Starmer has sacked his PPS Nin Pandit. Briefed to the BBC this morning…
After joining in November 2024 post-Sue Gray she is “expected to be given another role in government” and the BBC is told she “retains his confidence.” There will be some sighs of relief among political appointees in government…
As co-conspirators will have read on these pixels Pandit has been on the receiving end of criticism for being “hopeless,” abrasive, and ineffective in government. Which the BBC has been told by Downing Street now…
The finger was also pointed at Pandit for blocking the launch of Rayner’s ODPM. Starmer’s slow-moving personnel circus marches on…
HM Treasury posted a video on Instagram of Rachel Reeves sharing her thoughts on ‘trickle-down economics’ alongside social media influencer Abigail Foster. Caption reads: “What is the Chancellor think about trickle down economic?” – even after an edit. It’s not just numbers Reeves struggles with…
This promo video, in which Reeves pushes her views unchallenged, comes from a supposedly impartial civil service account. Helpfully, the first comment on the post delivers a reality check. What is the Chancellor think about that…
UPDATE: They’ve edited it now.
Attorney General Richard Hermer’s new SpAd is a rabid EU fanatic with eco-crazed sympathies. Here we go…
Richard Brooks starts today after the only previous Hermer SpAd Chris McQuiggin quit. Over what government sources tell Guido were differences of opinion with the Attorney General that grew too great…
Brooks enters government after a brief f six-month stint at pollster Ipsos and three years at consultancy Portland. Prior to that he worked as communications head at the pro-second referendum outfit For Our Future’s Sake. Which he also founded…
The new SpAd spent two years after his stint as Vice-President of the National Union of Students campaigning against Brexit, for a second referendum, and for freedom of movement. He said in a 2019 newspaper column: “It boggles my mind how there are some who claim that money should be able to move freely, but not people, and still say they are a socialist with a straight face.” Brooks went on:
“A bigger strategic issue, is that the generation changing the face of British politics right now – and a core of the Labour party’s support base – believe in open, diverse and outward looking politics. It’s why we back radical action on the climate crisis, want a people’s vote and defend freedom of movement to the hilt. Putting your party on the other side of a generational culture war isn’t just cowardly – it’s bad politics.”
Self-declared socialist Brooks wrote numerous pieces in favour of a second referendum under the umbrella of the People’s Vote campaign. In an Independent column Brooks praised the work of Extinction Rebellion and Greta Thunberg:
“A whole generation of young people – led by brilliant, diverse leaders like Greta – are rising up to take action where the generations before us have not. Extinction Rebellion – by any definition – has been a huge success. It’s achieved masses of media coverage for an important issue that had been ignored in the UK for at least 2 years. It’s put immense pressure on policy makers to respond.”
Brook’s evidence of that ‘success’ was that “Google searches on climate change have increased by 7 times since the beginning of the campaign.” Should any Labour people be unaware of the kind of brains now advising their lawyer-in-chief…
Hermer is already hated in government by political and civil servant figures alike for his constant obstructionism and disastrous Duty of Candour work. Brooks’ appointment should dispel any worries about the Attorney General straying from his deep progressive leftist beliefs…
New breakdown figures released by Khan’s Transport for London blow apart the spin it put out after Jenrick’s viral video this year. Who would’ve thought…
After the Jenrick video TfL mounted a defence: “In a statement, it said the fare evasion rate for 2024/25 was averaging 3.4%.“ Slyly that does not refer to the figures for the Underground…
A new report for an upcoming safety and security panel shows the actual breakdown of fare dodging on the Tube, which peaked at 5.1% in the first and last quarters of last year and was 4.8% across the 12 months. That’s above the 4.1% target and far above the figure TfL put out after Jenrick’s video…
Separately the rate of fare evasion on buses is rising dramatically from 1.9% in 2023 to 2.6% last year. Cutting the head of the hydra…
CCHQ is bulking up its press operation ahead of Tory conference, where Kemi is set to roll out a series of ‘policy renewal programmes’ alongside the long-awaited review on leaving the ECHR. The team will be kept busy…
Four new press officers are being hired, taking the team from five to nine, with a shake-up to include night duty, broadcast, and two media-monitoring roles, plus a head of media and executive political director. Three of the new recruits will also pick up some of Chairman Kevin Hollinrake’s press load. First of the newbies starts Monday…
A Tory source told Guido:
“As the Party moves to the next phase of the Renewal mission it is ready to communicate these plans, and our vision, with the country, and these changes reflect that.”
Money’s clearly still flowing…
A damning new report blows apart Labour’s claim that renewable energy is “cheap” in the net zero crusade. The report, authored by Professor of Economic Policy at the University of Oxford, Dieter Helm, slams Ed Miliband as “deluded” for thinking the UK can reach net zero by 2030 and bring down bills by £300. Helm also points out:
- Wind and solar are intermittent: “A unit of solar or wind power is not of equivalent value to a unit of gas (or nuclear).”
- To deliver the same output, the system needs an extra 60GW of capacity, plus costly transmission upgrades from Scotland and offshore sites.
- Consumers already pay for “lots of electricity they don’t use” due to curtailment.
- Batteries and long-duration storage add further costs, while subsidies remain essential: “If renewables were nine times cheaper, there would be no need for subsidy.”
Meanwhile, energy regulator Ofgem blamed wind farms for the energy price cap rise this morning, citing the increase in balancing costs – where the National Grid must pay to switch power plants on or off to keep the lights on – as a driving factor. Red Ed’s promise to bring down bills is just more hot air…
Lucy Powell on LBC, asked by Tom Swarbrick for her reaction to Labour MP Samantha Niblett’s call for a ‘summer of sex’ debate in Parliament: “I personally don’t own any sex toys, but each to their own… I’m not really sure that’s the right place for it, no.”
