Peter Hoskin

What can we expect from the Queen's Speech; the centrepiece of today's State Opening of Parliament?  So far as policy is concerned, it's doubtful whether there'll be any surprises.  The Times has a great round-up of the measures likely to be contained in what's being spun as a "fairness" programme, and most have been trailed weeks and months in advance of today.  Perhaps one thing to look out for is the emphasis that's placed on welfare reform.  It's top of the Times's list of measures, but there has been some rumbling on the Westminster grapevine that Brown would play it down - or perhaps even jettison it - because it's a difficult sell to make during the downturn. But we're expecting more than just policy announcements and pomp today.

One of the more striking aspects of the Damian Green affair is how it's angered MPs from every side, corner and alcove of the House.  And quite right too - this is something that could have hefty implications for Parliament as a whole.  The Tories and Lib Dems, in particular, have been singing from an almost identical hymn-sheet when condemning the heavy-handedness of the arrest, and now it's emerged that they've taken the cooperation a stage further.  According to the Beeb, Cameron and Clegg are going to meet to "discuss tactics" ahead of the Queen's Speech tomorrow.  Their aim is to secure a debate on the Green arrest; although one can't help but wonder whether they'll also discuss the plan to force out Michael Martin said to be brewing among certain Tory MPs.

After the events of the past week, the Pre-Budget Report seems more than only six days old.  But six days old it is, and already Alistair Darling is suggesting that the much-vaunted "fiscal stimulus" may need to be supplemented in the near-future.  In his interview in today's Observer, the Chancellor admits that "we're almost certainly going to be doing additional things".  Of course, you could say that this isn't a surprise; that the Government has to respond continuously to the changing circumstances of the downturn.  But, to my mind, this just raises more questions about how effective the Government's spendthrift approach is, and whether it's worth the increased borrowing and increased taxation that lie in wait for us.

It's been a few days now since we asked CoffeeHousers to put forward their questions for Grant Shapps.  We've since picked out the best, which have now been put to the shadow housing minister.  He'll get back to us at the start of next week. Colin "What advice do you have for the individuals who are now deep in debt, after a decade long credit bubble; especially now that the safety net of massive house price rises is not there to save them?" David Preiser "The people who are losing their homes due to mortgage problems can no longer afford to be home owners in the current climate, so would need to find "affordable housing". Would you authorize and fund the construction of new, "affordable housing" units to provide accommodation for these people?

This is not the story that we're expecting to break tonight, but it's worth noting anyway.  The Times have just released a Populus poll which shows that confidence in Gordon Brown's ability combat the recession has dropped in the aftermath of the PBR.  In answer to the question of who is the best leader to "deal with Britain's economy in recession", 42 percent of respondents said Brown (down 10 percentage points from a poll in early November), while 36 percent said Cameron (up 4).  While the Tories shouldn't exactly be ecstatic with a poll showing a Brown lead on the economy, this latest does suggest that the PBR may have shifted the impetus away from the PM.