While Boris was the headliner of the Tory backbench 1922 Committee meeting tonight, it seems Claire Perry got a rough ride for standing up and lambasting the 53 rebels from last weeks EU Budget vote. Sources say said rebels did not hide their contempt for what they saw as a concerted effort by “whip’s stooges” to castigate the naughty ones for upsetting the government. Kris Hopkins went off on one about collusion with Labour and urged colleagues to write to the Mail on Sunday to complain about coverage. Guido doubts the post bag will be bursting.

From: MACSHANE, Denis
Sent: 07 November 2012 16:29
Subject: RE: Backbench Business Debate – Tues 13th Nov – Child Sexual Exploitation

I asked for this debate along with Nicola and others as combating internal as well external trafficking of children, grooming, all forms of the sexualisation of childhood has been a campaign of mine and I was half-way through writing a book as the axe fell when the BNP complaint against me was upheld.

I apologise to all ex colleagues for once again allowing publicity on all the wretched expenses problems dating back to the old regime to surface. Thanks to all, led by the Father of the House, for the wonderful messages of solidarity, support and best wishes. I am winding up my office as fast as I can but helping staff and sorting 18 years of paper takes a day or two. An ex-mineworker friend from Rotherham wrote to say “I cannot condone but do not condemn.” I do condemn my stupidity and foolishness and the damage it has done to Parliament and its MPs who work far harder over longer hours and serve the people better than anyone else in public life despite the endless hate campaigns of the off-shore owned press. I wish you all the best and I urge you to support this debate and all future Parliamentary work to allow children and women to live in Britain without fear of sexual abuse or exploitation by men.

Denis MacShane

Bye.

And so the time comes to name and shame those who have been left red-faced by their ill-advised presidential predictions. We all make bad calls sometimes, but since Nate Silver was sent to save the world from this sort of thing, there really is no excuse. Top of the pile is the Telegraph’s Janet Daley, who had the misfortune of backing Mitt Romney after failing to tip John Major in 1992. After all, “I lost my chance to be the only political journalist to have made a correct prediction of that momentous election in print. Wouldn’t want that to happen again”. It didn’t…

Meanwhile American pollster Dick Morris put his misguided pipe-dream prediction that Romney would take home 325 electoral college votes down to the minority vote pulling through, while the expertly-coiffed Tim Stanley insisted that Mitt had the ‘x-factor’. Election specialist James Delingpole thought Romney had it, while Charles Moore thought his gaffes were a sign he would end up in the White House. The Sun’s Louise Mensch was insisting it wasn’t over way into the wee hours on Sky News last night…

Moneycorp nails it:

“In 1995 the European Court of Auditors, the accountants who vet the EU’s financial statements, refused to approve the annual accounts because they contained too many errors and too much evidence of misspending. In 1996 the Court once more refused to approve the accounts without qualification. And in 1997. And every year since then. And it happened again this week, for an 18th successive year. Fortunately, nobody other than the auditors pays much attention to the EU accounts. Even if they did they would be reassured to see that only a little over €5bn a year goes to waste. That’s a loss of less than 4%.”

ITV have released the first shot from the jungle:

Good luck with the nads, Nads…

The Guy Newsroom have had issues in the past with Lee Jasper, who is now the Respect candidate in Croydon North, but we love this:

Steve Reed, the cowardly Labour candidate, is worried about the fight. With the demographics of the seat, he is right to be: it’s perfect for a Respect upset.

The Fire Brigades Union have released a nice inflammatory poster for bonfire week. In an uncharacteristic bout of originality, they have rounded on “the cuts”. Unsurprisingly, their rhetoric is nothing more than a load of hot air:

“The stark reality is that these cuts will kill people. Fire service or funeral service? Let your MP know which you’d prefer.”

Only that isn’t the stark reality at all. Government statistics show that fire-related deaths have been on a downward trend for three decades and now stand at their lowest level since the 1950s. In the last ten years alone the number of fire-related incidents in England halved. What’s more, fire and rescue authorities have been asked to find savings of only 2.2% in 2011-12 and just 0.5% in 2012-13.

Union scaremongering? Whatever next…

Westminster sources: "Writs for Croydon Nth, Middlesborough and Rotherham 9.30am tmrw" So byelexn Super Thursday Nov 29—
Paul Waugh (@paulwaugh) November 07, 2012

Developing…

Comments in the comments please…

David Cameron hiding from hacks and selling arms to dodgy allies is the perfect opportunity for Boris to peacock his way around the Parliamentary Conservative Party.

Tonight he has managed to find time in his no doubt busy schedule to address the backbench 1922 Committee.

While the cat’s away…

UPDATE:

RT @mrharrycole Boris is addressing the 1922 Committee tonight at 5pm. While the cat is away… > subject matter is how to win elections!—
Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) November 07, 2012

Ouch…