Clair Holden

As seen in the Guardian It’s the end of the hottest summer in British history, and the business reception at Reform conference is in full swing. Disaster capitalists schmooze with reactionary Cambridge theologians and tech bros over canapés and flutes of prosecco. Presiding over all is a grinning Nigel Farage, face bathed in the lurid purple--pink light of the VIP lounge as he works the crowd. And in a corner is your humble correspondent. I’ve come on short notice, standing in for Anna Isaac, an old Tab chum who has been blocked thanks to her no-holds-barred investigative journalism. My assignment? To lift the stone and find the dark money crawling underneath. And what better place to look than here, where a pact between populism and the private sector is being brokered?

As seen in the New World What are the vibes of Rupert Lowe? That’s the question on my mind as I arrive at his parliamentary office, and find the door ajar. The MP for Great Yarmouth is sitting on a quilted armchair, stock still and staring straight ahead. ‘Um? Hi? Rupert? It’s Claire Holden – you said to pop by at 1?’ Rupert jolts to life. ‘Thank you so much for coming, sit down. No stand up. Actually you should sit yourself down – never could do business with a man I’m not looking at eye to eye.’ ‘Like I always say, a bird in the hand is worth a premium fountain pen’ I gingerly take my seat, notes app ready. ‘So, Rupert. Clearly Andy Burnham will have to deal with the bond markets. And it seems like they have a lot of control over our lives now.