Guido’s just come across this clip of Tory MP Jonathan Gullis – then known simply as Mr Gullis – explaining the ins and outs of politics, philosophy and enterprise to his outgoing students at Blackfen School for Girls in 2015…
Jonathan Gullis’s Asylum Seekers (Removal to safe countries) bill has been defeated in the Commons by left-wing MPs. Gullis’s anti-ECHR bill won the backing of 69 MPs – almost all Tories bar the DUP’s Sammy Wilson and Rob Roberts. 188 MPs voted it down, including 124 Labour MPs, 38 SNP, 10 LibDems and plenty of independent left wingers. Four Tories voted against the bill: Robert Buckland, David Davis, Simon Hoare and David Simmonds.
The list of Aye Tories is eyebrow raising. Ironically Boris – one of the key proponents of the bill – didn’t bother turning up to vote. However the following big names all backed the bill:
- Nigel Adams
- Bill Cash
- Simon Clarke
- Tracey Crouch
- Mark Francois
- John Hayes
- Philip Hollobone
- Bernard Jenkin
- Brandon lewis
- Esther McVey
- Amanda Milling
- Priti Patel
- John Redwood
- Desmond Swayne
- John Wittingdale
- Bill Wiggin
This isn’t a rebellion that will go away for Rishi…
Ex-minister Jonathan Gullis will today launch a counter-offensive against the ECHR, in an attempt to begin flights to Rwanda immediately. A Ten Minute Rule Bill will be presented to the Commons by Gullis today, and is backed by a cadre of senior Conservatives, including:
- Boris Johnson
- Priti Patel
- Jacob Rees-Mogg
- Nadine Dorries
- Mark Francois
- Andrea Jenkyns
- Pauline Latham
- Tim Loughton
- Ben Bradley
- Lia Nici
- Mark Jenkinson
The Bill, if passed, would permit the Government to ignore the European Court’s blocking of deportation flights, allowing them to resume immediately. Gullis shrewdly draws comparisons to David Davis’s successful battle against the ECHR to ban prisoner voting, which the court had ruled was a breach of human rights.
While a Ten Minute Rule Bill would usually be of no consequence, Politico Playbook hears the Bill may be opposed by opposition members, meaning a tricky vote lies ahead for the Government.
When pressed yesterday by Simon Clarke whether he’d move against the ECHR should his latest small boats policy fail, Rishi sheepishly dodged the question. Now the party bigwigs are moving to do just that. Popcorn at the ready…
The Standards Commissioner Kathryn Stone has found Schools Minister Jonathan Gullis innocent of wrongdoing after an opportunistic shadow minister reported him over a £7,200 donation. On Monday The Guardian learnt that Gullis was under investigation, after Labour MP Stephen Morgan wrote to Stone arguing Gullis should have declared a donation towards his grammar schools campaign when arguing for their expansion as a backbencher. How on earth did they manage to get that story?
Just three days later, however, Guido learns Kathryn Stone has completely exonerated Jonathan Gullis. She will not be taking any action on these issues as she doesn’t believe there’s evidence that any rules were broken.
Meanwhile, in a follow-up letter to leaky shadow minister Stephen Morgan, she slams him for his Guardian briefing:
“I was disappointed to note that you appeared to share your letter with The Guardian newspaper before giving me an opportunity to review or respond to your complaint. I consider this behaviour to be discourteous to me and I trust that it will not be repeated.”
Stone explains that she believes any onlooker would have concluded Gullis’ words were not influenced by the donation, rather influenced by his campaign, and that there is no evidence the campaign was launched as a result of said donation. Guido looks forward to the Guardian’s equally prominent coverage of this development…
Is there anyone Andy Burnham didn’t manage to upset with his Sky News interview this morning? Having already seen Anneliese Dodds publicly distance the Labour frontbench from his comments on renationalisation, now Tory MP Jonathan Gullis has demanded Burnham apologises and retracts his claim that Gullis “demonised” rail workers by calling them “greedy” in an interview over the weekend. Gullis points out that not only did he not use those words… he didn’t do any media this weekend…
In a letter to Burnham sent this afternoon, Gullis explains what really happened:
“This morning you referred to me in interviews on Sky News with Kay Burley and Good Morning Britain, claiming I had been on the media this weekend just gone and that I had said railway workers were being “greedy”. This is completely untrue. Firstly, I did not do any media at the weekend. In fact, I attended the wedding of one of my best friends and then enjoyed the rest of the bank holiday weekend spending quality time with my family. Secondly, I have never used the word “greedy” in any interview regarding strikes on the railways. Had you said I have been very vocally critical of the militant Union barons of the RMT, such as RMT President Alex Gordon, who has pushed Putin’s lies about Ukraine, claiming it is ‘a failed state held to ransom by neo-Nazis’, I would have accepted that. I am therefore asking you to correct the public record immediately and apologise for the entirely false comments you have made about me.”
All in a day’s work. Guido’s approached Burnham’s office for a comment…
UPDATE: A spokesperson for Andy Burnham tells Guido:
“Mr Gullis is good at giving it out but clearly a bit sensitive when the challenge comes back the other way. By reading disputed salary figures out on air and criticising the people taking action he is clearly saying that workers are being too greedy.”
So much for an apology…
UPDATE II: Following Burnham’s spokesperson’s non-apology Gullis confirms to Guido he is now taking legal action. Popcorn at the ready…
Read Gullis’s original letter in full below:
Jonathan Gullis is the second MP to pull out of his scheduled event at Westminster Games Week next week, claiming he was “unaware” of Tencent’s involvement and condemning their affiliation with the event. Which raises the question, will any of Tencent’s parliamentary events go ahead?
In a statement to Guido this afternoon, Gullis said:
“I am appalled to hear about the involvement of Tencent. At no point was I aware that Tencent had any involvement in the event. I have therefore withdrawn my support for the event with immediate effect.
“In partnership with UKIE, the industry body, I had agreed to sponsor an event in Parliament for Westminster Games Week. UKIE promotes the video gaming industry in the U.K., which Stoke-on-Trent is a growing part of.”
While Wakeford and Gullis may have distanced themselves from Tencent’s involvement, Westminster Games Week is still scheduled to go ahead next Wednesday. Sponsored by a company which 117 MPs specifically condemned just 5 months ago…
