Former Corbynista MP, think tank boss and ‘future leader of the Labour Party’ Laura Pidcock is wasting no time in making the most of Kwasi’s sweeping programme of tax cuts. The short-lived shadow cabinet minister has just put her house on the market, conveniently coinciding with reductions to stamp duty thresholds. Whoever purchases Pidcock’s pad will only be paying £5,000 in stamp duty and wouldn’t need to pay anything if they were a first-time buyer. That’s a saving of £2,500…

Of course, Laura won’t be making the savings herself, though it should encourage buyer interest and she will likely be benefitting from it on wherever she buys next. Considering the value of her property has risen by £115,000, she shouldn’t do too badly out of the move…

For interested co-conspirators, the property is a detached three bed, two bath. It comes with a double garage, so plenty of room for foot-crushing SUV’s.

Laura’s bookshelves are adorned with a raised fist statuette and all the expected left-wing required reading, including “Red Ellen”, about socialist trailblazer Ellen Wilkinson, a book titled “Join a Trade Union” and a Corbyn biography. Was living through it not enough?

The property has an energy rating of D, so clearly room for improvement with a Green New Deal…

In yet more proof the hard left is ‘winning the battle of ideas’, the hard left think tank CLASS has announced it is closing down. In a statement this morning the trade union-backed wonk house said the decision “comes as the trade union movement transitions into a new era of grassroots industrial organising”. Whatever that means…

CLASS was formed in 2012 by the Unite, GMB and CWU unions, and the think tank boasts that, despite their closure, “the left is in a stronger position than it was during CLASS’s foundation in 2012.

The move is another blow for the ever-shrinking career prospects of former ‘future leader of the Labour Party’ Laura Pidcock, who is their current President and Chair, just months after she confirmed she’d abandoned plans to re-stand as a Labour candidate at the next election.

Owen Jones has also closely been involved with the think tank, serving on its National Advisory Panel and advising them on “policy direction”. Others serving on the panel include Diane Abbott, Will Hutton, Ian Lavery, Kevin Maguire and Len McCluskey. The hard left will continue ‘winning the argument’ for many years to come, no doubt…

Yesterday Laura Pidcock put us all out of our misery, confirming she won’t be attempting a return to parliament via her old seat of North West Durham. She claimed it’s because she wants to focus on “grassroots activism, campaigning and the trade union movement. Laura may not have been telling the whole truth, however…

Guido’s picked up a copy of Labour’s response to the forthcoming boundary commission reforms to constituencies. While the quango’s current proposals make some small changes to Laura’s old constituency, Labour has very different ideas. They want to abolish the seat entirely, dividing it into 4 new constituencies. The kicker? They’d move Laura’s house into the safe – and already occupied – Labour seat of North Durham…

Why would Labour want to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in North West Durham? The boundary commission’s proposals would give the seat a modest 1,000 Labour majority, yet the party wants to abolish the seat entirely. Might it be that Laura got the hint…

Guido will admit the news that Laura Pidcock is finally ruling out making a return as a Labour candidate at the next election, is something of a disappointment. Having already resigned from the party’s NEC over Christian Wakeford’s defection, Pidcock nonetheless publicly flirted with the idea of making a triumphant comeback, claiming on the Northern Agenda podcast she “[had] a bit of thinking to do” about giving it a go. Looks like she’s decided it wasn’t worth it…

Releasing a statement last night, Pidcock broke the sad news:

“I’d like to say thanks to the activists, Labour members and former constituents who have asked me if I will stand as a Labour candidate at the next General Election, and in so doing, beginning the process of seeking selection by my local constituency party. Your encouragement has been heart-warming. I am always blown away by how supportive people are.

Being the elected representative for North West Durham was a really wonderful opportunity, one that I think about each day. I learned so much from that experience and I will forever be grateful for it.

However, I have to be honest and say that I will not be looking to be selected by the constituency to become the Labour candidate at the next election. I have been doing a lot of thinking for several months and I have no intention or desire to enter that process. As I have previously stated, all of my energy is going into grassroots activism, campaigning and the trade union movement.
Much love, peace & solidarity.”

In 2015 Labour in her constituency had more than double the vote of the Tories, five years later Pidcock gifted Richard Holden a Tory majority. A stunning performance. The parliamentary road to socialism is not for her…

Laura Pidcock has come out to offer the Labour Party, and Keir Starmer, advice on how to win back the ‘Red Wall’. Her unwarranted tactics come just one week after resigning from Labour’s NEC, partly over the party’s decision to allow Christian Wakeford to cross the floor, thereby actually winning back a red wall seat. She also threatens a political comeback, completely undermining her claims she wants Labour to win back the red wall…

Pidcock’s advice, surprise surprise, consists of telling the leadership they need to offer more of a “strong and aggressive opposition” to Boris Johnson, as well as offer “radical” policies on the cost of living crisis. Both strategies that worked very well for Corbyn and McDonnell. Einstein’s definition of insanity comes to mind…

Asked if she personally would be standing as a Labour candidate in County Durham at the next election, Pidcock told the Northern Agenda podcast, “I think I’ve got a bit I thinking to do before I make any kind of commitment.” Given this is Laura Pidcock, that makes County Durham’s doorsteps safe until at least the 2030 election…

Nine NEC members voted against proscribing Resist, an organisation that promoted George Galloway instead of Labour’s Kim Leadbeater in the Batley and Spen by-election. The group also claim that accusations of antisemitism in Labour were politically motivated.

Laura Pidcock, Yasmine Dar, Gemma Bolton, Nadia Jama, Mish Rahman, Jame Taylor, Andy Kerr, Mick Whelan, Andy Fox, Ian Murray, and Andy Kerr also voted against expelling Labour Against the WitchHunt, and Labour in Exile. Interestingly Laura McNeill, NEC Youth Rep, broke rank and voted for proscribing Labour Against the WitchHunt, and Labour in Exile…   

A further 12 NEC reps voted against proscribing Socialist Appeal. In spite of the rebellion all four groups were banned from the Labour Party…. 

A statement signed by nine of the left NEC members and incoming rep Amy Jackson claimed that considering the matter is:

“a continuation of the destructive, factional behaviours from the leadership of the party which have marked the last year. This isn’t just about the organisations we are being asked to consider on Tuesday it is about setting a precedent; proscribing these organisations as a forerunner to proscription of more and more groupings on the left of the party, to ultimately expel large sections of the Labour left.” 

Guido encourages co-conspirators to listen to the people Starmer is trying to expel and decide whether they think these people and groups are “toxic”…