Steerpike

Ding, ding, ding! The latest round of fighting has just concluded in the weird and wonderful world of Tory WhatsApp groups. In a series of messages obtained by Sky News, various backbenchers turn on each another in the ongoing fall-out from Suella Braverman's row with the Metropolitan Police. Some were supportive; others critical but one thing is for sure – none of them are very happy. Veteran right-winger Sir John Hayes kicked off the exchange by declaring that it was 'so sad to see protests being allowed on the Remembrance weekend', arguing that it was 'wholly inappropriate' and urging colleagues to 'speak for the law-abiding, patriotic majority by saying so'. Others then weighed in.

It would be easy to get the impression that the Covid Inquiry – with its relentless focus on bad language and offensive WhatsApp messages – has so far been a waste of time. But that’s not quite true: it’s been a massive waste of money too. Today the Inquiry released its accounts for up to September 2023, which show that the cost of the lumbering investigation has already ballooned to £56 million, even though public hearings only began in June. As you’d expect, the largest expenses so far have been on lawyers, with the Inquiry shelling out £19.6 million to keep 62 barristers (including 12 KCs) and a team of solicitors on the books. Another £11 million has then gone towards legal representation for key participants in the hearings.

The Holyrood WhatsApp drama can now be upgraded from ‘mystery’ to ‘scandal’. As if not handing over important messages wasn’t bad enough, the First Minister and his deputy have today been accused of misleading the Scottish parliament on the UK Covid Inquiry. It seems pantomime season starts early north of the border… Yousaf and deputy first minister Shona Robison told the Chamber last week that the Scottish government had only been asked for Covid WhatsApp messages in September. It now turns out this isn’t quite the case. After the Covid Inquiry requested the Scottish government set out the timeline of events in full, it became clear that it had first requested messages in February — seven months earlier than Yousaf had initially claimed.

Oh dear. Just hours after Keir Starmer was touting Labour as a government-in-waiting, he lost his first frontbencher over the ongoing Gaza conflict. Imran Hussain last night quit as Shadow Minister for the New Deal for Working People, after eight years serving as a party spokesman. Hussain was one of fifteen Labour frontbenchers who have called for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine. Will others now follow suit? In his resignation letter to Starmer, Hussain said: 'Over recent weeks, it has become clear that my view on the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza differs substantially from the position you have adopted... I believe the party needs to go further and call for a ceasefire.

It’s the King’s Speech tomorrow and all of Westminster can barely contain itself. A new monarch might be on the throne, but the usual pre-briefing game hasn’t changed, with press stories aplenty as to the draft laws that are likely to be included. One bill that is set to be announced tomorrow is legislation to implement the gradual smoking ban announced by Rishi Sunak at this year's Conservative Party conference.  Much has been made of the public’s support for such a move, but if Sunak hopes it will energise his base, he ought to think again. For polling of 696 members by the Tory news site ConservativeHome suggests that the generation smoking ban was the least important of ten issues floated for inclusion in the King’s Speech.

Nadine Dorries continues to make waves in Westminster. One episode she references in her book concerns shocking claims that the Tory party 'covered up' incidents of sexual misconduct by one of its own MPs. Today's Mail on Sunday reports that Sir Jake Berry, who served as chairman between September and October 2022, wrote to the police shortly after taking office. His letter revealed that a number of allegations about the MP had been made to the party, but that only limited action had been taken. Berry reportedly uncovered the scandal when he discovered that the party had paid for one of the alleged victims to receive treatment at a private hospital.

A new row is dominating Holyrood’s corridors of power. What is it this time? War, famine, the never-ending ferries crisis? No, far more important: desk allocation in the Scottish parliament. Yes, it seems that the prospect of, er, being next door to Ash Regan has thrown the Scottish Greens into something of a tizzy. Following her shock defection to Alba last weekend, the onetime SNP leadership contender now has to find a new office. But the only space available is unfortunately on the same floor as her erstwhile coalition partners. Now there are reports that transgender Green staff members have raised concerns about their potential proximity to the gender critical politician. Poor dears.

Another day and another Labour U-turn. The current crisis in Gaza has split the Starmer Army as they walk the thin line between supporting Israel and not alienating their core vote. The current total of Labour MPs who are calling for ceasefire – in breach of party policy – now stands at 65, a third of the total parliamentary party. There has been much anger over Sir Keir's disastrous LBC interview in which he appeared to suggest that Israel 'has the right' to withhold water and power from Gaza: comments which Starmer has repeatedly and painfully tried to 'walk back' over the past fortnight. But it appears that the long-suffering Labour press office is yet to learn the lessons from Starmer Chameleon's media mishap.

Not all is rotten in the state of Scotland. For at least former member of Nicola Sturgeon’s ancien régime appears to have actually believed her talk of ‘openness’ and ‘transparency’. Step forward Kate Forbes, the former Finance Secretary now banished to the backbenches. Amid the ongoing palaver about the Scottish government’s missing WhatsApps, the one-time SNP leadership candidate has stepped forward to announce that she has retained all of her Covid WhatsApp messages – unlike, er, certain colleagues. Even more than that: she has already handed them to the Covid Inquiry. Two gold stars for Forbes! Hapless Humza could only dream of such competence… This being politics, Mr S could not help but wryly note the timing of Forbes’s declaration.