Skip to main content

PM dodges MPs again as junior minister takes the flak | John Crace

Boris Johnson, a man who claims to love democracy, will do anything to avoid answering to MPs

What with one thing and another, Boris Johnson has spent more time anxiously looking out for both the police and his own rattled backbenchers in recent weeks than he has for the country. But with the local elections taking place next week, it has suddenly dawned on him that almost everyone is worried about the cost-of-living crisis. So at this week’s cabinet meeting, The Convict was determined to give the subject his undivided attention.

There was just one problem. There was no spare money, no tax cuts even, to help those who were struggling to heat their homes and put food on the table. Which meant that the cabinet was more like a money saving expert away-day, with each minister chipping in with a few tips on how to get the best value for your money. Johnson got the ball rolling. If you were struggling to pay your bills, then you could always get Lord Brownlow to pay them. It had worked a treat for him. Brownlow had stumped up a fortune for the hideous wallpaper and wouldn’t be averse to helping out a few others.

Continue reading...

from The Guardian https://ift.tt/fqGvsPz

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

England booed off after failing against Iceland once more in Euros warm-up

It was a long way from being the triumphant Euro 2024 send-off for Gareth Southgate and his England players at a sold-out and increasingly fretful Wembley. Never mind the result because it was not the main thing, however much it stirred memories of you-know-when against Iceland. It was the performance that raised the difficult questions, the worst one for quite some time and at exactly the wrong time. The home fans, thousands of whom made for the exits before the end, were forced to watch the second half – from about minute 55 onwards – through the gaps between their fingers. And it had not been great before that. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/4ndfQL0

Manchester City in title driving seat after cruising to win at Leeds

The title stare-off becomes steelier with each week. Elland Road was at its raucous best and a highly motivated Leeds played well enough to ensure Manchester City rarely neared full stride. Nevertheless the leaders mastered the situation, showing they can win via set pieces when means of higher aesthetic merit elude them. Rodri and Nathan Aké proved the point with goals in each half, garnished later by Gabriel Jesus’ sixth in three matches and a Fernandinho daisycutter, and Pep Guardiola’s delight at the outcome was obvious. This had been a possible banana skin, with the potential leveller of such a highly charged atmosphere; instead City cruise on and Leeds, who are in genuine danger of going down, must seek more viable routes to safety. This encounter had an edge from the outset. It needed to, because the heat had been turned up on both teams. City would have expected Liverpool to achieve what was necessary at Newcastle; Leeds might not have banked on Burnley’s turnaround at Watford...

Bins ‘overflowing’ in parts of England as Covid hits collections

Staff sickness in areas including London, Gloucestershire and Somerset leads to waste services being scaled back Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Bins across parts of England are reportedly “overflowing” with rubbish from the festive period due to Covid-related staff shortages. London, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Buckinghamshire are among the areas where councillors have warned that bin collections are being scaled back because of staff sickness. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3qIHK0C