Andy McSmith's Diary: Mark Clarke must wonder where all his influential friends have gone
Mr Clarke has already suffered the ultimate political penalty, being expelled from the Tory party for life
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Your support makes all the difference.Whatever else comes of the inquiry into bullying allegations in the Conservative Party, Mark Clarke, the figure at its centre, has already suffered the ultimate political penalty, expelled from the party for life. He must wonder where his old friends and allies went.
For example, the Trade Union Bill now passing through Parliament owes something to Mark Clarke. It introduces new restrictions on what the unions call “facility time” which allows union representatives to have time off to carry out union duties, paid for by their employers. There was a high-profile campaign against this practice launched back in 2011 by the Taxpayers’ Alliance and the Guido Fawkes website, which gave the nickname “pilgrims” to union officials being paid by the public sector, after Jane Pilgrim, a full-time trade union official drawing a £40,000 salary paid by St George’s Hospital, in Tooting, south London.
It was Mark Clarke who claimed credit for uncovering the Pilgrim case while he was Conservative candidate in Tooting. After he failed to get into Parliament in 2010, he served as chief executive of the Conservative Trade Union Reform Campaign. Its chairman was Aidan Burley, the Tory MP whose political career came to an early close because of his presence at a stag party where guests dressed as Nazis. Its social media adviser was Harry Cole, who then worked for Guido Fawkes, and now writes for The Sun. Its parliamentary council included Liam Fox, the current Paymaster General, Matthew Hancock, and the Minister for Human Rights, Dominic Raab. Then, Clarke had access to them all. Now he is friendless,
Oakeshott out in the cold
Isabel Oakeshott, the journalist who co-wrote the book that told the story about David Cameron and a dead pig, has not been getting much of a welcome in her new role as a roaming political writer for the Daily Mail. She is an unusual journalist, because there was a time when a reporter would go to prison rather than betray a contact – but after Vicky Pryce, estranged wife of the cabinet minister Chris Huhne, confided in Oakeshott, Pryce went to prison and Oakeshott collected a journalism award. A report in Private Eye that her new colleagues are not speaking to her has spurred her husband, Nigel Rosser, into action. He has been ringing Mail journalists such as the columnist Peter Oborne, asking them to be nice to his wife.
All together now
It is no great secret that Government Whips hand MPs questions to ask in the House of Commons, so that ministers can have an easier ride. During education questions, Nicky Morgan, the Education Secretary, was faced with four identically worded written questions from the Tory MPs Peter Aldous, Andrew Bingham, Pauline Latham and Alan Mak, each of whom asked “what plans the Government have to deliver fairer funding for schools.” Tough.
Lady C’s marital mishap
The Sun on Sunday had a two-page spread about Lady Colin Campbell, a contestant in I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! which included an interview with her ex-husband, Lord Colin, who described her as “a monster, a crushing snob and a complete fake.” It was great fun to read, but rather oversold, in that the paper claimed it was Lord Colin’s first interview for 40 years.
Actually, he talked publicly about her 10 years ago, when she reissued a book she wrote about Princess Diana, which greatly embarrassed her ex-husband’s family because his nephew, the Duke or Argyll, is Master of the Royal Household in Scotland. Lord Colin felt the need to apologise to Prince Charles.
Theirs was not a wise or happy marriage. They met in New York in March 1974. He invited her to dinner, and they were married that same week. Lord Colin’s family were horrified to learn that her birth certificate had her down as a boy. He claims he did not know she had grown up as boy, and could not bear to touch her after he found out. They divorced after a few months, and apparently have not spoken for 40 years, but since she never remarried, she is still entitled to call herself Lady Colin.
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