New cabinet & Umunna leader bid

1. David Cameron appoints new junior ministers before holding first cabinet meeting
2. He says measures to extend free childcare and lower the benefits cap will be in the first Queen's Speech
3. Chuka Umunna says he will run for the Labour leadership
4. Nigel Farage says his reinstatement as UKIP leader is "the right thing for the party"
5. Would-be Lib Dem leader Norman Lamb says his party has learned an "extremely painful" lesson from the tuition fees U-turn

Tuesday night round-up

It's almost time to say goodnight but before we do, here's a reminder of some of the evening's best bits:

- Labour's vice chair Michael Dugher let rip at his party saying Ed Miliband's team had "too many pointy-heads and too few street fighters". (see 18:15)

- "I am not a US senator" - Douglas Carswell's reason for not accepting UKIP officials' offer of 15 new staff members paid for by public money. (see 16:32)

- Arnie, yes Arnold Schwarzenegger, tweets his congratulations to David Cameron. Who knew? (see 23:42)

- The Monster Raving Loony Party got more votes than the BNP (see 22:27)

Our Politics Live morning crew will be back with you from 06:00 to bring you the latest on Labour's leadership contest, new job figures and all the news from Downing Street and the Scottish Parliament.

Until then, goodnight!

Can Cameron pull off 'working class Toryism'?

Wednesday's Times front page

The Times

Arnie (the Terminator) congratulates PM

Hughes shed tears over election loss

Newsnight

BBC screengrab

What do you do when you lose the job you've had for the 32 years? For Liberal Democrat Simon Hughes, who was beaten in Southwark by Labour's Neil Coyle, it was a case of drowning his sorrows and shedding a few tears.

He tells Newsnight that he and his team stayed up until seven in the morning at the house of the local party chairman.

"We did drown our sorrows. Some of my colleagues were beside themselves."

"At eight o'clock in the morning, I had a few moments of tearfulness," he admits.

Wednesday's Daily Mirror front page

Daily Mirror

Wednesday's i front page

i

Wednesday's Sun front page

The Sun

Labour leadership contest: Who and When?

Newsnight

Newsnight's Laura Kuenssberg has been reflecting on Labour's quest to find a new leader, in particular the most-recently announced contender - Chuka Umunna. She says he came into Parliament in 2010 and every year his suits have got sharper. He's always been seen as smart and ambitious, metropolitan and a moderniser - he appeared alongside Lord Mandelson on Andrew Marr's sofa on Sunday. But, she says, he will have tough competition from the likes of Yvette Cooper and Andy Burnham who are expected to announce their intentions within days.

Tomorrow, Labour's National Executive Committee will meet to decide on the timing of the leadership contest. The options are:

- wrap up by the end of July and get on with opposing the Tories (this could benefit the likes of Yvette Cooper and Andy Burnham who have the experience to crack on)

- September, just before conference

- at party conference (this appears to be off the table as no-one wants a repeat of the Miliband brothers' contest which distracted everyone from the messages coming from the platform).

Daily Express front page

Daily Express

Wednesday's Independent front page

The Independent

Wednesday's Daily Mail front page

Daily Mail

Wednesday's Guardian front page

The Guardian

Monster Raving Loony Party beats BNP

Wednesday's The National front page

The National

Wednesday's Daily Telegraph front page

Daily Telegraph

Wednesday's Metro front page

Metro

Wednesday's FT front page

FT

Lib Dem Lamb 'backs Tories on EU vote'

Norman Lamb, the first Liberal Democrat MP to throw his hat into the ring to become the party's next leader, has been speaking to LBC Radio, where he's said he would back an in/out referendum on the EU:

It's going to happen in this parliament, at least that's what the prime minister has said, and I think we should embrace it."

Asked if that meant Lib Dems should vote for the legislation enabling the referendum to take place, he said:

I think that pro-Europeans need to have self-confidence, we should go out and argue the case. I think it's a referendum that can be won, I think it's critically in the national interest that we remain in the EU, but I will always argue the case for reform of the EU."

The Lib Dems have previously argued that a referendum should only be held if powers are transferred from the UK to Brussels.

Chris Grayling 'very happy' at becoming chief whip

Reuters

Government Chief Whip Chris Grayling has been telling his local paper he is "very happy" with his new job, having said to the Epsom Guardian on election night he wanted to stay as justice secretary.

The Epsom and Ewell MP tells the paper he "had to" give the reply he did on Thursday evening when asked about remaining as justice secretary, and added:

"I'm very happy with the new job."

And, Mr Grayling continues, he had already had a "long chat" with his successor Michael Gove - but would not be offering him any advice.

We have really done a swap as Michael Gove was chief whip... it’s important he does what he thinks is right. There are budgetary challenges ahead, but it’s important for someone who has already done the job not to be a back seat driver."

Rights old row

There appears to be a potential rammy - to use the Scottish vernacular - brewing between Westminster and Edinburgh over the UK government's plan to replace the Human Rights Act (HRA) with a British Bill of Rights.

The issue at stake is whether the UK's justice department has the authority to enforce the change on Scotland, which is a different legal jurisdiction from England and Wales.

New Scottish Secretary David Mundell has insisted that as the bill of rights is new legislation, it will apply in Scotland.

But the Scottish Justice Secretary Michael Matheson has said he will "robustly oppose any attempt by the UK government to repeal the Human Rights Act or to withdraw from the ECHR".

You can read the full story here .

On this day in history: Labour leader John Smith dies

PA

On this day in 1994, then-Labour leader John Smith died at the age of 55, having suffered a heart attack in his London flat.

You can read more about the story on the BBC's On This Day page.

'Join the opposition'

PA

Acting Labour leader Harriet Harman has emailed supporters, promising them the party will be:

the most effective, determined voice of opposition to this government we possibly can be right from day one."

Ms Harman - who will stand down as Labour Party deputy leader once Ed Miliband's replacement has been chosen, said:

Our defeat last week was deeply disappointing. Our opponents are hoping that we will feel absolutely crushed. But let me tell you this: we are not crushed. Yes, we have been defeated — but we are not defeatist."

And Ms Harman adds:

They've made promises on the NHS — if they break them, we will call them out on it, and fight them every step of the way. They are threatening £12bn of welfare cuts — we will do everything we can to protect those who will suffer the most."

Who's who?

Now that the last ministerial posts have been filled, here's a reminder of who's who in the new cabinet - we'll be asking questions later.

Warning as Tory peers outnumbered

David Cameron is facing a mammoth task pushing Conservative pledges through the House of Lords,Tory grandee Baroness Shephard warns in an interview with the Evening Standard.

Labour and Liberal Democrat peers, who vastly outnumber Tories, have set the stage for “lots of late nights”, she says.

But she cautions the prime minister against stuffing the Lords with new friendly peers, claiming it would damage the House’s reputation.

Inside Westminster's new third party

Vaizey welcomed back to office

Europe turns attention to UK

AP

Germany's Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble with chancellor George Osborne

BBC Europe editor Katya Adler is in Brussels where George Osborne attended a meeting of finance ministers. With a UK referendum now in sight, the unofficial focus of the meeting was on George Osborne himself, she says. Mr Osborne was sounding very determined, she adds, and his message was that the UK wants to improve its relationship with the EU. The German finance minister says he had a "good chat" with Mr Osborne and agreed to try to make progress on what the UK wants. David Cameron, she says, is in a very strong starting position after his decisive election victory. For now, there is a certain openness and cautious enthusiasm for reform.

And you thought all the appointments had been made?

Number 10 has confirmed two more appointments to the government team.

BBC

David Lidington, who was Europe minister in the last government, looks set to continue playing a key role in the negotiations ahead of the promised referendum after being reappointed at the Foreign Office

PA

And Francis Maude, who stood down as an MP at the election, looks set to be made a peer to take up the post of trade and investment minister, in a joint role at the Business department and Foreign Office.

Trade union votes

New minister 'supports equal marriage'

Getty Images

There's been a bit of a flutter among the commentariat this afternoon about how the new minister for equalities, Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage, didn't vote for same-sex marriage in the last parliament.

In a statement, issued through the Department for Education, Ms Dinenage said:

I know that some people may be concerned about my voting record on same sex marriage however, I want to be clear - I am fully committed to advancing the cause of LGB&T equality and support the law on same sex marriage. I'm proud that the UK has just been named the most progressive country in Europe for LGB&T rights for the fifth year running, but as the new minister for equalities I know there's no room for complacency."

But Ruth Hunt, chief executive of Stonewall said the organisation was "disappointed" there were currently no openly LGB or T people attending cabinet. She said in a statement:

There is still a lot to do to secure full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people, and we will work closely with Caroline Dinenage to ensure this is high on the agenda for this government."

O'Flynn defends Carswell over public cash row

Cooper and Burnham announcement 'not imminent'

Iain Watson

Political correspondent

There will be no announcement tomorrow from either Yvette Cooper or Andy Burnham that they will stand (though both are expected to declare and the former at some point this week).

Miliband team 'had too many pointy-heads'

PA

Labour's Michael Dugher has been venting to the New Statesman about where his party went wrong. He says Ed Miliband's team had "too many pointy-heads and too few street fighters".

The party fell into an "elephant trap" when it campaigned against Scottish independence with the Tories, he adds.

"We shouldn't have been in bed with the Tories. It was a complete strategic disaster. It killed us. It should have been a contest between two competing alternative visions for a changed Scotland."

Public cash for UKIP - update

Robin Brant

Political Correspondent

Further to reports of a row between UKIP and its MP Douglas Carswell (see 16:32) over what public funding he should receive, here's an update.

A senior UKIP official close to Nigel Farage has accused the party's only MP of "absurd" and "improper" behaviour after claims that Douglas Carswell was asked to recruit 15 extra staff for his parliamentary office.

The source told the BBC the Clacton MP sent an email yesterday saying he wanted sole control of around £650,000 that UKIP is set to receive in what's known as short money for opposition parties.

They suggested this was an "improper" proposal. They said the party planned to give Douglas Carswell staff but added "at no point have we said what we expect him to do". The senior party staffer said "this is him throwing his toys out of pram because he thought Nigel wouldn't be leader any more".

UKIP has insisted that the public funds will go to the party irrespective of Mr Carswell's views, saying they've "triple, quadruple checked that".

The source said "it's for us to spend as we want to spend it" and they added that "the party will take a dim view of four million people going unrepresented" if the Essex MP refuses to accept some of the money.

SNP's Robertson reappointed Westminster leader

PA

The MP for Moray, Angus Robertson, has been reappointed as leader of a much enhanced SNP group in the House of Commons.

While Mr Robertson had previously led a group of six MPs in Westminster, he is now responsible for a further 50, following the party's landslide in Scotland.

SNP deputy leader Stewart Hosie was appointed deputy group leader following a meeting of the party's MPs earlier.

Mr Robertson spoke of his gratitude to Mr Hosie for his support and to former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, who returns to Westminster after a five-year gap:

We have been announced as Westminster's third largest party - meaning we are better-placed to hold the UK government to account. Our MPs are committed to making Scotland's voice heard at every opportunity. Our MPs will continue to oppose the renewal of Trident, the Tories' unfair and punishing austerity agenda, and we will press for new powers for Scotland."

MPs 'spent £70,000 on high-tech kit'

BBC

Figures from the parliamentary expenses watchdog Ipsa show MPs spent £70,000 on new technology, six months before the general election.

According to Ipsa, 60 MPs submitted claims for new gadgets, including iPhones, iPads and computers, just before a moratorium on such spending came into effect last September.

While the watchdog concluded no rules had been broken, it did call on those MPs who were standing down at the election to consider donating the items to their successor, another MP, or to charity.

Baker: Left-wing 'punished us'

Getty Images

Ousted Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker says left-wing voters punished his party at the polls "but they have punished themselves even more" by allowing a Conservative government to be elected.

Mr Baker, who served as a Home Office minister for part of the last Parliament, lost the East Sussex seat of Lewes to the Conservatives by 1,083 votes.

In a post on his blog, Mr Baker said his party had "dealt effectively with the Tory vote" but lost because of the rise in support for left-wing parties.

Sadly, we saw a significant shift of voters to Labour and Green, particularly in Lewes itself, which handed the seat to the Tories. Those on the left who wanted to punish us for the coalition have done that, but they have punished themselves even more in the process - helping to elect a Tory MP and put in place a Tory majority government."

Norman Bakerex-Lib Dem MP

Mr Baker attacked Labour's campaign in Lewes:

It was preposterous for Labour to run a 'we can win here' campaign, when they had never won the seat and in the end came fourth. They did not even win a single town council seat. But they doubled their vote to just under 10% and that, with the increased Green vote, was enough to allow the Tories in."

Norman Bakerex-Lib Dem MP

Mr Baker said he would now return to being a "private individual".

I have no regrets at all, and if someone had told me in 1987 that the deal was that I would be a councillor for 16 years, council leader for six, an MP for 18 years, and a minister for four and a half years, I would have said that that was a pretty good deal."

Norman Bakerex-Lib Dem MP

Unison 'backs' Jim Murphy

Carswell: I am not a US senator

Robin Brant

Political Correspondent

Reuters

A major stand-off has developed between senior UKIP figures and the party's only MP over public money they are entitled to receive. UKIP is entitled to around £650,000 of what's known as short money which goes to opposition parties to help finance their back-room operations.

I understand Douglas Carswell was approached by UKIP's party secretary yesterday and asked to recruit 15 extra staff for his parliamentary office. The Clacton MP rejected the proposal, making it clear he was not going to agree to the plan, which sources close to him have described as "improper". It's also believed that the Essex MP thinks spending that amount of taxpayers' money is "not what we're about".

It's believed that details of the dispute were made public by UKIP party officials following Mr Carswell's refusal to agree. Mr Carswell told the BBC: "I am not a US senator", adding, "I don't need 15 staff". He ended by saying: "UKIP is supposed to be different."

How many billions extra does the NHS need?

The Daily Politics

The extra £8bn for the NHS in England promised by the incoming Conservative government was the "bare minimum" said Chris Ham of the King's Fund, who spoke of a black hole in health and social care funding.

He spoke to Andrew Neil on the Daily Politics, along with Conservative MP and GP Sarah Wollaston, and former Labour Health Secretary Alan Milburn about spending on health care.

Watch the clip

BBC

Fighting talk

A quick recap

BBC

A quick recap on the day's events so far, as the early team take our leave and hand over to the late team.

David Cameron's new Conservative-only cabinet has held its first meeting and the prime minister has also appointed a number of junior ministers.

Business Secretary Sajid Javid told the BBC he was keen to press ahead with plans to require any strike ballot to have a minimum turnout of 50% of union members eligible to vote - on the same day that the RMT rail union announced strike action as a result of a ballot which it claimed had a 60% turnout.

Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna has followed shadow health minister Liz Kendall in throwing his hat into the ring to be the next Labour leader. MPs Stella Creasy and Ben Bradshaw are rumoured to be considering bids for the deputy leadership.

And Lib Dem MP Norman Lamb has indicated that he will stand to succeed Nick Clegg as his party's leader.

UKIP '100% behind Nigel'

AFP

We've received an email from UKIP chairman Steve Crowther about the Nigel Farage un-resignation.

He writes: "There was not the slightest suggestion that the NEC was anything other than unanimous in its wish for Nigel to withdraw his resignation. He spent a considerable time making the case for his resignation, and the appointment of an interim leader, but there was no-one in the committee who did not want him to stay on. He left the room while it was further discussed.

"I took the views of members and they unanimously asked him to remain as leader. The NEC is 100% behind Nigel as we go forward into the referendum campaign which is already under way."

SNP MPs to chair Commons committees

Sources at Westminster have indicated the SNP will be given control of two Commons Select Committees as a result of their increase in numbers. Parliamentary convention dictates that the official third largest party at Westminster gets to chair a number of the committees, which scrutinise the work of government departments. Now the SNP has 56 MPs, it has overtaken the Liberal Democrats as the third largest party. The SNP is expected to take over the chairmanship of the Scottish affairs committee and another, yet to be decided.

SNP get down to business

Umunna: Labour must address aspirations

Labour leadership candidate Chuka Umunna tells the BBC that the party needs "to be very clear that we want to address the insecurities, but also the aspirations of people all the way up the income scale".

Labour, as the name suggests, is "about good, fulfilling work for those that want to make the effort," he adds, which also means supporting those who create wealth and create jobs.

He argues that Labour's election programme did contain measures to "help the wealth creators" but the party did not get that message across sufficiently.

He also says Labour needs to draw attention to what he calls "the terrible things the Conservatives want to do" that will stand in the way of people's ambitions.

Umunna on Labour's 'collective failure'

BBC

I think Ed was too hard on himself by saying that all the responsibility for the general election rested with him. I don't think it did. It was a collective failure on the part of the front team, so to speak."

Chuka UmunnaLabour leadership contender

No Wales powers bill in first year?

PA

A new law giving more powers to the Welsh Assembly - pictured above - is unlikely to be in UK ministers' plans for their first year in office.

BBC Wales understands the proposed Wales Bill will not be among the early laws to be debated by MPs.

During the general election campaign, Chancellor George Osborne promised Welsh legislation within 100 days of the Conservatives taking power.

Now ministers say they want to get the detail of any new law right, rather than meet an artificial deadline.

Cameron speaks in Stockton

Clegg hails new Lib Dem members

Bradshaw to run for Labour deputy?

BBC

Ben Bradshaw is preparing to stand for Labour deputy leader,according to MailOnline.

The Exeter MP and former culture secretary yesterday urged Lord Sugar not to quit the party and "help us back to sanity, ensuring we win in 2020".

The Mail quotes some critical words from Mr Bradshaw about Labour's campaign under Ed Miliband:

Ed and his team bet on the British people moving to the left in response to the global financial crisis. The whole of our strategy was based on this. But it was not true. There was never any evidence either here or abroad that it would be."

The Blue Collar Blues

Marc Williams

Newsnight Election Producer

There has been a lot of talk about how David Cameron's cabinet Reshuffle was designed to promote advocates of "Blue Collar Conservatism" like Sajid Javid and Robert Halfon.

But getting the votes of who statisticians call DEs and who most people would call the "working classes" (although the E class includes some pensioners and unemployed) is a real problem for all of what, before the Lib Dem collapse, used to be called the three main parties.

Let's look at their performance in this area since October 1974:

Newsnight

The 2015 figures are taken from Lord Ashcroft's post-election survey and so should be taken with a pinch of salt. Here's the chart of the same data:

Newsnight

A few points:

- If the Ashcroft poll is correct, the Tory High Command will be disappointed that their vote share among DEs has sunk towards the level of their 1997 landslide defeat

- The Labour Party is experiencing a long and seemingly systemic decline in their DE vote which began in 1997

- The total share of the DE vote seized by the three main parties has collapsed to a low of just 65%, again, assuming the Ashcroft poll is correct

- There are two big beneficiaries of this: first, UKIP, who got 20% of the DE vote (just below the Tories); second, the SNP, who hoovered up the traditional Labour vote to achieve those remarkable swings last Thursday

A big challenge awaits the Tories and Labour on this front. The Tories need to push their DE support back up to the 30% level if they are to achieve the sustained electoral success of the party between 1979 and 1992. Labour urgently need to stem the flow of DE people away from them if they are to stand any chance of retaking their former Scottish heartlands AND head off a possible similar collapse to UKIP in 2020 in their Northern strongholds.

BBC future under new culture secretary

The Daily Politics

BBC

Tuesday's newspapers raised fears for the BBC under new Culture Secretary John Whittingdale, who has previously spoken out against the licence fee.

Andrew Neil and Jo Coburn heard from Conservative MP Philip Davies, who sat on the culture, media and sport committee in the last parliament and Chris Bryant, a Labour MP and shadow culture secretary, about the future of the broadcaster and whether it was too dominant. Watch the debate.

Magnanimous in victory

Reaction to Caroline Dinenage appointment

Government opposes migrant quotas

EPA

The Home Office says the United Kingdom will not take part in any European Union scheme to relocate migrants travelling across the Mediterranean. The European Commission is to propose that EU member countries take in refugees under a quota scheme. This will need to be be agreed by EU states.

The United Nations estimates that 60,000 people have attempted to make the journey on people smuggling boats this year already.

A Home Office spokesperson said:

The UK has a proud history of offering asylum to those who need it most but we do not believe that a mandatory system of resettlement is the answer. We will oppose any EU Commission proposals to introduce a non-voluntary quota. Our focus must be on targeting and stopping the callous criminals who lie behind this vile trade in human beings. Therefore, we will continue to focus our efforts on enhancing work between the law enforcement agencies, working within the countries of origin and transit and establishing a more effective process of returning illegal migrants."

The spokesman added: "When a new piece of legislation in the area of justice and home affairs - including asylum policy - is proposed, the UK can choose whether or not to participate in it."

From the lobby

Carole Walker

Political correspondent

AP

The prime minister’s spokesman said there was no change in the position or timetable for an EU referendum. He said that as the PM has set out on a number of occasions, you do need some time to renegotiate a new relationship and the PM would not want to make promises he could not keep. The spokesman added: “If we can do it earlier we will, but I would underline there is no change in the position.“

He said the renegotiation would be led by the PM along with the chancellor, foreign secretary, minister for Europe and other relevant cabinet ministers.

Asked about treaty change, the spokesman said: “We want treaty change.” He said all the advice was that treaty change was required for the reforms the government wants to introduce on issues such as access to welfare.

He said David Cameron would be saying more about this at the June EU council and would take the opportunity for preparatory discussions in bilateral meetings ahead of that.

Another Lib Dem hopeful?

We know Norman Lamb is running for the Lib Dem leadership and the expectation is that Tim Farron will also join the race. But could there be a third candidate - MP for Leeds North West, Greg Mulholland? He's been teasing his Twitter followers in the last couple of hours...

A top five of political comebacks

The Daily Politics

BBC

UKIP's leader carried out his promise to stand down if he failed to win his seat at the general election. But in a Daily Politics film, Adam Fleming looks at how Nigel Farage was not the first politician to make a quick comeback to the political stage, after standing down. The list is made up of Iain Duncan Smith, Winston Churchill, Peter Mandelson, Alex Salmond and Nigel Farage. Watch the film

'Appalling thing to do'

PA

Nicola Sturgeon says the Scottish government will resist any attempt by the UK government to scrap the Human Rights Act north of the border. New Scottish Secretary David Mundell told BBC Scotland this morning any such move would apply to the whole of the UK. But speaking on a visit to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, Ms Sturgeon said:

I oppose the repeal of the Human Rights Act, I think it's an appalling thing to be doing. Human rights are there to protect all of us, for example it was the Human Rights Act that enabled people to go to court to object against the bedroom tax. The idea that we take away human rights, I think, is just an awful suggestion, so the Scottish government will oppose that and work hard to make sure that in Scotland people still get vital human rights protection."

Back in Westminster

Reaction to Raab appointment

'Let's get it over with'

Sam Fawcett, deputy editor of The Young Fabians, is strongly in favour of keeping the Labour leadership race short and sweet.

In his view, "no one is interested in a serious debate. Basically, if you’ve followed politics since the election, you’ve already heard the debate enough times."

He also wonders if six long months of "candidates in the public arena hammering Ed Miliband" is really "going to win back disillusioned or wavering voters?"

Finally he adds: "Whatever happens, it’s going to be a messy business", so "let's get it over with".

Analysis: Chuka joins the race

Laura Kuenssberg

Newsnight Chief Correspondent

Chuka Umunna joins Liz Kendall, the only other candidate who has so far gone public with her plans to run for the Labour leaderhip, but within days Yvette Cooper and Andy Burnham are expected to join the race. Tristram Hunt, the shadow education secretary, is highly likely to go for it too. But don't be surprised if other potential candidates emerge. Last night neither the party's energy spokesperson Caroline Flint or Mary Creagh would rule it out.

The two issues preoccupying lots of Labour MPs right now are how long the contest should be, and whether or not the party should skip a generation for its next leader and look to someone like Umunna or Kendall. One senior figure told me "Andy and Yvette have both got too much baggage".

A short race would benefit candidates like Burnham and Cooper no question - they already have huge name recognition among the party membership. Burnham in particular has spent a lot of time pressing the party flesh in the last couple of years. They might both struggle to shed their associations with the past, and past defeats, but their experience could help too.

A longer race would give lesser known candidates more of a chance to cut through. The model of David Cameron's rise from an unknown contender to the heir apparent of the Tory party in 2005 is being cited by some. Read more from Newsnight.

'Tough and good'

The World at One

BBC Radio 4

PA

Former Conservative Party chairman Baroness Warsi tells The World At One she's optimistic that the new cabinet can alter some of the perceptions she met on the doorsteps while out campaigning.

"I felt that people were voting for us with their head... but we now have the opportunity to show that our hearts are in the right place."

The appointment of more women to cabinet, and people like Sajid Javid - whose father came to the UK with nothing and worked as a bus driver - to the focus on small businesses and the north will all help with that, she says.

It was almost as if anything good that had been done was initiated by the Liberal Democrats... now is the opportunity for the Conservative Party to show it can be both tough and good."

'Ambitious targets'

Getty

The CBI has welcomed the government's focus on apprenticeships and childcare right from the off.

Of the former, Katja Hall, deputy director general, said:

It’s right to set ambitious targets, though employers should get greater control over funding to develop high-quality apprenticeships that work for their industry, helping the UK to combat its growing skills gap. Better coordination between the government and businesses will also ensure apprenticeships are routes to good careers.

And on childcare, Ms Hall added: “Increasing free childcare provision is important, and in time we would like to see the gap closed between the end of maternity leave and the start of free provision.”

Missing minister

There has been no announcement of a minister for Portsmouth in David Cameron's new government. The post was created in January 2014 - the now Defence Secretary Michael Fallon was the first holder - to help the city cope with jobs cut by BAE Systems in the local shipyard.

BBC South's political editor Peter Henley tweeted last night:

But now it seems there might be some movement... A few minutes ago, Peter tweeted this:

MSP resigns

MSP quits and demands Murphy's head

BBC

Labour MSP Alex Rowley has quit as the party's local government spokesman at Holyrood and urged Jim Murphy to stand down as Scottish leader.

In his resignation later, Mr Rowley said the party needs a "fundamental change in direction and strategy". Read more here.

Farage 'too toxic'

The Daily Politics

BBC

Professor Matthew Goodwin, who has written a book on the rise of UKIP, is discussing Nigel Farage's return, after a very brief hiatus, to the top of the party. The feeling among Eurosceptics at Westminster, he says, was that Nigel Farages shouldn't play any role in the EU referendum debate - "he was seen as being too toxic and controversial" - and his resignation made that easier. However, now he's back, "it raises some difficult questions for more moderate Eurosceptics".

Back in the fold

Labour leadership - a road map

Reuters

Just a bit of a heads up on the process we're expecting to see on the Labour leadership front. The party is considering three options to replace Ed Miliband, with a final decision to be taken by the ruling national executive on Wednesday. The options are:

- a short campaign with the result on 31 July

- a longer campaign with the new leader chosen a week or two before the party conference in September

- or using the conference as a final hustings with a ballot after that

Government 'hell-bent' on anti-strike law

Bill Strutton from the GMB union, who is also a low pay commissioner, has also spoken to the Guardian.

The main trade unions will spend some time over the next six months helping to rebuild Labour, but the problems posed by a Conservative government seemingly hell-bent on anti-strike and anti-union legislation will be foremost in our minds. We will adjust to the attacks on our organisations because, as history shows us, trade unions live longer than governments. In short, it's business as usual."

BreakingRaab promoted

Dominic Raab becomes the new Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice.

Union predict 'collapse' of public services

Six union leaders have outlined to the Guardian their concerns about a Conservative-only administration, predicting the "collapse" of public services once the government begins implementing its new austerity plan.

Dave Prentis, the general secretary of Unison, said the consequences of the Conservatives' win "will be stark and distressing for many of those that rely upon, and provide, our public services".

The public will notice. With further pay restraint for NHS staff and council employees - who have already paid a high price under austerity - on the cards, the morale of those working in our under-valued public services is likely to sink yet further. No wonder the government plans further restrictions on the ability of public service workers to take industrial action."

'Defying political gravity'

Alan Milburn says Ed Miliband fought "a commendable campaign" with "dignity" and "a great deal of resilience".

However, Labour was "trying to defy the laws of political gravity" as it was behind with the electorate on both leadership and economic strategy, he argues.

"The disastrous experiment of a core vote strategy didn't even deliver the core vote," he adds.

"You only win when you're firmly in the centre ground."

Labour needs to 'think again'

The Daily Politics

BBC

Labour MP Stella Creasy joins Alan Milburn on the Daily Politics to discuss the future of her party following the election.

She argues that "we have to think again across the piece" including about the way Labour talks to voters.

She said campaigning in the election showed he that people had a sense that "it's not just whether you trust politicians but whether they could actually do any of the things they were talking about being able to do".

Labour needs to be a "grassroots movement" and "can't do everything from Westminster".

Milburn: Labour 'didn't deliver'

The Daily Politics

Former Labour minister Alan Milburn - who has worked as the coalition government's social mobility "tsar" - tells the Daily Politics he hopes David Cameron "really means" what he has said about wanting to lead "the party of working people".

He says the Conservatives' election win was not "a victory of acclamation" but one "by default, because the Labour Party, frankly, didn't deliver the goods."

From 'unresigning' to by-election bid?

BBC Radio 5 Live

Nigel Farage has also been speaking to John Pienaar on 5 Live, telling him that he would like to stand in the next by-election that comes up in a Labour seat.

I've been telling you John and all the Westminster commentators for years that UKIP's greatest potential was amongst the Labour vote. Nobody believed me and arguably the Conservatives got that majority because of the lump we tore out of the Labour vote in the East Midlands and the West Midlands and the north... I would look forward to a by-election in a Labour seat very much indeed."

'How did that happen?'

BBC

Asked if he’d engineered his return, Nigel Farage tells the BBC: "I walked out of meeting yesterday, scratched my head thinking: how did that happen?

“I hadn’t planned it. I genuinely decided to take the summer off and rethink my life.

“A little bit of me feels downtrodden that I’m back at the helm, but it’s the right thing for the party and the right thing for European debate."

He insists he kept his word and wasn’t like other politicians he’d accused of breaking his promises.

It's a very unusual turn of events and not something I’d expected at all when I walked into that room."

Health and BBC debated on the Daily Politics

The Daily Politics

On the Daily Politics, just getting under way on BBC Two, Andrew Neil and Jo Coburn will look at the Labour leadership contest with Stella Creasy MP, and the future of the BBC with Conservative MP Philip Davies who sat on the Culture, Media and Sport committee in the last parliament, and the shadow culture secretary, Chris Bryant.

They will also look at the NHS with Dr Sarah Wollaston MP and Chris Ham from the King’s Fund, along with their guest of the day, the former Labour Health Secretary Alan Milburn.

Reporter Ellie Price has been to Bedford to see if voters think Labour was too left wing, or not left wing enough, ahead of the election. Watch her film.

BBC

Farage defends decision to stay

Nigel Farage has defended his decision to return as leader of UKIP three days after saying he’d resign.

Mr Farage said he did keep his word to quit after failing to win a Westminster seat but was “persuaded to change his mind” by “overwhelming support” from UKIP’s National Executive Committee.

Speaking at the European Parliament in Brussels, Mr Farage told the BBC:

"I resigned. I said I’d resign. I turned up to the NEC meeting with letter in hand fully intending to carry that through. They unanimously said they didn’t want me to do that, they presented me with petitions, signatures, statements from candidates saying it would be a bad thing for UKIP. So I left the meeting went and sat in darkened room to think about what to do and decided for the interest of the party I would accept their kind offer for me to stay and tear up the letter.”

'Mandate to deliver' on manifesto

BBC

A short time ago inside Number 10, David Cameron held up a copy of the Conservatives' election manifesto.

"In here is the programme we have the mandate to deliver," he told the cabinet.

He argued that, as the Tories were no longer in a coalition, "there will be proper accountability" and no "trading away" of manifesto commitments.

And with that, the cameras were abruptly switched off and the media pack ushered from the room before further cabinet discussions.

Farage on 'unresigning'

RMT members vote to strike

On a day when new Business Secretary Sajid Javid argued for a minimum 50% turnout in strike ballots, the RMT rail union confirms an overwhelming vote for industrial action over Network Rail pay.

The RMT says its members voted by 80% for strike action on a 60% turnout and by 92% for action short of strike action.

The union added:

The vote comfortably outstrips even the rigged criteria proposed by the Tories in the next raft of anti-union laws expected in the Queen's Speech. The mandate for action will now be considered by the RMT's executive, which will decide on the next steps in taking the dispute forwards."

Cameron addresses the cabinet

BBC

David Cameron greets his table-banging cabinet ministers, and tells them the Conservatives are "the real party of working people" to cries of assent.

The prime minister says he wants to make sure "the economy works for everybody and every part of our country".

Reaction to the cabinet meeting

Pics: The new team

BBC

BBC

Inside the cabinet meeting

BBC

Pictures are just starting to come in from David Cameron's first cabinet meeting. 

Labour 'lost in English marginals'

BBC News Channel

BBC assistant news editor Norman Smith says Chuka Umunna deliberately chose to announce his leadership bid in Swindon as he believes that "the election was lost... in the English marginals".

The Conservatives held both Swindon North and Swindon South last week.

Norman adds that Mr Umunna believes Labour's fortunes can be turned around in the duration of the current Parliament.

He believes it can be done in five years."

Crouch booted off the team

The Daily Politics

BBC

An interesting snippet for you. New Sports Minister Tracey Crouch was once booted off the parliamentary football team because she was a woman.

Women's participation alongside men is not allowed under FA rules, which apply to the parliamentary squad. But the MP for Chatham and Aylesford argued girls and women should be encouraged to play the sport.

In 2011 she spoke to the Daily Politics about the rules which stoped her playing football with other MPs.

What went wrong?

Reaction to Umunna announcement

Umunna: I will be standing

BBC

Chuka Umunna has announced that he will stand for the Labour leadership. Mr Umunna said he had spoken to half of the 80 Labour candidates standing in Tory seats targeted by the party at the election, as well as other MPs, before making his announcement.

On Facebook, Mr Umunna said: "I will be standing for the leadership of the party.

"I think we can and should be winning in seats like Swindon.

"North, south, east, west - we can absolutely do it as a party."

He also said he did not believe rebuilding Labour was a 10-year project.

Mr Umunna is the second candidate to declare, following Liz Kendall.

BreakingChuka Umunna to run for leader

Chuka Umunna confirms he is to stand in the Labour leadership contest.

Low bar for success

'No more power than Oliver Twist'

BBC

TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady responds to the proposals on strike ballots that Sajid Javid referred to this morning.

Ministers want to introduce a requirement for a turnout of at least 50% of members in trade union votes on industrial action.

This is a government not so much on the side of hard-working people but Britain's worst bosses - those who want their staff to be on zero-hours contracts, poverty pay and unable to effectively organise in a union so that they can do something about it. The government's proposals on union ballots will make legal strikes close to impossible. Union negotiators will be left with no more power than Oliver Twist when he asked for more. After five years of falling living standards the prospects for decent pay rises have just got a whole lot worse."

Javid on strikes, the BBC and the EU

BBC Radio 4 Today

We're expecting that first cabinet meeting to get going around 11.00 BST. One of those in attendance will be new Business Secretary Sajid Javid. You can listen again to his interview this morning on the Today programme here.

Reaction to Tracey Crouch appointment

On the road again

BreakingJust when you thought we'd had them all...

Tracey Crouch becomes the new Minister for Sport, David Cameron announces.

'Divided by a common Parliament'

BBC Radio 4

BBC Scotland correspondent Laura Bicker tells Woman's Hour that the arrival of so many SNP MPs at Westminster could be a sign of "two nations divided by a common Parliament".

She thinks the SNP will employ a "gradual" and"conciliatory" approach in the House of Commons.

Reshuffled?

Gay marriage question

PA

Caroline Dinenage is the new minister for equalities at the Department for Education. Interestingly, like her boss, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan - pictured above - she voted against gay marriage in 2013. Ms Morgan has since said she's changed her mind on the issue. No doubt, Ms Dinenage will be asked about her views on the matter in the weeks to come.

About the Lib Dem leadership contest

PA

Tim Farron voted against the tuition fees increase

The Liberal Democrats have set in motion a two-month contest to succeed Nick Clegg after they said a new leader would be elected in July.

Former health minister Norman Lamb has declared his intention to run.

The party's former president, Tim Farron, is also seen as one of the frontrunners to become leader. He rebelled against his party to vote against an increase in tuition fees.

Nominations for leader will open on 13 May and close on 3 June. Ballot papers will be sent out on 24 June and must be returned by 15 July. The winner will be declared on 16 July.

Coming up at 12:00 BST

'Blast out' of the past

BBC Radio 4

Liz Kendall says Labour "can win again" if it offers something new.

We have got to blast out of these old debates about Blairite, Brownite, old Labour, New Labour and create something new."

Labour like a 'moaning man in the pub'

BBC Radio 4

PA

Labour leadership contender Liz Kendall - pictured on the campaign trail with Ed Miliband - is on Woman's Hour. She says she thought her party's election campaign sometimes sounded like a "moaning man in the pub".

Asked if she knew back in January that the Labour campaign was "going wrong", she answers: "I did."

Many voters who were undecided on the doorstep remained undecided, she argues.

People "want a decent wage, they want a good home" and Labour did not address this sufficiently, she adds.

Claiming we can solve everybody's problem from Whitehall just won't work, and people know that."

BreakingThey keep on coming...

John Penrose is to be Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office.

Damian Hinds is to be Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury.

More Stewart reaction

Government's 'to-do list'

BBC News Channel

BBC

"This is a government that has got on its to-do list a whole load of constitutional issues," including relations with the EU and more powers for Scotland, assistant political editor Norman Smith tells the BBC News Channel.

He ventures that these are matters which, "frankly, most people don't care much about.

"They care about jobs, pay, taxes."

The Conservatives had vowed to try to scrap the Human Rights Act, but Norman suggests that might slip down the priority list - he thinks David Cameron might even back off altogether from "another constitutional wrangle in Europe", over the Act, when he's got the much bigger EU referendum fish to fry.

More faces

Two more for your I Spy book of MPs - Caroline Dinenage and Mark Lancaster, elected in 2010 and 2005 respectively.

Reuters

Reuters

BreakingAnother two

Caroline Dinenage will be the new Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice and will be also Minister for Equalities at the Department for Education.

Mark Lancaster is Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans.

Reactions to Rory Stewart appointment

Boris on 'our salvation'

LBC

LBC

More from Boris Johnson on LBC radio, who says "everybody knows what I think" on the expansion of Heathrow.

It's frankly for others to man up, to get some cojones and actually say what they think should happen. The truth is that Heathrow is just undeliverable and the sooner we face that, the sooner our salvation will come."

BreakingNorthern Ireland minister

Ben Wallace becomes the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office.

Pressing the flesh