montgomerie, founder of the Centre for Social Justice and editor of ConservativeHome website is in mysterious mood. He told the world on Monday that he was lunching in a café in Chelsea. He wouldn’t say what he was discussing over his warm gossip salad. “Walls = ears,” he Tweeted. “Friend & I disguised our subjects as Lockets, Numbers, Sebastian, King Louis, Gandi, Screws, Penfold & Thunderer.” Lockets and Numbers I can live with. But who on earth are Screws, Penfold and Thunderer?" - Telegraph City Diary Jill Kirby: Has the Electoral Commission has already made up its mind to ditch our voting system? Melanchton: Some bad arguments for AV Lee Rotherham: Turkey should choose a middle path in its relationship with the EU, achieving trade and friendship but avoiding the monstrous costs of full membershipThe Guardian highlights the Home Secretary's main measures:
"'The vast majority of people who are applying for these benefits are being found fit for work or have stopped their claim. These are people who under the old system would have been abandoned on incapacity benefits. It's a clear indication of why reform is so urgently needed. This is exactly why we are going to reassess everyone claiming incapacity benefits for their ability to work, from this October. They will now be given the support they need to get back to work and will be expected to look for work if they are able to do so." - Welfare minister Chris Grayling quoted in the Daily Mail | Express
"I have come to your country in a spirit of humility. I know that Britain cannot rely on sentiment and shared history for a place in India's future. Your country has the whole world beating a path to its door. But I believe Britain should be India's partner of choice in the years ahead. Starting this week, that is what we are determined to deliver." - David Cameron in The Hindu
The Telegraph on Chris Huhne's anti-nuclear policy: "It is a source of wonder that a minister charged with ensuring energy security for this country places so much faith in a non-fossil source that is wholly dependent on the vagaries of the weather. It is vital that we foster renewables, and vital too that we insulate buildings more effectively. But neither can be a substitute for conventionally gen erated electricity. And the cleanest and the safest form – as BP's recent woes illustrate – is nuclear. Mr Huhne's stubborn unwillingness to embrace it could cost the country very dear in the decades ahead."
"Nick Clegg’s net satisfaction amongst Liberal Democrat supporters has dropped 26 points, from +64 in June to +38, whilst Cameron’s ratings among Conservative supporters have improved by seven percentage points, from +81 to +88." - Ipsos MORI
On The Spectator blog, Melanie Phillips describes Cameron's speech as "truly shocking and quite astoundingly stupid".
"Marking exactly two years until London 2012, the Mayor of London asked for 70,000 volunteers to help the Games run smoothly and another 8,000 ambassadors to guide visitors around the capital." - Metro
And three CentreRight posts:
Wednesday, 28 July 2010
Today's top ConservativeHome features
Today's newslinks
Highlights from yesterday
ToryDiary: CCHQ says Labour will be easier to fight once a successor to Brown has been chosen
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