Ofwat chief executive David Black is set to ‘step down’ as the water regulator’s boss just weeks after the government announced it is scrapping the watchdog entirely. According to Sky News’ Mark Kleinman, Black will soon announce his departure after four years at the top. The complete implosion of Thames Water at the top of his list of failures…
As Guido previously revealed, Black also accepted £25,000 worth of ‘coaching support’ at the generosity of the taxpayer. That clearly didn’t help much. More cash down the drain…
Labour has hiked prices way above inflation for its upcoming conference. Aren’t the people struggling enough?
Guido has compared prices for fringe event hosting and commercial opportunities with last year’s conference. The average price for a fringe listing has risen from £437.19. to £475.63. Were the rise to be in line with inflation prices would only be £451.94 now. Scandalous…
On the commercial side, however, lead retrieval – which means audience data collection – for fringe events has dropped in price from £405 to £350. Advertising on the ‘QR code wall’ is also cheaper. Labour taking into account reduced footfall there…
Distributing material to secure zone hotel rooms has seen a whopping jump from £1,725 to £2,400 and advertising in the “distribution zone” of the Conference Zone has also seen a hike from £1,090 to £1,200 for the ‘premium’ package. Seeing as demand for pricey ‘business’ oriented events has dropped massively since Labour came into power and shafted businesses the party has to get cash from somewhere…
Labour’s West of England Metro Mayor Helen Godwin is on the hunt for a ‘Director of Communications & Corporate Affairs’, with a cool £138,000 per year on offer for the right candidate. If you think you fit the bill, apply here. You’ll need to do a good job though, because for some reason you will likely earn more than your boss. For 2024/25, the West of England mayoral post paid £87,000 a year…
The vacancy closes on the 10 August. The top responsibility is to “craft the narrative” of the Mayor’s great work and “reflect [her] voice“. Stephen Peacock, the Chief Executive of the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, adds:
“We need to build greater understanding of our work, encourage better public debate and strengthen trust with our communities, partners and government. That’s why we’re looking for an exceptional communications leader.”
At £138,000 a year, the winning candidate could also earn more than backbench MPs and most special advisers. Only Morgan McSweeney and Reeves aide John Van Reenan earn more. Something for any frustrated SpAd to consider…
Despite promising efficiency savings when it came into power Labour has failed to stop the health department’s payroll spending ballooning. Wes…
Labour magnanimously promised wide cuts across all departments back in August of last year. Those include:
- Savings in departments to fund pay pressures – £3.15 billion
- of which: reduce administration budgets by 2% – £225 million
- of which: stop all non-essential spending on communications – £50 million
- of which: stop all non-essential spending on consultancy in 2024-25 – £550 million
DHSC was set to see its budget fall by £30 million too by cancelling adult social care charging reforms. You would think with all that the spend would fall at least a little bit…
Instead a written parliamentary question has confirmed that DHSC’s total paybill and staffing costs have risen by £2.5 million since the election. Labour is blaming Assisted Dying plus other policies:
“Since the General Election, the Department’s staff numbers have needed to increase to ensure the right skills and capability to deliver several of the Government’s major priorities. These include the 10-Year Health Plan, the Assisted Dying Bill, ending the longest-running pay dispute with resident doctors, publishing an elective reform plan, and publishing a new NHS Mandate, as well as ensuring we can continue to deliver vital services across the health system. During this period, payroll costs have also increased because of annual pay increases.”
So much for efficiency…
Despite Downing Street’s dedication to the Jimmy Savile attack on Farage the public thinks it’s inappropriate. Poor taste…
Peter Kyle launched the attack on the morning round last week over Farage’s concerns with regard to the Online Safety Act – it was repeated by numerous ministers the latest of which is Jess Phillips who revived it this week. Might not have been the best idea…
More in Common has polled the public who say by three-to-one that the attack was inappropriate. That includes Labour voters…
A Reform source tells Guido: “Labour clearly don’t have a clue what they’re doing or why they’re doing it any more.” By 53% to 23% Brits also think Kyle should apologise for the attack. Chance would be a fine thing…
Guido hears from DC insiders that the disastrous – and eye-wateringly costly – Chagos sellout is not fully settled Stateside. As The Heritage Foundation’s eminent Nile Gardiner wrote yesterday: “the Chagos issue is not over in Washington, and major red flags are being raised in the United States.” Now a route has emerged via which the deal could be slowed down or even scrapped…
The powerful House Appropriations Committee has now raised the issue directly with Marco Rubio. The Committee is Republican-led and is sound on Chagos. A relevant passage from the current State Department appropriations Bill states:
“United Kingdom and Chagos Archipelago —The Committee notes that with the growing challenge from the PRC the military facilities on the island of Diego Garcia are central to Anglo-American power projection and relative control of the Indian Ocean. Recognizing the invaluable strategic importance and geographic relevance of Diego Garcia to the United States, the Committee encourages the Secretary of State to engage with His Majesty’s Government of the United Kingdom to ensure our long-term access to the facilities and that they remain integral to allied security.”
(H/T @NileGardiner)
These reports have been corroborated and furthered by Guido’s high level Capitol Hill sources, who say that the deal may well be torn up by Trump. The President has been angered by recent free speech crises in the UK, which became very clear to him during his Scotland trip…
Moreover, Vice President Vance is understood to be monitoring the issue carefully. He’s in the UK this summer. Guido will have more soon…
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.”
