George Galloway and the Lib Dems, a Tale of 5 Acts.
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1. Galloway says the Lib Dems are the most ‘utterly vile, unprincipled and treacherous’ party he’s ever encountered in 50 years in politics 2. Galloway endorses LibDem candidate in Rochdale’s Spotland ward, tweets a video endorsing her.

She nods along. TWO other rosette-wearing LDs appear in same video.

George Galloway told the voters of Rochdale he would be their voice on Gaza.

Well, there's an Urgent Question in the Commons right now. And Galloway is nowhere to be seen.

Meanwhile, lots of Labour MPs demanding immediate ceasefire and suspension of arms sales to Israel. .@BenPBradshaw points out both Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair suspended arms sales to Israel to influence policy.

With several Tory MPs also v critical of Israel, notable that @AndrewmitchMP says arms sales under review but not job of minister to "make policy" at despatch box

.@RishiSunak tells @BBCYork that "Lee's comments were unacceptable, they were wrong." Says it's incumbent on politicians not to inflame situations. "The words Lee chose were unacceptable"
Note that the PM stresses Anderson's *words* were wrong, not Anderson himself. Q that needs to be asked: under what conditions would you restore the Tory whip to Lee Anderson?
ie is this just a question of putting him in a sin bin until everyone's attention is elsewhere? Can he demonstrate he has learned and won't repeat his remarks? Or is he out for good?

Labour's voters are overwhelmingly (75%) pro-EU and want Starmer to be too.

Sir John Curtice: "If indeed it is elected into office by a predominantly pro-EU electorate, it’s then got to think about how it’s going to best keep that electorate.”

inews.co.uk/news/politics/… Is there little appetite for a #RejoinEU referendum?
Curtice: “This is one of those great myths of our time. If you actually look at the evidence…a majority of those people who want to be inside the European Union are in favour of having a referendum within the next 5 years.”

Exclusive: Covid Inquiry verdict on Tory austerity set to be delayed until after the next general election

inews.co.uk/news/covid-inq… Meanwhile, @CovidJusticeUK have compiled their own analysis of Module 1 of the Covid Inquiry.

The evidence "overwhelmingly and unquestionably demonstrates the significantly negative, dangerous and devastating impact of prolonged austerity”

inews.co.uk/opinion/covid-…

.@George_Osborne as fluent as ever in evidence to Covid Inquiry. Cites OBR chair Richard Hughes for saying 'in the absence of perfect foresight', the best prep for a pandemic any Treasury can do is to have a healthy balance sheet to allow flexibility of emergency spending needed Osborne: “No one said to us there could be a health pandemic that is not influenza for which the likely response is you’re going to have to shut down the economy…This is not disparaging the health experts. "
Adds it doesn’t seem any country prepared like that.

Just spotted legendary actor Ian McKellen in the Commons guest gallery, he's currently watching @theresa_may praise the Privileges Committee for its denunciation of @BorisJohnson's lies to Parliament Top trivia: McKellen using theatre binoculars to watch May speak.

“He can be charming and nice as pie to you, but if you don’t give him what he wants he becomes really nasty,” one former Cabinet minister tells me.

“He’s a bully, a fat Flashman. Some of us knew it, but the world is now seeing it these past few days.”

inews.co.uk/opinion/boris-… Johnson accusing the Privileges Cttee of a “final knife-thrust in a protracted political assassination” alarmed colleagues with its violent imagery.

Tory + Lab MPs recalled Sir David Amess was fatally stabbed doing his duty + Jo Cox was murdered exactly seven years ago this week

Exclusive: Govt in fresh legal bid to stop Covid inquiry from publishing WhatsApps + other documents

A so-called Section 19 application could allow the Cabinet Office to keep even redacted messages secret, should their judicial review fail

inews.co.uk/news/governmen… When the Covid Inquiry holds a preliminary meeting on Tues, sources expect it to confirm Govt considering the draconian step of a Section 19.

If successful, key participants in the inquiry would not be given access to the documents - and they would not be made public for years.

Cabinet Office confirm they're defying the Covid Inquiry and launching a Judicial Review 🚨 so much for "lefty lawyers", eh?

Could @SteveBarclay be the next Tory leader?

My piece on his uniquely consistent popularity among @ConHome readers (and among Tory MPs).

inews.co.uk/opinion/steve-… As @ProfTimBale @DrDavidJeffery point out, after the election, the Parliamentary Tory party could look very different.
*Johnson loses Red Wall MPs he needs
*Mordaunt cd lose seat
*Braverman backers ditto

theconversation.com/annihilation-i…

Could @SteveBarclay be the next leader of the Opposition?

Don't rule out the Tom Wambsgans of the Tory Party.

Tonight's #WaughOnPolitics is in your inbox

inews.co.uk/opinion/steve-… Includes a link to this @ProfTimBale @drdavidjeffrey analysis on what may happen to the Tory party after the next election.
Labour could oust @PennyMordaunt, plus @SuellaBraverman supporting MPs.

theconversation.com/annihilation-i…

Exclusive: George Osborne summoned to Covid Inquiry over impact of NHS austerity cuts on pandemic

inews.co.uk/news/george-os… More details here in my piece for @theipaper Weekend:

The Covid Inquiry is set to put Tory austerity on trial.

inews.co.uk/opinion/covid-…

Both Labour and the Tories should ditch the numbers game on immigration - and focus on fixing Britain.

The latest #WaughOnPolitics

inews.co.uk/opinion/immigr… As soon as a politician is asked is immigration "too high" and says "yes", the next Q is "well what level should it be?" (A: er, I dunno)
The answer should be that now we have "control" it will go up and down according to the needs of a *dynamic* economy and public services.

Big news coming after 12 noon, (and I don't mean PMQs) Here's the big story:
Cabinet Office accused of holding back ‘politically sensitive’ evidence about Boris Johnson from Covid Inquiry

Chair of Public Inquiry clearly unhappy

inews.co.uk/news/politics/…

The final figures are in: just 63,279 people met last night's 5pm deadline to apply for new Voter ID.

That's a tiny 3% of the 2 MILLION people who lack the right ID to vote under the Govt's new rules.

inews.co.uk/opinion/tory-v… A few people clearly didn't get the memo, and tried to apply after the 5pm deadline. They'll now be told at the polling station: 'no ID, no vote'

#dashboardofdoom

…-authority-certificate.service.gov.uk/performance

The @timloughton amemdment to curb detention of children in the Illegal Migration Bill now has 22 backers.
Feels like Govt edging towards either accepting it or at least @RobertJenrick signalling from Despatch Box key concessions.

Here's my piece yday
inews.co.uk/opinion/tory-r… .@RobertJenrick tells MPs the removal of unaccompanied children is a "complex" moral issue.
"A very large number of young adults do pose as children". Says one migrant posing as a minor had committed a murder + discretion needed cos people smugglers may load children onto boats

Understandably lots of focus on the race help British nationals to flee Sudan.

But under Govt's Illegal Migration Bill, Sudanese *children* who flee Sudan will face detention and deportation.

Unless enough Tory MPs vote for @timloughton amendment.

inews.co.uk/opinion/tory-r… Why are there so many British nationals in Sudan? Because some have family links. Yet there is no safe and legal route to the UK for refugees.

As @refugeecouncil + @barnardos point out, nearly all child Sudanese, Afghan, Eritrea migrants are granted refugee status after arrival

.@RishiSunak letter to @DominicRaab expresses "great sadness" at his resignation. Key sentence sounds slightly cryptic. "It is clear there have been shortcomings in the historic process that have negatively affected everyone involved".
Surely PM/No10 will have to elaborate on what this means.

.@RishiSunak has shown more statesmanship on Northern Ireland than @BorisJohnson ever did.

Tonight's #WaughOnPolitics is in your inbox

inews.co.uk/opinion/rishi-… The Good Friday Agreement anniversary was marked in style this week - but next week there's a more telling anniversary for @BorisJohnson.

It will be 25 years since he was catapulted to national attention by 'Have I Got News For You'.
Go figure.

inews.co.uk/opinion/rishi-…

V interesting at Liaison Cttee, @CatMcKinnell asks @RishiSunak if he wants to declare an interest...as she points out 6 private childcare providers getting taxpayer help [double the rate of individual childminders]. Sounds like she knows something we don't.. One of those providers is Koru Kids, whose website says:
"£600 if you apply to be a childminder directly (independently)
£1200 – yes double – if you come through an agency like Koru Kids who offer community, training and ongoing support."