Following their last email pleading for donations, subscribers to Momentum’s mailing list received another amusing e-post today. A joint email from the Commie campaigners and Zarah Sultana announced her new Free School Meals For All Bill. This would “ease the pressure on millions of struggling families across the country”. And help millions of families with no financial issues whatsoever…
One problem for Zarah is her lack of parliamentary support, not least from her own party. So, she has had to send the email to drum up support, saying “with Labour set to kick out this rotten Tory government at the next election, it’s critical we build an organised Left ready to fight for transformative policies.”
The Lib Dems get little gratitude for their support – Zara only uses them to chastise Labour for failing to lead the way.
The Lib Dems might want to rethink their support for the bill if this is the thanks they get…
As the Tories languish 30 points behind Labour, and Tory MPs mull snubbing party members of their right to choose a replacement PM, we can only assume how bad things would be for the party were Nigel Farage still on the scene as a prominent political force. In the meantime Reform UK boxes on, with Richard Tice recently announcing his intention to fight for Hartlepool at the next election.
Guido can reveal that in the 48 hours before close of play yesterday afternoon, the old Brexit Party received almost 1000 new £25 membership sign-ups. That new five-figure cash boost was joined by 300 members registering a new interest in standing as a party candidate at the next election. The first time the Tories dipped below Labour in the polls – September 2021 – Reform saw one in 10 Tory voters switching to them. Can they continue capitalising on Liz’s woes?
A Reform UK source tells Guido:
“Since Saturday evening the systems have lit up like Blackpool lights.
In the Red Wall, Reform are polling equal to the Lib Dems and Greens combined. And that’s without media coverage.
Who knows what might happen if the fourth estate raised their eyes from the Westminster hall of mirrors?”
It’s not just Reform benefitting from the dire state of No. 10. Last night the LibDems revealed five new donors, each giving £50,000 to the party, one of whom is a former Tory donor. While the last 36 hours have been calmer for Truss, it does feel like the ship has sprung one too many leaks to be repaired by a strong PMQs performance…
Alasdair Pinkerton, the LibDem candidate for Surrey Heath, has had some disappointing news. Just a few weeks after being chosen to stand as the LibDem candidate in Michael Gove’s Surrey Heath constituency, he has seemingly been de-selected in favour of a party publicity stunt. According to an email sent to constituency members, and ‘leaked’ to Lewis Goodall, a new selection process has been initiated for a hypothetical forthcoming by-election. The LibDems say this is necessary to ensure there are suitable candidates ready for any constituency “where there might be a possible by-election”.
In their excitement, the LibDems seemed to have forgotten that they proudly announced Alasdair Pinkerton as their candidate in the seat on the 7th July, with Pinkerton saying he is “ready and excited to embrace the challenge of the coming years”.
A statement from me.
— Alasdair Pinkerton (@AlPinkerton) July 7, 2022
Come and be part of the team who are going to shake things up, deliver change, and shape a brighter future.
Show your support: https://t.co/4jApVgJCQm pic.twitter.com/mwo47sOkjr
Is the party trying to ditch a bad candidate they regret choosing? A browse of his recent Twitter posts include Alasdair asking whether the PM is a “Russian asset”, correcting President Zelenskyy’s claim that the PM is a friend of Ukraine, and telling Sam Gyimah MP – who would go on to defect from the Tories to the LibDems – to “f**k right off” for being too pro-Brexit. Guido doesn’t blame the LibDems for wanting a new candidate…
Both Labour and LibDem membership numbers have taken a hammer blow, according to their accounts published today by the Electoral Commission. Labour is down by 91,000 members, from 523,332 in 2020 to 432,213 as of 31 December 2021. In August 2021, Labour’s membership had only fallen by 1.7%.
LibDem membership had already plummeted between 2020 and 2021. Last August, Guido calculated numbers had fallen by 22.5%, from 126,724 in 2019 to 98,247 in 2020. Today that number makes for even grimmer reading: down from 98,246 to 73,544. A 25% fall from last year, and down by 42% since Sir Ed took over.
The Labour Party’s accounts, partly thanks to declining membership, are also deeper into the red. The party made a £5 million loss last year, with the Treasurer describing 2021 as a “difficult and demanding year”. Sir Keir’s first year as leader in 2020 saw a party deficit of £1 million – already a massive fall from the surplus of £17,000 left by Jeremy Corbyn. It seems, for Starmer’s Labour, the cost of living crisis begins at home…
*The Tories do not publish membership figures in their accounts – spoilsports – however they did manage to scrape a £300,000 surplus in 2021.
The LibDems are apparently still around and willing to provide anti-Tory quotes in stories that have nothing to do with them. Today they’ve turned against Liz Truss’s decision to charter a helicopter to help her get around the country during the leadership election, an obviously sensible idea given the number of constituency associations the candidates have to visit and hustings in dispersed regions. Rishi’s been known to use them, so why should Liz be confined to the rail network…
i News were the ones to reveal Liz’s chartering this afternoon, juxtaposing the decision against her backing of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The LibDems were only too happy to butt in, providing a quote for the copy that it “makes a complete mockery of her promises on Net Zero. It’s clear that she is not serious on climate change.” This quote came from Vera Hobhouse rather than Sir Ed Davey himself, who surely wouldn’t mind the coverage…
Guido’s sure Sir Ed’s decision not to provide the comment has little to do with the fact that, in 2013 as Energy Secretary, he hitched a ride in the helicopter of EDF boss Henri Proglio, after handing him a nuclear deal at double the going rate for electricity. The decision raised objections from Friends of the Earth at the time, who said it “confirms how close the Big Six energy firms are to our decision-makers.” A source close to Liz Truss calls the political attack “the usual sanctimonious hypocrisy from the LibDems”. Sir Ed may need to refuel his own spin machine…
Sir Keir’s just taken his victory lap after Durham Police announced they’ll take no further action over Beergate. He repeatedly made it clear he wants a general election as soon as possible. Asked by The Sun’s Jack Elsom if Labour are prepared to enter a coalition agreement with the SNP and the LibDems, Starmer gave a clear answer to only half the question: he absolutely will not do a deal… with the SNP.
“There will be no deal going into an election, and no deal coming out of a general election… there is no basis for an alliance with a party that wants to break up the United Kingdom. It’s not just a numbers game, it’s an in principle decision. There is no basis for an alliance in a Keir Starmer government between Labour and the SNP.”
A pretty forthright answer. What did he say about the LibDems? “We want a Labour majority…”
