“Nato must show Russia that it “means business” by carrying out more military exercises and deploying more weapons to protect Europe’s eastern borders, David Cameron has said. In a letter to Nato leaders ahead of a summit next month, the Prime Minister said the alliance had “to make clear to Russia that neither Nato nor its members will be intimidated”. He also strongly hinted that he wants defence spending to start to increase now that Western democracies’ economies are starting to recover.” – Daily Telegraph
The Prime Minister visited the town today with George Osborne as he pledged to support the town. The pair met with members of the East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service and the crew from the Inshore Lifeboat Station. Mr Cameron said: ‘The Government is absolutely committed to supporting coastal towns, and through our long-term economic plan we are creating jobs and boosting tourism.’” – Daily Mail
“Charities helping wounded heroes are to share a £100million windfall from fines paid by sinning bankers. George Osborne has announced that the cash, raised from those involved in the Libor rate-fixing scandal, will be given to good causes which support the Armed Forces. The Sun has learned that £3million will be spent on rehabilitation and recovery centres used by the Ministry of Defence and charity Help for Heroes. It will take the amount raised for Forces charities from banking fines to £300million.” – The Sun (£)
>Today: Christian May on Comment: “The bankers the bonuses the bankers the bonuses”
“Parking cowboys who threaten drivers with huge ‘fines’ will face a Government investigation, in a victory for the Daily Mail. Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said ‘bully boy’ tactics would not be tolerated and rogue firms could be prosecuted. The probe was announced as a leading adviser to David Cameron said abuse by private parking squads was worse than the PPI scandal.” – Daily Mail
“Last night John Bercow was accused of bringing his office of Commons Speaker into disrepute after it emerged Mrs Sassoon was given the ticket just days before she donated thousands of pounds to his re-election campaign. The Queen set out the Government’s agenda at the occasion on June 4. Three days later, Mrs Sassoon’s conference and booking firm handed £5,000 to Mr Bercow.” – Daily Mail
“Mr Vine insisted that he was leaving early because he wanted a fresh challenge and to give Mrs May enough time to appoint a successor. He renewed his contract this year and it was due to end next July, but three days ago he wrote to Mrs May to say he wanted to leave in December. Mr Vine denied leaving because of changes to the way his reports were published or decisions by the home secretary to redact parts of them on the grounds of “national security”. – The Times (£)
“Together, the two parties polled more than 51 per cent of the vote in May’s elections, against 25 per cent for Labour. This proves that, at heart, we are a right-of-centre nation, and it will be both mad and tragic if Britain ends up with a Miliband government. The onus is not on Ukip to take the initiative to seek an accommodation. It lies with the Tories, a party that shares many of Ukip’s views and is the one that could form a government. That, in a democracy, is what statesmanship means.” – Daily Mail
“Ed Miliband was monstered on the radio yesterday by a stay-at-home mother who accused him of viewing her contribution as ‘worthless’. Imogen Thompson, who has two children aged six and three, told the Labour leader he put ‘no value’ on women like her who choose not to work. The campaigner, from the group Mothers At Home Matter, said Labour was only interested in women who take jobs – spending millions subsidising childcare.” – Daily Mail
“Many women should wait until they are at least 30 to have children or risk falling behind on the career ladder, says a Labour frontbencher. Taking time off to have a family in their 20s could mean lagging behind male colleagues and struggling to close the gap in pay and status, according to childcare spokesman Lucy Powell.” – Daily Mail
“In extracts released ahead of a speech last month, the Labour leader was quoted as saying four fifths of new private sector posts since 2010 were in the capital. Mr Miliband did not deliver the words when he spoke, but the party insisted he stood by the claim. However, Sir Andrew Dilnot, the head of the UK statistics authority, said the reverse was true, with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggesting just one fifth of public sector employment growth had taken place in London.” – The Independent
>Yesterday: Left Watch: Chris Kelly MP writes to UK Statistics Authority over ‘inaccurate’ and ‘irresponsible’ Labour crime claims
“The Labour leader yesterday repeated a pledge that, if elected, fares would be capped, although the fine detail of the commitment means that the train operators could charge up to 2 per cent more than inflation on some routes. “David Cameron has failed hard-pressed commuters who are already struggling due to the cost-of-living crisis by allowing fares to rise by 20 per cent since he came to power,” the Labour leader said.” – The Times (£)
“The shadow chancellor has called for tougher rules on the rights of migrants entering Britain in a move towards “fair movement, not free movement”. Ed Balls wants an end to immigrants coming into Britain while unemployed and being allowed to send tax credits back to their native country. He also believes it would be disastrous for Labour to dismiss Ukip and its worries over Europe and immigration.” – The Times (£)
“Shadow chancellor Ed Balls has firmly denied Conservative claims that Labour is planning a “death tax” to pay for care of the elderly or a penny on national insurance for the NHS if it wins power. Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Balls insisted that he would prefer “all tax rates to be lower”, pointing to Labour plans to reintroduce the 10p starting rate of income tax for the lowest earners.” – The Guardian
>Yesterday: Left Watch: Labour – taxing you from cradle to grave
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Before offering tax cuts, repeat after me: the deficit hasn’t gone away
“Deborah Hopkins has said she will fight the next election as the candidate for St Austell and Newquay, after her suspension was lifted by Labour’s National Executive Committee. The suspension came after she issued a series of foul-mouthed Tweets in which she suggested that Government officials were intentionally killing people.” – Daily Telegraph
“Privatisation: what is it good for? Everything. That’s what I feel like shouting at the TV and radio when I hear Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary, pontificating about the supposedly dire effects of competition in the NHS.” – The Times (£)
“Exactly two years ago this week the Deputy Prime Minister reneged on an agreement with David Cameron for an overhaul of parliamentary constituency boundaries. His betrayal means the 2015 general election will be fought along geographical battle lines that are years out of date. As polling day begins to loom on the horizon MPs are growing increasingly concerned the shelving of the boundary review until at least 2018 could have a momentous impact on the outcome.” – Macer Hall, Daily Express
“Coalition government has cost Nick Clegg dear: the Liberal Democrats have lost one-third of their members, some 1,500 councillors and more than half of their supporters. So why does the deputy prime minister appear so safe in his job? Even the party’s near-annihilation in May’s European elections, when only one of the 12 Lib Dem MEPs survived, prompted just sporadic criticism of Mr Clegg. His main critic, Lord Oakeshott, was forced to resign.” – Financial Times
“Nick Clegg has said that it is time to move on from Michael Gove, following the former Education Secretary’s departure in the cabinet reshuffle last month. In an interview with the Times Education Supplement (TES), he said that the appointment of Nicky Morgan was “an opportunity to turn a page” on the “acrimonious relationship” between the Department for Education (DfE) and teachers. Mr Clegg said: “We need to reset the relationship. Not, I should stress, by summarily abandoning all government policy or reforms”.” – Daily Telegraph
>Today: Alistair Burt’s column: Reshuffles would work better if we learned from the football transfer season
“The Israeli government may feel it has gained the upper hand with its most recent show of strength, but it should know from past experience that any feeling of stability will be short-lived. I applaud Israel’s former president Shimon Peres, who has broken ranks in recent days to call for an end to military action. More Israeli and Palestinian politicians should find the courage to follow suit. If Israel wants to secure lasting safety for its people, it must use political will, not military might, to break the cycle of violence.” – The Guardian
“Senior Liberal Democrats are warning Nick Clegg against forming another coalition if next year’s election produces a hung parliament, with some claiming that striking a five-year deal with Labour would be “like signing our own death warrant”. A gap is developing between Mr Clegg – who believes the Lib Dems should aim to stay in government after 2015 – and others who believe the party could be destroyed by another five years in coalition.” – Financial Times
“A leading Liberal Democrat councillor is facing calls to step down after taking a £180,000-a-year job in Saudi Arabia – 4,000 miles from his ward in Hampshire. Cllr Paul Whittle has kept his £13,000 allowance from Fareham Borough Council, Hampshire, despite working full-time as director of contracts for the Colleges of Excellence in the city of Riyadh. He has missed six of his 14 committee meetings since assuming the role in February.” – Daily Mail