Labour prepared to be Maxed out by the Sundays

Max Clifford, the Mail on Sunday and Tracey Temple represent a frightening combination for John Prescott and the Labour Party.  An interview at the end of this morning's Today programme revealed that Ms Temple has taken tens of thousands of pounds to sell her story to this Sunday newspaper that has long hungered for the end of New Labour.

It won't be Labour's only worry from tomorrow's newspapers.  I also understand that two opinion polls are due.

Comments

[Andrew Woodman]

Cannabis found at John Reids house now. This is starting to have a whiff of Francis Urquhart about it.

[Editor]

It probably takes a lot of drugs to start believing this Government is a good one, Andrew.

[buxtehude]

"this Sunday newspaper that has long hungered for the end of New Labour."

Wrong. It has hungered for the end of Blair. But it quite fancies Gordon Brown. The Dacre-Brown relationship, strange-but-true, means that the Mail has long gone softly on the next New Labour Prime Minister. And Dacre certainly doesn't love Cameron. It will be fascinating to see what the paper does once Blair is gone.

[Henry Whitmarsh]

The other woman has apparently threatened legal action, however, Guido et al are not yet on the rack.

Just imagine, all those people at home with nothing better to do than read the sunda papers. Come on digger, don't let me down!

[Mark]

The damage control spin has already started - "tiny amount of Cannabis" according to SKY - lets hope the journalists look at the consequences for any serviceman found with a "tiny amount of cannabis" in their home.

[Editor]

BBC News is reporting that the cannabis has a street value of 85 pence and was in the house for 20 years. A bit of a non-story.

[hayek's grandad]

Come on, how can you tell how long it's been in house? You can't listen to the Blair Broadcasting Corporation, look at what they've said about all the troubles this week... errr almost nothing. Their website is disgrace to freedom of speech.

What does it take to get a Labour minister to resign!!! What happened to holding them to account, weren't we promised nuLabour would hold themselves to the _very highest_ standards... purrrlease!!!

[Chris Palmer]

"BBC News is reporting that the cannabis has a street value of 85 pence and was in the house for 20 years. A bit of a non-story." - Tim

So said Newsnight and the BBC news about Prescott's affairs - which Stepehen Pollard brought up in the Mail yesterday...

[Editor]

...and was reported on ConservativeHome, Chris.

[Chris Palmer]

I know, that's why I mentioned it.

[Suggestion]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=5DVA4S0ULIPBZQFIQMFCFGGAVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2006/04/29/npylons29.xml&sSheet=/portal/2006/04/29/ixportaltop.html

Lots of houses near power lines to be halved in value. More trouble?

[a-tracy]

This situation is not a 'private affair' at all. I've just read that Tracey feels betrayed and humiliated, good, (didn't she think about Pauline at all then - if you don't know they're married that's one thing - doing a married man when you know the wife personally is another).

Tracey is worried that this will end her 'umblemished 20 year civil service career' - who is going to pay for that then - Mr Prescott or us mugs?

She was the only civil servant to get the top grade assessment three years on the trot. Really! What for, being able to kick your legs up higher than your bosses head, unbutton a shirt in 30 seconds or roll over and play dumb.

I've said before on another thread, the important part of this story isn't the affair, it is that he's been 'favouring' a member of his staff.

Blair is in effect Prescott's direct boss and we're the shareholders that Blair is there to protect. For David Davies on QT to say they'd rather not discuss this is annoying (and you may remember I preferred DD for leader).

[Deputy Editor]

The wording was up to 20 years - I'm no expert but is that just a dressed up way of saying "we've just found it now, there's no reason for us to believe that no-one noticed it for 20 years although it wouldn't have physically changed if it was left there for that long."

[Deputy Editor]

Tracey Temple got "well over £100,000" for the story.

[Chad]

I'd want more than 100k to shag Prescott. Perhaps Margaret Beckett for that price.. :-)

[Patsy Sergeant]

Oh wow Chad! Thats a prospect!!!!!!!!!

[Robl]

Any whispers about what the opinion polls will say?

[J.W.Tozer]

HMMMM

Let's see, Fat stupid old man makes total arse of himself over younger woman: nothing new in that then!

If only DC had sacked Boris Johnston when he was (again) caught doing the 'wrong' thing he could now take the moral high ground. Politicians of all parties tread warily on this one, the attitude is, 'There but for fortune......' On the drugs thing DC can't say to much, his own past is a little bit suspect on that issue.

Personally I don't want to come over all Melanie Phillips here, but when a someone asks to be endorsed by the electorate, as someone who can be trusted to run our affairs, we the public have a right to expect a 'superior' standard of behaviour from them. This 'Oh we are all human,' line I heard from Francis Maud on question time, sorry it won't do, we the British public deserve better than this. If a man/woman feels so little for their wife/husband and children they are prepared to put them through this sort of humiliation, I don't want to be represented by people like that!

[Alastair Matlock]

The result for the YouGov poll for the Sunday Times seems to be: Con 35%, Lab 32%, Lib Dem 18%.

[wicks]

disappointing for the lib dems that one

[Editor]

Where did you hear that please Alastair?

[malcolm]

That's good news if true.Early editions of STimes are probably out at London stations by now.Does anyone leave near one to confirm?

[malcolm]

Of course I meant 'live' near a station!Sorry about the frequent typos today I'm very tired

[Alastair Matlock]

Tim - Iain Dale posted a PA report containing those figures on politicalbetting.com about an hour ago.

He has posted an entry repeating the figures on his blog as well.

[Editor]

Thanks Alastair. I'll post a full report tomorrow.

[Alastair Matlock]

Tim - You're welcome. I look forward to reading your report in the morning. Any word on the second opinion poll thought to be in the works?

Wicks - Certainly disappointing for the Lib Dems compared to ICM and Mori.

[kingbongo]

I think this is the best poll for us since DC took over and is certainly more what I would have expected. As I never trust MRI polls I ignored the recent one. On Political betting Mike said bank holiday weekend polls tend to favour Labour so the news might be even better!

Of course on Baxter it still makes Labour the largest party but there's a nice halving of LD representation and I would suspect they would pick up a Labour seat for every one they lose to us.

Chad - only a 100k for Beckett? you sell yourself too cheaply :-)

[Rickie]

I disagree with the second post here. The Mail has most definitely NOT gone soft on Brown, time and time again it goes for the jugular. It positively detests him, in both its editorials, stories and columnists views.
They dislike Blair but would rather have him than Brown. While they may yet be lukewarm to Cameron they most certainly approved of the despatch box drubbing he gave Brown on Budget. Day

[Andrew Woodman]

On the face of it, these poll results look good. I'd be interested to know the breakdown of the 15% of the others. Are these likely to return to Labour or the Lib Dems or is there a chance we might grab them.

[James Maskell]

kingbongo, you ignored an MRI? I though we were supposed to trust the NHS with our health...

[kingbongo]

LOL - Not with Hewitt in charge :-)

[eugene]

How can a 3 % fall in the polls be good news for us?...because it keeps us 3 % ahead of Labour? That is not really good news at all!

Labour also has a secret weapon. Brown will immediately cancel out Labour's poll problems.I find it surprising that the Party is falling apart so suddenly- it has had to be planned...the Brownites are forcing Blair out now.

We need to go to work on Brown.

[Richard Allen]

While that poll is a little better than some others it is hardly good news. Given the government's woes a decent opposition should be 10 points ahead.

[matt wright]

There is a very serious danger in using stupid stories just for electoral gain or to sell papers. It drags down all politicans and threatens to destroy democracy. There is a massive divide growing between those who govern and the governed and it is seriously damaging community spirit. The media have to fill the papers every day and they too have a responsibility.

Matt

[CDM]

"Of course on Baxter it still makes Labour the largest party but there's a nice halving of LD representation and I would suspect they would pick up a Labour seat for every one they lose to us."

What's Baxter? On electoral calculus Con 35, Lab 32 and Lib 18 produces these rather encouraging figures:

Labour 306
Conservative 271
Liberal Democrat 36

Remember that these don't into account boundary changes; I reckon that if those were factored in, we'd be roughly at parity. Considering the disaster of 2005, that's not too bad!

[Chris D]

"We need to go to work on Brown." Quite agree Eugene, but we will need to find him first. He seems to have disappeared of the political scene this week, he has surely not deserted the Nu Labour project?

[verulamgal]

Well there is an old cliche about 'rats leaving sinking ships'
I suspect Brown is keeping a low profile in the hope that he will avoid seeming to be tainted by association following this week's events

[Matthew Oxley]

Congratulations of 500 posts Tim. With each post, the site gets better.

[Suggestion]

I'm waiting for a new thread on the poll, but I want to point out that it completely vindicates my faith in Cameron and my argument to Tim earlier that we are already trusted on law and order (we have almost a twenty point lead on the issue).

[Ted]

CDM

Martin Baxter = Electoral Calculus