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Today's top ConservativeHome features ToryDiary: David Cameron's leadership is now at risk MajorityConservatism: "Yesterday, the Conservative Party suffered its worst single electoral setback since Black Wednesday". Discuss. Columnist Peter Hoskin: Reform is creating a state outside the state — and reformers should question that Samuel Coates on Comment: The forgotten coup in the Maldives Paul Scully on Local Government:Tomorrow’s Councillor – Walking Tall The Deep End: Middle-aged parents and the other biological clock Today's newslinks The end of Lords reform — the newspapers respond "The row marks one of the most serious crises for the Coalition since the 2010 general election with Conservative sources saying at the weekend that they were determined to push ahead with boundary reform." - Daily Telegraph Comment: "But Mr Clegg’s gravest offence is surely his readiness to destabilise the Government in the depths of the worst economic crisis of modern times." - Daily Mail editorial "[The coaltion parties] increasingly resemble a married couple trapped in a loveless marriage, kept together not by hope, but fear." - Daily Telegraph editorial "The only substantial policy to which Mr Clegg is irretrievably committed is the reduction of the national deficit. He will not retreat from that. But since the 2010 election, the economic situation has got much worse; it has become plain that Chancellor George Osborne needs to show more imagination and flexibility. ... But whether he will be able to secure Lib Dem backing is uncertain, even if he comes up with a decent solution." - Max Hastings, Daily Mail And age of tit-for-tat - Patrick Wintour, Guardian > Yesterday: ToryDiary: No more Lords reform — and dwindling hope for a Conservative majority MPsETC: Nick Clegg, the man who porky pied to students about tuition fees, does the same on boundary changes WATCH: Nick Clegg says goodbye to Lords reform But Downing Street declines to rule out boundary changes just yet "Sources close to Downing Street said the boundary review was not yet dead, as there will still be a vote on the issue next year. The Conservatives could try to rely on the support of minority parties but would find it very difficult to push through without the Liberal Democrats." - Daily Telegraph "Lib Dem ministers will be allowed to keep their jobs even if they vote against the boundary review, which is government policy. ... Senior Tories and Lib Dems said the Government would 'cross that bridge when we come to it'. The boundary changes are out for consultation and due to come before the Commons next autumn." - The Times (£) Tory anger at Nick Clegg “'Apart from keeping ministers in office, what is the Coalition now for?” asked the Tory MP Douglas Carswell. 'What we need is a new Coalition agreement which is not done in a rush by a clique and that can be democratically agreed by our party conferences.' ... Another Tory MP added: 'This will go down like a lead balloon. Nick Clegg is on the record supporting boundary changes and now he’s suddenly changed his mind because he hasn’t got House of Lords Reform. He’s basically throwing his toys out of the pram.'" - Independent And mixed feelings on Clegg's own side "Mr Clegg is resilient, which is just as well, given the hostility of those senior Lib Dems disenchanted, even before the latest debacle, with his leadership. Scornful of Ed Miliband, whom he blames for “mischief-making” in failing to back the timetable motion on the Lords Bill, and open in his fury at Tory rebels and donors who have seen off his entire constitutional programme, the Lib Dem leader is getting short of friends." - Mary Riddell, Daily Telegraph "Privately some senior Liberal Democrats are not unhappy at the outcome – even if it means loosing Lords reform. The party stood to lose up to 14 of their 57 MPs as a result of the boundary changes and feared that a protracted and acrimonious row over House of Lords reform at time of economic crisis would play badly with voters. ... 'Only some of our more intellectually isolated supporters really cared that much about Lords reform,' said one. 'Personally I’m cracking open a small bottle of champagne.'" - Independent Nick Clegg must go, for the Lib Dems' sake - Tom Clark, Guardian The end of Louise Mensch's spell in Parliament — the newspapers respond "Tim Montgomerie, editor of the ConservativeHome activist website, describes the resignation as a 'huge headache' for the prime minister given the high chances of a Labour victory. ... 'It’s a super-marginal seat in UK Independence party country so it’s not impossible that the Conservatives will come third in this election, especially if they leave [the by-election] until November and t hat gives UKIP time to campaign,' he said. ... 'Cameron’s been a lucky prime minister up until now but his luck has run out,' Mr Montgomerie added." - Financial Times (£) Profile of Louise Mensch - Daily Telegraph Louise Mensch's next chapter - Guardian Comment: We can’t afford to lose people like Louise - Rachel Sylvester, The Times (£) A work-life balance is as important for MPs as for the rest of us -The Times (£) editorial The lessons of Louise Mensch's departure? There are none - Gaby Hinsliff, Guardian A woman MP making all-too-familiar sacrifices - Julia Langdon,Independent > Yesterday: MPsETC: Louise Mensch resigns as MP for Corby WATCH: George Osborne: Louise Mensch has been "an inspiring Member of Parliament" Party strategists have "privately conceded" Corby to Labour "Since the news [of Louise Mensch's resgincation] broke, the party’s strategists have privately conceded the seat to a resurgent Labour, which is why local Tory activists who campaigned so hard for Mrs Mensch are angered by what they see as her betrayal. ... Certainly, the by-election will cast a shadow over the Tory conference in October, which Mr Cameron is planning to use to relaunch his government (again)." - Andrew Pierce, Daily Mail Cameron has a hard by-election fight ahead - Daily Telegraph > Yesterday on MPsETC: When should the Corby by-election be held? Further pressure on ministers to support sport in schools "Without a significant improvement, the 'once in a lifetime opportunity' presented by the London Olympics would be missed, said the chairman of the Games organising committee. ... Lord Coe, a Conservative peer and former Olympic athlete himself, spoke after Jeremy Hunt, the Culture Secretary, admitted that sports provision in schools was 'patchy'." - Daily Telegraph "More than 20 school sports pitches have been approved for sale by the Government in two years, despite its pledge to protect playing fields. ... Education Secretary Michael Gove’s decisions to back the sales will be a blow to London 2012 officials who want ministers to invest more in school sports." - Daily Mail The Sun launches a campaign to have daily PE lessons at schools - The Sun Olympic comment: These Olympics are manna for Unionists - Alex Massie, Think Scotland Our athletes deserve better than this dreary national anthem - Dominic Lawson, Independent How our schools lost the plot - Richard Garner, Independent Even I’ve got hooked on the goodwill Games - Hugo Rifkind, The Times (£) > Yesterday: Columnist Andrew Lilico: Some lessons from the Olympics Stephen Parkinson on Comment: The eight Conservative MPs and peers who've won Olympic medals ToryDiary: David Cameron speaks in memory of the 1972 Olympic tragedy George Osborne stands up for oil and gas "The Chancellor will today praise 'remarkable' oil and gas companies for making the most 'significant contribution' to the UK economy in the energy sector. ... Mr Osborne will say gas is crucial to meet the UK’s electricity demand throughout the next decade and beyond." - Daily Telegraph > Yesterday's ToryDiary: Danny Alexander’s words suggest that George Osborne’s credit rating headache is getting worse Trevor Phillips urges ministers to consider the riots' race component "Trevor Phillips, who steps down [as chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission] in September, says one of his 'biggest disappointments' has been the refusal of ministers to discuss the racial elements of the disorder. ... Looking at the underlying factors, there’s no doubt that there is a racial component to this [rioting] underclass. It’s pretty clearly racially defined,” he told the Financial Times." -Financial Times (£) Janan Ganesh: There must be another Coalition Agreement "The solution lies in another coalition agreement; a fresh package of big policies to take the government to the end of the parliament in 2015. The obstacles are fearsome, of course. With the collapse of Mr Clegg’s coveted House of Lords reform, the governing parties will struggle to even look at each other. Then there is the lack of big, distinctive Lib Dem ideas. If the Tories wanted, say, an expansion of airport capacity, what could Mr Clegg demand in return? ... But the alternative is distressing: two-and-a-half more years of a coalition that is unified only by a commitment to austerity and by the self-preserving desire to avoid an election anytime soon." - Janan Ganesh, Financial Times (£) Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence: We must spend more on Britain's infrastructure - Daily Telegraph Charities run schools better than businesses, says Labour think-tank- The Times (£) Standard Chartered has been accused of laundering $250 billion from Iran - Independent Another banking scandal was the last thing the City needed - Allister Heath, City AM Yesterday's Highlights on ConservativeHome ToryDiary: No more Lords reform — and dwindling hope for a Conservative majority Danny Alexander’s words suggest that George Osborne’s credit rating headache is getting worse David Cameron speaks in memory of the 1972 Olympic tragedy MPsETC: Louise Mensch resigns as MP for Corby When should the Corby by-election be held? Nick Clegg, the man who porky pied to students about tuition fees, does the same on boundary changes Columnist Andrew Lilico: Some lessons from the Olympics Stephen Parkinson on Comment: The eight Conservative MPs and peers who've won Olympic medals WATCH: Nick Clegg says goodbye to Lords reform George Osborne: Louise Mensch has been "an inspiring Member of Parliament"