As Guido reported the Downing Street personnel shuffle is ongoing. James Lyons is out…
The director of strategic communications replaced Matthew Doyle earlier this year, whose job was split in two. Lyons said:
“It was an honour to be asked to come in. I’m proud to have helped to get a grip on Whitehall comms after what was a difficult few first months for the Government. It wasn’t just filling the grid. Launching the Plan for Change brought focus and direction. But I gave up a lot to come in and this was never intended as a long haul. When I came back from the summer break I told colleagues I was looking to leave by the end of the year. I’ve brought this forward to be part of the other changes.“
Another comms director gone. More to come…
An overnight paper from think tank Policy Exchange, backed by Blairite veteran Jack Straw, claims leaving the ECHR will have no impact on the operation of the Good Friday Agreement. An excuse deployed by the government repeatedly…
The report, authored by among others prominent lawyer Professor Richard Ekins KC, points out only one of the two GFA agreements relates to the ECHR and that one only imposes the need for “assurances” of protection from the abuse of devolved institutions. These can be provided in several ways by the UK after an ECHR exit…
It also details that the Windsor Framework has no bearing on a potential ECHR exit. Ekins says “neither the letter nor the spirit of the Belfast Agreement in any way requires the UK – or Ireland – to remain within the ECHR. And the agreements reached with the EU after Brexit confirm the point, leaving it open to the UK to choose to leave the ECHR.” Starmer’s excuse gone…
The report is also backed by Lord Stewart KC, former Advocate General for Scotland, Patrick Elias, a retired Lord Justice of Appeal, and Lord Faulks KC, former Justice Minister. Former Home Secretary Jack Straw said:
“I am not persuaded that the UK needs to withdraw from the ECHR the better to deal with the unacceptable number of unlawful and unfounded asylum seekers. Rather, I believe that we should de-couple our own human rights legislation from the Convention (as other European countries have done). But the debate about our future relationship with the ECHR, and its parent body, the Council of Europe, should be conducted on its merits.”
Yvette Cooper is today announcing plans to reform Britain’s use of ECHR’s Article 8 to deter small boat crossers amid speculation that Labour is inching the door open to go further after a concerted campaign from its own immigration hawks. Good luck getting that past Hermer…
Read the full paper below:
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.”
