Playbook PM: Curse of Boris — Unions divide —
Polling odds
BY EMILIO
CASALICCHIO
APRIL 28, 2023
6:15 PM CET
London
Playbook
By EMILIO
CASALICCHIO
Good
afternoon.
FRIDAY
CHEAT SHEET
— Richard
Sharp resigned as BBC chairman in a huge embarrassment for the broadcaster and
former PM Boris Johnson.
— Health
unions are split on the government’s pay offer — while chatter continues about
Health Secretary Steve Barclay.
— The
latest reports about Julian Knight underline continued questions about
parliamentary HR.
— Sudan
ceasefire extended, giving Brits more time to get out.
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TOP OF THE
NEWSLIST
BORIS
STRIKES AGAIN: The BBC is chair-less, after Richard Sharp was forced to quit
the role over his relations with human landmine Boris Johnson while he was
being appointed.
How it
happened: Sharp announced his resignation just after 10 a.m. this morning,
after a damning investigation found he should have declared his role helping
Johnson (who recommended him for the job) secure a loan guarantee during the
BBC appointment process. To embarrass the broadcaster further, he made a video
statement in front of a massive BBC logo.
Invisible
violin: The ex-investment banker and Conservative donor said his breach of the
governance code for public appointments was “inadvertent and not material,” and
that a breach doesn’t have to “invalidate an appointment.” However, the top
bloke in the end “decided that it is right to prioritize the interests of the
BBC.”
Gushing
praise: Culture Sec Lucy Frazer thanked Sharp for being “a champion for what a
strong BBC can achieve” and said his decision to step down was a “testament” to
his commitment to public service.
True public
service … Is the work Gabriel Pogrund and Harry Yorke at the Sunday Times did
in fighting to bring the affair to light. The pair have been nominated for a
Private Eye Paul Foot award for their efforts, alongside a number of other
excellent journalists doing proper public interest work.
Indeed: The
details of the Sharp report reveal more of what went on in secret behind the
scenes, with Downing Street poking the appointment process on a number of
occasions to ensure Johnson’s pick ended up with the job. Pogrund also pointed
out how the involvement of Whitehall chief Simon Case in the affair was kept as
quiet as possible.
Well,
quite: Acting culture committee chair Damian Green said the “undoubted damage
Mr Sharp’s failure to disclose perceived conflicts of interest has caused to
trust in the BBC, the public appointments process and to Mr Sharp’s reputation
could all have been avoided had he chosen to be more open with the facts when
he appeared before the committee more than two years ago.”
And indeed:
Some in government reckon Sharp was good in the role. “I don’t know anyone
who’s worked with him at BBC that says he hasn’t been a good chairman,” one
Whitehall official told Playbook PM. “But Boris damages everyone.”
So what
about BoJo: Former commissioner for public appointments Peter Riddell told
Radio 4’s World at One show Johnson’s involvement in the process should be
examined too. He said it hadn’t been discussed enough because it was outside
the remit of the independent probe.
No comment:
ITV doorstepped Johnson (shirt gloriously untucked) outside his home this
morning. He didn’t want to talk about it at all.
What
happens next: Labour (which secured the independent investigation) is urging
Rishi Sunak to depoliticize the BBC chair appointment process. Shadow Culture
Secretary Lucy Powell said the Tories had been doing “everything they can to
defend themselves and their mates,” adding: “Rishi Sunak should urgently
establish a truly independent and robust process to replace Sharp to help restore
the esteem of the BBC after his government has tarnished it so much.” The
opposition has established a BBC review panel to consider its governance.
Powell is on Channel 4 News tonight too.
But but
but: Labour was blasted during the Tony Blair era for political appointments to
the Beeb too. See here.The politics wheel continues to turn.
FWIW: Sunak
refused to comment when questioned in a clip this afternoon. “There’s an
appointments process that happens for those appointments,” he said. “I’m not going
to prejudge that.”
Also FWIW:
Politics pundit Gary Lineker also reckons the Beeb chair shouldn’t be appointed
by the government of the day.
BROKEN
BRITAIN LATEST
STRIKERS
SPLIT: The GMB union voted to accept the pay offer for NHS staff, while Unite
rejected it — a split the government will have no problem with. There’s still a
protest march planned in Westminster over the weekend and a nursing strike on
Monday. The FT’s John Burn-Murdoch has a vital thread on the crisis in NHS
staffing. Other than the GMB result, not much of it is good news for Health
Secretary Steve Barclay, who was already having a tough week
More Steve:
Playbook PM has been hearing more about Barclay not bullying civil servants but
leaving them narked after venting complaints. He is said to have seemed rankled
by his relative lack of power while covering the Brexit negotiations at DExEU
and running the Cabinet Office — both of which involved Downing Street or
others in the political game clipping his wings. Allies of Barclay rejected
suggestions Playbook hears that he tends to respond to situations he finds
difficult with frustration, throwing blame at those around him.
The sad
truth: It’s a state of affairs, which isn’t unusual. “There are some absolutely
charming, wonderful, self-aware ministers who take responsibility for
themselves, but most are a bit insecure,” one former permanent secretary told
Playbook PM. “And insecurity tends to come out in ways which are difficult for
senior civil servants and the department as a whole.”
One-sided
relationship: The same person noted that maintaining the relationship between a
minister and a perm sec is more often than not the sole responsibility of the
latter, since the culture breeds ministers who feel entitled to make zero
effort. Therefore, civil servants can never be too direct when challenging
ministers, and will couch their points in a filtered politeness — feeding the
entitlement and therefore prompting ever worse behavior. “In the past, the
thing that held the system together was the fundamental element of respect in
the system itself,” the person said. “And the Boris Johnson administration kind
of broke that.”
The feeling
in Whitehall is: While we have a regime that promotes ministers based on
political patronage and looking good in the press, rather than on competence
and good managerial skills, not much is going to change. Former DIT boss John
Alty said as much when he tweeted that “good ministers” from across the
political divide can work well with Whitehall in an atmosphere of trust.
Getting on
with the job: A spokesman for Barclay said: “The health secretary is focused on
resolving the industrial disputes in the NHS and on delivering on the prime
minister’s promise to cut waiting lists so people get the care they need more quickly.”
In more
broken Britain news … the general secretaries of all four education unions
announced a plan to co-ordinate on strikes moving forward … while the PCS union
said members working for the Care Quality Commission will strike for two days
next week.
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from Google: Whether it’s headlines from Westminster or Warrington, Google
connects millions of people to publishers of all sizes. Our commitment to a
sustainable news industry spans more than two decades, and our products make it
easier for people to access reliable news from UK publishers, big and small.
Learn more about how Google supports news here.**
DRIVETIME
DEBRIEF
A KNIGHT’S
TALE: Parliamentary staff are fuming over the BBC’s revelation that Julian
Knight is facing fresh complaints about his conduct, my colleague Esther Webber
hears. They highlight comments from the Prospect trade union that the
Conservatives’ refusal to hand back the whip “suggests they have serious
concerns,” demanding explanations as to why he was allowed to return as a
committee chair and even chair an evidence session after the Easter recess.
Knight strongly denies wrongdoing and told the Beeb: “I have not been made
aware of any details of allegations supposedly made subsequently against me.”
We don’t
like to go on about it … but: Proposals to exclude MPs accused of serious
offenses from the parliamentary estate would not have any bearing in a case
like this, since they only envisage a mandatory ban for an MP who has been
charged with a crime. Some campaigners would like to see it apply from arrest,
but aren’t holding their breath. Esther hears a “risk assessment” was carried
out in relation to Knight and support offered to committee staff. But how this
is all done remains a mystery.
Oh, Lordy:
Incidentally, the House of Lords is coming forward with its own plan for
banning dodgy peers — but it would only apply to members charged with crimes
carrying a prison sentence of two years or more, which wouldn’t cover some
sexual offenses such as flashing. As one parliamentary official puts it: “How
can we continue to rely on gentlemen’s agreements when dealing with allegations
of deeply ungentlemanly behavior?”
MORE BAD
VIBES LATEST: Two more MPs are facing Commons standards investigations:
Conservatives David Mundell and Roger Gale. Details here.
WHAT THE
LIB DEMS (DON’T) WANT TO TALK ABOUT: MP Layla Moran got a telling off for
urging voters to back the Greens at the locals in one area in a bid to oust the
Tories, Christian Calgie reports for the Express.
Speaking of
the locals: Playbook PM offered a bit of color from the Labour campaign last
night, and can report that the Conservative drive is (of course) running hot
too. The campaign is split between the CCHQ office in London and its sister
base in Leeds, with chair Greg Hands eager to get staff out on the doorsteps
and not just holed up at their desks. The mood is said to be good in the
offices, despite expectations of losses in the polls, with lots of mental
preparation going on for a tough night. Hands is on the road for much of the
time, with Duran Duran and other New Romantics-orbit tunes blasting on the
stereo.
Line on
Boris: In an interview with the Telegraph’s Chris Hope for his own afternoon
newsletter (even though other afternoon newsletters don’t exist) Hands said
Boris Johnson “is still an asset” for the Conservatives and could help campaign
in the locals further afield than his own Uxbridge seat.
WHAT THE
GOVERNMENT WANTS TO TALK ABOUT: PM Rishi Sunak announced a deal between U.K.
firm MBDA and the Polish government for missile exports worth £1.9 billion …
The MoJ announced that all prion officers will wear body cameras … Ministers
awarded £250,000 in government funding to protect records of the experiences of
British nuclear test veterans.
SOCIAL
AFFAIRS
LADS IN
TOWN: Foreign Secretary James Cleverly shared a snap of his meeting with
Florida governor (and presidential hopeful) Ron DeSantis. Nothing from Business
and Trade Sec Kemi Badenoch so far.
MEANWHILE,
UP IN SCOTLAND: Rishi Sunak got into a massive row with the Scottish press,
which played out in a number of dramatic tweets. Here’s an example.
THOSE OPEN
TABS YOU STILL NEED TO READ
WHAT ARE
THE CHANCES: On the Political Inquiry Substack, Tom Egerton sets out the
chances of various election result scenarios based on the current political
picture and general fundamentals of the Conservatives having been in power for
so long, and such like. He reckons there’s a 70 percent chance of a Labour
majority, a 28 percent chance of some form of hung parliament and a 2 percent
chance of a Conservative majority.
Factors of
N: He sets out the arguments around current polls, a leftward economic shift,
and risks for Labour such as its inefficient vote that tends to lead to huge
support in its safer areas, which would be better spread out around the
country.
But but
but: His most prescient point is about the assumptions made in SW1, about “how
narratives can create a blinding form of groupthink on the Westminster bubble —
leading to an ignorance of the ‘lesser’ likelihoods of events. Westminster’s
deficiency in understanding what probability means … is arguably why their
predictions and narratives become stagnant or incorrect.”
ICYMI: Of
course, those who haven’t read the extracts of the new Anthony Seldon and
Raymond Newell book about the chaos of Boris Johnson in Downing Street must.
From his overall lack of governance to his non-existent compunction, his
love-hate relationship with Donald Trump and his bungling of the pandemic.
PROBLEMS AT
HOME: In the Guardian, Kieran Yates channeled Britain’s broken housing policies
through her experience of living in 25 homes in three decades. “By the time I
became a renter myself, in my 20s, I was feeling the impact of the changes in
the housing landscape first-hand: negligent social housing policy, unregulated
private landlords and developers, and severe undersupply of housing stock,” she
wrote.
Grim state
of affairs: “In 2010, I huffed mould in a poky room in New Cross, south London,
and joined the three percent of households in England who have damp in at least
one room. I became obsessed with the creeping black patch rising up the wall.
When I rolled over at night, my arm would brush against the cold, wet mould and
I’d flinch.”
AROUND THE
WORLD
SUDAN
LATEST: Labour has called for all British residents to be allowed evacuation
from Sudan — following BBC reports that NHS workers living in Britain have been
denied places on planes because they aren’t U.K. passport holders.
Numbers
incoming: Expect another update to the evacuation numbers this evening. The
Foreign Office is confident its messages about reaching the airstrip outside
Khartoum are getting through to most if not all the people who need to see
them. The continued ceasefire prolongs the vital escape window, meaning all the
Brits in Sudan should be more certain of an opportunity to get out. The
estimated 4,000 Brits in Sudan figure is anyway an outside government estimate
of the absolute maximum thought to be in the country, which even if correct
will have been ticking down as evacuations happen and people flee via other
means. It also includes those who do not wish to leave for various reasons.
IN KYIV:
Russia launched 23 missiles at Ukraine’s sleeping cities and towns in the early
hours of Friday, killing multiple civilians, including a toddler. It was the
first massive Russian barrage in weeks. More from POLITICO here.
But but
but: Ukraine is ready to launch a counter-offensive to recover parts of its
territory invaded by Russia following months of planning, Ukrainian Defense
Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in the wake of the attack. AFP news snapped it.
IN HOLLAND:
A Dutch judge has ordered a “mass sperm donor” who’s already fathered at least
550 children to stop donating. The man donated sperm in the Netherlands and
abroad, including to Danish sperm bank Cryos, and also offered his sperm up via
online platforms. POLITICO has a writeup.
TONIGHT’S
MEDIA ROUND
LEADING THE
NEWS BULLETINS: Channel 5 News (5 p.m.) is leading on the police failings in
the wake of the Stephen Port case … BBC News at Six … Channel 4 News (7 p.m.)
is also leading on the Sharp resignation.
Tom
Swarbrick at Drive (LBC, until 6 p.m.): Former Brexit Secretary David Davis
(5.35 p.m.).
BBC PM
(Radio 4, 5 p.m.): Damian Green … Simon Kidwell, president-elect of the NAHT
Drive with
Cathy Newman (Times Radio, until 7 p.m.): Acting culture select committee chair
Damian Green (5.05 p.m.) … Conservative peer William Hague (5.35 p.m.) … Labour
peer Diane Hayter (5.35 p.m.) … former BBC deputy director Mark Damzer (6.05
p.m.).
Laurence
Fox (GB News, 7 p.m.): Former Ukip MEP Suzanne Evans … Ex-Labour adviser
Scarlett MccGwire … IEA comms officer Reem Ibrahim.
Friday
Night with Nadine (TalkTV, 8 p.m.): Environment Minister Zac Goldsmith …
Conservative blogger Tim Montgomerie … the Mirror’s Kevin Maguire.
REVIEWING
THE PAPERS TONIGHT: Times Radio (10.30 p.m.): Former BBC Diplomatic
Correspondent Owen Bennett Jones and broadcaster Emma Woolf … Sky News (10.30
p.m. and 11.30 p.m.): Mirror columnist Susie Boniface and The Mail on Sunday’s
Claire Ellicott.
YOUR
WEEKEND IN POLITICS
ALWAYS
CONFERENCE SOMEWHERE: The Scottish Conservatives conference continues, with
Scotland Sec Alistair Jack speaking at 10.10 a.m. tomorrow and Communities Sec
Michael Gove at 11.40 a.m. Conservatives Chair Greg Hands is meanwhile
addressing the Welsh conference tomorrow.
More
conference: Labour education spokeswoman Bridget Phillipson addresses the NAHT
conference at 10.50 a.m. tomorrow.
Broken
Britain: Nurses strike from 8 p.m. on Sunday night, but will be back to work at
the end of Monday after the High Court ruled the union has no mandate for
strikes past May 1.
**A message
from Google: Whether it’s headlines from Westminster or Warrington, Google
connects millions of people to publishers of all sizes. Our commitment to a
sustainable news industry spans more than two decades, and our products make it
easier for people to access reliable news from UK publishers, big and small. Learn
more about how Google supports news here.**
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