It’s time for Guido’s daily Piers update, and last night’s figures make even worse reading for his TalkTV team in West London, which is now disowned by many of the executives in the Baby Shard. Piers was once again beaten by Nigel Farage, though the margin of his hammering rose from 14,800 views shy of Nigel to 36,500, two thirds higher. Dan Wootton also beat Piers, by 20,400 views.
This is especially embarrassing for Piers and his team given they were so excited at having an ‘exclusive’ interview with the Taliban spokesman – after he’d been interviewed by almost everybody else in the media. Farage managed to knock these ratings out of the park with… The Telegraph’s Christopher Hope. Until tomorrow…
On the Daily Politics today the Daily Telegraph’s Christopher Hope quoted an MP saying fishing was a small part of its economy “Harrods, the shop, has a bigger turnover than fish in terms of value for this country”. This is something Guido has heard before and read in the FT. Is it true?
According to government statistics, in 2019, the UK imported 721 thousand tonnes of sea fish, with a value of £3,457 million. It exported 452 thousand tonnes with a value of £2,004 million. Harrods turned over £869 million in the same year. So no, it is not true.
The Lobby Chairman Christopher Hope has just announced to hacks in the room that live tweeting from Downing Street press briefings will now be permitted.
Lobby Chairman Chris Hope has just announced to the room that because Guido is live tweeting the meeting, everyone is allowed to file or tweet as things happen now.
— Guido Fawkes (@GuidoFawkes) January 23, 2020
All the disingenuous arguments about why the briefing could not possibly be reported in realtime have been blown away.
An incredible U-turn – White House-style live streaming video of the press briefing is a step nearer today…
The Lobby did not take kindly to Guido’s live-Tweeting transparency initiative today, as one-by-one Lobby hacks erupted into a cacophony of complaints that their cartel is being chipped away. All in a day’s work…
James Slack is now starting the Downing Street briefing this morning #No10Briefing pic.twitter.com/ebiV4rjO2H
— Guido Fawkes (@GuidoFawkes) January 21, 2020
Urgent clarification was sought from half-a-dozen journalists over whether the Number 10 briefing was only for the Lobby or not. The Prime Minister’s spokesman James Slack told the room the rules of Downing Street’s press briefings are determined by the lobby for members of the lobby. As Guido is not a signed-up member of the cartel, this was useful to hear reiterated…
One hack spitefully joined in with the chaotic chorus, saying Guido reporters “aren’t really journalists.” In the heat of the moment Lobby Chairman Chris Hope agreed – something for which he has since apologised. Assorted Lobby hacks asked what the punishment would be for journalists breaking their self-imposed rules. They were none-too-impressed when Slack reminded the Lobby they enforce their rules for their members and Number 10 was not going to get involved…
One hack complained that Guido named the Prime Minister’s spokesman as James Slack, saying “you’re spokesman, aren’t you?” Slack retorted “It’s been convention that I’ve not been named, but some news agencies name me and others don’t. I have no view either way.” This current government is, after all, not afraid to break with precedent…
After around ten minutes of hectoring, Slack wearily asked the Lobby if they had any questions that weren’t to do with themselves, and pertained to actual Government business. They reluctantly accepted…
The post-meeting huddle – led by the chief instigators of the cacophony – Tom Newton Dunn and Pippa Crerar – cornered Slack to demand a discussion about who can turn up to the briefings, presumably pushing for even more of a closed shop. Which would be a bizarre move given the Lobby claims to be all about embracing transparency…
Guido’s looking forward to shortly making his way over to Downing Street for another 11 O’Clock government press briefing. Yesterday there was outrage from the Lobby cartel when – purely in the public interest and transparency the Lobby purports to serve – Guido live-tweeted the contents of the meeting. Resulting in a telling off from the Lobby chairman…
Ahead of today’s meeting, Guido thought it worth highlighting reader’s comments to the Lobby, to remind them that this is a battle they will not win with the public:
One Minister last night accurately described the Lobby as the last vestige of Westminster’s old boy’s club. Tune into @GuidoFawkes in half-an-hour for another live-tweeting…
Guido got a complaint in writing from the Chairman of the Lobby this morning after the briefing from the PM’s spokesman in 9 Downing Street. We live-tweeted comments as they happened, as we have whenever we choose to attend. Lobby hacks still think they are monopoly gatekeepers.
Here’s our reply:
Christopher Hope
Lobby ChairmanDear Christopher,
Happy new year. Thanks for sending a copy of the Lobby’s rules to Christian, our junior reporter. He tells me he has no recollection of joining your Lobby cartel.
You highlight your cartel’s quaint rules which state: “No information revealed during the Lobby briefings must be put into the public domain – via social media or a third party – until the briefings have concluded.”
Apparently a number of your cartel colleagues have complained about tweets sent from this morning’s 9 Downing Street briefing and published on the Guido Fawkes Twitter feed.
As the Prime Minister’s Spokesman James Slack made clear this morning, those are your rules not Downing Street’s rules. If your cartel wants to enforce anti-competitive rules on its members that is one thing. If you attempt to enforce those rules on us, or restrain us from going about our business in any way, we will not hesitate to seek a remedy under the law.
You say this rule exists so that “no one gets an advantage”. A prominent Brexiteer like yourself should understand the advantages of avoiding regulatory alignment with a sclerotic organisation.
Be in no doubt that, as he has since the beginning of this year, Christian will be live tweeting to our readers from 9 Downing Street tomorrow.
Paul Staines
Editor, Guido Fawkes
No doubt the Lobby hacks will be there tomorrow taking shorthand with their quills, follow Guido for the news straight from Downing Street in realtime, as it happens…
