ToryDiary:
LeftWatch: Conor Burns leads opposition to statue of Tony Blair being erected alongside Thatcher and Churchill
WATCH:
The Archbishop of Canterbury today warns that Government welfare cuts could hit the 'honest, hardworking' poor as well as those who exploit the system – Mail on Sunday
Philip Pullman and Andrew Motion condemn decision to axe £13m grant to the Book Trust
"Leading writers have condemned a government decision to withdraw funding from a charity that provides free books to children to encourage reading. Booktrust will lose its £13m support for schemes in England from April. Author Philip Pullman called it an "unforgiveable disgrace", and ex-poet laureate Sir Andrew Motion said it was an "act of gross cultural vandalism"." – BBC
"The literary world has reacted with horror and has begun a campaign that has echoes of the one launched against the decision of the education secretary, Michael Gove, to axe funding for school sport, a plan revealed in the Observer. In fact, the decision to end Booktrust's funding is thought to have been taken to finance the education secretary's eventual U-turn on sport, which saw much of the threatened £162m cash for school sport partnerships restored." – The Observer
Britain to invest £40m in UN natural disasters fund
"The move has been announced on the anniversary of the Boxing Day tsunami that hit Asia six years ago. The permanent emergency response fund set up after the Tsunami is very short of money. The number of people affected by disasters is predicted to rise from 250 million a year to 375 million by 2015." – BBC
Senior unnamed Tory minister said to be relaxed about Coalition candidates at General Election
"Amid efforts to mend broken fences, the minister, often seen as one of a tight inner-circle of "Cameroons", went further than any member of the government yet has in endorsing joint candidates… "I would be relaxed to the idea of having some Coalition candidates at the next election."" – The Sunday Telegraph
"Exasperated Nick Clegg has told his Liberal Democrat MPs to stop treating their Tory Coalition colleagues like Nazi occupiers and start embracing them as allies." – Mail on Sunday
> On Christmas Eve we learnt that the Cabinet discussed helping the Lib Dem candidate in Oldham East win
David Laws may yet replace Vince Cable at Business – The Sunday Times (£)
Murdoch newspapers attack Cable…
An end-of-year overview of the opinion polls – Tim Montgomerie in The Sunday Telegraph
VAT set to knock 0.5% off retail sales – Sunday Express
Scottish CBI chief says tax system puts UK companies at disadvantage to rivals – Scotland on Sunday
Conservative-focused comment:
If Alan Johnson had replaced Gordon Brown in January – John Rentoul remembers his AJ4PM campaign in the Independent on Sunday
The Scottish Labour leader has signalled a controversial strategy for next year's Holyrood elections that includes personal attacks on Alex Salmond – Scotland on Sunday
Multi-faith chaplains to make House of Commons more inclusive – Sunday Telegraph
Tesco builds £7m police station – in return for new giant superstore – Mail on Sunday
And finally… Ooops!
"One person unable to appreciate the Camerons' Christmas card featuring the couple cradling four-month-old baby Florence was Margaret Thatcher. She is still waiting to receive one. Surely, the Iron Lady cannot have dropped off the PM's list?" – Mail on Sunday's Black Dog
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