Snapshot

It’s a busy day in Westminster and a number of press stories cast a sidelight on the pinball nature of politics as purposeful ConDem ministers get into their stride.

Having backed off from selling England’s green and pleasant woodland, the government is said to be considering plans to partially privatise the NHS blood bank. The Telegraph reports that private companies are in talks with the Department of Health about taking over the storage and distribution of blood under proposals to make the service more “commercially effective”.

Meanwhile, their Lordships appear to have conceded that the AV referendum will proceed – and without a 40% turnout threshold – following a 221 to 153 vote by MPs. According to the Guardian, the latest ComRes poll for BBC Newsnight puts the two camps neck and neck.

IDS will today set out how he intends to overhaul the welfare system and tackle the "benefit culture". His plans include a new "universal credit", sanctions for those turning down jobs and a cap on benefits paid to a single family. The changes are to be outlined in a welfare reform bill on Thursday. Departmental aides have dismissed mitigation measures over benefits claimed by Nick Clegg.

But lest anyone think that the government is only picking on the poor, a story appears in the Independent of how market-driven ministers are strong-arming private firms over PFI repayments. Companies have been told that unless they agree to "co-operate" to reduce the £8bn running costs of PFI they will risk losing out on future government business.