After he was rocked by high-profile resignations and internal warfare Trudeau says:
“I intend to resign as party leader as PM after the party selects its next leader through a robust, nationwide, competitive process. Last night I asked the president of the Liberal Party to begin that process. This country deserves a real choice in the next election and it has become clear to me that if I’m having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election.”
Trudeau has asked for the Canadian parliament to be prorogued. Good start to the new year for Pierre Poilievre…
As City minister Tulip Siddiq faces fresh questions at home over her properties linked to dictator aunt Hasina’s Awami League party, over in Bangladesh the Anti-Corruption Commission is proceeding quickly with its investigation of corruption claims against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League. The ACC has signalled it will summon witnesses so far including ousted dictator Sheikh Hasina “and other party members” to defend themselves…
The ACC’s director general Akhter Hossain has said today that failure of those summoned to appear will result in formal legal action, as per the law. Over Christmas the ACC sought financial and personal information of Hasina and her family named in its recent investigation – which includes Siddiq – from numerous government departments including the Financial Intelligence Unit and Department of Immigration and Passports. As this inquiry proceeds the ACC may wish to likewise summon the minister to answer questions. Guido has asked Siddiq if she would comply with a summons…
CBC reports than Trudeau will resign as Liberal Party leader at 15:45 UK time. The PM’s office says he will “make an announcement” today. Go woke go broke…
Kemi Badenoch’s latest interview with the Mail’s You magazine over the weekend serves up some more entertaining reading. Reflecting on her time as Tory leader, she admits the relentless schedule has left her out of the loop. When asked about what newspapers she reads, she says: “I don’t have time to read anything… So that’s a bit frustrating because I worry that I’m missing things.” She reveals that people assume she know what’s happening, but “I’m actually knowing less because you’re busier than ever.” Refreshingly candid…
Kemi laments that her poor A-Levels, two Bs and a D in maths – a subject she “was always good at” – was due to her part-time job at McDonald’s. Not just for the cash, she explains, but also so she could eat as many burgers as she wanted. Though she’s still “very angry” about the results. The Golden Arches leaving a bitter taste..
Meanwhile, Kemi was quick to pour cold water on any political aspirations for her husband, saying one of the first things she did when she became an MP was to strike him off the “approved candidates” list because he was a “white public schoolboy”. She explained her foray into politics was driven by “anger at things not being done properly.” A pivot from last month, where she said she joined the Tory Party because it seemed like a “bit of fun”…
Among the many public sector honours liberally dished out in the New Year’s list, one David Clarkson picked up an MBE for “services to telecommunications”. Who dat…
The career regulator, who has been climbing the ladder at Ofcom HQ since 1999, currently serves as ‘Interim Group Director for Networks and Communications’. Prior, Clarkson was responsible for competition policy for broadband connectivity. After almost a decade of Ofcom’s regulatory oversight, the then Government declared “market failure” in the sector…
The Ofcom big cheese’s gong comes fresh off the back of a series of high-profile failures for the regulator catalogued by Guido. This site revealed how the regulator has continued to provide a broadcasting license to a Russian network praised by Putin for “shaping the global information agenda”. Back in December, Ofcom was also forced to apologise after one of their “online safety supervision principals” made light of regulating non-consensual pornographic material – leading to criticism that the organisation “didn’t understand their role” and had a “broader cultural problem”. Ya think…
In November, a parliamentary report went even further – condemning Ofcom for creating a “two-tier impartiality system” in media regulation. All while the regulator consistently attempts to hobble insurgent broadcasters such as GB News…
With Ofcom set to inherit sweeping new online policing powers in 2025, the future of media and telecoms regulation under Labour does not bode well. New year, same blob…
Both candidates running to become the new Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain are linked to The Muslim Vote, according to a deep dive from SW1 think tank Policy Exchange. The in-depth report finds that Wajid Akhter and Muhammad Adrees are ‘both linked’ to the campaign, which successfully organised votes in the election often against sitting Labour MPs. The campaign helped four pro-Palestine independents into Parliament…
As for the record of both individuals, the report finds:
“As this note reveals, Akhter, the likely frontrunner, has expressed views which appear ominous for the integration of Muslims into Britain. For his part, Adrees has strongly supported the dictatorial regime in Iran.”
Starmer’s Downing Street has so far maintained the Tory policy of non-engagement with the MCB. Last year it was reported that Labour was trying to set up a new group to sideline the MCB, known as the Muslim Leadership Council. Starmer’s Labour faces a serious challenge from growing support for the Pro-Palestine independents…
Speaking at his speech on how to achieve “progressive capitalism” Wes Streeting fired a dig and Andy Burnham:
“Bond markets are not bond villains and fiscal rules matter.”