Attorney General Richard Hermer continues to face backlash after reports emerged that he toughened up government legal advice on the Chagos Islands, giving a “clearer steer” that the UK risked breaching international law— pushing best mate Keir Starmer to push ahead with a surrender deal. Meanwhile, Trump’s team is so far unimpressed by the deal while Republican senators tell Starmer to “put the bong down.” Turns out Hermer has held a dim view of the special relationship for quite some time…
In a November 2020 podcast hosted by Hermer’s leftie Matrix Chambers, he welcomed Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy for a chinwag about the US election and global affairs. Kicking things off Hermer triumphantly declared:
“When it comes to the Trump versus Biden election, we are anything but neutral. The rule of law doesn’t thrive on chaos and hatred. It flourishes on appreciation of the dignity of every human being. And thus it is a huge relief to start this podcast by saying out loud, Biden won. And you know what? It’s even more pleasure to say out loud, Trump lost. Now we don’t want to just dwell on the glories of the last few days.”
After Nandy finished pushing for the UK to have “constructive engagement with China”, Hermer openly questioned Britain’s influence across the globe, suggesting a Labour government—and a potential Foreign Secretary Nandy (commiserations, Lisa)—should take a more “realistic” view of the special relationship since we’ve left the bloc:
“What about the UK’s role in creating this new world? Do we need to be slightly more realistic than we have been in the past about our influence? If at the next election you become Foreign Secretary, we’re going to be years out of the EU. We’re unlikely to be enjoying a special relationship with the US. Many people say we haven’t had one anyway since Yalta.”
Meanwhile just two weeks ago Downing Street’s official line is that the special relationship is “incredibly strong” and will “continue to thrive”. Though the Attorney General and Starmer’s best mate has already decided the “special relationship” was over years ago…
Starmer has gone to Cornwall today with Rayner to visit one of the King-backed housing developments there. A photoshoot – then back to Downing Street for Lunar New Year…
Co-conspirators won’t be surprised that airborne Keir’s preferred mode of transport for the measly 200-odd mile trip was a… private jet. Records show that Starmer’s flight over there on one of RAF 32 Squadron’s Dassault Falcon 900LX executive jets took only 41 minutes. The majority of that will have been spent reaching cruising altitude and dropping from it. Think of the climate…
Guido is old enough to remember Starmer saying Sunak “doesn’t get” what the public thinks because “the view on the ground is very different to that from his private jet.” Reeves made vaunted claims about the Tories’ “private jet habit” and vowed to “save millions of pounds for taxpayers” by preventing ministers from flying on RAF planes. Meanwhile Labour ministers spent £2 million on jets in their first three months in office alone. Something something glass houses…
UPDATE: A Tory source tells Guido: “More staggering hypocrisy from Two Tier Keir. He was all too happy to point the finger in opposition, but now it’s clear it’s one rule for Labour, one for everyone else.”
Labour is still getting used to the process of government. After seven months…
The government accidentally sent its prepared answers to today’s Commons oral questions on defence to… the Tories. Who had a bit of fun with it in the Chamber…
Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge said kicked off:
“Now this being defence you will know the importance of secure communication – so before I put on record my question can I ask whether we should be grateful or concerned that prior to defence orals my MPs were sent all of the Ministry of Defence’s answers to our oral questions in advance. So we’ve been forewarned – I thought it’d be to the benefit of the House, Mr Speaker, given the importance of secure communications.”
Read all of Labour’s pre-prepared answers below. Co-conspirators can play along as they are answered live:
Continue reading “Labour Mocked for Accidentally Sending Commons Answers to Opposition”
Things are looking worse for the now former health minister Andrew Gywnne. His leaked WhatApp messages have now been recorded by the police as a non-crime hate incident. Some of the texts included antisemitic slights and a joke about a constituent being “mown down” by a truck, as well as sexist comments about Rayner. A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said:
“We have received a small number of complaints relating to publicised messages allegedly from a WhatsApp group. A non-crime hate incident has been recorded and we are in contact with our Parliamentary liaison as part of our initial enquiries.”
A case for the Free Speech Union?
UPDATE: Free Speech Union General Secretary Toby Young (The Lord Young of Acton) tells Guido: “Oh, the irony. Yvette Cooper may regret urging the police to record even more NCHIs — an average of 65 a day in England and Wales alone isn’t enough, apparently. I doubt Andrew Gwynne is the only senior Labour politician who’s made ‘inappropriate’ jokes on WhatsApp. I seem to recall her husband once dressed up as a Nazi. Shouldn’t that be an NCHI?”
Hacks have been poring over Andrew Gwynne replacement Ashley Dalton’s history. It’s an interesting one…
The new health minister:
- Sued the NHS – unsuccessfully – for £145,000.
- Said you can identify as a llama.
- Thinks the UK “shouldn’t have gendered bathrooms at all.“
- Called Donald Trump a “toddler” and a “racist idiot.” Send her on Starmer’s DC trip…
- Said “trans women aren’t male.“
- Remarked at how “short sighted and stupid” the British were to vote for Brexit.
- Proudly backed Labour’s “powerful” proposal to have a second referendum.
The truth is people terrified of trans women in the stall next to them have probably, unbeknownst to them, been in the next stall to a trans woman on several occasions for years & nothing awful has happened and they’ve never been any the wiser.
— Ashley Dalton MP (@AshleyDalton_MP) October 31, 2020
This appointment comes as Labour is on a big push to prove they are anti-woke and serious about NHS reform. Streeting is giving constant speeches about how useless DEI is in hospitals and so on. Guido is sure the latest addition to the team will swiftly get on board…
Tractors are rolling out across Whitehall today in protest against the family farm death tax. Save British Farming is heading up the march, called “Change Your Tune, Starmer”, with over 500 tractors expected to take over the streets. Farmers are tooting their horns and blasting music, including Beastie Boys’ classic Fight For Your Right To Party. There are even farmers driving a military tank. If anything will convince the Treasury to change track…
Watch live as the tractor rally, organised by Save British Farming, takes place outside Parliament https://t.co/pfbHJVHh9c
— PA Media (@PA) February 10, 2025
SBF founder Liz Webster slammed Reeves for sending the UK “marching into a food crisis”. Farage has already shown his support for the farmers, announcing a new Reform policy that would scrap inheritance tax altogether, while NFU leader Tom Bradshaw is expected to speak around 3 p.m. Kemi’s also expected to turn up…
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.”
