The Daily Politics

Daily Politics is under way on BBC Two. Former business secretary and Liberal Democrat MP Vince Cable is Jo Coburn's guest of the day. 

The Lib Dem debate on housing - which calls for a target of 300,000 new homes a year - is continuing, with activists coming up with a range of solutions to address the country's housing needs. One of the speakers, Gideon Amos, adapts the famous words of David Steel from 1981 by urging activists "to go back to your constituencies and prepare for garden cities". 

Image source, Leader of the Scottish Conservatives

Ruth Davidson, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, is urging those who want the UK to stay in the European Union to make a "positive" case" for its continued membership. In a speech in Brussels, she will say she wants a "better Europe" but will argue "the advantages we gain from EU membership clearly and categorically outweigh any disadvantages that come with it". Read our full story here

Image source, PA

Interviewed on the BBC News Channel, Norman Lamb says the budget shortfall in the NHS could be as high as £30bn by 2020, with a further £5bn funding gap for social care. The former Lib Dem health minister says he "has seen the books" and does not know anyone who thinks the government's current pledge to spend an extra £8bn a year will be enough to close it. He says there is great public affection and solidarity for the NHS and he believes people will be prepared to pay extra in the form of a dedicated tax if the money is guaranteed to go to healthcare and is spent "wisely" - an idea he is putting forward in a speech later today.

Image source, AP

As he travels to Brussels to make the case for the UK's EU reform agenda, more details of Philip Hammond's itinerary have been released. He will meet Federica Mogherini, the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and EU commissioners Jyrki Katainen, Andrus Ansip and Johannes Hahn. At the European Parliament, he will see President Martin Schulz, as well as MEPs from the European Conservatives and Reformists, Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, and European People’s Party groups. Mr Hammond insists that bilateral meetings with other EU leaders and "technical talks" taking place in Brussels on the changes the UK would like to see are "progressing well" 

Brian Wheeler

Perhaps stating the obvious, given the result, but Sir Vince Cable has this to say about his party's election campaign in the Journal of Liberal History:

BBC Radio 4

Image source, Labour Party

Labour's environment spokeswoman says she will approach her new job with an "open mind" despite her strong views on meat consumption and farming.

Kerry McCarthy, who is a vegan and has spoken out about the environmental impact of farming, said there would be "violent disagreements at times".

But in an interview with the BBC's Farming Today, she said she had a "real passion" for the subject. Ms McCarthy was appointed by new Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Read our full story here

Brian Wheeler

Lib Dem London Mayoral candidate Caroline Pigeon is pressing the flesh in the exhibition hall at Bournemouth. Labour's Sadiq Khan and likely Tory candidate Zac Golddmith are both national politicians but she has done eight years on the Greater London Assembly, she tells BBC News, so knows how to get things done.

Sir Vince Cable has given a very candid interview to the Journal of Liberal History in which reveals some unexpected tensions at the heart of the coalition government.

He tells interviewer Arian Slade: 

Image source, PA

At his speech in central London, Michael Fallon has been talking about the UK's military campaign against the militant group which calls itself Islamic State (IS) and whether airstrikes could be extended from Iraq to Syria. The defence secretary repeated David Cameron's view that government would not return to Parliament to seek the backing of MPs until it was confident of getting this, including "the support of both sides of the House". There was an urgent need, he added, to do everything possible to support the government in Iraq against IS militants, stressing the the government supports allies who are taking action against IS command and control bases in Syria.

Brian Wheeler

No mention of Tim Farron's favourite eighties pop act in this list. He's bound to mention them.

Image source, Ministry of Defence

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has been asked about claims in Lord Ashcroft's book that senior military figures were unhappy with David Cameron's decision-making during the 2011 intervention in Libya. Speaking at the Royal United Services Institute, Mr Fallon said he had not seen the book but insisted the bombing campaign had been taken to forestall a potential massacre in Benghazi. While the government had hoped the future for Libya would be "more benign", it was working with others to build consensus on a legitimate government.

Image source, PA

Back to the Ashcroft serialisation in the Daily Mail. The BBC's assistant political editor Norman Smith says it contains a lot of detail about David Cameron's social life in Oxfordshire and one of the main points of interest is what he believes is the first published photo of David Cameron riding with a hunt. Although the picture was taken in 2004, before Mr Cameron became Conservative leader, he says it will undoubtedly have a bearing on the current debate on foxhunting, with many Conservatives eager to repeal the 2004 Hunting Act, which controlled the hunting of wild mammals with dogs.