New cabinet meets
‘Gordon Brown’s new cabinet has been meeting for the first time after a week of speculation about his future as PM.’ – BBC
‘The foreign secretary told BBC Radio 4’s Today, that the cabinet and Brown would now focus their sights on making voters want to support Labour once again.’ – Hélène Mulholland and agencies, The Guardian
Latest poll
‘Alan Johnson would deny David Cameron an overall majority at the next general election if Labour ditched Gordon Brown and installed him as prime minister, according to a new poll for The Independent.’ – Andrew Grice, The Independent
‘Every epic crisis produces its own myths, or at least commonly held assumptions that turn out to be false. Already there are several myths whirling around Labour’s crisis. They are worth closer scrutiny. In a shapeless drama the false assumptions provide some guidance as to what is actually happening and what might happen next.’ – Steve Richards, The Independent
‘The questions are whether Labour – one of our great parties – has a future beyond the next general election, and who might possibly lead it into that future. On these issues the resignation-demanders (with exceptions) are as silent as the loyalists. But now it’s time to be noisy.’ – David Aaronovitch, The Times
Tories in Europe
‘Internal critics warn that the move to pull the party out of the main centre-right grouping in Brussels – the European People’s Party – could marginalise it. But senior Tories insist the new grouping, with the Conservatives filling the largest bloc of seats, will more accurately reflect the party’s anti-federalist agenda.’ – Nigel Morris, The Independent
Housing market stabilising
‘Rising interest from potential buyers coupled with falling numbers
of sellers is stabilising UK house prices, according to surveyors.’ – BBC