Westministenders: The Return of Parliamentary Sleaze?

[RedToothBrush]

Brexit is quietly going round and round in ever decreasing circles.

The story is that the European parliament will not agree to a transition period beyond 1st January 2020.

The third minister responsible for getting the Repel Bill through the Lords has quit. There are now nearly 400 amendments. It is scheduled for 6 days parliamentary time in the Commons from this coming week. With another 2 possible the following week. Rather bravely AFTER the budget. Bored with May, CVs are being submitted for the position of Chancellor.

Interest Rates are looking likely to rise next week too with the message being 'this is as good as it gets'.

Another team of MPs has gone to the EU to see if they can check up on May and her team. This is unlikely to work as Nicola Sturgeon came across a brick wall.

And then there are the many many distractions from it all.

Catalonia has declared independence, which will consume EU time and energy.

There are rumours that the first prosecution in Trump Russia will be Monday (Guess who is currently in the US. Yep, the gurning one). And there are increasing muttering about Russia over here, with Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg being called to respond to a Select Committee investigation into Fake News.

And then there's the sleaze. Jared O'Mara seems to be the first in the queue. There are rumours more will be outed in several parties. Suggestions include May's right hand man Damien Green who was previously named in 2008. And the Tory Whips have a 'sleaze list' which suggests they know whats going on, but have done nothing.

This morning we have Gove making ill advised jokes about Weinstein in this political climate. With Neil Kinnock laughing heartily in response.

Anything that happens will be political to discredit opponents not because there is a change of attitude towards the treatment of women. We know this, because of who is leading the charge on this. The skeletons are being dusted off out the cupboard rather than exposed for the first time in dramatic fashion.

Things, could take a very unexpected turn against this background.

Don't bet against it.

I freely admit that I'm not an experienced international trade negotiator. But surely, surely having no plan at all is the very worst way to conduct discussions?

Ruth Davidson

At the Spectator awards last night:

"Just because we have a woman in Number 10, at the top of the tree in Plaid Cymru, in the Scottish Conservatives, in the SNP, in the DUP, doesn’t mean that sexism and misogyny are somehow resigned to the dustbin of history when it comes to politics.

Nor, when we look at some of the house clearing that needs to happen in the next few weeks, months and years ahead,
are we going to say that we didn’t need some pretty big shovels for the Augean stable.

The house clearing that is about to happen needs to happen and we can never go back to where we were before.”

On Today program this morning:

I spoke to the prime minister^ ...
< interesting that she does that so much >

at great length about this and what we can do on a UK-wide basis in terms of a code of conduct for all elected officials
and those who work for the party too, and we expect both parliaments and parties to move forward from this point.

The dam has broken on this now, and these male-dominated professions, overwhelmingly male-dominated professions,^
where the boys’ own locker room culture has prevailed, and it’s all been a bit bit of a laugh, has got to stop.

For any journey or major life change, not just negotiations:
if you don't know where you're going, there is a strong danger you'll end up somewhere you won't like

if you don't know where you're going, there is a strong danger you'll end up somewhere you won't like

Knowing where you are coming from is probably a good idea too.

Damian Green may have just gone inside
Maybe Green's going to be strip searched like the NUJ member or have I got these stories mixed up? I do wonder if she was a woman journalist.

Gavin Williamson, apparently ...

Gavin Williamson, apparently
...
Following David Cameron's resignation, Williamson "privately vowed" to stop the front-runner Boris Johnson from becoming Conservative Party leader. He assessed Theresa May to be the likeliest candidate to beat Johnson, offered his help to her, and was invited to be her parliamentary campaign manager.Following May's ascension, Williamson was appointed Chief Whip.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavin_Williamson

So we've not so much gained a defence secretary as lost a whip ?

He's 41, a bit Macronny?

Not sure what's going on with that Wiki picture ????

@lewis_goodall
Esther McVey for Chief Whip. Much more sensible. Clean skin, woman, sat in Cabinet before. But Williamson appointment's is dangerous for May

He's one of her supporters, surely - why I assume he got the job
Or what am I missing ?

I'm guessing the news was made public at 10:32 ... BBC released it at 10:36 ...

(Just nosing at the rapidly-growing edit history for that Wiki page. Looks like someone has something to say ....)

Nope, Sky prediction wrong:
Number 10 has just announced that Julian Smith, the deputy chief whip, has been promoted to chief whip. Smith has also been made a privy counsellor.

< he tried to have the Guardian prosecuted over Snowden revelations >

Underwhelmed .... ( by chief whip ? )

@sarahwollaston
‪There are times when offered a job that it would be better to advise that another would be more experienced & suited to the role‬

Laura Kuenssberg‏ @bbclaurak

One minister tells me ‘She is so weak she has let Williamson appoint himself-this is appalling’

Loads of tweets in horror and disbelief. Will post asap

@helenlewis

May's top team: Fox (already resigned from Cabinet once); Johnson (already resigned twice) Green (facing allegations); Fallon (gone).

Rumour that Williamson appointed himself and disappointment that May chose not to appoint woman Chief Whip.

Michael's probably measuring for curtains.

May is finished
I know I've been saying that since June 8th but...surely...she has to go now?

@bbclaurak
Another senior Tory says ‘MPs deeply unhappy he has used position of Chief to benefit himself + deserted his post at such a crucial time’

Maybe he's more Macronny than I'd realised.

Tory party is of historical interest, only, now, anyway.

May is finished

@davidallengreen
Remembering Thatcher's panicked promotion of Waddington from chief whip to Home Secretary in 1989.

Part of the beginning of her end.

Sam Coates Times‏**@SamCoatesTimes**
Very odd to move Gavin Williamson from whips office. He saw off 3 coups and had experience of party in trying times. No time 4 novice there

Tim Shipman‏*@ShippersUnbound*
Make no mistake, Gavin Williamson wants to be prime minister. And he knows all the dirt on his colleagues.

Tom Newton Dunn‏**@tnewtondunn**

Williamson for PM? One Tory MP texts: "Gosh. Could Francis Urquhart be preparing his own next step?"

Sam Coates Times‏**@SamCoatesTimes**

If true that he “appointed himself” (rarely that straightforward) its interesting to ask why he wanted out of whips office

Tom Newton Dunn‏**@tnewtondunn**
New Defence Sec is not a promotion within MoD, as called for by former generals. PM needs someone there who will cut. Bad news for defence?

George Eaton‏*@georgeeaton*

Chief whip Gavin Williamson is the new Defence Secretary - my profile of him from earlier this year.
www.newstatesman.com/culture/observations/2017/07/gavin-williamson-cunning-tory-chief-whip-tarantula-his-desk
Gavin Williamson: the cunning Tory chief whip with a tarantula on his desk
He's tipped as a future party leader, but can this rising star maintaincontrol

Laura Kuenssberg‏**@bbclaurak**

I’m not quite sure how his colleagues are going to react - on another point, are tarantulas allowed into the MOD?

Jim Waterson‏*@jimwaterson*

Didn't get that with Fallon. (Instagram photo)

Faisal Islam‏*@faisalislam*

NB the balance on the key Cabinet Brexit subcommittee remains 6-4 Remain
Defence Sec is bigger better, and right now easier job than Chief Whip of minority government trying to get 8 bills thru before Brexit day
And congrats to @JulianSmithUK - promoted from within Whips Office after two years, to replace Williamson as Chief Whip... tough gig.
... there's a scene in House of Cards where the chief whip helps the President decide on a VP, and ends up suggesting himself...
... although that actually happened as I recall with Dick Cheney and Bush Jr

Laura Kuenssberg‏**@bbclaurak**

Another senior Tory says ‘MPs deeply unhappy he has used position of Chief to benefit himself + deserted his post at such a crucial time’
Williamson is a v effective operator but this appointment is far from without risk

Law and Policy‏*@davidallengreen*

Remembering Thatcher's panicked promotion of Waddington from chief whip to Home Secretary in 1989.
Part of the beginning of her end.
Waddington's appointment was a quick fix after Howe resignation but at the cost of Thatcher losing control over her parliamentary party.

Can we take from this that Williamson is chief back stabber and makes Gove look like an amateur.

Question: Who DID leak 'the list'?

It was Williamson - not May - who signed the deal with the DUP.

With the usual caveat that whenever I suggest something on then basis that "things can't get any worse" they usually do (I wanted the referendum, I wanted fixed term parliaments, and I wanted May to become Tory leader), I don't care if Williamson wants to be King, Emperor, or Akela, if it means we reverse Brexit.