In the final humiliation for Baroness Gray of Tottenham the government has finally been forced to confirm that Sacked Sue did not in fact get a severance package. Despite her best efforts…
Labour repeatedly refused to say whether she did or not when asked in written parliamentary questions and so on, claiming “it is not appropriate to comment on individuals.“ They’ve now been forced into it after an Information Commissioner’s Office review…
312 days after her sacking the Cabinet Office has confirmed: “the requirements for the issue of a severance payment under paragraph 18 were not met. Ms Gray was therefore not eligible, nor paid a severance payment.” Guido reported at the time that Gray was fighting for a large one – Pat McFadden wrongly claimed she would be entitled to severance. As Guido also pointed out it would have to be approved by Starmer himself…
No ‘envoy’ job, no payout, just a peerage. Poor thing…
Jenrick’s ’48 hours in France’ video, filmed earlier in the week, asks questions about what the British public is told on migrants and small boats. He says ‘Britain is being scammed”…
New figures out from the Office for National Statistics show 0.3% GDP growth between April and June this year. Services were up 0.4% and construction 1.2%, while production shrank by 0.3%. Down from a 0.7% growth in the last quarter…
GDP rose by 0.4% in June. Reeves says: “Today’s economic figures are positive with a strong start to the year and continued growth in the second quarter. But I know there is more to do to deliver an economy that works for working people – and rewards working people.” Meanwhile Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride warns of the “£50 billion black hole in the public finances”…
UPDATE: Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson says GDP growth is “a lower figure than we would want.”
The Environment Agency told Guido that David Lammy was let off for fishing without a rod licence because it had been bought retroactively. They are now rowing back from their once-militant ‘we prosecute, always’ stance. If Lammy can get away with it, so should others…
After Guido asked whether the public are allowed to buy their licence retroactively whether or not they’ve been caught, the EA now says that all cases are carefully considered on their individual merits before any final enforcement decision is made. A far cry from their previous chest-beating:
“We do check, regularly, and we prosecute, always. Buying a rod licence is not expensive. There’s no excuse for not having one.”
This is the same EA that’s boasted of fining at least 27 anglers for fishing without a licence since Labour came to power. They’ll be reeling about this…
Jeremy Corbyn has given a ‘wide-ranging’ interview with Tribune magazine, in which he discusses everything from “his hopes for the new Left party” to “coalition building“and his “determination to overcome sectarianism on the way to forging a truly democratic form of modern socialism“. Right. In any case, Zarah Sultana’s name is not mentioned once…
Corbyn does at least acknowledge the potential “disagreements” that may emerge, as they always do:
“I am a believer in the power of unity through democracy. Yes, this new party is going to generate disagreements and divides. We should be open and honest about them, and rely on democratic institutions to work through them in a constructive and productive way.”
Guido has previously reported on the teething problems within the Corbyn-Sultana Your Party project, other than the name. Corbyn insists he doesn’t want “endless battles over who is on what national committee”. Good luck…
McMurdock says in a letter that “the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards has cleared me of any wrongdoing… In addition to the above, I have spoken to and worked with other government agencies. I can confirm there is no other investigation that I am aware of that requires my support.” He says the reports of his Covid-era business dealings was “a malicious attack, without substance, designed to damage my reputation”…
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.”