SO, now we know.
The Prime Minister got a private ten-minute audience with the caterwauling American moppet Taylor Swift.
It was at the last of her recent concerts at Wembley Stadium, for which Sir Keir Starmer received free tickets.
Slowly it is all beginning to emerge. It hadn’t been clear previously as to whether or not Starmer was snuck backstage. With his merch ready to be autographed, I s’pose.
We still don’t know if the PM tried to charm Taylor.
Perhaps by outlining his plans to set up an exciting state-owned facilitating body called British Energy which would invest in the harvesting of unicorn tears.
That would have grabbed her attention. She will have been all aquiver.
However, we do know that top Labour politicians and the PM’s then Chief of Staff Sue Gray lobbied the Metropolitan Police in order that taxpayers’ money should be spent on a “VVIP” escort for Swift when she arrived in London.
That kind of thing is usually reserved for members of the Royal Family and Third World dictators.
But having threatened to pull out of her tour if she wasn’t treated in the manner to which she felt accustomed, the Government went to work on her behalf.
And, hey presto, suddenly Sir Keir got his tickets. And indeed ten senior Labour MPs were handed freebies for the gig. Quite why they wanted to go is beyond my imagination. But there’s no accounting for taste, is there?
This is the dimmest Cabinet on record so I suppose it is to be expected.
Whatever way you look at it, though, this is corruption.
OK, it’s not the kind of Russki oligarch-level corruption. It’s low-level corruption, but corruption all the same.
Starmer knows it was wrong because he has paid back the cost of the tickets.
Along with another few thousand quids’ worth of freebies he got, such as tickets to football matches.
He has always insisted that there have been no quid pro quos.
But then we learned that Labour donor Lord Alli had bunged Starmer loads of freebies — such as clothes, spectacles and the loan of a very expensive apartment.
And we also learned that Lord Alli had been given a role which allowed him the free run of No10 Downing Street.
Just a coincidence, then, huh? Do you really expect anybody to believe that? Now we learned what Labour is up to with the civil service.
Since Starmer took office he has appointed 200 cronies to influential positions within the civil service.
That’s two per day for every day he has been in office.
These people were all appointed without the usual civil service interview procedures. Just a case of — yeah, you vote the right way.
Come and help us destroy the British economy on a humongous wage. You just look at the evidence. A row over cronyism in his first weeks in office and then these ludicrous appointments at your expense.
In other words, bunging important jobs to mates.
And then the surreptitious trousering of freebies and dosh.
If you remember, this was one of the big reasons for getting rid of the Tories.
They were seen to be in it for themselves, bunging contracts to mates and partying at our expense.
But Labour has easily outdone them inside just three months.
Someone tell me. What the hell were we all thinking on July 4?
JUDGING from the papers, there are three main complaints about Thomas Tuchel becoming the manager of England.
The first is that he likes a bit of how’s yer father. Bit of a tangled love life, in the past.
Not the sort of behaviour you’d associate with Sir Alf, then. He had sex with his wife once every seven years, through a hole in a piece of wood. Probably.
Anyway, that doesn’t bother me. Then there’s the fact (unlikely Champions League win aside) that he failed at Chelsea. Come on – everybody fails at Chelsea. It’s a club that could suck all the light out of the universe.
The third is that he’s German. For those who think that the England manager should be English, eat a full English every day, prune his roses and trace his lineage back to King Alfred . . . sorry, that ship has sailed. Long ago.
Truth is Tuchel is about as good a manager as it gets. And he has my full and unqualified support.
Until we get stuffed by the Faroe Islands.
THE knives are out for Kemi Badenoch. Her Conservative colleagues are lining up to cause as much harm to her leadership bid as possible.
That’s because they know that when it comes to a vote by the party activists, Badenoch would win by a mile. And so she should. She would hammer Sir Keir Starmer at the despatch box.
And her views would resonate with an enormous number of voters who deserted the party in July.
Stick at it, Kemi – they know you’re on the home straight.
I KNOW that the debate about the rights and wrongs of assisted dying are complex and emotive.
And we all know that when an elderly relative has died after a long, harrowing and painful illness, there is a sadness often tinged with relief.
But it is a step too far for me. Like it or not, it will bring pressure on those chronically ill elderly folk who fear they are a burden. And then there are the suicidal young.
I believe human life is sacred and that is true even if it is a life full of pain.
THE Director-General of the BBC, Tim Davie, has decided to ban referring to TV presenters as “the talent”.
Because it implies that everybody else working on the programmes therefore isn’t the talent.
I get where he’s coming from, sure. But from my days at the BBC I can assure you the word “talent” was only ever used in a satirical manner.
As in: “Aha! Look out, here comes the talent! The great blockheaded smirking oaf.”
Believe me, nobody who worked with some of the presenters we worked with could use the word talent and keep a straight face.
It was used, interchangeably, with “a***hole” and meant the same thing.
SO, it looks like Gary Lineker will be staying at Match Of The Day.
And the Beeb has scrabbled around in its purse and found £400k for Alan Shearer.
I have no problem with either of those decisions. Lineker may know less about politics than a naked mole rat.
But he is a superlative football presenter.
Meanwhile, Shearer, alongside Roy Keane, is the shrewdest pundit of the game.
Long may they continue. And if they could bring back Alan Hansen and Mark Lawrenson, all the better.
MARTIN Lewis’ MoneySavingExpert (MSE) has revealed how a quick check could help thousands of Brit households get free insulation this winter.
Many households in the UK could be eligible for a range of freebies offered by energy providers and local authorities under a government scheme.
And these could help bring down your energy bills this winter.
The finance guru’s website MoneySavingExpert (MSE) has urged people to check if they qualify for the Great British Insulation Scheme which is open to a further 400,000 households.
The scheme is open to households in council tax bands A-E across England, Wales and Scotland.
You also must have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)rating of D or lower.
An EPC rating tells you how energy efficient a building is, with A being the most efficient and G being the most inefficient.
F-rated homes are some of the leakiest homes in the country, meaning the heat produced by gas boilers quickly escapes the building.
They’re also unlikely to have double glazing or insulation.
The incredible scheme offers households free insulation, including loft, roof, cavity wall and other types of insulation – which could cut your annual energy bill by £100s.
Low-income households can also get new boilers and heating controls through the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme.
Under the ECO scheme, suppliers have a legal obligation to implement energy-saving measures in your home.
Help is offered on a case-by-case basis, but it can mean having a new boiler fitted, or loft or cavity wall insulation put in, often for free.
You can find more details about the scheme here.
The ECO was first launched in January 2013 and has been extended four times.
Not all energy companies are signed up to the ECO scheme. Here is the list of ones that are:
You only qualify for the ECO under certain circumstances, such as claiming certain benefits and living in private housing.
You also could be eligible if you live in social housing.
Also, just because you are eligible for the ECO scheme, that doesn’t mean you are guaranteed help.
Meanwhile, you may have to fund part of the energy-improving measures in your home.
You can apply by contacting either your local council or energy supplier.
The government recently confirmed fresh funding to help thousands of homes with poor insulation and outdated heating systems are in line for upgrades.
It has boosted the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) by £75million.
The funding will be offered to 42 councils and housing associations across England to help them co-fund installations in up to 8,000 homes.
Under the scheme, council houses will be retrofitted with wall and loft insulation, double glazing, heat pumps, and solar panels.
They will not be limited to one installation and could get their home insulated, have doors and windows upgraded to reduce heat leakage and cut their energy bills.
If eligible, those living in social housing will not need to do anything, as their housing provider will contact them.
Other households will need to check what their local authority has on offer, and they may need to apply for help.
Local authorities will deliver the funding in different ways.
Therefore, you will need to check directly with your council.
Meanwhile, through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, you might be able to get a grant to help with the cost of installing a heat pump.
The grant was first launched in 2022 and was originally worth £5,000 or £6,000, depending on the type of heat pump.
But as heat pumps are typically expensive to purchase and install, costing between £5,000 and £8,000, the government boosted the grant in October to £7,500.
The grant can be used towards both air-source heat pumps and ground-source heat pumps.
Those wishing to install a biomass boiler can also apply for a £5,000 grant.
You must find an MCS-certified installer to claim the grant on your behalf.
MCS is the certification scheme for energy-efficiency product installers.
You can find the nearest ones to you by visiting www.mcscertified.com/find-an-installer, but it is worth shopping for a few quotes.
Once you agree on a price, the installer will apply for the grant and you will then be contacted by Ofgem, the energy regulator, to confirm that the work is being done on your behalf.
You must pay the difference if the pump costs more than the grant.
THERE'S a number of different ways to get help paying your energy bills if you're struggling to get by.
If you fall into debt, you can always approach your supplier to see if they can put you on a repayment plan before putting you on a prepayment meter.
This involves paying off what you owe in instalments over a set period.
If your supplier offers you a repayment plan you don’t think you can afford, speak to them again to see if you can negotiate a better deal.
Several energy firms have grant schemes available to customers struggling to cover their bills.
But eligibility criteria varies depending on the supplier and the amount you can get depends on your financial circumstances.
For example, British Gas or Scottish Gas customers struggling to pay their energy bills can get grants worth up to £1,500.
British Gas also offers help via its British Gas Energy Trust and Individuals Family Fund.
You don’t need to be a British Gas customer to apply for the second fund.
EDF, E.ON, Octopus Energy and Scottish Power all offer grants to struggling customers too.
Thousands of vulnerable households are missing out on extra help and protections by not signing up to the Priority Services Register (PSR).
The service helps support vulnerable households, such as those who are elderly or ill, and some of the perks include being given advance warning of blackouts, free gas safety checks and extra support if you’re struggling.
Get in touch with your energy firm to see if you can apply.
