As co-conspirators will recall, few politicians made more noise about ‘taking Covid seriously’ in 2020 than Keir Starmer. He was one of the loudest voices calling for harsher restrictions than tiered lockdowns in December 2020. That same month, his office invited around 40 Labour advisers to a Christmas party, only to cancel it on December 15th London was placed under Tier 3 restrictions. Yet, despite this supposed caution, Starmer still saw fit to meet his vocal coach, Leonie Mellinger, in person on Christmas Eve—when London was under even stricter Tier 4 rules…
Earlier 0n December 5th 2020, Starmer was forced to self-isolate for 10 days after a staffer in his private office tested positive for Covid. Just eight days after his isolations period was over, he was sitting down for an in-person coaching session. Why did this meeting go ahead when he was cancelling other events due to elevated restrictions? Especially when he’d previously been happy to meet his voice coach online…
Starmer’s Covid voice coach scandal has hit the BBC’s Politics Live programme today. Jo Coburn asks if Starmer’s denial that rules were broken draws a line under the affair. Labour’s Mike Tapp MP was batting for the defence:
“Well of course the opposition is going to jump on this bandwagon and sling the mud but he’s been really clear: He had to make a speech – I think it was on the the 20th – because of a Brexit announcement he has a small team around him. They prepared for it the day before.”
The date is wrong, the explanation is wrong. As detailed in Patrick Maguire and Gabriel Pogrund’s book, Mellinger visited Labour HQ on Christmas Eve and returned home afterwards. Tory Wendy Morton said “we need a proper investigation to get to the bottom of this.” The sort of fact-finding exercise Starmer might have been calling for if the shoe was on the other foot…
The left-wing media wasted no time in trying to discredit the farmers’ protest against Reeves’ tractor tax. Byline Times led the charge with a sanctimonious piece whining about so-called “two-tier reporting.” Their headline wailed: “When Climate Protesters Slow Ambulances They’re Vilified, So Why Are Wealthy Farmers Given a Free Pass?”. Author Josiah Mortimer went on to lament how he supposedly saw “ambulances struggle to make their way through” the tractors when farmers peacefully demonstrated in Whitehall on December 11th last year. Cue the predictable cries of hypocrisy—climate protesters are condemned for blocking emergency vehicles, yet farmers get a pass…
Turns out there’s a simple explanation for why no one took aim at the farmers for delaying ambulances: because they didn’t. An FOI request seen by Guido to London Ambulance Service confirms “there were no recorded incident of delays attributed to the Farmer’s Tractor protest action”. Welsh hill farmer Gareth Wyn Jones tells Guido: “It’s disappointing that there are people so desperate to tarnish farmers with the same brush as groups like Just Stop Oil, that they don’t establish facts before filing their story. Embarrassingly for them, the evidence doesn’t support their view.” Another fact-check fail for Byline Times…
Richard Hermer has been under fire lately for his controversial client list and legal obstructionism in government. It turns out he also offered advice on a matter close to the dark heart of New Labour. The death of weapons expert Dr David Kelly, whose body was found in an Oxfordshire wood in July 2003…
A public inquiry chaired by Lord Hutton concluded Dr Kelly took his life after slashing his wrist and swallowing some painkillers. But because Tony Blair’s government – uniquely – refused to allow a coroner’s inquest to be heard, Hutton’s finding continues to raise eyebrows…
Guido can report that on 17 February 2009 Hermer invited a group of medical experts who question Dr Kelly’s alleged suicide to his chambers at Doughty Street. During a long meeting Hermer advised them to focus their scepticism on the first cause of death advanced by Hutton – “haemorrhage from a cut left ulnar artery” – and to judicially review the then Attorney General, Patricia Scotland. One of those present at the meeting, Dr David Halpin, has been corresponding with Hermer’s office in recent weeks and believes he may now give permission for a coroner’s inquest to be heard…
As Attorney General Hermer is by law the only person in government allowed to push for an inquest – Guido has established the case is now under review. Doing so would set him against the New Labour establishment – Blair, Lord Falconer, Peter Mandelson, and Alastair Campbell. Halpin says he’s “confident Lord Hermer takes this case very seriously.” As well-regarded books by Norman Baker and Miles Goslett have shown, there are many reasons to doubt the public were told the full truth about David Kelly’s death. Hermer could be heading for a major internal scuffle here…
The boffins over at Conservative Campaign Headquarters have spied an opportunity to out-Farage Farage by reverting to a sound position on Starmer’s Brexit renegotiation. As flagged by Guido yesterday…
While Nigel Farage has adopted the plan of calling for a completely new set of negotiations with the EU (on Radio 4 this morning), the goal is still open for the Conservatives to commit to opposing any Starmer deal outright. This would basically reject any re-opening of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and signal to the EU that Labour’s rejoin project is strongly opposed…
Guido hears on the grapevine that the reversion to a strong pro-Brexit position is under consideration. The old Brexit bat signal is still sounding loud and clear…
Many have wondered what Sunak’s been up to since delivering the worst Tory defeat in history. He’s been noticeably absent from SW1, with most sightings of the Gold Coast lover snapped in Beverly Hills restaurants rather than Westminster. Co-conspirators can rest assured—he’s embracing ex-PM life, keeping busy with the usual post-office speaking circuit…
Sunak is now an exclusive speaker for Washington Bureau Speakers, where deep-pocketed clients are promised a “transformative leader” who will “empower audiences with insights on innovation, resilience, and navigating change.” Speaker fees range from a cool $25,000 to over $70,000 per event, with Sunak joining the ranks of Cameron, Blair, and Alastair Campbell. ACOBA has given his appointment the green light, deeming the risks low but pointedly noting, “the Committee’s advice is not an endorsement of the appointment.” Given his track record, let’s hope any insights on elections come with a disclaimer…
Speaking at his speech on how to achieve “progressive capitalism” Wes Streeting fired a dig and Andy Burnham:
“Bond markets are not bond villains and fiscal rules matter.”