ConservativeHome is conducting a special survey on Europe. We are asking if you want a referendum now, at the next election or afterwards? Which Conservatives do you most trust on the question of Europe? Would holding a referendum on General Election day kill off UKIP? Why is Cameron beginning to move on the Europe issue now? Who is influencing him most? Are you worried that the party is becoming too obsessed (yet again) with Europe? Click HERE to have your say. ToryDiary: Andrew Tyrie should take his time Also on ToryDiary: Take part in our special EU survey Christopher Howarth on Comment: The Conservative Party should drop its short-sighted support for Euro Fiscal Federlalism Also on Comment: Lord Ashcroft - We are right to try to solve one of the great aviation mysteries: the disappearance of Amelia Earhart 75 years ago Local Government: Chris Yiu on ThinkTankCentral: We need new ways of solving the familiar problem of the revenue tax gap The Deep End: Secularism versus democracy WATCH: Australian Minister Craig Emerson breaks into song during a live TV interview No more Levesons. Send for Tyrie. Treasury Select Committee Chairman to head Parliamentary banking inquiry Tyrie's committee will have the authority to take evidence under oath... "Cameron's proposed inquiry, including peers and MPs, will be chaired by Andrew Tyrie, the respected Conservative chairman of the Treasury select committee. It will not have an inbuilt Tory majority. Witnesses can be compelled to give evidence under oath. It is due to report by the end of December and will be provided with extra research resources by the Treasury. It will look into what lessons can be learned in relation to "transparency, conflicts of interest, culture and the professional standards of the banking industry"." - The Guardian ...And will question Brown, Balls and Vadera in gallery of shame "Gordon Brown and his senior lieutenants face questioning about their roles supervising the City after George Osborne announced a parliamentary inquiry into the future of banking. Ed Balls and Baroness Vadera emerged as likely witnesses along with the former Prime Minister as political divisions deepened over the banking scandal…Another possible witness is Lord Green, David Cameron’s Trade Minister and the former chairman of HSBC and former chairman of the British Banking Association." - The Times (£) Miliband still wants a public inquiry. But Cameron has out-manoevered him. For the moment, anyway. "Mr Osborne is under pressure from the opposition Labour party for some kind of inquiry into standards in the City and his promise of a review of bank conduct may not go far enough to satisfy Ed Miliband, Labour leader. “We think there needs to be a full, public, independent inquiry into the practices, governance, professional integrity and regulatory authority for the banking and financial services sector,� said a spokesman for Mr Miliband." -Financial Times (£) > Yesterday: The Guardian claims that Cameron HAS now conceded a EU referendum "Amid Tory back bench fears that he was trying to avoid a vote on leaving the EU, Cameron said on Monday that the option would be offered. His remarks came after Julian Lewis, a former shadow defence minister, asked the prime minister: "Is it your position that on any referendum on Europe, while you are prime minister, the option of voting to leave the EU will not appear on the ballot paper?" Cameron replied: "…The right time to determine questions about referendums and the rest of it is after we have that fresh settlement. That is what we should do." - The Guardian But Tory MPs aren't happy. Neither-yet-sacked-nor-resigned PPS Conor Burns leads the charge > Yesterday: Reforms to target child sex abuse - BBC Labour accuse Salmond of losing heart over independence... "Margaret Curran, the Shadow Scottish Secretary, said she had learned through ministerial written answers that the Scottish Government has not had a single conversation on the consequences of independence with any Whitehall department. In a speech today to a conference in London on independence, she will accuse the SNP of giving the impression they are losing heart on their key policy and looking to having a second devo-max question on the referendum ballot paper simply to "save Alex Salmond's face"." -Scotsman Afghan policeman kills three British soldiers - Daily Express Osborne aims to water down paternity leave plans "Ministers are considering watering down plans to give fathers more paternity leave amid coalition tensions over the impact the move would have on businesses. Under government proposals published last year, mothers would get an automatic 18 weeks of paid leave and fathers would get six weeks – four more than at present. A further 16 weeks of paid leave and 18 weeks of unpaid leave would then be shared between both parents." - Financial Times (£) Report warns of problems from police cuts - Financial Times (£) Hospitals 'may see wards closures' under NHS reforms, says Lansley "His remarks are the first time Mr Lansley has so explicitly set out how hospitals may shrink under the Health and Social Care Bill. He has promised to protect “frontline services�, but around 60 hospitals are suffering dire financial problems because of deals sign with private companies under Labour. The Health Secretary said whole hospitals would not “necessarily� close down because of financial pressures gripping the NHS." - Daily Telegraph MLAs in clash over job bias ruling - Belfast Telegraph Army at war over the axing of battalions - Daily Telegraph Falklands veteran Simon Weston pulls out of Police and Crime Commissioner race - Wales Online Policy Exchange says that a more efficient Civil Service ‘could halve the deficit’ - The Times (£) Oliver Colvile MP says that the civil partners of knights and peers should get honorary titles, like wives - Daily Telegraph Olympic stadium turf comes from Samantha Cameron's father's back garden - Daily MailColumnist Stephan Shakespeare: The special bias of clever people
"David Cameron and George Osborne dismissed calls for a judge-led investigation, like that into the media by Lord Justice Leveson, insisting a panel of senior MPs and peers could act more quickly and forensically. The committee will aim to report by Christmas so its recommendations can be included in a Banking Reform Bill due early next year." - Daily Mail
"The benches behind Mr Cameron were scattered with Tory MPs who believe the prime minister’s offer of a possible referendum at some undefined point in the future on an undisclosed question is far from credible. Conor Burns was among those calling on Mr Cameron to legislate in this parliament for a referendum after the 2015 election, but was rebuffed by a prime ministerial appeal to show “tactical and strategic patienceâ€�. - Financial Times ( £)
...But Portillo says that the SNP leader's charisma is irresistible"Mr Portillo told The Scotsman that the newly launched campaign, led by former chancellor Alistair Darling, was “in some difficulty� as he issued a stark warning to Better Together that it would not be able to match Mr Salmond’s charisma. The former Tory defence secretary said Edinburgh Labour MP Mr Darling would have to “spend day after day� to compete with Mr Salmond’s Yes campaign in the run-up to the referendum in autumn 2014." - Scotsman
Gove's exam overhaul rejected by MPs
"The Education Secretary’s proposed radical changes to the exams system have been largely rejected by a cross-party group of MPs. Michael Gove’s vision of new exams in the style of O levels in English, maths and the sciences, each run by a single exam board, would have a negative long-term impact, MPs said. Moves to put universities in charge of designing tougher content for A levels were also called into question as MPs advocated a nationally approved syllabus for each exam." - The Times (£)
Tuesday, 3 July 2012
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