Guido’s report about Kay Burley and Beth Rigby’s fallout has triggered well-sourced whispers of a mutiny in the ranks over at Sky News, almost all of which revolve around Kay Burley. According to one well-informed source, not everyone is looking forward to Kay Burley’s imminent return to the screen as much as Guido: “I know the team are dreading her return” was the comment. Another producer confides that her return is being anticipated “unexcitedly”. Aside from the revelation earlier this week of a former producer accusing her of harassment and bullying, it seems her ire isn’t just reserved for off-screen talent; a fellow well-known presenter says “The woman is a lunatic… F**k her. She is a nightmare”. Staff may be hoping this resolves soon, given Kay’s set to return to her presenting job on the 7th.
Looking for clues as to who’s in and who’s out, Guido spots a number of conspicuous omissions from Kay’s online social circle. Of the channel’s top on-screen talent and political team, six follow Burley’s account: Rob Powell, Sam Coates, Tom Rayner, Joe Pike, Tamara Cohen and Samantha Washington. It’s notable, however, that Burley doesn’t return the following favour with Powell, Coates and Rayner…
Who is absent entirely? Sarah-Jane Mee, Stephen Dixon,* Niall Paterson and Adam Boulton. Guido has heard tell of more than a few personal dramas going on behind the scenes. Social media ostracism sounds like just the half of it…
*Stephen Dixon has deleted his social media whilst we were preparing this article. Kay Burley had blocked him on Twitter.
Michael Gove is reportedly conspiring with Gordon Brown to jointly head off the SNP’s demands for another referendum. As a consequence Brown is back in the spotlight making a bogus case for a constitutional boondoggle of a “Commission on Democracy” that would “review the way the whole United Kingdom is governed”. This is transparently a ruse to delay any revisiting of the legitimate question of Scotland’s independence.
On Sky News this morning when Niall Paterson accused Gordon Brown of deceiving Scottish voters in the previous referendum over “the vow”, Gordon Brown denied saying the specific quotes attributed to him by the presenter and then claimed bizarrely “they should read the small print”. Guido’s video above shows Brown making the very deceptive claims he denied making. He lied to them in the last referendum, he lied to them this morning. Why should Scots believe him now?
The SNP are riding high in the polls and the unionist Tory-Labour coalition is looking likely to be in the minority at the polls. A narrow (49% versus 48%) majority of even Scottish Tory voters tell YouGov they would be “pleased” or “not bothered” if Scotland left the UK. Is Gordon really the right man to convince them that wasting years and millions on a Commission is really worthwhile? The promise of a Commission is an obvious con, they don’t need to read the small print on this…
Last week’s Runners & Riders on the Sky political editor role’s availability, now that Faisal Islam is off to the BBC to become their economics editor, brought more than the usual complaints and lobbying from those jockeying for position and their friends. Proving once again that journalists don’t like to be on the receiving end of journalism…
One justified complaint was that Guido had made a glaring omission – Niall Paterson. Fans of Niall are right to say he must be in with a good chance. He stood in successfully for Sophy Ridge during her maternity leave and he knows his way round SW1 as a former political correspondent at Millbank. Currently co-presenting the weekday breakfast show he could easily switch to the pol ed job. Guido would give him short odds for the job…
Sky’s Niall Paterson read out Guido’s analysis showing Andrew Adonis had tweeted 72 times about the BBC in a week and concluded: “It’s all getting a little bit Paul Mason, isn’t it? You’re turning into the crazier, shoutier end of Twitter”. A live TV intervention…
