Treachery at the heart of Parliament
Word on the street is that Labour’s constant problems with backstabbing and treachery may be about to get even worse.
Sir Arbuthnot hears that Scotland’s newest MP Michael Shanks, who won Rutherglen and Hamilton West off the SNP last October, is on the verge of hiring Zack Davies of The Traitors fame.
Mr Davies, who has spent nearly three years as a parliamentary affairs advisor at the pensions regulator, has apparently been sniffing around for a new job in recent weeks and appears to have landed one with the Shadow Scotland minister.
According to the Radio Times, ahead of garnering fame on the show 27-year-old Zack claimed he could win the show as his career in politics meant he was “very good at reading people”.
Zack may have played a faithful during his 11-episode stint on the show, but as recent history has proven, working for the Labour Party can very easily bring an end to such noble ideals…
Westminster’s boozy history uncovered
While taking a stroll through a useful Houses of Parliament shortcut the other day, Beachcomber spotted that some renovations have unearthed a fantastic piece of SW1 history.
An old office sign for the Parliamentary Labour Party has been taken down, revealing a beautiful hand-painted sign pointing the way to the long-dead Annie’s bar, the scene of many a political plot.
Annie’s Bar, closed in 2006, was of course made famous thanks to Yes, Minister, where a boozy Jim Hacker met with a journalist of this parish to leak information about his plan to introduce safeguards for electronic surveillance – and gave away plenty of Lobby euphemism in the process.
Sir Arbuthnot hopes the sign can be restored and protected after being covered up for so long…
Home Office slackers
Given the inordinate number of migrant and crime scandals already seen this year, you may hope that the Home Office were hard at work trying to fix the myriad problems.
Unfortunately, Civil Service office occupancy data reveals the Home Office has had the fewest number of staff of any department turning up for work for the past fortnight.
Last night the department couldn’t even get 50 percent of its bums on seats.
Admittedly, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology currently has no occupancy data available, but to be generous their main entrance has been closed too staff since early January, so Sir Arbuthnot will let them off.
Local councillors take the p***
OUTRAGE in Walthamstow, as the Tories slam the profligacy of the local Labour administration.
The source of their anger? New top-of-the-range bogs installed at the council offices over Christmas.
Taking to Twitter, Emma Best – Leader of Waltham Forest Conservatives – suggested that heated bog seats for councillors may not have been at the top of residents’ wish list when Labour raised their council tax last year.
A swift FoI request has now revealed that the ultra-fancy loos – which include electronic bidet and drying features – cost local residents a whopping £4,418.43.
Literally flushing money down the toilet…
