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Good Wednesday morning. This is Dan Bloom, with you for the rest of the week.
DRIVING THE DAY
50 BLOCKADES OF GRAY: Sue Gray is waking up to proof of her continued hold over the government’s collective stress levels, 62 days after she left. By refusing to cooperate with a Cabinet Office probe into her job move, Keir Starmer’s pick for Labour chief of staff has stalled what was billed as a damning report on her conduct — for now. But not without invoking fresh furor over herself and Starmer.
Waiting for Dowdo: The Guardian, Times and i all make room on page 1 for Deputy PM Oliver Dowden’s hotly awaited “update” on Gray, which after a weekend of briefing ended up a bit lackluster on Tuesday night. Looking across the papers and chatting to sources, a picture emerges as to how this happened.
Spot the difference: Hacks were told the update would at least sketch out findings of a Cabinet Office review of Gray’s departure. Ministers believe she broke the civil service code over talks between her and Starmer about a job. But no such accusation appeared, and those views were instead passed privately to revolving-door jobs watchdog ACOBA, which is examining her job move separately. A Cabinet Office report might be published at a later date but that’s unclear for now.
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Playing hardball: The Times spread reveals Gray repeatedly questioned the Cabinet Office probe’s standing in what sounds like a terse exchange of letters. Insiders tell the Sun Gray “refused to even pick up the phone or answer repeated emails” with staff working on it. A Conservative source tells the Sun, Telegraph and Mail it’s “like an experienced lawyer has told her to say ‘no comment’ to every question in a police interview.”
And lo: Government officials told Playbook that, lacking key details from Gray herself, the legal advice was that the Cabinet Office couldn’t issue a no-holds-barred report on her this week.
THE BIG QUESTION: Starmer refuses to say when he and Gray spoke about a potential job with Labour, while she was working in government. Two people confirm to Playbook that Gray has given those dates to ACOBA — meaning it could all come out in the coming months.
Case for the defense: A Labour official told Playbook (and others) that the Cabinet Office probe was a “gimmick set up by ministers purely for political point-scoring,” and instead Gray is focusing on ACOBA, an independent body. FDA civil service union General Secretary Dave Penman made similar comments on Times Radio, saying Gray “has a right not to take part.”
On the attack: Ex-Cabinet Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg tells the i “Sue has decided to sabotage her own reputation,” while Nadine Dorries tells the Mail: “Boris Johnson complied with Sue Gray’s Partygate probe, but now the spotlight is on her she’s lost for words.” This Photoshopped pic from Guido is a neat distillation of Tory rage. Quote of the day has to be Brendan Clarke-Smith in the Sun: “Sir Keir claims to be ‘Mr Rules’, so I hope on this occasion he didn’t … ‘miss the rules.’”
CRACKED THE CASE? The Guardian’s Pippa Crerar quotes “Whitehall insiders” who say Cabinet Secretary Simon Case initially backed issuing a full-blown report then changed his mind, amid concerns about the process imposed on Gray. The Times puts it more strongly — saying Case forced ministers to weaken a highly critical statement after getting “cold feet.” An official tells the FT there was “an almighty row” behind the scenes.
But but but … Government officials pushed back hard against suggestions that Case made some dramatic intervention. They also point out that despite lots of anonymous briefing, the government never *actually* promised a big seismic report on Gray. One said: “We have said consistently that we would update the House on the circumstances leading up to Sue Gray’s resignation. The written ministerial statement fulfills that commitment.” She’ll be delighted.
Pesto source: The most head-turning take is from ITV’s Robert Peston, who tweeted that Gray gave info to ACOBA *via* the Cabinet Office — which then tried to use it in its own inquiry. Peston brands it a “government cock-up.”
SCOOP — ENDGAME: The Cabinet Office may be frustrated, but Playbook hears ACOBA is now motoring on and is preparing to make its recommendation on Gray “pretty imminently” — though it’d likely be around the end of this month at the earliest.
Countdown: ACOBA received the Cabinet Office submission a few days ago, says a person with knowledge of the process. The full committee is likely to formally consider Gray’s case shortly after the coronation, then recommend a waiting period of three months to two years before she can become Labour chief of staff.
But but but: Gray has the right to question ACOBA’s decision behind closed doors — and PM Rishi Sunak can choose to recommend a longer waiting period. Plenty of time yet for delay.
Up in the air: Playbook is told ACOBA has not yet made any decision on how long it will block Gray for — and nor has the Cabinet Office recommended a suggested waiting time. Were the Whitehall officials who expected a cooling-off period up to the two-year limit a little premature?
The big question on some Labour lips: Will Gray and Labour ignore the ACOBA waiting period if they claim it’s been politicized? It’d spark a new storm of criticism if they did. Your author hears people around Starmer wanted Gray in place for pre-election talks with the civil service, ideally as long as six to eight months before polling day. After much to and fro in last week’s hacks’ briefing, Starmer’s spokesman did say Labour would abide by whatever the judgment was.
The banter option: Purely hypothetical of course, but one wag reminds your author that, should Gray change her mind and decide not to take the job, it’s likely ACOBA would never publish anything on her dealings with Labour.
WHAT LABOUR WANTS TO TALK ABOUT: Jonathan Powell — who did a similar switcheroo in the 90s — told Times Radio the Cabinet Office probe is a “political game” adding: “I certainly spoke to Tony Blair before I took the job, I had to, otherwise how would I know I was going to get the job?” A Labour official said: “Sue Gray has not breached the civil service code and there has been no finding that she has. The rest is just Tory spin.”
WHAT TORIES WANT TO TALK ABOUT: The fact Starmer told LBC on March 6 that the dates of when they spoke are “going to be laid out by Sue … as part of her leaving procedure.” They say the Cabinet Office procedure is where that should’ve happened. A Conservative official tells Playbook: “I wonder if Starmer will keep repeating his line that no rules were broken. That will age as badly as when Boris used it.”
Is that the line? Labour MP Carolyn Harris told TalkTV “I’m sure she would have done everything by the book” … before adding: “I wasn’t there, so I don’t know.”
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CAMPAIGN TRAIL
ONE SLEEP TILL THE LOCALS: Rishi Sunak faces PMQs at noon and a 10-minute interview with BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine at 1.30 p.m. in the final 24 hours before the local elections.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Sky’s Sam Coates has an interview published overnight with polling expert Michael Thrasher, who says fewer than 500 seat losses will leave Conservatives thinking they’ve had a good night.
Not buying it: CCHQ has stuck rigidly to Thrasher and Rallings’ original warnings that 1,000 Tory council seats could be lost. But a Tory MP tells Playbook “that means they think it’s going to be less.” A former Cabinet minister says: “There’s no way on earth we’re going to lose 1,000 seats.” Another former Cabinet minister says the 1,000 figure is “far too pessimistic. People forget that we did terribly in 2019. We were three weeks away from the worst election result in the Conservative Party’s history.” That’s when the Tories won 9 percent of the vote in the 2019 European election, ending up behind the Greens.
LABOUR LAND: Keir Starmer will show he’s definitely not sidelining Angela Rayner as he and his deputy head out together to Medway — where local activists (red and blue) tell Playbook they believe Labour is in with a shot of recapturing the council after 20 years of Conservative control. They will go door-knocking and Starmer will do a pool clip at 4.30 p.m.
TORY LAND: Tory Chairman Greg Hands is off to Medway himself on polling day — after visiting Taunton, Honiton, South Gloucestershire and Swindon in a whirlwind tour today. Sunak is doing a visit for the government’s fraud strategy (more below) but isn’t on a campaign day.
All Hands on deck: Playbook hears Hands has been seen scrolling jovially through comments when he posts the well-creased “no money” letter on Twitter — an activity he is said to call “triggering the lefties.” The Express has interviewed Hands, who says “a lefty council is more likely to erode” single-sex spaces … and Tory councils have better bunting.
LIB LAND: Lib Dem leader Ed Davey is door-knocking in target areas Eastbourne, Lewes and Windsor with a pool clip after 11.15 a.m. Like Starmer a day earlier (who said he’d go on Celebrity Masterchef), he has done the quirky 60 Seconds segment in today’s Metro, but it’s not yet online. The Lib Dems also have a data story out overnight saying four in five car thefts went unsolved last year — it’s in the Mirror.
EVERYTHING IS FINE: Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has given an interview to the Times on the campaign trail after Labour colleagues briefed against her apparent lack of support for the party’s attack ads. She says the “most important thing for us to all focus on” is getting out on the doorstep.
Speaking of attack ads: Labour has now used the same image format it used to attack Sunak … to praise Starmer. Which Playbook is sure won’t confuse anyone at all.
Speaking of Starmer: After his tuition fees U-turn, the Mail christens him “Sir flip-flop” while Tim Stanley has a piece in the Telegraph with the memorable headline: “In his thirst for power, Keir Starmer has had more facelifts than Joan Rivers.”
ACTUAL BATTLE ALERT: The Times’ Geraldine Scott has more on Labour’s “campaign improvement boards” that Playbook highlighted on Tuesday — saying participants in one training session were presented with quotes from World War II Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. They include: “I will tolerate no bellyaching. If anyone objects to doing what he is told, then he can get out of it, and at once.”
Doorstep fibs: Two shadow ministers tell Playbook they’ve met voters on the doorstep who say “I’ve been Labour all my life” — despite canvassers’ data clearly showing they said they’d vote Tory in 2019.
Known unknowns: One Tory MP tells Playbook: “Independents did really well in 2019 and they are just impossible to model. If someone voted independent because they were sick of Brexit, how can you tell how they’ll vote now?” They add: “Turnout will be really low, which helps the incumbents, whoever they are. There’s been a real lack of enthusiasm among campaigners and on the doorstep.”
NOW READ THIS: The FT’s Jim Pickard and Jen Williams have taken the temperature in Tory-Labour-Independent battleground Bolton, where one voter says he’s turning back to Labour — but they “seem to be all over the place.” The i speaks to young Tories choosing to stand for the party.
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TALKS RESUSCITATED
REPEAT PRESCRIPTION: While the unions’ vote for the NHS pay deal dominated headlines on Tuesday, the doctors’ union quietly returned to talks with Health Secretary Steve Barclay. Sources tell the Guardian talks lasted several hours and were making some progress. “Both parties will meet again in the coming days,” said the Department of Health in a 9.15 p.m. statement.
But but but … A few papers highlight comments by Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, that suggest teachers’ strikes could last into next year. Via the Tel.
THE ZOOM WHERE IT HAPPENED: Speaking of the NHS pay deal, Playbook hears some intrigue from inside the virtual meeting on Tuesday (actually a Teams call — sorry). There were two votes by the NHS Staff Council before unions confirmed they’d accepted the agreement, two people involved with the process tell your author. The first — to accept or reject the pay deal — passed 27-17 under an electoral college that weights unions by size. The RCN, Unite, radiographers and podiatrists voted against.
Ruh-roh: A second vote — on whether the deal should be implemented, now that it was accepted by a majority — was more controversial. Our snouts say it passed by a wider 31-13 … but the RCN and Unite still voted against. “So they voted against their members getting this money!” sighed one frustrated official. “Which has obviously had no impact, but it’s symbolic perhaps of unions behaving badly.”
RCN response: The RCN called on the government to “build upon” the pay offer and not withhold what’s on the table now, but did not deny the above version of events. “Our members wanted to reject it and we used our votes to reject it,” a spokesperson adds.
TODAY IN WESTMINSTER
BYE MUM: Text scams like the infuriating “Hi mum” messages are the subject of a new crackdown that tops today’s government grid, and splashes the Times and Telegraph. The Times noses on a ban on cold-calling for any financial products, while the Tel leads on spy agencies helping find and stop scanners. The latter has an op-ed from Home Secretary Suella Braverman saying “as you read this, it is quite possible that a fraudster is plotting to steal money from you.”
Policy corner: Today’s Fraud Strategy also includes … A National Fraud Squad “backed by” 400 specialist investigators … “new technology” to crack down on callers posing as having legitimate numbers … a review of mass-texting services … and banks can delay payment processing for longer to investigate suspect cases.
Popping up: Sunak and Braverman are visiting an “anti-fraud workshop” in Buckinghamshire as part of the announcement, with the PM recording a pool clip from 4 p.m. He’s also got an op-ed in the Mail.
TAKING FORCE TODAY: Protestors who “interfere” with roads and railways or “lock on” to street furniture now face a year or six months in prison respectively. The Public Order Act got royal assent on Tuesday — just in time for the coronation. The Guardian splash notes the Home Office has sent a direct warning to anti-monarchists, while Sunak writes in the Sun: “I am determined not to let selfish protesters get away with causing disorder and misery.”
OILED UP: Voters think the police and judges are too lenient on climate protestors who break the law, the Sun says in day 2 coverage of its YouGov mega-poll. The paper’s leader says the system has “abandoned reason for woke madness.”
HUNT FOR NEWS: Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will give opening remarks — livestreamed by the Treasury — from 2.40 p.m. as he hosts a Treasury Connect event on the creative industries in central London.
NO ONE HAD THIS IN ROYAL NEWS BINGO: Jacob Rees-Mogg’s GB News show was forced into a portable cabin then disrupted by a controlled explosion outside Buckingham Palace — here’s the glorious clip. A man was arrested over suspected shotgun cartridges thrown into palace grounds, Sky News reports.
BREXIT DONE LATEST: Now that Britain and the EU have stopped beefing over Brexit (for a bit), electric carmakers want them to use the newfound love-in to swerve a trade “cliff-edge” that’s screeching into view at the start of 2024. My colleague Graham Lanktree has more.
SCOOP — THAT DIDN’T TAKE LONG: Tory MP Chris Clarkson resigned as PPS to the new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology last week over what sounds like a pretty heated disagreement with a SpAd there, three Tories tell Playbook’s Eleni Courea. DSIT didn’t respond to a request for comment but Eleni hears the argument was “process-related” — and something specific to that department as Clarkson remains PPS to the leader of the House of Lords. Best of luck to his replacement with sorting that out!
NORMAL ISLAND: The defense ministry is urgently surveying its buildings due to fears barracks’ roofs could be at risk of collapse, according to the Times … the paper also reports 15 patients waited more than a year for the results of genetic illness tests amid IT issues … the proportion of knife carriers charged with possession by police has fallen to a record low, says the Telegraph … And the Mirror’s Ben Glaze says 1.5 million unpaid carers are supporting loved ones for more than 50 hours a week.
PLEASE MR TAXMAN: A public accounts committee report says tax revenues from compliance work fell £9 billion during COVID, when up to 4,000 staff were redeployed to support schemes.
NANNY STATE LATEST: Smoking should be banned and orange juice taxed, sugar tax architect George Osborne told the Times Health Commission.
HOUSE OF COMMONS: Sits from 11.30 a.m. with science, innovation and technology questions followed by PMQs at noon and Tory MP Theresa Villiers‘ 10-minute rule bill on amending the Greater London Authority Act 1999 … and then the main business is a program motion and consideration of the Lords’ amendments to the National Security Bill, followed by a program motion and remaining stages of the Lifelong Learning (Higher Education Fee Limits) Bill. Theresa Villiers also has the adjournment debate on government measures to tackle litter.
FLYING UNDER THE RADAR: Conservative MPs will be asked today to vote down a Lords amendment to the National Security Bill that aimed to raise scrutiny of donations originating from foreign powers.
WESTMINSTER HALL: Debates from 9.30 a.m. on topics including child poverty in the north of England (led by Labour’s Emma Lewell-Buck) … funding for major infrastructure projects (managed by Lib Dem MP Wera Hobhouse) … and voluntary scheme for branded medicines and the Life Sciences Vision (headed by the Tories’ Anne Marie Morris).
On committee corridor: DWP Ministers Guy Opperman and Tom Pursglove give evidence to the work and pensions committee on employment support (9.15 a.m.) … Northern Ireland civil service head Jayne Brady is among those giving evidence to the Northern Ireland affairs committee (9.30 a.m.) … The science, innovation and technology committee hears from former Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance (9.30 a.m.) … The Lords’ environment and climate change committee hears from Defra Minister Trudy Harrison (10 a.m.) … Crossbench peer Gisela Stuart appears before the Lords’ constitution committee to discuss the appointment of permanent secretaries (10.15 a.m.) … and the European scrutiny committee probes financial experts about regulating after Brexit (2.30 p.m.).
HOUSE OF LORDS: Sits from 11 a.m. with oral questions on the effectiveness of the government’s net zero strategy, planned built facilities to house new migrants entering Britain via the English Channel and addressing the fact that Black women are almost four times more likely to die in childbirth … and then the main business is the 12th day at committee stage of the Leveling-Up and Regeneration Bill.
ROAD TO NOWHERE: More than 1.2 million cars in London’s commuter belt will be affected by Sadiq Khan’s ULEZ expansion, says FOI research by the Conservatives — with Reading, Guildford and Tunbridge Wells among the most impacted. City Hall spinners say the figures are “misleading,” noting some of the cars listed are compliant. The research forms part of a Mail spread which says the issue could cost Labour votes in the Home Counties on Thursday.
RUNNING MATE: My Playbook colleague Rosa Prince hears would-be Conservative London mayoral candidate Samuel Kasumu has selected Keith Prince (no relation) as his running mate. Prince previously worked in the mayor’s office for Boris Johnson as an adviser on policing and crime, and sits in the London Assembly. ICYMI, Susan Hall has stepped down as leader of City Hall Conservatives after three years — here’s the tweet.
What Khan wants to talk about: The London mayor says today that he has hit a target to start building 20,000 council homes by 2024 — there’s more in the Mirror.
**On May 31, POLITICO will host a spotlight discussion “How can Europe go from budgetary Wild West to a new fiscal order?”. This spotlight discussion is part of the Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos’ event “A very European puzzle: balancing budgets and promoting growth”. Register today.**
UNHAPPY ANNIVERSARY
SWEET 16: The SNP won the 2007 Scottish parliament election exactly 16 years ago, finishing with 47 seats to incumbent Labour’s 46. Thanks to help from the Scottish Greens (no change there), Alex Salmond was elected first minister, beginning the SNP’s seemingly never-ending dominance over Scottish politics. Playbook reporter Noah Keate looks back on eight highs and eight lows …
I’m on my way: Winning every subsequent Scottish parliament election, including an unexpected majority in 2011 … Becoming the third party at Westminster, winning 56 out of Scotland’s 59 seats in 2015 … Introducing the Baby Box … Nicola Sturgeon steering through the COVID pandemic … Planting 22 million trees in 2018 … Seeing off seven Scottish Labour leaders, three Scottish Tory leaders and three Scottish Lib Dem leaders … Humza Yousaf appointing the first majority female Cabinet … and galvanizing a Yes movement which consistently enjoys at least 40 percent support in polls.
Over and done with: Losing the “once in a generation” independence referendum in 2014 … Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon falling out spectacularly after her government investigated him over alleged sexual harassment … Failing to close the attainment gap in education … The epidemic of drug deaths remaining … Nearly 25 percent of Scotland’s children recognized as living in poverty … Dealing with Westminster blocking its flagship Gender Recognition Reform Bill … Enjoying no clear pathway to independence after the Supreme Court ruled the Scottish parliament could not legislate for a referendum … And of course, *that* furor over party finances, involving the arrests of Peter Murrell and Colin Beattie.
BEYOND THE M25
LAST PLANE OUT OF SUDAN: The final U.K. rescue flight from Sudan is expected to take off today, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said. British nationals who still want to leave the country must get to the Coral Hotel in Port Sudan by 10 a.m. local time, the foreign sec said. The BBC has the write-up.
AFGHANISTAN UPDATE: More than 160 children are dying every day in Afghanistan from preventable diseases, according to the U.N.’s Children’s Fund in a big BBC piece which says a hospital was left without a single working ventilator under Taliban rule.
PUPPET ON A STRING: Ministers fear pro-Russian hackers could force Eurovision broadcasts off air or disrupt the public vote on May 13, according to the Times.
INCOMING: Donald Trump’s half-hour interview with big fan Nigel Farage is being pre-recorded this afternoon for GB News and aired at 7 p.m. Ex-UKIP leader Farage will talk about topics including Trump’s, ahem, “personal legal issues” at Scotland’s Turnberry estate, where the ex-president has visited before he’s expected to hop over to Ireland today.
EVERYBODY NEEDS GOOD NEIGHBORS: Australia should have “an Australian as our head of state,” Aussie PM Anthony Albanese told TalkTV’s Piers Morgan, adding he hadn’t changed his republican views.
GO AGAINST THE GRAIN: Several EU countries have banned imports of Ukrainian grain, with domestic concerns outweighing support for the nation. Wojciech Kość and Bartosz Brzeziński have this explainer on why Kyiv’s close ally Warsaw made the move. The Telegraph says the emergency blockade could cost Kyiv’s agricultural industry up to £160 million.
People power: The Telegraph also reports Ukrainian engineers claim to have designed a “people’s missile,” which can be built in an average front garden.
Meet the Belarusians who tricked Russia into firing on its own men: My colleague Jamie Dettmer speaks to Belarusian volunteers fighting for Ukraine about how one of their commanders deceived the Russians into unleashing artillery salvoes on their own positions near Bakhmut.
ARGY BARGEY: The Times says a barge destined to house asylum seekers in Dorset will arrive in the U.K. this week.
NUCLEAR OPTION: A Welsh affairs committee report urges the government to clear obstacles to building the Wylfa nuclear power station.
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MEDIA ROUND
Security Minister Tom Tugendhat broadcast round: Times Radio (7.05 a.m.) … Sky News (7.20 a.m.) … BBC Breakfast (7.30 a.m.) … LBC (7.50 a.m.) … Today program (8.10 a.m.) … 5 Live (8.20 a.m.) … GMB (8.30 a.m.) … TalkTV (8.40 a.m.) … GB News (9.15 a.m.).
Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves broadcast round: Times Radio (7.35 a.m.) … GMB (7.50 a.m.) … LBC (8.50 a.m.).
Shadow Financial Secretary James Murray broadcast round: Sky News (8.05 a.m.) … TalkTV (8.30 a.m.) … GB News (9.05 a.m.).
Also on Times Radio Breakfast: Nick Aldworth, former detective chief superintendent in counter terrorism policing (7.15 a.m.) … Tory MP Anthony Browne, the government’s new anti-fraud champion (8.05 a.m.) … RCN England Director Patricia Marquis (8.35 a.m.).
Also on Kay Burley: FDA General Secretary Dave Penman (8.20 a.m.).
Also on Nick Ferrari at Breakfast: RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen (7.05 a.m.).
Also on TalkTV Breakfast: Former Cabinet Office SpAd Charlie Rowley (7.20 a.m.) … Former RCN President Anne-Marie Rafferty (8.05 a.m.) … Crossbench peer Norman Warner (9.05 a.m.) … Tory MP Craig Mackinlay (9.20 a.m.).
Nicky Campbell’s political phone-in (BBC Radio 5 Live 10 a.m.): Tory MP Richard Graham … Shadow International Trade Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds … Lib Dem MP Layla Moran.
Politics Live (BBC Two 11.15 a.m.): Tory MP Mark Garnier … Labour’s Kim Leadbeater … Lib Dem MP Daisy Cooper … the Telegraph’s Camilla Tominey … the Tories’ Kevin Hollinrake … Labour’s Emily Thornberry.
Jeremy Vine (BBC Radio 2): Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (1.30 p.m.).
TODAY’S FRONT PAGES
(Click on the publication’s name to see its front page):
POLITICO UK: Got Brexit done? Now sort electric car ‘cliff edge,’ UK and EU told.
Daily Express: Lockdown at Palace after man arrested.
Daily Mail: Man held in shotgun cartridges drama at the Palace.
Daily Mirror: Palace in lockdown after ‘attack.’
Daily Star: Operation hide the sausage.
Financial Times: AI claims first scalp as shares in education sector tumble.
i: Gray refuses to help inquiry over Starmer job — sparking Tory anger.
Metro: ‘Killer nurse’ weeps in court.
The Daily Telegraph: Spies take the fight to text scammers.
The Guardian: New anti-protest powers rushed into law in time for coronation.
The Independent: Sue Gray refuses to cooperate with inquiry into her Labour role.
The Sun: Palace shotgun terror.
The Times: Cold calling ban to fight financial fraudsters.
LONDON CALLING
WESTMINSTER WEATHER: Sunny with a moderate breeze. Highs of 15C.
GONGS GALORE: The ARIAS, an awards show celebrating audio and radio content, took place last night at the Theatre Royal, with a host of talented individuals receiving gongs: 5 Live Breakfast won Best Speech Breakfast Show … Mental Health Awareness Week on Absolute Radio won Best Coverage of an Event … the BBC’s Jonny Dymond and James Bryant won the 2022 special award following the queen’s death … “File on 4: Isobel’s Story” won Best Factual — Single Program … Radio 4’s “The Skewer: The Queen” won the Comedy Award … 5 Live’s “You, Me and the Big C” won the Impact Award … Radio 4 won U.K. Station or Network of the Year … and Liz Truss’ infamous BBC local radio interviews won bronze in the Radio Times Moment of the Year.
WELCOME BACK: Shehab Khan returns to Westminster as a political correspondent for ITV News.
MOVING ON: Hendon MP Matthew Offord is stepping down at the next election … and Abdifitah Ibrahim Cagayare leaves the BBC after almost 12 years.
CULTURE FIX: Feel as though you’ve hopped across the pond with an “American Rhapsody” performed by the Aurora Orchestra at Queen Elizabeth Hall from 7.30 p.m.
FILM BUFF ALERT: For some midweek political escapism, the delightful “Booksmart” is on BBC One at 10.40 p.m.
JOB ADS: The BBC is hiring a journalist for its digital audio news department … and ITV’s “Good Morning Britain” would like a reporter/producer and an entertainment producer.
BIRTHDAYS: Health Secretary Stephen Barclay … Swansea West MP Geraint Davies … Labour peer Ruth Lister … Former Clacton MP Douglas Carswell.
PLAYBOOK COULDN’T HAPPEN WITHOUT: My editor Zoya Sheftalovich, reporter Noah Keate and producer Grace Stranger.
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