Readers of a certain age will remember the scheme at the heart of the plot of Mel Brooks's The Producers – namely, to make a fortune by finding the worst play in the world and taking it to Broadway. The two men at the heart of this criminal venture are Max Bialystock, a seedy producer, […]
Hudson Roe is the captain of AFC Bluebirds, a five-a-side team made up of players from across Westminster. The team are proudly sponsored by Conservative Home. Follow them on Twitter. On the 17 June 1987, the Dusky Seaside Sparrow officially became extinct. 26 years later, the ConHome-sponsored, avian-named, Bluebirds were playing to ensure their own […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter. Having reshaped his Cabinet substantially last summer – sacking two Cabinet Ministers in the process – David Cameron is unlikely to do so again during this one. This is because to do so would both risk destabilising his already fractious Parliamentary Party, and offend his instinct to keep changes […]
By Mark WallaceFollow Mark on Twitter. We now have full shortlists for the European Election lists in the North East, North West and Yorkshire – along with information on the first hustings at which party members can quiz the candidates before ranking them. Here's a reminder of the selection process: first, the regional selectoral college decide which […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter. Julian Huppert, the MP for Cambridge, is unhappy, according to the Times (£). When he rises to speak in the Commons, his fellow MPs greet him with a collective sigh, as theatre-goers once greeted Peter O'Toole's legendarily calamitous production of "Macbeth". Yesterday, they upped the ante – and Mr […]
Hudson Roe is the captain of AFC Bluebirds, a five-a-side team made up of players from across Westminster. The team are proudly sponsored by Conservative Home. Follow them on Twitter. The ConservativeHome-sponsored Bluebirds teams played their penultimate matches of the season knowing that for one team their position in the first division was secure, but […]
By Mark WallaceFollow Mark on Twitter. The next tranche of ten constituencies have opened candidate applications, following in the footsteps of the 40 who have selected PPCs so far. The newly opened seats are: Birmingham Erdington Brighton Pavilion Carshalton and Wallington Plymouth Moor View Taunton Deane Tooting Twickenham Westminster North Westmorland and Lonsdale Yeovil They are a […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter. Andrew Mitchell's campaign for restoration to the Cabinet went up a gear yesterday afternoon as senior Conservative and Labour MPs piled into the Met Commissioner: Richard Ottoway (Croydon South): "We have a situation where police from the Met appear to have fabricated evidence against a Cabinet Minister; the Met […]
By Mark WallaceFollow Mark on Twitter. There's a interesting snippet from James Forsyth in the Mail on Sunday today, which will have inspired new worry lines to emerge over a few breakfast tables. Forsyth reports that Grant Shapps is carrying out a cull of the candidates' list – focused on removing those who did not come to […]
Hudson Roe is the captain of AFC Bluebirds, a five-a-side team made up of players from across Westminster. The team are proudly sponsored by Conservative Home. Follow them on Twitter. AFC Bluebirds approached their weekly Monday night matches with a sense of nervous anticipation as they looked to impress their big-name sponsor, watching the team […]
By Harry PhibbsFollow Harry on Twitter There are nearly 600 All Party Parliamentary Groups. Each one has a committee of MPs devoted to a special subject. The Chagos Islands, Liechtenstein, Philately, Brass Bands, Cider, Jazz Appreciation and Zoos each have their own group. I can't see the one for Fiji set up by Patrick Mercer – […]
By Peter HoskinFollow Peter on Twitter 12.05 update: Here's Patrick Mercer's statement: “Panorama are planning to broadcast a programme alleging that I have broken Parliamentary rules. I am taking legal advice about these allegations, and I have referred myself to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. In the meantime, to save my Party embarrassment, I have resigned the […]
By Mark WallaceFollow Mark on Twitter. In October, CCHQ announced that it was launching a 40/40 strategy aimed at winning the next election – based on holding 40 marginal seats and winning 40 target seats. We've been reporting on candidate selections over the last few months, and now 40 are in place there is an opportunity to give […]
Martin Callanan MEP is Chairman of the European Conservatives. This is his monthly letter to ConHome readers. Follow the ECR Group on Twitter. As EU leaders met in Brussels to discuss energy prices and tax evasion, the European Parliament was in Strasbourg again for our monthly session, once again highlighting the folly of the Parliament's […]
By Peter HoskinFollow Peter on Twitter The votes are in, and the same sex marriage bill has passed its third reading in the Commons by 366 votes to 161. Of those voting no, 134 were Tories (including 7 abstentions), with 14 Labour MPs, four Lib Dems, eight Democratic Unionists and an independent. We've posted a full […]