Steerpike

Ever since the Brexit vote in 2016, there has been a committed group of activists and politicians convinced that only Russian meddling could possibly explain why the British people decided they wanted to leave the EU. The political equivalents of Hiroo Onoda – the Japanese soldier who refused to accept the second world war was over – they have continued to press the case that Vladimir Putin used nefarious means to trick the electorate into casting their ballots for Brexit, even as the evidence (and polling) has continued to show that Brits are still happy with their decision to leave. Now though it appears this political group has found an ally willing to fight alongside them in the jungle.

Brighton MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle has managed to establish quite the reputation as a firebrand during his four years in the Commons, most famously ranting on the night of the 2019 Tory victory that 'we will fight them in the streets'.  In the eighteen months since, it has emerged he claimed the Conservatives 'conspired to murder and let die British citizens' and that he had accused JK Rowling in Tribune of using her own sexual assault as 'justification for discriminating' in a row over transgender rights.

It's a tough gig defending this government. So tough in fact that the Prime Minister's official spokesperson Allegra Stratton left the role before even giving a single press conference. The past week is a case in point – with No. 10 facing miserable headlines over the ongoing feud between Johnson, his fiancée Carrie Symonds and departed No. 10 aide Dominic Cummings.  Johnson has had to deny making a 'bodies' comment on Covid deaths while several inquiries are now underway as to how the funding for the refurbishment of the Downing Street flat first came about.

Last month Steerpike revealed that two sitting Haringey councillors suspended for claims of anti-Semitism had been quietly readmitted to the party despite Keir Starmer’s vow of a ‘zero tolerance’ policy on this issue. Following a backlash, both were quickly resuspended with one of them, Preston Tabois, being dropped from Labour’s list of candidates for next week’s London Assembly elections. Now it appears there is some evidence another Assembly candidate has been indulgent with regards to possible anti-Semitic material posted on her Facebook page. Faduma Hassan is both an elected Brent councillor and who according to the most recent register of members' staff works for Keir Starmer.

It has been an interesting year for onetime Rada star Laurence Fox. The former Lewis actor turned Question Time guest announced he was running for London mayor last month but has thus far barely managed to make a ripple ahead of polling day in just a week’s time.  A city-wide poll last week showed the culture warrior on just a miserly 1 per cent — the same number as self-proclaimed joke candidate Count Binface. Whereas the former boasts of having a £5 million war chest for his ‘Reclaim’ party, the latter has had to crowdfund the £10,000 deposit needed for his campaign.

France's vaccine rollout has had its difficulties in recent months. In early January, the Mail on Sunday reported the 'French are at better at torching cars than giving Covid vaccinations' after vandals burned 861 vehicles on New Year's Eve – more than twice the number of people inoculated over the last five days of December. Subsequent efforts to address rampant vaccine hesitancy were not hindered by President Emmanuel Macron, who claimed the AstraZeneca vaccine was merely 'quasi ineffective' with one poll showing just 20 per cent of French voters had confidence in the jab in March. Now though efforts have at last stepped up, with the country reaching a target of 10 million first doses a week ahead of its mid-April target.

Plans for a News UK channel to rival the BBC appear to be dead in the water.  Last year it was reported that Rupert Murdoch was planning to expand his news empire by launching a new channel in the UK that would take inspiration from Fox News in the US.  Alas it's not to be. The company's Chief Executive Rebekah Brooks has today emailed all staff to announce that broadcast executive David Rhodes is leaving the company at the end of June. It follows reports in February that News UK planned to focus on streaming, with Brooks telling staff that News UK had concluded it was not 'commercially viable' to launch a linear news channel. Instead the company is looking at on demand products. Over to GB News then..

The SNP tabled an urgent question in Westminster today, asking for an update on the ministerial code in light of recent allegations of impropriety – something of course their comrades in Holyrood would know all about. A potentially tricky outing for the government beckoned but up stepped Michael Gove, master of the sticky wicket, to bat away the opposition spinmeisters and dig his hapless captain out of trouble again. Fortunately for Gove some Tory MPs were on hand to provide softball 'questions' that were more of gentle underhand throw than a fiendish googly. A case in point was 2019-er Andrew Griffith, who lent his £9.5 million townhouse to Boris Johnson's campaign during the latter's successful leadership bid.