** Euroclash ** Immigration ** Dorries Interview ** Lord Heseltine Speaks ** Boundary Row ** Windfarms **
EUROCLASH
David Cameron faces a a huge rebellion by his backbenchers today over the EU Budget. The prime minister wants it to be frozen, but an unholy alliance of eurosceptic Tories and the Labour Party plan to vote in favour of a real-terms cut when it is debated in the Commons this afternoon.
Mark Pritchard, one of the ringleaders of the Tory backbench plan, said that a parliamentary vote supporting a reduction in the EU Budget "will strengthen not weaken PM's negotiating hand at the EU Summit". See Dave, they are just trying to be helpful.
Today's Memo is edited by Ned Simons as Mehdi Hasan has overdosed on jars of Fortnum & Mason 'Privilege Spread'.
BLOCK THE CHANNEL TUNNEL
As well as the vote on the EU Budget today, MPs will be given a chance to debate European migration. Tory Stewart Jackson will introduce a Ten Minute Rule Bill that will call on the prime minister to scrap his "barking mad" immigration policy. Jackson told The Huffington Post there was more room for the UK to amend the free movement of peoples rules within the EU than it is thought. "There is much more wiggle room than people think, we don't take the opportunity of wiggling," he said.
Rumours of Hurricane Sandy causing HuffPost's demise have been proved untrue. Apologies to our readers who were unable to access the site yesterday, it got a bit windy and wet around our New York data centres.
DORRIES: 'I'M PRO-CHOICE AND LEFT WING'
Nadine Dorries will lead a Westminster Hall debate on abortion this morning. Speaking to The Huffington Post the outspoken MP declares: “I am pro-choice ... I believe we have to have abortion, it’s absolutely necessary, and it’s a woman’s right to choose.” Her startling claim will come as a surprise to many pro-choice activists.
Speaking to Mehdi Hasan, Dorries also insists she is actually a left-wing feminist. Don’t take our word for it. Take hers. “My politics are moving,” says the Tory MP for Mid Bedfordshire. “Some people describe me as a right-winger, but I’d say in some areas I’m very left.” In the full interview published today Dorries also speaks about the "posh boys", being called "Mad Nad" and the "metro elite gay activists" (whoever they are) pursuing same-sex marriage.
TARZAN ON TODAY
Lord Heseltine has urged the coalition to produce a long-term strategy for economic growth, including firm commitments against which it can be held to account. Speaking to the Today programme this morning, the former Tory deputy prime minister said: "People giving you advice are not criticizing you, they are friends and admirers urging you on."
Calling for public money to be used to "mobilise the enthusiasms of provincial England", he said: "London didn't make the country, it has accumulated too much power."
BOUNDARY ROW
The Guardian reports today that David Cameron "vented his fury" at Nick Clegg after the Lib Dem leader authorised his peers to support a Labour move to delay plans to reduce the size of the Commons until 2018. As the paper reports, Downing Street moved to pull the vote from the Lords today to avoid the embarrassment of suffering two defeats (along with the EU vote) on the same day.
BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR...
Halloween 2012: Cute animals play with pumpkins (PICTURES).
JUST HOT AIR?
Tory energy minister has delighted the Daily Telegraph by saying we can “no longer have wind turbines imposed on communities”. In what is something of a declaration of war on his Lib Dem boss Ed Davey, Hayes adds: "I can’t single-handedly build a new Jerusalem but I can protect our green and pleasant land."
US ELECTION: 6 DAYS TO GO
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140 CHARACTERS OR LESS
@DAaronovitch It's Political Idiocy Day. The day the Tory Energy minister opposes wind farms and Labour may decide to vote with Tory Europhobes.
@michaelrundle Of the hundreds and hundreds of hours of entertainment set in the Star Wars universe, how much is actually great? Four hours?
@SallyBercow Boys trying to persuade Mr B to wear fangs & cape to work. #Halloween. The Speaker traditionally dressed up, after all :)
900 WORDS OR MORE
Lord Heseltine in the Daily Telegraph: "The market can’t deliver growth without government help
Wealth doesn’t create itself – the Government must champion Britain's cause in a tough, competitive world"
Ben Mitchell in the Independent. "No excuses, our leaders should debate on TV in 2015. There are signs that the Tories want to opt out - they shouldn't be alllowed to."
Simon Jenkins in The Guardian: "David Cameron's pro-EU charade cannot go on much longer The PM talks tough on the European Union but claims to support it. His position is hopeless. A new deal is needed."
Got something you want to share? Please send any stories/tips/quotes/pix/plugs/gossip to Mehdi Hasan (mehdi.hasan@huffingtonpost.com), Chris Wimpress (chris.wimpress@huffingtonpost.com) or Ned Simons (ned.simons@huffingtonpost.com). You can also follow us on Twitter: @mehdirhasan, @chriswimpress, @nedsimons and @huffpostukpol