6.00pm Local Government: Michael Gove has not attacked school governors
5.30pm MPsETC: Former East Hampshire MP Michael Mates selected as PCC candidate for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
4pm Local government: Council byelections from yesterday
3pm MPsETC: Backbench Tories irked by Lib Dem threats over Lords reform
1.45pm WATCH: Peter Bone MP: The Tories would win resoundingly if they pulled out of coalition and governed as a minority
1.15pm MPsETC: 41 Tory MPs join call by Robert Halfon MP for OFT to investigate high petrol prices
12.30pm LeftWatch: Lib Dems attempt to make Tories vote for Lords reform by saying it's linked to boundary review. But Clegg says it isn't.
10.30am ToryDiary: 36% of Tory members agree that Cameron is a vote winner. 43% do not.
Columnist Bruce Anderson: It's the whips' job to bully, curse and browbeat. But on Lords reform next week, backbenchers must stand up to them.
Luke Tryl on Comment: Tackling homophobic bullying is essential to Michael Gove's education reforms
Also on Comment: Lord Ashcroft: What does and doesn't matter most to voters about the Libor scandal
Local Government:
The Deep End: The terrible truth about the British people
MPs vote for parliamentary inquiry into Libor scandal
"Negotiations began on Thursday between the government and Labour over setting up a parliamentary inquiry into the banking scandal… with the promise that it could begin work in two weeks. After a bad-tempered Commons debate, MPs voted by a majority of more than 100 to set up a joint committee of MPs and peers to conduct the inquiry after earlier rejecting a Labour proposal for a judge-led public inquiry similar to the ongoing Leveson investigation into press standards." – Guardian
> Yesterday on MPsETC: Government wins banking inquiry vote as Osborne and Balls have Commons bust-up
Balls and Osborne clash: Tory MPs puzzled by Osborne's behaviour
"George Osborne has unnerved members of his own party by allowing his response to the banking crisis to be dominated by personal attacks on Ed Balls. It prompted widespread Tory criticism from normally loyal MPs and members of the 2010 intake, many of who suggested he is not spending enough time on the economy and has a “disproportionate obsession” with his opposite number." – The Times (£)
Fraser Nelson: The question of who is to blame for the Libor interest-rate scandal will be front and centre at the next general election
"[T]he Chancellor is, as always, thinking ahead to the next election campaign, where his slogan will be: Britain is recovering, don’t let Labour take us back to the bad old days. This explains why he is making his j’accuse with such force, and why Balls is defending himself with such venom. This is not about Barclays. For both Balls and Osborne, this is the first skirmish of the next election campaign." – Fraser Nelson for the Daily Telegraph
Army cuts take ‘military gamble’ by placing burden on reserves
"The Army has been put at risk by cuts to famous units and a plan to rely on “weekend warriors” to fight the battles of the future, military and political leaders said yesterday. … As the Army shrinks from 102,000 to 82,000 by 2020, half the size it was at the time of the Falklands conflict, Mr Hammond said the Territorial Army would be doubled in size to 30,000 and integrated with the regulars." – The Times (£)
> From yesterday:
Cameron sets out reforms to let parents foster infants they wish to adopt
"Babies taken into care will be looked after by the families who hope to adopt them under government plans to reduce the disruption young children suffer in early life. David Cameron has told The Times that ministers will legislate to make fostering by approved adopters “standard practice” for infants under 1, so they can have a more stable start." - The Times (£)
> From yesterday - Mark Lancaster MP on Comment: How can we convince more people to adopt?
One in three Tories have left the party in the seven years since Cameron became leader
"For only the second time in history, the Conservatives have fewer signed-up supporters than Labour. The membership roster stands at 177,000 – down 81,000 from the 258,000 Mr Cameron inherited in 2005. Over the same period, Labour’s membership has fallen by only 4,000 to 194,000, according to a report from the House of Commons library." – Daily Mail
Theresa May 'is close' to McKinnon ruling as she examines evidence about his psychiatric state
"A decision on the fate of Gary McKinnon will be made within months, a court was told yesterday. … He is awaiting Theresa May’s decision on whether he can be sent across the Atlantic despite fears he may kill himself if extradited. The Home Secretary is examining medical evidence about his psychiatric state." - Daily Mail
Robert Halfon leads 60 MPs calling for inquiry into petrol ‘rip-off’
"Petrol retailers are failing to pass on the benefit of falling oil prices to motorists and should be investigated by the Office of Fair Trading, a cross-party group of MPs will say next week. More than 60 MPs are supporting calls for the competition watchdog to investigate allegations of price fixing by UK oil companies. … Research from Petrolpromise.com, a campaigning website started by Robert Halfon, the MP for Harlow, says that it can take weeks for falling oil prices to benefit customers." – The Times (£)
Louise Mensch MP: 'I did Class A drugs and they messed with my brain"
"Appearing on the BBC's Question Time programme on Thursday evening, the Tory MP for Corby [said] "The plain fact of the matter is drugs are incredibly addictive and destroy lives," she said. "Given that scourge is there the question is what you do about it. I am somebody who has used dugs in the past, I have used class A drugs in the past … It's something I regret incredibly, that in my youth I messed with my brain," she added." – Huffington Post
Far too many British Olympians went to public school, says PM as he calls for barriers to be broken down – Daily Mail
Curse of Clegg 1: Lib Dems threaten to bring down boundary reforms if Lords reform is not passed
"The Liberal Democrats will block boundary changes that would help the Conservatives' election prospects if Nick Clegg's plan for an elected House of Lords is killed off by a Tory revolt. In an exclusive interview with The Independent, a senior aide to Mr Clegg warned there would be "consequences" if up to 100 rebel Tory MPs defeat a motion to cut short debate on the House of Lords Reform Bill so it can make progress through Parliament. A knife-edge vote is expected on Tuesday next week." – Independent
Curse of Clegg 2: Clegg forgets Government policy and says gay couples should be able to marry in churches
"The Deputy Prime Minister made clear that David Cameron’s promise to exclude religious groups might only be temporary. Mr Clegg became the most senior member of the Government to throw his support behind same-sex weddings in religious buildings. He said that this was only his personal view “at the moment” … Opponents of same-sex marriage said Mr Clegg’s comments made clear that the reassurances offered to religious groups could not be relied upon." – Daily Telegraph
Bank of England throws another £50bn at broken economy – Daily Mail
NHS patients would profit from a dose of private enterprise – Andrew Haldenby for the Daily Telegraph
MPs urge fresh look at case for HS2 – FT (£)
> Yesterday on The Deep End: How not to get ripped off on public infrastructure
'Web snooping' inquiry launched – BBC
And finally… David Cameron jokes his daughter wants to be an Olympian so she can chase the family car next time he leaves her in the pub – Daily Mail
> Please use the thread below to provide links to news topics likely to be of interest to ConservativeHome readers and to comment on political topics that haven't been given their own blog. Read our comments policy here.