WATCH: Foster – Any deal must respect “the constitutional and economic place of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom”

“It is important that we do work together to get a deal and we will certainly be working with the Government to try to make that happen.”

Henry Hill: Davidson ready to lead next ‘No’ campaign as would-be successors battle over her legacy

Also: Democratic Unionists ‘under pressure’ over Brexit u-turn; and Gove backs Bowie’s criticism of SNP over no-deal preparations.

Lord Ashcroft’s Conference Diary: Could Tory MPs be whipped to vote that they don’t have confidence…in their own Government?

And: Gigabit broadband will soon be “sprouting like vermicelli”, says Johnson. Plus: Mordaunt’s warnings and Hoey’s heroine’s welcome.

Henry Hill: Government disowns attack on Scottish judiciary and tries to reassure Unionist allies

Also: Johnson says he’ll refuse the SNP legal authorisation for another independence referendum; Varadkar warned against imposing settlement on unionists.

Lord Ashcroft: My Northern Ireland polling. Six out of ten voters there accept the backstop. But only one in five Unionists do so.

More broadly, there is a lead for Irish unification of 46 per cent to 45 per cent – a statistical tie.

Henry Hill: Tories hope that ‘Boris bounce’ will save them in Brecon and Radnorshire

The Prime Minister’s tour of the United Kingdom sees him square off against nationalists from Sinn Fein, the SNP… and Welsh Labour.

Have Scottish Tory splitters found the blueprint for a lasting Conservative/DUP alliance?

Strengthening Ulster’s bonds with the mainland starts with ending the de facto exile of its unionist politics – if Johnson and Foster have the imagination and will to see it done.

Henry Hill: Hunt pulls Foreign Office support to Sturgeon’s separatist excursions

Also: MPs criticise Foreign Secretary over Ulster veterans; Johnson makes Thomson his Scottish campaign chief; and fierce competition to lead the NIO.

Henry Hill: Mordaunt signals support for extending legal protection to Ulster veterans

Also: Davidson urges Tories to work harder for Euros; Bradley branded ‘unfit to govern’ by abuse victims; SNP turmoil deepens; and more!

Henry Hill: Caught between her activists and the voters, Sturgeon plays for time on independence

Also: Will Lyra McKee’s murder in Londonderry be enough to re-start the political process in Northern Ireland? It doesn’t seem likely.

Henry Hill: SDLP link-up with Fianna Fail has a rocky start as senior MLA quits

Also: Backlash grows against SNP’s new tax; Labour AM apologises for antisemitic comment; and Scottish Tories say they’ve stopped Johnson.

Henry Hill: Trimble raises over £10,000 for legal challenge to the backstop

Also: SNP insist on leading Holyrood inquiry into Sturgeon’s handling of Salmond allegations; and Ulster Unionists call for Direct Rule in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Stewart Jackson: Don’t pivot to the Customs Union, Prime Minister – it could destroy the Conservative Party

Breaking her promise in such a way would enrage many voters, divide her Party, and cost the nation dearly in lost Brexit opportunities.

Shanker A. Singham: Brexit – and a new strategy for a New Year

It’s time for the Government to dust down Plan A Plus and A Better Deal – rather than its own scheme, which is going nowhere.

Iain Dale: Brexit Derangement Syndrome breaks out everywhere. Adonis, Bridgen – and now, alas, Boles. Everyone’s going bonkers.

Plus: Which of Hancock’s Slags should I liaise with? I’m not known as “Uncle Herod” for nothing. And: Here’s hoping 2019 is happier than 2018.