‘Britain’s economic recovery is leaving the rest of the developed world in its wake after the International Monetary Fund upgraded its growth forecast by more than any other major economy. The UK is now expected to grow by 3.2 per cent this year, more than any other member of the G7 group of leading nations and a full percentage point more than Canada, the next closest country.’ – The Times (£)
‘The new Defence Secretary personally over-ruled an ‘outrageous’ attempt to make the Red Arrows trail the colours of the Scottish flag at the Commonwealth Games. Michael Fallon reacted with fury when told of the plan for the famous jet display team, part of the Royal Air Force, to replace their traditional red, white and blue smoke with just white and blue, representing the Scottish Saltire.’ – Daily Mail
>Today: ToryDiary: Bravo, Fallon, for standing up to Salmond
‘Britain could suffer more than any other EU country from tougher sanctions against Russia that would put major restrictions on some of Moscow’s biggest banks. The move against Russian financial institutions has prompted a furious response from Alexander Yakovenko, the country’s ambassador to Britain.’ – The Times (£)
>Today: Terry Barnes on International: Faced with a crisis, Tony Abbott becomes a statesman
‘When I swore to my bride-to-be that I would never stand for Parliament, I thought I was too shallow for such a responsible career. But now we live in an age when the new Employment Minister gives her first interview to Grazia, the Deputy Prime Minister spends three hours on a cookery programme, the outgoing Foreign Secretary spends half his life posing with Angelina Jolie, as the world goes up in flames – and the Prime Minister auctions his company on a tennis court.’ – Tom Utley, Daily Mail
‘Ed Miliband will today unveil a “summer offensive” to revive Labour’s stuttering attempts to win the next general election. The Labour leader’s speech at the Royal Institute of British Architects is intended to help the party regain the political initiative ahead of the crucial autumn conferences’ – Daily Telegraph
‘Several senior figures insist the party should negotiate a second power-sharing deal with the Tories, predicting they are likely to win more votes even if Labour gains more Westminster constituencies. They argue voters would take a dim view of the Lib Dems if they jump straight from five years of coalition with the Conservatives into a deal with Ed Miliband’s party.’ – Daily Mail
‘The tragedy of so many civilian casualties is to a large extent due to Hamas’s policy of compelling men, women and children to stay in the path of danger. The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, blamed this use of human shields after 15 people, many of them children, were killed in the shelling of a UN-run school. Hamas hopes this will deter the Israelis from bombing but, with barbaric reasoning, its greater hope is that the attacks will go ahead, killing its own civilians.’ – Richard Kemp, The Times (£)
>Today: Iain Dale’s Friday Diary: The Labour election win I’m hoping for
>Yesterday:
‘Yesterday Chief Whip Michael Gove launched an investigation into the case and will meet the Suffolk MP next week – while religious and police leaders have called for Mr Ruffley to quit. The Suffolk MP and former shadow police minister apologised yesterday over the incident, saying he ‘deeply regretted it and does not condone domestic violence.’ – Daily Mail
‘The Home Office Select Committee said that arrests over fake weddings have more than tripled in a single year, as the ‘precious institution’ of marriage is routinely ‘hijacked’ by foreigners intent on illegally entering Britain.’ – Daily Mail
‘A series of official figures suggested that teenagers are turning their back drink, drugs and sex, in contrast with previous generations. New NHS research found that the traditional caricature of the schoolboy smoking behind the bike-sheds is becoming a thing of the past with the number of children aged 11 to 15 who smoke regularly falling by two thirds in just a decade.’ – Daily Telegraph
>Yesterday: The Deep End: Just how encouraged should we be by ‘Generation Right’?