Isabel Hardman

Both Ed Miliband and David Cameron turned up to PMQs today wanting to expose the flaws in their opponent's character. First, Ed Miliband taunted the Prime Minister about Labour's new private rented sector policy. Now that Labour is producing policies which seem to have purchase with voters, the Labour leader has what some might describe as the 'intellectual self-confidence' to kick off PMQs not just with a Labour policy rather than a government cock-up, but also predict that the government will eventually concede that Labour has a point.

The Immigration Bill pops back up in the Commons today and MPs will have a second chance to scrutinise the government's plans to deprive foreign-born terror suspects of their citizenship. In reality, it's their first chance as these proposals were slapped into the legislation by ministers at report stage, and no-one really understood what they meant. Tory MPs were promised a briefing on it after the vote, so they trooped through the lobbies hoping for the best. Now they've had a few months to mull what the plans mean, they get a chance to vote again after the Lords amended the bill to make the stateless proposals subject to a committee. It looks as though the Liberal Democrat rebellion, which numbered seven at report stage, will be a similar size.

It's a year to go until the longest election campaign finally finishes. Ed Miliband thinks he has more intellectual self-confidence than David Cameron, which since his 2013 autumn conference speech where the Labour leader finally found the courage of his convictions. But David Cameron has more confidence about his own party sticking by him for the campaign at least. The Prime Minister has mended some relationships, and others are more cordial and banging the Tory drum simply because they want their party to win next year. But it's fair to say that for the time being the PM has got the contingent of swing voters amongst his own MPs - those who are not his loyal servants but who also don't hate his guts - working on his side.

Policy Exchange's report on the face of modern Britain this morning is fascinating reading for anyone interested in the way this country has changed and will change in years to come. But it is especially fascinating reading for those wondering how on earth the Conservative party can appeal to ethnic minority voters. This is partly because it makes quite clear that the party is currently not appealing to those voters: indeed, while politicians have a bad habit of lumping 'ethnic minority' voters together without good cause, the one thing that does lump these groups together is a reluctance to vote Conservative.

What is the government's stance on Pfizer's takeover bid of AstraZeneca? Today the Prime Minister's official spokesman was asked this - and his answer didn't shed a great deal of light on the situation. He said the position was 'active in engagement, with both companies in terms of the importance to the UK of R&D and the science base, with regard to the decision as to whether or not going ahead is the right thing to do for either company and their shareholders, is entirely a matter for the companies, their boards and their shareholders'. But what if the takeover does turn out to damage jobs and the science base in this country?

Two front pages today report what they see as bad news, and both stories are certainly ones politicians need to worry about. The Guardian reveals a leaked letter showing jobseekers will face sanctions if they do not apply for or accept 'certain zero hours jobs under the new universal credit system', while the Indy splashes on research by the Resolution Foundation which found that self-employed workers are earning 40 per cent less than a typical employee. The paper says these workers are the 'hidden victims of the recession struggling by on low pay'. Saying that either of these stories represent 'good news' sounds far too flippant - but they do reflect the flexibility of Britain's labour market which has enabled many people to remain in employment and off the dole during the downturn.

What a very long PMQs today, presided over by a very bumptious John Bercow. The Speaker let the exchanges run into what he called 'injury time', made a rather poisonous jibe at Labour MP Fiona Mactaggart over her private schooling, and told the Prime Minister that as far as he was concerned, he had finished an answer when the PM didn't believe he had.

Much relief in Downing Street this morning as Nigel Farage announces that he's not standing in the Newark by-election. Coffee House readers had the best insight into the Ukip leader's thinking when James posted the details of a conversation he'd had with Farage about the constituency. And his prediction that Farage may well decide to not stand was right. listen to ‘Nigel Farage says he's not standing in Newark: 'You have to pick your battles'’ on Audioboo Farage has bottled it, he's frit. That's what every relieved Conservative MP is saying this morning. It's true: Farage got to the cliff edge, looked down, and edged away from what he saw. He didn't fancy the battle and didn't think that he could beat the Conservatives.

Patrick Mercer has gone out in style. One Tory MP, hearing that the whips had tried to dissuade him from triggering a by-election fight with Ukip at an extremely inconvenient time for David Cameron, told me: 'It's a waste of time. He's determined to damage Dave. He's Colonel Nicholson in Bridge on the River Kwai!' Mercer has left Cameron a little present in the form of this by-election. Even if Nigel Farage announces today that he won't stand in the contest (and James's post from last night on the Ukip leader's thinking is a must-read), Ukip can still repeat its success in Eastleigh by fielding an impressive formerly unknown candidate.