Another howler from the arbiters of truth over in the BBC “Reality Check” team this morning, as they explain in detail just how much nurses are paid and why they are striking… only to claim Gillian Keegan is the Health Secretary:
Must’ve come as a bit of a shock to Steve Barclay, who last time Guido checked, remains in post. Admittedly politics moves quickly nowadays. The article has since been hastily corrected – always keeps the receipts…
SpAd announcements are still drip-dripping onto Guido’s spreadsheet, and today Steve Barclay’s team has emerged rather fully formed. Alas for Barclay, his two longest-serving SpAds prior to him being sacked, Emma Dean and Amy Milner, have been drawn towards comfortable, well-paid billets in the private sector and aren’t returning. Instead Liz Truss’s month-long director of political strategy Iain Carter has taken a job, alongside Lionel Zetter who was brought in to help Barclay back in August.
Clarence Mitchell, founder of Clarence Mitchell Communications, has been brought in as a comms SpAd, and Guido hears Robert Ede of Policy Exchange is also likely to get a job.
The most eyebrow-raising of all is Macer Hall, who recently stepped down as political editor of the Daily Express. Guido hears he’s also been poached as a Barclay communications advisor.
By the look of it, Barclay must have the oldest SpAd team of any Westminster department in years…
Health Secretary Steve Barclay has just been subjected to a replication of the Thick of It’s infamous “Have you ever cleaned up your own mother’s p*ss” moment, as he stood outside a hospital giving an interview. Barclay was talking about the health service before a member of the public approached him and shouted “Are you going to do anything about the ambulances waiting and the people dying out?” She continued…
Barclay: Yes we are.
Heckler: Well, don’t you think 12 years is long enough?
Barclay: Yes and we’re…
Heckler: Twelve years and you’ve done bugger all about it! People have died and all you’ve done is nothing!
An instant classic…
