“David Cameron was forced to sacrifice Maria Miller after the revolt over the handling of her expenses controversy spread to his inner circle. George Osborne, the chancellor, and Lynton Crosby, his election supremo, made clear their anger at the damage being done to the Conservatives by the prime minister’s staunch defence of his culture secretary, sealing Mrs Miller’s fate.” – The Times(£)
>Yesterday:ToryDiary: Miller was right to resign
“David Cameron will launch the Conservatives’ European election campaign on Thursday hoping that the painful resignation of the culture secretary, Maria Miller, and the revived stench of sleaze, will not see his party driven into third place in the May poll, prompting a wider panic among Tory MPs in crucial marginal seats.” – The Guardian
“David Cameron has defended the reputation of Parliament after Maria Miller’s resignation, saying it is full of “good and honest” MPs. The prime minister said expenses rules had been improved since 2010, although more could be done to put Parliament’s integrity “beyond doubt”.” – BBC
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Andrew Gimson’s PMQs sketch – Cameron defends the honour of the Honest Parliament
“Disgraced expenses row MP Maria Miller has vowed to donate a £17,000 pay-off for quitting her Cabinet post to charity. As pressure over the controversial “parachute payment” grew, advisers to the former Culture Secretary said the lump sum would go to Speakeasy Advocacy a learning disability charity in her Basingstoke seat.” – The Sun(£)
“Maverick Tory MP Michael Fabricant was sacked as the party’s vice-chairman last night over his ‘uncontrollable’ behaviour on Twitter – including jokes about having an affair with a llama and criticism of senior ministers. Mr Fabricant, one of Parliament’s most colourful MPs, has built up a cult following on the social media site with his edgy comments and lewd jokes. But his outpourings have caused alarm at Tory high command in recent months.” – Daily Mail
“An overwhelming 63% of voters say his failed stand “showed poor judgement”, as he should have ditched her immediately. The grim findings for bruised Mr Cameron capped his most miserable day in months….The poll also revealed a massive 83% think Mrs Miller was right to go. Alarmingly for all Westminster party leaders, 69% also say they have no confidence in the expenses system. An additional 62% still think most MPs are liars who try to claim as much as they can get away with.” – The Sun(£)
“The son of an immigrant Pakistani who came to Britain in 1961 with just £1 in his pocket, Javid could not be further removed from the privileged lifestyles of David Cameron’s inner circle. Javid, now 44, was born in Rochdale, the middle child of five sons. At the time, his father Abdul was working as a bus driver. Indeed, his father’s willingness to work all hours earned him the nickname ‘Mr Night And Day’.” – Daily Mail
>Yesterday: MPsETC:Reshuffle: Sajid Javid is promoted to Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport
“After two years in the doghouse for declaring that George Osborne should apologise to Ed Balls for suggesting that he was involved in the Libor scandal, she has finally been redeemed and takes up a seat in the Treasury as economic secretary.” – The Times(£)
“Nicky Morgan, the new Minister for Women and Financial Secretary to the Treasury, has only been an MP for less than four years. However, the former corporate lawyercorporate lawyer rapidly caught David Cameron’s eye and he rapidly appointed her as a ministerial aide and then to the whips’ office. She was promoted in October as Economic Secretary to the Treasury with responsibility for child care policies.” – The Independent
“Labour has said it will make the serious exploitation of migrant workers a criminal offence if it gains power. Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper will say the existing offence of forced labour should be revised so more offenders are caught and prosecuted. Minimum jail sentences for employers hiring illegal workers on a large scale is one option that will be considered.” – Daily Telegraph
“The Liberal Democrats originally proposed a one per cent annual surcharge on a property’s value above £2 million, meaning the owner of a £3 million house would pay £10,000 a year. On Wednesday the Lib Dems rebranded the measures as a “high-value property levy”. Under the new scheme, houses worth more than £2 million will be taxed under bands which could be as wide as £5 million, reducing the scope for appeals.” – Daily Telegraph
“Headteachers who brainwash children with green propaganda are breaking the law, Michael Gove has suggested. The Education Secretary has read ‘with concern’ a report which accused ‘activist’ teaching staff of trying to turn pupils into ‘foot soldiers of the green movement’. It found the marks children were awarded in exams depended on ‘parroting’ the green agenda. And many widely-used textbooks included inaccurate examples.” – Daily Mail
“Prime Minister David Cameron, whose day yesterday began with the resignation of Culture Secretary Maria Miller, finished it with his eyes shut, leaning against a pillar in his London residence as a soprano sang for his Easter reception. He had no comment on her choice of hymn: “Ave Maria.” “The Bible tells us to bear one another’s burdens,” Cameron told his audience of Christian leaders and politicians at 10 Downing Street when she’d finished. “After the day I’ve had, I’m definitely looking for volunteers.” – Bloomberg
“Would you give this busker 20p? Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, showed off his musical skills — or lack of them — with an impromptu performance on an acoustic Gibson guitar at St Pancras Station before meeting winners of a busking competition. Boris used to hero worship Keith Richards in his youth and, aged 16, tried to emulate the Rolling Stone by buying a pair of tight purple cords and playing (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction on a borrowed guitar.” – Sebastian Shakespeare Daily Mail