Stephen Booth: An independent UK must decide swiftly on its preferred place in the world

Politicians are so uncomfortable talking seriously about our international role and relationships that instead we constantly engage in proxy battles.

Ben Roback: Trump and Syria. If your guiding principle is to withdraw from the world stage, his decision is quite sensible

“Sometimes you gotta let them fight, like two kids in a [parking] lot and then you pull them apart,” he said.

Lord Ashcroft’s Conference Diary: Are the “true Brexiteers” too Brexity to deliver Brexit?

And: The Defence Secretary denies we need to pick empires. Plus: More publicans needed in politics – and the menace of the anti-meat lobby.

Now can we all agree that something is seriously wrong at the Electoral Commission?

When there are genuine threats, foreign and domestic, our democracy needs better protection than this visibly failing organisation.

“This will most likely be the last time I will speak at length as Prime Minister…” – May on the state of politics

The Prime Minister deplores the “rancour and tribal bitterness” of modern debate, and criticises politicians “making promises you cannot keep”.

Nicky Morgan: The danger of Putin and the danger of populism

Our future Conservative Party leadership needs to address quickly and effectively the problems which have led to the latter’s rise.

Conservatism is better than liberalism – and Putin much, much worse than either

What he detests is less liberalism than democracy, and the obstacle it poses to Russian foreign policy objectives.

Alexander Temerko: Without a softer Brexit, the Conservatives will be destroyed. Who can best deliver it – Hunt or Johnson?

Speaking to many donors at the Birmingham hustings on Saturday, I found that the Foreign Secretary’s quiet assurances were more attractive to them.

D-Day and T-Day

The President’s support for Johnson may do the latter no good among voters, but it’s likely to do him no harm among another electorate – Tory activists.

Robert Halfon: Stop calling Corbyn a Marxist

Instead, the Party must demonstrate how the Labour leader as Prime Minister would raise living costs and damage public service.

The defectors are wrong. The Conservatives aren’t shifting to the right. They are mired in the mixed middle.

No less than the ERG, the group of three sees everything through the prism of Brexit – which, let it not be forgotten, they voted to support themselves.

Garvan Walshe: Orban’s fertility drive is an attack on Hungarian women

The man his critics call the ‘Viktator’ has two new policies – one a gimmick, one deeply sinister.

WATCH: “I don’t know how many more insults he could take.” – William Cohen, former US Defence Secretary, on Mattis’ resignation

“It was a false declaration to say that we won, ISIS had been defeated…we are tired of fighting, someone else’s burden. “

B.O.Bs v P.A.Ms

It’s the Bored of Brexits versus People against May, as she seeks to snoreathon her way to victory – by persuading MPs that voters have simply had enough.

Alexander Temerko: The relationship between business and government has never been as meaningless as under May

The key to a good Brexit is empowering UK entrepreneurs to talk to their European counterparts and become ambassadors for Downing Street’s plan.