Guido first reported in October last year that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister – which had only just got going under Rayner – was for the most part dead under David Lammy. Guido got a call that night from an unfortunate civil servant arguing that ‘DPM’ Lammy definitely still had an ‘office’ – not true…
It was after all a Rayner initiative. No substantial staff were redeployed by the MoJ to cover for Rayner’s rebranded housing civil servants, who obviously just went back to MHCLG. In a final humiliation for Lammy Guido can report the Cabinet Office rooms used by Rayner for the ODPM have now been filled by Darren Jones’ “Command Unit“…
To clarify those are the windowless rooms with only a skylight. If Rayner comes back she can probably give herself an even bigger room – wouldn’t want to break up Darren Jones’ party. In the meantime David Lammy gets to go around calling himself the ‘DPM’ and – oh, that’s it…
Guido hears discussions are underway in LOTO about hardening the right wing Tory offer at the Shadow Cabinet level. Another right-wing shakeup could be on the way…
Sources say one candidate under consideration for moving along is Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride. Some influential Tory MPs bemoan Stride’s poor media performance and left-wing positions on tax. His record in government leaves something to be desired as well *cough* Loan Charge *cough*…
Badenoch has been buoyed by the Mandelson scandal this week. Her last shadow reshuffle was in July last year – sources say discussions are underway for another. If Stride – who is not close to Badenoch – leaves Shadow Cabinet he could shack up with the Gavin Barwell’s centrist ‘Prosper’ group. Something LOTO planners will be considering…
Guido members will have seen Tory dissatisfaction coming. A snippet from Guido’s member-exclusive ‘Right Angle’ column from 20 January:
‘One veteran Tory MP joked “that LibDem” won’t keep the Shadow Chancellor brief for long. Another was polite, but lethal: “I like Mel, but Jenrick should have been Shadow Chancellor. Mel’s got a 61-vote majority. Will he even contest the seat again? There should have been a more dynamic person in”.’
UPDATE: A source close to Kemi said: “There’s no truth to this whatsoever.” Bookmark it…
Here are the tweets:
Safe to say Rayner will have to call a General Election if she gets in. That will be something…
Starmer has spent the week 1) admitting that he was told about Mandelson’s ongoing friendship with Epstein post-conviction and 2) claiming that Mandelson was dishonest about that very thing. Here is every scandal Starmer has pleaded ignorance over:
- Peter Mandelson & Epstein: Didn’t know about the “depth” of Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein despite being told about it in an official vetting document.
- Football Regulator Appointment: Accidentally approving the appointment of David Kogan despite being recused from football matters.
- Israeli Football Fan Ban: The UK Football Policing Unit told the Home Office about the restrictions on visiting fans from Maccabi Tel Aviv the week before it was announced. Number 10 said no one told Starmer.
- China Espionage Case: Not involved, never saw anything, it was only Matt Collins.
- The first Mandelson & Epstein: “Had I known then what I know now, I’d have never appointed him.”
- Louise Haigh’s Criminal Record: Claimed there was “further information” that was revealed to him that led to her sacking.
- Rayner’s First Housing Scandal: Didn’t need to see the ‘legal advice’ claiming appropriate capital gains tax was paid.
- Grooming Gangs Prosecutions: “Decisions were made by subordinates or that he was not briefed on relevant cases.”
- Andrew Malkinson’s Wrongful Conviction: “Never crossed his desk.”
- Post Office Scandal: “I didn’t see these particular cases. I don’t even know yet what they were about, whether they come within the cohort that is of concern.”
- Al-Fayed Investigation: “These decisions did not cross my desk.”
- Labour Together Smear Scandal: “I didn’t know anything about this.”
More to come…
Election Maps has crunched the numbers on every council by-election since the 2025 locals. There have been 202 contests so far – and Reform is hoovering them up, with a net gain of 61. Unsurprisingly Labour has tanked…
RFM: 72 (+61)
LDM: 58 (+20)
CON: 23 (-24)
LAB: 16 (-46)
GRN: 15 (+2)
Ind: 9 (-6)
Local: 5 (-5)
SNP: 4 (-1)
PLC: 3 (-1)
No doubt this trend will be reflected in May’s locals. Guido members can read what’s really going on behind the scenes in our weekly Bursting the Bubble…
A website was registered yesterday for members of the public to lobby their Labour MP to support Starmer. How desperate is it getting…
HoldTheLine is a swish website through with the headline message: “Tell Your Labour MP To Stand Firm. In a world where Trump tears up international rules and Reform waits in the wings, Britain needs stable government, not another leadership crisis.”
Constituents can send their Labour MP the following message:
“I’m writing as a constituent. I’m angry about the government’s errors and the judgement failures that have driven this week’s crisis, but I do not want Labour MPs to respond by collapsing the leadership and detonating the government.
Reform is polling at, or near, the top nationally. If Labour fractures, there is no orderly handover to a better alternative, there is a vacuum and Reform benefits. That is the reality of the moment, and it is reckless to pretend otherwise.
The bigger picture is that Reform is not simply another opposition party waiting for a turn in office, it is a clear and present danger to Britain’s social fabric and democratic culture. It thrives by turning neighbours against each other, stoking fear about immigration and asylum, and normalising contempt for basic standards in public life, with real consequences for minorities, refugees, and anyone who has already been treated as expendable by our politics.
It also offers an economically illiterate fantasy that would hit ordinary households first, wreck trust in institutions further, and deepen the instability that has already done so much damage to living standards. A Labour collapse would not be a cleansing moment, it would be a national own goal that hands momentum to an insurgent right that has nothing constructive to offer and every incentive to inflame division.
I want you to back the Prime Minister through this period, demand reforms to decision-making in No 10, and keep the parliamentary party disciplined. Fix the mistakes, restore seriousness, and do not gift this country to Reform.”
If you input the postcode of a non-Labour MP it says: “This campaign is focused on encouraging Labour MPs to support the Prime Minister during this critical period. If you have access to a postcode in a Labour constituency, you can try again with that postcode.” Some Farage said he hopes Starmer will stay, too…
Handily at the bottom it says: “This tool is not affiliated with the Labour Party.” Morgan up coding at 4 a.m…
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.”
