[Tubby Isaacs]

What is this? An attempt to revive Back to Basics?

[Youngian]

Has Truss published her honours list? Casually promising a Tory a gong only to see their name is not on the list, must cut really deep with them. Especially as they’re dismal entitled mediocrities unlikely to have another chance.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Could be Sunak’s allies doing a counterattack after big dog’s chums attempt at revenge with their launch of Tory momentum? Tarring Johnson and his anointed successor at the same time?

Sounds quite likely.

[Youngian]

What is this? An attempt to revive Back to Basics?

He’s promoting the opposite to the Thatcherite definition of party of the family. Which meant taking responsibility for your own instead of burdening employers with red tape like maternity leave rights.
Instead of building a consensus to rightly support this MP against abuse, Zahawi just sees an opportunity to make party political hay.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I hadn't actually seen what happened to Theo Clarke. But what a silly arse he is.

[Crabcakes]

While I sympathise with Theo Clarke, it’s very much a case of being hoisted by their own petard: the Tories make out everyone with a problem or illness is skiving and lazy to whip up their supporters, and then act surprised when their supporters baselessly accuse people with a genuine reason for needing extended leave of being lazy skivers.

[mattomac]

It's a bit odd considering all that seems to be leaking from them is a cull of workers rights.

[Andy McDandy]

Because they want privileges, which can be assigned as they like.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I thought Oliver Dowden was off filming a new series of Game On. I see he's returned to the front line. I think one of his hapless by-election candidates could have done better than this.

UK government will stay ‘resolute’ on nurses’ pay, says Oliver Dowden

[Youngian]

I didn’t vote for it either. Bit sceptical about Guardian Red Wall vox pops, I could find David at a Tory club in Surrey. Doesn’t this region just have more older people? Picturesque part of the world with sane house prices and loads of places to visit.

‘We didn’t vote for this’: anger over Brexit failures is haunting the Tories
All along the red wall, those who gave the Conservatives their election victory in 2019 feel betrayed, with some turning to the Reform UK party to deliver on policies such as immigration

One such convert is businessman David White from Barnsley. Until a few days ago he was a Tory councillor in the South Yorkshire town, but then defected and joined Reform UK. He is one of 9,000 nationally whom the party’s leader, Richard Tice, says have signed up over the last two months.
“When I announced the switch to Reform, I looked at my Facebook page with a little bit of trepidation,” says White. “I was expecting a bit of stick, but I had massive support, even from core Conservatives. Even the trolls that normally have a go didn’t say anything. I think people suddenly realised that Reform is the real threat in the next elections.” https://amp.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... mmigration

[Crabcakes]

One such bigot is businessman David White…

Fixed that for them. Oh, and:

“When I announced the switch to Reform, I looked at my Facebook page with a little bit of trepidation,” says White. “I was expecting a bit of stick, but I had massive support, even from core Conservatives. Even the trolls that normally have a go didn’t say anything.

The trolls - or as I suspect he really means, people calling him out for the usual Tory twattery - probably don’t have much to say because they know you’ve just dug your own grave.

[Andy McDandy]

We don't all eat lard* and keep coal in the bath up here. This Red Wall caricature of simple honest plain speaking morons is really fucking grating.

*We can't afford it, for one thing.

[MisterMuncher]

Reform are the real threat. Hopefully Farage gets another wallet inspection "party" underway and they can both be the real threat to the falling Tory numbers still being able to budge the needle thanks to FPTP.

[Samanfur]

Not an Onion headline:

Tory MP Jonathan Gullis attacks bishops for ‘using the pulpit to preach from’

[Bones McCoy]

Not an Onion headline:

Tory MP Jonathan Gullis attacks bishops for ‘using the pulpit to preach from’

Gullis proving that he is indeed as stupid as he looks.

[Yug]

Corrupt Tory in corruption shocker

The UK government has commenced legal action to recover more than £100m from the company that was awarded two large PPE contracts after the Conservative peer Michelle Mone recommended it to ministers.

The claim, confirmed by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), is for the full £122m paid to the company, PPE Medpro, under a contract for it to supply 25m sterile surgical gowns that was awarded in June 2020. The DHSC is also seeking to recover the costs of storing and disposing of the gowns, which its officials rejected after an inspection when they arrived at the NHS depot in Daventry.


In December 2020, the company said in a statement issued by a lawyer for its director, Anthony Page, that the gowns, and 210m face masks supplied for £80.85m under another contract, had “undoubtedly helped keep our NHS workers safe”. In fact, the gowns have never been used in the NHS. PPE Medpro insists the gowns passed inspection and it would “rigorously” defend the legal action. There have been no legal issues with the face masks.

Last month, the Guardian reported – based on leaked documents compiled by HSBC bank – that £29m originating from the profits of PPE Medpro was paid to an offshore trust whose beneficiaries, bank records indicated, were Lady Mone and her three adult children.

Mone’s husband, the Isle of Man-based financier Douglas Barrowman, was paid £70m by PPE Medpro, at least £65m of which came from the company’s profits on the two government contracts. Barrowman then made a series of distributions from that money, including the £29m to Mone’s trust, according to the documents...

[Watchman]

Hopefully the thin end of the wedge, and not a “look, a squirrel”

[Andy McDandy]

Well, if we start hearing Sunak (or whoever) bellowing "Hundred million, Michelle Mone!" at the despatch box whenever quizzed on duff PPE, we'll know it was the squirrel.

[Youngian]

Why are the government launching a civil action? This is a potential criminal conspiracy with a case for asset seizure. Soft on crime, soft on the causes of crime (themselves).

[Watchman]

I’m not m’lerned friend, but I’m guessing if it was a criminal investigation plod would be duty bound to investigate any similar cases that came to light from their initial investigation and could end up in a courtroom, whereas a civil case would be between the two parties, and would enable “the baroness’s” very expensive legal team to operate at arms length.