Today in Politics: Tory NHS tales

By Andrew Grice

The Tories pulled off a clever trick last week by announcing a health policy based on "outcomes" for patients rather than centrally-set targets, pre-empting the Goverrment's review to mark the 60th  birthday of the NHS, which recommended... a policy based on "outcomes" and no new targets.

Yet some of the Tories' tactics seem open to question. They are understandably talking up the threat to local GP surgeries from the Government's plans for "supersurgeries" or "polyclinics". Potentially, it looks like a re-run of the controversy over Post Office closures, which damaged Labour. But in some areas, the Tories appear to be running ahead of themselves. 

Today in Politics: Good news, bad news

By Andrew Grice

Today has long been pencilled in the Downing Street diary as a good news day. It is the 60th birthday of the National Health Service and, therefore, an opportunity for Labour to celebrate something it created, trumpet the improvements since 1997 and unveil a forward plan to make it better in the future – after the review by Lord Darzi, the Health Minister and surgeon.

There are, according to Whitehall sources, "14 good news stories" in the Darzi review, which will be published this afternoon and rolled out during a week of intense activity. No wonder Gordon Brown is associating himself closely with the launch.

Yet Labour knows it can’t rest on its laurels.

Today in Politics: Brown's anniversary hangover

By Andrew Grice

A clever trick by the Tories to call the Henley by-election to coincide with Gordon Brown's first anniversary as Prime Minister. Labour was bound to do badly in what was always going to be a Con-LibDem fight.

Dream scenario for David Cameron: his party retained the seat vacated by London Mayor Boris Johnson with a majority of more than 10,000.  Labour lowered expectations by predicting it would lose its deposit and come fourth. It couldn't even get that right, coming a humiliating fifth behind the Greens and the BNP.

Today in Politics: Tory policy blues

By Andrew Grice

Tensions are rising in the Conservative Party about what it would actually do in government. David Cameron keeps a tight grip on policy announcements but differences are emerging over whether the party should overturn some Labour decisions if it wins the next election.

There was a good example when Jacqui Lait, a junior frontbench spokeswoman, promised to scrap the new Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) to approve major projects like nuclear power stations and airports, which was approved by MPs last night. "In two years we will be in government, and we will review the IPC out of existence," she said. "I put on record the fact that anyone who takes up a contract to be a commissioner will have a very short contract."

Today in Politics: Cameron plays union card

By Andrew Grice

A Prime Minister's Questions of two halves. David Cameron did the statesmanlike thing by raising the crisis in Zimbabwe, showing he can so serious as well as political knockabout. Perhaps he guessed what was coming later (see below). Broad agreement with Gordon Brown on Zimbabwe, as to be expected.

No such consensus on act two of Cameron's performance (he has six questions in total and can split them into two bites). Raw politics resumed as the Tory leader demanded to know whether Brown would tear up laws on industrial disputes to cave in to demands by the trade unions, as a payback for contributing more than 90 per cent of the funding to the cash-starved Labour Party.

Today in Politics: Ministers climb down over Planning Bill

By Andrew Grice

Another day, another climbdown. After offering major concessions to squeeze 42-days detention for suspected terrorists through the Commons, ministers have now given ground to defuse a Labour rebellion over their proposals to streamline the planning system. 

As we report today, the Government wants to hand the final decision on major projects such as nuclear power stations and airports to a new infrastructure planning commission.

Today in Politics: What future for David Davis?

By Andrew Grice

David Cameron is looking more and more like a Prime Minister-in-waiting, and being treated as such in the Westminster village. His monthly press conference today was packed and went on for 45 minutes, longer than usual. The Tory leader promised a crackdown on sleaze - but without "doing a Blair" and promising to be a white knight on a charger who would sweep the stables clean. He admitted the Tories were part of the problem, saying they now needed to be part of the solution. If I were a Tory MEP, I'd be checking my expenses claims pretty quickly.

Today in Politics: EU woes over Irish "Nos"

By Andrew Grice in Brussels

Today's summit of European Union leaders was supposed to mark the moment when they stopped the "navel-gazing" about the way the EU functions and turned their attention to real world issues such as rising oil and food prices. Fat chance. The "no" vote in Ireland on the EU's Lisbon Treaty (designed to streamline EU decision making now the club has expanded to 27 members) has plunged the leaders back into....yet another round of navel-gazing.

There is a fair amount of double-speak at these summits. Here, the other EU leaders insist they are not putting pressure on Ireland to overturn the "no" vote so the stalled treaty (which requires approval by all 27 countries) can be implemented.

Today in Politics: Will GB love GM (crops)?

By Andrew Grice in Brussels

My report in today's paper seems to have triggered a new debate over whether Britain should open the door to the commercial cultivation of GM crops. None are being grown at present but ministers are asking whether there should be a new push to boost food production so Britain can "do its bit" to tackle the global food crisis.

The issue is a "minefield", as Lord Tunnicliffe, a government spokesman in the House of Lords, admitted this week. But ministers are ready to tiptoe through it again.

Today in Politics: Brown in triumph shock

By Andrew Grice

Gordon Brown has just enjoyed his best session of Prime Minister's Questions for some weeks. He swatted David Cameron aside today and the cries of "more, more" from Labour backbenches were genuine rather than ritualistic.