9.30pm LeftWatch: David Miliband to stand down as an MP, according to reports
5pm WATCH: A pair of significant Parliamentary statements:
3pm ToryDiary: Theresa May splits up the UK Border Agency
2.15pm Andrew Lilico on Comment: Against deposit insurance
1.45pm ToryDiary: Michael Fallon’s message for the Bank, the Government, Europe and everyone else: we really must do better
11.45am Local Government: John Bald on Freeing schools from the Left's wretched social determinism
11am Greg Clark's latest Weekly Letter from a Treasury Minister: The National Planning Policy Framework is one year old – it’s already succeeding
10.30am ToryDiary: The Government's counter-terror strategy: Quite a bit done, a lot more to do
ToryDiary: The new politics of the NHS ringfence
Also on ToryDiary, from last night: This evening's Boris documentary: Cockerell cuddle follows Mair mauling
John Baron MP on Comment: When it comes to the economy, the Government lacks the balls – and so does Balls
LeftWatch: Did you know that 44 Labour MPs rebelled against Ed Miliband last week?
Brandon Lewis on Local Government: East Sussex, Medway and Norfolk are Councils of the Week
The Deep End: Labour’s post-war settlement is alive and well in the 21st century
WATCH: William Hague visits a rescue camp with Angelina Jolie
The newspapers pick at David Cameron's immigration speech…
"David Cameron’s bid to stop Britain being a 'soft touch' for scrounging immigrants faces a clash with EU and human rights lawmakers, experts warn. … It has also emerged that only two out of his initiatives are sure to be brought in, with others being worked on." – The Sun
"Downing Street today struggled to produce statistics to back up David Cameron’s claim that Britain was a soft touch for immigrants. … Those it did produce sparked accusations that it was being misleading." – The Times (£)
"Doctors and nurses challenged David Cameron’s proposed curbs on foreigners using the NHS last night by saying they refused to act as an 'arm of the UK Border Agency'." – The Times (£)
> Yesterday:
…and respond to the Cyprus bailout
Via editorials:
"Instead of propping up a political project, the IMF should be working to ensure that the break-up of the euro, which seems increasingly likely, is as painless as possible – and sets Europe free." – Daily Mail editorial
And op-eds:
> Yesterday:
Benedict Brogan: Pity our poor PM – the Tories are now in a post-Dave state of mind
"A few weeks ago it was fashionable to predict a Conservative defeat in 2015. Now Tory MPs and commentators have gone one worse: they admit, grudgingly, that Labour’s inadequacies and the calculated political blandishments of last week’s Budget might just get Mr Cameron over the line and back into No 10; but – and this is truly embarrassing – they say it will hardly be worth it because the Prime Minister makes so little difference." – Benedict Brogan, Daily Telegraph
Boris, Boris, Boris
"Boris Johnson yesterday laughed off the BBC interview that branded him ‘a nasty piece of work’, saying his inquisitor ‘did a splendid job’. … But Mr Johnson’s father took a very different view, denouncing the BBC man for a ‘disgusting piece of journalism’ during Sunday’s interview." – Daily Mail
The Daily Mail profiles Eddie Mair
And the same newspaper also looks into the claims that Mr Mair made against the Mayor of London
> Last night's ToryDiary: This evening's Boris documentary: Cockerell cuddle follows Mair mauling
> Yesterday's video to WATCH: Boris responds to his Night-Mair: “It is the function of BBC journalists to bash-up politicians”
Small-scale blogs exempted from new press rules – but what does "small-scale" mean?
"Small-scale bloggers will be exempt from new rules seeking to punish publishers with exemplary damages if they refuse to join an 'approved regulator', under an amendment tabled by the Government. … The Department for Culture, Media and Sport declined to clarify the meaning of 'small scale'." – The Times (£)
> Yesterday, by Garvan Walshe: The press regulation Royal Charter is a boon to dictators everywhere
Jeremy Hunt wants "back to basics" care in the NHS
"In a Commons statement today, Mr Hunt will call for a fundamental change in the culture of the NHS. … Students seeking NHS funding for nursing degrees will be required to work for up to a year as a healthcare assistant or support worker. … Ministers will also publish a code of conduct for healthcare support workers, with clear requirements on behaviour and attitude." – Daily Mail
> Today on ToryDiary: The new politics of the NHS ringfence
"The UK government is to commit more than £20m towards research and development into nuclear power" – Financial Times (£)
Patrick McLoughlin overhauls the rules around driving tests
"Announcing the moves, Mr McLoughlin spoke of his alarm over the death rate among young drivers, who are disproportionately more likely to be in crashes than older motorists. He said one-fifth of the people killed or seriously injured on roads in 2011 were involved in a collision where at least one driver was aged under 25." – Independent
IDS's housing benefit reforms come under attack
"Iain Duncan Smith has adopted a 'wait and see approach' and has little idea how his housing benefit reforms will impact on the poor, the spending watchdog claims today. … In a critical report, the Public Accounts Committee also accuses the Work and Pensions Secretary of overestimating the savings that can be achieved." – The Times (£)
And so too does William Hague, for travelling to Africa with Angelina Jolie at a time of Eurocrisis - Daily Mail
> Today's video to WATCH: William Hague visits a rescue camp with Angelina Jolie
Francis Maude urged to drop his plans to make Whitehall more political
"A report published by the Institute for Government says the cabinet office minister should abandon his proposals to let ministers appoint their own 'cabinets' … It says: 'The downside to these larger and more political offices is the greater potential for tension between the ministerial team and the rest of the department.'" – Financial Times (£)
Sir Merrick Cockell warns about local authority cuts
"Sir Merrick Cockell, the Conservative chairman of the Local Government Association, told the Guardian local authorities will have lost a third of their budget by 2015: 'This is the calm before the storm. We do not know how big the storm will be or how long it will last.'" – Guardian
Ed Balls reckons he's won the spending argument
"The shadow Chancellor told a meeting of Labour’s ruling body, the National Executive Committee, that commentators were now agreeing with the party’s strategy to continue splurging." – Daily Mail
But…
> Today, by John Baron MP on Comment: When it comes to the economy, the Government lacks the balls – and so does Balls
Alistair Darling warns of a subprime "housing bubble"
WSpeaking in a Commons debate on the Budget, Mr Darling claimed fthat George Osborne had largely 'given up on doing anything' and that his housing package could – if anything – create more problems. He claimed a chronic housing shortage meant that extra state support for mortgages could pump up prices." – Financial Times (£)
> Yesterday:
Rachel Sylvester: Old Labour rears its rebellious head again
"This is deeper than the rows between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown — it is a reinvention of the battle between old Labour and new Labour, Left and Right. One frontbencher warns that 'digital Bennism' risks consigning the party to electoral oblivion in the way that the left-wing politics promoted by Tony Benn did in the 1980s." – Rachel Sylvester, The Times (£)
> Today:
Economists reject Alex Salmond's "oil boom" claim – Daily Telegraph
Janan Ganesh on the "strange death of a more liberal Britain"
"There is more to liberalism than permitting same-sex couples to marry or elder daughters to inherit the throne. It also involves tolerating real messiness in economic and public life. It is sad to see a country become squeamish about an idea it helped to invent." – Janan Ganesh, Financial Times (£)
"Top spook Sir Jonathan Evans, 54, will step down when his contract expires next month, MPs were told yesterday. … The announcement — six years after he took over from MI5 legend Lady Manningham-Buller — was made in the Commons by Home Secretary Theresa May." – The Sun
"Pupils from state schools and ethnic minorities are less likely to get into UK elite universities even if they have the same A-levels as their white and private school counterparts, new research has shown" – Financial Times (£)
Around 630,000 families in Britain are in negative equity – Daily Mail
And finally… Quentin Letts on Theresa May, the "low-cal politician"
"The Zero Noodles were pretty revolting … But my mind wandered back to them yesterday while watching Theresa May at the despatch box. … How unrelentingly, brilliantly joyless she is. … Chewy and quite lacking in salt and grease: Theresa, the low-cal politician!" – Quentin Letts, Daily Mail
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