"One last go at negotiating a better deal"? That was David Cameron's offer on the campaign trail yesterday, Chris Hope and Bruno Waterfield report. A YouGov poll for the Sun finds that 71% of voters don't believe that the PM can pull it off, while Labour's Gareth Thomas says that it won't happen while Mr Cameron "spends more time negotiating with his backbenchers than negotiating with other European leaders".
Closer to home, those backbenchers may secure the U-turn on the European Arrest Warrant that they crave, Rowena Mason writes in the Guardian. That U-turn, coupled with the stronger controls on migration, may be enough to win back the Ukip defectors to the Conservative fold, but James Kirkup is sceptical. Those who believe otherwise have been boosted by a new poll showing two thirds of Kippers want a Tory majority government after the next election, however.
Meanwhile, the PM's plan for an Australian-style points system or an "emergency brake" will be "immensely difficult" to secure and are possibly illegal under EU law, a senior European diplomat tells the Telegraph. But don't despair, the Sun declares in its leader: "The EU needs us to stay. We don't believe it will call Britain's bluff if the PM hands it an ultimatum." Besides, our leader notes, "winning genuine reform on the issue is the best way for Mr Cameron to win his referendum".
DEJA VU
Jim Pickard reveals that a new anti-Ukip unit has been formed by Ed Miliband to tackle the seepage of Labour voters to Nigel Farage's party in the FT. The unit will be headed up by Yvette Cooper, John Healey, Jon Trickett and Caroline Flint, four of the party's most senior Northern MPs and report to Douglas Alexander. But the unit has already come under fire from Labour insiders for being more of the same after a previous anti-Ukip unit launched in February failed to prevent Mr Farage's party finishing first in the European elections or giving Labour a fright in Heywood & Middleton. It's the same new anti-Ukip unit has been blasted by Labour insiders as more of the same. That Labour's anti-Green unit is headed by Sadiq Khan, an Ed Miliband supporter, while none of the MPs responsible for tackling Mr Farage voted for the Labour leader, shows that it is low down the Labour leader's list of priorities, sources tell me.
ISIL FIGHTERS COULD BE TRIED FOR TREASON
British jihadis who go to fight for Isil in Syria and Iraq could be tried for treason, Philip Hammond said in the House yesterday. Although no-one has been prosecuted for treason since William Joyce was hanged for his role in German propaganda broadcasts in 1946, the offence remains on the statute books, Steven Swinford explains.
NIGEL NO MATES
Ukip are close to £1m the poorer after Iveta Grigule, MEP for the Latvian Farmers Union, left his anti-EU grouping in the European Parliament. It means that the group does not represent enough European nations to have speaking rights and loses access to a large chunk of EU funding, Andy Grice explains in the Indy. It's the result of dirty tricks from Martin Schulz, the president of the Parliament, Mr Farage says, who adds that Mr Schulz would be more suited to a "banana republic" than the European Parliament.
BALLS CHOPPED?
The Times reports that close allies of Ed Balls fear that he could be moved from his position at the head of the shadow Treasury team. Sources tell Sam Coates that the Shadow Chancellor's opposition to capping tuition fees at £6,000 is at the root of the problem, but I'm told that it was Team Miliband, not Team Balls, who were behind the decision not to announce a lower cap on fees at conference in order to focus on the NHS. The leader's office has two big, as yet unrevealed announcements, that will be released nearer the election for maximum impact. Elsewhere, Jim Pickard has a primer on the key factions within the Labour Party.
BETTER OFF WITH AN APPLE A DAYFour out of five hospitals inspected by regulators are not safe, Laura Donnelly reports. The findings come from Care Quality Commission, a new "Ofsted for hospitals" introduced by Jeremy Hunt to improve clinical care.
LABOUR VS GLAZERS
A Labour government would give supporters a legal right to at least two directors on the board of football clubs and a first refusal on an 10% chunk when 30% or above of a stake of any club in England or Wales changed hands, Owen Gibson reports in the Guardian.
IT'S UP TO EU TO STOP EBOLA
The PM will call on other European leaders to "do more" to stop the spread of Ebola by screening at airports at a European summit today. To date, only Britain, France and the Czech Republic have introduced screening. A LOT OF MONEY FOR A LAWN ORNAMENT
A statue of David Cameron on a bike fetched around £25,000 when it was sold at a fundraisers' auction, according to James Lyons in the Mirror.
LOVE DON'T ROAM
"I'm fairly certain I've never had sex south of the river," Chris Bryant MP tells the Times Diary.
AND SO HE SPOKE, AND SO HE SPOKE
Michael Gove has praised fan favourite Tyrion Lannister of the popular Game of Thrones sequence of novels, praising this "misshapen dwarf...thought to be in the eyes of some, a toxic figure" in a surreal video that you can watch here.
Our cartoon is the work of Christian Adams; see a gallery of his workhere. You can get in touch with me by hitting "reply", or on Twitter.
A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS
Better regulation, new aircraft technologies, increasing competition and innovation are reshaping aviation. Low cost carriers now account for more than 50% of the UK short haul market and they are expanding intothe business sector and medium and long haul markets. New ‘hub-buster’ aircraft such as Boeing’s 787 are able to fly people further and at less cost than ever before, reducing the need to transfer between flights.
POLL OF POLLS
Poll of polls 10th to 17th October (Opinium-Populus-ICM-IpsosMori-Survation-YouGov)
Conservatives 31% Labour 34% Liberal Democrat 9% Ukip 16% Others 10%
LATEST POLLS
YouGov: Conservatives 31%, Labour 32%, Liberal Democrats 8%, Ukip 18%
TOO MANY TWEETS...
Another MP tries to outflank Ukip:
@jreedmp: People who take their shoes off on the train. Capital offence?
COMMENT
From the Telegraph
Fraser Nelson - Ebola may be gruesome but it's not the biggest threat to Africa
Jeremy Warner - For stock markets, October is the cruellest month
From elsewhere
Gaby Hinsliff - Lord Freud was crass, but he's started a vital discussion on self-employment (Guardian)
John McTernan - Small world for UK politicians (Scotsman)
AGENDA1530 LONDON: A petition calling on the Prime Minister to intervene in the blasphemy case of Mohammad Asghar to be delivered.
1630 LONDON: Living Wage Action at HMRC. A group of Whitehall Cleaners and supporters will be leafleting civil servants
IN THE HOUSE
European Union (Referendum) Bill - Second reading.
Transparency and Accountability Bill - Second reading.
EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill - Second reading.
Health Service Commissioner for England (Complaint Handling) Bill - Second reading.
Wild Animals in Circuses Bill - Second reading.
Service Charges, Gratuities and Cover Charges (Hospitality, Leisure and Service Sectors) (Statutory Code) Bill - Second reading.
House of Commons Members' Fund Bill - Second reading.
Civil Partnership Act 2004 (Amendment) Bill - Second reading.
Specialist Printing Equipment and Materials (Offences) Bill - Second reading.
A short debate on journey times between London and Worcester on the North Cotswold line
