Speaking to Paul Goodman on ConservativeHome’s Moggcast podcast, Jacob denies the rumour, first reported in the Sunday Times, that he was the one who encouraged Boris to accuse Sir Keir of failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile. Now Rees-Mogg accuses a Tory colleague of being responsible:
“What was going on at the time was a very noisy chamber and people were shouting things out, I think it came from behind us”.
Guido’s had a quick look to see who was behind the front bench and therefore who Rees-Mogg could be pointing the finger at:
Immediately behind the two we saw Alex Burghart, Shailesh Vara, Suzanne Webb, Conor Burns, Andrew Griffith, Sarah Dines and Sara Britcliffe. We have tried enhancing the video audio, with no success…
Shailesh Vara’s opening remarks of the Queen Speech debate:
“Today, Mr Speaker, marks the 11th anniversary of the Conservative-LibDem coalition being formed in 2010. Since then, the Conservatives have cemented their position as the party of government, Labour as the party of protest, the LibDems as a party that can all gather in this chamber and still maintain social distancing.”
Shailesh Vara has dropped out the speakership election just hours before MPs are expected to start voting.
In a Tweet confirming the move, Vara said he didn’t want to split the vote and would be backing Lindsay Hoyle.
Grateful to many MPs across the House who pledged support for me to be the next Speaker. Sadly, I have concluded I don’t have the numbers to win
So as not to split the vote I am withdrawing from the contest and will support @LindsayHoyle_MP Thanks again to those who supported me— Shailesh Vara MP (@ShaileshVara) November 4, 2019
Following Vara’s pulling out, and Sir Henry Bellingham withdrawing on Friday, there are 7 candidates remaining on the ballot paper this afternoon:
- Chris Bryant
- Harriet Harman
- Meg Hillier
- Lindsay Hoyle
- Eleanor Laing
- Edward Leigh
- Rosie Winterton
We should know by 8pm tonight…
The race to be the next speaker is formally on, with a number of candidates now openly campaigning. In truth many candidates have been quietly on the campaign trail for well over a year. Harriet Harman has the most sophisticated operation and the most support from the Labour benches. Another serious contender at this stage is Deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle. Harman took to the airwaves on The Today Programme to declare that she agreed with Bercow’s flagrant disregard for precedent…
Guido brings you the runners and riders to be the next speaker in full here…
- Harriet Harman (Lab)
- The (self-described) ‘Mother of the House’. Pitching herself as ‘continuity Bercow.’ That will go down well with Remainers but is unlikely to pick up much Tory support…
- Lindsay Hoyle (Lab)
- Deputy Speaker. Good sense of humour with a decidedly smaller head than his would-be predecessor. Seen as less activist with a broader appeal across the House. But will this Remainer Parliament want someone less keen on breaking the rules for their own cause?
- Chris Bryant (Lab)
- Loves Parliamentary procedure so much he wrote a book on it. An also-ran.
- Charles Walker (Con)
- A close friend of Bercow and loyal Theresa May fan. May want to add ‘speaker’ to his title along with his KBE this morning.
- Eleanor Laing (Con)
- Seen as more cooperative in the eyes of Brexiteers…
- Rosie Winterton (Lab)
- Another Deputy Speaker and former Labour Chief Whip under Miliband.
- Meg Hillier (Lab)
- Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee.
- Sir Henry Bellingham (Con)
- Promised to bring back ceremonial outfits, including wifs for the clerks and speaker. Will go down well with traditional Tories…
- Sir Edward Leigh (Con)
- Certainly the Tory Brexiteer’s favourite… so a no-hoper if Bercow insists on this cohort of MPs voting in the next speaker.
- Pete Wishart (SNP)
- Clearly doesn’t think Scottish independence is likely any time soon…
Expect backroom dealings and grovelling campaigning over the next two months…
UPDATE: After putting his name about, Pete Wishart has sheepishly pulled out
UPDATE II: Election for the next speaker announced for 4th November
UPDATE III: Shailesh Vara (Con) has emailed MPs announcing he is also running for speaker, promising to be impartial and to address “everyone in a respectful and fair manner“.
The Tory contenders are gearing up for what might well become the most protracted Tory leadership contest ever – it could be another 8 months before the race officially starts if May clings on ’til December. That hasn’t stopped the candidates from starting to get their teams together already…
Dominic Raab has assembled a number of key Vote Leave figures behind him – James Starkie joined Team Raab last month, Beth Armstrong was Raab’s SpAd as Brexit Secretary but stuck with her boss after his resignation. Arbuthnot Banking Group have donated £44,259 to Raab to cover her salary for 6 months. Both are former SpAds for Michael Gove…
Spinning for him is the formidable Paul Stephenson, Vote Leave’s former Director of Comms and co-founder of Hanbury Strategy. Officially, Stephenson only has an informal advisory role…
A number of MPs are also already said to be on board the Raab train, including former Brexit Minister Suella Braverman. Raab is said to have provisionally lined up former ministers Sir Hugo Swire and Shailesh Vara to propose and second him. Braverman and Vara both resigned alongside Raab last November…
Raab’s main problem is that he and Boris will likely be fighting over the same MPs and the same endorsements from the Brexit-supporting press. Here’s how his other key stats compare:
Social media support: Ready for Raab has 1.7k followers, Raab himself has 44.1k followers and his Facebook has 3.4k.
Mainstream media support: None as yet, though Stephenson is close to the Sunday Times’ Tim Shipman. In the last few weeks Raab’s had a few op-eds for The Telegraph and the Mail on Sunday.
ConservativeHome members survey: 18% (2nd)
YouGov public recognition: 19% (7th)
PaddyPower odds: 9/1 (4th)
While the country anxiously waits for the result of tonight’s confidence vote, it is worth remembering that the problems of May’s deal, and particularly the backstop, have not gone away. However, Brexiteers hoped to do just that with the launch of a new 59-page report this morning, complete with 6 annexes including a fully drafted alternative Irish backstop protocol, by “Brexiteers’ Brain” Shanker Singham, lawyer Robert MacLean and Dutch customs expert Hans Maessen. It is not a wishlist, it is a fully legally operable text…
Also on hand to launch the report were former Brexit Secretary David Davis, former Northern Ireland minister Shailesh Vara, and crucially, DUP leader Arlene Foster. The bottom line is that even if May survives tonight’s vote, she has no majority in Parliament without the DUP’s support. If the Government are going to get their deal through they need to start listening to alternative proposals instead of just sticking their fingers in their ears…
