5.30pm WATCH: Britain in the global race. Latest Conservative PPB
5pm Local Government: Pickles warns that councillors should not take payments to lobby their own councils
4.15pm WATCH: Martin Callanan MEP backs cut in EU budget
4pm David Burrowes MP on Comment: We need a social recovery not just an economic recovery
2.45pm WATCH: Michael Gove trounces his critics at the Education Select Committee
2.15pm Mark Florman on Comment: Employee-shareholder policy could restore our winning entrepreneurial zeal again.
1.15pm ToryDiary: PMQs: Ed Milband steals the show with brewery joke
11.45am ToryDiary: "The 2005 campaign looks like the model
that will apply ten years on from that election. Shapps will be the
voice of the campaign (or one of them) and Crosby will be the hands: Who will run the 2015 election campaign?
10.30am Mark Reckless MP on Comment: Crunch Time for Theresa May
10am ToryDiary: Go on, Mr Cameron – scrap PMQs
9.45am MPsETC: Lord Lawson says that Osborne has no "growth button" to press
ToryDiary: Dropping plan for minimum alcohol pricing is sensible
Lord Ashcroft on Comment: End the ringfence for international aid
Also on Comment: Luke de Pulford: Why we all should care about this papal election
Columnist Stephan Shakespeare: A courageous confrontation with powerful elites may yet save the Conservative Party
Majority Conservatism: Andrea Leadsom MP offers Three ideas to improve Tory support amongst Britain's women
Local government: Cllr David Burbage on Improving the performance of the Whitehall/Town Hall machine
The Deep End: David Cameron is wrong – there is a magic money tree, but it only grows in the gardens of the rich
Cameron forced to abandon minimum alcohol plan
"Labour has accused the government of "weak leadership" after it emerged plans for minimum pricing of alcohol in England and Wales may be dropped. Conservative ministers are understood to be split over a proposed 45p per unit price to tackle problem drinking. Tory former GP Sarah Wollaston said: "To ditch this evidence-based measure would be a real tragedy." Labour said it would be a "humiliating climb-down"- BBC
IDS announces that foster carers and armed services to keep spare room subsidy
"In a written ministerial statement Mr Duncan Smith said foster parents would be allowed to have one spare room, whether or not a child has been placed with them, so long as they had fostered a child or had
been approved to do so within the past 12 months. Members of the armed forces living with their parents will also be regarded as still occupying their rooms while they are away on operations." – The Times (£)
>Yesterday: Nick de Bois MP on Comment: The bishops may be vocal on benefits, but why were they silent about 90% tax rates on the poor?
Osborne faces triple dip
"The Government’s economic woes worsened only days before the annual Budget as dire manufacturing figures suggested that Britain had entered a triple-dip recession. The pound tumbled in early trading against the dollar after the Office for National Statistics reported the steepest monthly drop in manufacturing output since last summer." The Times (£)
Tory MPs told not to talk down election prospects on Twitter
"Tory MPs were told to stop using Twitter to criticise David Cameron and the party’s future election prospects after a spate of embarrassing tweets. Lynton Crosby, the strategist brought in to help with the Tories’ 2015 general election campaign, instructed MPs yesterday to stick to highlighting the Government’s successes to ensure they put out a unified message….the directive emphasised that they should remember that they are “participants not commentators”." – The Times (£)
Gove criticises May's ConHome speech…
"Michael Gove challenged Theresa May to stop undermining David Cameron when he spoke out at a meeting on Tuesday of the Conservative political cabinet against prominent Tories who are promoting their leadership credentials…. The intervention by Gove was dismissed by allies of May who pointed out that the prime minister had approved her speech to a conference organised by the ConservativeHome website at 5pm on Friday. Cameron suggested some changes that were incorporated by the home secretary. . The home secretary accepted the invitation to speak at the conference last November." – The Guardian
…as Boris burnishes his own leadership credentials
"Asked whether he could ever attempt to become the Prime Minister, Mr Johnson reaffirmed his commitment to his current role and said: “It would be completely wrong of me to abandon my post.” However, he added: “After 2016 who knows what will happen. But I'm very, very happy with the job of Mayor of London. "There are very few jobs in politics as interesting as being Mayor of London."" – Daily Telegraph
Pickles tells councils to stop spending £20 million translating documents….
"Communities Secretary Eric Pickles yesterday told councils to cut back on translating basic documents into languages intended to help migrants. He said providing information in foreign languages wastes council taxpayers money and reduces the incentive for migrants to learn English." – The Times (£)
….and to stop councillors being paid to lobby their own council on planning applications
"In the wake of a Telegraph investigation, Eric Pickles, the Local Government Secretary, said councils must tighten their ethics codes and act against anyone who may have done something illegal. He urged the Liberal Democrats to take “any necessary action to suspend” a councillor identified by this newspaper for saying he could use “a bit of cunning” to get planning applications through. In a letter to Hilary Benn, the shadow communities secretary, Mr Pickles said it is unacceptable for councillors to receive any payment for lobbying their councils." – Daily Telegraph
Cameron may veto EU arms embargo
"David Cameron has said the UK would consider vetoing any extension to the European Union's arms embargo on Syria. The embargo is due to be renewed in May, but the prime minister said it was "not out of the question we may have to do things in our own way."- BBC
Redwood says Tory MPs want tax cuts
"The email, sent by John Redwood, the chairman of the Conservative Party’s backbench economic affairs committee, makes clear that Tories also want the Coalition to squeeze public spending further… “The top running ideas are all proposals to offer tax cuts to stimulate greater confidence, more enterprise, and to relieve some of the squeeze on the private sector,” Mr Redwood wrote….A short-term cut in CGT to perhaps 10 per cent “could release more investment and spending, and may even stimulate more revenue”. – Daily Telegraph
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Big spending cuts are needed but not salami slicing
Argentina warned to respect Falklands vote
"David Cameron has called on Argentina to respect the wishes of the people of the Falkland Islands to remain British. The prime minister said the almost unanimous vote in favour of staying a British overseas territory was the "clearest possible result". He said Argentina should take "careful note" of the referendum, and Britain would always defend the islands." – BBC
Mansion Tax call rejected
"MPs have rejected Labour calls for a "mansion tax" on properties
worth more than £2m to be introduced before the next general election.
Conservative and Lib Dem MPs joined forces to defeat the move by 63 votes after a Commons debate." – BBC
>Yesterday LeftWatch: New Tory leaflet warns that a mansions tax would result in "government snoopers" revaluing your home
DUP and OUP discussed merger
"The talks failed, but helped fuel a continuing internal debate about co-operation between the parties. The parties and the TUV agreed to support a single unionist candidate in last week's Mid Ulster by-election. "- BBC
Britain asked to move EU elections to a Sunday– The Times (£)
>Yesterday ToryDiary: The Guardian discovers that "right-wing" views on Europe and immigration are quite popular
Miliband tries to hide union meetings
"Unite, the trade union, has given Labour more than £7 million in donations since 2010, making it the party’s biggest financial backer. Mr Miliband suggested last year that he met Len McCluskey, Unite’s
general secretary, “every three or four weeks”. However, a list of meetings released by the Labour Party failed to mention any meeting between Mr Miliband, the Labour leader, and Mr McCluskey." – Daily Telegraph
In one day Labour's lead on YouGov rises from 8% to 14% – YouGov
Bill to allow 16 and 17-year-olds vote in Scottish independence referendum – BBC
Euro MPs in new EU budget battle – BBC
TUC report says most British children will soon grow up "below the breadline" – The Independent
MPs to vote on civil partnerships for straight couples – Daily Telegraph
And finally…Monbiot to undertake charity work to settle McAlpine libel claim
"Guardian columnist George Monbiot has agreed to carry out three years of charity work to settle a libel action brought by former Conservative Party chairman Lord McAlpine." – BBC
> Please use the
thread below to provide links to news topics likely to be of interest to
ConservativeHome readers and to comment on political topics that haven't been
given their own blog. Read our comments policy here.