“David Cameron said last night he feels ‘deeply European’ from the bottom of his heart, angering Brexit campaigners who claimed his comments proved he will campaign to stay in the EU ‘regardless’. In an interview with French TV, the Prime Minister said Britain was a country with a ‘European destiny’ and that it was ‘important’ to stay in a European Union ‘that works for us’.” – Daily Mail
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Comment:
>Today: ToryDiary: The pros and cons of a second EU referendum
>Yesterday: Daniel Hannan MEP’s column: Cameron’s strategy for winning the EU referendum – use the word ‘security’ as much as possible
“There are only three things to know about politics and that might be one too many. The first thing to know is that your leader needs to be better than the other leader. The second thing is that your party needs a lead on economic competence. The third thing to remember is that, no matter how many opinion polls tell you that the first two things aren’t working, there really are only two things you need to remember.” – The Times (£)
“Downing Street has declared war on ambulance-chasing law firms who are ‘tormenting’ British troops with spurious legal claims. David Cameron has ordered sweeping changes to legal aid, no-win no-fee agreements and the civil court regime in a bid to stop the witch-hunt against soldiers who were simply ‘doing their jobs’.” – Daily Mail
Falklands:
“The defence secretary, Michael Fallon, has dismissed Jeremy Corbyn’s proposed compromise on the Trident nuclear weapons programme in which submarines would be retained but go to sea without warheads as “pointless”, comparing it to going into a fight with an imitation gun. Fallon was speaking after a tour of HMS Vigilant, one of the UK’s four submarines that carry Trident missiles capped with nuclear warheads, docked at Faslane naval base on the river Clyde in Scotland.” – The Guardian
“The over-50s were credited with fuelling the recovery yesterday as figures showed employment is at an all-time high. The Office for National Statistics said the number of people in work rose by 267,000 to 31.39million in the three months to December, equal to two new jobs a minute… Chancellor George Osborne said the figures were a milestone on the road to full recovery. And John Hawksworth, PwC’s chief economist said: “The UK economy continues to be a job creating machine.”” – The Sun
>Yesterday: Peter Hoskin in Comment: Osborne’s rebalancing act may never reach the desired conclusion
“The government has backed plans to hand over the running of commuter rail services in the capital to Transport for London and the Mayor. Patrick McLoughlin, the transport secretary, sought to reassure commuters that services outside the city will not suffer from the proposed changes, which he said would “transform travel”.” – Daily Telegraph
“Ministers must end cheap chocolate and junk food promotions in supermarkets as part of a dramatic plan to cut obesity in the UK, an influential Conservative MP has said. Sarah Wollaston called on the government to take action against cut-price deals on fatty and sugary foods or face letting down “the least advantaged in society”; after it emerged 40 per cent of purchases are promotions, often on unhealthy snacks.” – Daily Telegraph
“Jeremy Corbyn has been told Labour will suffer a hat-trick of election blows next May by losing 200 council seats in England, its effective majority in the Welsh Assembly and all constituency seats in Scotland, The Telegraph can disclose. The warnings came as infighting in the Labour leader’s officer forced the resignation of one of his most senior aides, raising fears “lunatics” on the hard-Left now “have the keys to the asylum” at the top of the party.” – Daily Telegraph
“One of Jeremy Corbyn’s most senior aides quit his post amid fears over the party’s failure to reach out to a broader section of voters, HuffPost UK has learned. Neale Coleman, Labour’s Executive Director of Policy and Rebuttal, stepped down – after just three months in post – following concerns that he was unhappy at the lack of progress on reaching out to a wider range of public and party opinion.” – Paul Waugh, Huffington Post UK
>Today: Iain Dale’s column: Over at Corbyn Central, the comrades are eating each other
“Employees could be empowered to buy shares in their company if it is sold, dissolved or floated on the stock exchange, John McDonnell said yesterday. The shadow chancellor unveiled the “Right to Own” proposal for workers to purchase shares in their company, which echoes the Conservatives’ Right to Buy policy for social housing tenants who want to buy their home.” – The Times (£)
>Yesterday: LeftWatch: Labour’s internal documents confirm the rise of the posh hard left
“It became a symbol of Ed Miliband’s failure to connect with the public during his ill-fated attempt to win last year’s General Election. And since his defeat to David Cameron’s Tories, political geeks and commentators have scoured Britain trying to track it down. But the fate of the Labour leader’s famous ‘Ed Stone’ rock has finally been revealed, with two party officials claiming it was destroyed soon after the damning election result led to Miliband’s resignation.” – Daily Mail
“If you’re interested in theatre and left-wing politics then this is the perfect event for you: a musical about Jeremy Corbyn is set to open in London. The comedy, entitled The Motorcycle Diaries, sees the Labour leader facing a nuclear stand-off with Russian President Vladimir Putin.” – The Sun
>Yesterday: Boddy Friedman in Comment: The hardest thing about satirising Corbyn is keeping up with him