Its been quite a while since we have run a story about reader’s favourite, the kimono-clad, fox-battering lawyer who specialises in hoovering up gullible Remainers’ money to launch legal strategies, with varying degrees of success, in a vain attempt to stop Brexit. Guido stresses the vain aspect…
Jolyon Maugham has taken a break from litigating to put up Uber prices by 20%, to instead get sued by his builders. From reading the documents of the court case it appears he is trying to knock his builders for £490,000. They unsurprisingly have reacted badly to this and are suing Jolyon for the money owed.
“The claimant building company had carried out renovations to the defendant’s home. Under the building contract, completion was scheduled for November 2015, but practical completion was not certified until July 2016 and each party attributed the delay to the other. A dispute arose as to the amount of the final account. The claimant valued the works at £1.59 million, which included claims for loss and expenses caused by the delay and for additional works carried out under the architect’s instructions. The defendant valued the works at £1.1 million which he paid.”
It appears that Jolyon not only thinks he knows better than 17 and a half million voters, he knows more about building than his builders. He tried to wriggle out of going to court over the debt by demanding that they put down security for legal costs – a ruse well used by people who think that they can put off a creditor by pushing up the costs of pursuing the debt. The kind of sharp practice that a slippery lawyer might try. Jolyon did try it on of course…
You have to be a pretty angry builder to take a silk to court over contested bills – the legal argument over the £490,000 unpaid bill will likely result in total costs of approximately £300,000 for the loser. So congratulations to Chivertons of Hampshire in defeating Jolyon’s attempt to force you to put up security for legal costs. Something Jolyon was unwilling to do in his tilt against Uber…
Juncker offers Putin “congratulations on your re-election” and says “I wish you every success”. So much for that international solidarity with Britain against Russia. Penny for your thoughts, Remainers…
This 2009 ITV interview with John Bercow has been doing the rounds in Westminster this morning. Bercow’s mask slipped and Tom Bradby saw the two sides of the Speaker: his polite public persona and his rude and bullying private tone. Also ironic to see Bercow complaining about questions overrunning. If he speaks like this to a senior journalist in an interview, imagine how he treats his staff…
This is definitely not funny at all. Martin Selmayr, the so-called “monster” of the European Commission, chief of staff to Juncker and nemesis of Brexit who has just launched an astonishing power grab this week, celebrated his new job with an official photo. In the high res version, you can clearly see Selmayr’s mobile number, as well as the mobile numbers of the EU heads of cabinet, on a piece of paper on the wall:
Definitely not funny at all.
H/T John Stevens
Good news! Jared O’Mara has briefed the Mirror that he is feeling much better after his four months off and will be making a “phased return” to work. The timing of his miraculous recovery is surely just a coincidence and definitely, absolutely nothing to do with the Yorkshire Post turning on him yesterday. Guido is glad to hear Jared is fighting fit – this means Labour’s paused investigation into his conduct can resume and report back swiftly. Right?
Guido has no choice but to award the Order of the OTT to Conor Gearty, professor of human rights law at the London School of Economics, who thinks Brexit is “our Vietnam”. The professor compares the democratic vote to leave the European Union to the bloody Vietnam War as he writes:
“Brexit strikes me as our Vietnam. Everybody rational knows it is – how can I put it politely? – not going well. But no one with authority seems able to say so.”
He goes on to compare Brexit to human rights abuses in Vietnam, conceding: “If any deaths, ill-health or misery are caused by Brexit it will prove perhaps harder to gauge”. Perhaps someone should remind the nutty professor that the Vietnam War cost 1,353,000 lives. Just Hanoi-ing…
