Labour Party Chairman Anna Turley is branding the government’s endless capacity for U-turns this morning as “the sign of a confident government.” Yesterday the Treasury capitulated to pressure and will water down business rate hikes for pubs to the tune of £300 million…
Turley’s brand new line, delivered to Sky News, is a corker:
“I don’t buy this as U-turns. This is actually about listening. And I think it’s a sign of a a government that actually in touch with people, that is listening to people and that is responding… I think listening to constituents isn’t being bullied or lobbied. That’s what we’re here to do. We’re here to represent the people that we live amongst. And and if a policy isn’t right, I think it’s a sign of a confident government that says, do you know what? We’ll step in. We’ll sort it out. We’ll make sure it works. We’ve seen governments in the past with real ideological bent that have pushed through changes in with crazy budgets that have been based on their own ideological madness that have hammered people’s mortgages and businesses.”
Challenged on Starmer’s unpopularity in the face of this “confidence,” Turley blamed the Tories:
“We inherited such a horrendous situation. I mean, everyone can look around them in their communities and see what the impact of 14 years of austerity is and their communities.”
Keep it up…
Guido will keep track of Labour’s black hole. It’s going to get bigger until – surprise – more taxes arrive at the Budget…
Whitehall departments are fighting over not having to absorb the mammoth Special Educational Needs costs as Phillipson pursues reforms in the area. Bloomberg reports this afternoon that Darren Jones is asking around to see if anyone will help stump up the cost of the Digital ID programme. Government insiders tell Guido there is a lot of squabbling among ministers over the policy as hires take place. Currently advertising internally in the Civil Service:
Constant U-turns damage Labour’s fiscal position too. Eyes on Pat McFadden as he attempts another go at welfare savings later in the year…
This week the left’s associations with Venezuela have been under the spotlight. The Venezuela Solidarity Campaign, organisers of the derided “Emergency Online Rally: No War on Venezuela,” counts trade unions – and Labour-linked lefty law firm Thompsons Solicitors – among its backers. Birds of a feather…
Thompsons proudly supports the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign – founded in 2005 – by “highlighting and correcting inaccuracies and distortions made about Venezuela.” At the TUC Conference in last September, Thompsons sponsored an event “¡Viva la Solidaridad! Stand with Latin America Against Trump.” Phil Liptrot – a Thompson’s solicitor – spoke at the event. Liptrot then spoke at a similar ‘Arise’ event during Labour Conference…
It’s worth noting Thompsons’ connections to the wider Labour movement. Lefty MPs Richard Burgon (who’s spoken at several recent Venezuela Solidarity Campaign events), Andy McDonald and Warinder Juss previously worked at Thompsons. Yvette Cooper, Emily Thornberry and John Healey have also received donations from the firm…
Yesterday Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith slammed Thompson’s Scottish arm, Thompson’s Scotland, over its plans to sue M&S over last year’s cyber attack: “Thompsons’ model – backed by Labour through its close ties and political pipeline – isn’t just about helping workers. It’s about fuelling an industry machine that sucks billions out of the economy, penalises firms for taking risks, and kills the growth and innovation we need to thrive.” The left’s mission to financially ruin us all continues…
Bridget Phillipson has publicly blamed the Equality and Human Rights Commission after the DfE failed to publish the EHRC’s guidance on single-sex spaces for months. It is still not out…
Phillipson told pool reporters that she would publish the guidance “as soon as I can” and laid the blame at the EHRC’s door for legal problems in their guidance:
“We did require certain additional information from the EHRC, so that has unfortunately slowed the process, but I hope we can make progress, because I know that people want that clarity, but actually the ruling from the Supreme Court was also very clear… We have a new chair that has taken up post at the EHRC. I think she is going to do a fantastic job, and I have every confidence in her… We have experienced difficulties in the past. I’ll be up front about that.”
The Education Secretary is in effect blaming former EHRC chairman Baroness Falkoner. The funny thing is that the new one, Mary-Ann Stephenson, insisted that the guidance was “legally sound” when presented to the government in Summer last year…
Phillipson added: “I hope now we can move into a phase where we can crack on, we can make sure that we’re putting in place the code of practice that we know we need to bring forward, but we do so in a way that is responsible, that follows all of the proper processes.” A barbed quote there – all is not well when it comes to implementing a landmark Supreme Court decision…
Red Wall Labour backbencher Jonathan Brash told GB News that Starmer should resign:
“I’m completely fed up about it, and I think it’s got to the point now where I genuinely think that, as far as the Prime Minister is concerned, it’s not a case of if, it’s when.”