Parties fiasco
DOES Captain Hindsight want cops involved over Downing Street parties or not?
The hypocrisies and contradictions of bungling Keir Starmer and other Remainer politicians desperate to topple Boris Johnson now boggle the mind.
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How indignantly Labour’s leader — peculiarly self-righteous for a man photographed chugging beer at a “work event” in lockdown — screamed for police to probe similar bashes at No10.
Except now that the Met HAS waded in, and thrown a giant spanner in his works, Starmer absurdly claims Boris is “using the police as a shield”.
Meanwhile the SNP and Lib Dems, still purportedly serious parties, publicly imply — with no evidence — that Downing Street and the cops are colluding to save Boris’s bacon.
The Sun is no fan of Met chief Cressida Dick. But for leading politicians to assert she is doing Boris favours seems far-fetched and even libellous.
It is surely more likely that sheer incompetence, or over-zealousness over some arcane legal technicality, are behind the Met fearing Sue Gray’s report could prejudice their £1million probe.
It is not hard, though, to imagine the Opposition’s torment. Having assumed they had Boris cornered and mortally wounded, they are being driven mad by him apparently dusting himself down once again and preparing his escape.
Don’t get us wrong. We want the Gray report released in full, not some heavily censored version now due next week. Lawyers say it cannot prejudice a probe into low-level non-jury offences anyway.
Police should back off, let her publish it, then let the chips fall where they may.
Taxing Tories
BORIS and Rishi Sunak have both at times appeared to distance themselves from April’s hated tax rise. But no longer.
Both now insist the hike, to pump billions more into the NHS’s bottomless pit, will proceed. And both must then abandon any claim to being low-tax Tories.
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Low-tax Tories do not raise the overall burden to its highest in 70 years. Not when it is self-evidently damaging and especially when bigger-than-forecast revenues give them wiggle room not to.
It will be a profound mistake and, given soaring prices, a masterpiece of bad timing. We will all be poorer, with growth hammered, inflation sent yet higher and our Covid recovery set back.
It is the opposite of what Brexit was meant for. And if waiting lists are NOT rapidly slashed, Boris and Rishi will pay a huge political price.
There is still time for them to see sense.
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Liar Putin
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VLADIMIR Putin claims he has “no offensive intentions” in Ukraine.
Judge for yourself on our feature from the border here.
Move over, Comical Ali. For brazen lies Russia’s gangster-in-chief cannot be beaten.
