Given the Tories are now openly attacking their own housing policies, Guido thought it would be useful to clarify if they still intend to build 300,000 houses a year, or if that is now considered a disgraceful LibDem idea that threatens the Green Belt. Just three weeks ago, Housing Minister Rachel Maclean told the Commons the government is still “committed” to the policy, which also appeared in the Tories’ 2019 manifesto. Michael Gove had a definitive answer back in October…

Guido asked CCHQ for the official line, they said they’re “not sure“. Guido then asked government sources in DLUHC, who confirmed they are still “absolutely committed” to the policy, acknowledged it was in the manifesto, and the CCHQ campaign advert was presumably “issued in error“. The error being that Conservative Party HQ is campaigning against government policy. The Facebook adverts claiming it’s a LibDem disaster are still being run by CCHQ at the time of going to pixel…

Chris Twells, the ex-LibDem councillor suspended by the party after winning two council seats (both in England), has accused the party’s Leader in Wales, lockdown-dodging Jane Dodds, of covering up homophobia allegations. Chris, who claims to have resigned from the party despite having already been suspended, launched a homophobia complaint against a former policy chair, Gwyn Williams, in 2019 and 2020. Gwyn was expelled three years later, in 2022…

Chris says that four gay men accused Gwyn of a “pattern of homophobic bullying” which was “covered up by Jane Dodds and two former national party chairs”. He claims Gwyn would withhold party funds from gay men and points to Facebook screenshots in which Gwyn claims the party was run by a “cabal of young gay men”, he joked to join this clique “would require a major lifestyle change which my wife would not be too happy about”. On a separate occasion, commenting on Layla Moran’s sexuality, he jibed “a pansexual is a lover of kitchen implements”.

Before co-conspirators rush to adjudicate on Chris’s allegations, it’s worth considering his own motivations. Chris was suspended by the Liberal Democrats within 24 hours of his second election victory, whilst Gwyn’s suspension clearly took longer. He defended his own behaviour to Guido, saying “obviously people move around a lot” adding “you win one election and you’re a hero, you win two and you’re a villain”. He says he had given his “whole life” to the party, and that after 13 years of service to the party, he feels “hard done by”. Guido isn’t quite sure Chris has noble intentions at heart…

Speaking on an LBC phone-in this morning, Ed was able to come up with a clear answer to the vintage Nick Ferrari question. It was, unfortunately, the wrong answer.

Ed claimed that a woman could “quite clearly” have a penis. Guido’s just not sure it will go down well with voters in the Blue Wall…

Having “smashed the blue wall“, “burst Boris’s bubble” and “shown Boris the door”, you’d think the LibDems would call time on their election stunts. Instead, they’ve dialled up the cringe factor…

Yesterday Guido reported on LibDem council candidate Fezan Khalid, who accused the Board of Deputies of British Jews of orchestrating Corbyn’s suspension from Labour, and shared a detailed post claiming “Anti-semitism is a complete fraud”. Fezan is hoping to earn the votes of the people of Rochdale next month.

Khalid has since deleted the posts and seemingly vanished from social media. As for his political ambitions, a LibDem spokesperson told Guido “a complaint has been made and this is being looked into under the party’s independent complaints system.” Guido asked if that means Khalid has been suspended from the party: at the time of going to pixel, the LibDem press office hasn’t given an answer to that question. The party’s Rochdale branch aren’t picking up the phone. The deadline to withdraw a candidate passed last week (April 4), so he’ll be on the ballot next month as the “Liberal” Democrat candidate even if he’s “being looked into” by some nebulous complaints body…

UPDATE:  The LibDems tell Guido: “Fezen Khalid has apologised for these, now deleted, social media posts which he recognises were offensive and inappropriate. He has agreed to immediately undertake anti-semitism training.”

They’ve “smashed the blue wall“, they’ve burst “Boris’s bubble”, they’ve “shown Boris the door“ – now they’ve run out of ideas. Today’s stunt feels oddly familiar…

Hat-tip: Henry Riley