“More than 10 current and former politicians are on a list of alleged child abusers held by police investigating claims of a Westminster paedophile ring. MPs or peers from all three main political parties are on the list, which includes former ministers and household names. Several, including Cyril Smith and Sir Peter Morrison, are no longer alive, but others are still active in Parliament.” – Daily Telegraph
>Yesterday: ToryDiary – Why there should be an enquiry into historical child sex abuse
“David Cameron said today justice has been done after his disgraced former spin doctor Andy Coulson was jailed for 18 months at the Old Bailey. The 46-year-old was told he must ‘share the major blame’ for the hacking of the ‘rich, famous and powerful’ by the News of the World, which he transformed it into a ‘thoroughly criminal enterprise’.” – Daily Mail
“David Cameron has secretly agreed to work towards the transfer of more policing powers to Europe despite worries over costs and the potential risk to innocent Britons. British ministers have told EU leaders that they will make a decision on whether to take part in a controversial Europe-wide DNA database by December 1 next year — six months after the next election.” – The Times (£)
“Thousands of benefit claimants who refused to do work experience could pocket £130 million of lost handouts. The High Court ruled that their human rights were breached by ministers’ emergency laws — which blocked any attempt to claw back refused benefits. But Tory MP Charlie Elphicke branded the ruling “ridiculous”.” – The Sun (£)
“A row over Britain’s foreign aid will intensify today as Justine Greening warns off colleagues trying to raid her budget. The international development secretary said that calls to allow peacekeeping work to be supported with overseas aid money should be treated “with some caution”. Speaking on a visit to the Syrian border, where she saw projects funded by the UK, Ms Greening told The Times she believed that internationally agreed rules on what constituted aid spending needed to be updated.” – The Times (£)
“HMS Queen Elizabeth was called into action for the first time on Friday, as the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier – a 65,000-tonne, four-acre floating military base – was thrust into the battle to save the UK. The Queen smashed a bottle of Bowmore whisky on to the hull of the vast ship at its dry dock in Rosyth on the Firth of Forth, in a naming ceremony that turned into an extended advertisement for British industrial co-operation and military muscle.” – Financial Times
“Ukip is aiming to boost the case for keeping the union by holding a rally in Scotland just days before the independence referendum in September. Nigel Farage elected to hold the event in Glasgow, rather than Edinburgh, perhaps wary of the capital after a run-in with student protesters last year. After being turned down by the official Better Together campaign, which is supported by the three main pro-union parties, Ukip is planning its own drive of anti-independence door-knocking and leafleting across the country.” – The Independent
“Mr Cameron must think hard about what extra powers it is in the interests of all the inhabitants of the British Isles for the Scots to be granted. However magnanimous the PM wishes to be in victory, it would not be right for Mr Salmond, having lost the vote, to be able to be granted any favours or to dictate terms. Second, the English (who’ve disgracefully had no say in the decision whether Scotland becomes independent) must be properly consulted before any more powers are given to Scotland.” – Daily Mail
“A multi-millionaire Tory donor yesterday emerged as a front-runner to take over schools watchdog Ofsted. David Ross, 48, co-founder of Carphone Warehouse and a friend of David Cameron, is understood to be a leading candidate. He has advised the Conservatives on education policy and used part of his £892million fortune to set up 25 academy schools. But any move by Education Secretary Michael Gove to install him as Ofsted chairman could prove highly controversial.” – Daily Mail
“David Cameron is to reshape his top team to fight the next election by promoting a number of female colleagues to the Cabinet and sacking some long-serving ministers. A large scale Cabinet reshuffle is being planned – most likely to take place the week after next – with several Tory women ministers being given permanent Cabinet berths. The shake-up will also allow Mr Cameron to answer critics who say his Cabinet is too male dominated. Mr Cameron has previously said that he wants one third of his ministers are women.” – Daily Telegraph
>Yesterday: Profile – Will Liam Fox make it back to Cabinet in the reshuffle?
“The problem is the template. Women don’t easily fit it. The problem is swagger. Women often lack it. Unconsciously, too many of us — Tories and non-Tories alike — have a subliminal idea of a leading and successful politician, and, let’s face it, he struts. The female hopeful I encountered who best managed to strut was Anna Soubry, and she made it through the process — not at my selection but at a later one. Already she’s a minister.” – The Times (£)
“A news report about the conversion of George Osborne’s brother to Islam has been hidden by Google. The article, published five years ago and detailing the marriage of Dr Adam Osborne to Islam in preparation for his marriage to a Bangladeshi-born plastic surgeon, was removed from search listings by the internet giant. The original story, on a British newspaper website, remains online.” – Daily Telegraph
“Labour have been accused of “soft corruption” and engaging in “cash for access” as it emerged that the party is allowing wealth donors to attend a £15,000 gala dinner without having to publicly register their names. Despite premier tables at the event costing £15,000, the Labour Party has set the “donation” contribution of the ticket at £7,000 – just below the level at which financial gifts must be officially declared. Those who pay for the most expensive premier tables will have a “political host” and will receive a “signed commemorative memento photo of the event”. – Daily Telegraph
>Today: ToryDiary – The Conservatives should set a limit on donations
>Yesterday: Columnist Iain Dale – The secret of party fund-raising – politicians hate donors
“Labour is considering making a formal complaint after Conservative researchers posed as students to secretly record comments by the party’s policy chief Jon Cruddas. In a foretaste of what both parties expect to be one of the “dirtiest” election campaigns in recent years the Tory press office passed a tape of the conversation to The Daily Telegraph and the BBC… A note from the Conservatives accompanying the transcript made clear that the recording had been made by researchers posing as students.” – The Independent
“Deborah Mattinson, from Britain Thinks, argues that if people do not trust the party in the first place, or understand its values, they just see policy offers as populist attempts to win their votes. The Conservatives, by contrast, can at least trade on their overall economic or governing competence. The task of setting out the bigger message is the one handed to David Axelrod, the former Obama adviser. “His job is to see the wood from the trees,” says one election chief. At least he will soon have many trees through which to peer.” – Patrick Wintour, The Guardian
“The Daily Mail revealed yesterday that Barclays, Lloyds, Halifax, RBS and HSBC are among organisations that have masqueraded as independent law firms and debt collectors in a bid to get customers to pay up. John Mann, a Labour member of the Commons Treasury committee, last night said the police should be called in to investigate the ‘contemptible’ practice. – Daily Mail
“The NHS is about to run out of cash and ‘absolutely vital services’ will have to be slashed unless billions can be saved, a health minister has claimed. In a recording obtained by the Daily Mail, Norman Lamb warned of a looming £30billion-a-year black hole in the Health Service’s finances. By 2021, he said, the scale of the funding gap threatens ‘dire’ consequences for patients. It is the first time a minister at the Department for Health has admitted the financial problems facing the NHS.” – Daily Mail