Robert Halfon: A new, magical Conservative leader with presents for all? Sorry – I don’t believe in Santa Claus.

Plus: Bad Tory language. Cutting VAT, Good Conservative news for workers. And: a second referendum – not a People’s Vote but a Cheater’s Vote.

No deal planning. Hancock goes early, orders it – and sets an example.

“We’ve instituted it within the NHS already and I would like to see the whole Government going to that position because it’s the responsible thing to do.”

May must decide at tomorrow’s Cabinet to put no deal planning fully into effect

She must so less from desire than prudence, since No Deal is the default position – and could happen despite Parliamentary moves to block it.

Alan O’Kelly and Hugh Byrne: It’s time for a Conservative Friends of Ireland group

The Party has not yet cultivated a formal relationship with the Irish community in Britain and this is an opportunity to reach out to what can be a powerful network.

It almost works

Were it not for the backstop, May’s deal would get over the line – with support from an overwhelming majority of Conservatives, including us.

Judy Terry: Councillors must challenge the poor performance of mental health services

Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust is officially the worst mental health provider in the country. Proper scrutiny and accountability is needed.

Johnny Mercer: Ministers are asking for my vote next week. But I’m asking them for a vision – now.

I, like many colleagues, react badly to the Party’s decision to try and strong-arm me into voting for this deal.

Judy Terry: While the state is failing, the voluntary sector is tackling the loneliness and anxiety – of young and old

Many if Suffolk are left isolated by poor transport. Charities are effective at helping, where councils and the NHS have struggled.

May’s Brexit deal helps to show that British politicians are more honourable and efficient than is claimed

There has been a tendency to suppose that because Britain’s power has declined in relative terms they must have become totally useless.

James Frayne: Less affluent, small-c conservatives in Labour-held seats are the key targets for Tory campaigning

By contrast, the potential audience for a reboot of Cameronism is small and far harder to reach.

Robert Halfon: How the patronising metropolitan elites wrinkled up their noses at more money for potholes

Plus: Unsung Conservative heroes. The Centre for Rocket Studies. And: why do we need the traditional, three-year University course?

“We need a radical shift in the NHS, from a hospital service for the ill, to a service to keep us healthy.” – Hancock’s speech, full text

“Over just the last year, emergency admissions at A&E have increased by 6.6 per cent. This rate of growth of demand is simply unsustainable.”

Howard Flight: The best part of a week on, we can see that last week’s Budget was a popular one

The Chancellor has been fortunate that the public finances have improved substantially at a particularly convenient time.

James Frayne: The new polling which suggests that NHS spending is not enough

Over the last couple of years in groups I’ve run, people have become simultaneously more obsessed about the service and more concerned about waste.

John Glen: The Chancellor proved yesterday that the hard work we’ve all put in is paying off

But although the era of austerity is coming to a close, we are emphatically not rejecting the need for ongoing discipline with the public finances.