In today’s DT, I thought it worth quoting although the criminal incompetence of the present government is doing serious damage to my BP.
What exactly would Chris Grayling have to do for Theresa May to sack him? Re-route HS2 through Buckingham Palace? Commission a new hub airport on Ben Nevis? Award the East Coast railway franchise to al-Qaeda?
It would clearly have to be something special. As Transport Secretary, he’s awarded (then been forced to tear up) a £14 million ferry contract to a company that didn’t have any ferries; faced a vote of no confidence in the Commons after a disastrous revamp of train timetables; and cancelled the promised electrification of various railway lines (but held back the announcement until the general election was safely out of the way). And that’s before we take into account his similarly chaotic record as justice secretary: his unlawful ban on prisoners’ books, his unlawful new employment tribunal fees, his failed prisoner tagging scheme… According to Labour, his entire back catalogue of blunders has cost the taxpayer a total of £2.7 billion. Over the course of his ministerial career, that’s almost £1 million a day
Yesterday, however, Mr Grayling surpassed himself. In a parliamentary first for a Cabinet minister, his cock-ups were the subject of two separate Urgent Questions on the same afternoon
Bizarrely, however, he didn’t turn up for either of them. No one seemed to know why. Cowardice? Arrogance? Or had he accidentally caught his tie in the toaster while making breakfast, and was still, eight hours later, struggling to fight his way free?
He takes incompetence to a whole new level
I wonder if he was behind or at least inspired the Downing Street Tweet commiserating with the inhabitants of Salisbury and congratulating them on their stoicism featuring a photograph of BATH
