Lord Ashcroft: My perspective on the US and UK elections
And how we reached what seems like an unusually grim and shambolic time in national life.
Election Battlegrounds 8) Yorkshire and the Humber
This region contains a sizeable clutch of those crucial ‘Labour Leave’ seats through which the Prime Minister is trying to pave his path to an overall majority.
Sajid Javid: “The direct cost of Corbyn is confirmed: £1.2 trillion of extra spending over the next five years.”
And, the Chancellor notes in his Bolton speech, that excludes 59 Labour policies “which don’t have enough detail for us to cost fairly”.
The Conservative Manifesto 2019. Link to full text.
“For the last three and a half years, this country has felt trapped, like a lion in a cage”. There’s a real touch of the Prime Minister in the drafting.
Teachers, nurses, an ocean conservationist, the Chancellor – meet the manifesto’s Tory candidates.
Its photos are used to project an image of the Conservatives as the party of the people.
Election Battlegrounds 7) South East
The Tories are targeting Labour-held seats and the Liberal Democrats Tory-held ones, whilst Labour’s possible gains are probably out of reach.
Election Battlegrounds 6) The South West
The Tories and Liberal Democrats face off over a relatively small field of competitive seats, whilst an Independent seeks an upset in East Devon.
Election Battlegrounds 5) The North East
This region contains a string of those ‘Labour Leave’ seats which are central to the Tory strategy – but will the Brexit Party trip them up?
Meet the candidates hoping to form the 2019 Conservative Parliamentary intake
The most up to date list of those standing in Tory-held seats and in targets.
Election Battlegrounds 4) East of England
Onwards to Anglia, where the Liberal Democrats and Tories will be fighting hard over a small clutch of possible gains.
East Staffs council leader alleges Party Board appointee’s oversight of Griffiths ballot is “unfair and prejudicial”
Cllr Duncan Goodfellow complains Lord Hunt’s message to the association “could be seen as seeking to fetter the independent and impartial decision of members”.
Monday’s candidate selection shortlists: Arundel and South Downs; North Devon; Wantage; North West Norfolk
Plus two selection contests in Meon Valley, and Runnymede and Weybridge.
New: The shortlist for Newbury, and the run-down of the weekend’s selection races
There are at least 14 contests taking place over the weekend in Conservative-held seats.
The Election Battlegrounds 3) North West
Our series continues with a look at another key region, which offers a decent clutch of targets to either Labour or the Conservatives on a good night.
New candidate shortlists for Tory-held seats: Orpington; Bracknell; South West Hertfordshire; and Mid Sussex
Army officers, political advisers, businesspeople, a London Assembly Member and – unusually – a sitting MP are among the latest crop of finalists.