Steerpike

After being warned by Sir Tony Blair in a 5,600-word essay not to drag the country back to the 1970s, Andy Burnham has, of course, this evening vowed to do exactly that. In a bid to burnish his anti-Blairite credentials and show Labour’s lefties that he is truly one of them, the Greater Manchester Mayor published a 1,500-word riposte to Sir Tony in The Times. To spare you the pain of reading it: he calls for more public control of, and state intervention in, everything. And he rails against ‘the direction set by Thatcher’. Burnham insists that the political turmoil plaguing Britain, and the collapse in living standards after the 2008 crash, are down to deregulation. His comprehensive evidence that big government works?

https://twitter.com/wesstreeting/status/2059632154888298798 Wes Streeting is ready to listen to farmers. The ex-Health Secretary told Britain so in a video posted to social media. Isn’t that nice! Fresh from botching his bid to seize the Labour leadership at speed, Streeting is now preparing for the long game – a contest that could be drawn out over months. So, while the media’s eyes are on his rival Andy Burnham in Makerfield, the ex-Health Secretary is embarking on a lessons-learning road trip, visiting ‘people and places that Labour have lost since the general election to talk about what’s gone wrong’. First stop: farmers. Streeting says they are ‘absolutely huge contributors’ and ‘custodians of our land’. Riveting stuff.

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.