Gerri Peev: How MPs will get around expenses rules

First, MPs came up with the idea of the great "wife swap" to get around having to sack their spouses as their secretaries: pass them on to another member and employ their partner instead.
And for their next trick of getting around the ban on claiming for mortgages, I predict we will have the great house swap. For MPs - who will be banned from claiming for a mortgage for their second home - will simply rent out their flats to each other. One MP told me last week that he would be laughing if he was banned from claiming his mortgage interest, which is currently just £250 a month thanks to the all-time low tracker deals. His swanky postcode would allow him to rent his pad out for £1500 a month, and he could pocket the difference while still finding somewhere to rent for £1250 or less a month, the new proposed cap.
Other points raised by the Kelly report: a ban on dual mandates from 2011. This will allow Alex Salmond to stand down at the next election, but how about other certain MSPs planning to run for Westminster? Will they have to resign their Holyrood seats and trigger a by election?
Lastly, expect after the election, for MPs to suddenly get a payrise for their sacrifices. They have outsourced the setting of their pay to an independent body and it will no longer be subjected to approval by MPs. Luckily for most, the pay overhaul probably won't come into force until long after polling days. Far from Kelly drawing a line under expenses, it will keep the howls of indignation reverberating around these Pugin walls for some time to come.

Gerri Peev: Forget Blair for El Presidente, what about Boris?

David Cameron should be careful what he wishes for. Clearly, he doesn't want Tony Blair to overshadow his own ascent to power. Imagine Barack Obama skipping London and heading straight to Brussels to deal with President Blair instead of Prime Minister Cameron.
As the Tory leader said, he does not want an "all singing, all dancing, all acting" president in the form of Blair. The truth is, Blair is a smoother, more experienced and better version of Cameron than Cameron. Perhaps, however, he should be mindful that should Britain miss out this time but have a chance for the second pop at the presidency, the alternative could be just as dangerous.
Sources tell me that Boris Johnson may not want to serve more than one term as London Mayor. Again, Cameron is slightly nervous about Boris coming back to Westminster in some senior capacity and possibly challenging him for the top job in future. After all, he is the only contemporary Tory leader with any experience of government. So how about Boris Johnson for EU President? He went to an international school in Brussels while his dad was a Eurocrat. He also frequently boasts of his Ottoman heritage - quite useful in the current context of the EU debate about whether or not to let Turkey in. And the timing could also work. Boris' term as London Mayor is set to end in the middle of 2012 - around the same time that the first term of an EU president was up for grabs....

Gerri Peev: Cam is Pol Rogered

APPARENTLY Tory leader David Cameron has been left fizzing over the snap showing him sipping champagne at party conference.

The frontpage of today's Mirror shows the Tory leader brandishing a glass of Pol Roger (a snip at only £140 a bottle) – and pictured next to him is The Scotsman's former political editor Fraser Nelson.

Cameron was papped at the Spectator party by a Mirror photographer, who was wrestled to the ground. The photographer threw his camera to a colleague who managed to make a dash for the exit before the incriminating pic could be wiped.

Now cheeky punters at Ladbrokes have laid bets with odds of 14/1 that Cameron will mention the word champagne in his party conference speech tomorrow.

The bookies think the Tory leader will have an equally gloomy speech to his Shadow Chancellor, offering odds of one to three that he will use the term tough decisions, and 5/2 that he will talk about “austerity”.

He may perhaps like to avoid apeing Nick Clegg in talking about “progressive austerity” though. As one senior Lib Dem said, it sounds like a wasting disease.

Unsurprisingly, punters don't rate the chances of Bercow, Bullingdon or duck island featuring in the speech and price them all at 25/1.

Ladbrokes' Robin Hutchinson said: "He's probably hoping his champagne moment will come in May next year".

Too bad he could not wait to put the party into conference....

Gerri Peev: Beware Tories bearing gifts

What a contrast to the wake that masqueraded as Labour conference. There is absolutely no sense of triumphalism at the Tory conference in Manchester (if you ignore the empty champagne bottles lined up outside hotel doors in the early hours of the morning). But there is definitely a whiff of cold hard cash. Lord Ashcroft of Belize (Daddy Warbucks) has been seen wafting through the convention centre. The smell of money is palpable. Journalists have just been given "goodie" bags. Amongst the "ethical" goodies is a memory stick with the words "thanks for the memories Gordon". Hmmm so much for now wanting to appear complacent. There is even a makeshift cafe in the press centre which the Tories have set up, branded the "General Wellbeing Cafe". If the Conservatives want to show they are in touch with British society they should immediately ditch this happiness agenda and let us be miserable.

Gerri Peev: Cable tangled

The storm clouds have gathered over Bournemouth. Overnight, a whale stranded itself on the beach. Perhaps it was an omen of the disastrous day that lay ahead. First up, Vince Cable was ambushed in a "shadow cabinet" meeting of the Lib Dems over his mansion tax policy. Cable is a clever man who has a good run in the press and with the wider public. There are even some predictions that his mansion tax will go down well with voters. It could even be pitched to those on the right as being preferable to taxing income, which is the product of hard work. But the normally careful Cable was left tangled by not sorting the detail of the policy. He seems too affable a man to have let the stardust go to his head, but colleagues were left raging that he had not consulted them over such a fundamental policy change.

Next up, was the press briefing with Clegg's chief of staff, Danny Alexander, who provided the press with a third statement on what the Lib Dems thought should happen to the Attorney General Baroness Scotland, who has been fined for hiring an illegal immigrant as her cleaner. While Chris Huhne took to the airwaves to say she should be sacked, Clegg said she should stay. Meanwhile Alexander suggested she consider her position. During the briefing, a Blackberry alert came through with the message that Clegg had said she should perhaps consider her position. By the end of the day a statement came through saying that her position "looked untenable".

Then came the onstage swipes at Clegg's leadership from his own frontbenchers: pensions spokesman Steve Webb said the party had had enough despair for a week, while Dr Evan Harris, the spokesman on science, suggested that Clegg had some way to go before becoming a great leader.

And then Clegg was bounced into firming up his opposition to a referendum in a BBC Scotland interview, after The Scotsman's story this morning. Tavish Scott had claimed that perhaps colleagues who suggested the policy would be reversed had ingested too many pina coladas. For the record, this correspondent was not sharing cocktails with her sources at the time of acquiring the story. Perhaps Scott was just worried he was on the rocks?

To cap the day off, journos were given a few extracts from Clegg's speech...There is a killer line in it which voters must listen out for tomorrow. The old addage that any publicity is good publicity is truly being stretched for the Lib Dems this week. It almost stirs sympathy for them.

Gerri Peev: Paws for the passing of Sybil

Spare a thought for the former Chief Mouser of Downing Street. Chancellor Alistair Darling's cat Sybil died in London yesterday after a short illness.

The moggie briefly lived at Number 11, following on from the Number 1o cat Humphrey, who was evicted by Cherie Blair.

She spent many days commuting between Edinburgh and London, but the journey finally took its toll on ageing Sybil and she stayed with friends of the Darlings in her final days.

Sybil never quite settled in Downing Street. Perhaps it was the neighbours...

Gerri Peev: Darling's dark comedy

WHO said Alistair Darling did not have a gift for comedy? Forget his forecasts, I am talking about his response to a Times article about what cheers politicians up.
The Chancellor replied: "Yes Minister never fails to make me laugh. Although it's less comedy, more documentary. Oh, and black humour, it's kept us going over the last two years at the Treasury."
Here's another joke for his routine: Did you hear the one about the economy returning to growth by the end of this year?

Gerri Peev: MP takes the Pisces...

Could this be the least down to earth expense claim so far? Tory David Treddinick has claimed £510 for astrology consultancy services. Apparently, it was because he was interested in complimentary health care and its relationship with Indian Ayuverdic medicine and astrology.

http://www.libdemvoice.org/tory-claims-for-astrology-cd-15460.html.

Surprising that the MP did not attempt to disguise his expense claim...He must have known that this one was coming (well, if the software worked).

Gerri Peev: Labour pickled over email plot

Having spoken to many would-be plotters and rebels, it is still striking how few have seen this fabled email calling for Brown to go.
But then, last night, came proof that of its existence. It had been sent to one Eric Pickles, the chairman of the Conservative Party. Did they think that a northerner with a proper regional accent could only be Labour?

Tim Montgomerie over on Conservative home points to proof that the Labour rebels have so far been unable to organise a party in a brewery. But they did manage to get pickled over their email:

http://conservativehome.blogs.com/thetorydiary/2009/06/if-you-want-proof-that-labours-coup-plotters-couldnt-organise-a-pss-up-in-a-brewery.html

Gerri Peev: Sugar not so sweet on Brown

The Brown-Sugar relationship may have soured before it has even been consumated.
Gordon Brown has offered a peerage and an enterprise role to Amstrad chief Alan Sugar.
But the love-in between the two has not always been so strong.
Back when Brown was Shadow Trade Secretary in the 90s, Sugar wrote a letter lambasting him for failing to do his "homework", warning that Labour did not the solution for getting the country out of a recession.

This letter appeared in the FT on 19 March 1992, after Brown appeared to accuse City bosses of feeding off the recession:

Sir, I have noted with disgust the comments of a certain Mr Gordon Brown who has accused me of doing well out of the recession after reading the letter published in The Times from 40 top industrialists.

I do not know who Mr Gordon Brown is. Excuse my ignorance, but I don't. Whoever he is (shadow trade and industry secretary), he has not done his homework properly. The man doesn't know what he's talking about. How he has the audacity to say that Amstrad, or Alan Sugar, has flourished in recession is a complete mystery to me.

Amstrad made its first loss ever this year. It is not a secret that our share price has tumbled to about one-seventh of what it was. The value of my shares has collapsed from Pounds 500m to Pounds 100m more or less overnight. The salary I have been taking in the company is pretty meagre - about Pounds 170,000. It's nowhere near the million-pound bracket. So this talk that I have prospered in the midst of recession is total nonsense.

I personally have made a lot of money in my time, despite coming from a working class background in the East End. The money hasn't been handed down from family to family or by the old boys' act. I was able to start from scratch.

When taxation was 98p in the pound under the last Labour government I would have been spending my time doing what I am doing now - creating wealth and producing employment. I would have been better off going to Bermuda, the Virgin Islands or Timbuktu.

But I don't want to go to Bermuda to avoid tax and lie on the beach. I don't like paying tax, but I agree that the 40 per cent I pay at the moment is reasonable and fair when you balance the fact that the country has got to run itself somehow, and I like living in England.

So that's why I'm here. That's why I'm still spearheading my company and that's why I'm still employing people, innovating and surviving in a very difficult market.

Our letter to The Times talked of the importance of the enterprise culture for the future prosperity of Britain. The thing that frightens me the most about a Labour government is that it suppresses enterprise.

For instance, Labour's talk about investment is a bit of a joke. The capital allowances for machinery, plant and equipment it urges are not going to encourage people to rush out tomorrow and start equipping a factory or making products.

If you've got good design and innovative products you don't need any help, thank you very much indeed. You get on and make it. Amstrad is a classic example. We built our own factories in Shoeburyness in Essex without a penny grant on an 11-acre site. From there, in 1980, we fought off the Japanese to turn ourselves into the market leader in audio equipment. I didn't need help from anybody at that stage because we had invented good merchandise and good products.

The same goes for satellite dishes today. We rule the satellite dish market in this country and half of Europe and the dishes are made in Birmingham. I didn't need any investment or any help to do it. All I needed was the government to keep out of the way. More than 1m dishes have been sold to date in this country alone. When we placed the orders in the factory the satellite hadn't even been launched. It's that sort of entrepreneurial spirit the Conservatives believe in and Labour doesn't understand.

The reason Labour flourished many years ago was the 'them and us' situation that prevailed in England. There were the rich and there were the poor. At that stage maybe I would have sympathised with the need for a Labour government.

But that's all been changed now. Look around. Yes, there are the very poor and more should be done for them. But almost everybody's got a microwave oven, a car and a colour television - maybe more than one colour television in their homes. Let's be honest with each other. 'Them and us' doesn't exist any more, as I have demonstrated.

I have been able to come from the working class, achieve what I set out to achieve and not be suppressed by anybody. Likewise, in the stock market today there are bright young men with a Cockney accent doing deals and buying and selling shares. It's not just the Heskett-Smythes mob that are doing it. Anybody can do it.

The government has made mistakes; nobody's perfect. To be sure, somebody took his eye off the ball. Now the belt has been tightened and there have been casualties. But it is not just the poor unemployed factory worker from the Midlands who is being thrown out of work. So are the merchant bankers, the stockbrokers and the estate agents.

Labour offers no sort of route out of recession. It's out of date and - as Brown's remark shows - it hasn't done its homework.

Alan Sugar,
chairman,
Amstrad,
Brentwood House,
165 King's Road, Brentwood, Essex

After Purnell, Smith, Blears and now Hutton, hasn't Brown learned his lesson in trying to recruit to half-hearted converts?

Gerri Peev: Biggest story so far in Brown meltdown

As the Cabinet implodes and Brown clings on by his fingernails (which incidentally are very short because he bites them), news reaches us of the most momentous development so far.

A telescopic SNP press release lands in the inbox:

Its headline reads: BROWN MELTDOWN REFLECTED IN HEARTLAND BY-ELECTIONS

LABOUR JUST CLING ON IN SAFEST WESTMINSTER SEAT IN SCOTLAND

The release details the earth shattering news that the Labour vote in a by election in Coatbridge North and Glenboig in North Lanarkshire has collapsed.

But er, Labour still won. This is hailed as a massive blow for Gordon Brown by Bruce Crawford.
A clever Labour press officer would actually dress this up as a victory for the PM, given the range of catastrophes facing him.

The headline about the Aberdeen man lost at sea springs to mind...

Gerri Peev: Is Cameron on the mummy?

David Cameron's response to Julie Kirkbride's resignation is interesting. He seems to be trying to push the mummy buttons by agreeing that he hoped more women would not be put off entering parliament by the expenses scandal.

"It is also extremely important that part of that reform should include better ways of enabling women to combine the roles of politician and mother."

This could spectacularly backfire, not least because the majority of parents, let alone working mothers, do not ask their employers to subsidise their childcare arrangements.

If anyone can afford a nanny or an extension to house their au pair, it should be an MP who has claimed £170,000 in living expenses over the last four years.

Margaret Moran, the Luton MP who was forced to quit over her home flipping and her claims for dry rot treatment on her partner's house, which is 100 miles away from her constituency, also tried to pull the female martyr card.

She said she had to work hard and needed to spend time with her partner. Welcome to the real world. Most people struggle to juggle. Perhaps her partner could have shown some support by moving to London or her constituency.

There was talk at Westminster some time ago of installing a creche at the site of the underground shooting range that still exists beneath the Sport's and Social Bar. It was vetoed.

With talk of MPs being "suicidal" over the expenses furore, we can now understand why.

Gerri Peev: Draper's tips on "maximum coverage with minimum risk"

Derek Draper, editor of LabourList and recipient of emails from Damian McBride, is one of a number of expert bloggers at a digital conference this June.

The leaflet here (click to open as a PDF) tries to entice PR managers to "ensure your PR campaigns gain maximum coverage with minimum risk".

There is also a practical "how to" session on blogging, and the advertisement prophetically says: "get the tone right to ensure your efforts don't end up as an example of 'how not to'."

At least "Dr" Draper will not have to go far for suitable case studies.

Also appearing at the one day PR New Media Conference on 25 June is DJ Collins, director of comms at Google.

This is the same DJ Collins who was David Miliband's unofficial media guru around the time that speculation surfaced that the Foreign Secretary would challenge GB for the leadership.

Perhaps the two could compare notes about keeping digital communications private, given Google's problems with Streetview.

Gerri Peev: Alien Picts land at Westminster

Stop the press. It appears that administrators at the Overseas Office in the House of Commons have already declared the end of the United Kingdom.

A note from the 17 March on Overseas Visitors to Westminster announces the list of "forthcoming official overseas" guests to the Houses of Parliament.

There are exciting visitors such as five interns from Saskatchewan, select committee chairmen from Iraq, a librarian from New Zealand, Ghanian IT officers, delegations from Georgia, senior representatives from Japan, Inter-Parliamentary Union delegations from Lithuania, the clerk of the House from the Seychelles, a professor from South Africa, an MP from Uganda and the Serjeant at Arms from Western Australia.

There, sprinkled among the exotic guest list, is this note: "Scotland: Visit of the clerks to tehe Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee." Quite fittingly, the date of the visit is April 1.

Northern Ireland is also listed as an overseas country.

Gerri Peev: One in three MPs on the fiddle?

THANK God for Ken Clarke. The Tory High Command had been reminding hacks to get up early to watch the Shadow Business Secretary on the Andrew Marr Show today. This triggered suspicion that this time he would be disappointingly gaffe-free and on-message. Especially after his last appearance during which his words on inheritance tax cuts (that it was an "aspiration" not a pledge) triggered coronaries at Conservative HQ and in the grassroots membership.
This time, though, after a bland start, he came out with this gem on MPs and their expenses:
“We have an exaggerated public view that they are all thieves, they are all rogues, they are all lining their own pockets.
“Two thirds of them, I am quite sure, are doing nothing improper at all," he said, before hastily adding "At least two thirds I hope".
Is Mr Clarke saying up to one in three MPs is a crook?

Gerri Peev: Cold comfort at G20

Never have I wanted to kiss the ground so much as when I escaped the Excel centre this afternoon.

Sub-zero temperatures, even colder coffee and a media lockdown. Welcome to the G20, in East London, which seems to have its own micro-climate while the rest of the capital is bathed in sunlight.

The press are not allowed beyond the Yellow Zone in the vast aircraft hangar. Red passes are the ones to get your hands on as they mean access all areas - except, of course, the refreshments. One Downing Street staffer donning these supposedly all powerful red passes walked into the yellow area for a coffee only to be told he was not allowed refreshments from there. When he demanded to know who was in charge, a reply came back: "Sharon".

It was grim early on. A press briefing from Douglas Alexander, the International Development Secretary, attracted the sort of mob that would be the envy of Britney Spears. This is how dire the news situation was. Sketch writers sought even asked to sketch a background briefing, pointing out there was **** all going on for colour. They were even barred from the photo call for world leaders.

Looks like the Germans and French are thankfully stirring up enough controversy to make the day worthwhile now, however. Sarkozy should be putting his stacked boot in nicely before the end of the day.

Gerri Peev: Waiting for Gordo - and Obama

Long wait this morning for US President Barack Obama in the Locarno Room at the Foreign Office. Not a grain of coffee in sight.
It should have been a stampede but the early morning must have put off a lot of hacks. Mr Prez himself looked a bit weary. Jet lag and trying to rescue the world will do that to you (or perhaps it was just breakfast with the PM).
Biggest dilemma: Do hacks stand for the US President, or risk looking like they are staging a "sit in" if their US colleagues rise for their head of state? Traditionally, British journalists do NOT stand for the American president. To do so would be deferential. I resolve not to stand. As it turns out, the two leaders launch straight into their statements so there is no time.
Best quote: (From the President Obama): "Don't short change the future because of fear in the present."
One observation: President Obama picked two women and a male journalist when taking questions - all of them wire services.
Brown picked four males, three broadcasters, one tabloid political editor.
The British hacks are overwhelmingly white, middle aged and male in comparison to the more diverse journos who have flown with the President. Wonder if he notices?

Gerri Peev: Smooth as Vaz-eline

What is it about Keith Vaz, the chairman of the home affairs committee, that makes celebrities cling to him like velcro?
Today he is escorting no lesser figure than the Reverend Jesse Jackson around the House of Commons. He did his best to shield him from minor press intrusion (mine) outside the Members' Dining Room which boasts silver service and sweeping views of the Thames. It was also Vaz who hosted Shilpa Shetty (she of Bollywood and Big Brother fame) around Westminster a couple of years back, launching an impromptu press conference on the House of Commons terrace, much to the disdain of the Palace authorities.
He was applauded by Rev Jackson today who cited the "talented" and "right honourable" Keith Vaz as an example of how the UK could one day have its own Obama.

Who would have thought Vaz would reach such dizzying heights? Certainly not Chris Mullin, the former Foreign Office minister, who describes him as a "lightweight" in his entertaining diary, A View From the Foothills. He also calls him a "sleek wheeler-dealer" in the metaphoric sense of course, and says he has the "attention span of a gnat and a tendency to fantasise". No word yet on what Vaz makes of Mullin.

Gerri Peev: Murphy tunes in to fantasy panel

Back in December, Jim Murphy, the Scottish Secretary, announced he would convene a panel of economic and academic experts to come up with solutions for the recession in Scotland. This would be a group of people in tune with the problems on the ground, rather than the types to write letters to newspapers, he said.

He promised to come up with a cast list by January. It is now March 18, the official jobless figure for the UK is 2 million and the IMF has warned Britain will weather the recession worse than any other industrialised nation

David Mundell, the Shadow Scottish Secretary, grilled Murphy over this at Scottish Questions today, asking for the reason the delay on naming the experts.

"I am sure that the 1,000 additional people in the dole queues of Scotland this month, and their families, will very be interested to hear the Secretary of State’s solutions. In December, he announced that he was putting together a council of economic advisers, who would be named in January. Since then, we have heard nothing. What is the reason for that delay? Is he trying to avoid the mistakes of his predecessor, who used to vaunt the fact that Sir Fred Goodwin represented Scotland in the Chancellor’s high-level group on financial services? Does the Secretary of State think that his Government no longer need economic advice, or is it perhaps that nobody wants to be associated with his group?"

Murphy hit back: "I made no such announcement, then or since. The announcement that I made was about how to get those involved in academia and campaigning together with experts in poverty to ensure that the poorest could see a way through this recession, so that there would not be a generational legacy as a consequence of that, as there was after previous Tory recessions."

According to Mr Murphy's own speech given at the time, however, (a summary of which was in The Scotsman), he said: "I am announcing this morning that I will establish a new Scottish panel to advise and inform my work in the Government. I will invite experts, advice and voluntary organisations to join this important group. The expertise and local knowledge it will draw on will help our understanding of the specific nature of the impact of the situation facing individuals and families, and how the Government can continue to do what we can to help and support people through the tough times ahead."

So what was wrong with Mundell's questioning? According to sources (or should that be pedants) close to the Scottish Secretary, it was the use of the word "council".

OK, panel it is then. So how many times has this panel met? Er, none, according to the Scotland Office. The first meeting is on March 30 in Glasgow, when an unnamed group of "four or five" academics will meet. I was told that the Secretary does in fact meet individual experts frequently "rather than convening in a formal panel".

Perhaps it would have been better not to publicise something which does not exist and was probably never going to happen then?

Gerri Peev: MP off-side on football debate

Entertaining debate this morning raised by the SNP's Pete Wishart on the rights - or should I say wrongs - of a Team GB football squad.

The SNP's Angus MacNeil, tried to be helpful to his colleague's argument by saying: "I wonder whether any Portuguese Members of Parliament are looking for unification with Spain for an Iberian team. I would not think so."

Perhaps, then, he can explain why he is playing for the unified UK parliament's football team, who will meet the US Embassy's side next week?

On a more serious point, during the same debate, Mark Field, the Tory representing the bankers in the City of London, said that the idea of a Team GB was to part of a plot by the Prime Minister to "disguise the fact" that he is a Scot.

And he also warned that Brown's Scottishness would be used against him at the next general election:

Field said: "He represents or is from a country of 4.5 million people out of 60 million. That will be very evident as time goes on. I would not have wished to make that argument before 1997, but his Government have brought it on themselves. It will resonate loudly during the next general election campaign—very regrettably, in my view."

Regardless of where one stands on the constitutional or political debate, for an immigrant such as this correspondent, it is uncomfortable to think that one's nationality should ever be used against them.

Gerri Peev: House price crash across the pond

Here is a terrifying statistic for any home owner in America (as though they needed another negative indicator).

In the city of Detroit, America's car-producing capital, the median house price is now $7,500. I assure you there are no missing digits. That is the equivalent of around £5,300.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-detroit-housingjan29,0,5435392.story

The car industry across the pond is as affected as the banking sector in the UK. What will this eventually mean for house prices around Edinburgh and London if the rot is not stopped?

Gerri Peev: Wishart off the guest list?

As a former Runrig keyboardist, the SNP's Pete Wishart is used to being catapulted to the front of the queue at private parties.]

Since politics is meant to be showbiz for ugly people [no offence intended here] it is not surprising he is shocked at being left out of many events at the Scotland Office.

Ever since his nemesis Jim Murphy took over at the helm at the Scotland Office, Wishart is convinced that he is being left off the guest list. So much so that he has written to the Scotland Office demanding the official guest list.

Ann McKechin, the minister, has been forced to reply that "The Scotland Office does not hold full invitation lists for the events it hosts". This was because there are "invariably alterations" including late invitations that were not always recorded. She goes on to say that "where third parties host functions at the Scotland Office, they are responsible for their own guest lists and these are not submitted to the Scotland Office for approval".

Wishart has seized on this admission saying, writing back to the minister that "for obvious reasons, that is not a sensible [or] secure arrangement for events hosted in a government building".

He said that the initial claim that the Scotland Office did not hold invitation lists was "not so much unbelievable as it is bizarre".

He reiterated his call for the guest list. The Steamie will keep you updated.

It seems that unlike other SNP MPs who also spend a lot of time questioning the purpose of the Scotland Office, Wishart is unique in being "snubbed". Could it be anything to do with the fact that he and Murphy do not speak to each other?

This correspondent remembers once replying to a Scotland Office invitation correcting her title from "Mr" to "Ms". The response was surprising but hilarious: "Our press officer assured us you were a man". Note to self: need more flattering byline picture.

Gerri Peev: Washington warns of Brown rot

This was the headline on a press release from the US Embassy in London: International Team Sequences Genome of Brown-Rot Fungus.
Have relations with the US really gone off? We had heard the PM had received the "short red carpet" treatment in DC in contrast to the Messiah's welcome extended to Tony Blair, but this was potentially a real insult.
On closer reading, it is a press release documenting a breakthrough that will make production of fuel from plants more cost effective and energy efficient. Far more important than a diplomatic stand off. Not quite as much fun though.

Gerri Peev: Sad day at Westminster

News of the death of Ivan Cameron, the six year-old son of David and Samantha Cameron, has shocked and depressed all of us who work in the Commons.

It is a grim day at Westminster and the mood is being reflected by the Prime Minister cancelling PMQs. Instead, Gordon Brown, William Hague (who stands in for the Tory leader in his absence at the Dispatch Box) and Vince Cable will offer tributes at noon.

The House of Commons will then adjourn until 12.30. The unveiling of Margaret Thatcher's portrait at Number 10 this afternoon has been postponed.

Our deepest condolences go to the Camerons.

Gerri Peev: Let Gordon eat cake

While the rest of the political blogsphere seems to be plunged into speculation about Gordon Brown's future, the PM is spending the day in his constituency doubtlessly dreaming up more initiatives to stave off the worst excesses of the recession...Perhaps it seems a bit churlish to be talking about his imminent demise on a day when Brown should be celebrating his 58th birthday.
Let's hope Sarah has shredded the papers and put a firewall on the internet so he can enjoy his day in peace.

Gerri Peev: SNP member defects to British cause

Well not quite. But it caught your attention. It seems Gordon Brown is not the only one losing talent.

The SNP's business manager at Westminster, Anne Harvey has been appointed as head of policy at VisitBritain.

Legally-trained Harvey was one of the brains behind the cash for honours inquiry, having dug up an obscure piece of legislation - the 1925 Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act.

She scooped a Researcher of the Year award for her efforts and in this humble hack's opinion, is formidably clever and decent. Little wonder she never ended up in frontline politics.

Having worked as head of research at Which? for a decade, she will now bat for Britain's £114 billion visitor economy, according to a statement about to be released by VisitBritain.

Patricia Yates, director of strategy at VisitBritain said that the organisation was "very fortunate" to have Harvey on board. "She is a familiar face to many political figures and her experience, background in policy formation and knowledge of parliamentary processes will complement our existing expertise."

Harvey said she looks forward to engaging with the "challenges and opportunies" presented by the difficult economic climate "and to championing the tourist industry by taking the case for prioritising sustainable tourism right to the heart of the government and the devolved administration".

VisitBritain's gain is Westminster's loss.

Gerri Peev: PM on Jade Goody tragedy

Gordon Brown has just been asked at the Downing St press conference about Jade Goody's battle with cervical cancer. While he paid tribute to the reality TV star's bravery, he missed an opportunity to urge women to ensure they go for a smear test. Slightly awkward topic for a mature male to raise but it is literally a matter of life and death. And there is still a discrepancy in treatment between England, where women are not screened routinely until they are 25 and Scotland, where tests are offered from age 20. Surely time to lower the age south of the border, given that Goody is only 27?

Gerri Peev: Clegg wants to spend more time with his family

I know, I know, two Lib Dem posts in a day...please stay with me. Nick Clegg, the Lib Dem leader, has suggested that the recession may have a silver lining: it will allow/force men to spend more time with their families if they happen to be laid off.

This is a time to shake of entrenched gender stereotypes, says Clegg, who is preparing to take time off for the birth of his next off-spring. The Tories are privately pointing out that if one of their frontbenchers had tried to cast a rosy light on the recession, they would have been slated for it.

But Clegg does make a serious point. Make parental leave interchangeable and give fathers and mothers the choice as to who stays at home and who works.

Of course this can only work if at least one parent still has a job. And as the recession is hitting the female- dominated service and retail sectors the hardest, it is probably women who will be first to be given their p45s.

On that subject, should the Lib Dem leader want to request flexible working after enjoying his stint at home, can one suggest a job share with his deputy, Vince Cable?

Gerri Peev: Poll blow for Labour?

SKY has been flashing an IPSOS/Mori poll which shows that Labour is now TWENTY points behind the Conservatives. The network reports that Labour is on 28 per cent, the Conservatives on 48 per cent and the Liberal Democrats are on 17 per cent.
One shocking aspect of this is the tumble that the Lib Dems have taken since a weekend poll put them on 22 per cent.

It is not surprising, then, that the party's Treasury spokesman amusingly admonished Sky for misreporting the poll, pointing out that the figures it quotes are only for people who say they are certain to vote at the next election.

So it means that Tory supporters are more likely to turn out and vote while Lib Dem supporters are sitting on the fence...

Gerri Peev: Cameron signals Top Tory is Osborne and Out

Scewered. Kebabed. Roasted. Just some of the verbs used by colleagues to describe the treatment meted out to Shadow Chancellor George Osborne. The recipe is unveiled in this morning's Sun newspaper. In an interview with David Cameron, the Tory leader reveals he sees William Hague as "my deputy in all but name and people need to know that."

Ouch, which people did he mean? His best friend George? In the joint interview Hague adds: "I won't tread on George's toes". Indeed why bother inflicting more pain when they have effectively kneed him in the groin.

Cameron protests a bit too much when he says that "William, George and I work incredibly closely together...It doesn't reflect on George's position, absolutely not."

Hmmm... Ménage à trois are rarely seen as long-term arrangements. No doubt Osborne will reflect the extent of his betrayal in a few years in a teary-eyed TV interview when he will confirm "There were three of us in that marriage".

Gerri Peev: Porn barons' bonkers request

If you thought it was mad for the uncompetitive US car industry to demand a bail out, what about the founder of Hustler wanting to hustle some cash out of the US government?
Magazine publisher Larry Flynt and Joe Francis, chief executive of Girls Gone Wild (as opposed to Boy Gone Mad) have issued a joint plea for Congress to er, pump 5 billion US dollars (£3.3 billion) into their industry. Confusingly, Mr Francis said the money was to “just to see us through hard times”.

It seems that the appetites of usual purveyors have been deflated by the economic downturn.
Mr Flynt said: "With all this economic misery and people losing all that money, sex is the farthest thing from their mind.
“It is time for congress to rejuvenate the sexual appetite of America. The only way they can do this is by supporting the adult industry and doing it quickly.”

One assumes that the porn barons are teasing and it is highly unlikely that Barack Obama will allow himself to taken for a ride.

Gerri Peev: Brown must bank on long term rate rise

ON a regional tour this week of just about everywhere except Scotland, the PM has said he is “determined during this period of time that inflation is low, interest rates will be low and that’s the best way of stimulating the economy.”

Leaving aside the fact that investors are scared away by low rates, the PM has to be careful not to promise too much on the interest rate front from an independent Bank of England.

More importantly, one only has to look across the pond to read the runes (or should that be ruins) to see that rates could go up perhaps sooner that many would like.

The Congressional Budget Office (stay with me) forecasts that America's debt will reach a whopping $1.186 trillion this year. This does NOT take into account the massive $775 million stimulus package the Obama administration will unleash to try and kickstart the economy.

The President-elect warned today: “Unless we take decisive action, even after our economy pulls out of its slide, trillion dollar deficits will be a reality for years to come.”

What does this mean? Well high debt levels put pressure on inflation, in turn encouraging policy makers to raise rates.

If Brown prolongs the election for too long, he could be entering a contest with high costs of borrowing as the background. He has been warned.

Gerri Peev: Pesto needs mortar

Well, at least Panorama needs a blast. Sometimes there is just not enough bang for the buck. The BBC's endless trailing of the Panorama documentary: The Year Britain's Bubble Burst, offered more teasing than a peep show.

It boasted interviews with some of the most significant players in the run-up to the near collapse of banking as we know it. Robert Peston, the Beeb's economics editor, even bemoaned the fact the programme was only half an hour long on his blog, meaning that some of the juicy interviews ended on the cutting room floor.

It is odd, then, that the editors of the Beeb deemed it more interesting to devote more than half the programme to the journalist behind the story. Talented though he is, surely viewers wanted to know more about what Hector Sants (FSA boss), Alistair Darling, John Gieve (deputy governor of the Bank of England who admitted he did not have a clue) and Barclays' boss John Varley thought than why Peston decided to become a journalist. No doubt Peston is slightly embarrassed about being the focus of the documentary himself.

One more thing: the BBC's gloating about how Peston had an exclusive scoop about the bank bail out in October is not entirely true. Bill Jamieson, The Scotsman's executive editor, had the scoop on our front page story in our first editions on October 7. That means it was on the page many hours before the BBC had it online or broadcast the news.

The BBC has form in this, it tried to claim a story as its own a few weeks ago about RBS job losses that we had run on that day's front page.

Gerri Peev: Brown X Factor bluff?

THERE was a brief moment during today's Downing Street press conference when Gordon Brown came close to repeating Tony Blair's habit of, um, embellishment in a bid to appear as normal as possible.

His predecessor famously was mocked when, trying to play up his North East roots, he claimed to have sat behind the goal at the Gallowgate end of St James's Park, watching Newcastle United's Jackie Milburn. (It turned out that the footballer had retired when TB was just four, and that terraces were only replaced by seats in the 1990s).

Today, Mr Brown spoke about how he would download the X Factor single by winner Alexandra Burke. "I think it is as a great song. I happened to hear some of it on Saturday night," he said.

Really? Wow the PM must have annoyed his hosts as he was meant to be in Delhi on Saturday night. Maybe I should be more generous. It turns out that Mr Brown was NOT attempting to exaggerate but had recorded the show. What he meant was that he heard some of the song FROM Saturay night. Hallelujah for that.

Gerri Peev: Darling calls for Dave to bring it on

ALISTAIR Darling has just given an entertaining speech at the Press Gallery lunch (yes really, he can be cutting). But just after he disarmed everyone with a barrage of jokes, including one about driving past RBS HQ and thinking: "I own that" (no actually, Chancellor, WE own that), he launched into a full-scale assault.

His attack was unsurprisingly on David Cameron who has been equally vocal in tearing strips of Gordon Brown's borrowing binge but a little more silent on his great plan. The Tory leader this morning called for an immediate general election to give voters a choice. And the Chancellor seemed to square up to him.

He contrasted Barack Obama's election slogan of "yes we can" to the Conservatives "no we can't" and said the dividing lines for the electorate would be clear ahead of the next election...But before we could start booking our places on the party battle buses, he stressed the government was getting on with tackling the economic crisis rather than plotting an election campaign.

Gerri Peev: OECD warns of bogus memo

Just had this email from the OECD's press office:

OECD has been informed of a text dated 21 November 2008 purporting to be a “confidential memo” from OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Gordon Brown, commenting on the outlook for the U.K. economy. This text is a hoax and does not reflect the views of OECD or of Mr Gurría.

One wonders what it could say? UK heading for massive job losses and catastrophic recession? We are already nearly there although not nearly at the bottom...it would take a lot to shock us now. Perhaps it asserts that it is partly the PM's fault (which no one believes surely)...

Gerri Peev: Exile Hamilton on track for award from PM

Just been to the Downing Street Monday morning Lobby where we were told that Gordon Brown would be presenting an award to Lewis Hamilton today. Andy Sparrow of the Guardian asked him what he was getting the prize for: certainly not for his direct contribution to the British Exchequer. For charming as that smile is, there is no doubt that the young Mr Hamilton lives in Switzerland, largely so he does not have to pay taxes here. The PM's spokesman sidestepped questions about whether he believed a high achievers raised in Britain should stay here to contribute, pointing out that Brown was merely presenting the award. Given the cash challenges facing Formula One, maybe Hamilton would not be that much of a cash cow for the Chancellor anyway in the new future. Fittingly, the awards ceremony is taking place at Cafe Royale, the iconic Picadilly play pen which is set to close after 150 years.

Gerri Peev: The rules on Commons raid

HERE is the legal ruling on whether or not the police needed a warrant. It seems they didn't because Commons officials acquiesced so readily to police requests:

Searches conducted on a consensual basis do not require a warrant - Pace Code B sets out the procedure for such a search:

5.1 Subject to paragraph 5.4, if it is proposed to search premises with the consent of a person entitled to grant entry the consent must, if practicable, be given in writing on the Notice of Powers and Rights before the search. The officer must make any necessary enquiries to be satisfied the person is in a position to give such consent.

5.2 Before seeking consent the officer in charge of the search shall state the purpose of the proposed search and its extent. This information must be as specific as possible, particularly regarding the articles or persons being sought and the parts of the premises to be searched. The person concerned must be clearly informed they are not obliged to consent and anything seized may be produced in evidence. If at the time the person is not suspected of an offence, the officer shall say this when stating the purpose of the search.

5.3 An officer cannot enter and search or continue to search premises under paragraph 5.1 if consent is given under duress or withdrawn before the search is completed.

5.4 It is unnecessary to seek consent under paragraphs 5.1 and 5.2 if this would cause disproportionate inconvenience to the person concerned.

Members’ offices within the Parliamentary Estate are not their own. The search of such offices would be undertaken by the police under the authority of the Serjeant at Arms. In the circumstances of a criminal investigation, the Serjeant at Arms would consult the Speaker before a search occurs. In Mr Green’s case the Serjeant at Arms consented to the search of his Westminster office and no warrant was therefore required.[

If no consent had been provided, the police would have either had to rely on their search powers under section 18 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) or apply for a search warrant under section 8 of PACE.

Search without warrant under section 18

Under section 18 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) police have the power to enter and search any premises occupied or controlled by a person who has been arrested for an indictable offence (which covers aiding/abetting misconduct in a public office) and to seize relevant items. No warrant is required. The following procedural requirements apply:

· The search can only be conducted upon or following the arrest of an individual for an indictable offence. From information in the public domain we understand that Mr Green was arrested prior to the search of his Westminster office being carried out, therefore this condition would appear to have been satisfied.

· The search power is available where the police have reasonable grounds for believing that there is evidence on the premises that relates to the offence for which the person has been arrested, or any other indictable offence connected with or similar to that offence (for example the primary offence of misconduct in a public office for which Christopher Galley was arrested).

· An officer of the rank of inspector or above must authorise a section 18 search in writing.

· The authorising officer must make a written record of the grounds for the search and the nature of the evidence sought. If, at the time the record is made, the person who was in occupation or control of the premises at the time of the search is in police detention, the record should be made on that person’s custody record.

· The premises searched must be occupied or controlled by the arrested person. According to Blackstone’s Police Operational Handbook:

Occupied

This is not defined, but refers to premises where the arrested person resides or works and may include occupancy as an owner, tenant, or ‘squatter’.

Controlled

This is not defined, but includes premises in which the arrested person holds some interest, such as owning, renting, leasing, or has use of the premises.

One possible technicality around the use of section 18 in relation to offices on the Parliamentary Estate may be whether a Member is considered to “occupy” or “control” their office given that Members’ offices within the Parliamentary Estate are not deemed to be their own. The definitions above would appear to catch a Member’s office within the Parliamentary Estate in the same way as the office of an ordinary company employee, although there may be scope for legal debate on this point.

Search with a warrant under section 8

If it is not possible to obtain consent or to use the section 18 power to search without a warrant (for example if it is proposed to conduct a search before anyone has been arrested), the police would have to obtain a warrant prior to conducting a search. Media reports suggest that this approach was taken in relation to Mr Green’s constituency office and residential premises.

A search warrant may be issued to a constable who applies to a justice of the peace, following the procedure set out in section 15 of PACE, provided the following conditions are satisfied:

· The justice must be satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for believing that:

1. an indictable offence has been committed (this would cover aiding/abetting misconduct in a public office);

2. there is material on the specified premises which is likely to be of substantial value to the investigation of the offence;

3. the material is likely to be relevant evidence;

4. the material does not consist of items subject to legal privilege, or excluded or special procedure material; and

5. any one or more of the following further conditions applies:

(i) that it is not practicable to communicate with any person entitled to grant entry to the premises;

(ii) that it is practicable to communicate with such a person, but not practicable as regards the person entitled to grant access to the evidence;

(iii) that entry to the premises will not be granted unless a warrant is produced;

(iv) that the purpose of a search may be frustrated or seriously prejudiced unless a constable arriving at the premises can secure immediate entry to them.

General matters regarding searches

Searches of premises (whether with consent, under section 18 of PACE or under warrant) must be conducted in accordance with PACE Code B.

We are not aware of any exceptions or special rules regarding the need for warrants in royal palaces – section 23 of PACE defines “premises” as including “any place” and does not make any particular provision for royal palaces

Gerri Peev: Queen, cops and the constitution

TRUST Dennis Skinner, the Beast of Bolsover, to inject even more colour into the ridiculous spectacle of the Queen's Speech.
As the silent procession piled into the Commons chamber, the known republican shouted out "any Tory moles in the Palace?" Even the most senior stuffed shirts could not help smiling at that one.

On other constitutional matters, earlier this morning, the acting Met Police chief defended the officers who raided the Commons and constituency offices of Damian Green, along with his homes. Acting Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson has denied that any politician sought to inflict "improper influence" on his charges. But one does wonder why the police themselves are carrying out an inquiry into their own operation, particularly given the discrediting of the internal serious case review at Haringey over Baby P. Whatever happened to parliamentary sovereignty?

Peter Mandelson (who looks ever so at home in the Lords today amongst all the pomp and ceremony) makes an astute if inflammatory point: the furore could be a smokescreen for the Tories alleged collusion to breach the law. And just where was all the fuss from the Tory side about a police state when Labour aides and even the then PM, Tony Blair, were being grilled by police over the cash for honours scandal?

Sad news from my colleague David Maddox about culls at the Tory press office. It is by far the slickest of any of the party press offices and its press officers are more often than not helpful. Not so long ago staff at Tory HQ were the envy of other party workers as they were receiving bonuses. Now it's P45s.

Gerri Peev: One industry that won't tank in the recession

WANT big bonuses? Forget Goldman Sachs and join the Army. At least, that's what the forces recruiting sergeants are wanting to spin to anyone feeling slightly crunched by the (lack of) credit.

An ad in a national newspaper today bears the big banner: "WE STILL OFFER BIG BONUSES". It goes on to boast that soliders enjoy six weeks' paid holiday, free healthcare, a competitive pension and subsidised rent. For good measure it adds: "Most of all, you'll have the chance to make a positive impact on the lives of people all over the world. There can be few greater rewards than this." It invites interested candidates to text 'Recruit' to a number (I won't give that out. They can take out an ad in The Scotsman first). The MoD can no doubt save on advertising in the near future though: recruitment levels for the military all round are bound to surge with the economic downturn.

I remember having dinner a year or so ago with a minister who bemoaned the fact that the then buoyant economy and rampant job choices made it a struggle to entice youngsters into the armed forces. With Jock Stirrup, the Chief of Defence Staff, now making clear that more troops will be needed in Afghanistan, the renewed interest in the armed forces as a career option will be welcome.

Paradoxically, the more "progress" Nato makes in the country, the more troops it needs to guard the newly pacified territory. As the Defence Chief himself said: "We have to be very careful in our choice of words when talking about Afghanistan. Terms like winning and victory have no place in the lexicon there."