Over the weekend the Sunday Mirror published pictures of Michael Gove engaging in a modest and momentary public display of affection in a restaurant. Their application for a Pulitzer Prize will have to wait…
Mikey Smith, the hack in question, hit ‘publish’. The SW1 reaction came in. Not from adoring fans or rival newsdesks begging for publication rights – but instead from everyone on X who saw no public interest and couldn’t have cared less. In fact, it was a total self-own from the Mirror, as the backlash was ferocious…
“This is not news“, said one punter. “You people are ghastly” said another. Owen Jones called it “trash” (proving a broken clock is right twice a day). Even – checks notes – Labour MP Shaun Davies asked the question the Sunday Mirror obviously didn’t: “Why does this matter?” Reach PLC is looking for further job cuts and hires who will do more with less – any of the online commenters over the weekend would have shown better judgement than their current crew…
Four days ago, CNN were patting themselves on the back for their “remarkable” scoop, gushing over their discovery of a “Syrian prisoner freed from Assad’s forced detention.” The story, breathlessly fronted by the network’s chief international correspondent, Claire Ward, racked up over a million views on YouTube, and CNN was awash with praise for Ward’s incredible reporting. According to CNN, she had unearthed a man who had been left “alone and unaware the Assad regime was no more”…
Unfortunately for CNN, it turns out the “freed prisoner” was actually a “regime torturer” named Salama Mohammad Salama, a first lieutenant in Syrian air force intelligence. According to the fact-checking organisation Verify-Sy, Salama is accused of killing civilians and torturing young men on trumped-up charges. No wonder CNN found him cowering under a blanket. Giving even BBC Verify a run for their money…
Over the weekend arch-Starmerite think tank Labour Together released its flagship immigration proposals for the government, which it calls “A migration system that puts country first.” The think tank echoes recent briefings from Downing Street in arguing that net migration needs to be substantially lower, and advocates “credible, long-term targets that lead to sustained reductions in immigration while ensuring that Britain’s economic needs are met” to do so. They also boast of their “close ties to the Labour leadership” while doing so…
SW1 expects the Morgan McSweeney-founded think tank’s plan to form a basis for medium-term immigration policy in No 10. It boasts three main features:
Guido noticed a few similarities in the 8-page Labour Together report and a 117-page Centre for Policy Studies report co-written by Robert Jenrick in May this year. Some of them are:
If Starmer goes ahead with his think tank’s proposals he will have Robert Jenrick and the Thatcher-founded CPS to thank for them. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery…
Ofcom has today found Sky News in breach of broadcasting rules after it aired an interview with Douglas Ross MSP on 10th June. The watchdog ruled that the interview was in breach of Rule 6.11, which stipulates:
“Where a candidate is taking part in a programme on any matter, after the election has been called, s/he must not be given an opportunity to make constituency points, or electoral area points about the constituency or electoral area in which s/he is standing, when no other candidates will be given a similar opportunity.”
Curiously, Ofcom has not publicised the ruling, with no sanctimonious tweets or press releases about the decision. Guido notes that whenever they find GB News in breach of conduct, they are always quick to tout it to the media. Two-tier Ofcom strikes again…
The Bundestag saw three hours of debate this afternoon before members began to vote on Scholz’ government. Looks like elections will come on the 23rd February…
Now that has been achieved all that’s left is for Scholz to ask President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to dissolve the Bundestag. Election inbound…
As Guido revealed last Thursday, Labour has created a huge new “EU” surrender unit in the Cabinet Office. The story went on to splash the Mail on Sunday yesterday…
The paper reported the unit is: “An all-powerful team of more than 100 civil servants is being assembled to run the UK’s negotiations with Brussels – with insiders claiming its purpose is to negate the historic 2016 vote to leave the EU.” AKA, the surrender unit…
Kemi Badenoch slammed Starmer for the development, saying: “In every negotiation – from trade union pay deals to the Chagos islands – Keir Starmer has given away everything for nothing in return. The question now is what price we all pay for the Prime Minister to take us back to his EU comfort zone?” Labour’s gradual but unsubtle attempt to reverse Brexit is a massive open goal for the Tories. They could recap all the evidence by perusing Guido’s ‘Labour Rejoin’ series…
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.”