Ed Miliband got a bit ahead of himself today, boldly claiming that Labour had “won the argument” on green policies. The classic Corbyn defeat line…
Not only has the GB Energy bill not actually been passed in parliament yet, (nor can ministers actually say how much it will cost), the plans have so far only shown to be hugely expensive. New clean energy projects will land taxpayers with a £10 billion cost, while Net Zero Watch research suggests a loophole in Government contracts could cost households up to £180 million a year. Meanwhile, oil and gas industry leaders warn Miliband’s plans spell disaster for UK investment and jobs in the energy sector, sending the UK down a path of worrying reliance on foreign imports. All the while Labour’s much-feared capital gains tax raid is deterring green energy investors, whom Labour are relying on, from bankrolling the plan. Not the first time Miliband has taken a misplaced victory lap…
Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy is spending her Conference putting together a manifesto for censorial press regulation to help the Labour Party. The longtime socialist MP made clear at a panel this afternoon that press control would help Keir now that he’s enjoying a touch of press scrutiny:
“It’s in the Labour Party’s interest and in the Labour movement’s long-term interest to regulate the media properly instead of making short-term pacts and truces, and if it’s done right media reform could actually make Keir Starmer’s job a lot easier, and effective media reforms would make effective government much easier.“
Ribeiro-Addy says the crucial “soft-signal” of top-level interest in press regulation was the Labour frontbench’s support for the so-far unenforced Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013. That provision, known as the “press killer,” would force publishers to pay legal costs in defamation and privacy cases for both sides. The Tories killed it before leaving government this year – speculation abounds that it could return in some form under supportive Labour…
The MP’s other bright panel proposals include:
Bell stops short of suggesting the foundation of a state-run newspaper. Doubtless her proposals’ happy destruction of the free press would necessitate one…
Labour-linked campaign group Hope Not Hate hosted a love-in panel event at Party Conference this afternoon. While discussing how Labour in government can “heal division”, MP Gareth Snell led the panel in emphasising that “language is important” when discussing cultural issues, and even managed to complain that Twitter is a “cesspit” under Elon. Co-conspirators may raise an eyebrow considering Snell’s own language on the platform…
Those are some choice words from an MP whose long Twitter history includes describing women as “bitchy,” “sour faced,” “stupid,” and “f***ing annoying.” The repository of fruity comments goes on and on…
Sadly Gareth forgot to mention any of his past comments while pontificating on responsible language and stating that the Reform Party is “dangerous.” Snell even reminisced about dealing with offensive comments on the doorstep during his 2017 Stoke by-election. The fact he had to apologise twice in one day during that campaign for, among other things, saying a woman needed “a good slap” didn’t make its way into his reflections. Never fear, Guido’s here…
Rachel Reeves is back in the spotlight as the Tories accuse her of potentially breaching parliamentary rules by failing to fully declare a holiday gifted by Labour donor – and notably now Labour Mayor for West Midlands – Richard Parker. True to form of a Labour politician, Reeves enjoyed a week at Parker’s £1,400 holiday home in Padstow last July. Though while she logged the stay, she conveniently omitted that family members also enjoyed the trip…
In a revealing chat with Nick Ferrari on LBC this morning, Reeves admitted to taking a “family holiday,” a slip that could land her in serious trouble. The Code of Conduct is clear: MPs must register any benefit given to third parties if they are aware of it. Shadow Exchequer Secretary Gareth Davies weighed in, highlighting the potential fallout from this oversight:
“It appears that Rachel Reeves has broken parliamentary rules as she has failed to properly declare a donor gifted family holiday. This Chancellor has endlessly preached about the importance of integrity and honesty but now it appears she might well have broken the rules, just like the Deputy PM.”
Labour are fast becoming the party of opacity and cronyism…
While Rachel Reeves goes on about making savings in government, over at HMRC the nation’s tax overlords have been busy designing more “learning products” to enforce the agency’s equality and diversity goals. If only they could be bothered to pick up the phone…
HMRC’s 25-strong Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion team spent 2023 putting together an optional “Building an Inclusive Workplace” training module to “allow colleagues to upskill themselves in inclusive practices.” That’s £4 million in salaries for woke jobs well spent…
It turns out the training is so boring that the EDI team itself can’t even be bothered to do it. Guido can reveal that as of last month a measly 4 out of 25 had bothered to complete it. A completion rate of 16% – no inclusivity here…
Former leader of the SNP in Westminster Ian Blackford told Times Radio why he believes Nicola Sturgeon’s claim that she spent no time in the kitchen and therefore didn’t see any of her husband’s purchases:
“She doesn’t have a passion for cooking.”