Justice minister Nick Dakin has just been repeatedly scolded by the Speaker as he bungles an apology for Mahmood having announced a raft of prison sentencing changes in No 9’s press briefing room as opposed to in the Commons. Dakin has been hauled into the Commons after a Tory urgent question was granted on the matter…
The Speaker kicked off by attacking the government for announcing policies outside Parliament. Dakin said he was “pleased to be here today to follow up” Mahmood’s statement. Hoyle wasn’t having any of it…
“You wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t have granted the urgent question – that’s the thing we should remember. You wouldn’t be here at all, it’s only because I’ve decided you should be here so please let’s not try and take advantage of a situation of your own making.”
Dakin said Jenrick was right to “lay an urgent question and that’s how parliament works and and rightly so.” Hoyle again intervened and said: “Let’s get this very very clear this is not about having to grant an urgent question this is about the government doing the right thing rather than somebody else having to drag the ministers here that’s not how we
should be working.” Hoyle angry…
Robert Jenrick has pushed for the removal of kettles from high-risk prisoners in an urgent question in the Commons after Southport killer Axel Rudakubana threw boiling water over a prison officer on Friday. Labour MP Luke Akehurst suggested primary legislation. Multiple prison officers told him “that during the horrific terrorist attack by Hashim Abedi they were unable to use batons because the space was too small to wield them in, and that he was so enraged… it’s activist lawyers and the courts that are insisting that these dangerous terrorist prisoners have access to kettles and the ability to use kitchens – Will the government consider changes to primary legislation to enable these privileges to be removed from that category of prisoners?” A strong proposal – primary legislation isn’t really needed here…
Kitchens have been suspended by Labour but the government has refused to go any further. Writing to prison governors does the trick…
Justice minister Nick Dakin said a “review of equipment is taking place and indeed the point my honorable friend makes about the intelligence that he’s had from prison officers from HMP Frankland illustrates some of the complexity around that issue which is why we need to take take our time to get this right whilst moving at pace.” Doublespeak…
Commons leader Lucy Powell:
“So I can be absolutely clear with the House today especially to the victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and grooming gangs that I am very sorry for those remarks – as I made clear over the weekend I and every member of this government want your truth to be heard wherever that truth leads. Your truly appalling experiences need to be acted on for those responsible to be accountable and face the full force of the law and for justice to be served. I would never want Mr Speaker to leave the impression that these very serious profound and far-reaching issues which I have campaigned on for many years should be shied away from and not aired – far from it. No stone will be left unturned and what the victims want first and foremost is for action to be taken and for the many many recommendations from the previous inquiries to be implemented in full including mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse something I have called for for nearly a decade.”
Powell then ironically attacked the Tories:
“Shockingly these recommendations remained sitting on the shelf until we came into government last year. Baroness Louise Casey, who conducted the no hold bars inquiry into Rotherham, is carrying out an audit on the scale nature and characteristics of grooming gangs she will be reporting soon and this will include the questions of ethnicity as well. Every police force in England Wales has been asked to look again at historic grooming gangs cases and they will be reopened where it is appropriate to get perpetrators behind bars, so I hope the House is left in no doubt Mr Speaker of my commitment to these issues and my apology to those victims for any distress I have caused.”
Will that be enough?
Users of the parliamentary estate have been informed that from Friday this week they won’t be able to charge their electric vehicles in New Palace Yard’s underground car park: “These charging points are due to be removed on health and safety grounds following a review by the Safety and Fire teams, and in consultation with the Chair of the Administration Committee.” Tony Blair will be pleased…
There remain four chargers in Speaker’s Court the use of which a “charging card” will have to be obtained from the Speaker’s Office. Because it’s likely to be so busy – “space to charge in Speaker’s Court also cannot be guaranteed” – palace authorities say you can’t leave EVs overnight and that drivers should “only use charging points on the estate for as long as necessary, moving your vehicle promptly once complete.” Essentially – don’t use the chargers…
To provide reassurance authorities say “longer term, the intention is to increase the capacity for charging electric cars on the estate. However, the number of charging points will be dictated by the emerging electrical vehicle and fire safety guidance, and availability of adequate infrastructure/power.” Stick with your petrol motor for now…
Bridget Phillipson has been fielding education questions in the Commons this afternoon. Laura Trott asked the education secretary why there had been no action on draft guidance for schools on gender questioning children. The draft guidance would have schools ensure all single-sex spaces remain so and would prevent teachers from prompting children to socially transition…
Phillipson claimed the delay was because the draft was published just “months before” the last election:
“Whilst I recognize the important need to provide clarity for school leaders and the guidance that they do need we have to get this right, and I would just say to her that it was only a matter of months before the general election that the party opposite published draft guidance for consultation. It is right that we take stock following the full and final review for from Dr Cass which we accept and should be the basis of how we take things forward.“
This is despite the fact it came out all the way back in December 2023, with a consultation concluding on 12 March 2024. Rattled Phillipson called the question “shameless opportunism” and accused the Tories of no action during their time in government. They did put the draft guidance together…
Bridget, who just last year said trans women could use female loos, also used a bizarre new argument the Supreme Court ruled on a Labour act, so the party should be congratulated: “The ruling of the Supreme Court was that Labour’s 2010 Equality Act was the basis for their judgment that confirmed that biological sex should be for the provision of single sex services.” Quite some mental gymnastics there…
Top Westminster agencies MessageSpace and 5654 & Co have conducted research into SW1’s media habits. It makes interesting reading for the growing fan base of one site in particular…
A whopping 78% of MPs access digital news multiple times a day – compared to 35% for TV and 34% for radio. A truly dismal 16% access print news multiple times, it’s game over for legacy titles and the lobby’s ‘paper politics ’…
Only 28% of MPs say they read newspapers daily. The shift is of course particularly stark for newer intake MPs, of which only 17% engage with print daily from the 2024 intake. Yesterday’s news tomorrow…
Despite Labour’s hand wringing over Musk’s X the platform still has the highest volume of MPs at 95%, one point ahead of Facebook and leagues ahead of Bluesky (anyone seen Jon Sopel?) The report also notes:
“Conservative & Reform MPs show overwhelming preference for Guido Fawkes, with the website being more frequently visited than the Mail, Financial Times or Telegraph.”
Under new management and led by media brain Ross Kempsell – with news hounds Max Young and Ellie Wheatley spearheading reporting – this website beats digital right-of-centre competitors The Spectator and ConHome among MPs of all parties – – but on a fraction of the budget and staff. Guido is once again the primary destination for Westminster news breaking, both inside and outside the bubble. You are either in front of Guido, or you are behind…
Continue reading “Guido Fawkes Officially Most Popular News Source on Right of British Politics”
Lord Khan in the Telegraph: “I hope, and I say this in a non-pompous way, that the public service I do will bring rewards in this world and the hereafter,” he says. “I’m hoping the work I do is earning me Brownie points.”
