Mayor Sadiq Khan was having his name dragged through the mud by some senior figures in his own party today. Anonymous briefings from Labour higher-ups blame the party’s surprise defeat in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election on Khan’s decision to expand Ulez to outer London. The Conservatives ran a fierce anti-Ulez campaign and clinched the seat despite lagging behind in national polls. But it’s not all bad news today for the Mayor. Rapper Stormzy has just released a single in which Khan features as a model of hands-on local government. In the song, titled The Weekend and written and performed with singer Raye, above, Stormzy tells the story of a man and woman attempting to organise a date on a convenient day of the week, before settling on the weekend. “Monday to Friday I know it gets peak / True say, I do run the city like Sadiq,” raps Stormzy, continuing: “I’m a come through at the end of the week / Turn a really good girl into a freak”. Sadly Khan’s team wasn’t briefed on the mention so he didn’t get to appear in the music video, which dropped yesterday.
New Baby of the House joins on a massive swing
Parliament will soon welcome a new Baby of the House in Keir Mather, who has just won the Selby and Ainsty by-election for Labour on a massive swing. At 25, he replaces previous youngest MP Nadia Whittome, also Labour and now 26. Conservatives have already attacked Mr Mather for his youth. Johnny Mercer MP said “this guy has been at Oxford University more than he’s been in a job”. Just about. Four years all together at Oxford, and three working for Labour MP Wes Streeting and then scandal-hit business lobby group the CBI. But even at Oxford, Mr Mather made time for political work. For a time, he worked as a researcher for the writer and former Conservative MP Matthew Parris, who became an MP at the age of 30. We wonder if he has received any tips from his old mentor on life as a novice MP. In any case, it seems bipartisan goodwill and co-operation come much easier to Mr Mather than they do to Mr Mercer.
