Steerpike

Reform today hit out at ‘pathetic’ Labour MPs for ‘kowtowing to Islamists’ after they reported the party to the Equality and Human Rights Commission. A group of 27 left-wing backbenchers accused Nigel Farage’s outfit of… you guessed it: Islamophobia. The Labour MPs insisted there was ‘overwhelming evidence’ Reform had breached its equality obligations and urged the watchdog to launch a formal probe. In a letter to EHRC boss Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson, the squad claimed: ‘The prevalence of racism within Reform UK does not exist in a vacuum and has real-world consequences for the millions of British Muslims in our country.’ Labour’s Afzal Khan, who spearheaded the letter, accused Reform of having ‘consistently failed to tackle their growing Islamophobia problem’.

As if Scotland hasn’t suffered enough at the hands of the SNP, the luxury campervan party and its Green accomplices have now formally voted to back a second independence referendum. In Holyrood this evening, MSPs voted 72-55 to approve plans for another ballot, almost 12 years after the last one failed. Of course, no such referendum could take place without Westminster’s say-so, and Sir Keir Starmer is in no mood to indulge John Swinney’s fantasies by granting a Section 30 order. Responding to the vote, a Downing Street spokesperson said: The UK Government does not support independence or another referendum. Ahead of 2014 there was agreement across all parties, across civic society in Scotland and across the Scottish and U.K. parliaments that there should be a referendum.

It appears in politics, as in life, there’s no such thing as a free campervan. Today, Peter Murrell – the former chief executive of the Scottish National Party and husband of Nicola Sturgeon – has pleaded guilty to embezzling £400,000 from his party. Earlier this year, Murrell had been accused of illicitly purchasing luxury goods – including jewellery, cosmetics, a Jaguar and a motorhome – worth just under £460,000. At the High Court in Edinburgh today it was revealed that this sum had been reduced to £400,310.65 after a deal was reached with prosecutors. Murrell was remanded in custody and is expected to be sentenced on 23 June. The judge, Lord Young, said he was guilty of a ‘gross breach of trust’.

Residents of Bristol Central will not be represented in parliament for ‘several weeks’, the Green Party announced today. And why is this? Does the local MP, Carla Denyer, require maternity leave? Has she been hit by a car in a freak accident? Nope. Denyer is taking a leave of absence because she has been struck down by ‘burnout’. The Green politician says her decision to step back from parliamentary duties follows ‘advice’ from her doctor. She insists she will be able to ‘better champion’ constituents after taking weeks out to recover from the 'long hours and significant responsibility' involved with being an MP.

https://twitter.com/PolitlcsUK/status/2057063763862245524 With Labour’s leadership wannabes not quite yet succeeding in toppling Sir Keir Starmer, the lucky public was treated to another PMQs with the left’s human rights hero still at the helm. In a shock to absolutely no one, Lib Dem buffoon Sir Ed Davey seized the chance to exploit splits on the left over Brexit and push for some pro-EU gushing. He pressed Sir Keir on whether he would support Britain inching closer to Brussels, to which the Prime Minister responded: ‘There are trade deals with the EU, but also with India, North Korea and the United States, and I remind them of the value of those deals.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. After her Private Members’ Bill to enact Assisted Dying fell in the House of Lords, the ever-enthusiastic Kim Leadbeater is now gearing up for another push. In a letter to colleagues, the Honourable Member for Batley has begged fellow MPs to offer their support for her legislation by entering the forthcoming Private Members’ Bill ballot on Thursday. If their number gets called then they can choose to back Leadbeater’s initiative. Talk about the ironies of Leadbeater appealing for her Bill to be given life support… Leadbeater writes that the ballot is the best ‘simplest way’ for parliament to ‘complete consideration of the legislation’.

There has been a reshuffle at Reform towers today. Lee Anderson will be adding the role of chairman to his growing portfolio of positions, as Dr David Bull steps down from the job. In an official party press release, it is claimed Bull is moving on to 'focus on standing at the next election'. Mr S understands the poll in question is not a general election, but rather another by-election being anticipated by Reform. It's not the one in Makerfield or Aberdeen South. Nor is it the one in Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, or a possible race for the Manchester mayoralty.

It is just over four weeks since the government was forced to pause its attempted handover of the Chagos Islands, following an almighty backlash on both sides of the Atlantic. Since then there has been an unsatisfactory stand-off, with Labour sources suggesting that blame for the indefinite pause lay with the White House. Now, a DUP peer has offered a way forward. Lord Weir had the good fortune of being one of 25 to get his number called on Friday when the Upper House did its annual ballot for Private Members Bills. An annual tradition that truly does have Lords-a-Leaping... Weir has decided to table a 'British Sovereignty Protection (Chagos Islands) Bill, with its First Reading due on 5 June.

While Labour continues down its path of self-destruction, Reform and the Tories are having a whale of a time watching the left crash and burn from the opposition benches. But friends of Nigel Farage are at pains to remind Mr S they haven’t taken their eyes off their rivals on the right. Reform is more confident than ever that the next general election could very well sound the death knell for the Conservatives. To back up their hypothesis, they point to the number of Tory frontbenchers who are on course to lose their seats to the turquoise team, based on local election results. Analysis from the party of the Essex County Council vote share suggests seven are for the chop.

https://twitter.com/hoffman_noa/status/2054962131649307039 When Wes Streeting resigned, there was a brief – very brief – feeling of reprieve among some of Sir Keir Starmer's allies. They were convinced that the Health Secretary didn't and still doesn't have the numbers to launch a bloody spill and painted the development as a humiliating climb down. There was even some discussion about putting the whole palaver to bed by convincing one Angela Rayner to take over from Streeting and make a cabinet comeback. This, it was thought, would quash the hard-left's urge for an even worse socialist takeover of Downing Street.