May gets the backing of Cameron and the whips, who co-ordinate attack on Labour's immigration legacy
"The operation to save the home secretary was launched at a meeting convened by the whips, and attended by senior Tory MPs, shortly before the start of the weekly session of prime minister's questions. One MP said: "Theresa will be saved for two reasons. David has made clear that she must be protected. There is also no way that the most senior woman in the cabinet can be lost." The prime minister offered strong support for May shortly afterwards in the Commons. "It is right that the head of the border force was suspended and I back that action completely," Cameron said" - Guardian
- Anne Treneman - 'May-day, May-day . . . ? Labour attack sinks as Cameron and Co repel latest border skirmish' - Times (£)
- Quentin Letts: "Labour won the shouting match, if nothing else, during yesterday afternoon’s Commons debate on border checks. At times we could have done with riot police inside the Chamber to ensure that the Tories could be heard" - Daily Mail
- James Chapman: 'Theresa May will survive, and Yvette Cooper will lead Labour' - Daily Mail
- Steve Richards: 'Demanding Theresa May's head on a plate solves nothing' - Independent
- Peter Oborne: 'Theresa May's attempts to pass the buck make for a distressing spectacle' - Telegraph
Home Office lawyers believe that Brodie Clark will be awarded up to £135,000 in compensation, causing further embarrassment to May
"Mr Clark, 60, could be awarded up to £135,000 in a move that would deepen the political embarrassment for Mrs May and the Government. He is claiming that the Home Secretary made his position untenable because of statements that she made blaming him for the border checks fiasco. He will argue that by giving him no chance to respond to her allegations, there was a breakdown in trust between them that made it impossible for him to continue working at the Home Office. He is also likely to complain about suggestions in Whitehall that he was a “rogue official” - Times (£)
- "Even if it is found that Mrs May was right to suspend him, he can expect a taxpayer-funded payout of around £140,000. This is in addition to his pension, which is worth up to £65,000 a year with a lump sum of up to £190,000 payable on retirement" - Daily Mail
€urozone leaders must put "flesh on the bones" of a €uro rescue deal, to stop "contagion" spreading further, says Cameron
"In the Commons, David Cameron said what was ‘tragically’ unfolding in Italy meant eurozone leaders could dither no longer – insisting they must put ‘flesh on the bones’ of a single currency rescue deal to stop the contagion spreading further. Italy’s borrowing rates appeared ‘totally unsustainable’, the PM said. But he said Britain would step in to help through the IMF only if eurozone leaders were prepared to face up to their own crisis. ‘If you don’t have credibility about your plans to deal with your debts and deal with y our deficits, whether you like the markets or not they won’t lend you any money,’ Mr Cameron said." - Daily Mail
- Jeremy Warner: 'This time, trouble over the channel is deadly serious' - Telegraph
- In another article, Warner also argues: "Britain’s economy may already have dipped back into recession, but thanks to developments in Italy over the past few days, the chances of it being pushed into something very much worse have got a whole lot bigger ... for Britain, which is on the front line, it would be much worse. An already likely home-grown recession would be multiplied several times over" - Telegraph
As the crisis in Italy escalates, there are discussions of ways of creating a smaller €urozone. The Telegraph has an apocalyptic front page: 'While Rome burns, the €urozone fiddles'
"Silvio Berlusconi’s pledge to resign as prime minister failed to stem the financial turmoil, and mixed messages on how the eurozone would respond to the crisis added to uncertainty in the markets. Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, called for deeper European integration and a new “breakthrough” treaty that would give the EU greater fiscal powers to stop member states from slipping into dangerous levels of debt. However, there were also reports that German and French officials were privately looking at ways to make it possible for European nations to leave the eurozone, causing US shares to s lump by three per cent last night" - Telegraph
- 'Contagion: 'Now €urozone debt virus starts to overwhelm Italy' - Independent
- 10 reasons to be fearful of Italy's debt crisis - Guardian
- European debt crisis spiralling out of control - Guardian
- Daniel Hannan MEP: 'Compared to this, Greece was just a sideshow. Italy could blow Europe to pieces' - Daily Mail
- "Yesterday’s casual approach to the Italian debt markets by the Euro area does not breed confidence in the currency" says John Redwood - 'Do they want to save the €uro?' - John Redwood's Diary
- Allegra Stratton: 'Is Angela Merkel playing chicken or doing the crabwalk?' -Guardian
Clegg upsets "melodramatic" Conservatives, saying that returning EU powers to the UK would be a "dangerous distraction" during the €urozone crisis
"Speaking in Brussels yesterday, Mr Clegg warned of the “dangers of focusing huge political amounts of time and energy” on a treaty change negotiation. Such a power struggle would be a “huge distraction” from dealing with the continent’s economic troubles, he said. “From whatever direction you come, whether you are a starry-eyed pro-European or fanatically hostile to all aspects of the EU, everybody from all sides can agree that what we need to do now is for the eurozone to deal with its immediate problems and for us to enhance growth, prosperity and jobs" - Telegraph
- Clegg also believes he has "persuaded Germany not to impose greater financial measures on struggling euro nations" - Guardian
- Rafael Behr: 'Nick “Heineken” Clegg’s love of Europe is good diplomacy but suicidal politics' - New Statesman
Cross-party agreement on political funding set to collapse, after leak reveals the Tory party would oppose £10,000 individual party donation cap- Guardian
"Oliver Heald, the Tories' representative on the committee, refused to sign the group's final report, to be published on 22 November, after a last-minute intervention on Mr Cameron's behalf. In a "note of dissent" to be included in the committee's report, Mr Heald said: "If the donation cap is set at £10,000, it may disadvantage the Labour Party in terms of donation income, but it may inflict worse damage on the Conservative Party in terms of overall central income." ...He said that trade union members should be allowed to earmark their affiliation fees for any party, not just Labour" -Independent
In coming weeks, Ken Clarke is set to unveil proposals to make stalking a crime - Sun
After pressure from Cameron and Prince William, FIFA backs down on decision to ban the England football team wearing poppies - Independent
- Stephen Glover: 'Morally-tainted bureaucrats, and why there is nothing political about a poppy on a football shirt' - Daily Mail
Senior figures in the Scottish Conservatives reject front-bench roles offered to them, causing turmoil in the party days into Ruth Davidson's leadership - Scotsman
- Scotsman Leader: 'Tories’ new leader reaps what she sows as rivals kick back' - Scotsman
Shadow Scottish Secretary, Margaret Curran says an independent Scotland could be forced to join the €uro because of EU member state "concerns about separatist movements" - Telegraph
Lib Dem MP Tom Brake urges ministers to decriminalise the use of drugs, sending users to education and treatment centres - Times (£)
For the first time in 114 years, the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has voted to strike over pensions - Guardian
MoD plans to withdraw troops from Germany by 2015 - Guardian
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