Londoner’s Diary
A Tory MP who survived the wipeout puts his victory partly down to “the Geldof effect”. Andrew Mitchell, MP for Sutton Coldfield, got a gushing endorsement from the Boomtown Rats frontman.
“It undoubtedly contributed to my victory, which the BBC exit poll at 10pm suggested would not take place,” Mitchell told us. Sir Bob has since sent a message of congratulations.
While he backed “decent” Mitchell because the pair have worked together on global poverty, Sir Bob did not endorse the Conservatives as a whole, describing them as “leery shysters, buffoons and tiresome w***ers”.
As my #election campaign rolls on in #suttoncoldfield I am grateful to have received this… colourful… message of support from my good friend Bob Geldof! pic.twitter.com/YmfwOvzL9d
— Andrew Mitchell (@AndrewmitchMP) June 21, 2024
Mr Mitchell has just become shadow foreign secretary and describes Sir Bob as “my good friend”. The Tory/Geldof love-in doesn’t end there, it seems. We hear that Sir Bob may make a state visit to the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield to attend the spectacular party Mitchell is holding to thank his team of local volunteers and supporters. In his endorsement video, Sir Bob candidly admitted: “I have no bloody idea where Sutton Coldfield is.”
Google Drive
It’s probably not the collaboration you were waiting for but Labour x Google seems here to stay. The new party of UK government and the world’s most recognisable tech brand have been cosying up for a while and this week there was a double-whammy of schmoozing. First on Tuesday the parliamentary Labour party held it’s start-of-term drinks reception at Google’s office in Tottenham Court Road. Then on Wednesday evening, a large delegation of Labour MPs attended Google’s swanky summer party at the company’s St Pancras HQ.
Relations seem to be strong after a period of courting when Labour when in opposition. At the World Economic Forum 2023 Sir Keir Starmer, then leader of the opposition, and a member of his staff received a £380 dinner from the company. And business secretary Jonathan Reynolds went to Glastonbury Festival last year, when he was shadow business secretary, courtesy of the tech giant. YouTube, which Google owns, paid over £3,000 for Reynolds’ hospitality at Worthy Farm. Last year, Labour dropped its policy of increasing the Digital Services Tax levied on large tech companies.
Drink like Jagger at BST
The Rolling Stones’ legacy lives on at BST Hyde Park two years after they played the festival. When they headlined in 2022 during their 60th anniversary tour, the Stones requested the construction of a pub in the backstage area to remind them of the boozer where they played one of their first gigs in 1962. It was such a good idea that the BST bosses decided to keep the pub, called The Golden Lion. This year it was screwed together again so headline artists like Robbie Williams and Shania Twain, who played on Saturday and Sunday, could sip like the Stones. We wonder if Stevie Nicks, who is playing on Saturday, will enjoy a tipple there?
