“A publishing source said the Labour leader ‘instructed friends and colleagues not to cooperate’ with Lord Ashcroft when he wrote the original biography. Arguing that ‘the question of why Starmer was so reluctant to face scrutiny in Red Knight remains,’ the source asked: ‘Was he hiding something?’”
Angela Rayner’s crack team of Trident hating, Brexit bashing Corbynista SpAds will continue guiding her through the rough and tumble of Westminster life in MHCLG. Here are some of their more interesting views…
Alex Jones remains Rayner’s Senior Adviser. He was Head of Communications at GMB from 2015 to 2021. During his stint the GMB was found to be “institutionally sexist” in an independent report. The 17-member strong ‘Taskforce for Positive Change‘ formed by the senior team failed abjectly and GMB members went on strike this year over the scandal. Jones served as Head of External Affairs at the cranky socialist New Economics Foundation which came up with inspired suggestions such as: “it is always possible to find additional public resources for public services, even without growth: raise taxes, close tax loopholes, cut spending on nuclear warheads.” New minister Miatta Fahnbulleh headed up the NEF and is also advising Rayner…
Before GMB, Jones was Press and Public Affairs Manager at the National Union of Students when it organised the window-smashing “Tory scum” riots in London. Must have caught Rayner’s eye…
The team’s union links are deep. Former Head of Operations for Unite, Nick Parrott, is Rayner’s Chief of Staff. His wife Lisa Johnson was formerly the Director of External Relations at GMB.
Kate Robson continues as Rayner’s Political Adviser, a role she’s held since February 2022. Robson has shared posts supporting Corbyn, bashing meat eaters, fighting Brexit, and one calling for the UK to “go straight to the heart of capitalism and overthrow it.” How goes the revolution Kate…
Isabel Bull completes the team as Political and Policy Manager. One of Bull’s stronger political convictions is for unilateral nuclear disarmament. Bull lambasted the renewal of Trident, stating: “I think this was not just resolutely awful, but also an unequivocally naïve decision.” No doubt she bonded with her anti-nuclear boss…
SpAds often temper their minister’s more barmy ideas – it looks like there’s no risk of that here…
The row is raging on over Labour’s latest cronyistic appointment of Labour Together Starmtrooper Jess Sargeant to a senior Civil Service role. As revealed by Guido yesterday…
Sue Gray, meanwhile, has been busy over on Downing Street employing her aides as civil servants too. They can’t help themselves…
Gray’s Diary Secretary has been parachuted straight into a plum Civil Service position as her executive assistant, instead of being appointed more appropriately as a SpAd. Mitchell Burns-Jackson held a House of Commons pass from Keir Starmer’s office and was administrative officer for LOTO prior to working for Sue in opposition. Does the Labour Party realise that they can’t replace the entire Civil Service with party hacks?
The appointment is explained away as being according to the rules as it “was made on a fixed-term basis.” Cronies gonna crony…
UPDATE: Lee Anderson MP, Reform UK’s Chief Whip blasted Starmer on the cronyistic appointments:
“Despite having the largest majority in living memory it would appear that Sir Keir Starmer wants to totally stitch up the way he runs our country. Putting his mates into high ranking civil service jobs will ensure there is no push back on Labour’s plans to totally ruin our country. We’ve already seen them reject the idea of having Reform MPs on Select Committees and now we see another assault on our democracy”.
Techne have carried out polling of the public for the Tory leadership campaign. The pollster’s previous survey of Tory Party members had Cleverly ahead on 26% of party support followed by Priti on 20%. Now a 1003-person sample of GB adults from 2-12th August has similar results among voters. Team Cleverly getting its money’s worth…
Cleverly and Priti lead the public both in terms of a simple “I like” question and their first preference for next Tory leader. In head-to-heads Cleverly came out on top – the closest result was against Tugendhat at 19% to 14% in Cleverly’s favour. Over 60% say they don’t know or wouldn’t vote every time. Leg work to be done…
Hilariously the fictional candidate “Tom Evans” was in voters’ third preference more popular than over half of leadership contenders. He’s neck and neck with Mel Stride on first preference too. Some Tories may be brought back to earth with that one…
Former Tory MP and ex-leadership hopeful Penny Mordaunt has gone somewhat off-grid (like many other ousted Tory top-dogs) since losing her seat in the election. Aside from a few trips to Washington DC and some speaking events, it looks like she may still be on the job hunt. Though she has shut down her pm4pm.com website, she has yet to come to terms with the fact she is no longer an MP on her all important for job hunters LinkedIn page…
Her first op-ed since July for the Independent, which she posted on LinkedIn, opining that the Autumn Statement will show if “we have our heads in the sand” has a twinge of irony attached to it. Like her former leader that she was rumoured to oust just a few months ago, Penny is still clinging to her old title of MP for Portsmouth and Leader of the Commons. The reality of shock unemployment may be a bit too much for her…
Sadiq Khan has taken the opportunity to deviate from Labour’s position on the US election in a fawning interview for The New Statesman. While Lammy and Starmer have been “studiously neutral” on November’s election Khan has no qualms about his support: “I’ve been so impressed with Tim Walz. It just shows the judgement that Kamala Harris has in relation to her choice for vice-president. Compare and contrast that with the choice made by the other guy, in JD Vance.” No matter – Trump knows what the Labour frontbench thinks of him…
Lammy’s defence is that “you’re going to struggle to find any politician who has not had things to say about Donald Trump in his first term” and that Trump has the “thickest of skins.” Khan is happy to destroy that line as well:
“The last time we had a Trump presidency, as a matter of public record, there was a massive increase in hate crime towards me… I worry about what a second Trump presidency would mean for me and my family, but I’m not going to allow these people to cower me.”
The “matter of public record” is analysis produced by Khan’s own office, now used to claim that Trump was in some way responsible for the targeting of a mayor in another country. The FCDO will be gritting its teeth at this latest breathless bluster…
Khan also claims politicians need to be “braver on immigration” as its problems stem from unfunded public services, and that the UK should have a “conversation” about re-joining the EU in the “medium to long term“. Khan is always ahead of the curve on Labour’s intentions…
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.”
