Image source, Getty Images

Labour MP John Mann has proposed that Labour Party members with houses worth more than £1m should pay a "wealth tax" of £1,000 per year to be in the party.

"The party has lost most of its bigger private donors and depleted trade union political funds will not be capable of again bridging this gap. This is why it is time for a Labour wealth tax," he wrote in a blog post, external.  

The Daily Politics

Professor John Curtice explained why the opinion pollsters failed to accurately predict the outcome of the 2015 general election.

The World at One
BBC Radio 4

The BBC's Iain Watson has been briefed on the contents of Margaret Beckett's report into why Labour lost May's general election.

As we have been reporting, there are claims the report was completed in November but has been suppressed by the party because its conclusions would undermine Jeremy Corbyn's leadership. 

But Iain Watson said there was "something for everyone" in it.

The report says some of the the party's "left wing" policies at the 2015 election were the most popular with voters but there was a lack of a "coherent" overall narrative, he added.

Watson said the report's main conclusions were:

1. Failure to shake off the idea that Labour was responsible for the financial crash and a failure to gain voters' trust on the economy
2. Failure to connect with voters on issues such as benefits and immigration
3. Ed Miliband was seen as not as strong a leader as David Cameron
4. Fear of the SNP propping up a Labour minority government

Image source, Getty Images

The former shadow business secretary, Chuka Umunna, has said it is "absolutely essential" a report on Labour's election defeat by the former Cabinet Minister, Margaret Beckett, is published "as soon as possible."

Mr Umunna, who was interviewed for the investigation, told the BBC that "if anybody is serious about us kicking the Tories out in 2020 and before that delivering Labour victories across the country, not just in London but across the country in 2016, we need to learn the lessons and ensure that we get into office so we can deliver on Labour values."

On the contents of the report, Mr Umunna said that he would "be most surprised if there isn't some comment about our perceived economic competence in the eyes of the voter but beyond that I think too often people, in the lead in to the General Election, weren't always too sure what the Labour Party stood for and what our policies were." Mr Umunna said that as part of the front bench team at the last election he took "responsibility for that collectively as everybody else would do who was part of that team" and added that he wanted to "understand where we went wrong so we can ensure we get it right, we get this Tory government out, we get a Labour government in."    

The World at One
BBC Radio 4

Foreign secretary Philip Hammond has stressed the importance of intelligence sharing in the wake of the Indonesia attacks:

The Daily Politics

No, according to the first ever parliamentary report into transgender issues which has urged ministers to draw up a new strategy to tackle discrimination.

Daily Politics reporter Adam Fleming took the moodbox - a completely unscientific test with a plastic bin and balls - to test the public mood on the issue.

Image source, AP

Captain Kirk actor William Shatner has boldly gone and endorsed a debate by MPs on space exploration. The Star Trek icon has written a message of support for the discussion, which is taking place in the House of Commons this afternoon.

The SNP MP, Phillippa Whitford, read out the message at the start of the debate, quoting Mr Shatner as saying: 

The debate has also received a message of support on Twitter from another Star Trek actor, George Takei, who played USS Enterprise helmsman Sulu.  

Chris Grayling has said that the EU has been "disastrous" for the UK. But Number 10 does not seem overly concerned. BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith reports:

Senior Labour Party figures have added their voices to calls for Jeremy Corbyn to publish a critical report by the former Cabinet Minister Margaret Beckett into the party's election defeat. It has emerged that more than 500 people have signed a petition calling for the document to be released. Mr Corbyn's office hasn't given a date for publication. BBC Political Correspondent Eleanor Garnier reports:

House of Lords
Parliament

The Government denies it's "hounding" British soldiers who served in Iraq after the 2003 invasion. Lawyers are continuing to refer alleged abuse by soldiers to a team of investigators set up by the last Labour Government (IHAT - the Iraq Historical Allegations Team.) Critics have called some of the lawyers putting forward cases "ambulance-chasing lawyers".

In the Lords, former Head of the Royal Navy, Admiral Lord West, said it was totally unacceptable: 

The Defence Minister, Earl Howe, said he shared concerns about the activities of some lawyers... but added that the Government had a duty to look into all allegations of abuse by British soldiers: 

The Daily Politics

Leanne Wood, the leader of Plaid Cymru, said she had a "clear political project around building a nation". 

She said she wanted Plaid Cymru to be leading the Welsh government after the election in May. She hoped to "achieve a majority" but she said the electoral system in Wales had made it difficult to achieve an overall majority.

She rejected the claim their party wasn't going anywhere said it was "time for a change" which only her party could deliver.

Criticising the Welsh Labour's government record on the NHS she said they had "failed to get a grip" on the "lack of workforce planning".

The Daily Politics

Maria Miller, chair of the women and equalities select committee, has been speaking on the issue of transgender equality. 

She said there was change in public opinion recognising that gender was a "fluid thing". She said all public services should recognise a legal gender change, and highlighted that recently prisons had struggled with the issue.

Ms Miller said there should be a "zero tolerance" attitude within the NHS to transphobia.