VAL VAZ QUESTIONS PM'S ILLNESS

Ex-Labour frontbencher Valerie Vaz has apologised after appearing to suggest something untoward about Boris Johnson's Covid illness last spring.  The MP for Walsall South made the extraordinary remarks on the BBC's Politics Live on Monday, much to the disgust of Tory MP Simon Clarke.  When asked by host Jo Coburn if she wished to rescind the comments, Vaz dodged the question and said: "None of us were in the room".

Vaz's remarks came during a debate on Dominic Cummings' latest allegations about the government's conduct during the pandemic.  Also taking part were former Labour MP Caroline Flint and ex-Tory MP Matthew Parris.  Flint branded Vaz's remarks 'terrible'.  By Monday evening Vaz had apologised, telling BirminghamLive: "I have had the opportunity to watch my comments on Politics Live today.  I wish to clarify my remarks and apologise if any offence was caused.  I never intended to give the suggestion that the Prime Minister was not seriously ill".

Click below for the clip.

Vaz was sacked from Labour's front bench in Starmer's emergency post-election reshuffle.  She had been the shadow leader of the House of Commons.  In hindsight that has saved the Labour leader further embarrassment now.

WHITTOME REFUSES TO CONDEMN RIOTERS

Despite covering up for BLM last year, the media appears to be unable or unwilling to do the same this time.  A dozen burning police vehicles is probably a bit too much to pass off as a 'peaceful protest' even for the BBC.  Therefore, Politics Live host Jo Coburn was visibly exasperated by the response of Labour's Nadia Whittome to the violence.  Whittome point blank refused to condemn the rioters after multiple opportunities to do so.  There's no surprise there, the Corbyn loyalist has form when it comes to backing violent insurrection.  In response to the toppling of the Colston statue (also in Bristol) last year the Nottingham MP tweeted: "I celebrate these acts of resistance".

Appearing on the Politics Live panel alongside Whittome was Tory MP Damian Green who called her response 'disgraceful'.  Click below for the clips.

Whittome refuses to condemn rioters

Green calls her response 'disgraceful'

Amid the backlash against Whittome, Mail on Sunday columnist Dan Hodges suggested that Starmer should withdraw the whip.  Hodges is the son of ex-Labour MP Glenda Jackson, but quit the party after Corbyn was elected leader.

5pm has since come and gone.  She's still a Labour MP, sorry Dan.

DUFFIELD ON THE DEFENSIVE

Appearing on the BBC's Politics Live on International Women's Day, Labour's Rosie Duffield was inevitably asked about her 'transphobic' views.  Duffield's initial response was to launch into an attack on social media, which she described as a 'cess pit'.  She also lambasted cancel culture, a phenomenon fostered by the left, but which has now turned on feminists like Duffield.

Click below for clip.

Duffield went on to criticise the all-out assault on biological sex, in particular use of the term 'womxn' which she described as 'deeply frightening'.  This view was countered by her co-panellist Zing Tsjeng (a BBC Sounds presenter) who defended the use of the term.

Click below for that clip.

For years smug MPs like Duffield, Stella Creasy, Harriet Harman and Jess Phillips have congratulated themselves for their self-perceived feminist values, while simultaneously ignoring the plight of thousands of young girls and women at the hands of grooming gangs.  To see them being chewed up and cancelled by the left is perhaps no more than they deserve.

ANDREW NEIL BRUTALISES SNP

The BBC made a huge tactical error in removing Andrew Neil from its schedule.  Without a regular TV slot and now free of the BBC, he has embarked on an outspoken journey and in the new year he launches his own news channel.  GB News will be available on Freeview and looks set to challenge the mainstream media monopoly and their globalist fear-mongering narrative.

Neil's final assignment for the BBC was covering the US presidential election, which he discussed on Politics Live last week.  He said he was enjoying his new-found freedom 'to say what he thinks' and he didn't hold back when launching an attack on the Scottish National Party.  Host Jo Coburn had asked Neil about the implications of the US election for Britain, but instead he embarked on an assault on the SNP and appeared to accuse London-based media of giving them 'a free ride'.  Also on a video link was the SNP MP for Stirling, Alyn Smith, who responded to Neil's assault with a patronising remark about Neil needing 'a lie-down'.  The ferocious debate ended in a virtual staring match with Smith raising his eyebrow and glaring into the camera.

Watch below (and then enjoy Neil's devastating take-down of Nicola Sturgeon from last year's pre-election interview).

Andrew Neil eviscerates Nicola Sturgeon (November 2019)

RUSSELL-WOTSIT IN TOO DEEP

Perhaps all the important hands were to the pump on Wednesday as Labour prepared to launch its communist manifesto.  How else to explain how the candidate for Brighton Kemptown was rolled out to talk about Labour's NHS conspiracy theory on the BBC's Politics Live.  "You've got no evidence" host Jo Coburn repeatedly told the hapless backbencher as he rattled off the usual Labour scare story about the NHS being sold off to the United States.

Brighton Kemptown candidates 2019

Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Lab)

Joe Miller (Con)

Ben Thomas (Lib Dem)

Graham Cushway (Brexit)

Alexandra Phillips (Green)

Brighton Kemptown general election 2017

Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Lab) 28,703 (58.3%) +19.2%
Simon Kirby (Con) 18,835 (38.3%) -2.4%
Emily Tester (Lib Dem) 1,457 (3.0%) N/c

Doktor Haze (Ind) 212 (0.4%) New

LABOUR'S 'FINAL SAY' IS BOMBING

Labour lefty Laura Pidcock spoke to Jo Coburn on Politics Live yesterday to discuss the party's Brexit policy and how it was going down on the doorsteps.  Pidcock's north-east region of England was one of only three areas where Labour remains in the lead according to a new YouGov survey.  This is despite the region's big Leave vote in 2016.  Laura's own constituency of North West Durham returned one of the smaller Leave votes at 55 per cent.  We're no body language experts, but watching Laura's response to Coburn it appears that Labour's bullshit Brexit policy is not going down well at all.  Shifting awkwardly and looking down and away to the side is not the look of someone answering a question honestly.

At some point during this campaign let's hope that someone points out the bullshit of Labour's Brexit approach.  They are not offering a 'final say' about whether we Leave or Remain, the two options they are offering are Remain and Remain.  Their new deal would retain membership of both the customs union and single market, with freedom of movement set to continue.  This is not Brexit, it is Remain.

PIDCOCK FLAPS

Shadow Business Minister Laura Pidcock appeared on the BBC's Politics Live today to answer questions about Theresa May's latest Brexit shenanigans.  Despite May having bent over backwards to accommodate Labour demands (including a vote on holding a second referendum), Laura and her colleagues have flatly rejected it.  Jo Coburn's questioning had Laura in a bit of a flap.

She says that the government cannot deliver anything they say.  Well they can't because they lost their majority in 2017 and have to rely on the non-existent support of muppets like you.  If May hadn't called that disastrous election we'd have fewer Labour MPs in Parliament and almost certainly wouldn't have to be taking part in tomorrow's European elections.

Pidcock is on the left and a Corbyn loyalist, believe it or not she is tipped as a future leader of the party.  Gawd help us.