Kemi Badenoch made a statement in the Commons this afternoon on updated business and trade statistics. To cries of “hear hear” from the Tory benches she spelled out some the UK’s trading achievements since Brexit, which include:
- Services exports reaching an all time high – exports in general now being 2% above 2018 when adjusted for inflation.
- Manufacturing productivity growing at a higher rate than Germany, France, Italy, and the USA.
- The UK becoming the world’s fourth biggest exporter in 2022.
- European firms doubling down on the UK. Unilever, Cadbury, and Shell have moved production to the UK.
- Since 2022, removing trade barriers worth £1 million every hour.
- Reducing the EU share of UK exports from 60% to 47%. That’s not because their volume fell – exports to non-EU countries just rose by 70% in real terms…
News that good was clearly too much for Labour to handle, and as soon as Kemi stood up, they all ran away. Leaving the opposition backbenches empty…
Julian Lewis and Badenoch had a bit of fun, the former noting that “there appear to be eight times as many people sitting on our front bench as on the entirety of the Labour backbenches – does she take that as a vote of confidence in the government’s positive message?” Badenoch came right back:
“It’s clear that Labour don’t like good news because as soon as there is any they exit the chamber unless they absolutely have to be here… the Honourable lady is blushing because she knows she knows it is true…“
If you can’t hack the heat, get out of the kitchen…
Julian Lewis responds following his sacking of the whip:
“In recent days, the official No 10 spokesman explicitly denied that the Government was seeking to ‘parachute’ a preferred candidate in to the chair, stating that it was a matter for the senior parliamentarians on the committee to decide. “It is therefore strange to have the whip removed for failing to vote for the Government’s preferred candidate.””
Tory MP of 23 years Julian Lewis has lost the whip for defying Number 10 in in successfully launching a bid to chair the powerful Security Committee in the Commons. The job had been expected to go to Chris Grayling with no contest, yet Lewis sewed up the Labour and SNP votes on the committee to mount an unexpected win. Number 10 will have a hard time if they want to claim this is about Brexit – Lewis is a member of the ERG and was a Brexit ‘Spartan’ on all three meaningful votes…
A senior Government source has said the highly unusual and ruthless move is “because he worked with Labour and other opposition MPs for his own advantage”. A clear warning shot to the rest of the Parliamentary Party, which is now down from 365 to 364 MPs…
Unafraid to go against the grain, Lewis was considered to be an ally of Bercow during his time as Speaker, having attempted to defend the controversial speaker against bullying accusations. He is one of the only MPs who still refuses to use email – his office can only be contacted by letter writing and phone calls…
Failing Grayling has lost his bid to become Chair of the prestigious Intelligence and Security Committee after a successful Labour-backed coup by MP Julian Lewis. Only Grayling could lose a rigged election…
A statement just released by the Cabinet office confirms Dr Julian Lewis’s election as Chair:
The Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament (ISC) today elected Rt Hon Dr Julian Lewis MP as its Chairman.
You’ve got to give it to Grayling, at least he’s consistent…
When Tory MP Julian Lewis heard the Commons is set to lose its Post Office based in Member’s Lobby, he was furious. He fired off a breathless missive to colleagues:
“By chance, I recently found out that we are due to lose our immensely useful Post Office Counter service in the Members’ Lobby. Almost as bad as the loss would be, is the failure properly to bring it to Members’ attention and to seek our
views before taking unilateral action.”
Lewis has asked MPs to sign his EDM, reading:
“That this House greatly values the service, over decades, of the Post Office Counter staff in the Members’ Lobby Post Office; views with concern the proposal to shut down the Counter service in that Office; regrets that Members have not had this properly drawn to their attention; and accordingly requires a proper consultation to be held, to which all Members are invited to contribute, before any such loss of service is implemented.
A co-conspirator reminds Guido Dr Lewis is the only MP who refuses to communicate with constituents via email. He sent his EDM round via email, though…
Absurd spectacle in the Commons as John Bercow calls his pal Julian Lewis to make a patsy point of order asking the Speaker to confirm just how much his staff love him. Bercow takes the opportunity to say the “great majority” of his former staff left on good terms. As he and Lewis know, that isn’t the point. How many of Bercow’s former staff did not leave on good terms? And why? This is not the behaviour of an innocent man…
