Plus: Theresa May faces the Pale, Male and Stale. Leslie on special ops. Dog bites Redwood. And: Hugo Swire, former owner of Hong Kong.
And other fun and serious ideas from the first declared candidate for the Conservative nomination for the London Mayoralty
The change in how the party campaigns – which is changing what it is.
The Conservative campaign needs some warmth, uplift and outreach. That means focus on what helped Thatcher and Macmillan to win elections – housing.
As a spectator sport, this continual tripping, kicking, stamping, striking, biting, gouging and even emasculating of the other side leaves something to be desired.
CCHQ is not giving up on the prospect of snatching seats off Labour and LibDems, though there is a fly in the ointment…
There is a body to protect the Party’s long-term finances. We need one to protect its long-term electability.
Patrick McLoughlin, Transport Secretary and former miner, on UKIP, HS2, the Euston Arch, Heathrow and the desirability of getting ahead with one’s Christmas shopping.
The next day, I went to deliver leaflets in Rochester. We kept being delayed by Simon Burns insisting on showing passing punters his Hillary Clinton watch.
Plus: The fiendish Guido seating plan. Mike Read is not a racist. And: shame on the six Conservative MEPs who voted for Juncker.
The 40p tax reduction plan fits uneasily both with deficit reduction and smart politics.
Plus: Determined, Bewildered, Despondent, Ecstatic…IDS adapts his Work Programme categories for Conservative MPs
It’s a radical and potentially unpopular solution, I know. But at least it’s an honest one.