Every so often this blog takes a punt on what Gordon Brown's 'Bank of England' moment will be.  The theory runs that when Gordo becomes PM he will reveal an unexpected secret policy to define a significant amount of his premiereship - much like making giving control of interest rates to the Bank of England when he first became Chancellor.

Policy in Iraq must form part of this.  So news in The Guardian that Lord Ashdown and Sir Jeremy Greenstock are working with the Foreign Policy Centre on a new approach to Iraq ("Ashdown helps prepare Iraq strategy rethink for Brown") is interesting indeed.  The story suggests that the direct link with Brown is less assured than the headline would have you believe, but its findings will certainly be listened to with more interest by Gordo than George Bush gave to the American equivalent last year - James Baker's much ignored Iraq Study Group.

Generally however, policy discussion continues to play second fiddle to election news so elsewhere in the papers...

• The Spectator looks to Wales and the prospects of a Tory/Plaid coalition ("A Tory-Plaid pact")
• Also in The Spectator is a more general piece in which Fraser Nelson tours the country and talks to the voters ("New Labour's final collapse").  Whilst none of it is new there is a nice vignette about Tim Farron and the Lake District towards the end.
• Several papers cover the spat between the SNP and Labour over oil yesterday.  The Telegraph gives the simple "Brown warns SNP over oil demand", while the FT enter the debate a little more fully with "SNP welcomes spending analysis".  But as the spending analysis is their own then they're really only showing off!
• We covered the CommunicateResearch for the Independent yesterday - but should also have mentioned a Guardian ICM poll which put Labour on 30 (-1), Conservatives 37 (-4), Lib Dem 21(+3), Others 12.
• The French elections are still on-going, of course.  Bayrou announced a new party yesterday - The Democrats.  The aim seems to be to reach out to centre-left voters who see the the UMF as too centre-right.  Several papers ponder what Bayrou is going to say for the rest of the campaign.  He is staying neutral at the moment, but The Times' report  suggests he might yet do a deal with Royal ("Royal hopes raised as kingmaker burns bridges") The FT say much the same  in "Royal and Sarkozy rebuffed by Bayrou".
• Finally, Matthew Parris in The Times believes that John Major should step into Greg Dykes' shoes to run for Mayor of London ("From Major to Mayor")