sexta-feira, 31 de março de 2023
Summary of the day so far
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4h ago
13.24 BST
Summary of the day so far
It’s nearly
3.30pm in Kyiv. Here’s where we stand:
- Turkey’s parliament has approved a bill to allow Finland to join Nato, clearing the way for Helsinki to join the western defence alliance. The Turkish parliament was the last among the 30 members of the alliance to ratify Finland’s membership, after Hungary’s legislature approved a similar bill this week. Sweden’s Nato bid faces objections from Ankara over claims it is harbouring what it considers members of terrorist groups.
- Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarusian president, has said he has intensified talks with Russia about deploying tactical nuclear weapons in his country, alleging there were plans to invade Belarus from neighbouring Poland. Belarus had deployed a special forces contingent to its southern border with Ukraine “to prevent provocations”, he added.
- Russian troops attacked Ukraine with ten “Shahed” kamikaze drones overnight, according to Ukraine’s state broadcaster in its morning update on Friday. “Nine S-300 missiles were fired at Kharkiv: civil infrastructure and residential buildings were damaged, three people were slightly injured,” it said.
- The White House says it has new evidence that Russia is looking again to North Korea for weapons and munitions to fuel the war in Ukraine. “We also understand that Russia is seeking to send a delegation to North Korea and that Russia is offering North Korea food in exchange for munitions,” White House national security council spokesman John Kirby said on Thursday.
- Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to call up 147,000 Russian citizens for statutory military service as part of the country’s spring conscription campaign, Russian state media reported on Thursday. The Russian leader last signed a routine conscription campaign in September, calling up 120,000 citizens for statutory service, the state-run Tass news agency said. The general staff of the armed forces of the Russian Federation stated on Friday that it was not a second wave of mobilisation.
- Ukraine will never forgive the Russian troops responsible for alleged atrocities in Bucha, Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said, as the town near Kyiv marked the anniversary of its recapture following 33 days of occupation in 2022. The leaders of Croatia, Slovakia and Slovenia travelled to Ukraine on Friday to take part in commemorative events, the Croatian government said.
- Russian authorities have arrested a US journalist working in the country and accused him of espionage, a charge that could carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years. Evan Gershkovich, a well-respected reporter from the Wall Street Journal, was detained on Wednesday during a reporting trip to the Urals city of Ekaterinburg. All accredited foreign journalists can continue to work in Russia, the Kremlin said on Friday.
- Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, will chair a UN security council meeting in April when Russia assumes the international body’s presidency, foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova confirmed on Thursday. Russia’s coming UN security council presidency was “the worst joke ever for April Fool’s Day”, said Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, and a “stark reminder that something is wrong with the way international security architecture is functioning”.
- Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, has said Moscow will continue to give the US advance notice about its missile tests despite suspending participation in the New Start nuclear arms treaty, reversing a statement he made on Wednesday. The White House said on Tuesday that the US had told Russia it would cease exchanging certain data on its nuclear forces after Moscow’s refusal to do so.
- Russian and Belarusian players will be allowed to compete at Wimbledon and the British grass-court tournaments this year after the All England Club (AELTC) and the LTA jointly opted to reverse their bans on players for this season’s events. Russian and Belarusian players will be required to sign neutrality agreements, which prohibit them from expressing support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, receiving funding from the Russian or Belarusian state and being sponsored by organisations funded by their governments.
- Ukrainian athletes will not be allowed to take part in qualifying events for the 2024 Paris Olympics if they have to compete against Russians, government minister Oleh Nemchinov has said. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations Tuesday for the gradual return to international competition for Russian and Belarusian athletes as neutrals
Brussels Playbook: Donald Trumped — Marin’s last dance — Mid-week tipple
Brussels Playbook: Donald Trumped — Marin’s last
dance — Mid-week tipple
BY SUZANNE
LYNCH
MARCH 31,
2023 7:14 AM CET
Brussels
Playbook
By SUZANNE
LYNCH
with ZOYA
SHEFTALOVICH
BREAKING
OVERNIGHT: Donald Trump has become the first former U.S. president in history
to face criminal charges, after a grand jury in New York indicted him over hush
money paid to porn actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential
campaign. More here from our colleagues across the pond on a development that
may reshape next year’s U.S. presidential election (Trump’s team is
capitalizing on the move; some of his most ardent supporters are going quiet).
Read this Q&A on the indictment, and keep an eye on our hub for the latest
developments.
DRIVING THE
WEEKEND: MARIN’S LAST DANCE
FACING THE
MUSIC: It’s crunch time for Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin as voters go to
the polls this weekend in a general election that could lead to a change in
government in the Nordic state.
NECK AND
NECK: Opinion polls suggest the result is too close to call. POLITICO’s Poll of
Polls aggregator has Marin’s Social Democratic Party (SDP) tied for second
place with the right-wing Finns Party on 19 percent, just behind the
center-right National Coalition Party on 20 percent. The final poll ahead of
the election by Yle puts Marin’s SDP narrowly in third place.
Recap:
Marin may have shot to fame last summer when footage surfaced of her letting
loose on the dance floor, but it’s worth remembering she only got the job as
prime minister after Antti Rinne resigned over a labor dispute six months after
the 2019 election. Since then, Marin has presided over a five-party coalition,
and is facing criticism for over-spending and over-borrowing — a key concern
for the prudent Finns.
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Rightward
tilt: As always in Europe, this week’s election is being viewed as a barometer
for the political mood, and will be parsed for any sign of a right-wing shift
in the electorate. The prospect of a far-right surge is not unthinkable, with
the Finns Party — formerly known as the True Finns — on course to win enough
seats in the 200-strong assembly to have a shot at forming a government.
Fascist
elements: Finland is already grappling with an openly fascist party. Helsingin
Sanomat revealed earlier this week that the Blue-and-Black Movement scrubbed
illegal sections of its election program to get on the official party register,
Playbook’s own Ketrin Jochecová reports. But the items that were removed are
still in the party’s online program, according to HS, and include plans to
re-examine all residence permits and citizenships granted after 1990, to
establish an ethnic register to monitor Finland’s population structure and to
limit freedom of speech.
Background:
Blue-and-Black — which draws its name from a fascist party active in the 1930s
— doesn’t stand much of a chance in the election. (Several members were
expelled from the Finns Party for being too extreme, and one of the current
candidates was sentenced to prison for an attempted murder.) But an antisemitic
attack on a Jewish member of parliament, Ben Zyskowicz, at a metro station in
Helsinki earlier this week has sparked soul-searching and outrage in Finland
ahead of Sunday’s contest.
NATO
UPDATE: In a boost for its NATO aspirations, the Turkish parliament ratified
Finland’s bid to join the defense alliance last night, following a similar move
by Hungary during the week. Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg
told Lili Bayer that Sweden could still become a NATO member by the summer.
BALKANS
MONTENEGRO
RACE: Finland is not the only country to go to the polls this weekend, with
Montenegro’s presidential runoff taking place Sunday. Milo Đukanović, a fixture
on the Montenegrin political scene for decades, has a battle on his hands as he
faces off against Jakov Milatović, a relative newcomer who is part of the
current coalition government.
Refresher:
Though Đukanović won 35.2 percent over Milatović’s 29.2 percent in the
first-round vote earlier this month, he’s unlikely to pick up much support from
elsewhere in Sunday’s runoff. Đukanović — an early ally of Serbian leader
Slobodan Milošević, before he broke with the war criminal — has accused the
current government of hosting pro-Serbian and pro-Russian elements. The
coalition denies these accusations.
Why it
matters: Montenegro has been mired in political instability, most notably last
year when the government collapsed over a controversial agreement with the
Serbian Orthodox Church. Montenegro’s decision to join NATO in 2017 was a
momentous step for the tiny nation — remember when Donald Trump claimed
defending the country could spark World War III?
Seize the
moment: Some are hoping that political change could reinvigorate the country’s
EU membership prospects. “We’re on the cusp of a sea-change in Montenegro after
33 years,” Ivan Vejvoda, a fellow of the Institute of Human Sciences in Vienna,
told Playbook, adding that Sunday’s result could be a harbinger for
parliamentary elections scheduled for June. “This could be an opportunity for
the European Union to seize momentum on the accession process, and show that it
really is serious about enlargement,” he said.
Reminder:
Montenegro was the first Western Balkans country to gain candidate status back
in 2010 and all 33 negotiating chapters have been opened.
AND THAT’S
NOT ALL — BULGARIANS ALSO VOTE ON SUNDAY: Bulgaria’s fifth general election in
two years is unlikely to break the country’s long-running political deadlock,
meaning President Rumen Radev is once again likely to be the main winner. But
what’s his agenda, ask Boryana Dzhambazova and Antoaneta Roussi in this
curtain-raiser: Is Radev an anti-corruption crusader, or a pro-Russian stooge?
SPEAKING OF
THE BALKANS: Writer and academic Lea Ypi was in Brussels last night and shared
her thoughts on the topic of freedom, following her best-selling memoir on
growing up in Albania, “Free,” at a salon at Full Circle, one of the coolest
venues in the city.
Salon
thoughts: Speaking to Playbook, Ypi shared her views on Albania’s long road to
EU membership and the role accession plays in the Western Balkans
consciousness. “Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the EU has become the
ideology of the entire country, an ideological alternative, and a vision of a
future where people’s hopes and expectations, their frustrations about the
present and their projections of the future, are all clustered together,” she
explained.
Expectations
vs. reality: “People don’t actually know the reality — know what’s going on
inside the EU,” said Ypi, who studied at the European University Institute in
Florence for her doctoral work. But she added that in some ways this is good:
“It gives a sense of hope, of dynamic transition, of going somewhere. But on
the other hand, there is no substantive political discussion of the EU itself.
What does the EU want to be, how are we going to engage with the project?”
That’s food for thought — even for the countries within the bloc.
BOOZY LIKE
THURSDAY
CHEEKY
TIPPLE: Italian MEPs, wine lobbyists and curious parliamentary assistants
gathered Thursday at 9 a.m. at a makeshift stand in the bar on the third floor
of the European Parliament, as Italian lawmaker Alessandra Mussolini hosted a
debate on Ireland’s plan to require health warnings on alcohol. (Yup, she’s the
granddaughter of Benito Mussolini.)
Try before
you buy: Visitors were invited to sample a range of Italian wines, including an
alcohol-free white advertised at €16 a bottle and an orange wine from Tuscany
on offer at €81. MEPs drained their glasses before heading off to vote, reports
POLITICO’s own (and I might add abstemious) Daniela De Lorenzo.
Appropriate?
One Danish MEP questioned holding the event during the plenary session — the
Parliament’s main legislative window — but Mussolini, whose Forza Italia party
sits in the EPP bloc, said that was the point: “We wanted this event
specifically now because the plenary brings all lawmakers back to Brussels and
we can maximize attention on the topic,” explained Mussolini.
Background:
Ireland’s plan to slap health warnings on alcohol bottles has prompted uproar
in wine-producing countries like Italy. But the European Commission has already
blessed the proposal, which is now under review at the World Trade
Organization.
Barbar-esco:
The Italians are not giving up the fight: “I am interested in gathering support
to form a common front here in the European Parliament, we have to cling on
anything possible to defeat the measure. It will wound Italian tradition,”
Mussolini said during the event.
Side bar —
was the event even legal? Belgium on Thursday implemented a new alcohol plan
that bans offering free alcoholic drinks within a promotional campaign
alongside non-alcoholic products, Daniela wrote in to flag.
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ROAD TO
2024 EU ELECTION
GREENS
KICK-START CAMPAIGN: The European Green Party will hold its first leadership
council today in Brussels as it sets its sights on the 2024 European Parliament
election campaign. The gathering of the leaders of all European green parties
will give its backing to the Spitzenkandidat process, the “lead candidate”
system for choosing the president of the European Commission. “The
Spitzenkandidaten process is the strongest democratic tool at our disposal to
give EU citizens a direct say in deciding who would be the next European
Commission president,” co-chairs Mélanie Vogel and Thomas Waitz said ahead of
today’s meeting.
Tell that
to Renew: In Thursday’s Playbook, Stéphane Séjourné, the leader of the liberal
Renew Europe group, had a different take: “The Spitzenkandidat has never been
operational,” Séjourné said. “Unfortunately, the last time it was not the
Spitzenkandidat who was appointed to the Commission. So, at some point, we have
to be realistic.”
GETTING IN
GOOD WITH CONSUMERS: It may still be a year away, but MEPs are raising concerns
that a rule which governs the price of long-distance calls may not be extended,
which could lead to huge telephone bills for consumers. In a letter to
Commissioner Thierry Breton seen by POLITICO, almost 30 MEPs urge him to act
now.
Avoid bill
shock: “This law has shown itself to be an extremely important tool to protect
consumers, especially senior citizens, from the extreme charges, which existed
before they were introduced,” the letter states, noting that the measure will
expire in May 2024. The MEPs call on the Commission “as a matter of urgency to
adopt a proposal to extend this limit until at least 14 May 2029 as an interim
measure.”
EP MOVES TO
END THE GENDER PAY GAP: The European Parliament on Thursday approved binding
pay-transparency rules in a bid to tackle the gender salary gap across the EU.
More.
IN OTHER
NEWS
HOLOLEI
LATEST: The EU’s anti-fraud office has opened an investigation into Henrik
Hololei, the EU’s departing transport chief, following POLITICO’s revelations
that he accepted free flights on Qatar Airways. “We can confirm that OLAF has
opened an investigation into the matter,” the agency said in a statement to
POLITICO. The probe, the press office stressed, “does not mean that the
persons/entities involved have committed an irregularity/fraud.” Full story
here.
PUTIN
ESCALATES MEDIA CRACKDOWN: Russian security services detained Evan Gershkovich,
a Wall Street Journal correspondent who has also previously reported for
POLITICO, in Yekaterinburg on suspicion of spying for the U.S., sparking a
stinging rebuke from the White House. Detaining a foreign journalist marks a
significant escalation in hostility toward foreign media from Moscow. More
here.
There ought
to be no hiding place for Putin, argues barrister Aarif Abraham in this
analysis of how the Russian president could be held legally accountable for his
brutal war on Ukraine.
VDL ON
CHINA: In a scathing speech ahead of her visit to China next week, European
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday warned Beijing not to side
with Moscow in bringing compromised peace to Ukraine, saying: “How China
continues to interact with Putin’s war will be a determining factor for
EU-China relations going forward.” Stuart Lau has a write-up.
ICYMI — THE
BATTLE TO SAVE TIKTOK: TikTok began working to win over the U.S. and European
governments long before the latest concerns about its Chinese ownership, report
Hailey Fuchs, Clothilde Goujard and Daniel Lippman in this transatlantic
investigation into the company’s years-long lobbying efforts.
KEEPING THE
US IN CHECK: Companies benefitting from the United States’ $369 billion
Inflation Reduction Act may be required to notify their subsidies to the EU’s
antitrust enforcers under new rules, Competition Commissioner Margrethe
Vestager said Thursday. More from Sam Stolton.
DUST OFF
THE TICKER-TAPE: U.S. President Joe Biden will visit Northern Ireland and the
Republic next month, as preparations gear up to mark the 25th anniversary of
the Good Friday peace agreement. The president will spend a day in Belfast, but
will base himself south of the border for most of the trip, visiting the
counties of Louth and Mayo in the west (though he’s not expected to cross the
Channel to visit Brussels or London). More from Shawn Pogatchnik here.
UK JOINS
CPTPP: POLITICO explains what the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for
Trans-Pacific Partnership is (spoiler: it’s about more than trade) — and how
the U.K. got its foot in the door.
COMMITTEE
OF THE ABSURD: In an unusual scenario, even by Brussels’ standards, MEPs on the
Environment, Public Health and Food Safety committee met with Health
Commissioner Stella Kyriakides Thursday for a session dedicated to the general
pharmaceutical legislation. But like Godot in the Samuel Beckett play, everyone’s
still waiting for the proposal, which should have been published Wednesday, but
wasn’t. Carlo Martuscelli has more.
CALL FOR EU
TO BLACKLIST IRANIAN GUARDS: Fifty Nobel laureates called on the EU to
blacklist the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. In a joint letter sent to
Council President Charles Michel, they also call on the United Nations to
support a fact-finding mission to Iran to investigate human rights violations
and atrocities perpetrated by the regime. “The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
(IRGC) is the main tool of war, repression, terrorism, and warmongering, that
is why the people of Iran want it to be blacklisted by the civilized world,
especially the European Union,” said the letter, seen by Playbook.
WEEKEND
LISTENING: Check out this week’s EU Confidential podcast, where we dissect
Emmanuel Macron’s troubles in Paris and speak to Daniel Calleja Crespo,
director general of the European Commission’s legal service. Bravo to the
animated Spaniard who manages to do the impossible — make the EU’s legal
service sound interesting! And over on Westminster Insider, host Aggie Chambre
explains how to become an MP.
**How will
the change of leadership in DG MOVE impact transport policy? Get a profound
understanding of the latest changes with POLITICO Pro. Request a live demo
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AGENDA Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on Linkedin Share on Handclap2
— European
Parliament President Roberta Metsola in The Hague; joint doorstep press point
with Prime Minister Mark Rutte at 9:20 a.m., followed by meeting at 9:30 a.m.;
meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Netherlands at 10:30 a.m.; audience
with King Willem-Alexander at 11:45 a.m.; keynote at the annual Christian
Democratic appeal Schmelzer Lecture at 3 p.m.; meeting with Minister of Foreign
Affairs Wopke Hoekstra at 4:15 p.m. Watch.
—
Commission VP Margrethe Vestager in Washington D.C.; participates in event on
“How Europe is addressing the geopolitical moment and its economic challenges”
organized by the Atlantic Council; meets with Acting Chairperson of the
Competition Commission of India Sangeeta Verma; meets with U.S. Secretary of
the Treasury Janet Yellen.
—
Commissioner Janez Lenarčič in Lebanon, press point at 11:30 a.m. Watch.
— High
Representative Josep Borrell in Spain; participates in “Wake Up, Spain”
economic forum.
— NATO
Deputy Secretary-General NATO Mircea Geoană addresses London Business School 2
p.m. Register for livestream here.
— Spanish
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez continues visit to China.
Absurdity to a new level’ as Russia takes charge of UN security council
Absurdity to a new level’ as Russia takes charge
of UN security council
Monthly rotation of presidency of 15-member council
has been unaffected by Ukraine war
Julian
Borger
Julian
Borger in New York
Fri 31 Mar
2023 05.00 BST
In Ukraine,
Moscow is pursuing an unprovoked war of aggression. In The Hague, Vladimir
Putin is facing an arrest warrant for war crimes. But at the UN, Russia is
about to take charge of a powerful international body, the security council.
From
Saturday, it will be Russia’s turn to take up the monthly presidency of the
15-member council, in line with a rotation that has been unaffected by the
Ukraine war.
The last
time Russia held the gavel was in February last year, when Putin declared his
“special military operation” in the middle of a council session on Ukraine.
Fourteen months on, tens of thousands of people have been killed, many of them
civilians, cities have been ruined and Putin has been indicted by the
international criminal court for the mass abduction of Ukrainian children.
In such
circumstances, putting Russia in the driving seat of a world body tasked with
“maintaining international peace and security” seems like a cruel April fools
joke to many, not least the Ukrainian mission to the UN.
“As of 1
April, they’re taking the level of absurdity to a new level,” said Sergiy
Kyslytsya, the Ukrainian permanent representative. “The security council as it
is designed is immobilised and incapable to address the issues of their primary
responsibility, that is prevention of conflicts and then dealing with
conflicts.”
The
ambassador said Ukraine would stay away from the security council in April
except in the case of an “issue of critical national security interest”.
Ukraine is not a current council member, though it is often called to speak on
issues related to the war.
The US,
Britain, France and their supporters on the council are likely to show their
disapproval by downgrading the level of their representation at Russian-hosted
events over the course of the month, but no member state is known to be
planning any form of boycott or other protest.
Diplomats
at the UN headquarters in New York point out that most of the council’s
business in April, like any month, is taken up by routine briefings and reports
on UN peacekeeping missions around the world.
“It’s
important to protect the rest of the council’s work on other files,” one
European diplomat said. “We don’t want to disrupt the work that the council is
doing elsewhere, because that would allow Russia’s invasion to have an even
wider impact on issues of peace and security around the world.”
The council
presidency does give the monthly incumbent the power to organise its own
sessions, and Russia is planning three. On 10 April it will hold a briefing on
the “risks stemming from the violations of the agreements regulating the export
of weapons and military equipment”, at which it is expected to single out the US
for its arms supplies to Ukraine and to other allies over recent years.
Later in
the month, it will chair two open debates on “effective multilateralism” and on
the situation in the Middle East, over which its foreign minister, Sergei
Lavrov, is expected to preside.
The last
occasion when a permanent member of the council carried out an unprovoked
invasion was the US attack on Iraq. The US was not subjected to the humiliation
of repeated overwhelming defeats in the UN general assembly of the kind that
Russia has endured over the past year, with about 140 of the 193 member states
voting against Moscow’s positions, leaving Belarus, Eritrea, Syria and North
Korea as Russia’s only reliable friends.
Russia’s
deputy permanent representative, Dmitry Polyanskiy, denied that his mission was
becoming a pariah at the UN. “Absolutely not. We feel that the west is
embattled in the UN right now because more countries understand our position,”
Polyanskiy said, claiming that the western allies had to water down resolutions
and arm-twist to get 140 votes. “So I think that it’s rather the west is
isolated, but not us in the general assembly.”
As for
Putin’s ICC arrest warrant, Polyanskiy dismissed it as “totally irrelevant to
any of our activities”. The last time the Russian leader travelled to the UN
headquarters was in 2015.
In the
security council, the balance of diplomatic forces is less clearcut than in the
general assembly. The division of five permanent members: US, UK, France,
Russia, China, has hardened considerably, with China regularly echoing Russian
talking points in the council. The ten non-permanent members are elected for
two year terms by the general assembly. Among the current batch, Mozambique,
the United Arab Emirates and Gabon have generally stayed neutral over the
Ukraine invasion.
Brazil is
moving into the neutral column. Polyanskiy said the “Brics” group of Brazil,
Russia, India, China and South Africa was drawing closer together and claimed
there were 20 other countries interested in affiliation.
Richard
Gowan, the UN director at the International Crisis Group, said that under
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil was “making an effort to engage
with Russia and position itself as a potential peacemaker over Ukraine”.
“I don’t
think Russia has many close allies in the council, but a lot of council members
really want to avoid getting caught up in big power games,” Gowan said. “There
is a definite sense that a lot of council members want to shift attention to
crises other than Ukraine where the UN may be able to do marginally more good.”
There are
no security council sessions on Ukraine planned for April, but nine members can
vote to force it on to the agenda, or members can hold informal sessions on the
subject.
The glaring
council impasse and paralysis over Ukraine has served to elevate the importance
of the general assembly, but few expect it to bring any long-awaited reform to
the running of the council, established by the victors of the second world war.
More
likely, Kyslytsya acknowledged, “everybody will get accustomed to this new
level of global hypocrisy”.
“That will
be a disgrace,” he added. “But I think there’s quite a chance that may happen.”
London Playbook: Trump charges — Trade breakthrough — The rest is local
London Playbook: Trump charges — Trade
breakthrough — The rest is local
BY DAN
BLOOM
MARCH 31,
2023 8:09 AM CET
London
Playbook
By DAN
BLOOM
WHILE YOU
WERE SLEEPING: U.S. politics is in meltdown after Donald Trump became the first
ex-president to face criminal charges. Sources told CNN he will be presented
with more than 30 counts related to business fraud after adult film star Stormy
Daniels was given $130,000 in 2016. After railing against the “witch hunt” in a
statement from his Florida resort (of which 10,000 people were watching a Sky
live feed overnight), Trump is expected to attend a New York court on Tuesday.
“There will be a mugshot,” notes the Guardian liveblog.
Can he
still run for president in 2024? Er, quite possibly. My POLITICO colleagues in
Washington have a great explainer on what Trump is accused of, whether it will
be easy to convict (no), and whether he can become president regardless (it’s
“murky” and would raise “serious constitutional questions.”) Anna G. Cominsky,
a professor at New York Law School, tells the Washington Post he could run for
president even if convicted of a crime, as there’s no “explicit prohibition.”
And as for
the US courtroom news you really care about: Gwyneth Paltrow won her
ski-and-run court case within minutes of the Trump news. She bags $1 in
damages. Dom Cummings and fellow Vote Leavers would have enjoyed her parting
shot.
Good Friday
morning: This is Dan Bloom. Rosa Prince returns Monday.
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DRIVING THE
DAY
BREAKING
OVERNIGHT: Britain is joining a £9 trillion trade bloc in its biggest deal
since leaving that other one three years ago. Accession to the Comprehensive
and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) — whose 11
members include Australia, Canada, Japan, Singapore and Vietnam — was confirmed
by Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch at 12.52 a.m. in what is a
start-of-recess cork-popper for Rishi Sunak. Not least because it has even his
sternest Brexiteer critics delighted.
How it
unfolded: POLITICO’s Pro Trade crack team broke the news of the U.K.’s
accession on Wednesday. Read their insider account of how 21 months of talks
came to a head on a Vietnamese island, only to almost collapse thanks to a
last-minute row over Canadian beef. The Mail’s Jason Groves points out the
controversy of reducing tariffs on palm oil — and notes the TUC’s Paul Nowak
has criticized the “dire” deal with nations where workers are exploited. No. 10
says it will “boost the U.K. economy by £1.8 billion in the long run.”
But but but
… This is about much more than trade. My colleague Cristina Gallardo writes
that while the effect as a percentage of GDP is small — the BBC puts it at a
princely 0.08 percent — this is about growing influence in the Indo-Pacific as
China flexes its muscles. “We will be in a geographic table where the United
States and China are absent,” economist George Magnus tells Cristina. Badenoch
is on this morning’s broadcast round.
HOW SUNAK
WILL CELEBRATE: In (checks notes) a cafe in Darlington with Tees Valley Mayor
Ben Houchen, where the PM will record a regional ITV clip at around 9 a.m. and
go on a short walkabout. It’s Easter recess for 17 days, so of course the
parties have swung into local elections mode. His plans to talk about May 4
might be somewhat derailed by the big news above.
First
weekend of recess klaxon: Sunak is spending the rest of today working at the
government’s “economic campus” in Darlington before retreating for some R&R
in his North Yorkshire constituency. Finally, a swim!
LABOURWATCH:
Labour leader Keir Starmer is spending this morning in target area Plymouth at
a food manufacturing factory, doing a Q&A with staff, a pool clip around
noon, a regional media round, and a members’ event.
TURDWATCH:
Defra releases annual statistics on sewage discharges at some point this
morning and opposition parties will kick up a stink. The i’s Paul Waugh says
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey is targeting the “dog walker demographic” — hence the
focus on excrement. He has “sewage visits” (yes really) teed up next week and
may demand Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey’s resignation.
YEP, IT’S
RECESS! Brace for more than two weeks of heavily gridded local elections
content. Labour’s offering today is analysis of ONS data, which claims families
are spending £13 more per week on groceries in December 2022 compared to
2020-21 — part of a £3,500 annual rise in the cost of essentials (via PA).
Try, try
again: Labour Chair Anneliese Dodds spent several minutes on TalkTV defending
Labour’s pledge that it “would” freeze all council tax this year, but (checks
notes) isn’t actually promising to do so in the first year of a Labour
government. Not yet, anyway. Starmer sent a personal email on Thursday to
supporters with the subject “Your council tax, frozen” … which it isn’t.
SCOOPS —
CANDIDATE WATCH: Labour currently has 103 candidates selected, and is planning
to get two more by May — followed by a further 41 by the end of November, two
organizers tell your author. They include most high-profile seats such as
Islington North, where Jeremy Corbyn is mulling standing as an independent.
Speaking of
which: Ex-Momentum Chair Jon Lansman has told my colleague Aggie Chambre that
the “stitch-up” of Labour selections could “absolutely” let in a fascist government
— by keeping the left alternative too “narrow.” “We see it in the rise of the
far right in Germany and France. You know, it’s across the world and it could
happen here,” he said.
That’s a
bit on the nose: My colleague Eleni Courea texted to point out the Tony Blair
Institute’s Rosie Beacon was elected chair of Croydon Central CLP on Thursday
night … unseating Andrew Fisher, Jeremy Corbyn’s former policy director.
CLUCK CLUCK
BWAARK? Meanwhile, a clutch of Tory MPs who’ve announced they are vacating
their marginal seats — but not leaving parliament — are being accused of
plotting “chicken runs” to safer ones. Eleni and Aggie report that Tory
insiders reckon there are half a dozen or more MPs using minor boundary changes
as an excuse to attempt to move to plummier constituencies.
Tory fury:
“If their seats are changed at all, even fractionally, they’re trying to use it
as an excuse to say that they should get a safer seat,” one senior Tory said.
“It’s very disloyal to the place you’re representing — and it’s bad for the
party.” Another said local associations were “screaming blue murder.”
Selections
kick off: Party Chair Greg Hands emailed MPs this week to say he aims to
install the first 100 candidates in time for conference, and that the first
tranche will be advertised on April 17. (HuffPost also got the email.) That
will pit any serving MPs looking to move against 1,000 people on the approved
Tory candidates list. Deputy Tory Chair Luke Hall has essentially warned this
list that unless they get stuck into campaigning for the locals, they risk
being taken off.
Coming up
this weekend: The highly anticipated selection battle between Suella Braverman
and Flick Drummond after boundary changes pitted them against each other.
GOOD
TIMING: Aggie’s Westminster Insider podcast this week is all about selections,
with Conservative peer Anne Jenkin acknowledging the Tories may lose seats at
the next election. In comments that will rankle with some associations, she
said certain safe seats have a sort of responsibility to “pick future cabinet
ministers,” rather than simply people who live in the area.
And the
rest: You can also hear Aggie going on a road trip with the former chairman of
Richmond Conservative association — who recreates the scene of Rishi Sunak
being picked as their local MP.
BATTLE
ROYALE: Tory Robert Buckland was reselected Thursday night for Labour target
seat South Swindon, where he is defending a 6,625 majority against ex-MP Heidi
Alexander. Here’s the pic, replete with six Bucklands.
MEET THE
VOTERS
STATE OF
THE NATION: As the Commons rose for recess, your author sat in on a virtual
focus group with nine Heywood and Middleton voters who backed the Tories in
2019, but would consider changing their minds. Tory Chris Clarkson prized the
ultra-marginal from Labour in 2019 with a 663 majority. The verdict is Sunak
has a lot of persuading to do … but Starmer should read the next bit through
his fingers.
Starmer
verdict: Not one volunteered a positive opinion of him or said they’d vote
Labour tomorrow. Several said they didn’t know what he stood for. He was
variously described as “underwhelming and wooden,” and lacking “personality” or
a “backbone.” Rebecca, a mental health nurse, accused him of “playing dirty” by
“jumping all over” rivals’ mistakes while Jan, 51, said: “I don’t even know
which party Keir Starmer is in. Is he Labour?”
Sunak
verdict: Participants widely branded the PM out of touch due to his wealth,
bringing up his pool. Retired Tony said: “He pays more for his suits than I get
all year.” They felt uninspired by his style. Commercial manager Aaron, 31,
complained “there’s nobody else,” while construction buyer Jennifer said “I
need to see something — I’m not feeling it.”
More time:
CCHQ will see one or two lines as a lifeline — including broad agreement on
banning laughing gas. Jennifer called Sunak “articulate” and “competent,”
saying he needed more time. Rebecca, who said the budget will do nothing to
stop her childcare costs resembling a “second mortgage,” added: “He’s still
mopping up from the back end of Boris and the mess in between.”
No boats
row: No one brought up small boats when asked for their top problems — the cost
of living, education and housing all came first, with ambulance delays and
leveling-up not materializing causing the most ire. But once the host raised
migration they had strong opinions. They were split across the full spectrum on
whether deporting people is correct, but broadly said the Rwanda crackdown
wouldn’t work.
TFIF: Asked
to sum up the state of the nation, they said “broken,” “mess,” “confused,”
“strained,” “crisis,” “not so great,” “room for improvement,” “floating in deep
waters” and “sh*tshow.”
King over
the water: Asked to name one politician who is “authentic and gets it,” the
answer came: Andy Burnham. “He’s smashing it,” said one in the Greater
Manchester seat.
Disclaimer:
Participants were of course not a representative sample and shouldn’t be read
like an opinion poll. At the end, three said they’d vote Tory tomorrow, and
four were undecided but still leaning Tory.
None of the
above: Luke Tryl, director of More in Common, which organized the group, told
Playbook the verdict was “a plague on both your houses” as the government was
seen as failing on the NHS and leveling up, but voters were also “frustrated
that Keir Starmer seemed to spend more time playing politics than spelling out
what he would do differently.”
OUT BY
RECESS
PENSIONS
PLANS: Thursday’s review of the state pension age didn’t change the law, but
makes plenty of headlines. The i splashes on ex-Minister Steve Webb’s warning
that younger workers could have to retire at 70 if ministers cap pensions
spending at 6 percent of GDP — as recommended. The Times splashes on the
suggestion an “early access scheme” could let manual workers retire earlier
than white-collar counterparts.
NET ZERO:
Playbook PM on Thursday rounded up much of the coverage, but the Mail has a
spread on Tory MPs — including Net Zero Scrutiny Group Chair Craig Mackinlay —
calling the net zero plans “completely mad” and demanding to know their cost
(while other activists say they’re not enough).
Meanwhile:
The Telegraph’s Daniel Martin reports that EPC energy ratings for homes could
be overhauled because Michael Gove is “very worried” about the sustainability
of private lettings.
TRASH IS
OUT: Playbook flagged Thursday that some awkward news could slip out on the
last day before recess, and lo, it occurred. Let’s take you through a few…
Fly in the
ointment: The Telegraph has spotted Rishi Sunak spent more than £500,000 on
jets in two weeks as he went to Egypt, Indonesia, Latvia and Estonia.
Whoosh:
More than 1.4 billion PPE items were burned including 570 million aprons and
450 million face masks — the i’s Arj Singh is among those writing up the
government figures.
One’s cost
of living crisis: The sovereign grant for King Charles has been frozen for the
third year in a row, reports the Times’ Oliver Wright.
Tiny
violin: Playbook notes that poor old Kwasi Kwarteng received no gifts or
registered hospitality during his brief stint as chancellor, and made one
foreign visit — only to learn he was being sacked on the way home from the
airport,
Transparency,
what’s that? The i is among those to spot that ministers and officials are
being warned off using the “disappearing message” option on WhatsApp. If
Playbook’s contact book is anything to go by, a lot of SpAds and MPs turned
that feature on post-Hancock and need to disable it again.
And the
rest: The Mirror has a decent roundup of more buried bits including … Cash from
Britain’s depleted foreign aid budget is still going to India … Government
departments responded to fewer than half of MPs’ letters on time … And a prison
pilot scheme had “no impact” on whether inmates would take drugs like Spice
COMING
ATTRACTIONS
WHAT THE
GOVERNMENT WANTS TO TALK ABOUT: The traditional raft of April 1 legal changes
is coming on Saturday but only one appears to be topping today’s “grid.”
Utility firms that do a rubbish job of patching roads back together will be
inspected more often under laws announced last year, and taking force on
Saturday. Transport Secretary Mark Harper has a Mail op-ed, which says highway
authorities can bill back inspections to the firms at £120 a pop.
More April
1 changes: Corporation tax surges from 19 to 25 percent … The new, less
generous Energy Bills Discount Scheme starts for businesses … The minimum wage
for over-22s rises 92p to £10.42 … Routine COVID tests end for asymptomatic
hospital patients, and care home staff and residents with symptoms … The 130
percent super-deduction for investment is replaced with 100 percent “full
expensing” … HRT will be cheaper under a pre-payment certificate … Air
Passenger Duty rises on international flights but is halved for domestic hops …
And the £2 bus fare cap is extended to June.
Not
changing on Saturday: The Income Tax personal allowance, 40p and 45p
thresholds, storing up what will eventually be a stealth tax of £29 billion per
year.
Coming next
week: Labour ex-Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt’s review of new-style
“integrated care systems” is being published on Tuesday, she told a Global
Counsel event. But we’re due to wait longer for the all-important NHS workforce
plan.
Still waiting:
Still no sign of the Dominic Raab bullying report or Boris Johnson’s
resignation honors, despite rumors that both may be all but wrapped up. We’re
told not to expect either of them today.
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TODAY IN
WESTMINSTER
DASH FOR
GROWTH: Revised GDP figures for the final three months of 2022 have been
released in the last few moments, and show U.K. gross domestic product is
estimated to have increased by 0.1 percent, revised up from a first estimate of
no growth. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is recording a clip shortly.
UNDER FIRE:
Days after a scalding report on Met Police culture, here’s some unpleasant
reading for firefighters. HM Inspectorate of Fire and Rescue Services found
every fire brigade has bullying, harassment and discrimination complaints, with
officials calling for drastic measures to clean up the service. The Guardian
highlights that it follows London Fire Brigade being placed in special measures
in December after a separate report revealed incidents of racism, misogyny and
bullying.
FRAUD
ISLAND: Fraud against businesses and individuals now accounts for 41 percent of
all crimes in England and Wales with 3.8 million incidents in the year to June
2022, a new public accounts committee report says. The Home Office, it argues,
is “sluggish and outmanoeuvred” with a lack of capacity, system failures and
diminishing public trust making the U.K. a “haven for fraudsters.” The FT’s
take is here.
SEX ED
OVERHAUL: Rishi Sunak is set to order an independent review of school sex education
after an outcry from some of his MPs. Priorities will include introducing
age-ratings, informed by an expert panel. An announcement is expected as soon
as today. The Telegraph has the story.
TRANS KIDS:
Several papers carry Rishi Sunak’s comments that schools will get guidance on
trans issues after Easter, in the wake of a Policy Exchange report. The Sun
says teachers will be forced to tell parents if their children are questioning
their gender identity.
EYES EMOJI:
Boris Johnson’s MP allies have been telling the Telegraph’s Chris Hope that he
would accept a finding that he “recklessly” (not “intentionally”) misled
parliament — to get a lesser punishment from the privileges committee and avoid
a by-election. Alas, unlike most Johnson stories his official team are actually
pushing back against this one. With friends like these …
Speaking of
Johnson: Much reading-into the three Tory MPs who’d have spared SNP
COVID-rule-breaker Margaret Ferrier a recall petition. Will they do the same
for Johnson? His old Partygate nemesis Pippa Crerar hears Johnson shouldn’t
rest easy — the MPs felt Ferrier had already “paid a high enough price” with
270 hours’ community service, she writes.
NOT ME GUV:
Rishi Sunak is continuing to insist he was right not to tell the liaison
committee about his wife’s shares in a childcare firm — even as it emerges the
firm went to an 11 Downing Street reception, writes the Guardian.
DOUBLE CHIN
AND TONIC? Shadow Health Minister Liz Kendall has told BBC Newscast “I’d like
to know how many calories there are in alcohol.” Could that mean calorie counts
on the pump? “I think that knowledge is power.” A Labour official tells your
author the party has no plans to introduce calorie counts on beer taps.
SHOW YOUR
WORKINGS: The Mail highlights Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves failing to match
Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s (surprising) claim that doctors would
get a 35 percent pay rise “as quickly as we can.”
REMEMBER
COVID: Tory peer Nicky Morgan has recommended Sunak builds COVID memorials
after a 9-month consultation as U.K. Commission on COVID Commemoration Chair,
she tells John McFall’s “Lord Speaker’s Corner” podcast.
HEALTHWATCH:
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s ongoing policy of not
considering less serious health complaints — introduced due to COVID backlogs —
has been criticized in a new public administration and constitutional affairs
committee report.
MUSIC TO
HER EARS: Spice Girl and campaigner Mel B sat down with the Sun’s Natasha
Clark, to hail a £300,000 Home Office pot to help women fleeing domestic abuse.
Get your
questions in: Labour In Communications are having a Q&A with Shadow Future
of Work Minister Justin Madders at noon — watch virtually here.
PARLIAMENT:
In recess until April 17.
BEYOND THE
M25
MARK YOUR
DIARIES: Joe Biden’s visit to the island of Ireland will last five days and
start on April 11 in Northern Ireland, according to a draft itinerary. He’s due
to stay in Hillsborough Castle, visit a (non-sitting) Stormont and cut a ribbon
at Ulster University — my colleague Shawn Pogatchnik has more.
PUTIN THE
VULKAN: Software engineers at cybersecurity consultancy NTC Vulkan have worked
for Russian military and intelligence agencies to support hacking operations,
spread disinformation and control sections of the internet, according to leaked
secret documents dating from 2016 to 2021. The Guardian is one of 11 global
media outlets investigating the leak.
Food for
ammo: My POLITICO colleague Alexander Ward highlights that Putin would likely
send food to Pyongyang in exchange for more munitions from North Korea.
FINNS IN:
The Turkish parliament unanimously ratified Finland’s accession to NATO late on
Thursday, essentially allowing Helsinki to join the military alliance, POLITICO
reports. Sweden is still left out in the cold — though NATO Secretary-General
Jens Stoltenberg told my colleague Lili Bayer that it could still become a
member by the summer.
GREAT SCOT:
Protestors who disrupted Humza Yousaf’s debut First Minister’s Questions face a
six-month ban from Holyrood’s public gallery. The BBC reports FMQs was
suspended five times within the first 15 minutes, with Presiding Officer Alison
Johnstone saying there would be “more stringent measures” to identify those
responsible.
OVER IN THE
MEADOW: One hundred wildflower meadows are to be created or enhanced at
historic sites across England including Stonehenge and Westminster’s Jewel
Tower in celebration of the coronation. Yahoo has more.
TEA LEAVES
ROUND-UP: In council by-election land overnight … Labour held Heath in Barking
and Dagenham with 62 percent of votes … the Lib Dems gained Westgate in
Gloucester from the Tories with 43 percent … and Plaid Cymru held Aethwy in
Ynys Môn with 54 percent. With thanks to Andrew Teale as ever.
**A message
from Google: It’s a conversation parents and children both find tricky, but
just talking about internet safety is a great way to get into good habits. In a
2022 report, online safety experts Internet Matters found that four out of five
parents who say their family uses digital devices in a balanced way also feel
confident their child knows how to stay safe online. Google and digital
parenting specialists Parent Zone have put together a set of simple questions
to help families chat about topics including screen time, sharing, and privacy.
Backed by advice created with Internet Matters on everything from new social
media apps to internet slang, we’re helping parents and children start
important conversations about online safety. Learn more about Google’s tools to
help families be safer online here.**
MEDIA ROUND
Business
and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch broadcast round: Times Radio (7.40 a.m.) …
Today program (8.30 a.m.) … Sky News (8.30 a.m.) … CNBC (8.40 a.m.) … LBC (8.50
a.m.).
Shadow
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Pat McFadden broadcast round: Sky News (8.05
a.m.) … LBC News (8.30 a.m.) … Times Radio (8.40 a.m.).
Also on Sky
News Breakfast: HM’s Inspector of Fire and Rescue Services Roy Wilsher (7.30
a.m.).
Also on
Times Radio Breakfast: Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies Paul
Johnson (8.05 a.m.).
Also on
Nick Ferrari at Breakfast: Unite Regional Coordinating Officer Wayne King (7.40
a.m.) … Roy Wilsher (8.20 a.m.).
Also on LBC
News: Federation of Small Businesses National Chair Martin McTague (7.20 a.m.)
… Lib Dem MP Sarah Olney (7.40 a.m.).
GB News
Breakfast: Former Nadhim Zahawi SpAd Mark Lehain (6 a.m.) … Former Chief
Secretary to the Treasury David Mellor (8 a.m.) … International Trade Minister
Nigel Huddleston (9 a.m.).
TODAY’S
FRONT PAGES
(Click on
the publication’s name to see its front page):
POLITICO
UK: Why Britain’s Pacific trade deal is about more than just trade.
Daily
Express: Yes! Justice for Olivia.
Daily Mail:
Monster whose only tears were for himself, not little Olivia — the innocent he
murdered.
Daily
Mirror: Justice for Olivia.
Daily Star:
Psycho killer chatbots are befuddled by Wordle.
Financial
Times: China warns Europe not to follow U.S. call for trade curbs.
i: Pensions
blow for people in their 40s — work until age 70.
Metro: Olivia gun
killer guilty.
The Daily
Telegraph: ‘If you are buying drugs, you are responsible for Olivia’s death.’
The
Guardian: Families face £700 hit with wave of tax and price rises.
The
Independent: I was proud to fight with UK forces — so don’t send me to Rwanda.
The Sun: Lover
shopped Olivia killer.
The Times:
Retire early if you did not go to university.
TODAY’S
NEWS MAGS
The
Economist: America vs. China — It’s worse than you think.
THANK POD
IT’S FRIDAY
EU
Confidential: The POLITICO team discuss French President Emmanuel Macron’s
pension reforms and the transport strikes in Germany. The special guest is
Director-General of the Commission’s Legal services Daniel Calleja Crespo.
Westminster
Insider: POLITICO’s Aggie Chambre investigates how MPs are selected for their
constituencies.
Plus 6 of
the best political podcasts to listen to this weekend:
Chopper’s
Politics: Chris Hope’s panel is Labour peer Peter Mandelson, former Defra czar
Henry Dimbleby and politics prof Tim Bale.
Inside
Briefing: Hannah White interviews Emily Maitlis about the role journalists play
in holding politicians to account.
Rock &
Roll Politics: Steve Richards is in conversation with economist David
Blanchflower about how to revive the U.K. economy.
The Bunker:
Ros Taylor speaks to Henry Dimbleby about why he quit.
The
Rundown: PoliticsHome’s Alain Tolhurst is joined by Labour’s Shadow Scottish
Secretary Ian Murray, pollster John Curtice, and former SNP MP Stephen Gethins
to discuss what Humza Yousaf’s victory means for the SNP’s rivals.
Women with
Balls: Katy Balls’ guest is leader of the Commons Penny Mordaunt.
LONDON
CALLING
WESTMINSTER
WEATHER: Heavy rain with a moderate breeze. Highs of 13C.
BASS AND
TREBLES ALL ROUND: Shout-outs to all those broadcasting types nominated for
glitzy ARIA awards last night including top Times Radio politicos John Pienaar
and Matt Chorley, Tortoise’s Sensemaker and Slow Newscast, the team behind the
Today prog’s “The Fall of Boris Johnson,” the Liz Truss BBC local radio
interviewers, and (grand bugle call) POLITICO’s own Aggie Chambre, who in her
former life at Sky News alongside ace reporter Liz Bates produced the “Open
Secret” podcast on abuse in Westminster. Aggie, of course, now makes POLITICO’s
own Westminster Insider podcast alongside Ailbhe Rea.
WEDDING
BELLS: Former Boris Johnson SpAd Chloe Westley got engaged on the weekend to
John Bull, an army veteran and management consultant. Congrats!
CONGRATS
ALSO … to London Playbook’s communal email inbox … which has hit the milestone
of 100,000 unread messages. Don’t worry, we still read the important ones —
most of them are out-of-office replies, honest.
NEW GIGS:
Freelance political journalist Martha Gill has been named a weekly columnist at
the Observer, replacing Nick Cohen … Renewable energy firm Fortescue Future
Industries has named Carlos Lange its president for Europe … and the RSA’s John
McMahon is moving to the Bradford City of Culture team.
MOVING ON:
Lowri Morgan departs GB News after nearly two years as a producer.
NOT GOING
ANYWHERE: Tory Cabinet Kinister Kemi Badenoch was reselected last night for
ultra-safe Saffron Walden.
WEEKEND
READING: Politics professor Tim Bale’s latest book — “The Conservative Party
After Brexit: Turmoil and Transformation” — is published today by Polity. No
doubt plenty to chew over …
DON’T MISS:
Radio 4’s “Profile” of new Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf on Saturday at
7 p.m. and repeated on Sunday.
GREAT SCOT:
Reporter Allan Little explores how a radical theatrical event half a century
ago fueled a debate about devolution and independence in “What Kind of
Scotland?” on Saturday at 8 p.m. on Radio 4. How times change …
TIKTOK
WATCH: Tory MP Luke Evans described the relationship between the press,
politicians and the public, through a clip from classic comedy “Fawlty Towers.”
JOB ADS:
The BBC is looking for a social media journalist … CNN is hiring an associate
producer for the “Amanpour” show … and Reuters would like a vice president of
communications.
MEA CULPA:
Clodagh Bergin has been appointed as a comms chief for the Irish Labour Party …
not the U.K. one as Playbook PM wrote.
NOW READ
THIS: PressGazette’s William Turvill put together an essential guide for
cutting through all the journalistic jargon. TL;DR — the top of today’s email
is a “f*** me, Doris!”
BIRTHDAYS:
Grantham and Stamford MP Gareth Davies … Former Liberal Party leader David
Steel … Lib Dem peer Don Foster … Tory peer David Trefgarne … ITV News Deputy
Political Editor Anushka Asthana … Former Europe Minister Alan Duncan … Former
Lib Dem MP Bob Russell … Former Tory MP Nicholas Winterton … Appeal Court judge
Peter Coulson … Former British Ambassador to Russia Roderic Lyne … Former U.S.
Vice President Al Gore.
Celebrating
over the weekend: Epsom and Ewell MP Chris Grayling … Treasury Minister John
Glen … Commons finance committee Chair Sharon Hodgson … Lib Dem peer Sal
Brinton … SNP MSP and Scottish Local Government Minister Joe FitzPatrick …
Former International Development Minister Stephen O’Brien … New Economics
Foundation’s Anna Coote … Plaid Cymru peer and former leader Dafydd Wigley
turns 80 … Senior researcher at the Institute for Government Jack Worlidge …
Ealing Central and Acton MP Rupa Huq … Tory peer Philippa Stroud … Former Tory
MP Graham Bright … Traditional Unionist Voice MLA and leader Jim Allister turns
70 … Welsh Labour MS Ken Skates … the BBC’s Adam Fleming … Former British
Ambassador to Kazakhstan Michael Gifford.
PLAYBOOK
COULDN’T HAPPEN WITHOUT: My editor Zoya Sheftalovich, reporter Noah Keate and
producer Grace Stranger.
