While Sir Keir’s trying his hardest to portray Labour as the party of sound finances, his comrades in local government are doing their hardest to undermine this claim. Up in North Tyneside Guido can reveal the Labour council has spent £48,000 on multiple statues of the plasticine children’s character Morph, all while voting a 2.99% council tax hike next week. The legal maximum… 

The statue spaff was revealed in this month’s council financial subcommittee report, which simultaneously warned that the financial impact of Covid may get worse before it gets better.

If only North Tynside authority’s books, like morph, were also made of plasticine – then the figures would be easier to massage…