“Britain will not ‘put up the barriers’ to stop migrants from other European Union countries coming here to work, David Cameron has said. … The Prime Minister said that EU rules allowing people to move freely between countries are ‘important’ and will remain in place, despite controversy over the immigration they allow. … Britain is seeking tougher rules to restrict welfare payments to EU migrants as part of that renegotiation process, Mr Cameron said.” – Daily Telegraph
And comment:
> Today:
> Yesterday: WATCH – Cameron – I will leave Downing Street if denied an EU referendum
“David Cameron has warned that Britain must not ‘pull up the drawbridge’ against foreign investors as Downing Street pushed back against pressure from the opposition Labour party to intervene in Pfizer’s proposed £63bn takeover of AstraZeneca. … The prime minister said the UK benefited ‘massively’ from its economic openness and insisted the government was making ‘very good progress’ in seeking job assurances from Pfizer, even without seeking new powers to intervene formally.” – Financial Times
“David Cameron was under pressure to intervene in a bitter row between Michael Gove and Nick Clegg last night, amid warnings it is overshadowing the Government’s record on education. … A Whitehall source said the Department for Education had become ‘completely dysfunctional’ following clashes between Mr Gove and his Lib Dem deputy David Laws.” – Daily Mail
And comment:
> Yesterday: ToryDiary – Gove fought the Laws, and the Laws won?
“The Coalition has been branded a ‘zombie government’ after it emerged MPs will take a 19-day break because there are not enough new laws to debate. … A basic lack of work means the Commons is likely to break up on Thursday and will not return until the Queen’s Speech in June. … David Cameron and Nick Clegg are at loggerheads on issues including free schools and knife crime, leading to fears the divided Coalition will simply limp on pointlessly until next May’s election.” – Daily Mail
“Many of the new free schools and academy chains that have been established in order to adopt traditional teaching methods – which the most successful independent schools follow and which produce knowledgeable and well-educated children – live in fear of an Ofsted judgment that downgrades their school because of its failure to follow progressive methods such as group work, learning by self-discovery or a curriculum that emphasises skills rather than knowledge.” – Nick Gibb, Daily Telegraph
“The security services will be given new powers to spy on people’s Internet use under Tory plans following claims that they could have stopped the killers of Drummer Lee Rigby. … There is currently a “significant push” from Conservative ministers to revive the controversial Communications Data Bill – described by critics as as a ‘snoopers charter’ – in the Conservative manifesto.” – Daily Telegraph
“Doctors who illegally pre-signed abortion forms could escape criminal action because of an ‘utterly preposterous’ loophole used by prosecutors to avoid bringing charges, an MP claims. … David Burrowes voiced fears that dozens of doctors found to have authorised terminations without knowing anything about the women concerned will be treated as if they are ‘above the law’.” – Daily Telegraph
“The head of a committee of MPs that will vet the next chair of the BBC Trust has warned David Cameron not to try to push through a female candidate for the post. … Responding to a report that said the prime minister was ‘determined’ to appoint a woman in the role, John Whittingdale, chair of the culture select committee, said the tough nature of the job meant that the widest field of candidates should be canvassed and Lord Patten’s successor chosen purely on merit.” – The Guardian
“It seems that over the weekend, the BBC forced a well-regarded 67-year-old DJ on Radio Devon to resign because he had been so careless as to play a 1932 recording of The Sun Has Got His Hat On. This contained a word that is now unmentionable. It is rude, offensive, and I would never use it; but this word has become so intensely haram that a miasma attaches to anyone using it, even inadvertently; and the prohibition is now enforced with a semi-religious fervour. … So they forced him out. I suppose David Lowe was less valuable to the Corporation than Clarkson, which only makes it worse.” – Boris Johnson, Daily Telegraph
“Labour has been accused of trying to cover up warnings over high death rates and lengthy waiting times at hospitals in Wales. … An email written by Sir Bruce Keogh, the medical director in England, said mortality rates at six sites were ‘persistently high’ and criticised ‘worrying’ waits for cancer tests. … But it has emerged that officials in the devolved government tried to suppress the message’s release because the information it contained would ‘prejudice the conduct of public affairs’.” – Daily Mail
“Women who work for themselves earn 58p for every £1 that their male counterparts get, figures reveal today. … Shadow Women’s Minister Gloria De Piero said: ‘More women who are self-employed should be something to cheer. … But the reality is that for too many of them this means lower wages and more insecurity.'” – The Sun (£)
“The Labour heavyweight Douglas Alexander will today call on his party to offer hope in the lead-up to the independence referendum — and reconciliation afterwards. … In his first intervention for the Better Together campaign, the Scottish MP will also invite the SNP to take part in a ‘national convention’ on greater devolution in the event of a ‘no’ vote. … The speech signals a shift in strategy from Alistair Darling’s group following some evidence that the polls are narrowing.” – The Times (£)
And comment:
“Would he have been a good prime minister? Certainly. He would have come into No 10 as an experienced cabinet minister who had learned his trade in the difficult days of the Callaghan government. The ethos would have been a very Scottish Christian – Presbyterian, even – socialism, but with that sparkle of wit and humour that Smith gave to everything. Blair and Brown would have shone, but in a different way – Tony as a fine, reforming home or education secretary and Gordon, without the torture of thwarted ambition, more able to use his undoubted talents fully.” – John McTernan, The Guardian “…is the Scottish parliament that we’ve had for the past 15 years, the one that John Smith envisaged?” – Alan Cochrane, Daily Telegraph
“There is a long tradition of individualism on the left waiting to be reclaimed. At the beginning of the 20th century, the French socialist leader Jean Jaurès wrote about how capitalism alienated workers from their “very individuality”. Indeed, the individual needs to be defended from more than the state. Poverty strips individuals of their freedom, imposing limitations on every aspect of their lives, from what they can eat to how they spend their leisure time.” – Owen Jones, The Guardian
“The North East last night presented a united front after a national newspaper suggested the region could become the UK’s Detroit. … Across the North East people have reacted angrily to an article in the Guardian newspaper in which the region was described as being ‘on the brink’. … It comes as The Journal prepares to relaunch our popular 100 Reasons Why It’s Great Up North list, celebrating the economic and cultural highlights enjoyed by some 2.5 million people.” – The Journal
“…he risked an electoral backlash by defending Ukip’s Newark by-election candidate Roger Helmer, who has described homosexuality as abnormal and undesirable. Mr Farage said: ‘If we asked the 70s and over in this country how they felt about it [homosexuality], most of them still feel uncomfortable.’ … His intervention came as a poll suggested controversy about Ukip’s candidates may be denting the party’s popularity in the run-up to next week’s European Parliament elections.” – Daily Mail
“In its regular assessment of UK plc’s prospects, the CBI raised its growth forecast for this year from 2.6 per cent to 3 per cent. … But it also highlighted concerns that the recovery could be derailed by uncertainty around the General Election, urging politicians to push ahead with boosting the supply of homes and taking decisions on major infrastructure projects.” – Daily Mail
“Nearly one in three prison terms handed down by courts is now a suspended sentence, shocking research reveals today. … an explosion in their use after Labour relaxed the law means nearly 45,000 criminals received suspended terms in a single year – up from just 2,500 in 2002. … The figures emerged in detailed analysis published by a prominent think-tank, the Centre for Crime Prevention, which is calling for the suspended sentence to be abolished.” – Daily Mail
And comment:
“Pensioners who require long-term care could end up paying double the much-vaunted cap on costs because there are so many hidden charges, a report claims. … The Coalition has pledged that no one will have to pay their care costs if they spend more than £72,000 – with the state stepping in to foot the bill after that. … But the pledge does not cover the full bill for elderly care.” – Daily Mail
“…there is something significant Britain could do to help this fast-growing west African state and dampen support for Boko Haram’s child traffickers and killers. Nigeria is a wealthy nation, the world’s 24th-biggest economy, with lucrative deposits of oil. Instead of pumping money into a corrosive political system that fails to deliver decent public services and allows poverty to fester, how about taking steps to stop the crooks in charge from stashing their stolen loot in our banks, our cities and our tax havens?” – Ian Birrell, The Independent “To sort out Boko Haram we need the Americans” – David Aaronovitch, The Times (£)
> Today: ToryDiary – Anti-Muslim prejudice – inflamed by Islamists
“The Mail’s diarist Sebastian Shakespeare reported recently that David Cameron has bought himself a ride-on mower. Prime Minister, welcome to this most British of clubs. I cannot think of a better way for you to escape the cares of high office. … Once you are sitting on top of that throbbing beauty, all those worries about Ukraine, Afghanistan and next year’s General Election will fade to the back of your frazzled mind. … All you will be able to think about is your choice of cutting height and the curse of molehills.” – Quentin Letts, Daily Mail
“George Osborne buys booze at Britain’s oldest wine merchant. … Bottles can cost £6,000 at Berry Bros & Rudd, founded in 1698. … The Chancellor spent £480 on four cases before flunkeys put them in his Land Rover in London.” – The Sun (£)