A revealing line in Lucy Fisher’s profile of Corbynista journalist Ash Sarkar: “Sometimes she’s fielded by the leader’s office, which co-ordinates these trusted commentators through a WhatsApp group”. Guido can reveal that the Leader’s Office actually uses several WhatsApp groups to coordinate messages and broadcast appearances with friendly journalists. At least one group includes among its members a LOTO staffer and several of the younger Corbyn media cheerleaders. Another group includes several older Guardian journalists who support Jeremy Corbyn – they use the group to get their lines to take before appearing on TV. Guido is told Seumas is not a member of any of these WhatsApp groups. 

Worth remembering the next time you see Ash Sarkar or Zoe Williams on Sky News that they are often booked by the Labour Party and get their lines dictated to them by Team Corbyn, despite appearing on our screens supposedly as journalists. Shouldn’t Sky News call them ‘spokesmen’ given they never criticise the dear leader and get their messages straight from LOTO?