The Word in Westminster: It was meant to be my party and I'll cry if I want to
3 min read
Alain Tolhurst brings you the latest titbits from the corridors of power
Brexit has caused an awful lot of missed appointments, cancelled meetings and apologies for events skipped. And to that we can add the 60th birthday parties of two MPs, after Tory John Whittingdale revealed that he and Labour’s Kevin Brennan were born on the same day in 1959. He told the Commons Mr Brennan had to cancel his planned celebrations after Parliament was forced to sit on ‘Super Saturday’. Mr Whittingdale avoided that problem by scheduling his festivities for a few days later – only to have to postpone them too due to the debate on the Programme Motion for the WAB. The ex-Cabinet minister shrugged it off, saying he regarded it as a small price to pay “if the result is that we get Brexit done”. Sorry John, I guess we’ll check back in on next year’s birthday.
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Parliamentarians looking for a busman’s holiday from the Brexit drama these past few weeks could have found partial escape at the National Theatre, where Simon Woods’ debut play ‘Hansard’ is on. A witty, gripping two-hander starring Alex Jennings and Lindsay Duncan as an 80s Thatcherite Tory MP and his leftie wife, it mixes personal drama with the politics of introducing Section 28 during a row in their Cotswold constituency home. But despite being set in 1988 it proves that nothing ever really changes; Diana, wife of fictional minister Robin Hesketh, says “the great mystery of our time”, is “the insatiable desire of the people of this country to be f***ed by an Old Etonian”. She questions why the country keeps electing Conservatives, to which her husband says because Labour keep electing “a procession of badly dressed geography teachers” as their leader. Plus ca change.
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Plans for a General Election did not materialise last week, but within Parliament there was a pretty important poll taking place; to become chair of the Treasury Select Committee. Campaigning had ramped up in recent days, with Harriet Baldwin producing glossy pamphlets handed out across Parliament, while Kevin Hollinrake produced some rather less sophisticated clip-art-heavy leaflets. His team did try and make up for it by hauling a lifesize cardboard cutout of the Thirsk and Malton MP around Portcullis House on polling day, though it wasn’t enough for either of them to prevent Mel Stride from winning out. But with the PM still likely to call a snap election soon and no committee meetings scheduled, Mel could find himself in the unfortunate position of being the shortest, and least productive, chair in its history.
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One of the most depressing moments from the special weekend sitting of Parliament was the sight of Jacob Rees-Mogg and his son Peter, surrounded by a phalanx of police, being screamed and shouted at by angry demonstrators. Much was made about involving the children of politicians in the Brexit protest, but the Commons leader was happy to clear things up. He said he “had many kind inquiries” but added: “He is a 12-year-old boy. He found nothing more exciting than being escorted home by the police”. Before adding: “I am not sure he should have found it so exciting, but he did…”
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