Good evening and welcome to the first Worst of Westminster of 2024. Remember you can get this newsletter straight into your inbox every Friday for free by signing up here.
Though MPs have been in recess this week, there has been no shortage of news with political leaders gearing up for a General Election coming at us at some point in the next 12 months.
When that will be remains to be seen but with Keir Starmer straight out the blocks on Thursday with a New Year speech, Rishi Sunak brushing off suggestions of a poll in spring, and Humza Yousaf and Anas Sarwar due to make key announcements on Monday, the anticipation is clearly building.
Keir Starmer’s 'bag of sick' speech
The Labour leader seemed keen to get ahead of the starting gun for the election as he made a speech in Bristol setting out his stall, and for a brief second we found ourselves nodding along with him when he said he understood why voters were “anti-Westminster”.
But SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn did not hold back when Starmer said people are tired of the “divisive” SNP, accusing them and the Tories of fuelling the politics of “populism” and “nationalism” as a “distraction”.
Flynn accused Starmer of comparing the views of "50% of Scots to the sort of populism promoted by Donald Trump", saying the comments would go down like a "bag of cold sick". Quite the image.
Flynn said: “Scottish independence is rooted in membership of the European Union, increasing migration to both protect our NHS and boost the economy, and capitalising on our natural resources to ensure Scots are no longer fuel poor in an energy rich land.
“Sir Keir would do well to remember that he too once believed in such things.”
Of course, it would not be a Labour speech without a U-turn, or at least rumours of one. Starmer pledged a “crackdown on cronyism”, but the promise came amid reports the party is likely to scale back a pledge to ban former ministers from lobbying jobs for five years.
No spring in Sunak’s step
The Tories have plunged the UK into economic darkness over the past 13 years, and it would now seem we may be heading for an election in the gloomier months too.
Speculation of a General Election taking place in May had been growing ahead of Christmas after the spring Budget date was confirmed as March 6, where Jeremy Hunt is expected to announce tax cuts.
But the PM appeared to kill off that expectation when he told reporters he was working on the assumption it would be in the second half of the year.
Who could blame him for pushing it back as far as he can though? It could, of course, be a deflection tactic, but it would not come as a surprise if the Tories want to give themselves as much time as possible to conjure up a plan amid plummeting popularity ratings.
After all, analysis by the Institute for Government showed Sunak had met just one of the five key pledges he made this time last year.
Two of the pledges - to cut NHS waiting lists, which it says he has the most control over, and to "stop the boats" - are currently “off track” according to the think-tank, while a pledge to get debt falling is also “in doubt”.
Only one of the commitments - to halve inflation - has been achieved, while growing the economy is said to be “on track”.
Do you believe in miracles Rishi? Time to start dreaming.
Michelle has a Mone
The Baroness has caused quite the drama over the last month and she snapped this week when she hit out at the media’s “ridiculous obsession” with her personal life.
It came Doug Barrowman, Mone’s husband, issued a statement on New Year’s Day in which he said his family had been “treated like a punchbag by the media” as coverage over the PPE scandal surrounding the pair continues.
She said: “The media’s ridiculous obsession with every tiny detail of my personal life continues to reach desperate and absurd levels.
“At this rate, I’m surprised the Daily Mirror hasn’t sent an email asking to know how many bras and knickers I own!”
The Daily Mirror reported the couple were having “an £80 million fire sale of their luxury houses, private jet and superyacht”. Mone did not deny the story, but insisted that assets are bought and sold at "any given moment" in her husband's "world".
Mone previously admitted she made an “error” in publicly denying her links to the PPE Medpro firm that was awarded Government contracts to supply personal protective equipment after she recommended it to ministers.
The National Crime Agency is investigating allegations of conspiracy to defraud, fraud by false representation and bribery concerning PPE Medpro - although Mone and her husband have denied any allegations of wrongdoing.
That didn't stop some MSPs demanding that she have her honorary doctorate given to her by a Scottish university revoked though...
