7.30pm BritainAndAmerica: Today's round-up of US election news
Early evening CentreRight updates:
- Stephan Shakespeare on hares, tortoises and respectful debate
- Conor Burns wonders if the end of Hain represents an opportunity to merge the Welsh, Scottish and N Ireland posts
- Dr John Crippen on sliding morale in the NHS and why he doesn't want his children to go into medicine
- Peter Cuthbertson: The Index of Economic Freedom - regularly quoted by Gordon Brown in the past - now rates 'high tax Britain' outside of the top league of truly free economies.
- Samuel Coates notes that the left-leaning think tanks are much better funded than centre right organisations.
3.30pm LondonMayor: The Left's desertion of Ken Livingstone accelerates
3.30pm ToryDiary: David Cameron's reaction to Peter Hain's resignation
12.30pm BBC: Hain resigns
ToryDiary: The tortoises versus the hares... How bold should the Tories be?
BritainAndAmerica: Cameron champions free trade at Davos, praises John McCain
Graeme Brown on the Platform: State schools should encourage their pupils to apply for independent schools
Seats and candidates: Another plum Kent seat may be looking for a new MP soon...
Local government: How council tax has consistently outpaced inflation
Parliament: Iain Duncan Smith raises concerns about impact of overseas players on English game
CentreRight: Ben Rogers' list of must-read books
PlayPolitical videos: The second edition of Telegraph TV's 'Right On' and Bill Clinton says "shame on you" to media for following Barack Obama's agenda
Labour whips warn of defeat on 42 days' detention without trial - The Guardian
Darling prepares to make concessions on Capital Gains Tax
"Alistair Darling will try today to rescue Labour’s business reputation with a £200 million climbdown on capital gains tax designed to help owners of small companies. Three months after announcing in his first Pre-Budget Report a new flat rate of capital gains tax at 18 per cent, the Chancellor will rewrite his own rules before they have even come into effect." - Times
The FT describes Mr Darling's move as "a humiliating climbdown".
"A poll by ComRes of 188 prominent businessmen found that only 26 per cent have confidence in the Prime Minister, while more than twice as many (59 per cent) have faith in David Cameron. Only 17 per cent feel able to place their trust in Mr Darling, who has a much lower "confidence rating" than the shadow Chancellor, George Osborne (48 per cent)." - Independent
The Sun gives a thumbs down to David Cameron's Del Boy joke
"Tory leader David Cameron was accused of a blunder yesterday after comparing the PM to telly’s Del Boy Trotter. Mr Cameron said Gordon Brown had acted like the Only Fools And Horses wideboy in a Commons bust-up over the cost of saving Northern Rock. He said: “It’s like a used car salesman who won’t tell you the price, won’t tell you the mileage, won’t give you a warranty. You’ve gone from prudence to Del Boy.” But Labour MPs pointed out that Del did not flog used cars." - The Sun
"Biggest police demo ever"
"Up to 25,000 cops marched yesterday in the biggest demonstration in police history. The mass of off-duty officers took to the streets to protest over Labour’s broken pay promise." - The Sun
BNP's London leader and Brian Paddick march too - Daily Mail
MPs vote on whether to accept 1.9% pay rise - Sky News
Gordon Brown is ready to give go ahead to think tanks to become political - Telegraph
The Telegraph lists Britain's 'top twelve think tanks'
The cost of meeting Britain's climate change targets = 20,000 wind turbines and 15% higher electricity bills - Times
Daily Mail: Where have you put your moral compass, Mr Brown?
"One of the first great symbolic acts of Gordon Brown's premiership was his hugely welcome decision to scrap Tony Blair's plan to build a Las Vegas-style supercasino in Manchester... When he scrapped the Manchester project, Mr Brown also ordered a review of the 16 other planned casinos - including eight vast gaming palaces, each offering 150 one-armed bandits... It now emerges that Culture Secretary James Purnell plans to approve them within the next few weeks. This will mean a network of casinos from London to Leeds, from Stranraer to Swansea. Just one question: Mr Brown scrapped the supercasino because he believed it would bring with it poverty, crime, family breakdown, even suicide. What will be so different about the 16 regional casinos?" - Daily Mail leader
Tory MSPs secure passage of SNP budget - Herald
"In order to secure their support, John Swinney, the finance secretary, had to make a series of concessions. He promised the Conservatives that he would look again at finding more money for extra police officers and at accelerating the introduction of a promised business-rate cut." - The Scotsman
Seumus Milne writes that a defeat for Livingstone will be a defeat for progressive politics in Britain
"With Livingstone and Johnson only one point apart in the latest opinion poll, the Tories have scented blood. Johnson's decision to hire the ruthless Lynton Crosby, who masterminded four election victories for John Howard in Australia, should be a warning. The Tory candidate knows he'll make little headway among the non-white third of London's electorate, so expect some dog-whistle appeals to white voters, perhaps dressed up as broadsides against political correctness. A defeat for Livingstone would not just be a blow to the broadly defined left, working-class Londoners, women, ethnic minorities and greens. It would represent a wider defeat for progressive politics, in Britain and beyond." - Guardian
Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary...