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By ELENI COUREA
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Good Friday morning. This is Eleni Courea. I’ll be back on Monday.
DRIVING THE DAY
TWO PORTS IN A STORM: Rishi Sunak is putting his domestic policy woes to one side this morning as he unveils two new freeports in Scotland, following a working dinner with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in Inverness last night.
Tune in: Sunak will be interviewed on Good Morning Scotland at 7.45 a.m (the first PM to go on the program, which is Scotland’s equivalent of the Today prog, in a long time). Later in the morning he will announce the locations of the two Scottish freeports, before recording a pool clip and sit-downs with STV and BBC Scotland to be aired this evening.
Spoiler: The Press and Journal has already reported the freeports will be in Cromarty Firth and Firth of Forth.
Lots to chew on: At their tête-à-tête, Sunak and Sturgeon talked about the NHS, the economy, Scottish teachers’ strikes, the strikes bill, freeports and Scotland’s gender recognition reforms. Sunak tweeted afterwards that they had discussed “shared challenges” and Sturgeon told the BBC that their conversation had been “perfectly constructive and cordial”… despite a briefing blamed on the Scottish side that there had been a “robust” exchange on independence (can’t look too friendly!). The Herald’s Tom Gordon also hears that Sturgeon challenged Sunak over the strikes bill and told him she was strongly opposed to it.
Despite all that: The PM and FM smiled happily in a series of snaps that have made their way onto the No. 10 Flickr. Undoubtedly there’s a lot more potential for a constructive relationship there compared with Liz Truss (who missed no opportunity to attack Sturgeon; in turn Sturgeon claimed Truss asked her how to get into Vogue) and Boris Johnson (whom Sturgeon openly considered unfit for office). And while views in the Tory Party differ on how aggressive an approach it’s wise to take toward the SNP, Sunak’s actions so far (including last night’s dinner) suggests his is a typically conciliatory one.
No response on … what mode of travel the PM used to get up there.
As for the freeports: Worth noting their reputation has suffered quite a bit recently. A row erupted in the Times opinion pages this week over whether dredging to build the Teesside freeport contributed to a marine catastrophe there (with an excoriating column by Jenni Russell effectively accusing the government of a cover-up and Simon Clarke claiming in response that opposition parties were whipping up the claims).
But what the PM will be thinking about as he heads back to London on Saturday … is the prospect of his first big parliamentary showdown of 2023. The Online Safety Bill is due back in the Commons on Tuesday, and has become a lightning rod for Tory unrest. An amendment by Miriam Cates (as first reported by Telegraph’s Charles Hymas Thursday) has gathered enough support to overturn the government’s majority.
That said: Hymas reports today that (in classic Sunak fashion) the government is weighing up various concessions to buy off MPs and stop the rebellion in its tracks. He says ministers are considering a legal duty to make tech bosses responsible for complying with the new laws — but stopping short of criminal liability. No doubt culture sec and avid Playbook reader Michelle Donelan will be ringing round colleagues over the weekend … as Playbook hears Cates’ is not the only hostile backbench Tory amendment on the cards.
In her own words: Donelan told the BBC’s Newscast last night: “I’m not ruling out any of those amendments because I’ve been working through them and they’ve been coming in today as … I’m somebody that always takes a sensible approach to these things. If people have good ideas, just because I didn’t think of them doesn’t mean that we’re not going to do them.”
Also on the agenda: The second reading of the strikes bill — which Labour opposes — is scheduled for Monday. That’s the showdown No. 10 wants to have.
Speaking of showdowns: The NEU’s strike ballot for teachers closes today, with results expected in the next couple of days (after the ballot by NASUWT failed to meet the legal threshold). The UCU has announced 18 days of strikes by academics in February and March, and the BMA is now urging junior doctors to strike unless concessions are made on pay. In rail, the Mail and the Telegraph both report that ministers are dropping the demand for train guards to be phased out and that a deal is close.
As for the NHS: The Guardian reports Health Secretary Steve Barclay has privately conceded he will have to offer more pay to 1 million frontline staff — though the Treasury insists he funds this from existing budgets. A government source tells the paper the Treasury is waiting for Barclay to find savings to cover an estimated £2 billion to £3 billion needed to offer workers a better deal.
BRING BACK THE DRAMA: Backbench rebellions over domestic policy … a government under pressure to face down striking unions … and a PM trying to build support for unionism in Scotland. Politics is remarkably pedestrian nowadays, as pretty much everyone in Westminster will tell you.
Don’t get too comfortable: All this could soon change if rumors about the privilege committee’s probe into Boris Johnson’s statements to the Commons over Partygate are true. There are whispers that the written evidence submitted to it just before Christmas, which MPs are currently working through, is damning (whispers perhaps fueled by the revelations in the ITV Partygate podcast this week).
The bottom line: If the committee — which had its first meeting of the year on Wednesday and will start public hearings soonish — does conclude that Johnson did intentionally mislead parliament and recommends a lengthy suspension (which if long enough could force a by-election), the uneasy truce between the Johnson and Sunak camps will burst open and all hell will break loose.
Or not: The Times’ Henry Zeffman and Sky’s Joe Pike have had an intriguing conversation with a “close ally” of Johnson, who tells them the ex-PM could agree not to challenge Sunak in exchange for a safe seat (and that he won’t stand in Uxbridge). A Johnson spokesman denies this. The same person says the number of Tory MPs who want Johnson to oust Sunak is “two dozen, maybe three dozen at most” and that the local elections in May will be the crunch point. The story makes page 1 of the Times.
If Johnson does mount a campaign … The whopping £1 million gift he’s just registered from former Brexit Party donor Christopher Harborne should help (h/t Sky’s Tom Larkin. The Guardian’s Peter Walker writes it up). The former PM also received a tidy £250,000 for two speeches in December.
But not everyone is a fan: Longstanding Carlton Club member Alistair Cooke, aka Lord Lexden, has written a letter to the Telegraph — Johnson’s favorite paper, no less — saying the club made a “great mistake” in putting up a portrait of him before the privilege committee’s probe has ended, given he was “driven from office by scandal and personal misconduct.” Chris Hope has a write-up.
And while we’re on Boris: The ex-PM plans to travel to Kyiv in the coming months, the Guardian’s Pippa Crerar and Dan Sabbagh hear. A plan which, apparently, No. 10 was unaware of before now. A ministerial ally of Sunak accuses Johnson of wanting to have a “Churchill moment” and tells the Guardian that he “needs to be careful not to compromise Rishi’s relationship” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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APPG INVESTIGATION
EXPENSIVE CHINA: After Sky News/Tortoise’s painstaking work to discover who is paying whom in Westminster, POLITICO’s Esther Webber picks up the baton, reporting that blue-chip firms with significant business interests in China are pouring money into the China APPG. Data shows funding from donors have made the China APPG the second-wealthiest in parliament. The group has declared £110,000 in donations from companies including HSBC, John Swire & Sons AND the City of London Corporation since 2019, according to those figures compiled by Sky News and Tortoise Media.
That’s not all: The same organizations mentioned above, plus tourism body VisitBritain, donated £150,000 to the China APPG between 2016 and 2019, further analysis of public records by Esther shows. The China APPG notoriously invited the Chinese ambassador to attend parliament in 2021, despite Beijing having imposed sanctions on nine MPs who highlighted alleged human right abuses in Xinjiang, and the visit was ultimately blocked by the speakers of both Houses.
Cause for concern: All donations to the China APPG were made in accordance with parliamentary rules. However, questions remain. Tory MP Tim Loughton said: “Companies invest in APPGs because they believe their interests will be served. You can be certain that if the APPG China started complaining about HSBC freezing Hong Kong legislator Ted Hui’s bank accounts, the bank would stop coughing up.” Steve Goodrich of Transparency International U.K. warned that the China APPG “holds uncomfortably close ties to those with vested interests in the country.”
For the sake of balance … In recent years, successive British PMs have faced pressure from hawkish Tory MPs concerned about the extent of Chinese influence in the U.K., partly through the influential China Research Group (CRG). A CRG spokesman said: “We don’t disclose the identities of our funders due to the security risks involved in working on China at a political level, but all are British citizens who are eligible to donate to political parties.” The Hong Kong APPG, which ranks above China for donations, is funded by Whitehouse Communications, a public affairs company representing the pro-democracy campaign group Stand With Hong Kong.
TODAY IN WESTMINSTER
PARLIAMENT: Not sitting.
SCOOP — LABOUR PAYS UP: The strikes are trundling on but one group, at least, is getting an inflation-busting pay rise. At the end of last year Labour Party staff accepted their most generous pay offer in a long time, two people with knowledge of the deal tell Playbook. Staff will get a 10.5 percent pay increase in 2023 in a combined pay and pension deal that also protects their defined-benefit pension scheme (which there had been talk of scrapping). There’s also a guarantee to boost pay by at least 5 percent or CPI — whichever is higher — next year, in 2024.
Sealing the deal: Peter Roberts, London political officer of GMB, the union which represents the majority of Labour staff, told Playbook: “After a protracted negotiation which started earlier in the year, our members voted to accept the deal on offer. We believe it’s the best deal available which protects both the defined benefits pension and offers a sizeable pay rise that is well above the national average. It’s a deal that values the party’s most valuable hidden asset, its talented workforce.” Both GMB and Unite members voted to accept the offer.
It’s quite the change from … the past few years of morale-busting below-inflation rises and threats of strike action over restructuring and the specter of compulsory redundancies. Clearly there’s quite a bit more cash flowing into Labour coffers as donors rush to back what they believe to be the winning horse. Asked about the deal, a Labour official told Playbook: “Under Keir’s leadership the party has returned to a strong financial footing, with growing commercial income and donations. It’s good news that this has enabled us to provide a pay increase for employees to help them get through the cost of living crisis whilst also securing the future of our pension provision. We’re pleased that we did it through agreement with staff trade unions. Labour is a changed party, serious [about] getting into government.”
EXCLUSIVE TO ALL: Bit of a scramble from the Guardian, Sun and others to be the first to “exclusively” publish the results of Chris Skidmore’s review of net zero, which was commissioned by Liz Truss. The report criticizes Sunak over inconsistent policies and unmet pledges, according to Helena Horton and Fiona Harvey’s write-up. The Telegraph splashes on its recommendation to ban gas boilers within a decade.
UNCOMFORTABLE CHAIRS: Damian Green was announced as the acting chairman of the DCMS committee this week, replacing Julian Knight, who has “recused” himself from parliament while police investigate a complaint about him. Green was chosen without a vote, my colleague Esther Webber reports, since Knight has not resigned as chair, and there were no objections. As Knight remains in post, he will continue to receive his additional salary as committee chairman (£16,422 in 2021-22).
Reminder: Following Knight’s suspension by the Conservative Party in December, the Met Police said they had received “allegations of serious sexual assault” and an investigation had been launched. No arrests have been made, and Knight said he was “entirely innocent of any wrongdoing whatsoever.”
NSFW: As for Knight’s stand-in, it has not gone unnoticed that Green, who was sacked as a senior minister in 2017 after a Cabinet Office investigation found he had made misleading statements about pornography on his parliamentary computers, will be responsible for steering the committee’s scrutiny of online safety, among other subjects. The same report found it was “plausible” Green had behaved inappropriately toward journalist Kate Maltby, which he denied.
SCOOP — WIKI WARS: Something of an editing war has broken out on Labour MP Toby Perkins’ Wikipedia page. A keen-eyed Playbook reader has noticed that someone using a Commons IP address altered the page to remove an embarrassing report referring to Perkins’ alleged affair with an aide, who is now his partner. The reference was reinserted by another user two days later.
MINISTERIAL MUDDLE: The government has had to make multiple corrections to a speech delivered by Foreign Office Minister Leo Docherty, after he wrongly said a number of British Council contractors sheltering from the Taliban had been given clearance to head to the border and travel to the U.K. The Guardian’s Bree Allegretti has the scoop.
DONATIONS DIGGING: OpenDemocracy’s Martin Williams tots up declared donations to the Tory Party and finds that it has accepted more than £800,000 from private health firms over the past decade.
FINGER ZINGER: Labour HQ messaged MPs at 9 p.m. last night asking them to share a social media graphic which accuses Sunak of planning to fire striking nurses and urging the PM not to, erm, “give them the finger” (eliciting an unhappy response from Canterbury Labour MP Rosie Duffield). Think we can safely say no party has a monopoly on cringe.
In other news: It’s not all bad for Labour’s attack operation. One (actually pretty gobsmacking) story dug up by the party’s researchers — in which a judge opts not to imprison a violent offender because the prisons are “full” — has been picked up by the Sun, Telegraph and Times as well as the Mirror. Separately, a Labour analysis which found that the average household will spend £10,000 on energy bills during this parliament is in the Indy and the Mirror. And in his Telegraph column, Speccie Editor Fraser Nelson praises Jon Ashworth’s speech on welfare reform and says it has spooked the Tories.
It’s not just Labour: LBC writes up Lib Dem-commissioned polling which found that three-quarters of people expect to be treated in a hospital corridor because of the shortage of beds.
BOTTOMS UP: Tricky times for the Tories but at least Sunak has found the way to ingratiate himself to the Express. Long-promised pint-sized Champagne bottles — Churchill’s favorite quantity, apparently — are coming soon, according to a PQ spotted by David Maddox.
SADIQ <3 EU: London Mayor Sadiq Khan continues with the unhelpful (for Starmer) pro-EU interventions. In a speech at the London Government Dinner at Mansion House last night — an annual event meant to be about local councils — he said Brexit “isn’t working” and called for “greater alignment with our European neighbors,” a rallying cry which makes page 2 of the Mail. “He might have over-egged the point,” one attendee muses to Playbook.
REMUNERATION CONVERSATION: Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker tells Times Radio’s Matt Chorley show this morning that he thinks Britain would be better run if politicians were paid more. Lineker (2022 salary: £1.35 million) adds that he’s not tempted to go into it himself, however.
XENNIAL TAKE-OVER: The discussion sparked by my colleague Annabelle Dickson’s fab piece on the Xennial takeover of Downing Street continues. New Onward Director Seb Payne has an article in the Times today about how Sunak can win over (rather than just employ) people from that demographic. The answer, he argues, is “achievable reforms that require minimal parliamentary effort” — especially in housebuilding and childcare.
WONK WARNING: The current cycle of never-ending crises and an impending general election could result in 2023 being a wasted year for the government, IfG Director Hannah White writes in a new paper ahead of the think tank’s conference on Tuesday.
**Subscribe to POLITICO’s Confidential Podcast today. Each 30-minute episode features POLITICO’s analysis of the top stories driving the day in Davos, as well as notable guests shaping European policy and deep-dive stories from around the Continent.**
BEYOND THE M25
BREXIT CORNER: Keir Starmer will use a speech in Belfast today to *checks notes* offer his support to the government, as it looks to move toward clinching a deal on the Northern Ireland protocol. The Labour leader’s latest gambit — and bid to stay on the front foot — comes as the EU and U.K. get ready for 2016-2020-style intense Brexit talks next week, according to Bloomberg’s Alberto Nardelli, Alex Wickham and Morwenna Coniam. The aim is to clinch a deal well ahead of April’s anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
But but but: Taoiseach Leo Varadkar warned in Belfast on Thursday that even if a deal does come on the protocol, it still might not resolve the Stormont standoff that has left Northern Ireland without a functioning assembly for almost a year. Following his talks with the main parties and their leaders, the Irish PM said any deal and defusing of London-Brussels tensions would still “be of value in its own right.” POLITICO’s Shawn Pogatchnik has this dispatch from Belfast.
I will be with you, whatever: In his speech at Queen’s University in Belfast, Starmer will address Rishi Sunak and say that “whatever political cover you need, whatever mechanism in Westminster you require, if it delivers for our national interest and the people of Northern Ireland, we will support you.” Normal service will promptly resume at some point, with the Labour leader expected to criticize the hold he’ll argue the ERG has over the Tory Party.
Here to hear from Keir: Starmer will also be on the BBC sofa with Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday, while his Shadow NI Secretary Peter Kyle will in broadcast studios this morning.
ELSEWHERE IN THE UK: In an interview with the FT’s Jim Pickard, Welsh FM Mark Drakeford has defended his devolved government’s move to let local authorities introduce heavy levies on second homes. Drakeford said the policy is aimed at addressing the “anxiety” of those priced out of the market in tourist spots with high concentrations of second homes. Separately, his government is also aiming to bring in a “tourist tax” which will let councils charge visitors to certain areas.
DISPATCH FROM RIYADH: Business Secretary and expert photoshopper Grant Shapps has been in Saudi Arabia for the past couple of days to drum up investment for U.K. industry, and Playbook is told he’s been working on securing cash for British space-based solar technology. A government aide told Playbook: “Even though the Cornwall space launch was scuppered at the last minute on Tuesday morning, on Thursday Shapps agreed with the Saudi government to move forward on developing sci-fi sounding tech like solar panels in space — opening big opportunities for British expertise abroad while also powering U.K. homes by harnessing energy from the sun.”
MEDIA ROUND
Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Kyle broadcast round: Sky News (7.15 a.m.) … LBC (7.50 a.m.) … GB News (8.15 a.m.) … Times Radio (8.35 a.m.).
Today program: Former Cabinet Minister Andrea Leadsom (8.10 a.m.) … SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn (8.30 a.m.).
Good Morning Scotland: PM Rishi Sunak (7.45 a.m.) … Stephen Flynn (8.05 a.m.).
Also on Kay Burley: Former Scottish FM Henry McLeish (8.20 a.m.) … Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross (9.10 a.m.).
Also on Times Radio Breakfast: Daniel Kebede, national officer and former president of the National Education Union and a secondary school teacher in County Durham (8.10 a.m.) … Director of the Centre on International Courts and Tribunals at University College London Philippe Sands (8.40 a.m.).
Also on Nick Ferrari at Breakfast: Best for Britain chief Naomi Smith (8.35 a.m.).
Reviewing the papers tonight: Sky News (10.30 and 11.30 p.m.): Broadcaster Jenny Kleeman and writer Benedict Spence … Times Radio (10.30 p.m.): Former Labour MP Mary Creagh and pollster Joe Twyman … talkTV (10.20 p.m.): Veteran journo Michael Crick and author Isabel Oakeshott.
TODAY’S FRONT PAGES
(Click on the publication’s name to see its front page):
Daily Express: Life-saving statins for 25 million Brits.
Daily Mail: Hand out statins on demand, doctors are told.
Daily Mirror: Heroes’ cancer torment.
Daily Star: Men with fast cars do have tiny dipsticks.
Financial Times: Biden faces special counsel probe into sensitive files found at home and office.
i: 34 homeless children die in England in three years.
POLITICO UK: Blue-chip firms with Chinese interests pour cash into UK parliament lobbying group.
PoliticsHome: Doctors warn strike talks must address “full pay restoration” after health secretary summit.
The Daily Telegraph: Net zero plan to ban gas boilers in a decade.
The Guardian: Barclay privately admits he must increase pay offer to NHS workers.
The Independent: ‘Mayhem’ in A&E.
The Sun: Talking therapies don’t work for everyone.
The Times: Millions more offered chance to take statins.
TODAY’S NEWS MAGS
The Economist: Zero-sum — The destructive logic that threatens globalisation.
THANK POD IT’S FRIDAY
Beth Rigby Interviews: The Sky pol ed runs through her interview with Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner.
Chopper’s Politics: Christopher Hope interviews Environment Minister Rebecca Pow, Tory MP John Baron and Tory grassroots democracy campaigner John Stafford.
EU Confidential: The POLITICO team is in Stockholm. They sit down with Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard and Green lawmaker Annika Hirvonen, among others.
Iain Dale All Talk: Dale interviews Onward Director Seb Payne.
Inside Briefing: The IfG team talks Westminster Accounts with Sky’s Sam Coates.
Newscast: Adam Fleming and Chris Mason interview Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan and TUC boss Paul Nowak.
On the Couch: Lucy Beresford talks about the year ahead in politics with Sunday Mirror pol ed Nigel Nelson.
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve Richards: Richards looks at the challenges for Keir Starmer in the year ahead.
The News Agents: Emily Maitlis et all discuss Northern Ireland with Blair’s former chief of staff Jonathan Powell.
Whitehall Sources: Calum McDonald, former Tory SpAd Kirsty Buchanan and former Corbyn adviser Frankie Leach discuss the week in Westminster.
YOUR WEEKEND IN POLITICS
SUNDAY SHOWS: The BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg will be talking to Transport Secretary Mark Harper and Labour leader Keir Starmer (BBC One, 9 a.m.). Sky’s Sophy Ridge will also be joined by Harper, plus BMA President Philip Banfield and Tesco Chairman John Allan (Sky News 8.30 a.m.).
No guest news yet for Kate McCann and Adam Boulton on Times Radio (10 a.m.).
Camilla Tominey on the new GB News Sunday show will be talking to former Commons Speaker John Bercow, with veteran journo Michael Crick reviewing the papers (GB News 9.30 a.m.).
Westminster Hour host Carolyn Quinn will be talking to health committee Chairman Steve Brine, Labour Chairwoman Anneliese Dodds, crossbench peer Beeban Kidron and the Telegraph’s Ben Riley-Smith (BBC Radio 4 10 p.m.).
LONDON CALLING
WESTMINSTER WEATHER: Bit of sun, in spells. Highs of 11C.
NEW GIG: Congratulations to the FT’s Jim Pickard, who according to his latest byline has been promoted to deputy political editor.
RACE CONFERENCE: Race review Chair Tony Sewell and Times columnist Trevor Phillips are among the speakers at the Equiano transatlantic conference on rethinking identity politics in Cambridge today.
SPOTTED NEAR BELGRAVE SQUARE: At the German and French ambassadors’ New Year reception, hobnobbing over bratwurst, pulled pork, beer and Champagne … French Ambassador Hélène Tréheux-Duchêne and German Ambassador Miguel Berger … the BBC’s James Landale and Samira Ahmed … Sky’s Deborah Haynes … Bloomberg’s Alberto Nardelli … the Times’ Oli Wright, George Grylls and Giles Coren … the FT’s George Parker, Peter Foster, Philip Stevens and Fred Studemann … the Standard’s Nicholas Cecil … the Guardian’s Pippa Crerar, Dan Sabbagh, Lisa O’Carroll and Fiona Harvey … the Indy’s Kim Sengupta … the Economist’s Anne McElvoy, Matthew Holehouse and John Peet … freelancer Marie Le Conte … the Mail on Sunday’s Peter Hitchens … Chatham House’s John Kampfner … Germany’s Jochen Moeller and Knud Noelle … France’s Victoire Ract-Madoux and Valentine Lauwereins … Portugal’s Helena Sousa e Silva … Hungary’s Petra Hajdu … Italy’s Aurora Russi … the EU’s Federico Bianchi … and more.
Spotted at the Clarence: Raising a glass to the Mirror’s Dan Bloom as he prepares to embrace the late nights and bad puns here at Playbook … his long-standing partner-in-crime Mikey Smith and fellow Mirror colleagues John Stevens, Ben Glaze, Lizzy Buchan, Ashley Cowburn, Sophie Huskisson, Jason Beattie, Kevin Maguire, Phil Coburn, Paul Cockerton, Josh Taylor and Jane Lavender … The Express’ Liz Hazelton … The i’s Hugo Gye … The Telegraph’s Daniel Martin and Camilla Turner … PolHome’s Laura Silver … and Labour PADs Emma Barnes and Nicola Bartlett.
Spotted at Mansion House: At the London Government Dinner … London Mayor Sadiq Khan … Lord Mayor Nicholas Lyons … Housing Minister Felicity Buchan … Tech Minister Paul Scully … London night czar Amy Lamé … Labour MP Florence Eshalomi … and ex Labour adviser Frankie Leach.
Spotted on the Commons terrace: On Wednesday night at the Women’s Lobby drinks (a brilliant event unfortunately omitted from Thursday’s Playbook due to a technical error) … Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner … senior shadow Cabinet Ministers Rachel Reeves, Yvette Cooper, Wes Streeting and Bridget Phillipson … Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey and junior ministers Helen Whately and Mims Davies … Lib Dem leader Ed Davey … MoJ perm sec Antonia Romeo … Tory MPs Aaron Bell, Vicky Ford and Bob Seely … Labour MPs Christian Wakeford, Sharon Hodgson, Alex Sobel and Fleur Anderson … Former Change U.K. MP Luciana Berger … Lib Dem MPs Munira Wilson and Layla Moran … Lib Dem aide Sarah Dobson … Labour staffer Maria Herron … The Times’ Geri Scott … The Guardian’s Pippa Crerar, Jessica Elgot, Rowena Mason and Aletha Adu … The Mail’s Harriet Line … Sky’s Beth Rigby, Mhari Aurora and Liz Bates … HuffPost’s Alex Rogers … The Sunday Times’ Caroline Wheeler … The FT’s Jasmine Cameron-Chileshe … Sydney Morning Herald’s Latika Bourke … The Spectator’s Katy Balls … The Telegraph’s Camilla Turner and Camilla Tominey … OpenDemocracy’s Ruby Lott-Lavigna … The New Statesman’s Rachel Wearmouth … The Indy’s Kate Devlin … The Sun’s Natasha Clarke and Kate Ferguson … The Mirror’s Lizzy Buchan … Yahoo’s Nadine Batchelor-Hunt … ITV’s Libby Wiener and Kieron Clarke … BBC’s Jo Coburn and Carolyn Quinn … and InHouse’s Katie Perrior.
CORRECTION: On Thursday we said we spotted the U.K.’s Deputy Ambassador to Israel Alice Truman at the Holocaust Educational Trust’s annual parliamentary reception, when we actually meant Israel’s Deputy Ambassador to London Oren Marmorstein.
BIRTHDAYS: Commons leveling up committee Chairman Clive Betts … Opposition Whip Mary Glindon … ITV News at Ten Chief Anchor Tom Bradby … LBC presenter James O’Brien … Mail columnist Stephen Glover … The Guardian’s health ed Andrew Gregory … Tate Modern Director Frances Morris.
Celebrating over the weekend: Blaenau Gwent MP Nick Smith … Former leader of the Lib Dems in the European Parliament Catherine Bearder … Crossbench peer Nigel Crisp … U.K. Consul General to Hong Kong and Macao Andrew Heyn … Scotch Whisky Association boss Mark Kent … Retired diplomat Simon Smith … Derby South MP and former Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett … Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie … Former Holyrood Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh … FCDO head of Latin America James Dauris … Unaffiliated peer Andrew Tyrie … Lib Dem peer Jeremy Purvis … FCDO Director General for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean Corin Robertson … Former No. 10 spinner Dylan Sharpe.
PLAYBOOK COULDN’T HAPPEN WITHOUT: My editor Zoya Sheftalovich, reporter Andrew McDonald and producer Grace Stranger.
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