A side note to the emerging story today that Starmer is set to make failing Mayor of London Sadiq Khan a peer to buy his silence after the expected Labour implosion at this summer’s local elections. Starmer has form when it comes to peerage appointments…
For all the hand-wringing about Tory proposals over the years, Starmer has already appointed more peers than any of the previous four prime ministers – and he’s barely two years into his premiership. That means Starmer has already made more new peers than Sunak, Truss, Johnson and May put together. The stats are eyebrow-raising…
Starmer is ramming the Chamber with dozens of key allies and former advisers – despite his previous complaints about Tory moves. He just appointed 25 Labour Peers in December. Along with reforms such as the removal of hereditary peers, the net effect is a political attempt by Labour to take control of the upper chamber…
Starmer needs the votes because his legislative agenda is getting shredded in the Lords, with big time failures on Chagos, workers rights, education and other issues. Labour claims it wants Lords reform but is pouring its own people into the House quicker than any recent government…
According to the FT (which admittedly has its own issues at the moment), Starmer plans to buy off Sadiq Khan’s loyalty with a peerage after the local elections. The same local elections in which Labour expects a walloping…
Starmer has already appointed more peers than his last four predecessors. There is even talk of giving Khan a Cabinet role to keep him happy. Of course, if Khan accepts it he’ll be out of play for any leadership vacancy. No offer to Andy Burnham yet, unless he turned it down…
James O’Brien has demeaned himself again on his LBC phone-in with Sadiq Khan. He begged the London mayor to give him the story when he decides whether to run for a fourth term or not:
“Can I have that scoop – because I’ve had you in the studio for 10 years and I’ve never had one big story from you. Can I have the story about whether or not you’re going to run for Mayor of London? I want you to promise now – this is entirely unprofessional, self interested, and a little bit needy, but I want that story… I want that. Stick that on a post-it note or something like that.”
Khan offered no such promise. Sad…
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has told broadcasters this morning he has not decided whether to run for a fourth term. When asked by Sky News and the BBC, Khan said: “Ask me again in a year’s time.” Delay, delay…
As of June last year the line was: “Sadiq hasn’t decided yet if he’s standing again at the next mayoral election… this is the same as the last election cycle when he didn’t announce his decision until much later in the mayoral term.” Khan announced his intention to stand for a third term in January 2022 – 28 months before the election in May 2024. It is now 28 months until the next mayoral election in May 2028. Khan’s self-declared deadline has passed…
Khan is already the only Mayor to serve three terms. Last time he was asked in September he implied he was leaning towards running again. Is he waiting for the offer from some jumped-up UN climate body before he decides…
19 Greater London Authority staff are delivering full-day mandatory training to the rest of them. If Reform wants to target civil servants…
Six of them come from a dedicated Climate Mitigation team in the GLA. Two each from the Waste & Circular Economy and Green Infrastructure teams…
The mandatory training has four stages:
‘Carbon Literacy’ training materials are produced by Manchester based Cooler Projects CIC. It recommends in its founding material that people are trained on Guardian articles. The GLA refuses to release a full raft training documents on ‘copyright’ grounds…
Staff spend the day “writing three pledges on the day on how you will take climate action through your work at the GLA.” Tube fares are going up by 5.8%…
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has hit back at President Trump after he said Sadiq Khan is “incompetent, horrible, vicious” and is “doing a terrible job”. It’s not the first time Trump has let rip on the London Mayor…
Nandy told Sky News this morning that both she and Starmer think Trump is wrong:
“I strongly disagree with those comments. I think Sadiq is doing a really good job. So, I strongly disagree. I know the Prime Minister would disagree. I’m sure that if you asked the Prime Minister if he was sitting in this studio today, he would say what I’ve said.”
Yesterday Khan insisted Trump is “obsessed” with him, claiming that Americans are “flocking” to live in London because its liberal values are the “antithesis” of Trump’s. Deteriorating…
Speaking to Sky News off the back of Rachel Reeves’ Air Passenger Duty hike, Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said:
“Labour is dependent on those Red Wall seats, and yet every move she makes poisons economic growth and damages the UK’s recovery… it’s the Chancellor who stumbles from policy misstep to policy misstep… I think her policy decisions are incredibly stupid.”