When Steve Baker is on maneouvers, you know No. 10 is in trouble. The lockdown-skeptic and ‘Brexit hardman’ has had a hand in defenestrating two successive Tory premiers and could soon make it a hat-trick. For Baker, whose criticisms of the Johnson government have reached a crescendo in recent months, has recently taken over the running of Conservative Way Forward, the Thatcherite pressure group which acts as standard bearers for the Iron Lady’s legacy.
And it seems the Wycombe MP has wasted no time in his efforts to turn the CWF into a campaigning powerhouse, according to a recently released update to the register of members’ interests. For Baker is using Ed Barker – the media and strategic campaign consultant who helped the Covid Research Group scupper vaccine passports – to plot the coming relaunch of CWF. Neil Record, the chairman of free-market think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs, is helping to provide the funding with a tidy £5,000 this month. Will it allow Baker to have the same success shifting the Tories on economics as he’s had with Brexit and Covid?
At least No. 10 won’t have to worry about another high-profile backbencher – Liam Fox barely seems to be in the country these days. The former defence secretary managed to spend 10 of the 31 days last month out of the country, racking up more than £20,000 in costs visiting the USA, the UAE and Hungary in that time. At least he brought with him two fellow Tories – Stephen Crabb and Mark Garnier – on his UAE venture, in his capacity as chair of the UK Abraham Accords Group, which funded it. Indeed, Fox has now made seven declared overseas trips across three continents in five months, declaring more than £37,000 worth in donated visits. Not so much global Britain as globe-trotting Britain.
Theresa May meanwhile continues to cash in post-premiership by registering £127,000 for nine hours work preparing and delivering a speech for a Florida lecture series – the equivalent of almost £4 a second. How ironic for a PM whose most memorable speaking engagement was when she lost her voice at the 2017 Tory conference. It seems though that the good people of southern America are desperate to hear her oratorical prowess, even if her biography on the official website is, er, a little coy about the many failings of her premiership. Talk about the burning injustices, eh?
May also got to enjoy Heathrow Airport’s most luxurious comfort both prior to flying to America and on her return. Her entry notes she enjoyed £8,400 worth of complimentary hospitality at Heathrow’s Windsor Suite, courtesy of the airport’s head office. On their website, Heathrow claims that this ‘exclusive suite’ is comprised of ‘eight unique and beautifully decorated private lounges, designed with comfort front of mind.’ How divine! Given her successor’s perennial money worries and current woes, May will presumably be laughing all the way to the bank.
Other interesting entries include Dawn Butler collecting a tidy £4,000 to give a speech at the social media company Twitter, with the Brent MP also trousering £1,200 for appearing as a a panellist on the Big Narstie Show on Channel 4 – what a culture vulture. In fairness, Butler could perhaps be demanding more, given that Jess Phillips got £15,000 last month to appear on BBC show Have I Got News For You. Her Labour colleagues on the frontbench however seem to more intent on tooling up for government, with both Rachel Reeves and Yvette Cooper registering £30,000 and £15,000 respectively in donations for their offices. Reeves also had £2,482 donated from Leeds firm CEG to pay for her Christmas cards. The firm’s head of community liaison is none other than former Leeds councillor Lucinda Yeadon. What good comrades!
And on the Tory side, possible dark horse leadership candidate Michael Gove got another £11,000 in such sums to add to the previous £167,000 he registered since January 2021 – a tidy £178,000 in total and top of the likely leadership contenders for most donations. Watch out Boris. Still, not everyone’s interests are so Machiavellian: both Gillian Keegan and Bob Seely used the register to declare their complimentary memberships of different sailing clubs.
At last, a way of making waves in Parliament that will keep No. 10 happy.
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