1. THERESA MAY DELIVERS 'LEADERSHIP SPEECH'
Speculation is mounting that home secretary Theresa May is planning a leadership bid after she gave a rousing, wide-ranging speech to the party. “We can feel sorry for ourselves, or we can dust ourselves down, remember what we’re doing is in the national interest and get on with the job”, she said. Culture secretary Maria Miller tells the Sunday Times that May has “fantastic credentials”.
2. TORY POLL POINTS TO MILIBAND LANDSLIDE
Ed Miliband will win the next general election by a landslide - that's the verdict of a poll commissioned by Tory donor Lord Ashcroft. The survey of 213 marginal constituencies found the Tories would lose 93 seats to Labour, giving Miliband a majority of 84. The results were depressing for the Lib Dems, who would stand to lose 30 of their 46 MPs.
3. GAZZA: 'I WAS DEAD IN REHAB'
Paul Gascoigne says he believed he was going to die during his recent stay in rehab. "I thought I was on my way out," the former football star tells The Sun. He says that three doctors at the US clinic also believed he was doomed. "It has got to inspire me to never let this happen again," he adds. "I've come through that - death. I was dead."
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4. CLEGG PREPARES DEFIANT ADDRESS
Nick Clegg will round on critics who wrote "political obituaries" for his party during a belligerent speech at the Liberal Democrats conference. Clegg will also insist that the Lib Dems are no longer a party of protest but are instead a party of government. Yesterday, former leader Lord Ashdown said being in government must "become a habit" and not a "blip".
5. LA PLANTE: 'BBC ARE RETARDS'
Prime Suspect creator Lynda La Plante has described BBC commissioners who reject her projects as "retards". The writer told the Dubai literature festival that BBC chiefs "hate" her, adding: "They are just retards." Three years ago, she complained she is a victim of political correctness, saying: "If my name were Usafi Iqbadal and I was 19, then [the BBC would] probably bring me in and talk."
6. BLAIR'S 'EVANGELICAL' IRAQ APPROACH
Tony Blair's stance on Iraq was guided by a “black and white” world view that was “more evangelical than the American Christian Right”, says the man who was Britain's ambassador to Washington during the run-up to the war. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Sir Christopher Meyer adds that Blair told George Bush: "I'm with you whatever."
7. VENGEFUL PRYCE 'STILL LOVED' HUHNE
Vicky Pryce was still in love with Chris Huhne as she set out to destroy his career, says Sunday Times political editor Isabel Oakeshott, a confidant of Pryce. “For all her anger and desire for revenge, I was sure she still loved her husband and wanted him back,” Oakeshott writes. Pryce and Huhne are expected to be jailed tomorrow after both were convicted of perverting the course of justice.
8. QUEEN TO SIGN EQUAL RIGHTS CHARTER
The Queen will sign a Commonwealth charter opposing discrimination suffered by women, gay people and ethnic minorities. The charter states that signatories oppose “all forms of discrimination, whether rooted in gender, race, colour, creed, political belief or other grounds”. David Davies MP commented: "One can’t help wondering what Prince Philip’s view would be.”
9. FALKLANDS VOTE IN REFERENDUM
Residents of the Falkland Islands are voting in a referendum on whether to remain a British Overseas Territory. It is widely believed that the result will be a resounding 'yes' to remaining British, with union flags and 'Vote Yes' posters covering the islands. Some 1,672 people are eligible to vote out of the islands' total population of about 2,900.
10. TEVEZ TRIO TOPPLES THE TYKES
A hat-trick from Carlos Tevez helped Manchester City beat Barnsley 5-0 and book a place in the FA Cup semi-finals. Today, Manchester United host Chelsea. On the eve of the tie Sir Alex Ferguson claimed the FA punishes Wayne Rooney "more than anyone in the game". Fergie says Rooney should stop his off-field activities with the FA. "I keep telling him he’s too trusting," he said.
