7.30pm Benjamin-Harris Quinney on Comment: Must the home of free-market conservative thought disappear into the ether?
5pm: Today's teatime newslinks – Osborne's response to the emergency deal for the €urozone crisis, and much more Europe commentary
4pm LocalGovernment: John O'Connell: Councils in the Midlands spent nearly £300,000 on flights over the last two years when they were advising others to cut down on theirs
2.30pm Chris Skidmore MP on Comment: Thanks to Andy Burnham, we now know that Labour are committed to opposing increases in NHS funding
1.30pm LeftWatch: Ken's tactics to portray Boris as lazy backfires – raising questions about his own workrate as Mayor of London
12.30pm Charlie Elphicke MP on Comment: We have a right to know how our money is spent
Noon ConHomeUSA: Today's top Republican and American political news
10.30am Anthony Browne on our Columnists' page: Merkel wouldn't be warning about war if we hadn't the €uro in the first place
ToryDiary: In the battle against knife criminals it's Nick de Bois MP 400 and Ken Clarke nil
Also on ToryDiary: Cameron greets "good progress" before Eurozone deal is struck
Jill Kirby on our Columnists' page: The people or the elite? Cameron has made a defining choice
David Skelton on Comment: Cameron needs a plan to appeal to the North
Local Government: Boris renews plea for restrictions on tube strikes
WATCH: Herman van Rompuy and Jose Manuel Barroso announce that Europe agrees on an emergency €urozone deal
Deal at the EU summit as leaders agree to cut Greek debt by 50%
"Europe's leaders are claiming a victory in the eurozone crisis after agreeing new deals that halve Greek debt and increase the firepower of the main bailout fund to around €1trn. Athens will be handed a new €100bn bailout early in the new year. The accord was reached in the early hours of Thursday after hours of fractious debate. At one stage talks broke down with holders of Greek debt but they ended up accepting a loss or "haircut" of 50% in converting their existing bonds into new loans." - Guardian
> Yesterday
John Major argues that the EU must become a fiscal union – but this doesn't come without consequences
"To safeguard the eurozone in the longer term requires a fundamental change of policy. It must become a fiscal union; a union of transfer payments to off-set regional disparities; or it must shrink. The latter option – essentially expelling Greece – has political consequences. There is no mechanism to do it. What would Greece’s future be? Would she remain democratic in the chaos that might follow? Pushing Greece out is not a risk-free option. Nor is a transfer union. Germany would hate it and transfer payments would institutionalise inefficiencies. That leaves fiscal union as the most likely destination. But it has huge political consequences. It implies a far greater level of integration, and is an escalator to a federal eurozone. This may be sensible economically, but it is profoundly undemocratic. It would drive voters and decision-makers dangerously far apart. More top-down Europe imposed by a remote elite could provoke a powerful antipathy" - FT
Did Merkel and Sarkozy "save the day"?
'German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Nicolas Sarkozy had broken off from the summit to save the day and cut a deal with the head of the banking lobby, Charles Dallara of the Institute of International Finance, in order to draw a line under spiralling debt problems that have threatened to unravel the European single currency project." –Times (£)
Merkel offered a stark warning of war, if the €uro and Europe fails
"In an apocalyptic vision of what might follow, Mrs Merkel told the German parliament yesterday: ‘Another half century of peace and prosperity in Europe is not to be taken for granted. If the euro fails, Europe fails.’ She added: ‘We have a historical obligation: To protect by all means Europe’s unification process begun by our forefathers after centuries of hatred and blood spill. None of us can foresee what the consequences would be if we were to fail.’ That Germany, the country responsible for two world wars, is raising the prospect of future conflict is a measure of the panic sweeping Europe about the unrest that could follow a collapse of the single currency" - Daily Mail
The "family" nature of the EU referendum debate shows unity in the Tory party, despite media claims, and made Labour look "strangely irrelevant" says Jesse Norman MP
"Yes, Tory MPs have disagreed about the tactics of renegotiation with the EU and some will continue to argue for an in/out referendum. But, as a whole, they are remarkably united, not divided, over the EU issue. As the debate showed, there was a great deal of parliamentary talent on both sides of the motion, from all sections of the party. These voices will be heard, in many different ways, as they deserve to be. Meanwhile, the "family" nature of the debate made Labour look strangely irrelevant and diminished" - New Statesman
> For more coverage and commentary on yesterday's PMQs, have a look at our 5pm Newslinks
> Yesterday
New 'two strikes and you're out' mandatory life sentences to be introduced for crimes other than murder
"A new "two strikes and you're out" mandatory life sentence is also to be introduced for anyone convicted of a second serious sexual or violent crime – extending mandatory life sentences for the first time to cover crimes other than murder. The definition of the "most serious sexual or violent offences" that will be covered by the new "two strikes" policy is to be extended to child sex offences, terrorism categories and "causing or allowing the death of a child". The surprise announcement of this new sentencing regime marks a return to a more traditional "lock 'em up" approach to law and order by the coalition government and deals a further body blow to Clarke's hopes of a more liberal penal policy that would stabilise the prison population." - Guardian
U-turn for Ken Clarke, as mandatory prison sentence for 16- and 17-year-olds who are found guilty of "aggravated" knife offences is introduced
"The Justice Secretary said: "We need to send out a clear message about the seriousness of juvenile knife crime."In a humiliating U-turn, he announced a crackdown which will see 16 and 17-year-old knife offenders getting four-month detention and training orders. The thugs will serve half of the sentence behind bars and the final two months supervised in the community. Mr Clarke said: "We have already announced that we are bringing in an automatic prison sentence for any adults who use a knife to threaten and endanger" - The Sun
Plans to strengthen the rights of householders, confronted by an intruder, are also included in the Bill
"The proposed changes would make clear that people were under no duty to retreat from an attacker when acting in self-defence and could also use reasonable force to defend their property, not just themselves. The move comes after a series of cases in which self-defence has been deemed acceptable after a suspected intruder has been killed. Mr Clarke said: “While fleeing is usually the safest option if you feel threatened, people are not obliged to retreat when defending themselves or their homes. We will ensure that if you do react instinctively to repel an intruder you will not be punished for it — as long as you used reasonable force.” - Times (£)
Tory sources distance themselves from Beecroft report, reccomending to make dismissal laws easier, after Lib Dem backlash
"To Lib Dem anger and surprise, Mr Beecroft has recommended ditching unfair dismissal rules. Unions were also furious, further souring the atmosphere as ministers try to avert widespread strikes over pension reforms. Last night Tory sources distanced themselves from the report, saying its findings were unlikely to "see the light of day". Lib Dem sources called him an "ideological" figure whose conclusions they would not support. One said: "He is a private individual who has produced a report not based on any evidence" - Independent
Vince Cable describes the report as "unnecessary, based on no evidence and unlikely to improve labour market flexibility" - Guardian
"Sunlight is the best disinfectant" says Baroness Warsi, as she vows to root out waste and inefficiency in the civil service, as Government announces plans to reveal all minister spending of over £500
"Now we're doing things differently, publishing all big items of public spending online. It's like when you go home with a new purchase, and someone asks: "How much? That is the common sense we apply at home. And that is the common sense that's finally being applied in government" - Sun
Despite pledges by Cameron to bring immigration down to "tens of thousands", by 2043 Britain will becomes the most populous country in the EU
"By 2043, the population will have swollen to more than 74 million, outstripping France and Germany. Two thirds of the expansion will be due to immigration, according to the Office for National Statistics. The landmark figure of 70 million could be reached in 16 years after officials yesterday revised upward population projections. Over the next decade, the population will increase by the equivalent of a city the size of Leeds every year. Officials estimate the population will swell by 0.8 per cent – or 491,000 – every year to 2020, the fastest sustained growth since the 1960s." - Telegraph
Murdo Fraser is "absolutely right" says Matthew Parris to suggest the Scottish Conservatives break away from their English counterparts
"An election is under way among Scottish Tories for a new leader. One candidate, Murdo Fraser, MSP, has created shock waves by suggesting that they should break away from the Conservative Party in England and form a distinct right-of-centre party for Scotland, perhaps with a new name. Mr Fraser is absolutely right. I’ve been canvassing or reporting north of the Border often enough to know that the English connotation is fatal for the Conservatives there" - Times (£)
>Yesterday Murdo Fraser MSP on Comment: Policy must be based on principles which serve the interests of people throughout Scotland
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