Deborah McGurran, Political editor, East of England

Deborah McGurran Political editor, East of England

This is where you can come for my take on politics with an eastern twist - from Lowestoft to Luton

Europe: Tory unity under scrutiny

"The Conservative Party has never been more united on Europe than it is now," declares Peter Bone.

Yes, he is the man behind the the EU referendum amendment to the Queen's Speech and yes, that's the amendment hailed as proof that the party is divided.

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Tory MPs mull UKIP joint ticket idea

Could we see MPs from the east of England standing on a joint Conservative/UKIP ticket come the next election?

That intriguing prospect is being mulled over by several of our MPs as they ponder the impact of the local election results.

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UKIP leader's 'steep learning curve'

The UK Independence Party does not have many household names in the east of England but Richard "Toby" Coke could soon become one of them.

The former Scots Guardsman is now member for Gayton and Nar Valley, one of 14 new UKIP councillors on Norfolk County Council.

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Cambridgeshire Tories lose control

In an extraordinary election the Conservatives have lost control of Cambridgeshire for the first time in 16 years.

The Lib Dems said they were hopeful of gains across the county in what is traditionally a Lib Dem versus Conservative battleground. The reality was that their vote dissolved and they lost seven seats.

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Delays to rail franchise changes

Simon Burns said what everyone else in the room was probably thinking: "It's a mess, its unacceptable and it should never happen again."

The minister for railways was giving evidence to the Transport Select Committee about the plans to offer new rail franchises, most of which have had to be put on hold following the shambles over the West Coast mainline.

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A country called Europe

A country called Europe is emerging on our doorstep, according to Northamptonshire MP Andrea Leadsom, and it has deep implications for our democracy.

The South Northamptonshire MP is on a mission to keep Great Britain sovereign.

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Warm applause for Dalai Lama visit

He's 77 years old and he says he's retired from political engagement. But the Dalai Lama is still revered wherever he goes.

Hundreds of students in Cambridge heard him preach his message of peace when he addressed a conference in the city - some were even lucky enough to meet him.

Miliband campaigns using soap box

It was during the general election of 1992 that John Major discovered the value of a soap box. Now, 21 years on, the man who hopes to be our next prime minister is using the same idea.

Ed Miliband took to a soap box beside the Guildhall in Cambridge Market to try to sell Labour's message for this year's local elections.

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Tributes to the Iron Lady

The former Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, has died aged 87.

The first woman to run the country was famous for introducing the "right to buy" council houses (1980), the 1982 Falklands War, the 1984 miners strike and in 1990, the poll tax. She shaped the politics of a generation.

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Green Party hits out at welfare cuts

This region is one of the Green Party's centres of power.

They have six county councillors in Norfolk, so it's no surprise the party's leader, Natalie Bennett, has come to Norwich to launch its campaign for the county council elections.

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Farage packs them in

There can't be many senior politicians who are able to pack a hall on a freezing, snowy night and then, when the meeting's over, roll into the local pub and hold fort at the bar for the next hour and a half.

Step forward, Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party.

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Boost for science in the east

The budget may have been low on specifics but it is already clear that one part of the region is going to do very well out of the Chancellor.

We understand that a large part of the £1.6bn announced for research and development will be going into agriscience.

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Cambridge confirmed as world leader

Vince Cable faced a diary clash; he could either go to the West Country to make a major aerospace funding announcement with the Deputy Prime Minister, or he could launch Cambridge Business Week.

"I decided to come here not just for sentimental reasons but because I recognise the importance of what you're doing", the Cambridge graduate told his audience,

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Praise for Uttlesford's cost-cutting

When Local Government Minister Brandon Lewis talks to councils about cutting costs and being more efficient he has a number of examples from the East which he likes to quote.

He tells them about Breckland in Norfolk, which shares its chief executive with two other authorities and about Daventry and South Norfolk who are making money from renting out property. All these measures allow the authorities to keep down council tax.

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Green Party's birthday conference

A group of friends gathering in a Warwickshire pub, inspired to save the planet by an article in "playboy" magazine, was the unlikely beginning of the modern day Green Party.

No one would have predicted they'd still be here 40 years on but they are - particularly in this region.

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Right and left united over tax

It's a first for the Stevenage MP Stephen McPartland - but not one that you would expect.

Mr McPartland is the first Conservative MP to have an article published in the left wing newspaper the Morning Star.

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Boris identifies Stansted potential

Boris Johnson's plans for dealing with airport capacity in the South East have been variously described by his critics as "far fetched", "hare-brained", "insane" and "not commercially viable".

But you would fail to take the Mayor of London seriously at your peril , which is why his plans for a brand new hub airport to the east of London - impacting on our region - carry some weight.

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Eastern road schemes move forward

Everyone involved in planning will tell you that when it comes to getting road schemes built you need the patience of a saint.

First you need to drum up support for the idea, then you need to persuade someone to fund a proper study.

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Norfolk council leader quits

It was probably best summed up by the President of the Norfolk Labour party.

"There is nothing like a swift and bloody coup and the Tories do it so ruthlessly" tweeted Steve Morphew, minutes after we broke the news of the resignation of Derrick Murphy as Conservative group leader on Friday.

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Campaign for sixth form colleges

Our sixth form colleges deserve better, according to the Liberal Democrats.

The call for a fair funding formula to prevent them losing out to school sixth forms has been echoing across the green benches.

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About Deborah

Deborah McGurran is BBC East's political editor, based in Norwich.

She has worked in regional TV since 1990 when she began as a regional journalist for North West Tonight.

She has been editor for a decade and was nominated for an RTS for the expenses scandal story on Margaret Moran.

She moved to Essex with her family and started working in the east 15 years ago.

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