The MP who replaced Jess Phillips as minister for safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls has been accused by staff and officials of doing “no work.” Labour’s commitment to safeguarding latest…
According to Labour sources Natalie Fleet, who was installed as minister in May, is refusing to do any work after telling Andy Burnham she doesn’t want her safeguarding ministerial role any more. Staff and officials are rankled…
Guido hears Fleet is refusing to deal with her brief which includes taking action against unregulated self‑swabbing rape testing kits on university campuses. One source says Fleet will not even sign off on official correspondence. Grinding an important brief to a complete halt…
Fleet has instead been busy tweeting and deleting this week after she posted regarding Ann Widdecombe:
“Nigel Farage and his gang of binmen get the same security as the rest of us. Sick of the faux outrage. None of them cared when a senior Reform UK politician was sharing my death threats!”
She later deleted the tweet and put out a statement: “Apologies for offence caused by my earlier tweet, which I’ve now deleted. My thoughts are – as they have always been – with Ann Widdecombe’s loved ones at this awful time.” Maybe get back to doing your actual job?
Tom Baldwin, author of Starmer’s hagiography, spoke to Times Radio:
Tom Baldwin: “I think he’d like to do something. He’s very dutiful and driven by service. That’s why he came into politics. I think that’s characterised his time as prime minister. He hasn’t always sought popularity or been good at being popular. But I think he has some of the necessary qualities that we actually do want in a prime minister. That resilience, that relentlessness, that ability to carry the weight and the job really does weigh very heavily on people and he carries that weight very, very well.”
Jo Coburn: “NATO Secretary-General?”
Tom Baldwin: “I think that’s something that he would be interested in. I think it probably requires Andy Burnham’s government to support him in that and these are some of the questions which Andy Burnham has to resolve quite quickly.”