No 10 director of strategy resigns over revelation about sexually explicit comments about Diane Abbott in private email in 2017
Keir Starmer has been hit by a fresh Downing Street resignation. Paul Ovenden has resigned as director of strategy at No 10 over revelations, first published by the Mail, that in 2017 he made sexually explicit comments about Diane Abbott in a private email.
Ovenden was a Labour party press officer at the time.
In his story for the Mail, Dan Hodges reports:
The Mail understands that Mr Ovenden had exchanged emails with a former colleague in 2017 in which he retold a story about a game of ‘shag, marry, kill’ involving Ms Abbott he had overheard.
He then graphically recounted the conversation in which two women described performing sex acts on Ms Abbott, 71, the veteran MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington.
Mr Ovenden has resigned to avoid becoming ‘a distraction’.
Key events
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Why Paul Ovenden’s resignation matters
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MPs to hold emergency debate on Mandelson vetting process after Speaker grants SO24 application from David Davis
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Security minister says he’s ‘extremely disappointed’ CPS has dropped charges against two men accused of spying for China
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Farage claims byelection not needed after defection because Kruger will be voting in ‘same way’ as when he was Tory
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Starmer says he would never have appointed Mandelson ambassador if he had known at time full details of Epstein links
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No 10 director of strategy resigns over revelation about sexually explicit comments about Diane Abbott in private email in 2017
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Kruger defection shows Reform UK ‘shapeshifting into the Conservatives’, say Lib Dems
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‘Gutted’ – how Tories are reacting to Kruger’s defection
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No 10 accuses Musk of using ‘dangerous and inflammatory’ language at rally on Saturday
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Badenoch suggests her support for two-child benefit cap contributed to Kruger’s decision to defect
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Badenoch rejects claim from Kruger and Farage that Tory party is finished
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Labour says Kruger defection shows Reform UK are ‘Tory tribute act’
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Farage declines to say how his partner was able to afford £885,000 home in Clacton – but stresses proper stamp duty paid
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Farage claims there is ‘almost a competition’ among leftwing parties to be anti-Israel
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Farage declines to repeat suggestion his partner was able to buy £885,000 home in Clacton because she was from wealthy family
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Farage claims Starmer won’t be Labour leader at time of next election, and Burnham would drag party to left
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Kruger says, even if Robert Jenrick took over as Tory leader, he does not think they could now overtake Reform UK
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Farage accuses police of not taking death threats against him on TikTok seriously
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Kruger says he was ‘very disappointed’ by Boris Johnson’s record in government after Brexit
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Farage says vast majority of people attending Tommy Robinson rally in London were ‘good, ordinary, decent people’
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Kruger says Tories were ‘failure’ in office, they are finished as national party, but conservatism ‘isn’t over’
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Danny Kruger defects to Reform UK from Tories, with Farage putting him in charge of preparing party for government
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Musk calls Ed Davey ‘craven coward’ after Lib Dem leader accuses him of ‘dangerous interference in our democracy’
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Mandelson should lose Labour whip in Lords if it is shown he was not ‘frank’ about Epstein relationship in vetting, MP says
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UK and US line up string of deals to build modular nuclear reactors in Britain
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Smith sidesteps question about whether Mandelson should lose Labour whip in House of Lords
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Starmer did not see ‘detail’ of Mandelson’s emails to Epstein until after PMQs, skills minister Jacqui Smith says
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Starmer facing fresh questions over Mandelson emails to Epstein
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Starmer urged to condemn Elon Musk’s ‘fight back or die’ speech to London rally as Labour MPs question his leadership
David Davis had the backing of Tory HQ when he applied for an emergency debate on Peter Mandelson and Kemi Badenoch has issued a statement welcoming the fact that a debate will take place tomorrow. She said:
There are too many unanswered questions around Keir Starmer’s decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.
No 10’s story keeps changing, meanwhile the public have a right to know the truth about what the prime minister and his chief of staff knew and when. If Keir Starmer won’t face the music himself, we will use this debate in parliament to pressure the relevant documents out of No 10 and the government.
The Tories claimed the emergency debate was the latest in a series of coordinated parliamentary moves intended to put pressure on Keir Starmer on this issue. As other examples, they cited Badenoch raising this at PMQs last week, Neil O’Brien tabling an urgent question on Thursday, and Gavin Williamson tabling an early day motion on Wednesday calling for Mandelson’s resignation.
Why Paul Ovenden’s resignation matters
Paul Ovenden is not well known, but journalists and commentators familiar with how Downing Street works are saying that his departure (see 3.03pm) is highly significant. He was seen as one of the key figures in the operation.
From my colleague Jessica Elgot
Whatever you think of these messages, the reality is this story and Paul Ovenden’s subsequent resignation has provoked pure unadulterated fury from long-serving Labour aides. Many saying they do not believe Starmer should have accepted his resignation.
Even though he is the least well known, Ovenden’s resignation has the potential to be the most consequential of all because of the internal backlash it will cause among the most long-serving and loyal Starmer aides.
From Patrick Maguire from the Times
Hard to overstate the dismay within government at this – lot of discomfort that Ovenden has had to quit for recounting what he calls a “silly conversation” eight years ago. Leaves Starmer without a speechwriter, and many other things, ahead of conference
Senior government source attacks Starmer on Ovenden resignation: “You can tell all you need to know about a leader from who and what they fight for.
“The prime minister should have taken one look at one of his most skilful and loyal aides and torn up the resignation.”
From Kevin Schofield from HuffPost UK
Not many people outside Westminster will know who Paul Ovenden is, but his departure is arguably more significant than Angela Rayner’s, given the key role he played in No.10 and his importance to Keir Starmer.
From the House Magazine’s Sienna Rodgers, former editor of LabourList
Paul Ovenden going is big news. The highly influential director of political strategy, formerly in the comms team and then head of attack and rebuttal, was Morgan McSweeney’s main ally.
From the Sun’s Harry Cole
Bad news for No10 as Paul Ovenden was leading member of the reality based community left in Downing Street. Presumably why he’s been taken out now in a factional hit job.
Would anyone really enjoy their 8 year old leaked WhatsApps being made public?
From the BBC’s Henry Zeffman
Quite unbelievable the churn in government over just 15 days — remember the Downing Street shakeup which preceded the crises of the past 2 weeks?! But in terms of immediate proximity to Starmer and influence over his day to day work, Paul Ovenden’s arguably most significant
From the Sun’s Jack Elsom
Paul Ovenden’s departure from No10 has left many of his loyal colleagues reeling. One senior govt insider: “Paul is one of the good guys and the finest political mind in the country. The Labour landslide was in no small part down to his strategy and work ethic, and the damage to the project will be immense.”
From Alex Wickham from Bloomberg
Government source on Ovenden’s departure:
“He is one of the best. None of us would be working in this building without him – and this country wouldn’t have had the chance for a better future without him.”
MPs to hold emergency debate on Mandelson vetting process after Speaker grants SO24 application from David Davis
Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker, has just announced that he has granted an emergency debate on the vetting procedures that were applied before Peter Mandelson was appointed ambassador to the US. The debate will take place tomorrow, before the Commons rises for the conference recess.
Hoyle was responding to an application for a debate from David Davis, the Tory former cabinet minister. Davis was applying for a debate under the SO24 (standing order 24) procedure.
Security minister says he’s ‘extremely disappointed’ CPS has dropped charges against two men accused of spying for China
British prosecutors have said they are dropping charges against two men, including a former researcher for a senior UK politician, who had been accused of spying for China.
In a statement on the decision to MPs, Dan Jarvis, the security minister, said that he was “extremely disappointed” that the case was not going to trial. He said:
Members right across the house will be aware that the charges related to allegations of Chinese espionage within parliament, and they will want reassurance.
Now, many members will be as extremely disappointed as I am that there will now not be a trial. The decision not to proceed with this prosecution is an independent one for the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service] to make in its role as the UK’s independent prosecuting authority.
However, I want to be clear that the government remains gravely concerned about the threat of Chinese espionage.
Parliament and our democracy are sacrosanct and any attempt by any foreign power to infiltrate or interfere with parliamentary proceedings is completely unacceptable.
Unusually, Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker, also intervened at the start of the statement to say he was “very unhappy” about this outcome too.
We do not, of course, discuss the detail of security matters relating to parliament on the floor of the house, but given the very important issues raised by this case, I am asking officials to consider whether any further steps which should be taken, operational, strategic or legal, to ensure that all those who work in this parliament are able to undertake their activities securely and without interference.
I am a very unhappy Speaker with what’s happened. The fact that for two years, two years, and it’s taken ’til today for somebody to withdraw this case, that is not good or good enough.
Farage claims byelection not needed after defection because Kruger will be voting in ‘same way’ as when he was Tory
A reader asks:
Why does the defection of a sitting MP from one party to another not automatically trigger a byelection? Surely the electorate selected the person on the basis of the party they represent and not the individual?
The answer is – because parliament has never passed a law requiring that. Arguably, it should. But there are plenty of constitutional reforms that arguably it should have passed.
Of course, there is a long history of MPs saying that an MP who defects should resign and trigger a byelection as a matter of principle – only for them to take the opposite view when their party is the beneficiary of a switch like this. Here is Nigel Farage saying byelections should happen in a post on social media in 2022.
Christian Wakeford defects as an MP from Tory to Labour.
If he calls a by-election then that’s fine.
If not, he is the Dishonourable Member for Bury South.
At the Reform UK press conference this morning Danny Kruger said whether or not the party was going to trigger a byelection was really a matter for Farage, the party leader. But Kruger implied he did not see the need, saying that he would carry on speaking up for conservative principles as he said he would when he was elected.
Farage also claimed a byelection was not needed. He said:
I don’t think Danny is going go change any politics whatsoever. He’ll vote the same way. He’ll think the same way. He just happens to see that we are the vehicle through which he can achieve the things that he wants to see for the country, not the current, failing Conservative party.
To be honest with you, if he joined from the Labour party, and if he’d been elected on a Labour manifesto and come, then I think perhaps in that situation the voters in the constituency would say, ‘Well, hang on, surely we’ve got the right to have a say on this?’
Generally, the public don’t like byelections. Generally the public don’t like being asked to vote if I think it’s unnecessary.
And just as we’ve had defections in Wales, we’ve had defections in Scotland, and here, no, there’s no need for byelections. Other parties don’t do them either.
Commenting on Danny Kruger’s defection, the Green party co-deputy leader Rachel Millward said:
Let’s remember the Tories brought us 14 years of damaging austerity, climate inaction, a disastrous Brexit and the economic incompetence of Liz Truss. Having this lot join you is hardly anything to shout about. It is actually embarrassing. But it does serve as a loud alarm bell for the rest of us about the threats to this country if Reform UK were ever to form a government.
Starmer says he would never have appointed Mandelson ambassador if he had known at time full details of Epstein links
Keir Starmer has said he would never have appointed Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US if he had known at the time the full extent of Mandleson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
In his first public comments on Mandelson’s sacking, Starmer also said the peer had not helped his case by the way he responded to questions from the Foreign Office about his private emails to Epstein.
In an interview with broadcasters, Starmer said:
Peter Mandelson, before he was appointed, went through a due diligence process. That’s the propriety and ethics team. He went through a process, and therefore I knew of his association with Epstein.
But had I known then what I know now, I’d have never appointed him, because what emerged last week were emails, Bloomberg emails which showed that the nature and extent of the relationship that Peter Mandelson had with Epstein was far different to what I had understood to be the position when I appointed him.
On top of that, what the email showed was he was not only questioning but wanting to challenge the conviction of Epstein at the time that for me, went and cut across the whole approach that I’ve taken on violence against women and girls for many years, and this government’s approach.
On top of that, what emerged last week, on Wednesday evening late, were Peter Mandelson’s responses to questions that have been put to him by government officials. I looked at those responses, and I did not find them at all satisfying.
And therefore, on the basis of those three things, the nature and extent of the relationship being far different to what I’d understood to be the position at the point of appointment, the questioning and challenging of the conviction, which, as I say, goes to the heart and cuts across what this government is doing on violence against women and girls and the unsatisfactory nature of responses from Peter Mandelson last week to the inquires made of him by government officials, I took the decision to remove him.
The Tories have claimed that Starmer should have known about the full extent of the Mandelson/Epstein relationship at PMQs last week, where he defended the ambassador, because at that point the Foreign Office had already taken media calls about the emails that were subsequently published after PMQs on Wednesday afternoon. (See 9.52am.)
But Starmer said he did not know the content of the emails obtained by Bloomberg when he answered questions from Kemi Badenoch in the Commons.
What I knew before PMQs was that there had been media inquiries. I didn’t know the content of the Bloomberg emails, and I knew that questions had been put to Peter that he had not yet answered, and he hadn’t answered them by the time I got to PMQs, there is, of course, a time lag in America, but I knew that there were questions that have been put to him, but I didn’t know what answers he was going to give to those questions.
That came later on Wednesday, and that’s why, at that point, I gave the answer I did at PMQs. And that’s the extent of what I knew at the time.
Starmer also said that Mandelson only responded “very late on Wednesday” to the questions government officials had asked him about the emails.
No 10 director of strategy resigns over revelation about sexually explicit comments about Diane Abbott in private email in 2017
Keir Starmer has been hit by a fresh Downing Street resignation. Paul Ovenden has resigned as director of strategy at No 10 over revelations, first published by the Mail, that in 2017 he made sexually explicit comments about Diane Abbott in a private email.
Ovenden was a Labour party press officer at the time.
In his story for the Mail, Dan Hodges reports:
The Mail understands that Mr Ovenden had exchanged emails with a former colleague in 2017 in which he retold a story about a game of ‘shag, marry, kill’ involving Ms Abbott he had overheard.
He then graphically recounted the conversation in which two women described performing sex acts on Ms Abbott, 71, the veteran MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington.
Mr Ovenden has resigned to avoid becoming ‘a distraction’.
Kruger defection shows Reform UK ‘shapeshifting into the Conservatives’, say Lib Dems
Like Labour (see 12.51pm), the Liberal Democrats are also arguing that the Danny Kruger defection shows Reform UK is turning Tory. In a statement Daisy Cooper, the Lib Dem deputy leader, said:
The Conservative party is a shell of its former self. It is no wonder that lifelong Conservative voters who feel abandoned by Badenoch and appalled by Farage have turned to the Liberal Democrats in their droves.
Nigel Farage’s party is shapeshifting into the Conservatives in front of our very eyes. It is getting to the point where the only difference between them is just a slightly lighter shade of blue.
‘Gutted’ – how Tories are reacting to Kruger’s defection
When Nadine Dorries defected to Reform UK at their conference just over a week ago, there were probably many in the party happy to see her go. Danny Kruger’s decision to jump is a much bigger deal in political circles, even if Dorries is better known. He is the first sitting Tory MP to join Nigel Farage’s party. (Or at least this Farage party – two sitting Tory MPs defected to Ukip, and won their seats again in byelections, which won’t happen this time because Kruger is not going to stand down.)
Here is some reaction to Kruger’s move from Conservatives, and Tory-linked commentators.
From Tory MP Jack Rankin
So sad to read this. Danny isn’t like the clowns they’ve accepted of late. He is smart and wise and good.
Whilst we share a similar analysis of the change the country needs, I disagree strongly about the vehicle with which to do so: But I respect his decision.
Gutted.
From Ben Houchen, the Tory Tees Valley mayor
I like Danny. He’s a good man. Principled, clear in his convictions, a deep thinker and not an MP that is driven by ego or self promotion. Sad to see him leave.
From Robert Colvile, head of the Centre for Policy Studies, a Tory thinktank
Does this make Danny Kruger the only person in British politics to have had David Cameron, Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage as their line manager?
(Speechwriter to Dave, political secretary to Boris, govt prep for Nigel.)
From Mark Reckless, who defected to Ukip when he was a Tory MP
Having done similar, I was impressed by @danny__kruger calm, measured and authoritative demeanour throughout the press conference. Key challenge is to prepare new structure of governance beyond traditional ‘policy’ brief.
When Reckless defected, he resigned a triggered a byelection, which he won as a Ukip candidate. Kruger is not doing the same.
From Tobias Ellwood, a former Tory minister
Sorry to see my good friend Danny Kruger go.
His comments resonate:
‘Conservatism is not over – far from it…But a failure of the Conservative Party has created space for an alternative.’
Arguably since Brexit, Tories have lost sight of where they sit the political spectrum.
From Robert Buckland, the former Tory justice secretary
Hey @danny__kruger, you are supposed to be my @Conservative MP. What on earth do you think you are doing? Local people did not vote for this!
From David Skelton, the former head of Renewal, a centre-right thinktank
He’ll be getting some partisan brickbats, but @danny__kruger is a good man and a superb mind. One of the few to understand that Toryism is a lot more than market liberalism. This is undoubtedly a coup for Reform.
From Ian Birrell, the journalist who once wrote speeches for David Cameron
Danny Kruger wrote the hug-a-hoodie speech for Cameron, says ‘a purely punitive approach to crime & disorder cannot work’ and argues ‘love is a neglected crime-fighting device.’ Sorry to see he’s joined Reform as it flirts with hate-fuelled far-right. But it’s a significant move
From Christopher Hope, political editor of GB News
What is unusual about Danny Kruger’s defection is that his career is very much in front of him, rather than behind him – as has been the case with some other Reform defections.
And here is an extract from an article that James Heale, deputy political editor of the Spectator, has written for the Telegraph on three reasons why the defection matters.
Kruger is likely a portent of things to come. His argument at the press conference this morning was less about ideology, more about practicality. He referred, several times, to Reform being the best “vehicle” to win the next election and save the country from decline. Others are likely to follow him both in parliament and at a grassroots level across the country. In speaking of Reform as “radical not a revolution” Kruger is speaking the language of many ordinary Conservatives who back the party last time, despite reservations.
He will now be used as breathing evidence to show that for decent Tories, Reform UK is the only viable hope at the next election.
There are no urgent questions in the Commons today, but one statement, at 3.30pm. It’s from Dan Jarvis, the security minister, on the Official Secrets Act.
Keir Starmer hosted a meeting with junior ministers in No 10 this morning, Ailbhe Rea from Bloomberg reports.
NEW Keir Starmer summoned junior ministers, PPSs and whips into Number 10 this morning to rally the troops after his worst week in office.
– No one mentioned Mandelson directly, but Darren Jones faced questions about improving comms and how not to alienate progressive voters
The PM said after protest this weekend it’s a battle for the soul of the nation, asking “are we a country that brings people together or pushes people apart?”
– Jonathan Reynolds (chief whip), PM and Jones addressed the meeting
– McSweeney did not attend
– Attendees still say privately they’re dismayed about Mandelson crisis and how No 10 handled it
At the Downing Street lobby briefing the PM’s spokesperson confirmed that, although Peter Mandelson is no longer ambassador to Washington, he remains a government employee. The terms of his departure are an HR matter and will be set out later, the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson also declined to say why Keir Starmer was not told the detail of the Mandelson emails to Jeffrey Epstein ahead of PMQs last week.
As Jacqui Smith told the media this morning, the Foreign Office started getting questions about the emails on Tuesday last week and at that point asked Mandelson for his account. Starmer was not told the details until after PMQs, Smith said. (See 10.11am.)
The spokesperson backed up this account, but declined to give more information about exactly what Starmer had and had not been told ahead of PMQs.
No 10 accuses Musk of using ‘dangerous and inflammatory’ language at rally on Saturday
Downing Street has accused has accused Elon Musk of using “dangerous and inflammatory” language at rally in London on Saturday organised by Tommy Robinson.
Asked about Musk’s “fight back or die” speech, the PM’s spokesperson said:
The UK is a fair, tolerant and decent country. The last thing the British people want is this sort of dangerous and inflammatory language.
The spokesperson said the language threatened “violence and intimidation on our streets”.