Hearing David Lammy is leaving the Foreign Office and could become justice secretary.
Would allow Yvette Cooper to become Foreign Secretary if she is replaced by Shabana Mahmood at the Home Office
Odd move considering Lammy has been building seemingly good relations in the US and Europe, why throw that away now for Cooper who I don’t really see gelling particularly with Vance. Now is a good time for continuity in foreign relations I would have thought.
Hearing David Lammy is leaving the Foreign Office and could become justice secretary.
Would allow Yvette Cooper to become Foreign Secretary if she is replaced by Shabana Mahmood at the Home Office
Odd move considering Lammy has been building seemingly good relations in the US and Europe, why throw that away now for Cooper who I don’t really see gelling particularly with Vance. Now is a good time for continuity in foreign relations I would have thought.
Yep. iirc Lammy has been working away all through opposition years and into the first year of office especially on linking with Trump's loons.
If you were to do this and use your money, would you have to transfer the money to the gf, or could you use your money and just have her name on the deeds?
Is it me or is Farage with his complicated housing arrangements strangely quiet?
What’s complicated about his housing arrangements? Genuine question
His house in Clapton isn’t owned by him?
So he didn't need (legally) to pay the full rate of stamp duty.
Avoidance rather than accidental evasion.
Do we know if Sam Tarry owns another property? Rayner could have done the same with the Hove property if he doesn't.
Of course, buying a property and sticking it in someone else's name is risky...
Enjoy your win.
Do you Tories never give up?
I am reminded of two old boys falling out in the Splottlands in the 1980s. They were both at least in their late seventies and the one had knocked the other to the floor. The upright old fellow had to balance himself using the bar before he could start booting his opponent in the head.
You started it by trying to bring Farage down with Ange!
No I didn't. You invaded Poland.
My whataboutery is as relevant as yours. Did Farage make an unusual ( legal) arrangement to avoid paying full stamp duty or not?
Poor Ian (a relative by marriage of PB's own Roger I believe). Presumably SLab's poor polling might have something to do with it, but a bit unfair not to drag Anas into the conversation about who's responsible, or indeed Sir Keir himself.
TBF the MP for Red Morningside always seemed to me a bit out of step with the rest of Slab ideologically, Ms Baillie apart perhaps. But wouldn't that put him if anything closer to the SKS end? Of course SKS has more of a range to choose from than when Mr Murray lived in solitary splendour, whether or not bedecked with UFs, and the new lot have had a year or so to make their mark.
Michael Shanks? He seems to have the requsite ability to blether SNP bad and the Union is brill shite at the drop of a hat. The post of under secretary for energy can probably be filled by any old lobby fodder.
Must be a first as Farage sidelined on his big day by Rayner and Starmer's troubles
Yes at least it helped stop the Reform media fawning for a day .
Not just today but the news media throughout this weekend
This seems a very substantial cabinet reshuffle
I’m surprised that it does seem to be a big re-shuffle . It does look a bit panicked and I can’t imagine we would have seen this without the Rayner drama .
Hearing David Lammy is leaving the Foreign Office and could become justice secretary.
Would allow Yvette Cooper to become Foreign Secretary if she is replaced by Shabana Mahmood at the Home Office
Odd move considering Lammy has been building seemingly good relations in the US and Europe, why throw that away now for Cooper who I don’t really see gelling particularly with Vance. Now is a good time for continuity in foreign relations I would have thought.
Yep. iirc Lammy has been working away all through opposition years and into the first year of office especially on linking with Trump's loons.
Seems v odd decision.
I was seriously no fan of Lammy but have grown to respect him doing a tricky balancing act, a surprise on the upside and all that.
Across many governments, immigration ministers have consistently overshot targets, housing ministers have consistently undershot targets. Seems clear that their skillsets would best be used by them swapping roles.
Hearing David Lammy is leaving the Foreign Office and could become justice secretary.
Would allow Yvette Cooper to become Foreign Secretary if she is replaced by Shabana Mahmood at the Home Office
Odd move considering Lammy has been building seemingly good relations in the US and Europe, why throw that away now for Cooper who I don’t really see gelling particularly with Vance. Now is a good time for continuity in foreign relations I would have thought.
Yep. iirc Lammy has been working away all through opposition years and into the first year of office especially on linking with Trump's loons.
Seems v odd decision.
I was seriously no fan of Lammy but have grown to respect him doing a tricky balancing act, a surprise on the upside and all that.
Yes, he’s grown into that role. A very odd decision to move him, if that’s true.
If you were to do this and use your money, would you have to transfer the money to the gf, or could you use your money and just have her name on the deeds?
I think you can just pay for someone else and have their name on the deeds. (But if you died within 7 years, your gift would come under inheritance tax rules.) But I am not a tax advisor, nor do conveyancing! Please consult at least 3 legal sources.
The detainees reportedly included a mix of Hyundai Motor Group affiliate employees and LG Energy Solution headquarters staff who were in the United States on business.
Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that the business operations of Korean companies should not be disrupted by American law enforcement actions.
"The economic activities of our investment firms and the rights of our citizens must not be unfairly infringed upon during U.S. law enforcement operations," ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong said during a briefing.
Lee added that the ministry is taking active measures, including dispatching consuls from the Korean Embassy in Washington and the Consulate General in Atlanta to the site and setting up an on-site task force.
"We have also conveyed our concerns and regret through the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, urging them to ensure that the legitimate rights and interests of our citizens are fully protected," the spokesperson said...
This, reportedly, is an "unusually strong response". Which translates as the Koreans saying politely "please stop being complete arses."
Ooh, so it’s genuine Koreans from Hyundai, LG etc.
Could be an interesting diplomatic incident, surely they’ve not let a hundreds of key staff overstay visit visas?
I suppose it depends what they're doing. No visa needed for 90 days for short term visits per US government website:
All rather definition-dependent though, that.
So not actually doing the work of, for example, commissioning a large piece of capital equipment?
Is it going to be one of these situations where the rules were very loosely interpreted in the past, but are now being enforced to the letter?
Must be a first as Farage sidelined on his big day by Rayner and Starmer's troubles
Yes at least it helped stop the Reform media fawning for a day .
Not just today but the news media throughout this weekend
This seems a very substantial cabinet reshuffle
I’m surprised that it does seem to be a big re-shuffle . It does look a bit panicked and I can’t imagine we would have seen this without the Rayner drama .
Another issue that has had less focus on with Rayner. She is registered to vote in 3 different places, two via post. That is a very bad look for a leading politician, that she is claiming now Brighton is her home, but not removing herself from her old address.
Have we have a system that doesn't disallow this I don't know. It is massively open to abuse.
Annual cycle for registry, remember: selling one house and moving to another would account for at least two.
And who is getting at information like that on the (presumably) closed register?
The electoral roll is publicly available.
No, it isn't; or at least you can be taken off the public roll.
Most people are on the Open Register, unless they specifically ask to be taken off.
I think the awareness that the Open Register can be used by third parties is more common knowledge now, and more people are on the closed register than in the past.
I don't know what other areas do but my local electoral registrar says up front - and twice over - on the annual renewal form that anyone can buy the open register to get your name and address, for "lots of purposes including direct marketing". And the change acts as a toggle, future years default to the closed registet.
But as discussed, credit scoring firms and - very significantly - political parties can still get to it ...
For a political website there is a surprising amount of confusion over this.
Unless it has changed since I was a councillor, not that long ago; Once upon a time there was only the Open Register. The problem with that was some weirdos like the twerp who killed the Labour MP a few years ago used that to stalk public figures. Therefore they introduced the option of taking your address off the public register as published. But, you still had to be on the closed register. Most people know that.
However, if you stand for election, or if you are agent for a serving councillor such as a political agent then you are still supplied with the full unredacted register. So this circulates everywhere, it has to. It is used on polling days at polling stations but also used by party workers, of all parties. So in fact the "closed" register stops double glazing salemen, but virtually no-one else.
Now, being on multiple registers. There is a series of problems with the ROPA, Representation of the People Acts over this because we insist on not having lifelong personal registration, for good reasons maybe, but would in effect be by ID Cards - hence why they don't have this problem in France and why they can't grasp why we have a problem.
Now, if you have a qualifying property then you should be on the relevant Electoral Register and in theory you could face a fine if you refused registration. But, I don't think that has happened to anyone outside Northern Ireland since 1983. So being on multiple registers is not an issue. And you can have a postal vote for any registration. So for a General Election say you could have 3 or 4 postal votes both legally and properly. The unlawful act would be to use more than one of them at the same election. That is why the electorate numbers for constituencies are probably inflated by about 5%.
Now, local elections. You have multiple votes, but you should only exercise your vote in one election. You can't vote in say 3 different wards. Exception if there are county and district elections same day for same ward. Then you can vote in both, obviously. But a by-election anywhere where you have a vote, you can vote even if that is not the constituency you actually voted in at the full election.
If it was found someone had voted twice on the same day in different wards etc etc then I suspect they would be liable to up to 6 mths and disqualification from standing for 5 yrs. I think some of the London causes celebres included this but would be unlikely anyone could trace everything within the 6 mth cut-off.
That is the simplified version, in reality it is rathr more complicated.
It's interesting how we had an open electoral register for many decades and no-one ever had any problems with it until about 1999, and that was just one person who complained and took it to court. It shows how responsible most people were back then — that they didn't mis-use the information.
Until around 1999, you had to go to the local library to get a copy, rather than being able to download it from anywhere with a couple of clicks.
Must be a first as Farage sidelined on his big day by Rayner and Starmer's troubles
Yes at least it helped stop the Reform media fawning for a day .
Not just today but the news media throughout this weekend
This seems a very substantial cabinet reshuffle
I’m surprised that it does seem to be a big re-shuffle . It does look a bit panicked and I can’t imagine we would have seen this without the Rayner drama .
No I am sure you are right
Moving Cooper and Lammy is something I don’t think anyone would have seen coming .
Hearing David Lammy is leaving the Foreign Office and could become justice secretary.
Would allow Yvette Cooper to become Foreign Secretary if she is replaced by Shabana Mahmood at the Home Office
Odd move considering Lammy has been building seemingly good relations in the US and Europe, why throw that away now for Cooper who I don’t really see gelling particularly with Vance. Now is a good time for continuity in foreign relations I would have thought.
Perhaps the idea is that having Vance's best buddy Lammy in there will stifle Reform's 'two-tier justice' rallying cry. It would indeed ring a bit hollow if an honorary MAGA member is cracking the law-n-order whip.
Poor Ian (a relative by marriage of PB's own Roger I believe). Presumably SLab's poor polling might have something to do with it, but a bit unfair not to drag Anas into the conversation about who's responsible, or indeed Sir Keir himself.
TBF the MP for Red Morningside always seemed to me a bit out of step with the rest of Slab ideologically, Ms Baillie apart perhaps. But wouldn't that put him if anything closer to the SKS end? Of course SKS has more of a range to choose from than when Mr Murray lived in solitary splendour, whether or not bedecked with UFs, and the new lot have had a year or so to make their mark.
Michael Shanks? He seems to have the requsite ability to blether any old SNP bad and the Union is brill shite at the drop of a hat. Under secretary for energy can be presumably filled by any old lobby fodder.
Mm, Mr S does seem to be one of SKS's bright-eyed girls and boys, making a quick start as a minister so soon after [edit] despatching Ms Ferrier at Ruglen. Maybe a decent bet. But the new USfE had better be an Aberdonian or at least know where it is, or the locals will be upset.
Kevin Schofield @KevinASchofield · 4s Confirmed: Yvette Cooper will become the new Foreign Secretary, replacing David Lammy, who is moving to the Ministry of Justice.
Off topic, three bits of weather and climate news that may interest some.
1. Central England Temperature, the longest continuous temperature series in the world. After our exceptionally warm spring and summer, it only needs to be 1.17C warmer than average for the rest of the year for 2025 to be the warmest year on record. Again, for the umpteenth time in recent years.
2. Tonto will be pleased: the rains are falling down in Africa. The Sahara desert. This is the Algerian Sahara satellite right now, with lightning. (There’s no radar but we know there has been major rain across Algeria, Morocco, Mali, Mauritania and Chad in recent days.
3. First potentially damaging Atlantic hurricane of the season is forming off Cape Verde. The models have it on a track straight into the Eastern Caribbean islands. It will be travelling over a very helpful ocean surface and will almost inevitably deepen more than models currently show. Watch this space.
There used to be a lot of stink when Greater Manchester was expanded. Some wag said, looking at someone's postcode oh, you live in Manchester to which the answer was no, Stockport Actually
Kevin Schofield @KevinASchofield · 4s Confirmed: Yvette Cooper will become the new Foreign Secretary, replacing David Lammy, who is moving to the Ministry of Justice.
Shabana Mahmood is the new Home Secretary
JD Vance will soon be wondering why a small boy has been sent to discuss Ukraine with him.
Kevin Schofield @KevinASchofield · 4s Confirmed: Yvette Cooper will become the new Foreign Secretary, replacing David Lammy, who is moving to the Ministry of Justice.
Shabana Mahmood is the new Home Secretary
Bizarre moves. If I was Cooper I’d be thrilled to see the back of the Home Office though.
Well, I hope she pays the right stamp duty when she is.
Good to keep your humour in difficult times
Big G. I don't suppose like me @bondegezou gives two hoots about individuals in the Labour Party. I don't know them and I certainly don't care whether they are happy or sad. I would however like to see Labour, the Lib Dems or even One Nation Tories defeat the growing threat of British populism and fascism.
Sometimes I suspect your blue scarf might be tied too tightly around your neck.
The detainees reportedly included a mix of Hyundai Motor Group affiliate employees and LG Energy Solution headquarters staff who were in the United States on business.
Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that the business operations of Korean companies should not be disrupted by American law enforcement actions.
"The economic activities of our investment firms and the rights of our citizens must not be unfairly infringed upon during U.S. law enforcement operations," ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong said during a briefing.
Lee added that the ministry is taking active measures, including dispatching consuls from the Korean Embassy in Washington and the Consulate General in Atlanta to the site and setting up an on-site task force.
"We have also conveyed our concerns and regret through the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, urging them to ensure that the legitimate rights and interests of our citizens are fully protected," the spokesperson said...
This, reportedly, is an "unusually strong response". Which translates as the Koreans saying politely "please stop being complete arses."
Ooh, so it’s genuine Koreans from Hyundai, LG etc.
Could be an interesting diplomatic incident, surely they’ve not let a hundreds of key staff overstay visit visas?
I suppose it depends what they're doing. No visa needed for 90 days for short term visits per US government website:
All rather definition-dependent though, that.
So not actually doing the work of, for example, commissioning a large piece of capital equipment?
Is it going to be one of these situations where the rules were very loosely interpreted in the past, but are now being enforced to the letter?
Here's the UK description, for example:
"You can visit the UK for up to 6 months to do the following business activities:
attend interviews, meetings, conferences and seminars
negotiate and sign deals and contracts
attend trade fairs to promote your business (you cannot sell things)
get work-related training if you’re employed overseas and the training is not available in your home country
give a one-off or short series of talks as long as they’re not for profit or a commercial event - you can only be paid for speaking at certain engagements or events (a ‘permitted paid engagement’)
carry out site visits and inspections
oversee the delivery of goods and services provided by a UK company to your overseas company or organisation
deliver training or share knowledge on internal projects with UK employees of the company you work for overseas
install, dismantle, repair, service or advise on equipment, computer software and hardware, if your overseas company has a contract with a UK company or organisation"
I presume on the last point, it's also ok if the overseas company IS the UK company!
Kevin Schofield @KevinASchofield · 4s Confirmed: Yvette Cooper will become the new Foreign Secretary, replacing David Lammy, who is moving to the Ministry of Justice.
Shabana Mahmood is the new Home Secretary
Bizarre moves. If I was Cooper I’d be thrilled to see the back of the Home Office though.
Can she be Deputy PM if she is abroad all the time?
The view of the station is from a bridge over the Western station approach. In the foreground on the right, the previous Platform 2 (currently serves Sheffield trains) is being remodelled and lengthened by the diggers, I think with the idea that some TPE trains could terminate there as well.
The tracks on this side are up, for full repointing such that more or less any approaching train from Manchester can access any free platform rather than the previous limitations.
I believe the base concreting and platform 8 remodelling is being done to allow a new island platform to be built on the LHS, between the red brick warehouse and the current left hand Platform 8.
In the background a pretty specialist V-shaped crane brought in from France is on the road north out of the town centre with an elastic band suspended from it, essentially this is suspension support for the bridge at the east end of the station during its reconstruction.
By the end of September the right hand side of the station reopens for through trains, the left hand side is shut until early 2027.
Must be a first as Farage sidelined on his big day by Rayner and Starmer's troubles
Yes at least it helped stop the Reform media fawning for a day .
Not just today but the news media throughout this weekend
This seems a very substantial cabinet reshuffle
I’m surprised that it does seem to be a big re-shuffle . It does look a bit panicked and I can’t imagine we would have seen this without the Rayner drama .
Must be a first as Farage sidelined on his big day by Rayner and Starmer's troubles
Yes at least it helped stop the Reform media fawning for a day .
Not just today but the news media throughout this weekend
This seems a very substantial cabinet reshuffle
I’m surprised that it does seem to be a big re-shuffle . It does look a bit panicked and I can’t imagine we would have seen this without the Rayner drama .
My guess is that Starmer was already planning his first big reshuffle and this event precipitated it a bit earlier than planned.
The detainees reportedly included a mix of Hyundai Motor Group affiliate employees and LG Energy Solution headquarters staff who were in the United States on business.
Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that the business operations of Korean companies should not be disrupted by American law enforcement actions.
"The economic activities of our investment firms and the rights of our citizens must not be unfairly infringed upon during U.S. law enforcement operations," ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong said during a briefing.
Lee added that the ministry is taking active measures, including dispatching consuls from the Korean Embassy in Washington and the Consulate General in Atlanta to the site and setting up an on-site task force.
"We have also conveyed our concerns and regret through the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, urging them to ensure that the legitimate rights and interests of our citizens are fully protected," the spokesperson said...
This, reportedly, is an "unusually strong response". Which translates as the Koreans saying politely "please stop being complete arses."
Ooh, so it’s genuine Koreans from Hyundai, LG etc.
Could be an interesting diplomatic incident, surely they’ve not let a hundreds of key staff overstay visit visas?
I suppose it depends what they're doing. No visa needed for 90 days for short term visits per US government website:
All rather definition-dependent though, that.
So not actually doing the work of, for example, commissioning a large piece of capital equipment?
Is it going to be one of these situations where the rules were very loosely interpreted in the past, but are now being enforced to the letter?
Here's the UK description, for example:
"You can visit the UK for up to 6 months to do the following business activities:
attend interviews, meetings, conferences and seminars
negotiate and sign deals and contracts
attend trade fairs to promote your business (you cannot sell things)
get work-related training if you’re employed overseas and the training is not available in your home country
give a one-off or short series of talks as long as they’re not for profit or a commercial event - you can only be paid for speaking at certain engagements or events (a ‘permitted paid engagement’)
carry out site visits and inspections
oversee the delivery of goods and services provided by a UK company to your overseas company or organisation
deliver training or share knowledge on internal projects with UK employees of the company you work for overseas
install, dismantle, repair, service or advise on equipment, computer software and hardware, if your overseas company has a contract with a UK company or organisation"
I presume on the last point, it's also ok if the overseas company IS the UK company!
"Attend meetings" is ridiculously broad. My job is literally "attend meetings".
Kevin Schofield @KevinASchofield · 4s Confirmed: Yvette Cooper will become the new Foreign Secretary, replacing David Lammy, who is moving to the Ministry of Justice.
Shabana Mahmood is the new Home Secretary
Well this is turning into a much bigger reshuffle than expected.
Yvette to take a train to Kyiv next week, or is she going to Washington first?
Sir Keir might have played a blinder with the Lammy and Mahmood moves. The government can now be as draconian as it likes with immigrants, while blunting charges from the Left that it's slavishly following Reform's racist agenda. Perhaps Sir Keir is a better 9D chess player than we thought.
Kevin Schofield @KevinASchofield · 4s Confirmed: Yvette Cooper will become the new Foreign Secretary, replacing David Lammy, who is moving to the Ministry of Justice.
Shabana Mahmood is the new Home Secretary
Well this is turning into a much bigger reshuffle than expected.
Yvette to take a train to Kyiv next week, or is she going to Washington first?
Sir Keir might have played a blinder with the Lammy and Mahmood moves. The government can now be as draconian as it likes with immigrants, while blunting charges from the Left that it's slavishly following Reform's racist agenda. Perhaps Sir Keir is a better 9D chess player than we thought.
Lammy is legitimately one the biggest morons I have ever met. 12D chess might be pushing it.
Must be a first as Farage sidelined on his big day by Rayner and Starmer's troubles
Yes at least it helped stop the Reform media fawning for a day .
Not just today but the news media throughout this weekend
This seems a very substantial cabinet reshuffle
I’m surprised that it does seem to be a big re-shuffle . It does look a bit panicked and I can’t imagine we would have seen this without the Rayner drama .
No I am sure you are right
Thatch did a big reshuffle 18 months in, Blair did one just over a year in.
It's not crazy; once you have seen who can operate in government as opposed to opposition, you can put rounder pegs in rounder holes. It might not have happened today without other events, but I wouldn't be shocked if it's been on the cards for a while.
Well, I hope she pays the right stamp duty when she is.
Good to keep your humour in difficult times
Big G. I don't suppose like me @bondegezou gives two hoots about individuals in the Labour Party. I don't know them and I certainly don't care whether they are happy or sad. I would however like to see Labour, the Lib Dems or even One Nation Tories defeat the growing threat of British populism and fascism.
Sometimes I suspect your blue scarf might be tied too tightly around your neck.
Big G has said, I believe, that he intends two vote Plaid Cymru in the forthcoming Senedd elections.
Following on, of course, the example set by HYUFD.
If she is admitting guilt, and proved guilty by the investigation, Rayner cannot possibly stay as an MP. Fraudsters and criminals cannot be legislators.
She has not been proven to be a fraudster or a criminal. The HMRC can consider seeking a criminal prosecution, but it's highly unlikely they would.
Fraudsters and criminals can be legislators. A past criminal record is no obstacle to becoming an MP. A jail sentence of more than a year while you are an MP gets you disqualified, but less does not (but will trigger a recall petition).
There is a very long list of fraudsters and/or criminals who have been or are legislators.
Indeed, the hyperbole on this issue is reaching absurd proportions. This is the kind of oversight that essentially t the majority of the population would have made, refracted through both the political axe-grinding of the Telegraph, and someone with an unusual amount of information to give them.
Its the attempted cover up / lies / deflection that has done for her, not the original tax issue. If she had paid the extra on day one of the story, explained the situation honestly, think would have survived and all be forgotten in 6 months. I doubt most people remember her previous run in with the media over confusion about just where she actually lived for years.
The report explicitly mentions that she didn't act straight away on the issue when it came to light.
I don't believe that at all. The key error was failing to pay £40k in tax owed.
I think she could have ridden it out though, if hands up straight away, paid it, then said my personal situation is really complicated, it seems there has been a mistake, teary interview with Beth Rigby. Instead, straight away it was no, nothing to see, then well I am getting new legal advice, but I took loads of legal advice to begin with and they said it was all above board....I think it was over a week later, referred herself to standards.
There was a court order that prevented her talking about part of the issue that she had to get lifted, however.
Irrelevant. The court order was over the payment by the NHS to the trust, which initially was claiming this secret info meant she was ok with her tax affairs. Nothing stopping her first paying the extra amount due straight away, then getting the restrictions lifted, finally the teary interview with friendly journalist like Beth Rigby. I think that would have played out much better for her.
Instead, it went, I have done nothing wrong, are you sure, yes, it appears you have done something wrong, can't talk legal restrictions, here is more evidence, well I got loads of legal advice that told me it was ok, are you sure, yes, I will get new advice, teary interview, proper legal expert you done wrong, extra tax paid, then finally referred to standards who found she didn't get proper legal advice as she claimed.
That's a somewhat loaded re-telling of events. We're talking days, not weeks or months. She didn't says "loads of legal advice". I don't see how you expect someone to pay the extra amount until they know what the extra amount actually is, which requires waiting for legal advice.
The central problem is she didn't pay ~£40k in tax she should have, and she's responsible for that. A slightly quicker resolution of that question wouldn't have saved her.
She claimed she took the advice after consulting 3 different legal opinions. Which appears to be a lie.
The story was first broken 2 weeks ago. The first week she said nothing to see, go away. The investigation notes that she didn't act straight away and should have done. Wasn't until last weekend did she go and get any advice.
Which you re-worded to "loads". I've not seen anything showing it was a lie - where was that?
God you are insufferable sometimes. We aren't peer reviewing academic papers here.
As for the lie about legal advice. If she had taken advice from 3 different lawyers, she would be able to provide the written evidence. The report notes that the conveyance firm on two instances told her they were not legal tax experts and she should seek such advice, which she did not.
So, there's no evidence that it's a lie. You have drawn that inference.
What she didn't do is seek adequate legal advice in which she fully informed the advisor of her situation.
I really don't know why you are insisting on this line that it's the cover-up that got her. No, it's not paying ~£40k in tax that got her.
Come on now....your career is on the line, you have been referred to standards investigation. You have claimed in interviews you took 3 separate legal opinions. The standards investigator first question will be can you show me all the legal advice you received. As noted in the report, the only evidence provided was two documents from conveyor firm stating your tax affairs are complicated, we aren't tax advisors, you need to get some. That is clear evidence she doesn't have the sort of legal advice that she claimed she had been given.
When it comes to legal advice, it is never word of mouth, it is all in writing.
What I saying is I think Rayner / Starmer wanted to ride this out and I think they might have been able to do if the order of events had been slightly different. Again, the report makes a point of how it was bad that she didn't address this issue as soon as it was raised.
"I should acknowledge that Ms Rayner has provided her full and open cooperation in assisting me with my inquiries."
And:
"It is the realisation of this error that prompted Ms Rayner, shortly after having received the final tax law advice, to refer the matter to me on Wednesday 3 September."
Note the use of the word "shortly".
And:
"On realisation of this error, she has sought quickly to correct the mistake and to refer herself to HMRC in order to ensure that she pays the correct amount."
Yet she tried to throw under the bus the companies she had been using. Pretty shitty. Trying to put the blame on them. She’s no saint.
Their responses were telling.
Sure.
But I don't think that's why she's gone, or that if she hadn't done that she wouldn't have gone, which appears to be @FrancisUrquhart 's argument, if I've not misunderstood him.
We cannot know but I think you're probably right. In legalese an exocet word is "regrettable". And what we got here from the Ethics Advisor was the absolutely lethal "deeply regrettable". That dreaded phrase was specific to one thing and one thing only - her failure to seek specialist (stamp duty) tax advice on the flat purchase bespoke to her complicated circumstances.
Kevin Schofield @KevinASchofield · 4s Confirmed: Yvette Cooper will become the new Foreign Secretary, replacing David Lammy, who is moving to the Ministry of Justice.
Shabana Mahmood is the new Home Secretary
Huzzah, Shabana is a lawyer, we need more lawyers in the great departments of state.
Kevin Schofield @KevinASchofield · 1m It would take a heart of stone not to laugh at Nigel Farage's big day being blown out of the water by the cabinet reshuffle
Sir Keir might have played a blinder with the Lammy and Mahmood moves. The government can now be as draconian as it likes with immigrants, while blunting charges from the Left that it's slavishly following Reform's racist agenda. Perhaps Sir Keir is a better 9D chess player than we thought.
And also moving Lammy to Deputy PM . That would blunt pressure to install the new deputy leader as deputy PM .
Kevin Schofield @KevinASchofield · 4s Confirmed: Yvette Cooper will become the new Foreign Secretary, replacing David Lammy, who is moving to the Ministry of Justice.
Shabana Mahmood is the new Home Secretary
Huzzah, Shabana is a lawyer, we need more lawyers in the great departments of state.
Sir Keir might have played a blinder with the Lammy and Mahmood moves. The government can now be as draconian as it likes with immigrants, while blunting charges from the Left that it's slavishly following Reform's racist agenda. Perhaps Sir Keir is a better 9D chess player than we thought.
Lammy is legitimately one the biggest morons I have ever met. 12D chess might be pushing it.
He's managed the Trump situation remarkably well tbh. He was predicted to be a catastrophe in that role.
For the first time ever the holders of the three great offices of state beyond PM (chancellor, foreign secretary, home secretary) are all women
I think we’ve had plenty of evidence now that what people have between their legs has zero influence on them being capable. Probably time to stop getting excited by identity and focus on ability.
Sir Keir might have played a blinder with the Lammy and Mahmood moves. The government can now be as draconian as it likes with immigrants, while blunting charges from the Left that it's slavishly following Reform's racist agenda. Perhaps Sir Keir is a better 9D chess player than we thought.
And also moving Lammy to Deputy PM . That would blunt pressure to install the new deputy leader as deputy PM .
Good point. If the left manage to get some loon elected as Deputy party leader they can be kept in Cabinet just doing the desk polishing or some such.
Sir Keir might have played a blinder with the Lammy and Mahmood moves. The government can now be as draconian as it likes with immigrants, while blunting charges from the Left that it's slavishly following Reform's racist agenda. Perhaps Sir Keir is a better 9D chess player than we thought.
He's seizing the day. Turning this whole thing into something that looks like the start of something rather than the end. You have to be impressed by the resilience and quick thinking.
Sir Keir might have played a blinder with the Lammy and Mahmood moves. The government can now be as draconian as it likes with immigrants, while blunting charges from the Left that it's slavishly following Reform's racist agenda. Perhaps Sir Keir is a better 9D chess player than we thought.
He's seizing the day. Turning this whole thing into something that looks like the start of something rather than the end. You have to be impressed by the resilience and quick thinking.
Kevin Schofield @KevinASchofield · 4s Confirmed: Yvette Cooper will become the new Foreign Secretary, replacing David Lammy, who is moving to the Ministry of Justice.
Shabana Mahmood is the new Home Secretary
Bit of an odd move. Not sure what you gain from the shuffling of those deck chairs, other than Lammy now has the hot potato of dealing with letting out prisoners early and not locking up criminals as often. Lammy seemed to fine jet setting around the world other than getting into arguments with the odd taxi driver, I bet he will be bummed about all those first class flights been taken away. While Mahmood gets the hot potato of small boats.
Was Cooper doing that badly, given the restrictions she has to work under?
Hearing David Lammy is leaving the Foreign Office and could become justice secretary.
Would allow Yvette Cooper to become Foreign Secretary if she is replaced by Shabana Mahmood at the Home Office
Odd move considering Lammy has been building seemingly good relations in the US and Europe, why throw that away now for Cooper who I don’t really see gelling particularly with Vance. Now is a good time for continuity in foreign relations I would have thought.
Wait till the Telegraph remembers Lammy was done for fishing without a licence (and with the American VP).
Kevin Schofield @KevinASchofield · 4s Confirmed: Yvette Cooper will become the new Foreign Secretary, replacing David Lammy, who is moving to the Ministry of Justice.
Shabana Mahmood is the new Home Secretary
Bit of an odd move. Not sure what you gain from the shuffling of those deck chairs, other than Lammy now has the hot potato of dealing with letting out prisoners early and not locking up criminals as often. Lammy seemed to fine jet setting around the world other than getting into arguments with the odd taxi driver, I bet he will be bummed about all those first class flights been taken away. While Mahmood gets the hot potato of small boats.
Was Cooper doing that badly, given the restrictions she has to work under?
Being cynical moving someone with her heritage to that brief means you can be a bit more nasty and get away with it !
Kevin Schofield @KevinASchofield · 4s Confirmed: Yvette Cooper will become the new Foreign Secretary, replacing David Lammy, who is moving to the Ministry of Justice.
Shabana Mahmood is the new Home Secretary
Bit of an odd move. Not sure what you gain from the shuffling of those deck chairs, other than Lammy now has the hot potato of dealing with letting out prisoners early and not locking up criminals as often. Lammy seemed to fine jet setting around the world other than getting into arguments with the odd taxi driver, I bet he will be bummed about all those first class flights been taken away. While Mahmood gets the hot potato of small boats.
Was Cooper doing that badly, given the restrictions she has to work under?
I suspect Lammy might have been getting a bit bothered by time away from his children. He's ]written about the need for a father in children's lives.
The detainees reportedly included a mix of Hyundai Motor Group affiliate employees and LG Energy Solution headquarters staff who were in the United States on business.
Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that the business operations of Korean companies should not be disrupted by American law enforcement actions.
"The economic activities of our investment firms and the rights of our citizens must not be unfairly infringed upon during U.S. law enforcement operations," ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong said during a briefing.
Lee added that the ministry is taking active measures, including dispatching consuls from the Korean Embassy in Washington and the Consulate General in Atlanta to the site and setting up an on-site task force.
"We have also conveyed our concerns and regret through the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, urging them to ensure that the legitimate rights and interests of our citizens are fully protected," the spokesperson said...
This, reportedly, is an "unusually strong response". Which translates as the Koreans saying politely "please stop being complete arses."
Ooh, so it’s genuine Koreans from Hyundai, LG etc.
Could be an interesting diplomatic incident, surely they’ve not let a hundreds of key staff overstay visit visas?
I suppose it depends what they're doing. No visa needed for 90 days for short term visits per US government website:
All rather definition-dependent though, that.
So not actually doing the work of, for example, commissioning a large piece of capital equipment?
Is it going to be one of these situations where the rules were very loosely interpreted in the past, but are now being enforced to the letter?
Here's the UK description, for example:
"You can visit the UK for up to 6 months to do the following business activities:
attend interviews, meetings, conferences and seminars
negotiate and sign deals and contracts
attend trade fairs to promote your business (you cannot sell things)
get work-related training if you’re employed overseas and the training is not available in your home country
give a one-off or short series of talks as long as they’re not for profit or a commercial event - you can only be paid for speaking at certain engagements or events (a ‘permitted paid engagement’)
carry out site visits and inspections
oversee the delivery of goods and services provided by a UK company to your overseas company or organisation
deliver training or share knowledge on internal projects with UK employees of the company you work for overseas
install, dismantle, repair, service or advise on equipment, computer software and hardware, if your overseas company has a contract with a UK company or organisation"
I presume on the last point, it's also ok if the overseas company IS the UK company!
"Attend meetings" is ridiculously broad. My job is literally "attend meetings".
Isn’t that everyone’s job? Mine is predominantly “dial into Teams meetings”.
The detainees reportedly included a mix of Hyundai Motor Group affiliate employees and LG Energy Solution headquarters staff who were in the United States on business.
Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that the business operations of Korean companies should not be disrupted by American law enforcement actions.
"The economic activities of our investment firms and the rights of our citizens must not be unfairly infringed upon during U.S. law enforcement operations," ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong said during a briefing.
Lee added that the ministry is taking active measures, including dispatching consuls from the Korean Embassy in Washington and the Consulate General in Atlanta to the site and setting up an on-site task force.
"We have also conveyed our concerns and regret through the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, urging them to ensure that the legitimate rights and interests of our citizens are fully protected," the spokesperson said...
This, reportedly, is an "unusually strong response". Which translates as the Koreans saying politely "please stop being complete arses."
Ooh, so it’s genuine Koreans from Hyundai, LG etc.
Could be an interesting diplomatic incident, surely they’ve not let a hundreds of key staff overstay visit visas?
I suppose it depends what they're doing. No visa needed for 90 days for short term visits per US government website:
All rather definition-dependent though, that.
So not actually doing the work of, for example, commissioning a large piece of capital equipment?
Is it going to be one of these situations where the rules were very loosely interpreted in the past, but are now being enforced to the letter?
Here's the UK description, for example:
"You can visit the UK for up to 6 months to do the following business activities:
attend interviews, meetings, conferences and seminars
negotiate and sign deals and contracts
attend trade fairs to promote your business (you cannot sell things)
get work-related training if you’re employed overseas and the training is not available in your home country
give a one-off or short series of talks as long as they’re not for profit or a commercial event - you can only be paid for speaking at certain engagements or events (a ‘permitted paid engagement’)
carry out site visits and inspections
oversee the delivery of goods and services provided by a UK company to your overseas company or organisation
deliver training or share knowledge on internal projects with UK employees of the company you work for overseas
install, dismantle, repair, service or advise on equipment, computer software and hardware, if your overseas company has a contract with a UK company or organisation"
I presume on the last point, it's also ok if the overseas company IS the UK company!
"Attend meetings" is ridiculously broad. My job is literally "attend meetings".
Kevin Schofield @KevinASchofield · 4s Confirmed: Yvette Cooper will become the new Foreign Secretary, replacing David Lammy, who is moving to the Ministry of Justice.
Shabana Mahmood is the new Home Secretary
Bit of an odd move. Not sure what you gain from the shuffling of those deck chairs, other than Lammy now has the hot potato of dealing with letting out prisoners early and not locking up criminals as often. Lammy seemed to fine jet setting around the world other than getting into arguments with the odd taxi driver, I bet he will be bummed about all those first class flights been taken away. While Mahmood gets the hot potato of small boats.
Was Cooper doing that badly, given the restrictions she has to work under?
Being cynical moving someone with her heritage to that brief means you can be a bit more nasty and get away with it !
I don’t recall Rishi being given much leeway by the left over his heritage and him trying to solve immigration - i would imagine she will sadly get a lot of grim abuse about being a form of traitor.
WTF as Lammy done to be demoted? There's a story there for Sunday's papers surely
Is he the sacrificial Lammy?
He'll certainly be displeased, I'd have thought.
Seems a strange decision, Lammy having sacrificed his personal esteem to ingratiate himself with Vance and Cooper having sacrificed her vaguely left-wing credentials as an increasingly authoritarian Home sec.
Is it me or is Farage with his complicated housing arrangements strangely quiet?
What’s complicated about his housing arrangements? Genuine question
His house in Clapton isn’t owned by him?
It’s not his house then, surely? He might live there, but if it’s not legally owned by him then I’m not sure that means much?
I suspect the arrangement was an efficient use of his resources, in order that the exchequer didn't get their dirty hands on his hard earned. Legally watertight, but is it morally so?
I don't believe he needs it in reality. The use of a room in a guesthouse in Frinton twice a year would have been even more convenient and efficient.
Kevin Schofield @KevinASchofield · 4s Confirmed: Yvette Cooper will become the new Foreign Secretary, replacing David Lammy, who is moving to the Ministry of Justice.
Shabana Mahmood is the new Home Secretary
Bit of an odd move. Not sure what you gain from the shuffling of those deck chairs, other than Lammy now has the hot potato of dealing with letting out prisoners early and not locking up criminals as often. Lammy seemed to fine jet setting around the world other than getting into arguments with the odd taxi driver, I bet he will be bummed about all those first class flights been taken away. While Mahmood gets the hot potato of small boats.
Was Cooper doing that badly, given the restrictions she has to work under?
Being cynical moving someone with her heritage to that brief means you can be a bit more nasty and get away with it !
I don’t recall Rishi being given much leeway by the left over his heritage and him trying to solve immigration - i would imagine she will sadly get a lot of grim abuse about being a form of traitor.
The Tories tried also Patel and Braverman and if anything got even worse abuse.
Sir Keir might have played a blinder with the Lammy and Mahmood moves. The government can now be as draconian as it likes with immigrants, while blunting charges from the Left that it's slavishly following Reform's racist agenda. Perhaps Sir Keir is a better 9D chess player than we thought.
He's seizing the day. Turning this whole thing into something that looks like the start of something rather than the end. You have to be impressed by the resilience and quick thinking.
Not quite sure why I should be impressed that SKS as Prime Minister can carry out (checks notes) some cabinet appointments? All his predecessors seem to have managed it.
Kevin Schofield @KevinASchofield · 4s Confirmed: Yvette Cooper will become the new Foreign Secretary, replacing David Lammy, who is moving to the Ministry of Justice.
Shabana Mahmood is the new Home Secretary
Bit of an odd move. Not sure what you gain from the shuffling of those deck chairs, other than Lammy now has the hot potato of dealing with letting out prisoners early and not locking up criminals as often. Lammy seemed to fine jet setting around the world other than getting into arguments with the odd taxi driver, I bet he will be bummed about all those first class flights been taken away. While Mahmood gets the hot potato of small boats.
Was Cooper doing that badly, given the restrictions she has to work under?
Being cynical moving someone with her heritage to that brief means you can be a bit more nasty and get away with it !
The people who want to see racism in legitimate Home Office policy will still see racism no matter who occupies that role. It's an almost impossible job to do, so good luck to her.
Kevin Schofield @KevinASchofield · 4s Confirmed: Yvette Cooper will become the new Foreign Secretary, replacing David Lammy, who is moving to the Ministry of Justice.
Shabana Mahmood is the new Home Secretary
Bit of an odd move. Not sure what you gain from the shuffling of those deck chairs, other than Lammy now has the hot potato of dealing with letting out prisoners early and not locking up criminals as often. Lammy seemed to fine jet setting around the world other than getting into arguments with the odd taxi driver, I bet he will be bummed about all those first class flights been taken away. While Mahmood gets the hot potato of small boats.
Was Cooper doing that badly, given the restrictions she has to work under?
Being cynical moving someone with her heritage to that brief means you can be a bit more nasty and get away with it !
I don’t recall Rishi being given much leeway by the left over his heritage and him trying to solve immigration - i would imagine she will sadly get a lot of grim abuse about being a form of traitor.
The Tories tried also Patel and Braverman and if anything got even worse abuse.
Patel and Braverman were not abused by me for their ethnicity.
A solicitor has been suspended for 12 months after he corrected a client’s email address in past correspondence to disguise the fact it had been wrong.
Michael Goodwin, who worked in the residential conveyancing team of West Midlands firm Talbots Law, had been qualified for just under two years when he was instructed by Client A on a house purchase.
When the matter was opened, someone at Talbots entered an incorrect email address for Client A on the system, which Goodwin used on 17 July 2023 to send her documents relating to her transaction.
His email didn’t get through, but the next day he resent it, this time to the correct address, prefixed with the message, “I understand you’ve not received the attached”.
He admitted to the SRA that “in a moment of panic” he also altered the email address of the 17 July 2023 email he was resending, so it would look like it had never been wrong.
The seemingly innocuous cover-up metastasised into a career disaster when there was a file review that October and Goodwin was called to an internal meeting, where he was asked about the discrepancy.
Goodwin told Talbots he “knew it was wrong and should not have done it”. He was immediately placed on paid leave and two weeks later he agreed to resign with immediate effect as part of a settlement agreement.
For the first time ever the holders of the three great offices of state beyond PM (chancellor, foreign secretary, home secretary) are all women
I think we’ve had plenty of evidence now that what people have between their legs has zero influence on them being capable. Probably time to stop getting excited by identity and focus on ability.
A fine and worthy sentiment. But I do hope you don't have in your body of work on here any posts a-mocking and a-taunting Labour for never having had a woman leader. Because if you do they'll be unearthed and that would be deeply regrettable and you might have to take an enforced break from internet punditing.
Kevin Schofield @KevinASchofield · 4s Confirmed: Yvette Cooper will become the new Foreign Secretary, replacing David Lammy, who is moving to the Ministry of Justice.
Shabana Mahmood is the new Home Secretary
Bit of an odd move. Not sure what you gain from the shuffling of those deck chairs, other than Lammy now has the hot potato of dealing with letting out prisoners early and not locking up criminals as often. Lammy seemed to fine jet setting around the world other than getting into arguments with the odd taxi driver, I bet he will be bummed about all those first class flights been taken away. While Mahmood gets the hot potato of small boats.
Was Cooper doing that badly, given the restrictions she has to work under?
Being cynical moving someone with her heritage to that brief means you can be a bit more nasty and get away with it !
I don’t recall Rishi being given much leeway by the left over his heritage and him trying to solve immigration - i would imagine she will sadly get a lot of grim abuse about being a form of traitor.
Sunak was abused by the right over his heritage moreso than the left.
After Johnson and Truss I liked Sunak. He, like Starmer wasn't the most surefooted of PMs but was, like Starmer, significantly better than Johnson and Truss.
Should we extend a bit a sympathy to Nigel here, what with his conference being overshadowed? I remember when Gordon made some political move or other* during the Tory conference and it was seen as flouting convention and just not done.
* It was withdrawing British troops from Iraq, which I'd completely forgotten about. Thanks AI!
Kevin Schofield @KevinASchofield · 4s Confirmed: Yvette Cooper will become the new Foreign Secretary, replacing David Lammy, who is moving to the Ministry of Justice.
Shabana Mahmood is the new Home Secretary
Bit of an odd move. Not sure what you gain from the shuffling of those deck chairs, other than Lammy now has the hot potato of dealing with letting out prisoners early and not locking up criminals as often. Lammy seemed to fine jet setting around the world other than getting into arguments with the odd taxi driver, I bet he will be bummed about all those first class flights been taken away. While Mahmood gets the hot potato of small boats.
Was Cooper doing that badly, given the restrictions she has to work under?
Being cynical moving someone with her heritage to that brief means you can be a bit more nasty and get away with it !
I don’t recall Rishi being given much leeway by the left over his heritage and him trying to solve immigration - i would imagine she will sadly get a lot of grim abuse about being a form of traitor.
You have a point but Tories already come with the nasty tag , Mahmoud is all sweetness and light !
Should we extend a bit a sympathy to Nigel here, what with his conference being overshadowed? I remember when Gordon made some political move or other during the Tory conference and it was seen as flouting convention and just not done.
He won’t be bothered. This isn’t a good day for Labour.
Sir Keir might have played a blinder with the Lammy and Mahmood moves. The government can now be as draconian as it likes with immigrants, while blunting charges from the Left that it's slavishly following Reform's racist agenda. Perhaps Sir Keir is a better 9D chess player than we thought.
He's seizing the day. Turning this whole thing into something that looks like the start of something rather than the end. You have to be impressed by the resilience and quick thinking.
Not quite sure why I should be impressed that SKS as Prime Minister can carry out (checks notes) some cabinet appointments? All his predecessors seem to have managed it.
But this one although done in reaction to a sudden crisis has a genuine 'renewal' feel about it. Perhaps despite his image as Mr Ultra Careful Cautious he is in fact one of those people who works best when the heat is on and time is of the essence.
Farage still didn't have anything of note to say other than ya boo, unions jacks are great, illegal immigrants bad, here is Mad Nad. Given that was the extent of it, I doubt he is bothered that Labour troubles are dominating the headlines. Otherwise people might ask some awkward questions about policy and stuff.
The detainees reportedly included a mix of Hyundai Motor Group affiliate employees and LG Energy Solution headquarters staff who were in the United States on business.
Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that the business operations of Korean companies should not be disrupted by American law enforcement actions.
"The economic activities of our investment firms and the rights of our citizens must not be unfairly infringed upon during U.S. law enforcement operations," ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong said during a briefing.
Lee added that the ministry is taking active measures, including dispatching consuls from the Korean Embassy in Washington and the Consulate General in Atlanta to the site and setting up an on-site task force.
"We have also conveyed our concerns and regret through the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, urging them to ensure that the legitimate rights and interests of our citizens are fully protected," the spokesperson said...
This, reportedly, is an "unusually strong response". Which translates as the Koreans saying politely "please stop being complete arses."
Ooh, so it’s genuine Koreans from Hyundai, LG etc.
Could be an interesting diplomatic incident, surely they’ve not let a hundreds of key staff overstay visit visas?
I suppose it depends what they're doing. No visa needed for 90 days for short term visits per US government website:
All rather definition-dependent though, that.
So not actually doing the work of, for example, commissioning a large piece of capital equipment?
Is it going to be one of these situations where the rules were very loosely interpreted in the past, but are now being enforced to the letter?
Here's the UK description, for example:
"You can visit the UK for up to 6 months to do the following business activities:
attend interviews, meetings, conferences and seminars
negotiate and sign deals and contracts
attend trade fairs to promote your business (you cannot sell things)
get work-related training if you’re employed overseas and the training is not available in your home country
give a one-off or short series of talks as long as they’re not for profit or a commercial event - you can only be paid for speaking at certain engagements or events (a ‘permitted paid engagement’)
carry out site visits and inspections
oversee the delivery of goods and services provided by a UK company to your overseas company or organisation
deliver training or share knowledge on internal projects with UK employees of the company you work for overseas
install, dismantle, repair, service or advise on equipment, computer software and hardware, if your overseas company has a contract with a UK company or organisation"
I presume on the last point, it's also ok if the overseas company IS the UK company!
"Attend meetings" is ridiculously broad. My job is literally "attend meetings".
Isn’t that everyone’s job? Mine is predominantly “dial into Teams meetings”.
That and 'read and respond to emails and Slack messages'
Comments
Seems v odd decision.
My whataboutery is as relevant as yours. Did Farage make an unusual ( legal) arrangement to avoid paying full stamp duty or not?
Is it going to be one of these situations where the rules were very loosely interpreted in the past, but are now being enforced to the letter?
Freed from the impossible task of stopping small boats and given a load of aeroplane tickets.
Kevin Schofield
@KevinASchofield
·
4s
Confirmed: Yvette Cooper will become the new Foreign Secretary, replacing David Lammy, who is moving to the Ministry of Justice.
Shabana Mahmood is the new Home Secretary
1. Central England Temperature, the longest continuous temperature series in the world. After our exceptionally warm spring and summer, it only needs to be 1.17C warmer than average for the rest of the year for 2025 to be the warmest year on record. Again, for the umpteenth time in recent years.
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/hadobs/hadcet/cet_info_mean.html
2. Tonto will be pleased: the rains are falling down in Africa. The Sahara desert. This is the Algerian Sahara satellite right now, with lightning. (There’s no radar but we know there has been major rain across Algeria, Morocco, Mali, Mauritania and Chad in recent days.
3. First potentially damaging Atlantic hurricane of the season is forming off Cape Verde. The models have it on a track straight into the Eastern Caribbean islands. It will be travelling over a very helpful ocean surface and will almost inevitably deepen more than models currently show. Watch this space.
https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/analysis/models/?model=gfs®ion=eatl&pkg=mslp_wind&runtime=2025090506&fh=6
Sometimes I suspect your blue scarf might be tied too tightly around your neck.
"You can visit the UK for up to 6 months to do the following business activities:
attend interviews, meetings, conferences and seminars
negotiate and sign deals and contracts
attend trade fairs to promote your business (you cannot sell things)
get work-related training if you’re employed overseas and the training is not available in your home country
give a one-off or short series of talks as long as they’re not for profit or a commercial event - you can only be paid for speaking at
certain engagements or events (a ‘permitted paid engagement’)
carry out site visits and inspections
oversee the delivery of goods and services provided by a UK company to your overseas company or organisation
deliver training or share knowledge on internal projects with UK employees of the company you work for overseas
install, dismantle, repair, service or advise on equipment, computer software and hardware, if your overseas company has a contract with a UK company or organisation"
I presume on the last point, it's also ok if the overseas company IS the UK company!
NEW: As well as justice secretary, David Lammy has been appointed deputy prime minister
Traders' fears over Huddersfield railway closure as scale of work revealed
https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/out-pocket-traders-fears-over-32421481#ICID=Android_HuddersfieldExaminerNewsApp_AppShare
The view of the station is from a bridge over the Western station approach. In the foreground on the right, the previous Platform 2 (currently serves Sheffield trains) is being remodelled and lengthened by the diggers, I think with the idea that some TPE trains could terminate there as well.
The tracks on this side are up, for full repointing such that more or less any approaching train from Manchester can access any free platform rather than the previous limitations.
I believe the base concreting and platform 8 remodelling is being done to allow a new island platform to be built on the LHS, between the red brick warehouse and the current left hand Platform 8.
In the background a pretty specialist V-shaped crane brought in from France is on the road north out of the town centre with an elastic band suspended from it, essentially this is suspension support for the bridge at the east end of the station during its reconstruction.
By the end of September the right hand side of the station reopens for through trains, the left hand side is shut until early 2027.
"Allies 'flabbergasted' by Ian Murray sacking"
What say our Scottish subsamples ?
Yvette to take a train to Kyiv next week, or is she going to Washington first?
Beth Rigby
@BethRigby
Bit of background from No 10 sources on reshuffle.
PM taking the opportunity to refresh his team & is bringing forward a reshuffle that had been planned for the autumn.
Timing not been dictated by him, but using this moment to try to invigorate cabinet.
Priority is the growth agenda and CX stays put
It's not crazy; once you have seen who can operate in government as opposed to opposition, you can put rounder pegs in rounder holes. It might not have happened today without other events, but I wouldn't be shocked if it's been on the cards for a while.
For the first time ever the holders of the three great offices of state beyond PM (chancellor, foreign secretary, home secretary) are all women
Following on, of course, the example set by HYUFD.
Kevin Schofield
@KevinASchofield
·
1m
It would take a heart of stone not to laugh at Nigel Farage's big day being blown out of the water by the cabinet reshuffle
Sideways move for Lammy & Cooper I think,
Murrayr, Powell (& obviously Rayner) demotions.
Musical chairs all round.
Was Cooper doing that badly, given the restrictions she has to work under?
He'll certainly be displeased, I'd have thought.
I don't believe he needs it in reality. The use of a room in a guesthouse in Frinton twice a year would have been even more convenient and efficient.
The Tories don't haveto do this because they have a compliant media contingent.
A solicitor has been suspended for 12 months after he corrected a client’s email address in past correspondence to disguise the fact it had been wrong.
Michael Goodwin, who worked in the residential conveyancing team of West Midlands firm Talbots Law, had been qualified for just under two years when he was instructed by Client A on a house purchase.
When the matter was opened, someone at Talbots entered an incorrect email address for Client A on the system, which Goodwin used on 17 July 2023 to send her documents relating to her transaction.
His email didn’t get through, but the next day he resent it, this time to the correct address, prefixed with the message, “I understand you’ve not received the attached”.
He admitted to the SRA that “in a moment of panic” he also altered the email address of the 17 July 2023 email he was resending, so it would look like it had never been wrong.
The seemingly innocuous cover-up metastasised into a career disaster when there was a file review that October and Goodwin was called to an internal meeting, where he was asked about the discrepancy.
Goodwin told Talbots he “knew it was wrong and should not have done it”. He was immediately placed on paid leave and two weeks later he agreed to resign with immediate effect as part of a settlement agreement.
https://www.rollonfriday.com/news-content/solicitor-suspended-correcting-clients-email-address
‘Angela Rayner should have said Jolyon Maugham advised her and she’d still be in a job.’
After Johnson and Truss I liked Sunak. He, like Starmer wasn't the most surefooted of PMs but was, like Starmer, significantly better than Johnson and Truss.
* It was withdrawing British troops from Iraq, which I'd completely forgotten about. Thanks AI!
What is Andrea Jenkyns thinking? Surely Eurovision can't be a Reform thing?