The reshuffle is ongoing. Follow it live here:
- Chris Philp keeps Shadow Home Secretary.
- Rebecca Paul replaces Nigel Huddleston as Shadow Culture Secretary.
- Harriet Cross replaces Andrew Bowie as Shadow Scotland Secretary.
- Katie Lam replaces James Cleverly as Shadow Housing Secretary.
- Joy Morrissey appointed Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities.
- Andrew Griffith replaces Mel Stride as Shadow Chancellor.
- Richard Fuller remains Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
- Claire Coutinho moves to Shadow Business Secretary.
- Stuart Andrew out as Shadow Health Secretary.
- Priti Patel out as Shadow Foreign Secretary. To be replaced by Tom Tugendhat…
The Tories have an eye on their swing voters. Will Badenoch’s top team pivot to the centre…
Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh, who backed imposing VAT on private schools, telling the News Agents podcast why she sends her children to private school:
“If the question you’re asking me is do I believe that parents should have a choice to send their kids to independent school? I do. Parents can do that for a whole host of reasons. Because it’s a good school, because their kids have special educational needs, because they want schools that are geared towards sports and arts.
That is okay. I don’t think that precludes me or anyone else who holds that belief from being part of the Labour team or the Labour family.”
She goes on to say “the government is not going to cross-subsidise parents sending their children to independent schools“. Which is the usual spell Labour MPs try to cast when in this situation. Can someone please explain the difference between a tax exemption and a subsidy to the secretary of state…
Justice minister Jake Richards travelled to the US from Sunday 12th July to Thursday 16th July. At a cost of a whopping £34,230…
Richards met the Governor of Missouri and visited Chicago to “support conversations at the Obama Presidential Center on opportunities for young men and boys.” The breakdown of costs is as follows:
- Flights. £24,257.77 (including internal flights)
- Accommodation. £3,287.99
- Ground transport. £3,800.00
- Subsistence and hospitality. £2,688.34
- Security costs, where disclosable. n/a
- Any other expenditure incurred by the Ministry. £195.90
Richards, who is Youth Justice and Sentencing minister, travelled with his Private Secretary, the MoJ’s Head of Youth Sentencing and Remand Policy, a Videographer/Photographer, and an ‘International Engagement Adviser’. Not many photos came out of the trip – must have been a nice jolly…
The MoJ has refused to release the itinerary of Richards’ trip. At least he caught a break to watch the World Cup which happened to be going on at the same time…
Entries in the comments…
Pakistan has ignored Ed Miliband’s pleas to take back Rochdale rape gang ringleader Shabir Ahmed on the grounds that there are no laws or bilateral mechanisms to allow it. Since he renounced his Pakistani citizenship, Pakistan is insisting he is Britain’s problem. He costs the taxpayer thousands in surveillance and accommodation each year…
Ahmed was released from prison last month after serving only 14 years of his 22-year sentence for 30 child rape offences. According to the Telegraph, Pakistan previously demanded the UK handed over dissidents operating in Britain as a condition for his return. A monster who should never have been released in the first place.
Lee Anderson, speaking to The Sun’s Tom Scotson, reveals the wokest thing he’s ever done: “I once had a vegetarian thought, about becoming a vegetarian. That was quickly dismissed when I had a bacon sandwich…”
