Hoyle rig
IT is not the role of the supposedly unbiased Commons Speaker to bend the rules to extricate his own party from a tight spot.
Lindsay Hoyle’s odious predecessor John Bercow violated that once-noble position by trying to help his Remainer chums reverse Brexit.
sKY nEWSDozens of MPs stormed out in protest at a decision by Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle to allow a vote on a Labour call for a pause in the fighting[/caption]
Hoyle could only ever be an improvement on that.
But tonight, against his officials’ advice, he allowed a highly unusual vote on Labour’s all-things-to-all-people Gaza motion.
That enabled Keir Starmer to swerve a rebellion — but was supposedly also to protect MPs from violent threats by Islamist thugs unless they were seen to vote for a ceasefire.
For all the debate’s absurd self- importance, performative rage and chaotic conclusion last night, it doesn’t matter a damn to Israel or Hamas.
What DOES matter, to our democracy, is whether Hoyle would have done the Tories the same favour and if question marks now hang over his impartiality.
It matters too what pressure was put on him by Labour’s hierarchy.
And it matters gravely that he changed Parliament’s rules ultimately to appease a baying pro-Hamas mob massed outside.
That, and the hate marches, cannot go on.
Gift for Hunt
A RECORD-breaking monthly surplus, massive tax receipts, a drop in our borrowing and in the interest we are paying on our vast debts.
Great news for Jeremy Hunt . . . and hopefully for us all.
January is always a freak month, with all those self-assessment bills suddenly being paid. Even so, last month’s surplus was the biggest since records began 31 years ago.
And the Chancellor now has as good a backdrop as he’ll ever enjoy to unveil big tax cuts in next month’s Budget.
He must not falter out of caution, thinking he’s being “Conservative”.
It’s not Conservative to maintain a 70-year-high tax burden and strangle the life out of households and businesses.
Plus, this may be his last chance — certainly the last voters will feel the full benefit of before election day.
Even low estimates reckon Mr Hunt has £13billion to play with. Others say £20billion. Enough for a decent cut.
We’re counting on you, Chancellor.
Eel be sorry
THREATENING to nuke Britain from space was apocalyptic enough. Now Putin aims to cut cod to our chippies.
Is there no end to his cruelty? Whatever would we have to eat then?
Somewhere in the Kremlin, comically clueless lackeys think Brits survive on little but Russian cod and chips, and will lose heart over Ukraine without it.
Sorry, comrades. Utter pollocks. There’s plenty more fish in the sea: Rock, skate, mackerel and plaice for starters.
Plus, we’re famous for both having our hake and eating it.
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