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Today's ConservativeHome top features ToryDiary: David Cameron to spend next fortnight shoring up European alliances ahead of key EU budget vote Columnist Bruce Anderson: What do the American elections tell us about British politics? That is easy to answer: nothing. Prof. Philip Booth on Comment: We need a revolution in financial regulation MPsETC: Why has the Government refused to allocate proper time for scrap metal theft legislation? Thinkers' Corner: Anthony O'Hear on One nation Local Government:  Matthew Barrett: Lord Heseltine's most worthwhile recommendation was the creation of more unitary authorities Too few Conservatives are applying for public appointments. Here's how they can do so The Deep End: Heresy of the week: What we need is a referendum on everything all of the time Today's ConservativeHome newslinks David Cameron in dash to EU capitals to avoid being isolated over budget freeze "David Cameron will hold an intensive round of meetings with other European leaders over the next two weeks in an attempt to avoid being  isolated on the EU budget  at a crucial summit. The Prime Minister is expected to visit some European capitals and invite the leaders of some other countries to Downing Street to try to rally support for his plan for a real terms freeze in EU spending for 2014-20." - Independent | Times (£) Who do you think you are kidding Mrs Merkel? Britain would thrive if we left the EU - Daniel Hannan MEP for the Daily Mail We want to reform the EU, not leave it - Douglas Alexander for theIndependent > From today: ToryDiary: David Cameron to spend next fortnight shoring up European alliances ahead of key EU budget vote The Deep End: Heresy of the week: What we need is a referendum on everything all of the time > From yesterday: WATCH: Martin Callanan MEP tells Angela Merkel: "I hope that you and Germany will take the lead" in passing free-market reforms in the EU State role required to curb press excesses, Tory MPs urge Cameron "An influential group of mainstream Tories, including four former cabinet ministers, have opened the door to a limited form of statutory press regulation, warning that proposals being put forward by the newspaper industry "risk being an unstable model destined to fail". The letter, published in the Guardian and signed by 42 MPs and two peers, signals a potential shift in the politics of media regulation because it is the first suggestion that the Conservative party is not going to respond to the Leveson inquiry with a monolithic opposition to legal regulation of the industry." - Guardian How should the press be regulated? - Guardian editorial > Yesterday on MPsETC: 42 Tory MPs open door to statutory regulation of Britain's newspaper industry in potentially historic intervention "This is a list of paedophiles, Mr Cameron" – but TV stunt backfires "Phillip Schofield has been forced to apologise after he handed a list of alleged paedophiles to the Prime Minister on live television. David Cameron was making a guest appearance on ITV’s This Morning when the exchange occurred. Schofield, who hosts the daytime show alongside Holly Willoughby, twisted the card containing the names as he passed it to the Prime Minister, leaving the list briefly visible to millions of viewers." - Scotsman Cameron warns against 'gay witch hunt' -Daily Mail "The Prime Minister's appearance on This Morning backfired when he was ambushed with a list of alleged paedophiles. He has only himself to blame" - Daily Telegraph editorial ITV reported to Ofcom for ambushing David Cameron with paedophile list - Daily Telegraph "New evidence obtained by the Guardian suggests that the senior Conservative figure at the centre of sex abuse allegations broadcast last week by BBC2's Newsnight has been a victim of mistaken identity." - Guardian Run for your life — it’s the Nonce Finder General - Richard Littlejohn for the Daily Mail From yesterday: WATCH: David Cameron warns against Savile inquiry "witch-hunt" during interview on This Morning Tim Loughton MP on Comment: An Open Letter to David Cameron: We need a single, over-arching inquiry into child abuse Officials removed from Iain Duncan Smith's Universal Credit scheme "Whitehall sources have claimed that the Universal Credit project is running into trouble after two of the most senior civil servants working on it were replaced and a third went absent. ... The timetable for the complex new system has led to predictions of delay and mismanagement, which Mr Duncan Smith has angrily rejected. The Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed changes in several senior posts on the on Universal Credit project" - Daily Telegraph Justine Greening sounds death knell for British aid to rich nations, axing £280m-a-year handout to India "She will tell MPs that India's controversial £280million a year aid programme will be scrapped. Miss Greening has spent several days this week brokering an end to Britain's aid programme with senior political figures in India. There had been speculation that the Government wanted to halve the subsidies, but she will tell MPs that as a result of the talks she is cancelling them altogether from 2015." -Daily Mail "[I]f Miss Greening’s decision is the start of a new, hard-headed approach to how this money is spent, it could yet prove a significant moment for a Cameron administration which has been fixated on not being considered ‘nasty’." - Daily Mail editorial 'I was not a rogue minister': Andrew Mitchell defends giving £160million to Rwanda on his last day in the job - Daily Mail > From yesterday: WATCH: Andrew Mitchell denies going "rogue" over aid payments to Rwanda The Deep End: Which of these is larger: The overseas aid budget or public subsidies to the banking system? Council bosses can wave goodbye to fat payoffs, says Eric Pickles "Senior council executives should not be entitled to “golden goodbyes” when they lose their jobs, the Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles says, as he warns them that “the days of lining your pocket at the expense of the taxpayer are over”. Mr Pickles will unveil powers to remove employment protection for senior local authority figures, who can now be dismissed after a vote by elected councillors." - Daily Telegraph I’m putting an end to era of boomerang bosses - Eric Pickles for the Daily Telegraph Telegraph picks up Grayling's ConHome Britain-could-leave-ECHR interview "Chris Grayling... said he has not ruled out an exit from European human rights laws, even though the Attorney General has told MPs there is “no question of the UK withdrawing from the convention”. ... But in an interview with the Conservative Home website, Mr Grayling said: “Well, again I'm not ruling it in and not ruling it out. I think it would be irresponsible at the start of a process." - Daily Telegraph > From yesterday:  ConservativeHome's Interview with Chris Grayling: Could a Conservative Government quit the ECHR? "Well, again, I'm not ruling it in and not ruling it out." Andrew Haldenby on Comment: Grayling's prisons U-turn is biggest retreat so far on public service reform policy Hammond's 15,000 new army reservists "will need work protection" "The government is under pressure to back up its reforms to military reservists by providing more protection in the workplace for part-time soldiers... Reservists will be given more training and longer notice of mobilisations to ensure they are “prepared to deploy”. The cut in regulars is being accompanied by a doubling in the number of “weekend warriors” to 30,000. But shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy called for new laws to safeguard volunteer service personnel against being overlooked in the workplace for promotion or pay rises." - Scotsman > From yesterday - WATCH: Philip Hammond announces "much closer alignment" of regular and reserve armies Nadine Dorries compares I'm a Celebrity appearance to a ministerial visit  "Nadine Dorries has claimed she deserves up to a month off as an MP to go on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here, because a Foreign Office minister is away for 20 weeks a year." - Daily Telegraph Labour to hold debate on delaying January fuel duty rise until April "Labour is to force a Commons vote on Monday that it hopes will lead to the postponement of a planned 3p per litre rise in fuel duty in January. ... Ed Balls revealed the bid to delay the rise for at least three months... He said putting off the increase would ease pressure on households. The Treasury said the postponement of earlier planned duty rises had already helped keep fuel costs down." - BBC Immigration backlog is the size of Iceland "The Commons home affairs select committee said the growing number of immigration cases — which includes almost 174,000 missing illegal immigrants — is equivalent of the population of Iceland. Mismanagement by the UK Border Agency could lead to tens of thousands more illegal immigrants being granted an “effective amnesty” as officials write off their cases, the MPs said." - Daily Telegraph Scottish independence: SNP confirms referendum question "The Scottish government is to confirm the wording of the question it plans to put to the people of Scotland in the independence referendum. People will be asked to vote "yes" or "no" to the question: "Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?" The question will now be scrutinised by the Electoral Commission watchdog. Critics of the question say it encourages a "yes" vote by not mentioning an end to the Union." - BBC Margaret Curran accuses Alex Salmond of 'casual dishonesty' - Daily Telegraph Michael Moore: Referendum deal does not fix separation flaws -Daily Telegraph Fraser Nelson: Justin Welby will bring brains and bravery to the almost impossible job of Archbishop of Canterbury "“In a dark sea of thick and wholly unworldly bishops, he sparks a little,” says one MP. “Talking to the bishops in Parliament seldom leaves you with the impression that they believe in God. I think this one actually might.” The only concern was that he might be too religious for the job." - Fraser Nelson for the Daily Telegraph Not long a bishop? Perfectly qualified then - Sir Diarmaid MacCulloch for the Times (£) Allister Heath: End of quantitative easing will stop mad monetary recycling - City AM Ill-health means ex-MP Margaret Moran cannot be found guilty of criminal offence - Daily Telegraph Shale oil will change global supply, Opec admits - Daily Telegraph EU staff to strike over cash cuts - Scotsman Scottish Borders 'on course for 1,000 wind turbines' - Daily Telegraph Yesterday on ConservativeHome ToryDiary: 14% of voters can remember hearing about imaginary Labour MP Audrey Cockburn using union funds to redecorate her home Comment: Andrew Haldenby: Grayling's prisons U-turn is biggest retreat so far on public service reform policy Dylan Sharpe on Comment: Peter Oborne's "lessons" for Cameron from the US election are wide of the mark Iain Anderson: The US election suggests that micro-targeting is the key to winning 21st Century elections International: The ten must-read reactions from American conservatives to Romney's defeat MPsETC: 42 Tory MPs open door to statutory regulation of Britain's newspaper industry in potentially historic intervention This parliament should see the highest number of by-elections in 20 years Mr Speaker's war against Anna Soubry WATCH: David Cameron warns against Savile inquiry "witch-hunt" during interview on This Morning Philip Hammond announces "much closer alignment" of regular and reserve armies Martin Callanan MEP tells Angela Merkel: "I hope that you and Germany will take the lead" in passing free-market reforms in the EU Andrew Mitchell denies going "rogue" over aid payments to Rwanda