The hated Building Safety Regulator is growing at a blistering pace. Oh no…
Information obtained by Guido’s FOI Unit shows the BSR’s total headcount as of 04 July 2024 was 412 – that has shot up to 535 by December. Total costs for the 23/24 year were £21.130 million – those have risen by over £10 million in a year to £31.374 million…
The BSR’s new chairman Andy Roe was recently made a Labour peer. A report by the cross-party Lords Industry and Regulators Committee was released in December. Among other things it identified:
- Regulations are forcing flat owners to pay for a ‘waking watch’ because new alarm systems don’t count as emergency work in construction. £17,897 per building…
- Residents are waiting for more than a year to conduct repair work, including on leaks/
- The BSR will not allow flat owners to replace rotting parts of their buildings.
- Approval is required for things as small as a loo.
- Staff are not well trained enough to perform the functions of the regulator.
It should be abolished…
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…
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.”
