“David Cameron has privately conceded he will have to campaign to leave the European Union if he continues to be “completely ignored” by Brussels, the Daily Telegraph has learned. The Prime Minister has made clear to his closest allies that he will lead the “Out” campaign if he considers the result of his renegotiation with Brussels to be unsuccessful.” – Daily Telegraph
>Today: ToryDiary: The directionless EU renegotiation gets even more off track and behind schedule
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Party members unchanging views about Europe
“UK action in Syria to target so-called Islamic State (IS) is not like the Iraq invasion, Tony Blair has told the BBC. The former PM said the current action was different from the 2003 war because the West had allies in Arab countries. He added that experience from conflicts in Iraq and Libya showed “dealing with the dictator” was not enough in the “wider battle against extremism”.” – BBC
>Today: Altaf Hussain AM on Comment: At the root of the problem of extremism is the notion of multiculturalism
“Islamic State fighters have captured swathes of eastern Afghanistan in a drive to establish a new province of the group’s self-styled caliphate on territory straddling the border with Pakistan. Up to 1,600 fighters pledging allegiance to Isis are ruling much of four districts south of Jalalabad with the same ruthlessness that characterises the group’s regime in Syria and Iraq: public beheadings, strict adherence to Koranic teachings foreign to Afghanistan, and extortion. Some of the worst atrocities have been filmed and posted online.” – The Times(£)
“A defiant Jeremy Corbyn is to tell critics in his shadow cabinet that his leadership has been strengthened by Labour’s emphatic victory in the Oldham byelection and by his success in winning a majority in the party for his opposition to airstrikes. The party leadership said the win in Oldham West and Royton in the early hours of Friday morning had proved that Labour is electable, while shadow cabinet sceptics acknowledged that Corbyn would remain in place for “far longer” than they had expected.” – The Guardian
Comment
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: The Conservatives shouldn’t settle for coming third in Oldham
“John McDonnell addressed a meeting which called for the deselection of Chuka Umuna and warned he will bring dissenters “round to my way of thinking”, it has emerged. Labour’s shadow chancellor spoke at a rally organised by Momentum, the Jeremy Corbyn supporting group embroiled in claims it is seeking to purge some of the party’s MP’s from parliament.” – Daily Telegraph
>Yesterday: LeftWatch: My evening with McDonnell and Momentum – and yes, it’s all about deselections
“Conservative Party officials received a memo branding the Tatler Tory ‘sociopathic’ and ‘dangerous’ a month before the suicide of an activist who said he had been bullied by him. The message, sent in August by a former staff member at the party’s headquarters, urged senior figures to keep Mark Clarke away from the Conservatives’ youth wing and warned failure could be ‘devastating’.” – Daily Mail
“The Metropolitan Police are investigating two MPs over alleged misuse of Parliamentary expenses. The cases were referred to the police earlier this year by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority watchdog, which oversees expenses. The identities of those involved have not been disclosed. In a statement, the Met also said a 33-year old woman, an employee of an MP, had separately been given a caution for fraud by false representation.” – BBC
“If every child leaves school believing that Britain’s imperial history is evil, that open-ended human rights must be extended to everyone, including the wicked and the criminal, and that the world is getting catastrophically hotter, then eventually everyone in Britain will hold those views. And, crucially, anyone who dares to challenge them will be a social outcast. If that happens, with every passing year a country with a long and proud history of liberalism will, ironically enough, become a bastion of intolerance.” – James Delingpole Daily Mail
“A decision on a third runway at Heathrow is set to be delayed again. The Government is committed to responding to the Airports Commission’s report, which backed a third Heathrow runway, before the end of the year. But it now seems that further environmental studies will be commissioned, meaning a final decision will not be taken before the London mayoral elections in May. Avoiding a final call before the London election will prevent a messy row with the Tory candidate Zac Goldsmith, who is utterly opposed to any expansion at Heathrow.” – James Forsyth The Sun