With Guido finally revealing the government PPS list yesterday evening, the reshuffle has finally concluded. Any names not on the list are out, and as the dust settles we can finally see who was quietly asked to depart. A keen-eyed co-conspirator spots that Lord Syed Kamall is out as a minister, having first been appointed to the government just nine months after his appointment to the Lords in 2021. A former IEA research director; was the unfair association between the think thank and Liz Truss’s mini budget what did it for Syed’s ministerial career?
Forget Boris’s cabinet reshuffle, the changes going on among the Tufton Street Mafia make for much more interesting reading. Back in September Guido revealed the ASI’s Matt Kilcoyne had decided to depart as their deputy director. Guido now understands he’s to take up the role as director of Lord Hannan’s Initiative for Free Trade. Guido can’t think of a better pick…
That’s not the end of the ASI shake-up. Guido can reveal their head of research Matthew Lesh is defecting to the IEA to fill the role as their new head of public policy. Lesh says he’s “extremely excited to be joining the IEA” who “became a beacon of hope and inspiration to millions seeking freedom across the world” amid the post-war consensus. The IEA’s also been facing staff turnover recently following the departure of Emma Revell and Lord Kamall…
Last Friday Guido popped along to the IEA for the leaving do of their head of public affairs Emma Revell, who departs SW1 to join the British Retail Consortium. A while after she recieved her warm leaving speech from Mark Littlewood, a second, surprise leaving do was given to Lord Syed Kamall, whose recent appointment to the government as a PuSS at DHSC resulted in him having to step down as the think tank’s academic and research consultant. Awkwardly for Kamall, certain government health decisions over the last decade have hardly won the IEA over to his new department. Syed faced a round of only semi-joking boos upon the mentioning of his new department…
Lord Kamall was gifted with a number of tongue-in-cheek gifts purchased from Labour conference, which had the audience laughing as books on public vs private choice, the NHS’s birthday, a ‘care for our key workers’ flag and a “LOVE NHS” rainbow heart t-shirt were pulled out of a Labour Party tote bag. It wasn’t long before the evening turned to karaoke. Guido’s senior reporter apologises to Lord Kamal for succumbing to peer pressure with a Les Mis rendition…
In tonight’s LIVE with LITTLEWOOD:
This year’s Christmas peerages have been announced, including four former MEPs, four former MPs, and the former Archbishop of York. There are 16 new lords a leaping this Christmas…
Former Tory co-treasurer and donor Peter Cruddas finally makes the list, after Boris personally forced his appointment through, along with former MEPs Daniel Hannan, Syed Kamall, and Dame Jacqueline Foster.
On the Labour side, Jenny Chapman, who lost her Darlington seat in the 2019 election and went on to run Keir Starmer’s leadership campaign, is amongst the nominations, as is veteran former MP Vernon Coaker, and Board of Deputies of British Jews Chief Executive Gillian Merron.
See the list in full:
Are white working class boys being left behind?
In a cover story for The Spectator, the IEA’s Christopher Snowdon says the recent protests have forced everyone to have difficult discussions about race, class, poverty and attainment.
But one seemingly “forgotten demographic” in this debate is white working class boys. In his article, he describes how only 13% of white boys from poor backgrounds go on to higher education, less than any black or Asian group.
It might seem divisive to compare different groups, he says. But he points out that attainment in education and in life is relative – and if we’re to help the worst off, we have to know who they are.
He’ll discuss this, along with Ben Bradley, the Conservative MP for Mansfield, in tonight’s Definite Article programme, hosted by IEA Academic and Research Director Syed Kamall.
JOIN IN THE DEBATE – LIVE at 6.00 pm – HERE or on YouTube.
