Christopher Howarth: Could the Conservative party strike an EU referendum bargain with the SNP?
It would be risky, but it might just work – and leave the Union intact.
Francis Maude MP: What we’ve done to improve value for money in government. And what we plan to do next.
Last year, over a quarter of central government spend went to SMEs. That’s a huge, and probably unprecedented, £11.4 billion.
Daniel Hannan MEP: Ukraine. Europe stayed silent.
A poem by Oleksandr Oles.
Peter Cuthbertson: Prison works – and Clegg is wrong to claim otherwise
The Liberal Democrats and Labour are dog whistling to an extremely well-funded anti-prisons lobby.
Johnny Mercer: If we send our troops to war, we must care for their mental health when they return
I and thousands of others were sent to fight – the nation we served owes us proper aftercare.
Lord Ashcroft: Labour’s lead up to four points in my latest poll
Plus the results of my focus groups in Halesowen and Taunton, including: if each party leader were a supermarket, which would they be?
Fiona Bruce MP: We need an explicit ban on sex-selective abortion
Clear law is a help to women facing discrimination – and opponents’ misleading claims do not bear scrutiny.
Jonathan Dupont: The next big idea for the Centre-Right should be a Living Income
The most straight forward way to achieve a Living Income for everyone would be to align the Income Tax and National Insurance thresholds with the Minimum Wage.
Sam Barrett: Apprenticeships – and the decline of practical skills
The new 80,000 places that Labour wish to introduce will not be available for those who need them most.
Adrian Hilton: UKIP’s grammar school policy is a dog’s breakfast
The reality is that they can spout educational pie-in-the-sky because they know (as do we all) that they won’t be forming the next government.
Philip Dunne MP: Investing in the Royal Navy
This Government has transformed defence procurement and is building a world-class fleet.
Newslinks for Saturday 21st February 2015
Cameron talks tough on Russia… “David Cameron warned there will be ‘more consequences’ and further sanctions for Russia if the… Read more »
Owen Paterson MP: The cause of Abbott’s troubles – tough decisions, not hardline views
The right-wing British commentators who claim otherwise are wide of the mark.
David Thomas: Why we need a charter for care workers
It would stipulate a maximum number of hours, and ensure payment for the whole time at work. It is no different from what we expect from our haulage industry.
Dominic Raab MP: HMRC should be taking on the big boys – not picking on the little guy
For all the understandable zeal about pursuing big business, not enough has been done to check HMRC’s abuse of ordinary working people.