‘The latest monthly survey by the grassroots ConservativeHome website shows 30.9 per cent of those who took part in the poll think Mr Osborne should be the next Tory leader, up 9 points since July. At the same time support for Mr Johnson is down six points to 16.6 per cent, putting him behind Business Secretary Sajid Javid – seen as an ally of Mr Osborne…It is the first time that Mr Osborne has ever been ahead in the ConservativeHome monthly survey.’ – Daily Mail
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Osborne springs ahead of Boris and Javid in our latest leadership poll
‘A disused private airport in east Kent is to be used as an emergency lorry park to provide a short-term solution to ease road congestion caused by the Calais crisis. The transport minister, Lord Ahmad, said Manston airfield, near Ramsgate, would be temporarily pressed into service the next time Operation Stack was enforced to help reduce pressure on the M20. Lorries containing livestock, perishable and other “quick to market” goods were to be prioritised and given direct access to ferries.’ – The Guardian
‘Mr Gove hasn’t gone soft…The justice secretary gave a speech entitled The Treasure in the Heart of Man — Making Prisons Work, after Winston Churchill’s belief that “the treatment of crime and criminals is one of the unfailing tests of the civilisation of a country…there is treasure if only you can find it in the heart of every person”. Mr Gove is determined to stop the cycle of reoffending and is looking at the idea of earned release, whereby prisoners who acquire skills are freed early. Education is crucial.’ – Alice Thomson, The Times (£)
‘Giant out-of-town superstores could be excluded from new relaxed Sunday trading rules in a bid to boost town centre shops. Last month the Government said councils and mayors will be given powers to extend opening hours on a Sunday. But plans published today will give them discretion to limit longer hours to particular areas. This could mean high street stores benefiting while supermarkets are forced to stick to existing rules.’ – Daily Mail
‘Furious David Cameron has demanded Sir John Chilcot finally publishes his inquiry into the Iraq War — for the sake of grieving parents. The PM urged him to present a timetable for publication “as soon as possible”. Sir John began six years ago and it has cost the taxpayer £10million.’ – The Sun (£)
‘The exasperated head of GCHQ has warned that firms such as Twitter and Facebook have become “the command and control networks of choice” for terrorist groups, adding that they were “in denial” about how their technology is being used to facilitate murder. How do these companies get away with such dangerous intransigence? Perhaps because all-powerful, socially irresponsible establishments are supposed to look different: their members a cross between John Steed and John Profumo; their uniforms Jermyn Street suits; their stomping grounds Whitehall, the City and Pall Mall.’ – Clare Foges, The Times (£)
>Today: ToryDiary: Over three quarters of Conservative Party members think we should bomb ISIS in Syria
‘Tony Blair should be made to stand trial for war crimes over the 2003 Iraq invasion, Labour leadership candidate Jeremy Corbyn suggested last night. The veteran left winger said the conflict was an ‘illegal war’ and that the individuals who ‘made the decisions that went with it’ should face justice. Mr Corbyn also questioned why the Chilcot report into the Iraq war had still not been published.’ – Daily Mail
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Fear him: Corbyn extends his lead as Conservative Party members’ preferred next Labour leader
‘Labour bigwig Alan Johnson last night called on the party to reject the “madness” of voting for Jeremy Corbyn as leader. The ex Home Secretary said Yvette Cooper was the only candidate who could be PM. Support for Mr Corbyn, who wants to boost unions, re-nationalise railways and axe benefit caps, shows no sign of slowing.’ – The Sun (£)
‘The child abuse inquiry into Edward Heath widened yesterday with investigations by four police forces — but Scotland Yard rejected a central claim last night, saying that an investigation would be disproportionate. The dramatic intervention by the country’s biggest force was in contrast to the escalating allegations about the former prime minister…Wiltshire police said that they had received a “number of calls following appeals for information”. Kent police also confirmed that they had received a report of an alleged sexual assault…Jersey police confirmed that Heath was a suspect in Operation Whistle, their inquiry into historical sexual abuse on the island.’ – The Times (£)
‘Liberal Democrats are demanding ten more seats in the House of Lords – more than the number of MPs they got elected. The party wants the peerages as a reward for propping up the Conservatives for five years in a coalition government. There are only eight Lib Dem MPs, yet the party will have 111 peers – meaning 93 per cent of its politicians are unelected.’ – Daily Mail
‘Instead of doing the job they’re paid for, these self-obsessed clowns think they’re on a mission to save the world’s burgeoning polar bear population and repair the non-existent hole in the ozone layer. A few years ago, WRAP, the quango which oversees Britain’s ridiculous recycling tyranny, even published a comic book featuring its senior executives as superheroes tackling the evil of ‘climate change’. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s the dustman.’ – Richard Littlejohn, Daily Mail
>Today: Local Government: Welsh councils spend more of their budget on administration than English ones
‘The charity has been hit by a string of allegations relating to financial impropriety in recent weeks. And on Thursday, police announced an investigation into sex abuse claims. Government sources last night said the closure was triggered after the Cabinet Office demanded the return of a £3million grant it gave to the youth organisation last week. They said the money was given on condition it was spent on restructuring after officials concluded the charity’s finances were in chaos. But emails leaked to the Mail prove that some of the cash was instead spent on paying the monthly wages of its 600 staff.’ – Daily Mail