Starmer’s back on his path to rejoin…or as he calls it, “reset the relationship”, with the EU today, visiting German Chancellor Scholz to discuss what the UK and EU will collaborate on in the future. It’s a long list: “market access, critical science, innovation and tech, clean energy, trade across the North Sea, supply chain resilience, energy security and green transition education, biodiversity, and the environment.” ‘Market access’ and ‘trade across the North Sea’ will be sounding the alarm bells for Brexiteers who were promised the UK would have its independence from the bloc…
Number 10 are sticking to the line that Starmer’s push for closer ties with the EU is all about “economic growth”, despite the UK outperforming many EU countries in that area – last quarter, the UK’s GDP grew by 0.6% compared to Germany’s 0.3%, the Union’s so-called powerhouse. Meanwhile, Starmer has been cautioned against cosying up to bloc by top economists, who’ve said this will actually drive down growth. EU sources have reportedly warned that if Starmer wants collaboration on these issues listed above, the UK will be obliged to align with European laws such as food safety and further regulations. No amount of press briefings that Starmer isn’t planning to rejoin will pull the wool over Guido’s eyes…
Labour is continuing its clamp down on free speech. Yvette Cooper has reversed the Tories’ decision last year to stop police recording so many “non-crime hate incidents” as it was a waste of police time. Under the Tories police were restricted to recording incidents which posed a real risk of escalating into “significant” harm…
Labour proudly declares today that “Home Office has committed to reverse the decision of the previous government to downgrade the monitoring of anti-Semitic and Islamophobic hate, at a time when rates of those incidents have increased.” Police will now be told to record the “non-crime” incidents, which is apparently needed to “monitor tensions.” It’s OK, though: Labour says it is “balancing” the plans with the right to free speech. How long will it be before Labour re-commits to locking up those who go about “misgendering” people…
The news of the Gallagher brothers getting back together for an Oasis British Isles Tour has united the country in ways that no party can. Guido thought to look back on the tune of Noel Gallagher’s political views that fans might be a bit of a Headshrinker for those Oasis lefty lovers…
- On Brexit: “There’s only f***ing one thing worse than a fool who voted for Brexit. That’s the rise of the c***s trying to get the vote overturned. You take part in a democratic f***ing process — if you don’t like the outcome, go to North Korea.” Definitely, Maybe going to wind up David Lammy with that one…
- On Trump: “I find Donald Trump f***ing hilarious. Purely from somebody speaking from across the Atlantic, it’s an amazing thing to watch.” Lefty revellers may not be so pleased with his view of politicians Half the World Away…
- On Corbyn: “F*** Jeremy Corbyn. He’s a Communist.” Take that look from off your face, Corbynistas…
- On the Labour Party in 2019: “I hate the Labour Party. I have f***ing got no time for them anymore.”
- On the Labour Party in 2021:“I f***ing hate the Labour Party, they’re a f***ing disgrace. They’ve betrayed the working classes, they’ve betrayed ordinary people and they’ve allowed this shower to run the country for however long they’ve f***ing run the country. The modern Labour Party is middle-class ****s who f***ing hate the working class, they hate them, it’s as simple as that.” Listen Up, Starmer…
Perhaps that’s why Starmer was so gauche about the brothers getting back together today. He may be looking back in anger…
The government has started hiring on LinkedIn for state energy investment vehicle GB Energy through DESNZ. So far thirteen mid-level positions are being advertised, all for £52,985 and spread across London, Aberdeen, Birmingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh and Salford. £688,805 in taxpayer-funded salaries up for grabs…
All the job adverts say GB Energy only wants its progenitor staff in the office 40-60% of the times and offers “a variety of flexible working options” which includes working from home. On top of that comes a neat £14,305 towards being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Meanwhile – up go the energy bills…
William Yarwood, media campaign manager of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, sounds a warning note:
“GB Energy has barely started walking and the civil service is already hiring copious carers to babysit it while it teeths. The government needs to make sure that GB Energy does not turn into a taxpayer funded jolly for busy body bureaucrats.”
Interviews take place on the 16th of next month over Microsoft Teams. Start as you mean to go on…
Rishi Sunak has finally mustered up the strength (in-between fine dining in Beverly Hills) to speak out on social media, having been off grid for 23 days. You’d thing amongst riots, tax hikes in sight, and prisons filling up, the Leader of the Opposition would have something to say about the state of the nation…
An hour after Starmer’s speech today, Sunak managed to tweet the profound and insightful comment that it looks like Labour will raise taxes. Almost like he never really wanted the job in the first place…
Labour just can’t get enough of their previous political staff handed supposedly neutral civil service jobs. In what is now becoming a major scandal, ministers are failing to justify the provision of mass-Labour donor Waheed Alli with a Downing Street pass and Labour aides are entering the civil service in droves. It’s not just Sue Gray bringing on her loyalists…
Wes Streeting’s political press officer Joe Davies, employed by the Labour Party in the four months to election, was handed a civil service media relations role this month. DHSC deploys the usual line when asked about this parachute job by Guido: “The department does not comment on individual personnel matters. Any appointments are made in line with the civil service rules on recruitment.” The department has not denied that the job was given without interview. Normally ministers’ civil service press teams are composed of impartial civil servants…
If the job wasn’t advertised externally, what exception was used? Who signed off on the exception? Did Streeting make a declaration of interest?
Starmer’s line when asked at his ‘State of the Nation’ speech was that “most of these allegations are coming from the very people who dragged the country down in the first place.” Which is complete nonsense as it’s the press, not Tories, digging out these appointments…
Guido is told that, while donor Ian Corfield’s crony civil service appointment won’t be going ahead, Jess Sargeant’s position in the Propriety and Constitution Group hasn’t changed. There’s no stopping this train…
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.”
