Guido is having difficulty understanding the maneuvering of the various Labour party players in the scandal. Dizzy is hinting that the source for the Evening Standard’s writ attracting story on Mendelsohn is the Harman nominating MP, Kevan Jones. He was seen dining with the journalist who wrote the article in Shepherds the night before. Not conclusive, but interesting nonetheless.
Another Labour source tells Guido plausibly that when Mendelsohn was appointed, Watt (a Blairite sympathiser) offered his resignation. When the Abrahams shit hit the Mail on Sunday fan, Watt was the Brownies designated fall guy. A political firebreak. Harman was to be kept in reserve in case the fires licked at the door of No. 10, hence the noticeable lack of support at the PM’s monthly press conference.* So did Harriet encourage Kevan Jones to drop Mendelsohn right in it, thereby protecting herself by linking her fate to Gordon’s fundraiser? Not sure if it makes sense, but it makes more sense than the Telegraph’s bonkers hint that Abrahams might be a conduit for Mossad money.
With Mendelsohn feeling the intense heat and Brown’s campaign manager Chris Leslie giving a bizarre explanation that he tore up a cheque from Abraham’s proxy because he thought it dodgy, yet recommended the donor to Harman’s people anyway. It gets better, Harman still has campaign debts, which are presumably financed with undeclared loans. Which is dodgy.
Hain’s campaign, which according to the wife of a well connected SpAd was derailed by Guido (it was a pleasure), forgot to declare £5,000 given by Mendelsohn. That is Hain’s story and he is sticking to it. For now. The police are really going to have their work cut out methinks. At least we have settled one thing, the consensus is that the name for the scandal is “Donorgate”.
*The transcript of which on the Downing Street website is suspiciously heavily redacted “on party political grounds” something Guido does not recall happening in the Blair era. Also the usual video record is not available. Guido of course has his own copy to use to highlight a few of Gordon’s untruths.
