8.45pm WATCH: Meet the photographers who are the eyes (and ears) of Westminster
3.30pm LeftWatch: Six questions which show Ed Miliband's benefits cap is a mess – already
12.45pm Francis Ingham on Comment: "I hoped our party would legislate only where necessary; with intelligence; and without panic. None of those qualities are present in this botched Bill." - The register of lobbyists makes the Dangerous Dogs Act look inspired
11.45am Local Government: Pickles gives local communities a veto on wind turbines
11am: Lord Ashcroft on Comment: Why Crimestoppers is offering a reward to catch those who vandalised two treasured war memorials
ToryDiary: Two in five Tory members back the Communications Data Bill – and a third oppose it
ConservativeHome's Interviews: Andrew Gimson meets James Wharton MP, the man who will move an EU Referendum Bill in the Commons: "It would be hard to think of a more reasonable Tory to try to steer the Bill onto the statute book."
On ThinkTankCentral, our series on government spending continues. Tom Papworth of CentreForum presents a Liberal Democrat proposal for the Spending Review
In this week's Culture Column, Nick Pickles mourns the vicious building up and tearing down of Tulisa Contostavlos
Julian Lewis MP on Comment: The Government mustn't arm Syria's opposition behind Parliament's back
Leftwatch: Labour tramples on a young activist who wouldn't follow their script
Brandon Lewis on LocalGovt: Merging council Pension Funds could save millions
The Deep End: Is America too broke to stand up to China?
Cultural tradition is no excuse for breaking British laws, says Damian Green
'Anyone citing cultural tradition as a justification for practices such as sex with underage children, female genital mutilation, forced marriage or “honour” violence must receive a completely clear and unequivocal message that the law in this country applies to absolutely everyone, he added.“If you come and live in 21st-century Britain then you obey the laws and observe the conventions of 21st-century Britain. And the law says that exploiting children for sexual purposes is a serious and disgusting crime.”' – The Times (£)
New cause for economic optimism
'Young people’s values are changing: they are more likely to be entrepreneurial, to support free markets, to dislike handouts and to value rewards for success. At some stage, and probably no later than 2020, this is likely to translate into a much more radical group of politicians sweeping to power and reforming our crumbling economy and welfare state and loosening our ties to Brussels. Optimism is warranted in the short and long-term, pessimism in the medium term. For now, though, enjoy the sunshine and our gradual recovery.' – Allister Heath, City AM
IDS and Theresa May team up to remove Anjem Choudary's benefits
'Any claimant whose behaviour is ruled to be deeply offensive or harmful to society would be stripped of their handouts under a new law planned by ministers.Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith’s move is aimed at extremists like Choudary — and hate preacher Abu Qatada, who is fighting deportation. IDS met Home Secretary Theresa May yesterday to plot a joint approach. Choudary scoops up nearly £26,000 in state giveaways a year — leading to accusations British taxpayers are being forced to fund terrorism.' – The Sun
Fallon: I'll reform or bin red tape that harms small business
'He will say: 'We all want faster growth. As Britain recovers, small businesses are leading the generation of ideas, the creation of new jobs and the shift towards a balanced economy. We cannot afford to hold them back with more rules and regulations.' Last night, business lobby groups welcomed the move, which will affect all new ideas with immediate effect and apply to all regulations coming into force after 31 March 2014.' – Daily Mail
Miliband in a mess over welfare u-turns
'Ahead of a keynote speech on welfare today, party sources confirmed that the Coalition’s decision to scrap part or all of the allowance for households where at least one parent earns more than £40,000 was unlikely to be reversed by an incoming Labour government. One senior source said: “At a time when money is tight, it won’t be a priority.” David Cameron accused Labour of “complete confusion and weakness” as he seized on the U-turn at Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons.' – Daily Express
Local residents get new powers to reject – and new incentives to accept – wind farms
Ed Davey, the Energy and Climate Change Secretary, will announce a fivefold increase in the financial inducements on offer to communities that do want to host a wind farm, which would be worth up to £400 off an average household’s annual energy bill. But the scheme is accompanied by a planning shake-up that makes it easier for communities to reject such projects. Under the new rules, developers would have to consult communities even before seeking planning permission. If locals objected, the process would come to a halt. – The Times (£)
Cabinet splits over Syria
'At least five Cabinet ministers are understood to have raised “ serious reservations” about any significant move by the Government to increase Britain’s involvement in the conflict. Their concerns have been echoed by a growing number of Conservative MPs who have warned Downing Street they may rebel against the Government in any Parliamentary vote on the issue.' – The Independent
>Today: Julian Lewis MP: The Government mustn't arm Syria's opposition behind Parliament's back
Why do NHS patients pay 42 times as much as prisoners to watch TV?
'Tory MP Philip Davies told the Commons he was appalled at the high cost of watching beside TV in hospitals. He said: ‘I recently visited my brother in hospital in Doncaster only to find that using the television stationed above his bed would cost him £6 a day.’ He called on Mr Cameron to ‘justify why it costs hospital patients £42 a week to watch the television when it costs prisoners only £1 a week to do so’. The Prime Minister said he had ‘spent a lot of time in hospitals’ and shared Mr Davie’s ‘frustrations’ about a situation created by Labour.' – Daily Mail
As Ann Widdecombe's autobiography launches, she says: I wish Cameron would listen
"I don't meet his [Cameron's] modernisation agenda," she says. "He probably put the flags out when I left parliament." In the book, she calls Cameron "big-headed" and "pig-headed". "I wish he would acknowledge the concerns there are, and listen to people," she tells me. "All through gay marriage the story I got back was not that the prime minister disagreed with people, but that he wouldn't give them a hearing. You've got to listen, or at least pretend to be listening." – The Guardian
Patten knew about the BBC £100m IT fiasco a year ago
'Rob Wilson, Tory MP for Reading East, has criticised Lord Patten for glossing over the concerns, saying: 'This debacle has all the hallmarks of a BBC Trust chairman asleep at the wheel.' And Conservative MP Philip Davies said: 'Lord Patten has lurched from one crisis to another.'' – Daily Mail
Who will lobby for taxpayers?
'Since joining the House of Lords I have been struck by how, among other things, many of our debates are about special interests, often very deserving ones. Mesothelioma patients (and their less deserving lawyers) got a lot of attention last month. My inbox fills with polite and well-meant pleas on behalf of excellent causes. But only very rarely does it contain a plea on behalf of those who have to pay.' – Matt Ridley, The Times (£)
Google and mobile operators ordered to clamp down on illegal content
''It is clear that dangerous, highly offensive, unlawful and illegal material is available through basic search functions and I believe that many popular search engines, websites and ISPs could do more to prevent the dissemination of such material.’ The letter does not contain any threats of sanctions if the search engines fail to come up with an acceptable solution. But the Culture Secretary insisted that the fact the solutions were complex was ‘not an acceptable reason for the current situation to persist’.' – Daily Mail
Lib Dems sink Tory childcare reforms
'The Lib Dem leader’s decision to intervene will anger Tory supporters of the plan, who argue that Mr Clegg had once agreed to back it. Mr Clegg’s team argue he only ever agreed to consult experts about proposals. “Who does this guy think he is,” said one angry Tory MP. “If he were in business, he would be straight out the door. He agreed this stuff. This is no way to behave.”' – The Times (£)
New £100 on-the-spot fines for careless driving
'Officers will be able to target motorists who do not give way at a junction, use the wrong lane at a roundabout or force their way into a queue of traffic. Stunts such as handbrake turns also face sanctions. Ministers will announce an increase in the fines given to motorists for using a hand-held mobile phone behind the wheel, speeding, not wearing a seatbelt or jumping red lights, from £60 to £100.' – The Times (£)
News in brief
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