Guido hears the awkward bromance between Starmer and Macron is on the rocks. The PM and his bag carriers tried repeatedly to organise a meeting with the French during the COP30 summit, only to be given the cold shoulder by Macron’s team. Numerous attempts were made by increasingly senior officials to call the French delegation and track them down. A government source tells Guido that the French “managed to effect the most amazing disappearing act”, with no meeting or call taking place. Macron’s David Copperfield act was reportedly very effective..
The FT reported Starmer had the same issue with Ursula Von Der Leyen, who also dodged his request for a meeting over the the EU’s money demands for the SAFE defence fund. The French are understood to be the driving force behind that (ridiculous) hard bargain, which would explain Macron’s evasiveness. Ghosted on the world stage…
Shadow DWP Secretary Helen Whately joins Adam Cherry in the Guido Fawkes studio to discuss slashing the benefits bill, why the Tories back the pensions triple lock, and why she thinks Reform are ‘stealing the Tories homework’ on policy. Plus more…
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The government’s child poverty policy head has endorsed a group calling to abolish the two-child benefit cap. Writing’s on the wall…
Jonathan Capstick, the ‘impartial’ civil servant who is Head of Policy in the Cabinet Office’s Child Poverty Unit liked a LinkedIn post from ‘Child Poverty Action Group UK’ which trumpeted:
“We’ve joined 100+ others in calling for the government to fully scrap the two-child limit. Every child deserves the best start in life. By fully scrapping the two-child limit the government can deliver a decisive shift in children’s opportunities, and in the UK’s potential.”
Wonder what the civil service code thinks of that…
Reeves and Starmer have both heavily hinted that they would scrap the cap earlier this week. A reminder that this would cost around £3.6 billion a year. All while Labour readies to shred its manifesto tax promises…
Lou Haigh has been handed a government job. Won’t stop her leadership ambitions…
It was announced in parliament late yesterday afternoon:
“The Rt. Hon. Member for Sheffield Heeley (Louise Haigh MP) has been appointed as a full representative of the United Kingdom Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in place of the Hon. Member for High Peak (Jon Pearce MP).”
Haigh gets to go abroad to represent the UK at meetings of the assembly with expenses covered. Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel tells Guido it’s “an insult to the taxpayers who will pay for her travel – and to the public who are being taken for fools.“ Can practice her speechmaking skills…
At PMQs Tory MP and veteran Stuart Anderson raised the unprecedented intervention of nine four-star generals this week, who described Labour’s approach to human rights as a threat to national security:
“And on that point, with the upcoming vote on the Northern Island Troubles Bill, nine of the most respected and experienced generals of a generation have publicly attacked the government’s approach on lawfare against our armed forces. They have said it will erode trust in the justice system and it is a threat to national security. As a veteran who served in Northern Ireland during the troubles, does the Prime Minister think they’re all wrong? And when is he actually going to start standing up for our veterans?”
Starmer said he would talk with the generals:
“When former service chiefs raise an issue, we will of course engage with them. Of course, I respect their service and their views and will do so. We are having to get rid of unlawful legislation and putting in place a system with clear rights and protections for veterans. And we’ll continue to try to get that balance right.”
No-one is buying that…
Former leader of the SNP in Westminster Ian Blackford told Times Radio why he believes Nicola Sturgeon’s claim that she spent no time in the kitchen and therefore didn’t see any of her husband’s purchases:
“She doesn’t have a passion for cooking.”