Expenses remain on the front page of the Telegraph, with the disclosure that Conservative MP David Wilshire used House of Commons expenses to pay more than £100,000 of taxpayers' money to his own company:
It was run by his partner and he insisted that they had not profited from the arrangement. He conceded it had never been registered as a company. But he was unable to explain why taxpayers' money was funnelled through the firm in this way – or why such an arrangement was permitted with virtually no scrutiny.
The Mail chastises shadow universities spokesman David "two brains" Willetts, saying his two brains are sending out different messages.
One signals the Tories will lift the cap on university tuition fees – which may mean some will rise to £7,000 a year. The other tells us his party will encourage more school-leavers to go on to higher education. How does he reconcile the two?
A number of papers comment on Gordon Brown's decision to send more troops to Afghanistan. The Independent says:
The number constitutes an increase of barely more than 5 per cent on the 9,000 already serving in Afghanistan. They may help to relieve the pressure on the new brigade that has just taken over in Helmand Province. But it will not make the difference between overall victory and defeat. The truth is that Britain, and the other Nato forces, are waiting on President Obama. Until he decides what course the US is going to take, everything is essentially on hold.
In the Commons today, Harriet Harman is giving a business statement. Former cabinet secretary Lord Turnbull and Tony Blair's former chief of staff Jonathan Powell will be among those giving their views on unelected ministers to a Commons committee.
Elsewhere, the Tories will launch their campaign for the Glasgow North East byelection. Labour risks losing Barnsley council in a byelection tonight – at the last council elections the BNP finsished a close second.
