Much like a rail bridge to Orkney, the context of this quote from Karie Murphy doesn’t exist…
“Anyone who knows Jeremy knows he loves to go on the train to obscure places like the South West or Orkney”
The Stalinist removal of Karie Murphy as Corbyn’s Chief of Staff yesterday was both shocking and unsurprising in equal measures. While Karie’s body is still warm, Corbyn has appointed former Whitehall equalities chief, Helene Reardon Bond, as her replacement.
Other than being characteristically posh, the appointment didn’t seem particularly interesting; however, it has now come to light that Bond’s own son, Jack, has worked in Corbyn’s office – running his Twitter account for a number of years. Bond’s husband is also one of Corbyn’s drivers.
As ever with the Labour party, it’s all about who you know…
The left’s head honchos have never been adverse to a good party and this New Year was no exception with Unite boss Len McCluskey and Seumas Milne celebrating in style at the luxury Loch Fyne Hotel & Spa in Inveraray for a cool £429 a head. Len donned his not-very-proletarian black tie for the celebrations, Seumas looked more avant garde in a black turtleneck and chinos:
It wasn’t just a trip for the boys, Corbyn’s chief of staff Karie Murphy was also there to enjoy the Hogmanay celebrations on the shores of Loch Fyne. Close friends Len and Karie were spied holding hands on the way out of the bar and Guido’s kilt-wearing co-conspirator reports that the pair shared a room together. No doubt having late night policy discussions.
Len and Seumas were also spotted at what was billed as the “Chef’s Gala New Year’s Eve Dinner”.
UPDATE: The “blonde” sat opposite Seumas is apparently Samantha Hemsley, partner at Thompson’s and Unite assistant general-secretary Howard Beckett’s long term relationship.
UPDATE II: Samantha Hemsley has contacted us to make clear she did not attend the event as Seumas Milne’s guest.
“I can confirm I am not in a long term ‘relationship’ with Howard Beckett. He is a close friend.”
A previous version of this story misidentified her picture. Apologies for the confusion.
Jeremy Corbyn’s Chief of Staff, Karie Murphy, posted “are u considering your defence mitigation if u cut his throat?” as a comment on a photograph of David Cameron speaking with journalist Steve Zacharanda a reception at Downing Street in 2013.
The violent comment was made just months after Lee Rigby was murdered in a similar way. How does Corbyn’s Chief of Staff think this is in any way acceptable?
This week’s New Statesman cover story on Labour (worth a read) contained an interesting nugget on relations between Len McCluskey and Karie Murphy, the courtesan in the court of Corbyn. When published yesterday the piece referred to Karie as Len’s “partner“, now it calls her his “close friend”.
Guido hears the famously litigious Len was particularly upset and ordered the article to be amended. Len’s spinner insists there were “no lawyers at all”, just a polite request for a correction. Surely everyone knows the correct journalistic style for Len and Karie is “close friends”…
Karie Murphy, the courtesan in the court of Corbyn who runs his office, is usually coyly described “as a close friend of Len McCluskey”. Loyally she is campaigning for him to keep control of Unite in the leadership election. Labour staffers are often card carrying members of the union. Some of whom have been put under pressure over the Parliamentary Branch’s nomination in the election. A co-conspirator emails:
“Karie told me that voting for Len will help my chances of getting a job in Unite or the Leader’s office. It’s put me off voting at all to be honest.”
Another Unite member and staffer said:
We all thought staff would be left to make their own decision on who they want to run Unite, but I’ve been put under massive pressure to vote for Len and I’m really worried about what will happen if I don’t.
Unfortunately this exactly what we expected given the culture in Unite, and we’re expecting more of the same at the nomination meeting on Thursday.
The Unite Parliamentary Branch’s nomination meeting is later today. Karie will be watching…
John Bercow has dismissed claims by Seema Malhotra that aides of Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell broke Commons rules by accessing her office. Excitable (or desperate) Labour moderates hyped this up as a modern-day Watergate, but the Speaker has rejected their complaints. He tells Malhotra:
“Having taken advice, I am satisfied that there is nothing in your letter or in the information subsequently elicited by the deputy Serjeant at Arms which would justify regarding these events as a possible breach.”
Embarrassing for the anti-Corbyn MPs who kicked up such a storm about this on Sunday…
UPDATE: McDonnell speaks:
“It’s only right and fair that Seema now apologises for the stress she has caused to my staff over the last few days. As I said on the Andrew Marr Show on Sunday the Labour Party needs to unite and actions like this which are only being used to try to undermine Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership must stop.”
Labour have blocked star Unite candidate Karie Murphy from the selection shortlist in Halifax. Murphy, the controversial activist embroiled in the Falkirk fix scandal, is a very close friend of Len McClusky. She confirms:
“I am disappointed that the Labour Party advised the media of my exclusion from the selection list more than three hours before they informed me. It is a credit that the shortlist is made up of so many local women, this is a new and welcome precedent for the Labour Party but it’s regrettable it wasn’t applied more rigorously in the past.”
The weekend papers reported that Tony Blair organised a dinner last week to arrange for a £500,000 donation from Assem Allam, in the event that Unite carry out their threat to pull some of their funding if Murphy was not selected. Guido is sure that Labour’s left-wing grassroots will be extremely grateful for his help in severing that particular union link.
Len is already kicking off:
Kind Mr Tony and his helpful friends to have stiffened Miliband’s resolve with cash. Money, as ever, talks…
