The pain of being a number two

A hack colleague noted the plight of poor Employment Minister Jim Knight earlier.

For months and months during the dark days of the recession Knight has been on the telly once a month to brief us on unemployment stats.

Then things start to turn around and up pops the Work and Pensions Secretary Yvette Cooper to explain what a great job she’s been doing.

It must be tough being one underneath Cooper in the pecking order – I imagine she has a very sharp beak.

What is the best expense claim cliché you can think up?

Even if you tried to make up the most clichéd Tory expense claim you couldn’t come up with anything more apt than an old-Etonian aristocrat claiming for having his moat cleaned.

The Labour equivalent would be a former coal miner MP claiming for a coach to take 100 union members to a picket-line and then on for a day-out drinking real ale in Scarborough.

I dread to think what the equivalent Liberal Democrat claim would be. Perhaps someone can suggest one?

There was a point yesterday when I thought if I had to read or write about expenses anymore I might scream, but well done to The Telegraph for renewing my indignation.

The feeling is that we are edging closer to ‘the big one’ as the days go on.

Note that Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper are yet to make an appearance – funny considering the rest of the cabinet were done last Friday.

Saving the best for last?

Clarke calls Cooper's bluff

While we're on the subject of the Rushcliffe MP here is his little spat with Yvette Cooper which was on Channel 4 news.

Impossible situation

As if recent stabbing stats and crime figure botches weren't enough to torpedo confidence in Government/police information, there was more embarrassment today.

Last week Police Minister and Notts MP Vernon Coaker said in a select committee that police had to be proportionate when dealing with protestors.

The demonstration at Kingsnorth power station - which led to accusations of police heavy handedness - was raised, but Coaker defended officers saying they needed to protect themselves as well.

Originally Kent Police said their officers had suffered 70 injuries in the £5.9m crowd control operation.

But the Guardian reports that Coaker has now written to Lib Dems admitting none of the "injuries" were as a result of contact with protestors.


Problems included tooth ache, heat exhaustion, diarrhoea and a sting from a "possible wasp".

What is a possible wasp? In fact, what is an impossible wasp? For some reason Yvette Cooper springs to mind.

The Home Office and Number 10 need to get a grip on the information issue. Unfortunately if they don't it will only be a Notts MP who pays the price.

UPDATE, Dec 16: Coaker apologised in Parliament for the Kingsnorth balls up on Monday, and his boss Jacqui Smith for the kinfe crime botch. A bad day at the Home Office.