Archive of 21 April 2010

Julian Lewis compared homosexual activity to the dangers of being on the front line

Call to sack Tory frontbencher over homosexuality row

David Cameron has been urged to sack one of his front bench team as it emerged that he had made remarks that compared gay sex to the front line in war zones.

Clegg rejects Brown's olive branch

Gordon Brown's overtures for a progressive alliance with the Liberal Democrats seem to be dead in the water, with Nick Clegg calling the prime minister "desperate".
Clegg more popular than Cable

The Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg is more popular than his deputy leader Vince Cable for the first time following PoliticsHome's weekly opinion poll.

Government response to ash cloud criticised

The six day shutdown of Britain's airports has led to calls for official inquiries by opposition politicians.
Election 'opportunity' for independents - Martin Bell

Former Tatton MP Martin Bell has claimed independent candidates have an "unprecedented opportunity" to "change the face of politics for good".

Generals: Scrapping Trident a good idea

Senior military commanders have warned the Trident replacement programme may not be financially viable, backing Nick Clegg's position on the issue.
Labour divisions over Lib Dem deal

Labour is split over forming a coalition with the Liberal Democrats in the case of a hung parliament.

Poplar and Limehouse: Tory candidate admits Afghanistan doubts

Britain may have been better off never going into the Afghanistan war, the Tory candidate for Poplar and Limehouse has said.
Facebook fuels Luton South outsider

An independent candidate standing in the crucial Labour-Conservative Luton South marginal has given his campaign a boost by attracting more Facebook supporters than those of almost all the Cabinet.

Unemployment rises

Unemployment has risen by 43,000 in the last three months compared to the previous quarter.
Rural Tories spot Lib Dem weak spot

Conservatives defending the marginal West Worcestershire seat are attacking the Liberal Democrats' national policies as the local party looks to make an impressive gain.

Clegg lashes out at the PM

A highly personal attack on Gordon Brown by Nick Clegg in today's Daily Telegraph casts serious doubt on whether the two men will ever be able to work together in the event of a hung parliament.
Tories massively outspend Labour and Lib Dems

The Conservatives received more money in donations in the first week of the election campaign than Labour and the Liberal Democrats put together.

Cabbie finds Clegg's debate dossier

A senior aide to Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg left his notes on last week's televised debate in the back of a London taxi.
The polls: Lib Dems nose ahead

The Liberal Democrat bubble has not yet burst, a week on from the TV debate which gave Nick Clegg such a boost.

Cameron egged in Cornwall

David Cameron has been hit by an egg thrown by a protester in Cornwall.
Chancellor TV debate as-it-happens

Review our coverage of today's chancellor TV debate with politics.co.uk's live blog.

Pollsters: We are not skewing answers

Polling organisation YouGov has denied suggestions the way it was conducting surveys is designed to diminish support for the Liberal Democrats.
BNP candidates to be banned from church hustings

Clergy in the Midlands have been asked to ban BNP candidates from speaking at candidates' hustings debates organised by churches.

Tory poster 'unlikely to win new votes'

A new Conservative poster campaign pledging to cut benefits for those who "refuse to work" will appeal to core Tory voters in lower income groups but is unlikely to sway marginal voters, according to ITV polling company ComRes.
The odds: Lib-Con coalition increasingly likely

David Cameron has been heavily backed to bounce back and win the second leaders' televised debate.