Williamson the latest ‘useful idiot’ in PM’s increasingly dysfunctional administration

GAVIN Williamson ought to be on the backbenches this morning, either sacked or having resigned over the fiasco that is the A-Level results.

Instead he remains responsible for education in this country, ironic given the fact millions of students want him in detention.

Why? Because no-one resigns from Government anymore apart from the former Chancellor Sajid Javid. Resigning was something you did from Theresa May’s administration and so last year darling.

After all when you can bend the lockdown rules you helped draw up as Dominic Cummings did why should anyone else stand down for their mistakes?

But there is a darker art at work here, that of the ‘useful idiot’. The Prime Minister and his inner circle seem adept at using it to shield themselves from the worst of the headlines, sparing no-one in the process.

Cummings actions over lockdown could have become a debate on the Prime Minister’s judgement at a sticky time for him. What followed was Useful Idiot version 1.0 – Cummings.

The advisor broke all conventions, called a press conference from a trestle table and met the allegations with a mixture of arrogance, denial and contempt. The result, everyone was talking about Cummings, no-one about the PM.

And so onto the A-Levels, by my reckoning there was just over 100 hours between the PM’s ‘robust’ results soundbite and the u-turn. One minute the system for moderating A-Level grades had a gold star, the next it was being hauled before the headteacher.

The PM is becoming increasingly adept at saying something which falls apart within days or at least a week. For the ‘robust A-Level moderation process’ see ‘oven-ready Brexit deal’ and ‘free of COVID-19 by Christmas’. All have required a back tracking or screeching u-turn.

This Brexiteer Government though cannot lose their leader, their maestro, hence the need for human shields to ‘take one for the team’ – the team being the PM himself.

You can have a job in Government but you must be prepared to cop everything when, not if, the wheels come off. Ask Cummings, ask Matt Hancock over PPE, ask Robert Jenrick over planning and lockdown breaking.

Which brings us onto Williamson – Useful Idiot 2.0. He won’t be sacked as the furore, together with his own unpleasant pleasant personality with the media, will mean days and days of negative headlines in his direction, not that of the PM.

I’ve watched him on the breakfast shows this morning and his delivery was robotic with an air of ‘I’ve graced your show with my presence’ not any form of mea culpa.

The line to take is seemingly he discovered all was not well over the weekend with the controversial algorithm, then why not scrap the results first thing yesterday morning, not at 4pm?

Nothing is going smoothly for this Government now; in fact I would go as far to say its in crisis. Think about that, a Government handed an 80 seat majority eight months ago is already in turmoil.

While Coronavirus is not as rampant as in the United States, the Government’s message is all over the place. One minute its going to be cleaned up by Christmas, the next it’s something we’ll have to live with for the foreseeable future.

The country is in a deep recession and unless something changes in the next eight weeks our divorce from the European Union will see us leave with nothing agreed. Far from the ‘oven-ready’ deal millions of hard-working Brexit voters were promised.

A second Scottish referendum looks almost inevitable, while many say the Prime Minister will simply not grant one he will find it hugely difficult if Sturgeon and her pals win a landslide in May in the Scottish Parliament elections having made a new referendum the central pillar of the campaign.

One could suggest Sturgeon demand the Prime Minister listen to the ‘will of the people’……..

When will it end? Will the Prime Minister, a man known for his lack of desire for detail, ever get a grip on this chaotic Government?

Leadership is more than being the country’s cheerleader, its about making the right decisions at the right time for the benefit of all. If you are constantly performing u-turns you will never move forward.

The keys to Downing Street for Labour or indeed any ambitious Tory are on the hook marked ‘competency’. The opposition mustn’t fall into the ‘rich Tories bashing the poor kids’ manta, however true it is.

Show the British people this Government is incompetent, if they can mess up Coronavirus, if they can mess up exam results, what’s next? Brexit?

The Red Wall has crumbled, now the Tories want to smash it altogether

LABOUR suffered its worst defeat since 1935 on Thursday evening as clear blue water rushed through the red wall, drowning much of what was in its path.

Though the majority wasn’t as much as Tony Blair’s 22 years ago, the early hours of Friday morning felt like Labour’s 1997 landslide as the Tories picked up seat after historic seat.

Blyth Valley – Labour since 1950, Workington – Labour since 1918 apart from three years in the 70s, Rother Valley – Labour for 101 years unbroken, were just three of Labour’s ‘safe’ seats which fell to the Conservatives.

Look beyond the Tory gains and the picture is even more frightening for Labour in its heartlands.

Mike Hill retained his Hartlepool seat for Labour despite losing more than 6,500 votes and has a much-reduced majority of 3,595.

The Brexit Party’s Richard Tice polled more than 10,000 votes, had he stood aside then its fair to say Hartlepool would have gone blue too.

Ed Miliband was returned in Doncaster North by 2,370 votes from the Conservatives – the Brexit Party picked up more than 8,000 votes….

If Labour doesn’t act swiftly and recognise what happened to the party then the ‘red wall’ may well be no more come 2024, the next scheduled General Election.

While shamefully avoiding scrutiny, retaining questionable morals and having the capacity to offend every time he opens his mouth, Boris Johnson delivered an early Christmas present for his party with a remarkable result.

It’s perhaps no surprise the bluster was toned down on Friday afternoon, gone was ‘getting Brexit done’ and more of the pathetic verbal jabs at people who dared not share his view.

Instead there was talk of healing, coming together and the first salvo in what looks a move to the centre ground of British politics.

Becoming a ‘servant of the people’ as he said on Saturday is a very Blair-like comment but northerners want action not words. What they gave on Thursday they won’t think twice about taking away.

Deliver and Johnson can name his own departure date as Prime Minister because unless Labour grab the bull by the horns they will remain out of power.

It’s been nine years since the party was asked to leave Downing Street, nine more and it will equal the 18 years of exile only ended by Blair’s landslide in ‘97.

Jeremy Corbyn has faced two Conservative leaders in less than three years at the polls and lost both times.

But in an apparent sign of things to come, will he depart immediately? No he wishes for a period of reflection.

There is nothing to reflect on, the voters rejected the idea of him as Prime Minister, nothing he can say or do will now change that.

Labour’s manifesto was worthy at its heart, a fairer society is something we should all pursue every day, doing away with the need for foodbanks also.

But refusing to say whether you would authorise the use of Trident to defend our nation against an albeit hypothetical threat, wanting another Brexit referendum when the result of the first hadn’t been enacted and creating an image the wealth creators in this country were somehow immoral is not the action of a future leader.

I’ve met Mr Corbyn three times since he became leader, he’s a decent, honourable man of principle who believes in what he says – nothing he says is because a focus group said it would be idea!

The party needs him to act quickly, stand down and appoint an interim leader. Failure to do so will only accentuate the damage caused on Thursday night.

Labour is at the crossroads, the party which won power for 13 years under a leader many of its members actively despise, now faces a critical decision.

Appoint a continuity Corbyn candidate and the party could face oblivion in 2024 should the PM indeed move into the centre ground.

Understand how and why this landslide happened, why former mining towns so betrayed by Thatcher were willing to reject the party and vote Conservative and redemption could be possible.

A former leader once stressed the need to go ‘forward not back’. As much as it might hurt, its advice Labour ought to take.

Otherwise it may only appeal to the few, not the many. Sorry Jeremy

December will see the end of May, the weak and wobbly Prime Minister

THE END of the year will bring an end to Theresa May's time as Prime Minister with an epitaph similar to her predecessor, nothing of note.

Why? Because leading the negotiations on Brexit has shown Mrs May up for the hapless leader the nation got a preview of last year but which has been on full cinematic release for most of 2018.

Never before has a Prime Minister been entrusted with something only to deliver an outcome which is going to anger everyone. To my cost I don't have many leave voters in my circle of friends but I would love to know what they think about the farce that is Brexit.

Because let's spell it out, Chequers will not work, the EU will never countenance something which keeps us in the Customs Union but ignores the other pillars such as Freedom of Movement.

There is nothing she can do on the Irish border problem, put one up and risk opening a box which none of us thought had been cemented shut or go without and find the EU giving you another reason to trash your 'deal'.

A 'hard Brexit' where we break free, renounce everything and 'take back control' will not get the support it needs in Parliament with Labour vowing to oppose it.

Leaving us with 'No Deal' - would a Conservative Prime Minister truly push the button on something which could shred our economy to ribbons and plunge us back into a very deep recession.

Everywhere she turns there is a problem not of her own making but equally she's not helped herself in recent weeks. Humiliated in Salzburg, Mrs May came out fighting and urged the EU to get something sorted.

Fine....except for in Brussels where EU chiefs looked around for the 25th different way of saying 'You want to leave, its not for us to make suggestions how you exit.'

And now she wants to extend the post Brexit transition......We're being laughed at and the EU's patience is wearing.

President Macron of France has already relabelled Brexit as a 'political problem' and Mrs May could have the rug pulled out from under her if Michel Barnier et al decide to plan for No Deal.

Politics has need a game changing moment for two years to end this frankly hideous battle of the losers in May vs Corbyn.

Maybe some in the Tories need to tap their leader on the shoulder and say Au Revoir.

Because Brexit means naff all at the moment, the ship is sinking and now is the time for a leader to step up and guide this country back to calmer waters.

Luckless May must end this farce

THE SPEECH which would relaunch her authority as Prime Minister will now be remembered as the beginning of the end for Theresa May.

Forget the coughing and spluttering, the intervention from the 'comedian' and the letters failing down, the Prime Minister floundered in the last chance saloon.

The promise of 2016 has descended into the  farce of 2017. A Prime Minister who asked for a majority to deliver Brexit and was told by voters "Errrrr, nah!"

A Prime Minister who had the chance to finish off the Labour Party instead energised them with an appalling and robotic campaign that made millions turn their backs on the Tories.

A Prime Minister so fearful of the future she won't sack her Foreign Secretary despite Boris's frequent undermining of her authority.

And as today showed, a Prime Minister who left the human touch until it was too late.

How different could the election have been had Mrs May spoken of her diabetes on the campaign trail? Of her and Phillip's pain and not being able to have children.

The message would have resonated and given a real human side to a woman cruelly labelled the 'Maybot'.

Stymied by Brexit and leading a party which looks knackered and in need of a break, Mrs May is reaching for the Strepsils at a time her party needs a six pack of Red Bull.

And so to Manchester where she would tell her party to stop obsessing about leadership and get on with the job. She needed some luck, something she ran out of a long time ago...

Instead of triumphalism we got turgid, joy was replaced by pain. Leadership again was lacking.

Visually, Labour's conference looked like the party of Government. The Tories have just finished a four day wake.

Her husband raced to her side to hug her after Mrs May had finally finished her speech.

I sincerely hope at some point on the journey home he has turned to his wife and asked: "Is it really worth all this?"

Because at the moment the job she has craved all her political career is doing its best to grind her into the dust.

The falling letters behind her provided a powerful visual metaphor.

Where's the F'in leadership this country desperately needs?