Labour loved to bash the Tories over cabinet minsters’ penchant for flying on private planes whilst they were in government. Now that they’ve got their own in power, they’ve conveniently U-turned on their sanctimonious moans of the way of travel. Co-conspirators have seen their hypocrisy over the matter already got off to a flying start…
In 2022, the ever righteous Angela Rayner blasted then Foreign Secretary Liz Truss for jetting off in the government’s A321 plane to Australia as “obscene”, “brazen” and a “disgusting waste” of taxpayer money for “vanity and comfort”. Odd, then, that her Foreign Secretary David Lammy chose this vile mode of transport to fly to India today…in the exact same plane. Lammy used the government jet to fly to Dubai (to re-fuel) and then on to Delhi. The fuel for Lammy’s trip alone would have roughly cost the taxpayer $111,000. One rule for them…
Sunak took the opportunity of a rather dull first PMQs under the new Labour government to make yet another self-deprecating remark about leading the Tories into historic defeat. Wishing the GB Olympic team well, he lamented:
“I have no doubt that after years of training focus and dedication they’ll bring back many gold medals although to be honest I’m probably not the first person they want to hear advice from on how to win…”
Prompting a few laughs and many mocking “awwws” across the House. Burying the Tory party isn’t exactly a record of which to be proud…
Eluned Morgan has been confirmed as the new Welsh Labour Leader and, if supported by the Senedd (as expected), will be the first female First Minister. The peer and former Health Minister in the Welsh Government was crowned unopposed by the party. She’ll be hoping her time won’t be as impressively short-lived as Vaughan Gething’s…
Emily Thornberry fell into a bit of a depression during Politics Live after she was asked whether she was surprised at missing out on a Cabinet role:
“Yeah. Yeah, I was surprised, I didn’t know that was going to happen. Yeah I’m very sad about it, yes, I would have liked to have been in the Cabinet, you know, because I’d been in the Shadow Cabinet for eight and a half years continually and on the front bench for more than ten. I didn’t get offered any government job. Yeah, so it’s sad.”
Thornberry eventually mentioned that she wants to stand for chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee “which would be a great job.” Ex-chairman Alicia Kearns advised that “you have to be willing to scrutinise you own party in recognition that country comes first.” Don’t think Emily would have any problem with that…
- Calum Miller (LibDem)
- Christine Jardine (LibDem)
- Nadia Whittome (Lab)
- Kim Leadbeater (Lab)
- Emma Lewell-Buck (Lab)
- Pete Wishart (SNP)
- Rupert Lowe (Ref)
- Mohammad Yasin (Lab)
- Lewis Cocking (Con)
- Mark Hendrick (Lab)
- Dan Tomlinson (Lab)
- Bill Esterson (Lab)
- Jack Abbott (Lab)
- Adrian Ramsay (Green)
- Matt Vickers (Con)
Last week Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced plans to release thousands of prisoners early by reducing the minimum sentence term spent in prison from 50% to 40%. A Tory plan that Guido revealed first back in May…
The public aren’t happy with it. New YouGov research finds that a whopping 71% oppose the policy. Only one in six (17%) are in support. It sits at the bottom of the list of preferred solutions to the overcrowding crisis…
This comes as the ONS drops crime statistics which show a 40% increase in theft, shoplifting at a two-decade high, and robbery up 8%. Most popular solutions include deporting foreign criminals and building more prisons. A far cry from the current policy – releasing convicts en masse into the streets…
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.”
