6pm ToryDiary: "Shale gas stands to bring cheap energy, revitalised manufacturing and thousands of new engineering jobs. As a proud Geordie, I'd be delighted to see all of those benefits come to my home. If Lord Howell had made a better argument in more wisely chosen words, we could be winning votes in the North East by explaining them." Tory Peer comes under fire for recommending fracking in the "desolate" North East
1pm ToryDiary: The PM shames Labour's referendum filibusterers – but lets their Lib Dem allies off the hook
Noon ToryDiary: "Some of work of a budget and finance facility would be carried over from the Cabinet
Office. Its remit would be to hunt for more savings in departments and
find taxpayer value for money – with the authority that only the
Treasury can carry." How Maude believes government could save more taxpayers' money
ToryDiary: A majority of Party members now say that the Coalition is good for Britain
Stephen Tall's Other Half Column: We LibDems haven't chosen our strategy. The voters have chosen it for us.
Garvan Walshe's Foreign Affairs Column: Narendra Modi – India’s Barry Goldwater?
On LeftWatch, Andrew Gimson continues our series on what Labour should do next, as he writes The fighting speech Miliband should have made when Cameron denounced McCluskey
Nicholas Tyrone on Comment: Our voting system for the European elections is undemocratic – and anti-Tory. It's time to change it.
Local Government: Cutting the spare room subsidy will help the disabled in overcrowded housing
The Deep End: What will we do when robots take our jobs? Let’s remember what happened last time
Latest ConservativeHome survey finds that majority of Tory members now back the Coalition
"A survey carried out by the ConservativeHome website found that a majority of respondents — 59 per cent — believe the coalition is “overall a good thing for the nation”, up from 47 per cent at the start of May. Paul Goodman, editor of ConservativeHome, said: “These results reflect the fact Abu Qatada has gone, an EU referendum Bill is here, the benefits cap is in place, the economy is gradually recovering. David Cameron is handling his parliamentary party better, and Ed Miliband is on the back foot over welfare and Unite.” – The Times (£)
> Today: ToryDiary – A majority of Party members now say that the Coalition is good for Britain
> Yesterday: ToryDiary – Almost two-thirds of Tory members now believe Cameron will be Prime Minister after 2015 – up from about half
Paul Goodman: But would the Liberal Democrats really join Cameron for a second Coalition after 2015?
"The Business Secretary has a significance beyond his own ambitions. His toings-and-froings between loyalty and dissent are a symbol of the Liberal Democrats’ wider uncertainties. It’s likely that in his heart of hearts Mr Cameron would prefer a second coalition with them, which would give him a reliable Commons majority, to governing with a small majority, which would leave him at the mercy of the 20 or so Tory MPs who want rid of him. The rest of them would probably accept such a coalition in the event of a hung Parliament. But it’s far from clear that the Lib Dems would do the same." – Daily Telegraph
> Today: Stephen Tall's Other Half Column – We LibDems haven't chosen our strategy. The voters have chosen it for us.
Home Office Minister Mark Harper fights back: It isn't racist to ask people who are here illegally to leave Britain, he says…
"Let me clear this up once and for all – it is not racist to ask people who are here illegally to leave Britain. It is merely telling them to comply with the law. Our campaign targets illegal immigrants without any discrimination at all between them. By no stretch of the rational imagination can it be described as ‘racist’. Furthermore, the campaign is not meant to, and does not, discourage legal immigrants who have earned the right to live or settle in Britain." – Daily Mail
> Yesterday:
…As Pickles and Baker lock horns over parking on double yellow lines in another Coalition clash
"Eric Pickles, the Communities Secretary, is keen on allowing motorists to park on double yellow lines for a “grace period” of 15 minutes as a way of boosting trade on Britain’s high streets. It would allow drivers to pop in to a shop without facing a fine. The idea was attacked almost immediately by Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat Transport Minister, who said he had been warned that it would be unsafe and reward illegal parking." – The Times (£)
…Meanwhile, Grayling says that cars will be seized to pay legal aid bills
"New
Motor Vehicle Orders will be imposed on criminals who unfairly use legal
aid to fund their defence. Mr Grayling said: “Convicted criminals have
cheated innocent taxpayers for too long by dodging requirements to
contribute to the legal costs of their defence. “With £34million owed to
taxpayers from the last three years alone, it’s time to get tough. I am
clear – you can’t avoid paying your legal aid bill and expect to keep a
fancy car on the driveway.” – Daily Express
CLG guidance warns councils not to impose wind farm blanket ban
"Eric Pickles, the Local Government Secretary, promised to “give local communities a greater say” on where wind farms are built, but new guidance from his department warns councils not to create “inflexible” turbine-free zones. The planning document, released after Parliament broke up for the summer, says the distance of a wind farm from housing does not “necessarily determine whether the impact of a proposal is unacceptable”." – Daily Telegraph
Rachel Sylvester: Maude, geeks and dress-down civil servants plan Whitehall technology revolution
"Mr Maude talks scathingly of an “oligopoly” of large IT contractors whose time is up — until recently 70 per cent of the money went to only seven large contractors. Indeed, the Office of Fair Trading has launched an investigation into whether there is a lack of competition in the supply of technology to the public sector, with the biggest companies earning about £10.4 billion from the State. The Government is now actively seeking to renegotiate more than 100 contracts and the aim is to get out of as many as possible altogether." – The Times (£)
Crisis for 111 helpline as NHS Direct pulls out
"NHS Direct runs the non-emergency phone line in nine English regions – but it now says it is “seeking to withdraw” from its contracts. While officials said patients would continue to get a good service, the BMA said that some parts of the service were “in chaos”. A spokeswoman for NHS Direct said the contracts had become “financially unsustainable”. The NHS 111 line has been dogged by problems since it was launched on April 1 after patients complained of unanswered calls and poor advice." – Daily Express
The way we live now: women MPs receive death and rape threats via Twitter
"Stella Creasy was told on Twitter she would be tracked down and raped, with the terrifying threat: ‘Shall we meet near your house?’ The second MP, Claire Perry, received death threats relating to her fight against pornography on the internet. A senior police chief said Twitter had not done enough to tackle trolls. More than 64,000 people called for the networking service to act against abuse." – Daily Mail
Select Committee Report 1) Home Affairs Committee raps net providers over child abuse and terror sites
"The report said: “It is still too easy for people to access inappropriate online content, particularly indecent images of children, terrorism incitement and sites informing people how to commit online crime.” The warning comes days after David Cameron urged internet companies to do more to stop child pornography. The prime minister did not pledge any more money to help tackle the problem. They called on the UK to support an increase in funding to the European cybercrime centre, something likely to prove controversial among eurosceptic MPs." – Financial Times
Select Committee Report 2) Lords Committee says that MPs should quiz the taxman
"HM Revenue & Customs should be scrutinised behind closed doors — like spy chiefs, the Lords Economic Affairs Committee will say. Currently, tax bosses can dodge giving evidence to Parliament due to “confidentiality” reasons. But amid growing outrage over tax avoidance by corporate giants, peers want a new joint body with MPs — similar to the Intelligence and Security Committee, which probes the work of spooks. The new tax committee would not publish any secret details but would say whether deals have been bad for taxpayers." – The Sun
Select Committee Report 3) Climate Change Committee blasts "toothless" OFGEM
"Energy watchdog OFGEM is toothless and does not do enough to help hard-up Brits understand their bills, MPs blasted yesterday. And the power giants in turn file complex accounts to make it difficult to calculate the extent of their profits, the committee said. The MPs hit out just weeks after Ofgem chief exec Andrew Wright — on £200,000 a year — was slammed for not holding energy firms to account." – The Sun
Spain defies Hague over Gibraltar
"The Foreign Secretary phoned his Spanish counterpart after Civil Guards caused eight-hour traffic jams by stopping every car and motorbike trying to leave the British colony. But his call for a speedy resolution to the border problems fell on deaf ears as Madrid bragged it would continue with its controversial policy. Spanish Foreign Secretary Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo allowed diplomats to brief journalists they would continue to carry out 'exhaustive checks' whenever they deemed it necessary." – Daily Mail
Janan Ganesh: Politicians should stop ganging up on London
"London has not flourished because of favourable treatment by the national political class. If anything, it has been short-changed by successive administrations. The government’s alacrity in commissioning the high-speed rail extension makes its procrastination over London’s airport capacity look even more complacent. Between 1986 and 2000, London was not even allowed to have a citywide government of its own, and its current mayoralty is weak compared with similar offices abroad." – Financial Times
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