With Olly Robbins dropping the bombshell revelation that Number 10 tried to find a top job at the FCDO for Matthew Doyle, here is what Starmer said (0r didn’t say) in the Commons yesterday when asked if Number 10 had tried to ram through any other political appointments at the Foreign Office:
“In relation to the second point of the Honourable Member’s question and any other political appointments, I will have to check on that and get back to him, because I am not across… there are very many appointments made to senior positions, and I will just check that for him.”
Another day in the life of Can’t Recall Keir…
The RMT Union has said that proposals from TfL to give Tube drivers a four-day week with fewer hours is unacceptable and “smashing up” relations because drivers may be more tired. That’s it – abolish Tube drivers…
| Morning | Late morning | Early afternoon | Evening | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 21 Apr | Normal | Some | Significant | Significant |
| Wed 22 Apr | Significant | Significant | Some | Normal |
| Thu 23 Apr | Normal | Some | Significant | Significant |
| Fri 24 Apr | Significant | Significant | Some | Normal |
Under TfL’s proposals Tube drivers would enjoy a four-day week with reduced weekly hours from 36 to 35. The RMT is demanding 32 hours for the same pay…
Another Tube strike begins today at midday. RMT London Transport Regional Organiser, Jared Wood said this morning on broadcast:
“This proposal is not just about whether you work four or five days. It’s a 14-page document that was produced last March that was offered to us as a take it or leave it offer. We said that we could not accept the extended working time on the days when you are working. in the longer shifts, longer driving time between breaks when you’re uh when you’re tired, earlier starts, later finishes, not knowing what duty you’d be doing from one day to the next. We cannot accept all of it.”
Rival union Aslef supports the proposals from TfL. It said of the strike: “It will be the first strike in the history of the trade union movement designed to stop people having a shorter working week and more time off.” If you know about British unions you know that’s not true…
Flashback to less than one week ago in the House of Commons – Labour Early Years minister Olivia Bailey said in response to another Tory question on phone bans:
“My honest view this we have already solved the problem of banning phones in schools.”
Last night Labour U-turned. Announced in the Lords, a new amendment will “create a clear legal requirement that the guidance must be followed unless there is a legally justifiable reason for schools not to do so.” A major U-turn as Labour has resisted Tory attempts to get a phone ban through for a year now…
There is currently only non-statutory guidance stating schools should be phone-free. This is what Bailey was referring to. Which has now revealed that the U-turn was decided on at the last minute…
Olly Robbins has just revealed that Downing Street tried to find an ambassadorial job for Starmer’s then-Comms chief Matthew Doyle. And instructed Robbins not to tell David Lammy, who happened to be the Foreign Secretary…
“There were several discussions initiated by Number 10 with me about potentially finding a head of mission opportunity for Matthew Doyle, who was then the Number 10 Head of Communications, and I was under strict instruction not to discuss that with the then-Foreign Secretary which was uncomfortable. But the context here […] I was still in my early months in the job, but I’d already concluded […] that the Foreign Office needed quite serious reform… I found it very hard to think how I would explain to the office what the credentials were of Matthew Doyle to be in an important head of mission role…”
Robbins stressed repeatedly the point that he was “uncomfortable” finding a job for Doyle given his lack of credentials. Of course it would later emerge that Doyle campaigned for convicted sex offender Sean Morton, which Number 10 seemed sanguine about…
New figures from the Office for National Statistics show that youth unemployment has risen again. Rachel…
Labour market statistics this morning show a decline in the unemployment rate to 4.9% in the three months to February. This was offset by a larger increase in the number of economically inactive people – 69,000. IEA fellow Professor Len Shackleton wryly observes: “The economy would in a sense be better off with more unemployed people – defined as those looking for work – and fewer inactive.” Sclerosis…
The unemployment rate for 18-24-year-olds has risen from 13.7% to 14.3%. 63,000 more people began taking Universal Credit in a single month…
Robbins fired a blockbuster letter at the Foreign Affairs Committee before his appearance. Some of the main points:
Douglas Alexander – a friend of Starmer’s – was asked on Sky News if the PM will be in post at the next election. He wasn’t so sure himself:
“I think he will. There are no certainties but of course I think he will lead and I think he should because, frankly, on the biggest call in this parliament he’s exercised the right judgment, which is to keep us out of someone else’s war.”