IN normal times it falls to opposition parties to call for full disclosure while governments, with more secrets to keep, prefer to keep lips zipped.
On the political talk shows yesterday, that principle was turned on its head with Labour keen to do a Garbo and the Conservatives positively giddy with talk of the future.
The weekend newspapers had decided that the outcome of the race to lead the Conservatives, and the UK, was all but over bar the shouting, and television producers agreed. It was time to look ahead to what an administration led by Boris Johnson might look like, and what it would do. Interviews for positions have been open for quite some time now, but it is never too late to remind an incoming Prime Minister of one’s worth as a television performer.
Dominic Raab, former Brexit Secretary turned Boris defender/cheerleader, was widely held to have acquitted himself well during the week on Peston. He must have enjoyed the verbal sparring, because he got up on a Sunday morning to do it all again on Ridge on Sunday.
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His only stumble came when he referred to Mr Johnson putting a Cabinet together “after” he wins, which was quickly corrected to “if” he succeeds.
When it came to who would be around the table, Mr Raab preferred to see a “wide-ranging Cabinet”, albeit one that was disciplined and where the principle of collective responsibility had been restored. So not that wide-ranging then.
On The Andrew Marr Show the host was also keen to talk jobs. Not his own, for which, as the BBC annual report showed last week, he is paid between £390,000-£394,999. He was interested in the job security of David Gauke, the Justice Secretary and prominent Remainer, in any government led by Mr Johnson. “He’s going to sack you, isn’t he?” asked the presenter with all the subtlety of a carnival barker.
Mr Gauke, whose anti-no deal supporters have been dubbed the Gaukeward Squad, said he would jump before he was pushed if being part of Team Johnson meant signing up to an October 31 departure come what may. One down, more to come.
Pledges of resignations aside, a calm has settled on the Conservatives, for now at least, following a leadership contest notable for its lack of rancour. That could change on Tuesday when Mr Johnson and Jeremy Hunt take part in the first, live, head to head debate on ITV. For now, the party is more than happy to leave the bad headlines to Labour.
READ MORE: Labour hit by 'civil war' claims
On the Labour leadership’s calendar it is not Tuesday which has been ringed in red but Wednesday, when a Panorama special, titled “Is Labour Antisemitic?”, is due to air. As reported in yesterday’s Sunday Times, several former members of Labour's staff are said to have torn up the non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) they signed in order to speak out on the programme. This has led, in turn, to the issuing of lawyers’ letters reminding employees of their obligations.
Barry Gardiner, Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade, told Sophy Ridge that the party was not using NDAs to cover up wrongdoing. Taking the attack is the best defence approach, he questioned the balance and impartiality of the Panorama programme. But as the BBC was quick to point out, Mr Gardiner was criticising something he had not yet seen.
Panorama is not Labour’s only headache. Apart from the continuing muddle over the party’s Brexit position, those shadow ministers on media duty yesterday also had to comment on reports that war was raging between Jeremy Corbyn’s unelected advisers and those MPs closest to the Labour leader. Mr McDonnell and Diane Abbott were reported to have demanded the sackings of Seamus Milne, head of strategy, and chief of staff Karie Murphy.
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Asked about this on Marr, Mr McDonnell said he had not called for anyone to be dismissed and any claims to the contrary were “myths and rubbish”. Where on Earth could such stories have come from, then? Well-refreshed journalists, said Mr McDonnell, staggering from one summer reception to the next "drinking some of the most nauseating wine ever produced from a grape". A case of sour grapes, then, but only on journalists’ part.
As for the state of the Corbyn-McDonnell relationship, it was doing just fine, thanks for asking. "Jeremy and I go back 40 years, we're the closest of friends. We've minded each other's back throughout that period. Yes, we'll disagree on things, and then we'll come to an agreement."
While he pledged his support to Remain in any future referendum, he defended Mr Corbyn’s right to dither, or as he put it, to build consensus. That said, Mr McDonnell was conscious of time pressing on. The Shadow Chancellor is in the camp that reckons Prime Minister Johnson could go for a General Election in September.
That was not the vision swirling in Labour MP Ian Murray’s crystal ball. Speaking on Sunday Politics Scotland, the former Shadow Scottish Secretary said there would not be a General Election. Moreover, he added, anybody in Labour who wanted one when Labour was languishing at 18% in the opinion polls “is really not on the same planet as the rest of us”.
All this as television begins a season of programmes celebrating the moon landing. Enjoy the peace and tranquility of the stars: it will be back to Earth with a bump next Sunday for someone.
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