Lammy

eazybee

I have been told the golden wallpaper never existed. No-one ever admitted to seeing it, although many were asked, and I cannot believe no-one was ever able to take a picture and post it on social media. One person I know who worked in Number 10 during the debacle said it was a made-up story, and another who worked there intermittently said it was never' hung' if indeed chosen.
That is only hearsay so I honestly do not know, but I do feel someone,somewhere would have taken a picture if the papered walls ever existed.

Jeremy Hunt said it existed, I would class him as a reliable source?
www.spectator.co.uk/article/jeremy-hunt-reveals-the-truth-about-boriss-gold-wallpaper/

Wyllow3

That's your judgement. I'll defend him when I think to appropriate and criticise him - as I do, and others do - if I think his policy/actions are wrong. It's your judgement and an adopted social media meme that he is a hypocrite, not a "fact".

There are four defined characteristics of hypocrisy

Pretence
Blame
Inconsistency
Complacency

In this case the PM is inconsistent in his attitude to gifts from party donors

If it was wrong for previous PM’s to accept gifts which he stated in the H of P regarding wallpaper gate & holidays for PM Johnson then it is wrong for him to accept clothes and spectacles, hypocritical…

This government seems to need such a lot of protection and defence from its supporters.
Don’t accept gifts, but pay them more.
Is it really true that Starmer’s 2 salaries means he couldn’t afford clothes unless a party supporter payed for them in return for access to number 20?
Let them have second jobs-but let them keep their expenses.

eazybee

I have been told the golden wallpaper never existed. No-one ever admitted to seeing it, although many were asked, and I cannot believe no-one was ever able to take a picture and post it on social media. One person I know who worked in Number 10 during the debacle said it was a made-up story, and another who worked there intermittently said it was never' hung' if indeed chosen.
That is only hearsay so I honestly do not know, but I do feel someone,somewhere would have taken a picture if the papered walls ever existed.

The designer said it was in fact yellow, not gold.
The refurbishment did exceed the budget allowed.

We had green and gold wallpaper in our sitting room years ago (not gold leaf!) and then decided we didn't like it later and tried to paint over it.

We found it's not easy to paint over gold.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt later told LBC that the paper had been painted over since Johnson left Downing Street. Speaking to Andrew Marr, Hunt said: ‘It's gone! It wasn't me – it was removed before I went – but I must admit when I went in, out of curiosity, I went and had a look and it had been painted over.’

I have been told the golden wallpaper never existed. No-one ever admitted to seeing it, although many were asked, and I cannot believe no-one was ever able to take a picture and post it on social media. One person I know who worked in Number 10 during the debacle said it was a made-up story, and another who worked there intermittently said it was never' hung' if indeed chosen.
That is only hearsay so I honestly do not know, but I do feel someone,somewhere would have taken a picture if the papered walls ever existed.

That's your judgement. I'll defend him when I think to appropriate and criticise him - as I do, and others do - if I think his policy/actions are wrong. It's your judgement and an adopted social media meme that he is a hypocrite, not a "fact".

Doodledog

But KS declared the gifts - that’s the bit that’s a smear - it is being suggested that he is hypocritical because he was down on the Tories for not declaring things like wallpaper etc, when that’s not what happened.

You should listen to some of the you tube views of what Starmer said about Boris and the wallpaper. Recorded for posterity. According to Sunday Times " the PM approached Parliamentary authorities on Tuesday last to make a " late declaration." Why oh why are Labour supporters defending a hypocrite.

Parsley3

I agree about second jobs. Farage is earning big bucks from flying off to America.
As for that poll, the DM readers would say that wouldn't they. No one is arguing that it is right to accept gifts. It has to stop.

If you elect an MP you expect them to spend some time in Parliament and on constituency duties, not swanning off around the world or spending time on lucrative business which has nothing to do with the primary job..

Unless, of course, they are on official duties ie like the PM or Foreign Minister or anyone on behalf of Government business overseas.

Wyllow3

Ilovecheese

I think Lammy is getting rather a raw deal here. He was sent out, I assume by Starmer or Starmer's people, to defend the indefensible.

Or caught up in it because it was his "turn" at the weekend media interviews and could have been any Labour minister.

Yes, that seems the most likely explanation to me.

Ilovecheese

I think Lammy is getting rather a raw deal here. He was sent out, I assume by Starmer or Starmer's people, to defend the indefensible.

Or caught up in it because it was his "turn" at the weekend media interviews and could have been any Labour minister.

I'd be surprised if Clacton has seen much of Farage as he lines his pockets substantially elsewhere including more than a bob or two on GB news. If all our MP's had regular TV/media paid slots we'd consider it massively completely out of order - just imagine.

I'm for the "second jobs" only when it is to keep up professional minimum obligations

I rather thought it might be the DM, Grantanow.

In terms of what Lammy is doing, he's pretty busy with Foreign Affairs: this thread is based on the media shenanigans around one part of one interview that GN has taken up.

I think Lammy is getting rather a raw deal here. He was sent out, I assume by Starmer or Starmer's people, to defend the indefensible.

David49

I’m wondering if any decoration at No10 has been done since Carrie’s splurge, Truss wasnt there long enough, did Mrs Sunak make changes.

I’m pretty sure that the Sunaks stayed in No.11, which had been decorated whilst he was chancellor. I don’t blame them at all! Maybe Jeremy Hunt redecorated No10, but no doubt there will be some who criticise Starmer if he does redecorate from his annual allowance, although I don’t imagine gold flocked wallpaper to be his taste, or Jeremy Hunt’s for that matter. It certainly wouldn’t be mine.

A poll of DM readers is not exactly an unbiased sample of the UK population.

Lammy ought to be focussing on his job, not wasting time on trivial issues.

I agree about second jobs. Farage is earning big bucks from flying off to America.
As for that poll, the DM readers would say that wouldn't they. No one is arguing that it is right to accept gifts. It has to stop.

I think the gifts need to be stopped. But the problem would then be, should these 2nd "jobs" be stopped too, because let's face it, they appear to bring in money for doing practically nothing?

I’m wondering if any decoration at No10 has been done since Carrie’s splurge, Truss wasnt there long enough, did Mrs Sunak make changes.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Apologies Wyllow I forgot to quote my source.
It was the Daily Mail this morning.

Well anything the Daily Mail prints must be correct!!!

Well said eazybee.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Lammys defence on tv yesterday was that politicians in other countries got a clothing allowance. Well, pensioners in other countries get more than UK pensioners do - so when can we expect an increase?

Probably when we increase the amount we pay in. It depends which other countries you look at, too. In much of the world you get nothing if you pay nothing in. State pensions don't exist everywhere, and even if they do they are either means-tested or based entirely on contributions. People are either supported by family or work till they drop.

Apologies Wyllow I forgot to quote my source.
It was the Daily Mail this morning.

Lammys defence on tv yesterday was that politicians in other countries got a clothing allowance. Well, pensioners in other countries get more than UK pensioners do - so when can we expect an increase?

I agree on both counts WWM.

I think that MPs should get at least the standing energy charge paid on their London homes, but maybe cabinet ministers should not get more than travel and housing expenses.

The reason I say that is that keeping up a home in London is essential for a cabinet minister, and if there is no help for them to do so people from less well-off backgrounds who have to travel long distances and maintain a base in their constituencies as well as one near Westminster will be deterred from becoming MPs. This will mean that more remote areas of the country might only get representation from those who can afford to take the hit, rather than from the people they want.

Cabinet ministers are paid more than MPs, but of course they have more responsibility, so clawing back the increase in their salary by cutting allowances wouldn't be fair, so maybe pay them a bit more from the public purse so there is no need for gifts of any kind, and put a stop to all of it.

It is naive to say that what they wear doesn't matter - look at the hoo haa over ARs trouser suit!

Can't find any source for that poll?

But I do think it's now time to end the centuries old habit of gifting to politicians - lessons learnt about how the public feel just as they did under Johnson although the scale considerably different.

Does the Starmers' new wardrobe expose them as hypocrites?

Yes
95%
6372 votes

No
3%
225 votes

Not sure
1%
95 votes

6692 votes in total. Oh dear.