Belated congratulations are due to the newly-married Mr and Mrs Francois, who got hitched last weekend. Chopper’s weekend diary featured a write-up of the event, including painting the picture of Mark’s congregation belting out the unsurprising hymns Jerusalem and I Vow to Thee My Country. Francois also explained how one guest – Jacob Rees-Mogg – was responsible for the happy couple meeting:
“If it wasn’t for Jacob, none of you would be here,” Francois told the guests, explaining that he only met Olivia when she asked him to arrange a selfie with Rees-Mogg.”
The guest list packed with some of British politics’ great and good, partly published in the Telegraph, would have emerged regardless of Chopper’s briefing, however. A source from Francois’s patch got in touch with Guido this morning to note that the evening do’s table seating plan has been published on the venue’s Facebook page in full:
Guido initially speculated whether the venue may have been unaware of their groom’s senior role in public life before publishing the list of luminaries. Upon further inspection that seems unlikely, given he dictated his full title on the seating plan: Rt Hon. Mark Francois MP…
Despite Brexit, it appears the ERG still has big sway over Government. Yesterday, its Chairman Mark Francois made headlines when threatening the head of the armed forces Sir Nick Carter with a visit from Cummings if they didn’t sort out their procurement procedure. As if by magic, last night it was revealed Dominic Cummings does, in fact, have plans to visit top military bases after all, including:
- Special Boat Service, Poole
- SAS HQ, Hereford
- Porton Down, Salisbury
- The Rapid Capabilities Office, Farnborough
- The Defence Intelligence Unit, Wyton
The Sydney Morning Herald, who obtained the internal communications about the planned visits, also claim Cummings has already visited MI5 and MI6 twice already.
Close up photos of Cummings arriving at Downing Street appear to show the PM’s top adviser has now finally been given top DV (developed vetting) clearance, allowing him to view top-secret files without supervision. That’ll set Cadwalladr off…
What will super forecaster Francois predict next?
Mark Francois had a stark message for professional head of the armed forces Sir Nick Carter to take back with him to the MoD this afternoon at the Defence Committee. He was not happy about continuing procurement debacles…
“Please nip back to the department and ask them to sort their bloody selves out, because if not Cummings is going to come down there and sort you out his own way, and you won’t like it.”
Select committee members scaring departments into action with the looming threat of Dominic Cummings is a new one. It could just be effective…
Grumblings from the Tory backbenches are growing over the seemingly slow response to violent protesters seen over the past fortnight. Andrew Bridgen this afternoon tweeted he is looking forward to the same “swift justice” being applied to all those caught on camera vandalising statues that was seen with Andrew Banks, who urinated next to the memorial to PC Keith Palmer in Westminster. Other backbenchers tell Guido there cannot be an impression of unequal justice…
I am pleased that the man who urinated next to the memorial to PC Keith Palmer has been punished. I look forward to equally swift justice being delivered to those individuals caught on camera, vandalising statues and desecrating war memorials, justice delayed is justice denied.
— Andrew Bridgen (@ABridgen) June 16, 2020
Ipswich MP Tom Hunt agrees, telling Guido that he praises the “swift” action against the man “urinated on the memorial to dedicated to PC Keith Palmer”. He went on to tell Guido it is “important that such swift action is taken against all those who have desecrated our war memorials and statues”. Mark Francois has gone one step further, telling Guido:
“We only enjoy a right of democratic protest in this country because people fought and in many cases died, to defend it. Anyone who desecrates a war memorial dishonours all those people fought for, so not only should we lock them up – we should melt down the key.”
Video evidence of those climbing on the cenotaph in an attempt to burn the Union Jack, as well as vandalising statues and other monuments is in abundance. One Tory MP tells Guido that the statue of Edward Colston was a Grade II listed structure – and that criminal damage to such statues ordinarily carries a maximum sentence of ten years under the Criminal Damage Act. Law and order Tory MPs are ramping up the pressure to prosecute.
Spartan Mark Francois has turned his anger to another topic this afternoon, ripping up a printed out two-paragraph email during a Commons debate he had received from a curt property developer in his constituency. His public display of distaste was reserved for one developer who wrote a discourteous email – another firm escaped ripping treatment by being more polite…
This marks the second time Francois has resorted to letter tearing. Last year in response to the CEO of Airbus intervening in the Brexit debate via a letter, the ERG stalwart tore it up live on the BBC.
Is any letter safe from the tumultuous tearing Tory?
Four days off Brexit day, the spearhead of the ‘Bung a bob for a big ben bong’ bid, Mark Francois, has finally admitted defeat that the campaign will fail. Despite loyal Brexiteers coughing up £270,000 of hard-earned cash for it…
The money raised – which fell short of the ludicrously high £500,000 being cited by the Commons – will now go towards Help for Heroes, and Brexiteers will instead have to settle for No. 10’s projected clock up against Downing Street. Brexiteers may not have won this battle, there’ll still be more than enough to celebrate on Friday night…
