Ali Miraj: The Importance of Being Contrarian

Clive Stafford Smith, the human rights lawyer and winner of last year’s Contrarian Prize, is a model of principle and vision. We invite nominations for his successor.

George Grant: Britain’s poor can do without five more years of Labour’s benevolence

The fundamental difference between us is that Labour seek to help people in poverty; the Conservatives seek to help people out of poverty.

Osborne was right to settle this EU bill as soon as he could

To attain success in the forthcoming European renegotiation we shall need allies, and to fall out with them on a second-order question would be perverse.

Harriet Maltby: Intolerant, pessimistic, and powerless: UKIP’s Britain, not ours

Disenchantment hasn’t risen – rather, Nigel Farage has simply gathered it in one party.

The discomforts of Douglas Carswell

From the moment of his defection, UKIP’s MP has found his new party putting him in awkward positions.

Brian Monteith: Smokers are taking a hit for Team Freedom

Conservatives should build alliances by extending freedoms for all and encouraging greater respect for the choices people make.

Iain Dale: My date in the dark with Sadiq Khan

Also: Miliband plays with Farage and plays with fire. The unGreen BBC. Jonathan Jones is a twat. Two new Biteback books. Plus: Guido’s Iranian payments to friends of Israel.

Andrew Gimson’s PMQs sketch: no sign of magnanimity from Cameron or Miliband as they bicker about immigration

Neither man saw anything to be gained from expressing a more generous patriotism. Nick Clegg looked desperate, but Michael Gove seemed perky.

The Conservative Party becomes a broad coalition again – or it dies

The text of my speech from yesterday evening’s debate on the future of the centre-right with Matthew Parris.

The best reason to vote Conservative. Tory reformers are delivering Grown-Up Government.

Gove, May, IDS, Grayling, Maude. Unlike the minnows of Labour and UKIP, these are serious people delivering serious change for serious times.

Michelle Lowe: Can the Conservative Party connect with students and young people?

I think the future could be bright – but we need to go to them, since they won’t come to us.

LISTEN: The UKIP calypso

Oh dear.

Lord Ashcroft: A five per cent swing to Labour in my latest battleground polling

On that basis, nine of the eleven seats that I polled would fall to Miliband’s party at the next election. Though, as always, this is a snapshot, not a prediction.

Pinning Down Farage: Do UKIP really want an in/out referendum on the EU?

The “people’s army” is now the biggest threat to Britain’s chances of leaving the EU.

EVEL is not enough

Britain needs a constitutional convention – and a federal solution.