6.15pm: WATCH: Boris defends his island airport…and battles with his own umbrella
1.30pm: Anatole Pang on Comment: To succeed with China, we must learn to play the underdog
12.45pm: Local Government: Council byelection results from yesterday
10.45am: LeftWatch: Labour's growing civil war over candidate selection
10am: ToryDiary: Cameron should vote for the amendment on an EU referendum bill
Two EU-related pieces lead ConservativeHome this morning:
Iain Dale's Diary: My secret plan to succeed Keith Simpson MP in Broadland, Norfolk. (Not.)
Lord Ashcroft on Comment: CND are not the best people to ask what Scots think of Trident
Also on Comment: Simon Gordon – Rent Controls are not, and never have been, the answer
Majority Conservatism: Five ideas for Cameron – 5) Work some magic on Merlin
Local Government: 11% fall in number of Council bureaucrats earning over £100,000
The Deep End: Heresy of the week: The rich keep getting richer because the state keeps giving them money
Cameron allows free vote on EU referendum amendment – including for ministers
"Well-placed sources indicated that all Tories would be free to support the amendment, which has been tabled by the MPs John Baron and Peter Bone, if and when it is called next week. It sets up the extraordinary prospect of the governing party voting against its own legislative agenda. Senior Tories defended such a move. “Clearly, the Conservative Party has a policy that we want a referendum on the EU,” said senior sources. Mr Cameron has blamed Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats for his inability to introduce a referendum Bill, even though before last week’s county council elections Downing Street had dismissed the idea out of hand. “The amendment reflects the Conservative position,” said the sources." – The Times (£)
>Yesterday: ToryDiary - John Baron MP and Peter Bone MP table a cunning EU referendum amendment
>Today: ToryDiary - Tories should be proud to argue about Europe: the Germans wish their politicians had done so
Osborne: Tax-evaders – we are coming for you
"Officials are unsure what sums are at stake but pointed out that a crackdown on millionaires who hid money in Liechtenstein is expected to raise £3billion. Last night George Osborne said: 'The message is simple: if you evade tax we're coming after you. This data is another weapon in HMRC's arsenal. The Chancellor said he was shocked by the extent to which the wealthy were exploiting tax loopholes." – Daily Mail
Michael Gove attacks Mr Men dumbing down
"In particular, Mr Gove criticised the teaching of history, reasserting his enthusiasm that pupils should grow up “knowing the story of our islands’’. He highlighted one GCSE-level teaching resource which suggests that students should be asked to describe Nazi protagonists as a Mr Men characters choosing appropriate figures from the children’s books to depict Hitler, Hindenburg and Goering."" – Financial Times (£)
Nick Clegg accused of treachery over Liz Truss nursery plans
"Clegg was forced to concede he had rejected a key plank of the coalition's childcare strategy. Faced by massive opposition from pre-school lobby groups, Clegg said he was now opposed to previously agreed plans to relax staff-to-child ratios in nurseries. "When we as a government consulted on changing the number of little toddlers that each adult can look after, the response from experts, from parents from nurseries was overwhelmingly negative," Clegg said. "They felt that the risks outweighed the benefits and it wouldn't necessarily reduce costs. So that's what I still have reservations about, about this change."" – The Guardian
Priti Patel exposes civil servants paid bonuses "just for doing their job"
"Perks such as a 'disturbance grant' of £2,325 for staff working away from home on special projects were revealed in a Parliamentary answer to Conservative MP Priti Patel. Mrs Patel said: 'In this day and age, civil servants should not be getting bonuses in addition to their pay just for doing their job. Now is a good time ahead of the comprehensive spending review to say that we have got to be spending our money more wisely." – Daily Mail
Jesse Norman: Edmund Burke foresaw our rampant individualism
"The extraordinary fact is not that Burke was occasionally wrong, but that he was so often right – and not through luck, but because his powers of analysis, imagination and empathy gave him an extraordinary gift of prophecy. Burke foresaw some of the greatest discontents of the modern era, including its extreme liberalism and individualism. Various disasters have gravely undermined conventional beliefs in the primacy of the individual will, in the power of human reason alone to resolve political and economic problems, and in the capacity of unfettered individual freedom to deliver personal or social well-being." – Jesse Norman in the Daily Telegraph
Rescue launched for crisis-stricken A&E units
"Urgent care boards" are to be established across England with a remit to devise "local recovery and improvement plans" for each A&E department in their area, in response to growing concern about lengthening waiting times. However, internal NHS England messages suggest that the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, had wanted to announce a £300m-£400m rescue fund to "solve" problems in A&E, but had to be dissuaded owing to confusion about finances. The plan announced today made no mention of a £400m pot, and last night the Department of Health denied that the Health Secretary ever intended to announce such funding." – The Independent
Transport Select Committee tries to sink Boris Island in favour of Heathrow
"Its report, published today, says that there is an urgent need for a third runway at Heathrow and proper evaluation should be made of plans to double capacity at the airport by building two more runways. The committee concludes that a four-runway airport in the Thames Estuary would be untenable because of the cost to the public purse of building road and rail links and environmental degradation. It also argues that plans promoted by Mr Johnson to move the hub airport to the east of London would result in the inevitable closure of Heathrow. This, the MPs argue, would impose an unacceptable cost on businesses and people living in West London and the M4 corridor." – The Times (£)
IPSA goes on the expenses warpath
A Tory MP is being sued by the expenses watchdog after refusing to hand over the capital gain on his taxpayer-funded second home. Stewart Jackson vowed he will not pay £54,000 – the amount the watchdog said represents his constituency home’s increase in value while he was claiming mortgage interest on his expenses. The news comes after it emerged that MPs have jointly made more than £1 million by selling their second homes. – Daily Mail
Town Hall Rich List finds 2,500 council staff on six figures
"The number of local authority employees earning more than £100,000 fell by 11 per cent in 2011-12, compared with last year, according to data compiled by the TaxPayers’ Alliance. However, 103 councils were employing more staff on that level than ever and 42 people took home more than £250,000. The highest-paid chief executive was Katherine Kerswell, group managing director of Kent County Council, who received £589,165." – The Times (£)
News in brief
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