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David Cameron’s decision to hire Lynton Crosby last November as the Conservative Party’s chief political strategist was a brilliant move that has helped revive the Tories’ fortunes ahead of the 2015 general election. Crosby, who helped John Howard win four Australian general elections, has emphasised the importance of focusing on traditional issues that conservative voters actually care about, including immigration, welfare reform, Europe and combating the power of the trade unions. He has shifted the core messaging away from issues that are a turn-off for many Conservative voters, including gay marriage, climate change and foreign aid, all of which are...

A SOLDIER was attacked in an Exeter underpass by a gang who chanted “Lee Rigby” as they kicked him on the floor. The 18-year-old, known as Alexander, has been a member of the Coldstream Guards for six months. But on route to his home in St Thomas, Exeter, he said he was targeted by the hateful mob as he is a serving member of the armed forces. After a period of about two minutes he managed to escape after fighting off but fear his injuries could have been a lot worse. The incident happened at just before 2pm on Wednesday...

Britain's governing Conservative Party has hired U.S. President Barack Obama's former campaign manager as part of its election team ahead of polls due in less than two years, the party said. Jim Messina, a lifelong Democrat, is the latest appointment by Prime Minister David Cameron in a bid to win the party's first overall majority in over 20 years, against a weak economic backdrop and poor poll ratings.

Nigel Farage has pledged to follow the example of Paddy Ashdown and to establish "clusters of councillors" around the country elected on the challenging first-past-the-post system as a first step to winning parliamentary seats at future general elections. In a Guardian interview, the Ukip leader said people would vote for the "real thing" on Europe and immigration rather than support David Cameron who is occupying "our turf" under the influence of the Tory strategist Lynton Crosby. Farage admitted that his party is experiencing something of a "lull" but insisted that it was on course to win next year's European parliamentary...

One in five Conservative Party members are on the verge of switching to the UK Independence Party, a new poll suggests. In a further sign of the schism between the party leadership and the grassroots, more than half do not believe they are respected by David Cameron and his top team. There is also deep-rooted opposition to flagship coalition policies including legalizing gay marriage and protecting the foreign aid budget from cuts. …

The European Union summit on Thursday night was supposed to be a demonstration of European harmony—until British Prime Minister David Cameron arrived. He insisted that the UK budget rebate go untouched, launching hours of pointless debate. … Other summit participants were less than impressed. Cameron is “never happy” when it comes to the EU budget, complained European Parliament President Martin Schulz. The Cameron offensive was particularly surprising given that the European Council and Parliament on Thursday morning had finally reached an important agreement on the bloc’s budget. Following months of at times acrimonious debate among EU member states, a deal...

David Cameron has agreed to change his controversial EU referendum blueprint amid fears the original plans could unfairly produce a “stay in” result. The Prime Minister has bowed to Euroskeptic pressure and revised the crucial “in/out” question to be put to the nation if he wins the next Election. The alteration will see voters asked if the UK should “be” in the EU, rather than “remain” as in the original wording. … Last night, experts said the change could be crucial. Damian Lyons Lowe, of pollsters Survation, said: “The original question set out last month gave us 51 percent in...

British Prime Minister David Cameron says leaders gathering Monday for the G-8 summit in Northern Ireland should reach speedy agreement on trade and tax reforms, and draw inspiration from the host country’s ability to resolve its own stubborn conflict. … Referring to Northern Ireland’s ability to leave behind a four-decade conflict that claimed 3,700 lives, he said leaders of the Group of Eight wealthy nations should be inspired by the setting—the lush lakelands of County Fermanagh—to deliver their own economic breakthrough. … Obama, seizing on that theme, was beginning his trip in the Northern Ireland capital of Belfast, where he’s...

If you've ever had the great fortune of seeing the entrance to a mosque, you'll have noticed that there are two doors: one, the main, huge, is for men, another, small and lateral, for women (as in the picture below of the East London Mosque). Apparently we need "right-wing groups" now in England to protest sexism, because the Left totally condones it. The recently-formed England National Resistance (ENR) felt outraged that the North West Kent Muslim Association’s mosque in Crayford High Street has separate entrances for men and women. Particularly offensive is the fact that this was once a church,...

No.10 rocked by secret love affair: 'Stunned' PM holds crisis talks over fears tryst will 'blow political agenda out of the water' Identities of people involved or details of relationship cannot be disclosed They are middle-aged figures and the affair has now concluded Mr Cameron was ‘stunned’ when told the identities of alleged lovers He ‘immediately realised the importance of the story’, sources revealed 'None of us could believe it when we first heard it' said senior source David Cameron has held crisis talks at Downing Street after being told of allegations of a sensational love affair which has potentially...

Tory donors have threatened to switch their allegiance to UKIP unless David Cameron adopts a tougher stance on Europe. In yet another blow to his leadership, former Tory treasurer Lord Kalms said he was “willing to pack (his) bags” and sign up with UKIP unless the Prime Minister adopted more traditional Tory policies. UKIP leader Nigel Farage is set to seize on discontent among Tory MPs and UKIP’s recent success in the polls with a fund-raising appeal. … Three of the most generous donors to the Conservatives have reportedly complained about the PM’s emphasis on gay marriage. Separately, one former...

David Cameron is planning new powers to muzzle Islamic hate preachers accused of provoking terrorist outrages such as the killing of soldier Lee Rigby. The Prime Minister wants to stop extremist clerics using schools, colleges, prisons and mosques to spread their “poison”, and is to head a new Tackling Extremism and Radicalization Task Force (TERFOR) made up of senior Ministers, MI5, police and moderate religious leaders.The high-powered group will study a number of measures, including banning extremist clerics from being given public platforms to incite students, prisoners and other followers—and forcing mosque leaders to answer for “hate preachers”. It will...

Following the hacking death of a British soldier by two alleged Islamic extremists, Prime Minister David Cameron said, "There is nothing in Islam that justifies this truly dreadful act." Winston Churchill thought otherwise, but he lived in a time before political correctness ran amok and drew on his personal experiences serving in the Sudan and in the Crimean War. In his 1899 book "The River War," Churchill described what he witnessed in countries where Islam ruled: "Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyzes the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde...

'This is a terrible situation for any armed officer to face. I have never ever seen or even heard of a scenario where two suspects attack a victim and then remain on the scene in full view waiting for the police to arrive. Training covers ‘precise’ situations which are contained and there is a good understanding of what is happening and ‘imprecise’ ones, which are much less controlled. This is at the extreme end of the imprecise spectrum. As soon as the armed response vehicle turns the corner and before it has even stopped they have sprung into action. The...

'The killers who executed a soldier on a London street were yesterday condemned by Muslim groups for their 'truly barbaric act'. The Muslim Council of Britain said the killers’ use of 'Islamic slogans' indicated they were motivated by their faith. A statement from the council said: 'This is a truly barbaric act that has no basis in Islam and we condemn this unreservedly. Our thoughts are with the victim and his family. 'We understand the victim is a serving member of the Armed Forces. Muslims have long served in this country’s Armed Forces, proudly and with honour. 'This attack on...

'David Cameron yesterday tore up an order banning troops from wearing their uniforms in public that was issued in the wake of the Woolwich attack. He is understood to have told Defence Secretary Philip Hammond he was ‘seriously dismayed’ at official guidance given to personnel in London following the murder. As the row raged in Whitehall, troops and their families posted pictures of themselves in full uniform online, in defiance of the ruling from the Ministry of Defence. Insisting that the ban be rescinded, Mr Cameron told a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee in Whitehall:‘The best way to defeat...

David Cameron warned restive Tory MPs he will not change policy on an EU referendum yesterday—but promised there would be no more divisive issues such as gay marriage. Seeking to draw a line under a turbulent fortnight, the Prime Minister said his party could now rally behind his pledge to give voters an in/out choice on British membership of the EU by 2017, following an attempt to claw back key powers. He warned Euroskeptics who may seek further concessions: “It’s a very clear, very decisive policy. [It] doesn’t matter the pressure I come under from outside the Conservative Party or...

David Cameron was accused of “running scared” on gay marriage after the controversial legislation was left out of the Queen’s Speech. Downing Street insisted that the law—which has already cleared the Commons—would continue its passage through the Lords in the new session of Parliament. But in apparent recognition of its unpopularity with many traditional Tory voters, there was no mention of it in yesterday’s speech setting out the Government’s legislative program for the year. The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill was rejected by more than half of his MPs in a Commons vote in February and was blamed by some...

Amid growing calls from Tory MPs for David Cameron to respond to the Ukip threat by bringing forward legislation on an EU referendum, Farage warned that his party would not go away even if No 10 "starts singing the same song". William Hague, who famously suffered a major defeat in the 2001 election after tacking to the right, called for a cautious response to Ukip as he warned of the dangers of "quick fixes". Philip Hammond, the defence secretary, said many Ukip voters were "frustrated Conservatives". As the Tories work out their response to Ukip, which won nearly a quarter...

BLUNDERING Ed Miliband yesterday said Britain’s problems are so bad NO ONE can solve them. The Labour chief made the gaffe as he drummed up support for Thursday’s council elections. In a Radio 4 interview in which he repeatedly lost his temper, he said: “Are our problems so deep nobody can actually make a difference to them? My emphatic answer to that is yes.” Mr Miliband also refused to admit Labour would increase borrowing if they were in power — even though Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls had already said as much.