9.15pm ToryDiary: Boris Johnson summarises his key achievements in London over the last two years at the annual State of London debate
8.45pm WATCH: Iain Duncan Smith explains how the Government's overhaul of the pension system will "reinvigorate retirement"
5.45pm Parliament: Richard Fuller and Andrew Jones commend the work of charities and social enterprises in their maiden speeches
5.30pm Robin Simcox on CentreRight: Does the government have a control orders policy?
4.45pm Parliament: Members of the 2010 intake dominate the Conservative membership of Select Committees
4pm ToryDiary update: John Howell and Lee Scott are latest PPS appointments
3.15pm WATCH: Julia Gillard addresses the Australian Parliament as Prime Minister for the first time
2.15pm ToryDiary: David Davis challenges Theresa May over her decision to extend 28-day detention
2pm Local government: Boris and Dalston's £40 million concrete slab
1.45pm Parliament: New Lancashire Conservative MPs Mark Menzies and Eric Ollerenshaw cover defence matters in their maiden speeches
12.30pm ToryDiary update: Government publishes call for evidence on when to raise the state pension age to 66
12.15pm Melanchthon on CentreRight: Cameron agrees there should be a new EU Treaty
11.30am ToryDiary: Captions please…
10am ToryDiary: Could Osborne emerge as the darling of the Right – and a challenge to David Cameron?
9.45am Gazette update: Robin Walker MP pays tribute to his late father, Lord Walker of Worcester
ToryDiary: Boris needs to make a new offer to fire up his re-election chances
Also in ToryDiary:
James Laughlin on Platform: Why this student is in favour of top-up fees
Parliament: Rory Stewart delivers an unconventional maiden speech in Westminster Hall
Local Government: Leicester Council bans prayers at Council meetings
Steve Baker on CentreRight: The budget debate – why economists disagree, why they are so often wrong and where economic thinking goes next
Jason Groves in International: Why Australia's newly installed first woman Prime Minister could face defeat at the polls within months
WATCH: Kevin Rudd resigns as Australian Prime Minister
Cameron asks public sector workers how to spend less
"David Cameron and his deputy Nick Clegg wrote to six million public sector workers on Thursday asking for ideas on how to save money and tackle a record peacetime deficit… The letter to all state employees from the leaders of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition is an attempt to win support for the toughest round of spending cuts in decades." – Reuters
Cameron says 'I'm giving up my £66,000 pension' as he warns of reduction in civil service pensions
"David Cameron agreed to give up his £66,000-a-year prime ministerial pension last night as he came face to face with public sector workers angry about cuts to their pay and perks. The Prime Minister made a joint TV appearance with his Lib Dem deputy Nick Clegg on the BBC programme Face The Audience." – Daily Mail
> Last night's ToryDiary: First Cameron/Clegg TV interview: would you know which one was Prime Minister?
Government to seek further cuts
"The Government will seek even deeper cuts in welfare than those announced in the Budget in order to protect frontline public services, George Osborne said yesterday. The Chancellor will invite cabinet ministers to suggest specific cuts in the £180bn-a-year welfare system once they have settled their departmental budgets in negotiations with the Treasury during the government-wide spending review to be completed by October." – The Independent
"In just a taste of what will spread across Whitehall, plans were unveiled by the Ministry of Justice yesterday for four out of every ten courts to be shut, along with ‘old fashioned’ police stations – with officers based in High Street shops instead." – Daily Mail
"In order to force through his measures, Mr Osborne has devised a "star chamber" – made up of him, Danny Alexander, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and a few other ministers – that will judge how much each department should be punished financially. The plan is sensible, but does not go far enough. In such an ideologically diverse coalition, it would be better if the first word on cuts came from an independent voice." – Edmund Conway in the Daily Telegraph
You ain't seen cutting yet – The Sun
"It is a shame that the health budget has been protected for political reasons because this is a moment for a fundamental assessment of what government should and should not do. Over 13 years of Labour government the State has become like Gaudí’s Sagradia Familia — accumulating yet another ill-designed feature, poorly coordinated with the rest." – Times (£) editorial
Budget "will hit poor harder than rich"
"Britain's leading experts on tax and spending have strongly challenged George Osborne's claims to have delivered a "tough but fair" budget, concluding that the measures in the emergency package would hit the poor harder than the rich. The Institute for Fiscal Studies said the chancellor and Nick Clegg could only assert that the better off were the big losers from the austerity move by including reforms announced by Labour, such as the changes to pension contributions." – The Guardian
James Forsyth: Osborne is becoming the true Tory leader
"George Osborne has digested the election result, does not regard it as a success, and is seeking to learn from it how best to create a Tory parliamentary majority in this country again. He has been observing recently that Gordon Brown spent 13 years successfully creating Labour voters — mainly through state dependency — and that the Tories need to reverse this process if they are to win. It would also mean fostering a new set of Tory voters in the way that Margaret Thatcher did with council house sales and the ‘Tell Sid’ expansion of share ownership. This is the strategy that underpins Osborne’s first Budget" – James Forsyth in The Spectator
Lib Dems threaten revolt over cuts and VAT rise
"Liberal Democrat MPs are threatening to revolt over the Budget amid accusations that they had 'betrayed' voters. A crisis meeting of the party was called in the House of Commons last night so that MPs could air their grievances over the VAT hike and proposed spending cuts. A briefing from Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, failed to convince some of the Lib Dems over the more punitive Budget measures." – Daily Mail
Coalition a poor ideological fit, says Lib Dem MP – BBC
Sinn Fein MPs could lose huge expenses payouts unless they take up seats at Westminster
"Sinn Fein MPs could lose their right to claim hundreds of thousands of pounds a year in expenses unless they take up their seats at Westminster, David Cameron hinted yesterday. The Prime Minister pledged to 're-examine' the position of Sinn Fein MPs, who have always refused to take the oath of loyalty to the Queen required of all MPs." – Daily Mail
> Yesterday's ToryDiary on PMQs
UK committed to Afghan strategy after McChrystal sacking
"Britain remains "absolutely committed" to the allied strategy in Afghanistan after President Barack Obama sacked his top Afghanistan commander, Prime Minister David Cameron's spokesman said on Wednesday." – Reuters
> Last night's ToryDiary: David Cameron and Liam Fox welcome General David Petraeus's appointment to lead the international forces in Afghanistan
Conservative MP hands £60,000 profit from the sale of his taxpayer-funded second home to charity
"A Conservative MP has donated £60,000 from the sale of his taxpayer-funded second home to charity. John Baron bought the three-bedroom house in Billericay, Essex, in 2000 for £153,500 and has claimed expenses on the mortgage repayments since he was elected in 2001." – Daily Mail
Boris Johnson poised to stand for second term as Mayor
"Boris Johnson is preparing to run for another four years as the Mayor of London, Conservative sources disclosed last night. Mr Johnson is expected next month to confirm his candidacy for the 2012 election in which he could face a rerun of his dramatic battle with the previous Mayor, Ken Livingstone, who has put himself forward for the Labour nomination." – The Independent
> Yesterday's ToryDiary: Confirmation "imminent" that Boris Johnson will seek re-election as London Mayor
Michael Gove's free schools face costly challenge – The Guardian
Lord Walker of Worcester, 1932-2010
"Lord Walker of Worcester, who died on June 23 aged 78, was a dynamic 1970s meritocrat who, remarkably, held Cabinet office under both Edward Heath and Margaret Thatcher, in the latter case surviving for a decade. A committed Tory "wet" who in private – and not infrequently in public – disputed Thatcherite orthodoxy, Peter Walker possessed the ability and staying-power to outlast not only his fellow Heathites but also devotees of the Iron Lady who were found wanting." – Daily Telegraph obituary
> Yesterday's Gazette: Former Cabinet Minister Lord Walker of Worcester has died
The Canadians are disappointed that Samantha Cameron will not be at the G20 this weekend
"Laureen Harper’s guest list just got a little smaller. The “very pregnant” Samantha Cameron will not be joining her recently elected husband Prime Minister David Cameron at his first major international summit, a spokesperson for the U.K. High Commission confirmed Wednesday… Dubbed “SamCam” and “Supermum” by the British media, Cameron is widely regarded as of the world’s most stylish political wives next to Michelle Obama and Carla Bruni." – Toronto Star
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