There was plenty of your cash being artfully projected up walls in this week’s Sun column. Firstly Guido revealed that NHS England, the new public body set up to implement Tory health reforms, has blown a staggering £177,028 on top-of-the-range iPhones. 400 to be precise – enough to pay for seven newly trained nurses. Which makes you wonder about their “key aim of securing the best possible health outcomes for patients by prioritising them in every decision it makes.”

Over in Parliament, the Men in Tights have awarded snooty wine merchants Ellis of Richmond a £280,000 contract “for the supply of a global selection of quality still and sparkling wines” for the House of Commons wine list. MPs were “seeking to appoint a single supplier, who can demonstrate that they have the ability to consistently supply the best quality Wines, Sparkling Wines, and Champagnes” which “are not widely available on the High Street”.

Of course none of that ordinary common plonk would be good enough for the subsidised boozers who rule over us.

Luke Bozier, web guru and one time Prime Minister in waiting, is claiming victory against his email hackers, suggesting that the Met concluded “there was nothing to prosecute me for”. At the end of a long statement he does let slip though:

“Based on my admission of viewing 16-year olds in bikinis, I was offered, and have accepted, a police caution.”

He does not mention whether the police kindly offered him the chance to sign the Sex Offenders Register.

UPDATE: According the Association of Chief Police Officers “a caution did not mean the offender was being “let off” as it still brought a criminal record and a caution for a sex crime would also see the offender placed on the sex offenders register.” No answer yet…

More defections expected this week…

Via Telegraph.

In today’s Sun column:

• find out which national newspaper editor has a crush on SamCam
• how NHS England spends your cash
• Read about Nadine’s bumpy bounce back
• Claire Perry’s sexy invitation
• why there is some money left for Liam Byrne
• Petrolheads and a Westminster wedding

All in your 60p Sun…

Last night the story broke that a senior Tory close to Cameron said of the EU Referendum and gay marriage backbench rebellions “It’s fine. There’s really no problem. The MPs just have to do it because the associations tell them to, and the associations are all mad, swivel-eyed loons.” It was reported by The Times and The Telegraph on their front pages in similar terms and also by the Mirror and Mail.

Sam Coates, James Kirkup, James Lyons and Tim Shipman are experienced journalists and will have known the likely repercussions of reporting an off the record / Lobby terms comment even without attribution. They set speculation running by describing the source of the comments as having “strong social connections” to the PM and as a “senior party” figure. For the record Guido has not spoken to any of the journalists concerned.

This morning Guido emailed Lord Feldman

Have emailed Lord Feldman, imagine he'll want to condemn this insult to his hard working party members ASAP.—
Guido Fawkes (@GuidoFawkes) May 18, 2013

Feldman has publicly denied being the source of the quote

“There is speculation on the internet and on Twitter that the senior Conservative Party figure claimed to have made derogatory comments by the Times and the Telegraph is me.

“This is completely untrue. I would like to make it quite clear that I did not nor have ever described our associations in this way or in any similar manner. Nor do these alleged comments represent my view of our activists. On the contrary in the last eight years of working for the party, I have found them to be hard working, committed and reasonable people. They are without question the backbone of the party. I am very disappointed by the behaviour of the journalists involved, who have allowed rumour and innuendo to take hold by not putting these allegations to me before publication. I am taking legal advice.”

Not sure why Lord Feldman thinks the journalists concerned should have put the allegations to him when they didn’t name him and in any event he says he didn’t say the words concerned.

The journalists concerned are abiding by the conventions of the Lobby and not confirming the source whilst standing by the story. Downing Street ”supports Lord Feldman’s position” and denies that anyone in Downing Street was the source of the quote. Which of course is an allegation no one has made.

Guido has not received any legal notices…

From: Guy Fawkes <guido.fawkes@order-order.com>
Date: Sat, May 18, 2013 at 10:54 AM
Subject: Swivel Eyed Loons
To: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@conservatives.com

Dear Andrew,

Could you be so kind as to give me an on 
the record quote condemning those who 
describe your party members as 
"swivel eyed loons"?

Thanks in advance.
Editor Guido Fawkes' Blog
Guido.Fawkes@Order-Order.com

Still no response…

This week 106,040 visitors visited 341,406 times viewing 561,030 pages. The top stories in order of popularity were:

• Lord Ahmed Resigns From Labour Party
• Even Labour Supporters Are Hardening on Hand Outs
• Tory Draft EU Bill Does Not Mandate Any Change
• Private Eye Lift Dodgy Story
• Council Bans St. George’s Flag As “It is Offensive to Some Muslims”
• Come Whine With Me
• Dave on Chuka: “Let’s Get Him”

You’re either in front of Guido, or behind…

The story in full via Gawker.

Well this is hardly going to help improve Baldamort’s status as a Labour pariah in lefty circles. After all his party’s truth-stretching moralising, the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary has refused to commit to repealing the spare room subsidy:

“We are not going to make promises we can’t keep. I believe very strongly that this is a tax that will cost more than it saves, but I know I have to prove that beyond reasonable doubt and that is the research that I am doing now to gather evidence from across the country. We hear of houses lying empty because people can’t afford the tax that would hit them if they moved in, so obviously it does not make sense. We have to work through our position as fast as we can, but no one will forgive us for making promises we can’t keep.”

Still peddling the bedroom ‘tax’ lie, but not saying he would repeal it. So much for Owen Jones’ “People’s Assembly” against t’cuts: he can’t even win the argument in his own party…