It’s been over three months since the general election, and almost all new MPs (335 of them – over half of the Commons) are still without phones in their parliamentary offices. Thanks to Westminster’s sluggish and bureaucratic setup, the only way to get in touch with them is via email, which usually takes weeks to get a response. Not exactly ideal for those needing to get business done…
Fresh-face MPs have complained to Guido about the how “frustrating” the painfully slow process has been. Not least because any hack with a deadline who wants to speak to an MP’s office have no efficient way of doing so. Some have taken matters into their own hands, with one LibDem MP even posting their business WhatsApp number on the parliamentary website just to be contactable. If it takes more than three months just to install a phone, one wonders how long it takes to get anything else done…
The Ministry of Defence is now advertising for a “Senior Policy Adviser” on “Climate Change and Environment.” To join the swelling ranks of the existing Climate Change team…
At the same time as the Ministry is cancelling plans to fund military equipment and considering cutting training for the Army, it’s found £43,080 per year (more than their “Nuclear Threat Reduction Manager” is paid) along with a £12,480 annual contribution to the Civil Service’s gold-plated pension scheme to pay for someone to “lead on assurance activities and the review of the effectiveness of climate change policy across Defence.” In exchange for “providing coherence across Defence on environmental matters” the new adviser is offered “flexible working options” and “a culture encouraging inclusion and diversity”…
In three and a half days the position has just passed 100 applicants – attracting significantly more interest than GB Energy’s founding recruitment round. The number of applicants to a Civil Service job is inversely proportional to the amount of work that’ll actually be done…
Five days after the inaugural meeting of the Council of Nations and Regions, along with the absence of the newly-appointed Envoy for the Nations and Regions, and the government can still supply no details as to what Sue Gray is actually doing. On Monday last week journalists were told details would be uploaded to the gov.uk website “shortly“. Over a week later it’s still crickets…
Starmer’s spokesman was asked at today’s Lobby briefing when Sue Gray would actually start her job – no start date was supplied. It’s “no commentary” on Guido’s revelations on “HR issues” over her new role. Gray is locked in an almighty row over her severance package and new salary…
Guido hears from a Downing Street source that “no one can work out” what her job actually is, mostly because it’s “totally made up.” The government’s response is confirming that one…
MPs and commentators have been arguing this morning over whether a rise in employer NICs would constitute a violation of Labour’s manifesto pledge, which stated:
“The Conservatives have raised the tax burden to a 70-year high. We will ensure taxes on working people are kept as low as possible. Labour will not increase taxes on working people, which is why we will not increase National Insurance, the basic, higher, or additional rates of Income Tax, or VAT.”
The IFS considers that a hike would be a “straightforward breach” of the commitment. Tax expert and Labour activist Dan Neidle has pointed out that all employer NIC costs are transferred to employees. Labour’s defence operation has launched on the Tories’ asking for clarification from Labour on whether employer NICs would rise – an election press release issued post-manifesto. The implication being that the manifesto did not rule it out…
Labour MP and “rising star” Dan Tomlinson clarified on Politics Live just now that a hike would constitute a new tax on “working people” because someone who owns and runs a business is obviously a “working person.” The point decimates Labour’s defence as its pledge on “working people” was cast-iron. Was Starmer’s tool factory-owning Dad not a working person?
Cash-strapped NHS Wales Networks and Planning—which racked up a staggering £183 million deficit last year—seems to have found a pot of gold after all. They’re splashing out on an Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Champion for the Women’s Health Network, with an annual salary that ranges from a jaw-dropping £105,504 to £139,882. Meanwhile, a Senior Biomedical Scientist, responsible for conducting vital tests to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, is only pulling in a paltry £44,000 a year….
“Taxpayers in Wales are sick of seeing their hard-earned cash wasted on pointless non-jobs.”
The lucky DEI hire will be tasked with crafting “inclusive” leadership and services. The position offers a generous array of benefits, such as the option to work from home as desired and a 42% discount on a new bike for those who prefer cycling to the office. Nice work if you can get it…
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has weighed in on the EU’s hardening migration policy today by pushing for “return hubs” to be adopted by member states. She praised Italy’s recently activated return deal with Albania as a model to replicate and wrote in a letter ahead of a meeting of EU interior ministers this week:
“We should continue to explore possible ways forward as regards the idea of developing return hubs outside the EU, especially in view of a new legislative proposal on return.”
Under current proposals return hubs would house migrants served with deportation orders. Germany’s migration commissioner said last month that the bloc should explore third-country processing. The EU is reversing its previous reticence in order to follow the UK’s example – until Starmer scrapped it…
Speaking at his speech on how to achieve “progressive capitalism” Wes Streeting fired a dig and Andy Burnham:
“Bond markets are not bond villains and fiscal rules matter.”