Emily Thornberry

Entering day 2. 44 for Phillipson. 35 Powell. Others not out of
single figures. Early days

“Boris Johnson 'lobbied UAE for $1bn venture after leaving office'
Leaked files show he sought backing from Mubadala, Abu Dhabi's $300bn investment fund, while serving as 'principal adviser' to Bia Advisory

Steven Swinford, Political Editor
Boris Johnson has been accused of secretly lobbying the United Arab Emirates on behalf of a billion-dollar private venture after standing down as prime minister.
Johnson is said to have acted as the “principal adviser” for Bia Advisory, a “climate finance solutions” firm seeking the backing of Mubadala, Abu Dhabi's $300 billion investment fund, according to leaked files obtained by The Guardian.
Shelley Williams-Walker, who previously worked for Johnson in No 10, is said to have described securing Mubadala's backing as “the big prize”.
Johnson hosted Khaldoon al-Mubarak, the chairman of Manchester City and the CEO of Mubadala, at least three times while he was in No 10.
In 2024 Johnson visited Abu Dhabi and leaked files suggest he raised the Bia Advisory climate finance venture. A draft of a let-
Leaked documents indicate that the former prime minister leveraged his connections to lobby Saudi officials
STEFAN ROUSSEAU/PA

ter prepared two months later for him to send to Mubarak said: “As I briefly alluded to when we met, I am now acting as principal adviser to Bia Advisory.”
The letter said: “As you know, a key part of my legacy as prime minister of the United Kingdom was coalescing world leaders around a series of concrete commitments at the Cop26 climate summit in 2021.” He added that he “would very much welcome the opportunity to engage with your team about what we hope might prove a [tempting] investment opportunity for Mubadala”.
However the letter was put on hold pending agreement from the Advisory Committee”
Part of an article in yesterday’s Times. Just a reminder of why we now have a Labour government with a huge majority (because people have short memories sometimes…)

“Johnson also appears to have been indirectly paid more than £200,000 for a meeting with Maduro in February last year — despite claiming he had not been paid. Johnson was accompanied to the meeting by Maarten Petermann, a hedge fund manager.
In the previous September, the documents show that Petermann's company Merlyn Advisors signed a contract with Johnson. Weeks after attending the 45-minute meeting with Maduro, Johnson received £240,000 from Petermann.
The cache of files also suggest that between October 2022 and May 2024, Johnson was paid approximately £5.1 million for 34 speeches.
The documents also indicate that Johnson held a dinner for Lord Brownlow of Shurlock Row,
who provided £58,000 to cover some of the cost of the renovations to his No 10 flat, in the small dining room at the residence in November 2020. Just 24 hours earlier lockdown restrictions banning people from any social meetings indoors had been introduced.
In a further potential breach, the files suggest that in June 2020, the day after the surprise birthday party in the cabinet room that led to his police fine, Johnson and Carrie Symonds, his then fiancée, now his wife, hosted three guests for a “private appointment” at Downing Street.
One of Symonds's close friends who ­specialises in “vibrational” music treatments; the friend's mother, a fellow natural medicine practitioner; and a journalist were welcomed in the “flat/garden”, according to what is said to be a record of the prime minister's activities that day. Social gatherings indoors were still forbidden in June 2020.
Johnson did not respond to a request to comment.”
More from the same article…

My reservations are about her position re women, although I think trans women need respect and dignity I am a sex realist - a woman is an adult female. She used to be too aligned to stonewall and self ID. Others can correct me.

Indiebee

Looking forward to reading their statements. I am a Labour Party member and will miss Angela R on the front bench. Emily is very experienced, legal background and thinks things through. However someone from the north would be useful to particularly represent that part of the country.

Like you, Indiebee, as a Labour Party member, I will read candidates’ statements with interest. I too will miss AR on the front bench.

It will be interesting to see who the final candidates are … and where we decide to put our ✖️.

Whoever takes up the role, I do hope they’ll be a unifier and a ‘critical friend’, rather than intentionally divisive. More than anything, the LP needs to present a united front right now, IMO.

I don't like the cut of her jib.
Far from it. Very snotty when deriding the working class man from Kent.
We can do without her.

Bridget Phillipson

Nooo

LizzieDrip

Indiebee

Looking forward to reading their statements. I am a Labour Party member and will miss Angela R on the front bench. Emily is very experienced, legal background and thinks things through. However someone from the north would be useful to particularly represent that part of the country.

Like you, Indiebee, as a Labour Party member, I will read candidates’ statements with interest. I too will miss AR on the front bench.

It will be interesting to see who the final candidates are … and where we decide to put our ✖️.

Whoever takes up the role, I do hope they’ll be a unifier and a ‘critical friend’, rather than intentionally divisive. More than anything, the LP needs to present a united front right now, IMO.

I'm a Labour voter but not a member. I agree with both of you, I liked Angela R, I hope she can come back in the future.

Phillipson looks favourite at the moment, I like her, she's a good communicator.

Bell Ribeiro-Addy

OldFrill

Bell Ribeiro-Addy

Has she had enough experience? Added to which she is to the left of the Party; is this what they want?

Not a fan...Not a fan of Labour....never have been....just red Tories....all of them. As is Farage....Not one trustworthy politician amongst any of them! This country is a mess.

Allira

OldFrill

Bell Ribeiro-Addy

Has she had enough experience? Added to which she is to the left of the Party; is this what they want?

The party will want left, Starmer - not so much. Yes, she'd handle it. Any standing could do it, it's just who gets the support of 80 MPs and who's standing to split the vote.

Madgran77

I don't!

Hear, hear !😄

Sorry message floating about!!!!
Should have been a nice neat reply!
Me being a twit!

OldFrill

Allira

OldFrill

Bell Ribeiro-Addy

Has she had enough experience? Added to which she is to the left of the Party; is this what they want?

The party will want left, Starmer - not so much. Yes, she'd handle it. Any standing could do it, it's just who gets the support of 80 MPs and who's standing to split the vote.

Well, ABT!
😀

For the OP Stripey:- You might like the cut of her jib, but she's one of the worst examples of the rentagob, anything to keep on the political greasy pole type of opportunist that our system generates.

She's heavily allied to Corbyn, and the Momentum crowd, that's the mob who made Labour unelectable for a number of years (not that the present iteration are covering themselves in glory).

Okey dokey. Message received.

Can’t stand her

Allira

OldFrill

Bell Ribeiro-Addy

Has she had enough experience? Added to which she is to the left of the Party; is this what they want?

I expect the left will want Bell Ribeiro-Addy. Moderates Bridget Phillipson.

Lucy Powell

Latest, it’s down to two, and Emily Thornberry is not one of them - or even anywhere near the running.

Sorry, I forgot to attach the link.
www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/sep/10/bridget-phillipson-and-lucy-powell-set-for-two-horse-race-to-be-labour-deputy

Casdon

Sorry, I forgot to attach the link.
www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/sep/10/bridget-phillipson-and-lucy-powell-set-for-two-horse-race-to-be-labour-deputy

Well, that’s the Labour party dead, then.

The ‘leadership’ is deviating so fast and far from what a great many of their supporters would regard as basic socialist principles in the pursuit of the chimera of outdoing Reform that it is losing members hand over fist to more progressive parties and looks set for defeat in 2029.

Neither of the two candidates left in this rushed and shoddy farce of an election are not going to cause any problems to the government. The government which has badly let down many of those who voted for them and doesn’t seem to care.

I foresee higher taxes imposed on those least able to afford it while wealth gets off scot free, more and more privatisation of the NHS, swingeing austerity and punitive welfare cuts.

I wonder what progressive MPs will do…

Starmer will be very relieved Thornberry is out of the running. Two nice pliable contenders left now, neither of whom will upset the applecart.