Dread, Locked

Without Dan Norris as an MP, there has not been a Labour Government since 1979. He was a Whip under Tony Blair, and he was a Minister under Gordon Brown. Even out of Parliament, he participated first in David Miliband's Leadership campaign, and then in the anti-Semitism scam against Jeremy Corbyn. 

Accordingly, Keir Starmer went to great lengths to secure him the nomination for Mayor of the West of England, refusing to shortlist several popular and credible candidates, including the one who had received the most most nominations, and instead presenting members with a shortlist of two, although even then Norris barely won.

The candidate whom he beat, Helen Godwin, has been selected this time, and her campaign already promised "a new chapter", with no mention of Norris on its website, much less among the list of prominent endorsements. In spite of that, there can be no doubt that, having stood down as Mayor in line with Labour's new rules against double jobbing, Norris would have returned to Ministerial office.

Speaking of double jobbing, if there were to be a by-election at North East Somerset and Hanham, then would Jacob Rees-Mogg risk the mooted ban on MPs presenting television programmes? If he were to join Nigel Farage and Lee Anderson on the green benches, then that ban might be accelerated. Might he even join them on the same green benches? After all, according to their GB News colleague, and Farage's and Anderson's in the House, Esther McVey, plenty of Conservative Party members are also members of Reform UK.

That is contrary to the rules of at least one of those parties, yet it comes as no surprise. Reform, after all, has withdrawn its Whip from an MP who has possibly never been a member of it, but who has just had his gun collection confiscated by the Police for fear that he might murder the Party Chairman. Meanwhile, its founder, albeit under a different name but it is the same entity, is trying to have its Leader prosecuted for fraudulent breach of trust, fraudulent document procedures, harassment, and bullying.

Yet in the midst of that, on the close ties between the Conservatives and Reform, the Labour Party can do no better than this image.

But of course Labour has form. Two years ago this month, it used a trick of the light to make Rishi Sunak's skin darker.

To insinuate a connection to the sexual assault of children. Think on.