Starmer tried to kick away Badenoch’s attack on Haigh by saying: “I gently remind her that two of her predecessors had convictions for breaking the Covid rules.” Wrong…
The PM may need to find himself correcting the record. Boris and Sunak only got Fixed Penalty Notices. As anyone with experience of them would know, they are not convictions. RAC helpfully explains:
“A fixed penalty is issued by the police for minor offences and isn’t classed as a criminal conviction. If you pay the fine on time, that’s the end of the matter and all liability for the offence is discharged. It will not form part of a criminal record.”
As a former DPP Starmer might be expected to know the difference. Will he correct himself?
Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Alex Burghart is asking Rayner the questions at today’s deputy PMQs. He took a swipe at Reeves over her LinkedIn CV edits:
“First we had above inflation pay rises for the unions, then we had a Budget which the OBR said was going to push up inflation. This morning we had City economists – real economists, Mr Speaker – saying that next year inflation would hit 3%. Does the Right Honourable Lady agree that this government’s decisions mean high inflation for working people?”
Reeves has been looking morose for the proceedings as Rayner bats away criticisms by referencing Truss’ premiership. Questions over her actual career history are not going away…
Parliamentary authorities have informed estate users that a “significant water leak” in the corridor opposite Strangers’ Bar and the Gents’ loos has led to the localised water system being shut down. Last month legionella was detected in the showers, which shut off all the hot taps until clunky filters were installed. Because of this new leak all of the heating in riverfront rooms and corridors on the ground, principal, and upper committee floors will be off. Just as the temperature hits minus one…
The Commons Chamber will still have heating. MPs might suddenly develop an interest in legislation this afternoon…
Cabinet Office minister Ellie Reeves was talking up the benefits of Labour’s peer-ejecting House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill in the Commons today:
“As a matter of principle in the 21st century it cannot be right for there to be places in our legislature reserved for those born into certain families… the aim of this bill is to remove the right of people to sit and make laws in our legislature by virtue of an accident of birth.”
Very Ellie-quent. Her sister Rachel was probably nodding in agreement from the Chancellor’s office, while her husband the ex-MP John Cryer was likely watching from his seat in the Lords. Incidentally both of John’s parents were themselves Labour MPs…
Politics has always been a family business in all parties. Founding member Ramsay MacDonald’s son Malcolm became a Labour MP. Not to mention four generations of Benns…
Kemi has used her very first question as Tory leader at PMQs to lay into David Lammy for his previous heartfelt comments about Trump. Badenoch gave Keir the opportunity to apologise on Lammy’s behalf…
“The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary met him in September. Did the Foreign Secretary take that opportunity to apologise for making derogatory and scatological references including and I quote: ‘Trump is not only a woman hating Neo-Nazi sympathising sociopath, he is also a profound threat to the international order’? And if he did not apologise will the Prime Minister do so now on his behalf?
Stamer refused and the two traded blows on “student politics.” Lammy was left looking red-faced. Start as you mean to go on…
Speaker Lindsay Hoyle angrily ripped into Labour ministers just now in the Commons for announcing policies in the Budget to the media instead of to the Commons. Including Starmer who this morning announced two new Budget policies…
Hoyle has made these interventions before when Tories announced policies to media. He said today:
“These are major new policy announcements with significant and wide ranging implication for the government’s fiscal policy and for the public finances it is evident to me they should therefore have been made in the first instance in this house and not to the world’s media.”
The Speaker ended up screaming at both benches:
“I don’t want it to continue, and I want to treat this House with the respect is deserves. This side or that side, it is totally unacceptable to go around the world telling everybody rather than these members. They were elected by the constituents of this country and they deserve to be treated better.”
A valiant effort always ignored by ministers. Someone get him a cold towel…
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.”