In a twist to the usual story the Mail is reporting that Laura Johnson is having an affair with Alan Johnson’s police protection officer.

Paul Rice, an experienced detective constable,  is expected to be suspended from duty within 24 hours.

She has left him…

Alan Johnson’s suspected affair with a civil servant was widely rumoured around Westminster, it was the reason that people believed that he had not run for leader. The story was never stood up by the papers.

This evening Guido sources are pointing the finger at Alex Belardinelli, Special Adviser to Ed Balls, as the person who has been making inquiries into Alan Johnson’s private life. Shadow Cabinet sources say they believe the Sunday Times has the story and Ed Miliband himself believes that Ed Balls’ people have had a hand in the story getting out. Balls chose his moment well, a series of gaffes by Alan Johnson had left him politically weakened.  Yet still Miliband rewarded him with the prize he craved…

UPDATE 22 Jan : Lots of people in the comments saying this story is proven duff by the Mail’s story about the wife and the copper. Don’t be so sure – they’re not mutually exclusive stories…

Alan Johnson said…

“A graduate tax is now very much back on the agenda in my book… If you are talking about inconsistency, Osborne, Cameron, Cable all voted against any graduate contribution whatsoever. But they are Premier League inconsistency. Mine’s Champions League inconsistency.”

Alan Johnson says

“We are now looking at a watershed election, à la 1945, à la 1979, more so than 1997.”

You wouldn’t know there was an election on would you?  The governing party is in chronic meltdown.  The Prime Mentalist is reduced to begging his sworn enemies for support.  One Blairite told Guido “if you think this is bad, wait until the polls close”.  Currently Ministers and MPs are straining to be loyal, Lord Falconer yesterday morning on the Today show put a sell-by-date on that loyalty.

After the polls close at 10 pm tonight, the battle will be joined for real…