Thomas Hogg: Let’s get a sense of perspective. May must stay – and here’s why.

I finish by imploring you to consider the effect on our Brexit negotiations if we change negotiators half way through.

Education, housing, the environment: May’s campaigning priorities. And there is an NHS row. But what about the economy?

The Government had next to no living standards message at the election. It needs one now – and to explain how it fits in with those three priorities.

James Frayne: May is right to drop her vote on the hunting ban – it should never have been in the manifesto in the first place

At best, people don’t think about the issue. But as soon as they do, they overwhelmingly support the ban. A vote would have been hugely damaging.

And the Word was made…tweet?

Whatever you believe, there is force in the claim that truth sets you free. But this Christmas, as at other times, it comes with a cost.

Renata Jones: I know that animals are sentient. My cat’s a Conservative – and she backs Brexit.

I like to think she’d vote Tory, and maybe one day technology or our understanding will grow enough to enable votes for cats.

If Gove could talk to the animals, talk to the animals. Why the Conservatives are campaigning on the environment.

With a woof-woof here and a moo-moo there, there is a new Tory focus on our feathered, scaled, winged and four-legged friends.

The animal sentience story – viral, bogus, and uncomfortably revealing

We can’t rely on our opponents to become more truthful. Tories must push back against such smears – and seek to prevent them finding currency in the first place.

Andrew Snowden: I’m proud that Lancashire County Council is the first to make a stand against non pre-stunned meat

This is not a ban on halal meat. It is an animal welfare issue – to end pain and suffering that we would not tolerate under any other circumstances.

Rebecca Pow: Managed decline isn’t enough – we must leave the environment in a better state than we found it

The Government has rightly become more ambitious – but there is still further to go.

Zac Goldsmith: Why I seek to become Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee

Brexit brings unique challenges and opportunities. And my background in campaigning on environmental issues equips me for the job.

WATCH: Gove’s snap answers to Marr’s questions

“We can ensure after we leave the European Union that standards of animal welfare in Britain are higher than ever before.”

James Barrington: Why advocates of the Hunting Act are running scared of repeal

A free vote on repeal gives legislators the opportunity to review the impact of the fox hunting ban. No wonder the law’s supporters are nervous.

What would WTO mean? 1) Lee Rotherham: It would be a walk to a beach, not a cliff-edge drop to destruction

Unless either the UK or the EU want a trade war, its most likely consequence would be making use of a mass of small deals to achieve sizeable gains.

Lorraine Platt: Brexit must mean more regulations on animal farming, not less

Escape from the EU’s free trade rules gives us the opportunity to introduce a wide range of new welfare measures.

Iain Dale: UKIP suspends Evans – and finally flips

Plus: Schengen should be suspended. The doctors’ strike is a disgrace. A cow is more likely to kill you than a shark. And: Gove could develop into a fine Conservative leader.