The politics of hypocrisy.

 

Labour's Anglican Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, has said that taking gifts, tribute, and hospitality, from wealthy donors like Waheed Alli, are not the perks of the job of a British politician, but are part of the job of being a politician. In 2016, Reynolds said that his Christian faith had led him to resign as Shadow Transport Secretary under Jeremy Corbyn.

Curiously, when Labour was in opposition, it took a rather different point of view when it came to politicians taking freebies. Sir Keir Starmer-oid constantly criticised Boris Johnson for taking freebies off wealthy donors like Lord Bamford, the owner of JCB, and demanded to know who had paid for Boris Johnson's wallpaper in Downing Street. Labour was incensed that Lord Bamford had paid towards Boris Johnson's wedding reception.

Many honest and decent people would disagree with Reynolds. They think that there's something squalid, bent, or even corrupt, about politicians taking freebies off wealthy individuals. British people cannot stomach cant and hypocrisy even when it's peddled by spurious holy rollers like Jonathan Reynolds.

 If Sir Keir Starmer-oid is to be remembered for anything, it will be as the best UK prime minister that money could buy. When a wealthy individual like Waheed Alli is clothing you and your missus and giving freebies to many of your cabinet colleagues, you've got to ask yourself why he's doing it and who is really running this country? In politics, people's perceptions mean everything.