“Developers could be allowed to destroy ancient woodland if they agree to plant 100 trees for each one felled, the Environment Secretary has said. Owen Paterson said that “biodiversity offsetting” could apply to 400-year-old woodland. Under the scheme, the destruction of a wildlife habitat is balanced by funding for environmental improvements in other locations.” – The Times(£)
“Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, widened a split in the Coalition by describing increases in house prices in the South as a “worrying” development that threatens Britain’s economic gains…The Prime Minister this week dismissed suggestions of a house price bubble, saying there was “no evidence” that the market was unsustainable.” – Daily Telegraph
“Theresa May has replaced Boris Johnson as favourite to become the next Tory leader, according to a poll of party members. The survey by influential grassroots website ConservativeHome reveals the Home Secretary has beaten the London Mayor into pole position for the first time, after a series of tough interventions on immigration. Of the 800 Tory members polled last month, 22.7 per cent said Mrs May should be the party’s next leader, just ahead of Mr Johnson on 22.6 per cent.” – Daily Mail
“Detectives from Scotland Yard paid a secret visit to Tripoli to investigate the murder of Yvonne Fletcher, days after David Cameron raised the unsolved crime with the Libyan Prime Minister last year. The Telegraph can disclose the two Metropolitan Police detectives went to Libya between September 24 and 26 last year to take forward the investigation into the shooting of WPc Fletcher outside the Libyan embassy in London in 1984.” – Daily Telegraph
“David Cameron has been dismissed as “a little man” by the ruling Socialist party in France, after he appeared to hold up the country as a model of economic failure in an article in The Times. Jean-Christophe Cambadélis, who is in charge of European and international affairs in President Hollande’s party, said Mr Cameron had shown contempt for France. “Mr David Cameron is a little gentleman who is not taking into account the situation of his own people,” Mr Cambadélis said on France-Info, the state-owned radio news network.” – The Times(£)
“David Cameron is facing a showdown with Conservative grass roots as he becomes frustrated by activists’ refusal to select more women to stand for Parliament in 2015, The Independent can disclose. The Prime Minister has privately expressed his irritation that local associations are failing to select more female candidates, jeopardising his hopes of boosting the number of women Conservative MPs. Fewer than one in three of the candidates so far selected in Tory-held constituencies or crucial target seats are women.” – The Independent
“One of the Conservatives’ few female MPs in the North of England is facing a damaging second reselection battle amid an outbreak of infighting. Anne McIntosh, who represents Thirsk and Malton, could be ousted later this month, to the embarrassment of the party’s national leadership. About 540 local members will decide in a secret ballot whether to drop her ahead of the next general election because of claims she is not fulfilling her constituency duties. Ballot papers go out next week.” – The Independent
“Leading historians yesterday backed calls for schools to stop showing Blackadder to children learning about the First World War. They sided with Michael Gove after he said the comedy Blackadder Goes Forth and shows such as the Monocled Mutineer and Oh! What a Lovely War wrongly depicted Britain’s military efforts as a ‘misbegotten shambles’.” – Daily Mail
“Parents who say ‘I can’t do maths’ are harming their children and Britain’s long-term economic prospects, the schools minister warned yesterday. Elizabeth Truss said that a damaging ‘anti-maths culture’ must be reversed to stop the country and our students slipping further and further behind international rivals.” – Daily Mail
“Details have emerged of attempts by ministers to make secret cuts to the Scottish budget during Margaret Thatcher’s premiership. Cabinet papers released under the 30-year rule show senior figures believed Scotland was over-funded by £900m. John Redwood, then a Downing Street adviser, wanted cuts of £500m to Scotland’s budget, the papers reveal.” – BBC
“British National Party (BNP) leader Nick Griffin MEP has been declared bankrupt. A bankruptcy order was made at Welshpool County Court on Thursday. Mr Griffin tweeted: “Being bankrupt does NOT prevent me being or standing as an MEP. It does free me from financial worries.” – BBC
“Jack Straw has hinted that he believes that members of President Bush’s team may have leant on Tony Blair to sack him as Foreign Secretary. The former Labour minister, who has announced that he is standing down as an MP next year, said that he had been told how unpopular he was with key allies of President Bush.” – The Times(£)
“A THINK-tank chaired by former Labour minister Lord Adonis has called for post-election tax increases of up to £330 per family, it was claimed last night. The Institute of Public Policy Research said tax hikes “should form a greater part of measures to reduce the deficit”. Its report — Rebalancing the Books — said the rises should make up 20 per cent of deficit-slashing measures after 2015.” – The Sun(£)
“Ministers will have to cut subsidies for wind farms under pressure from Brussels. The European Commission has also told the Government to cut financial support for solar energy by the end of the decade. It comes after Michael Fallon, the Energy Minister, announced last month that onshore wind farms would have to compete with each other for subsidies after 2015.” – The Times(£)
“David Cameron’s plans to watch The Sound Of Music with his family at Christmas were hit after storms caused a power cut at his home, The Sun can reveal. The PM, who had sat down to enjoy Julie Andrews’ classic in Oxfordshire, told locals in Southampton: “We had wallpaper coming down and drips going into a bucket.” – The Sun(£)