Mailwatch(ed) Forum

Labour MP calls for Starmer’s resignation to end ‘psychodrama’ – UK politics live
Jonathan Brash says ‘own goals’ are distracting from Labour’s achievements

He's one of these Man In The Pub Caucus.

I'm sure the new leader will be given space by the media to glorify Labour's achievements, Jonathan. Just like the media were really nice to Michael Foot, Neil Kinnock, Gordon Brown, Ed Milliband and co. And those were relatively innocent pre-social media days.

This is absolutely pitiful stuff, from a serial self-publicist bullshitter, who now irritates me more than almost everybody.

Lib Dems call for inquiry into who was lobbying for Doyle to get diplomatic job
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, has followed up his question to Keir Starmer at PMQs (see 12.22pm) by calling for an inquiry into who was lobbying for Matthew Doyle to be offered a diplomatic job.

Ed froths about a supporter of a sex offender being found a "plum job". It's been established that Starmer didn't know that he'd supported a sex offender. Most people accept that Ed didn't know what the Post Office wasn't telling him about Horizon. But let's play Ed's game. Let's accuse him of knowingly sending postmasters to jail. Let's add something about Ed getting promoted to a plum job (as he was, to Energy and Climate Change Secretary).

Inquiry into the PM (who gets to appoint ambassadors) asking about an aide possibly being an ambassador. Not appointing, asking about possibly appointing.

As an aside, I'm deeply irritated by (you know who)'s constant use of "lobbying" to make things sound sinister. Government needs to meet business, most people would agree. "Lobbying". Government accepts that business might have a point about one of its policies. "Watered down after lobbying". Normal process of government framed as corruption.

Does the Editor of the Guardian "lobby" her own staff, perhaps?

The revelations keep coming. The Cabinet had a discussion with different views. Starmer can't survive this.

Ministers speak out in cabinet meeting over Keir Starmer’s sacking of Olly Robbins

This is an actual headline. The media isn't going to give up. It wants a new Prime Minister, right now, during a massive international crisis. They haven't made the allegation of lying to Parliament stick, but like Macbeth, they've waded so far in that they can't back.

If these revelations dry up, then they'll alight on something going wrong somewhere in government (every government has things that don't work) and it'll be evidence he has to go because he's too distracted.