With the dust settling on Labour’s election landslide, many former Tory MPs have been enjoying their first summer of freedom since their schooldays. Here are some of the more eye-catching examples…
- Richard Graham, former MP for Gloucester, has been piling on the runs on the cricket pitch, with scores of 110 not out and 135 not out. He was soon sledged for “getting more runs than he did votes…”
- Alex Chalk, former Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, donned his vest and trainers for the Cheltenham half marathon, finishing in a respectable 1:47:40. A way to go to beat fastest-MP Mathew Paris’ blistering 1.17 effort in 1985…
- Robert Buckland, another former Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, has confessed he’s been having a ‘brat summer’ (brat meaning chaotic, braless and imperfect for the uneducated.) Not sure British pop-star Charli XCX had test match cricket, the opera, and exploring the Austrian Danube in mind when she coined the phrase…
- Greg Hands, former MP for Chelsea and Fulham, has embarked on an impressive gap year travelling through the US, Mexico and Canada, not to mention interrailing around northern India. Finding yourself is more fun than finding a job…
- Meanwhile David TC Davies, former Secretary of State for Wales, has taken a hefty pay cut to become a senior advisor to Laura Anne Jones, Member of the Senedd for South East Wales. The only thing worse than being opposition in Westminster is being opposition in Cardiff…
Post-Westminster life isn’t all rosy, though. One former Tory MP tells Guido “many of the traditionalists are ruing the fact their first summer off has coincided with the worst grouse and salmon season for decades.” Feather and fin proving as elusive as votes…
UPDATE: Matthew Offord gets in touch to showcase his sailing of a yacht from Guernsey to Greece over the summer:
Spare a thought for the following 12 cabinet ministers, who lost their seats last night:
- Gillian Keegan – Education Secretary.
- Grant Shapps – Defence Secretary.
- Penny Mordaunt – Commons Leader.
- Alex Chalk – Justice Secretary.
- Lucy Frazer – Culture Secretary.
- David TC Davies – Welsh Secretary.
- Simon Hart – Chief Whip.
- Michelle Donelan – Innovation and Technology Secretary.
- Victoria Prentis – Attorney General.
- Johnny Mercer – Veterans Minister.
- Michael Tomlinson – Illegal Migration Minister.
- Mark Harper – Transport Secretary
A new record…
As election vandalism shenanigans ramp up to dizzying heights, counter-operations are underway. Over in Cheltenham an Alex Chalk loyalist assumed a stationary recon position at the London Road/Cirencester Road junction to guard a well-lit election banner. Soon enough, a young rapscallion crept over and meticulously ripped it down. Sensing danger as the watchman’s camera focussed in on him, the vandal raced off…
The cameraman gave chase, but not for long – the ne’er-do-well got away. Cheltenham is a tough battle for the Justice Secretary against ascendant LibDems, who are projected to win. Close election contests aren’t meant to descend to the vigilante level…
Criminals could be released from prison after serving only 43% of their sentence under proposals contained in the Sentencing Bill, Guido hears. Currently, under the Criminal Justice Act 2003, prisoners serving what are termed “standard determinate sentences” are automatically released after serving 50% of their sentence. Issues such as overcrowding are pressuring ministers to make it even earlier…
Officials warned that if the legislation isn’t passed by June, it could spark riots and leave prison vans with nowhere to take criminals. Guido is told No10 remain fearful of backlash from the right of the parliamentary party. Meanwhile, proposals to effectively scrap prison sentences of less than 12 months have been dropped. Gareth Bacon, the Bill Minister, is credited by government insiders with getting the shorter prison times over the line. As leadership contenders circle this is tinderbox stuff for Sunak…
