THE SURGE IN THE EAST:

Gordon Brown feels squeeze over Europe (Gethin Chamberlain, Patrick Hennessy and Justin Stares, 14/10/2007, Daily Telegraph)

[H]e faces a triple threat from a resurgent Conservative Party, MPs on his own side and voters.

More and more Labour backbenchers are now speaking out openly to demand a public vote, while David Cameron returns to the debate today in an article for The Sunday Telegraph in which he accuses the Prime Minister of a betrayal of "trust and democracy".

The Conservative leader adds: "Gordon Brown has calculated that he can bamboozle the British people with his Euro-spin and thereby avoid the condemnation he deserves for breaking his manifesto promise. I think he's misjudged the mood of the country."

Tories take biggest poll lead for 15 years (NICHOLAS CHRISTIAN, 10/14/07, Scotland on Sunday)

DAVID Cameron's Tories have their biggest poll lead over Labour for 15 years as a new survey put them seven points ahead of Labour.

An ICM survey for the Sunday Telegraph suggests that Cameron is now in a position to secure a Commons majority in a general election.

We await news of the surge in the West, as John Howard calls a November election.

MORE:
Poll signals a Liberal Democrats collapse (John Curtice, 13/10/2007, Sunday Telegraph)

At 14 per cent, the Liberal Democrats' rating is lower than in any ICM poll since the 2001 election. Nearly one in four of those who say they voted for the party at the last election have now switched to the Conservatives. It seems Sir Menzies is being eclipsed by Mr Cameron.

A Liberal Democrat collapse makes it significantly easier for Mr Cameron to win a majority at the next election. The more seats he can pick up from the Lib Dems, the fewer he needs to capture from Labour - and thus the smaller the lead over Labour he needs.

Posted by Orrin Judd at October 13, 2007 6:40 PM