Over the weekend Labour continued to blatantly take their lead from the Tony Blair playbook – though not quite as Skwawkbox believed. Their latest policy, from shadow justice secretary Steve Reed, is an attack on the limpwristed years under Corbyn during which Labour “cared more about criminals than victims”. To counteract this, their latest policy proposal involves “naming and shaming” recreational drug users…

Guido’s old enough to remember Shaun Bailey announcing a similar policy during his mayoral run, albeit less invasive without naming individuals. At the time Guido suggested Shaun should lead the way, testing all the boys and girls at Tory HQ first from Ben Elliot down to the interns – then publish the results. Labour is no different. If they want to target the public with new extra-harsh drug laws it’s time for some truth and reconciliation over at Southside…

In June, Labour’s shadow housing secretary Steve Reed slammed the Tories for taking sizable donations from property developers, saying it was:

“yet more evidence of the cosy relationship between the Conservative party and property developers, who for their investment will be allowed to concrete over communities at will”

In a move that could be seen as blatant hypocrisy, however, Guido learns Reed will tonight be wined and dined by former Tory councilor-turned housing developer lobbyist Peter Bingle. An email invite sent to Guido reveals Reed will attend a dinner with Bingle’s lobbying group Terrapin tonight, an invite that praises Reed’s relationship with Bingle dating back to when the shadow housing minister was leader of Lambeth Council.

In 2018, The Guardian revealed Bingle was using a direct communication channel to the leader of the Tory Wandsworth council to help push through planning applications for luxury apartment developments. In 2011 he boasted “I probably sold more council properties than anyone else”. Why does Guido feel this comfortable relationship between Reed and Bingle won’t sit comfortably with many on the Labour benches…

Reed’s team chose not to comment…

Shadow cabinet members surely have no excuse not to have read Keir’s Starmer’s long-awaited, 15,000-word, magnum opus with keen interest – especially given they got a two-hour headstart after it was leaked in full on Twitter ahead of the embargo last night. Steve Reed, however, walked straight into the bear trap this morning:

Today: Do you think that many voters – Labour voters, lifelong, or prospective Labour voters and indeed Labour voters in the red wall at the last election who voted for Boris and Brexit – do you think they’ll be impressed that Keir Starmer has spent goodness knows how long writing a 14,000-word essay about the future of Labour rather than helping ordinary people improve their lives

Reed: Well I think… I’m not sure that many people are going to read the entire document…

Today: Have you read it?

Reed: I’ve skimmed it.

On the plus side, Steve, Guido can confirm it is in fact only 12,300 words long. Get revising…

Unlike Steve you can read Starmer’s essay in full below: 

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Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government appeared on GB News this morning to talk about the National Insurance hike. When Tom Harwood suggested that “catch up funding does need to stop and the NHS budget would fall”, Reed agreed, stating:

“You would hope so but what we need is a timetable and a plan for delivering that”.

Things are getting confusing: Tories hiking taxes, Labour voting against them. Perhaps it isn’t so surprising to hear that Reed hopes to see the NHS budget fall… 

The Labour Party has come down hard on England cricketer Ollie Robinson, fully backing the ECB’s decision to suspend the bowler over his historically racist and sexist tweets. Labour MP and Shadow Culture secretary Jo Stevens said:

“It is right that the ECB takes the action that they think is necessary and appropriate to tackle racism and other forms of discrimination in their sport.” 

Guido wonders why Labour’s zero tolerance policy towards racism does not extend to its own MPs. The hypocrisy is palpable…

The following is a list of Labour MPs and some of their “historic”, offensive social media posts. Guido thinks it’s time to remind the Labour Party of its own dirty laundry and wonders whether Jo Stevens will be as quick to condemn and suspend her Labour colleagues… 

• Ian Byrne, MP for Liverpool, West Derby faced no consequences for several tweets that even he admitted were “unacceptable”. In 2015 Byrne tweeted about businesswoman Michelle Mone, telling his followers to “hit the cu*t where it hurts”. Byrne fell into disrepute again in 2019 after posting that “Everton wives are getting the suitcases out of the loft” – a thinly veiled reference to wife-beating. Guido wonders why Byrne’s sexist tweets are seen as acceptable by the Labour Party whilst Robinson’s are not…
  
• Just this morning Guido revealed that Labour MP and Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion Naz Shah, was filmed speaking at a Pro-Palestine rally in Bradford, where chants of “lift the curse of the Jews off the Muslims in Palestine!”, were shouted by protestors, in Arabic. This isn’t the first time this Labour MP has fallen into hot water. In 2015 she wrote that Israeli’s should face “transportation” out of the Middle East and suggested that Israel should be “relocated” to America. The Labour Party reinstated Naz after a brief suspension period. Guido wonders whether Naz will forgive Ollie Robinson, like she was so kindly forgiven by the Labour Party…
• Zarah Sultana received a slap on the wrist after it was revealed she told a pro-Israel tweeter to “jump off a cliff”, claimed she would “celebrate” the death of Netanyahu, Bush, and Blair, and compared the Holocaust to what she termed the “Muslim Holocaust” in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Palestine. Following a huge storm Sultana apologised, writing: “I’m a sorry that I posted these offensive comments on social media as a teenager. I was young and immature.” Sound familiar?
• Angela Rayner was quick to defend, Labour MP Jared O’Mara, who called gay men “poofters”, arguing that he had “changed his views”. Funny that Labour MP Jared O’Mara is allowed to change his views but Ollie Robinson, English cricketer is not…
• Sir Keir Starmer not only forgave but defended Dr. Paul Williams, the Labour Hartlepool by-election candidate, after he asked his followers if they had a “favourite Tory MILF” in 2011. Though Keir conceded the comments were “wrong” he continued to support Paul Williams. Smells like hypocrisy…
• Labour’s Steve Reed received no punishment after describing a Jewish Tory donor as a “puppet master”. Like Ollie Robinson, Reed apologised “unreservedly” for the tweet. Guido wonders why Robinson’s apology isn’t enough, when Keir was prepared to forgive one of his own so quickly…

It is striking just how many Labour MPs have made offensive comments online and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Labour is very forgiving of their own, less so of teenage cricketers…