Conservative party

Thursday

Isabel Hardman

The Tory Blame Game

From our UK edition

Who is to blame for last night's Tory uprising on Europe? It's more entertaining to pin the blame on everyone, rather than one person, and in this case, it's wrong to insist that the leadership is entirely to blame for the confusing fiasco of the past week. So here are the many, many different options for pinning blame on someone for 114 Tory MPs telling the Prime Minister that they regretted his failure to introduce an EU referendum bill in the Queen's Speech. Coffee Housers can choose their favourites. 1. Blame the leadership (Part I) David Cameron should have had a proper strategy to deal with the ongoing demands of his backbenchers for a bill guaranteeing the 2017 referendum.

Charles Moore

Refusing to bang on about Europe has brought about even more banging on than before

From our UK edition

The BBC loves nothing better than a narrative in which Tory anti-European eccentrics split their party, and a bewildered public votes Labour. It is certainly the case that some of the Tory sceptics are half-crazed by dislike of David Cameron. But the reason the subject keeps coming up is because it matters, and it remains unresolved. The Tory rebels understand this in straightforward electoral terms: the rise of Ukip threatens their seats, so they must do something about it. What is maddening is not so much Mr Cameron’s actual policy on Europe, but his patent longing to avoid the subject. His refusal to ‘bang on’ about Europe has brought about more banging on than ever. This is an extract from Charles Moore's Spectator's Notes in this week's magazine.

Isabel Hardman

Nadine Dorries interview: why I want to run as a UKIP-Tory joint candidate

From our UK edition

It’s not often you see Tory MPs celebrating anything, but on Monday a bunch of them were packed into an office high in Portcullis House to toast the rehabilitation of Nadine Dorries. Last autumn the Mid-Bedfordshire MP was suspended from the party after appearing on the reality TV show I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! For six months she has been in limbo, unable to call herself a Tory. Last week, she was allowed back into the club. We met in the House of Commons after her bustling ‘Return of the Prodigal Daughter’ reception. Her fellow Tories, she says, are pleased she’s returned. Every day, she’s accosted by MPs and staffers keen to welcome her back into the fold.

Steerpike

Steerpike: Begging with the archbishop, dining with rebels, and playing Shakespeare

From our UK edition

Begging bowls are out at Canterbury cathedral. Anglicanism’s principal shrine is in danger of toppling over if its custodians can’t raise an emergency fund of £17.8 million needed to shore up the nave, two wobbly towers and Christchurch Gate. A bid for £10.2 million to save the cathedral from the forces of gravity has just been rejected by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Canons may even shut the cathedral to worshippers while they finalise a last-ditch scheme to cadge the dough from US philanthropists. Failing that, they could try flogging the old ruin to the Emir of Qatar. He seems to own everything else these days.

Wednesday

Isabel Hardman

130 MPs support Queen’s Speech amendment on EU referendum

From our UK edition

So 130 MPs have backed the Baron/Bone amendment to the Queen's Speech. There will be Labour and other parties in this group, but reasonable estimates suggest that 100 Tories went through the 'aye' lobbies. This isn't a rebellion, because the whips have given backbenchers and PPSs a free vote, and to that extent things could have been worse because there were no aggressive resignation speeches. But it is the strongest expression of euroscepticism since the Coalition formed. Spinners will try to argue that as this was a 'relaxed' free vote, 100 Tory MPs regretting the absence of a bill in the Queen's Speech isn't a bad thing for the leadership. This might have had more currency if the party hadn't decided to rush out a draft bill at the last minute.

Sebastian Payne

Would joint candidates with Ukip really work?

From our UK edition

Westminster is on fire with speculation about Tory/Ukip joint candidates after The Spectator's exclusive this afternoon. But would it really work? CCHQ has already rejected the idea, with a spokesman telling Coffee House: 'It's not party policy and it's not going to happen.' Currently, joint candidates can't officially stand without the sign-off from Labour or Conservative head office. The national nominating officers from both parties would have to co-sign an application to register a joint description. Although in practice the Conservative party gives someone in each local association permission to nominate Conservative candidates, they don't give other people permission to change the party's registered descriptions, which this arrangement with Ukip would do.

Isabel Hardman

Cameron says he’s relaxed about tonight’s Queen’s Speech vote. But is he?

From our UK edition

MPs are storming their way through the Queen's Speech debate this afternoon, with a vote on that troublesome EU referendum bill amendment expected around 7pm. But for all their talk in the past few days, those in the pro-amendment camp are noticing a fading away in support. One source tells me: 'Given all the whips' pressure, 60 would be good.' When I pointed out that the whips were supposed to be incredibly relaxed about the whole thing, the source gave a hollow laugh. This is odd, as Downing Street is briefing that this is a free vote and that anyone who supports it isn't a rebel. But Sky's Jon Craig suggests that William Hague is going to appeal to Tory MPs to reject it at the 1922 Committee meeting, which is taking place at the moment.

Lloyd Evans

PMQs sketch: ‘What a penetrating insight into the affairs of state’

From our UK edition

A mood of giggles and mischief descended on PMQs today. David Cameron is in America – attempting to cure insomniacs by explaining Tory Euro-scepticism to them – and his role was taken by Nick Clegg. Harriet Harman, a notoriously sluggish debater, stood in for Ed Miliband. It’s said that when Harman trained as a solicitor she conceived such a high regard for the law that she went into politics instead. Today she seemed as effervescent as last week’s Prosecco. She droned through a series of pre-scripted gags and less-than-sparkling jibes. This was one of her feeblest ever performances on the front bench. She started by mocking David Cameron for posing in a London bus while in New York. ‘That’s something he hasn’t done here.

Isabel Hardman

Nadine Dorries: I want to be a joint Tory/Ukip candidate

From our UK edition

Nadine Dorries has given an interview to The Spectator this week in which she reveals that she will be holding talks with her constituency association about a joint Tory/Ukip endorsement for the 2015 election. She tells the magazine 'I will be having that kind of conversation with my association', and adds: 'There are members in my association who approached me recently who are confused. They have always been Conservative and will never change their allegiance but feel very much as though they have a huge amount of empathy with Ukip. I feel it would be a travesty if Ukip came in and took the seats off our councillors or indeed me when actually their policies and their beliefs are very much Ukip.

Nick De Bois

David Cameron is right to be relaxed about tonight’s EU vote

From our UK edition

It simply isn’t correct to claim that the Conservative Party is at odds over a possible vote on legislation paving the way for a referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union. The Prime Minister has adopted a relaxed attitude to both the upcoming amendment to the Queen’s Speech and the Draft EU Referendum Bill – encouraging a free vote for backbenchers and ministerial parliamentary aides. He is entirely right to be relaxed. The Conservative Party in Parliament is united in their belief that the British electorate deserves an In/Out referendum on the EU.

Isabel Hardman

Forget the nasty party: this is the Angry Party

From our UK edition

Even those who like to specialise in the inner workings of the mind of a Tory backbencher are rather baffled by the twists and turns of the party this week. But amid all the turmoil, there has been one very important change. Backbenchers are no longer just angry with the leadership. They're also angry with each other. The Conservative party can, at the best of times, resemble a bunch of ferrets fighting in a sack, but until this week the ferrets have all been scratching and biting one victim. Now they're scrapping with one another. As James reported last night, the eight key Eurosceptic factions of the party met yesterday morning to discuss their tactics and ended up splitting five to three over whether to continue to push David Cameron.

Tuesday

James Forsyth

Will the draft EU referendum bill calm Tory tensions?

From our UK edition

The last few days have seen the Tory party losing its collective head. Number 10 hopes that the publication of a draft referendum bill will begin to restore order. If this bill had been published by the leadership a week ago, it would have looked like a bold move. Today, it appeared panicky. But it is now out there, and any Tory backbencher who comes high up in the private members bill ballot on Thursday has a chance of guiding it through. I suspect if a vote could be won on second reading, the parliamentary dynamics of this debate would change yet again. What’ll be intriguing is to see how much the Tories campaign on this. David Cameron has already sent out an email to party supporters.

Isabel Hardman

Not all eurosceptics are asking for more from the leadership

From our UK edition

The Tory MPs who are unhappy with Number 10's offer of a draft EU referendum bill have been making the most noise this morning, but there have been some interesting shifts in position from some hardline eurosceptics in the past few hours. Douglas Carswell, who is about as independently-minded as you can get, has come out all guns blazing in favour of the Prime Minister's plan. He writes on his blog: 'For several years, I have been agitating for the Prime Minister to offer an In / Out referendum. He's now offering one. Cameron deserves much more credit for being the first Prime Minister in a generation to offer us the chance to vote to quit the EU. Not even Mrs Thatcher came anywhere close! 'So, I can tick that off my list.

Isabel Hardman

Tory EU turmoil allows Labour and Lib Dems to develop strong message discipline

From our UK edition

The dizzy behaviour of the Tory party on Europe is allowing its opponents to develop an incredibly strong message discipline. This is ironic because the Labour party has its own European fault lines running through it, its own backbenchers calling for a referendum, and even some calling for a referendum bill before Cameron gets in. But the Conservative to-ing and fro-ing on the subject enable both parties to say that instead of arguing about Europe in the House of Commons, they plan to 'focus on jobs and growth'. Norman Lamb made this point on the Today programme, saying: 'The Lib Dems' focus is on jobs and growth.

Monday

Isabel Hardman

Tory leadership publishes draft EU referendum bill in a panic, and fails to convince backbenchers

From our UK edition

David Cameron was trying to work out how on earth to deal with the latest Europe row in his party. He heard them demanding legislation in this parliament for a referendum in the next, and this evening, after nearly a year of letter-writing and speeches, he announced that the Tory party will publish a draft bill doing just that. They still can't get it through Parliament through the government channels, so they'll be putting it up for any willing backbencher (of which there are many) to adopt in the Private Member's Bill ballot. Figures close to the Prime Minister were hinting to Tory MPs this evening there would be a move for legislation, but they were taken by surprise when, just a few hours later, the announcement was made that the draft bill will be published tomorrow. So is this it?

Isabel Hardman

How will the Tory leadership deal with MPs wanting a UKIP pact?

From our UK edition

Nigel Farage says his party is in talks with a number of Conservative associations about a joint endorsement with UKIP. He told the Daily Politics today that 'there is no doubt that there are Tory associations, and one Labour that I know of, who are saying "look, the law was changed two years ago, there is a provision now, that one candidate can have the endorsement of two political parties, i.e. two logos on the ballot paper"'. Farage added that 'there are associations out there that I believe want this'. Freshly returned to the Tory benches, Nadine Dorries made the case for this in yesterday's Sun on Sunday.

Isabel Hardman

David Cameron needs to become a man with a plan

From our UK edition

'I'm a man with a plan,' David Cameron told the Conservative party conference in 2008. Now the Prime Minister is struggling to give the impression he does have a plan for dealing with the Europe problem in his party: and he needs one, because things are going to get a lot stickier. The furore around tomorrow's Queen's Speech amendment is in many ways rather amusing because however backbenchers, PPSs and ministers vote, it doesn't change a thing outside the Commons chamber. It simply says the Tory party wishes there had been an EU referendum bill in the Queen's Speech. For all the criticisms that he's running behind his party on this, it is fair to say that the Prime Minister has learned from his mistakes in past Europe votes.

Sunday

Isabel Hardman

Philip Hammond becomes 2nd Cabinet minister to say he would vote to leave EU today

From our UK edition

If the Tory leadership had hoped that a few weeks of reconciliation between David Cameron and his backbenchers would lead to a new, serene phase in party management, they couldn't be more wrong. Things seem to be getting worse on Europe: today two Cabinet ministers have felt emboldened by the Queen's Speech vote this week to say that on the current terms of Britain's membership of the EU, they would leave. James covered Michael Gove's comments this morning, and this evening Defence Secretary Philip Hammond joined in, telling John Pienaar that Britain needed a better settlement in order to stay in the EU.

James Forsyth

Gove: I’d vote to leave the EU if referendum held today

From our UK edition

In a firecracker of an interview on the Andrew Marr Show, Michael Gove confirmed that if an EU referendum was held today he would vote out. But he followed this by saying to James Landale that he backed the Prime Minister’s plans to renegotiate and hoped that a satisfactory form of membership could be agreed. Significantly, Gove indicated that David Cameron would set out the Conservative ‘negotiating platform’ before the next election. This has been a key demand of Euro-sceptic Conservatives but one that Cameron has resisted. He is reluctant to provide anything akin to a renegotiation scorecard. Gove’s intervention changes the terms of debate.

Friday

Jonathan Jones

Is nice but dim such a bad thing for Labour?

From our UK edition

Labour's lead in the polls has been pretty steady at around 10 points for a little over a year now. So why does today's Guardian carry an article with the headline 'Outright election victory in 2015 looks a distant prospect, pollster tells Labour'? It's based on two YouGov polls — commissioned by Progress and actually conducted two months ago, but released today. The first asked voters to put each of the parties into one of four categories: 'nice and smart', 'nice but dim', 'mean but smart' and 'mean and dim'. Labour seems to come out best, in that it has the highest proportion choosing 'nice and smart' and the lowest choosing 'mean and dim'. But only 24 per cent say the party is 'smart', compared to 33 per cent for the Tories.