6pm ThinkTankCentral: Cameron's former head of policy, James O'Shaughnessy, joins Policy Exchange to develop school federations
5.30pm Local government: Labour's claim of TfL "surplus cash" is nonsense
5pm newslinks: Miliband's DISASTROUS ratings among LabourList readers lead our 5pm political news review
4pm ToryDiary: Wetherspoon introduces 'Veto Ale' to celebrate Cameron's patriotic act
1.45pm Local government: Five Conservative councillors included in New Year Honours
12.15pm WATCH: Louise Mensch MP photo-shooting for GQ
Noon ConHomeUSA: Romney, Paul, Santorum each hope for victory in today's Iowa contest
11am WATCH: Labour MP Grahame Morris says gun laws may need review after County Durham shootings
10am MPsETC: A lesson from Louise Mensch's GQ interview
ToryDiary: Ken Livingstone begins his 'kick Cameron, oust Boris' campaign
Columnist Stephan Shakespeare: As long as the Tories lead on the economy they will command British politics
On Comment: Lord Ashcroft records the accomplishments of Australia's John Howard, new member of The Queen's Order of Merit
MPsETC: In sexy photoshoot, GQ bill Louise Mensch as the "Iron Maiden"
Local government: Conservative returned unopposed in Derbyshire Dales Council byelection
WATCH: Andy Burnham accuses Coalition of "mixed messages" on breast implant scare
Chris Grayling will pay private and voluntary groups up to £15,000 if they move members of problem families from welfare to work
"Providers will be paid in three stages – when they have made a member of a troublemaking family sign up to a personal action plan, when the plan is completed, and finally when the individual has moved into employment. In total, a three-year contract will be worth up to £15,000 per family." – Daily Mail
The nation’s benefits bill is almost five times higher in some constituencies than in others
"Glasgow East has the highest cost per person of any seat in Britain, with unemployment, sickness and child benefit payments now amounting to £5 for every adult and child in the seat every day. That compares to North East Hampshire, the seat with the lowest per head payments in the UK, where people receive less than a pound a day." – Scotsman
Meanwhile… Liam Byrne says welfare state has become detached from Beveridge's founding principles
Ken Clarke plans to double the number of inmates working up to 40 hours a week because they are currently a “wasted resource” – Telegraph
Tory MPs Anne-Marie Morris and Priti Patel complain about HMRC's "harassment" of small firms – Independent
An unprecedented coalition of government advisers, charities and independent experts warns of terrible abuse and neglect of elderly
"In a letter published in The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday, the experts say that a lack of “political leadership” must not be allowed to condemn 800,000 frail pensioners to a life of loneliness any longer." – Telegraph report
Text of the letter: "the unavoidable challenge we face is how to support the increasing number of people who need care. It is a challenge which we are failing to meet – resulting in terrible examples of abuse and neglect in parts of the care system."
Surgeons who profit from the breast implant industry must be made fully accountable – Sarah Wollaston MP for The Guardian
"Don't move Gove!" – James O'Shaughnessy, Cameron's former head of policy, explains his own plans to support the free schools project and urges the PM to keep the Education secretary in place to finish his work – Times (£)
> Michael Gove was voted Conservative of the 2011 by ConHome's readership.
Tory backbenchers plan alliance with Lib Dem MPs who see need for EU reform
"Tory sceptics are… insisting a section of the Liberal Democrat parliamentary party are desperate to avoid the label of Europhiles. They also claim Nick Clegg has instructed his office to draw up a list of powers that could be returned to national parliaments." – Guardian
Trevor Kavanagh: We need to hear from David Cameron about the Government's plans for €uro break-up – The Sun
Economists see bleak year ahead – FT (£)
"Of the 83 economists polled by the FT (£), only four thought credit easing would be remembered as a transformative policy in a year’s time while 54 thought the opposite."
The Centre for Policy Studies and Civitas warn of cost of Coalition's climate change policies – Daily Mail
Nick Clegg to make aggressive push for cap on donations to political parties – Daily Mail
"The Conservative Party has spent a large chunk of the past hundred years under leaders who were not conservative in any recognisable sense" – Dan Hannan MEP
No one to replace Ed Miliband? Try Yvette Cooper
"She may be barely known outside Westminster – just ask a normal person who the Shadow Home Secretary is – but she came top of the Shadow Cabinet elections among MPs before Ed Miliband abolished them. If she is clever, the Brownites, Swedes and Blairites could unite behind her. Her politics are not mine, but she would be populist on law and order, and she would certainly be noticed." – John Rentoul in The Independent
Alex Salmond claims that hjis interruption of Nigel Lawson's Budget speech was beginning of the end for Margaret Thatcher – Scotsman
And finally… Subsidy for MPs' bars and restaurants rises £5.8m
"The Commons Commission said in June 2010 that £500,000 should be sliced from catering costs and bar prices should rise to those of high street pubs as part of a £12m cut to the Commons budget. But in the Members Dining Room, MPs are served an artichoke and tomato salad with truffle dressing for £2.05, or a seared breast of pigeon with aubergine purée and spiced couscous for just £4.15." – Telegraph
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