Steerpike

Hell hath no fury like a mandarin scorned. What with Richard Sharp and Dominic Raab, Simon Case is still living with the legacy of Boris Johnson’s premiership. And the Cabinet Secretary – who endured a torrid two years under Johnson – clearly takes exception to his former boss’s endless claims that Covid rules and guidance was obeyed at all times in No. 10.  The Privileges Committee have today released a final 100-page dossier of material before Johnson’s 2 p.m showdown. And one of the pieces of written evidence is a pithy submission by Case in which he denies that he gave any assurances to the then prime minister that ‘Covid rules were followed at all times’, ‘Covid guidance was adhered to at all times’ and that ‘no parties were held in No. 10’.

'Cuts', 'retrenchment' and 'savings' are very much the buzz words over on King Charles Street. There's lots of talk about 'fierce and draconian' reductions in foreign aid spending with James Cleverly warning that 'money is tight.' So Mr S was surprised to discover that the Foreign Office will spend at least £2.5 million on the controversial 'Global Disinformation Index.' What's that, you might ask? The GDI is a (supposedly) non-partisan, non-profit which aims to provide 'independent, neutral and transparent data and intelligence to advise policymakers and business leaders about how to combat disinformation.' The British-based outfit recently hit the headlines on the other side of the pond after ranking leading American publishers among the 'most risky' sites in the United States.

It wasn't so long ago that the Conservatives won a landslide on Boris Johnson's pledge not to put up income tax, national insurance or VAT. But four years on, and after 13 years in office, it seems the Tories have lost their hard-won reputation for low taxes. Mr S has done some polling and last week's Budget only served to harden the increasingly common view of the Tories as a party of high taxers. A whopping 50 per cent of voters now associate the Tories with raising taxes, up from 42 per cent who thought so a week prior to the Budget. More than a third of voters – 38 per cent – associate 'advocating for lower taxes' with the Labour party (shock!) while just a fifth – 20 per cent – associate it with the Conservative party.

In her eight and a half years at Bute House, Nicola Sturgeon has never been one to show much in the way of grace towards ministers down in London. There were the Brexit debates, where she endlessly sought to undermine those involved in negotiations with Brussels. There were the Covid crises, where she sought to claim the moral high ground by pipping Westminster with unannounced rule-changes. And then there was the Gender Recognition Reform Bill where she paid no heed to constitutional law – and ended up paying the price. So it was no surprise then that Sturgeon's final act in office – her resignation – was carried out in a similar vein.

Well, well, well. It’s been a tumultuous time for the SNP recently, and no one knows that better than their own spin doctor Murray Foote. But it all seemed to prove too much this evening as he announced his shock resignation. Standing down after four years of spinning for the party, Mr Foote issued a rather, erm, coded statement. Acting in good faith and as a courtesy to colleagues at party HQ, I issued agreed party responses to media enquiries regarding membership. It has subsequently become apparent there are serious issues with these responses. Consequently, I concluded this created a serious impediment to my role and I resigned my position within the SNP Group at Holyrood.

It's a big week for Boris Johnson as he prepares to give evidence before the Privileges Committee next Wednesday. So it will have been to some relief tonight that he easily won re-adoption as the candidate for the Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat which he currently represents in parliament. The association have now released the following statement: Tonight the Uxbridge & South Ruislip selection committee re-adopted Boris Johnson as our parliamentary candidate. We look forward to continuing to work alongside him to deliver for the residents and communities within the constituency, where he has strong connections and involvement. His commitment to deliver a new Hillingdon Hospital for Uxbridge & South Ruislip residents remains at the forefront of his work as our local MP.

It says a lot for the SNP's commitment to transparency that even its leading lights don't trust its electoral processes. Ash Regan and Kate Forbes have today written to the party's chief executive Peter Murrell asking for information about the party’s membership and the leadership ballot. Regan, in a letter which was sent with the backing of Kate Forbes’s campaign team, said that the information was 'necessary for ensuring a fair' contest. Murrell is, of course, Nicola Sturgeon's better half, with some of Forbes and Regan's supporters fearing that the party machine has resolved to crown Humza Yousaf as her replacement.

During Boris Johnson's tenure, No 10. Downing Street seemed to anthropomorphise into being political actors itself. From partygate to wallpapergate, Britain's most famous address frequently featured in the headlines amid a myriad of Brexit and Covid dramas. So perhaps it is no surprise then that Rishi Sunak has already begun putting his stamp on the building and making the house feel like home. Mr S can reveal that the Prime Minister has raided the Government Art Collection to hang an eighteenth century print of 'The South West Prospect of Richmond' on his walls, in a nod to his Yorkshire constituency. Other artwork now proudly displayed in No. 10 include Graham Sutherland's painting 'Origins of the Land No.

'Former Prime Ministers' remarked William Gladstone 'are like untethered rafts drifting around harbours – a menace to shipping.' And as the good ship Sunak seeks to avoid the guns of Messers Johnson and Truss, at least the SS Theresa May is posing somewhat less risk to the government's structural integrity. May has largely maintained a dignified silence during Sunak's first six months in office but has today revealed an exciting new development. She's writing a book on 'The Abuse of Power', which is due out in September. According to the press release: As Prime Minister for three years and Home Secretary for six years, Theresa May confronted a series of issues in which the abuse of power led to devastating results...