Sex-text pest and FCO Minister Ivan Lewis has been slapped down by Iraq’s Ahrar Party leader Ayad Jamal Aldin after wading into Baghdad politics. In a move straight out of the New Labour playbook, Lewis used a piece in the Arab newspaper The Daily Star to urge Iraqi voters to judge their politicians on “better public services, fixed roads and transport systems and providing new jobs”, while ignoring the rank corruption that is crippling the country.  Sound familiar?

Fearless transparency campaigner Aldin, who has survived six assassination attempts, hit back hard though:

“Ivan Lewis MP misses the point with the Iraqi people’s political dissatisfaction. Corruption within the government must be the major issue on which the forthcoming election is fought. It is the corruption that prevents these services from being implemented as the money to fund them is siphoned off by Maliki’s government ministers. We will not stand for this anymore and promise tackle corruption head on so that all Iraqis can benefit from a fair and transparent administration which will benefit all the people of Iraq.”

Guido’s man in the Green Zone got in touch to put the boot in “It’s no surprise a UK Labour politician wants to ignore corruption, their spin won’t work here.” It’s a new low when even Iraqis are lecturing Labour about corruption.