Lord Ashcroft: With a week to go in Wythenshawe, Labour’s grip looks firm

New polling shows Labour cruising on 61 per cent, with UKIP in second on 15 per cent and the Tories in a close third on 14 per cent.

Andrew Gimson interviews Steve Baker MP: “Number one the welfare state isn’t good enough and number two we can’t afford it.”

The Chairman of the ’22’s public services committee warns that the Treasury is re-starting “the doomsday machine that got us into this mess”.

Laura Sandys MP: Why the 2020 Group wants to see Britain sweat its assets

Instead of focusing just on old-fashioned GDP, we must drive up productivity and profitability.

For the second month running, Theresa May tops our future Tory leader poll

Once again, the Home Secretary pips Boris Johnson at the post.

Ted Yarbrough: We need smaller, fairer, simpler taxes, Ed Balls – not a 50p rate

Here’s my plan for the public finances after 2015. It involves a fairer tax system and greater controls on public spending.

IDS turns up the volume: the sequel

Although this time it’s not his political career that’s at stake, but the future of welfare reform.

How Cameron and the rebels can kiss and make up

Downing Street must play its own part in making peace with the Euro-sceptics.

As RBS flounders, Osborne needs a financial and political strategy

The Chancellor might once have hoped to author any RBS sell-off – now it looks like anyone’s game.

The Tories need a generous not a coercive rhetoric about the poor

Voters detect, in expressions like “hard-working families”, an intolerable bogusness.

Jaber Jabbour: Why I, a liberal immigrant from Syria, joined the Conservatives

Immigration, the Prime Minister, Syria, Boris Johnson, Iran and George Osborne were all important factors.

Sentiment trumps statistics – but statistics still matter

It surprises me that the parties haven’t really got their own IFS-style detachments: pumping out analysis of a quality and timeliness that rivals the best data blogs.

The question about forward guidance is this: how long can Carney stand the embarrassment?

And it’s a question that Osborne will want to know the answer to. The Tories’ economic message will depend on it.

Andrea Leadsom MP: A conference that offered a real chance to reform the EU in Britain’s interests

We must give reform a real go – and last week showed us how.

Interview: John Redwood outlines a doctrine of coercive loyalty

According to the senior backbencher, Tory rebels are pushing the Government towards popular policies on migration, energy and sovereignty.

Positive IMF forecasts are nice, but their economists do keep being proved wrong

Last Spring they were saying Ed Balls was right – can we rely on their accuracy now?