John McDonnell says he won’t be appearing on Kremlin-backed broadcaster Russia Today again, describing the channel’s coverage as going “beyond objective journalism” at times #marr pic.twitter.com/no0EjSnThz
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) March 11, 2018
McDonnell orders Labour MPs to stop going on Russia Today. His deputy in the Shadow Treasury team Peter Dowd went on yesterday. And does the Absolute Boy agree?
Rouble for Chris Williamson’s thoughts…
Marina Litvinenko, widow of Alexander Litvinenko reads out the then Home Secretary’s letter to her that the Government will do all it can to protect for such a crime from happening again.
“It has happened again. It means something was not done” she tells #marr pic.twitter.com/Gq4rW8oa4m
— The Andrew Marr Show (@MarrShow) March 11, 2018
From the then Home Secretary…
“Steady on,” @NicolaSturgeon replies after @Peston asks whether she will back @joswinson‘s call for a statue of Margaret Thatcher. #Peston pic.twitter.com/hKPR1kwsSG
— Peston on Sunday (@pestononsunday) March 4, 2018
John McDonnell expertly landed the Leader’s Office in it as he comprehensively passed the buck over the Munroe Bergdorf controversy (Labour’s new equalities adviser, who thinks the suffragettes were white supremacists and “all white people” are racist). Despite being the most senior Labour figure on broadcast this morning, McDonnell refused to engage with the issue at all, and instead repeatedly made it clear that Bergdorf’s controversial views are Jezza’s problem:
“That will be a matter obviously for her employer, she’s employed directly by the Leader’s Office… I’m not sure about this particular issue, it will obviously be investigated by the Leader’s Office.”
Nicely done…
“My criticism with Theresa May and the Conservative government is that they’ve ruled out ‘a’ customs union – I think that is a bad decision” says @GwynneMP #bbcsp pic.twitter.com/GfFCVfToar
— BBC Daily Politics and Sunday Politics (@daily_politics) March 4, 2018
Labour now backs what they previously opposed…
Check out this rather entertaining red-on-red on the Sunday Politics where Labour leaver Frank Field tells metropolitan remainer Stella Creasy what he thinks of the party’s shift on the customs union. Frank said:
“Are you going to rat on the people’s decision to leave? You come out Stella with all these things, we’ll stay in a customs union, we’ll stay in a single market – the decision was quite clear to leave… in the North Labour voters voted very, very clearly… which bus are you on?”
Labour’s bus well on the road to betraying its core vote…
“We’ve agreed to develop our Brexit policy” @Keir_Starmer says Labour want to have access to ‘a’ customs union which ‘will do the work of the current customs union’ #marr pic.twitter.com/4GEN4AQ0jE
— The Andrew Marr Show (@MarrShow) 25 February 2018
Keir Starmer confirms Labour remainers have secured a policy shift to staying in a customs union with the EU. The Labour leadership has been gradually unravelling its previously guarded position on the issue over the past week. Starmer hinted Labour could join Tory rebels and throw its weight behind cross-party amendments, saying:
“We haven’t made a final decision on that but they are so close to our amendments … but whether it’s our amendments or cross-bench amendments.”
All eyes will be on Jeremy Corbyn’s set piece speech on the issue tomorrow to see the detail on how far the Shadow Cabinet remainers have pushed Jezza. Liam Fox warned Tory rebels:
“I hope that they will have an open mind and listen to what the Prime Minister says because I think that what the Prime Minister will set out will deal with a lot of the reservations that they have.”
“We want to persuade our colleagues of the merits of our argument” – @LiamFox on setting out government’s approach to #Brexit https://t.co/plMHtgaxfe #Marr pic.twitter.com/FgNarwoZJC
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) 25 February 2018
May has little option but to make this a confidence vote and challenge remain rebels to back her or sack her…
“It’s very clear that Jeremy Corbyn and his fellow left wingers were undermining the case for our security” @LiamFox on Corbyn spy claims #marr pic.twitter.com/ZoT9Fl0SFs
— The Andrew Marr Show (@MarrShow) 25 February 2018
Liam Fox explains (to ‘Red Andy’, no less) the big picture issue raised by Spygate:
“I think that the Labour left during the Cold War were extremely unhelpful to this country. We believed that we should see off Communism, we believed we should see off tyranny… I certainly think the Labour left were the Soviet Union’s useful idiots during that period…
“Jeremy Corbyn and others were very useful to the Soviet Union during the Cold War because they undermined the arguments of the West… I think in the broadest sense he was undermining the security of our country by siding with the Soviet Union in that argument and I think that was very damaging to the country. Luckily it was our side of the argument not Jeremy Corbyn’s that won the day. I think he certainly undermined the security of the United Kingdom by their one-sided disarmament and their very clear preference for a Soviet style communism during that period – fortunately we beat them then and we have to beat them now.”
Well put…
Great to have a “proper internationalist” as Labour leader: @EmilyThornberry reacts to media reports @jeremycorbyn met with a Czech spy. #Peston pic.twitter.com/7Ud16fzAC6
— Peston on Sunday (@pestononsunday) February 18, 2018
What does Thornberry think about Corbyn meeting a Czech spy, taking money from the Iranians and backing Venezuelan tyrants? It shows he’s a “proper internationalist” apparently…
EU Parliament #Brexit Coordinator @guyverhofstadt pours cold water on idea @theresa_may can pick and choose which EU regulations UK diverges from after we leave. #marr pic.twitter.com/ZTmcCMNrkr
— Jason Keen (@Jason_Keen) February 18, 2018
#marr: Can the UK have a ‘Canada Plus Plus Plus #Brexit deal? @guyverhofstadt: “That will not be the outcome of this negotiation.” pic.twitter.com/MCtdwuuXTV
— Jason Keen (@Jason_Keen) February 18, 2018
Guy Verhofstadt tells Marr the EU does not want Britain to diverge and makes veiled threats about any attempt to do so. He also says a bespoke “Canada plus plus plus” deal “will not be the outcome of this negotiation”. If Verhofstadt gets his way it’s either a bad deal or no deal…
“It’s one of those things”: @EmilyThornberry reacts to media reports that senior party official Katrina Murray was victim of bullying at key meeting yesterday #Peston pic.twitter.com/SjvL0s98zj
— Peston on Sunday (@pestononsunday) February 18, 2018
After the bullying of Labour’s National Policy Forum chairman Katrina Murray yesterday, a laughing Emily Thornberry tells Peston “it’s one of those things”. So much for the sisterhood!
“It’s absolutely the right thing to do” : @jessphillips reacts to the news @MrBrendanCox has stood down from the charities he founded in Jo Cox’s name pic.twitter.com/YOBABph1tD
— Peston on Sunday (@pestononsunday) February 18, 2018
Brendan Cox is “showing how he’s going to change” says Jess Phillips, while Lucy Powell says “good for” him for “reflecting”.
Good for @MrBrendanCox – reflecting and taking responsibility for past actions. Read his full statement not just the headlines. https://t.co/e2fbeC81jh
— Lucy Powell MP (@LucyMPowell) February 17, 2018
Compare and contrast with how they went after Toby Young over some tweets.
More than slightly worrying that Cabinet ministers are having to call on Number 10 to give its vision for Brexit 19 months after the referendum…
Fair to say @johnmcdonnellMP and @campbellclaret are not quite on the same page when it comes to @UKLabour‘s approach to Brexit… #Peston pic.twitter.com/ATDMY1Z2A1
— Peston on Sunday (@pestononsunday) February 11, 2018
Top trolling…
Andrew Marr must have thought the cameras had stopped rolling when he gave a thumbs up and whispered “That was very good” to Penny Mordaunt after her interview this morning. He wasn’t wrong though. Made a change to see a Cabinet minister answering questions directly…
International Development Secretary @PennyMordaunt tells #marr she will make clear to #Oxfam that “If the moral leadership at the top of the organisation is not there, we cannot have you as a partner.” #marr pic.twitter.com/JUlIMGvGlS
— The Andrew Marr Show (@MarrShow) February 11, 2018
“If the moral leadership at the top of the organisation is not there, we cannot have you as a partner,” Penny says of scandal-hit Oxfam…
“Are you still in love with @Jo_Marney?” @AndrewMarr9 asks @_HenryBolton
“There are strong affections there, yes.” #marr pic.twitter.com/jmTKSE4jNX
— The Andrew Marr Show (@MarrShow) February 11, 2018
Asked if the relationship is still live, he replied “yeah”…
“That is completely crazy”: @Gus_ODonnell rejects claims civil servants has attempted to sabotage Brexit. #Peston pic.twitter.com/vOKx9tyxjr
— Peston on Sunday (@pestononsunday) February 4, 2018
On the front page of the Observer the former head of the civil service Andrew Turnbull compares Brexiters to Nazis. On Peston his successor Gus O’Donnell called Leavers “completely crazy” snake oil salesmen. Guido won’t hold his breath for the same Twitter outrage as seen after the “mutineer” front pages criticising Remainers. Almost as if Rees-Mogg and Steve Baker have a point…
Dominic Raab says he doesn’t believe the UK will be in any form of customs union post-Brexit,”at least as conceived in international trade practice” pic.twitter.com/ytrunmLbEM
— Sunday with Paterson (@RidgeOnSunday) February 4, 2018
On Marr Amber Rudd fudged the question of whether we can be in a customs union with the EU. On Paterson Dom Raab was clear: we cannot be in any form of customs union “because if we were we’d have our hands tied in negotiating free trade deals with other parts of the world”. Being in a customs union would prevent us from signing comprehensive trade deals with other countries… that is not taking back control of trade.
UK economy will “absolutely grow” after leaving the European Union, says Home Secretary Amber Ruddhttps://t.co/9Voepf4vh3 #Brexit #Marr pic.twitter.com/Atb6Ld5XUX
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) February 4, 2018
During the referendum Amber Rudd used her departmental Twitter account to scaremonger that the UK economy would fall into recession if we left the EU.[…] Read the rest
Wes Streeting speaking in the anti-Semitism debate says Jewish leaders
“will be horrified by the response of our frontbench to this debate today”
