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Paul Brand

@PaulBrandITV

Mar 30

EXCL: Fire service is facing “watershed moment” as Inspectorate finds every service in England contains harassment & bullying.

In an exclusive interview, the Inspectorate tells me they’ve been shocked by our investigation - “the behaviour must stop”.

itv.com/news/2023-03-3…

Inspectorate found misogyny, racism and homophobia in a quarter of services.

In one, a black firefighter was called the ‘n’ word.

In another, male colleagues simulated rape on a female firefighter.

In a third, homophobic language was scrawled on a locker.

The Inspectorate’s landmark report confirms much of what we found in our investigation:

A toxic, old boys club culture in which women are victimised when they speak out. Perpetrators allowed to retire / resign without sanction. Complaining is ‘career suicide’.

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Paul Brand

@PaulBrandITV

Mar 21

Boris Johnson’s opening pitch:

“I accept that the Commons was misled by my statements that the Rules and Guidance had been followed completely at No. 10. But when the statements were made, they were made in good faith…I did not intentionally or recklessly mislead the House.”

“There is no evidence at all that supports an allegation that I intentionally or recklessly misled the House. The only exception is the assertions of the discredited Dominic Cummings, which are not supported by any documentation.”

On these infamous pics (leaked to ITV News) Boris Johnson says:

“Despite the way that those photographs have been weaponised by the media, they in fact provide further support that this was in no sense “obvious”.”

Why would he have let official photographer take pics, he asks?

Read 21 tweets

Paul Brand

@PaulBrandITV

Mar 14

@BethRigby

🧵Why are people picking up on Kate Forbes telling @BethRigby that conversion therapy is someone’s “choice”?

The argument gets complicated, but is actually very simple.

Question is whether someone can consent to their own harm. 1/

The medical consensus is that CT is harmful (a memorandum of understanding was signed by the major psychological and psychiatric bodies in UK).

Practitioners (almost all of whom are religious leaders) dispute this and say CT works. There is no scientific evidence for this. 2/

So, with harm established - at least in scientific terms - question is why anyone would choose to harm themselves.

Answer is that for everyone I’ve ever interviewed who’s been through CT it is a false ‘choice’. They are pressured - either directly, or societally - into it. 3/

Read 7 tweets

Paul Brand

@PaulBrandITV

Mar 3

The preliminary report from the Privileges Committee today is quite damning.

What’s new? Well it concludes that Boris Johnson may have misled parliament on several occasions and includes new photographs of him attending events during lockdown, including with booze on the table.

It also contains WhatsApp messages from his Director of Communications at the time, raising concerns about the PM’s birthday party.

“I’m struggling to come up with a way this one is within the rules in my head”.

ie No10 knew it was probably illegal (police concluded it was).

Johnson believes he has been thrown a bone by the departure of Sue Gray to be Labour’s Chief of Staff. Committee makes repeated reference to her report.

“It is surreal to discover that the committee proposes to rely on evidence culled and orchestrated by Sue Gray”.

However…

Read 8 tweets

Paul Brand

@PaulBrandITV

Jan 24

NEW: Understand witnesses are now being contacted by Privileges Committee to begin submitting written and later oral evidence re partygate.

They are being asked not just for evidence of parties but the briefing Boris Johnson was given in response to ITV News and Mirror stories.

ie The Committee wants to know what No10 decided Boris Johnson should say in the media and in Parliament about the scandal. In other words, whether there was an attempt to mislead of course.

Witnesses are being offered anonymity but their testimony will be shared with Boris Johnson to allow him to respond. Means there’s some guts required - you have to be willing to upset a former Prime Minister. No small enemy to make. Know some are torn about what to do.

Read 6 tweets

Paul Brand

@PaulBrandITV

Jan 22

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly looks utterly thrilled to be on the morning round today defending the tax affairs of Nadhim Zahawi and the financial affairs of Boris Johnson. #ridge

“I don’t know” is the overall response to both scandals. In reality, ministers receive a thorough briefing before going on the airwaves and are acutely aware of the topics they’re likely to be asked about. Foreign Secretary clearly doesn’t want to be drawn into all this.

“It’s not my role to investigate colleagues’ tax affairs” says Cleverly.

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