The Conservative announcement on inheritance tax is credited for the Tory surge according Labour sources quoted in The Guardian. An ICM poll for that newspaper puts the Conservatives on 38% – just 1% behind Labour level with Labour. The LibDems are on 16%. Earlier this evening we noted a Populus poll showing the Conservatives facing […]
An hour ago we reported that Labour’s lead had shrunk to 4% in a YouGov/ Channel 4 survey. A Populus survey for The Times confirms the trend. Labour are on 39% (down 2%) and the Tories are on 36% (up 5%). The LibDems are on 15% (down 2%). Other findings: He has what it takes […]
A YouGov survey for tonight’s Channel 4 News has Labour’s lead down to 4%. Labour are on 40% (down 3%) and the Conservatives are on 36% (up 4%). The LibDems are on 13% (down 2%). My guess is that excluding the Conference bounce Labour’s underlying lead is approximately 6% to 8%. Last week’s 11% lead […]
A busy week in Blackpool prevented me from commenting upon The Telegraph’s List Of The 100 Most Influential People On The Right. The list’s compilation was overseen by Iain Dale and Brian Brivati. They were helped by ten MPs, journalists and commentators. They explain the reasoning behind their choices here. The list has certainly caused […]
This week Blackpool saw the Party-organised renovation of some wasteland on the Grange Park Estate into a community garden. David Cameron (pictured in the domed greenhouse with PPC Ron Bell and landscape designer Jeff Hewitt on big speech day) took time to visit the project, as did Francis Maude (who got sprayed with water by […]
A few opinion polls are due in the next few days and they’ll give us a clue as to whether the Conservatives have done enough to "stave off the election" – in the words of this morning’s Telegraph. What the headlines won’t tellus is the position in the marginals. According to The Independent, Labour polling […]
David Cameron’s speech was the main story. A very fair and factual five minutes was dedicated to clips of the speech. There was then a two/ three minute report on whether electoral offices were ready for an election. BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson then gave a sixty second summary to camera. He told BBC1 viewers […]
Guido Fawkes: "Well the audience, as ever, loved Dave. Guido was watching the press pack and some of Cameron’s apparatchiks. The press seemed if not bedazzled, not unimpressed. Team Cameron seemed happy, tension that was in their faces at the start of the speech dissolved into satisfied smiles by the end." Iain Dale: "I leave […]
The performance was very good. He looked relaxed. The conversational style worked well on television. (I couldn’t get back to the Winter Gardens in time from a lunchtime fringe meeting I was chairing). He certainly achieved balance – talking about more familiar and newer themes. I would have preferred one or two issues to stand […]
5.30pm: Download a PDF of the full David Cameron text Not verbatim… 3.24pm final words: CALL THAT ELECTION.WE WILL FIGHT.BRITAIN WILL WIN. 3.23pm: Massive cheers at call for Gordon Brown to call a General Election. 3.21pm: The great service that people can give this country is to go out and fight for change. 3.19pm: […]
Gordon Brown’s old politics has been on show in the last 24 hours. He promised to tell Parliament about troop withdrawals but made his announcement in Iraq. He implied 1,000 more troops would be home by Christmas when only 250 extra troops would be returning from Iraq. He failed to take print journalists with him […]
(1) One by-product of Gordon Brown’s constant politicking is the galvanising effect he has had on the Conservative Party. Faced with the imminent threat of a General Election the party has come together. We’ve also unveiled a whole series of popular policies. Reports of the Conservative Party’s death are exaggerated. (2) David Davis will be […]
A tear or two appeared in Iain Duncan Smith’s eye this afternoon during a sustained standing ovation. He had addressed the Conference without notes on the cause that has come to define his politics – the mending of Britain’s broken society. I have to say I was a bit tearful, too, as I stood watching […]
Gordon Brown promised to go to Parliament to make any announcement on troop withdrawals. But today he’s in Iraq announcing that 1,000 of "our boys" will be home for Christmas. Liam Fox has accused the Prime Minister of using our troops as a "political football": "A week ago Gordon Brown gave only around a minute […]
Malcolm Dunn, a regular commenter here, congratulates Liam Fox on his mastering of the defence brief at conference. Liam Fox has been one of our busier Shadow Cabinet Ministers at this conference, making a series of speeches on defence both at the main conference venue and at various fringe meetings At all of them he […]