“As many as 100 Tory MPs will line up against the Prime Minister and campaign for Britain to leave the EU, it was claimed last night. Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs, said he expected 100 MPs to vote against Mr Cameron’s deal.” – Daily Mail
Campaign:
Comment:
“Aside from eroding national sovereignty (which it does) the current situation also undermines legal certainty — which, in turn, undermines good governance. Proper reform needs to address the EU legal order, in particular the jurisdictional muscle-flexing of the Court of Justice in Luxembourg. The new proposals do not do this. Instead, they duck the issue entirely — clearing the way for a whole new body of EU rights law.” – The Spectator
Comment:
>Today: Lord Ashcroft in Comment: “If Britain leaves, we’ll be left behind with all these losers” – what the Dutch make of Brexit
>Yesterday:
“The boss of Waitrose supermarkets has been appointed a trade minister by David Cameron. Mark Price, who calls himself the ‘Chubby Grocer’, replaces Lord Maude who is stepping down after less than a year in role. The 55-year-old has the uphill task of trying to reverse Britain’s dismal record on exports, on which the Government is way off its £1trillion target set for 2020.” – Daily Mail
Other news:
>Yesterday: Mark Menzies MP in Comment: Relaxing arcane restrictions on Sunday trading is necessary to reinvigorate Britain’s high streets
“David Cameron has said that “no one is keener” to agree a deal on Scotland’s new powers because he wants to see the SNP is “made of” when it has to start making difficult decisions on tax and spending. The Prime Minister said he wanted to replace the Nationalists’ “grievance agenda” with a “governing agenda” but the financial arrangements that accompany the new powers need to be fair to taxpayers across the UK.” – Daily Telegraph
“The Government’s English Votes for English Laws (EVEL) system is too complex and likely to be scrapped in the future, MPs have warned. The Public Administration Select Committee said the “hostility” with which the arrangements were viewed by parties other than the Tories suggested they could end up as a “short term experiment”.” – The Scotsman
>Yesterday: Henry Hill’s Red, White, and Blue column: Now Sturgeon accuses Tories of sabotaging talks
“Calls for sex education to be made compulsory were rejected by the government yesterday, angering many teachers’ groups and charities who had pressed for a change. Nicky Morgan, the education secretary, announced the decision in spite of calls for mandatory sex education from three cross-party committees of MPs, the children’s commissioner and the government’s chief medical officer.” – The Times (£)
>Yesterday: John Bald in Local Government: The Blob is really an octopus
“No doctors sacked for exposing care scandals have been given their jobs back at the same level, it emerged yesterday. Senior medical figures accused Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt of failing to act on a landmark report into NHS whistleblowing.” – Daily Mail
Comment:
>Yesterday: Andrew Haldenby in Comment: Why now is the time to rally around Hunt
“The father of the young activist whose suicide sparked the Tatler Tory bullying scandal will today appeal against the decision not to bring criminal charges. Elliott Johnson, 21, was said to have been threatened by senior Conservative election aide Mark Clarke, who has since been kicked out of the party.” – Daily Mail
“A Tory MP earning £74,000-a-year has revealed that he is still living with his parents because he cannot afford to buy a home. William Wragg, 28, says he is part of the ‘clipped wing generation’ of graduates who are forced to go home to save a deposit.” – Daily Mail
“The boss of Unite — the UK’s biggest trade union — admitted that the Labour leader has made mistakes, telling the Oxford Union there was “some sloppiness in the early months of his leadership.” Mr McCluskey also hit out at the “cabal” of Labour “malcontents” he said were plotting against the hard-left socialist leader.” – The Sun
Comment:
“The Labour candidate for Mayor of London has pledged a four-year freeze for bus and train fares in the capital if elected… But TfL has blown a hole in his financial estimates by saying his key tranpsort policy would actually cost a staggering £1.9billion… The Tooting MP has been taken to task over his showpiece election pledge in recent days.” – The Sun
>Today: Local Government: Counting the cost of Khan
“Ukip knowingly allowed dozens of racists, homophobes and violent criminals to stand as prospective MPs and councillors at the last election, The Times can reveal. The Eurosceptic party was aware that at least 14 of its candidates last May had violent pasts, including three who were guilty of assault and two who had committed grievous bodily harm. It allowed them to run anyway.” – The Times (£)
“A campaign to legalise the medical use of cannabis is being launched amid warnings that up to 1.1 million people across Britain are currently breaking the law by taking the drug to combat the pain of chronic conditions. The drive, which coincides with a Coronation Street storyline focusing on the issue, is being supported by the former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and senior politicians from all parties.” – The Independent