Purnell Must Explain Expenses Claim

Julia Hartley-Brewer is asking in the Sunday Express why James Purnell claimed more than £2,000 a month for a flat he only paid £910 a month rent on. She may well ask. Details HERE.

His Name is er, um, James, er Purnell

James Purnell is normally one of the more eloquent members of the government. But at a breakfast this morning, he was not exactly fluent in his defence of Gordon Brown. Lobbydog reports his comments thusly...

A hack asked the Pensions Secretary about what he thought of the whole “Government apologising debate”. His answer:

No, I mean – I think everybody agrees that, you know, we’ve, er, erm, made clear that, er, we accept responsibility of Government aaaand, er, no-one would claim that, er, everything that was done was erm, er, er, was, er, y’know, with hindsight, er, erm, always absolutely right.

But I would also think Gordon is absolutely right, err, to say that he’s been, erm, arguing at international level for the kinds of errr, financial and regulatory changes which are now right at the top of the agenda for the world.

So I think, you know, it’s er, it’s er, er, er it’s a, um, something which, um, er, people look at.

The way that, erm, er, Gordon and Alistair have, er, responded and I think the, er, the economic, um, and financial policy that they have perused, eeeer, is, er, absolutely the right one and is leading the world in terms of its response to something which is completely unique, a unique challenge.

So I think Gordon and Alistair’s, er, position is, er, is absolutely world leading in terms of dealing with this and people, you know, many people who are, erm, economists and businessmen have, er, have said that they do look to the UK’s response on this.

The lad Purnell has got a bright future behind him if Gordon Brown ever reads this.

Mystery of Purnell Workfare Leak

James Purnell's new 'workfare' proposals were leaked this afternoon. Within the last hour I have had three phone calls from different people with very different 'agendas' suggesting that the leak came from Number Ten. Another emailed suggested that this was James Purnell throwing down the leadership gauntlet. Could the two theories by any chance be connected?

UPDATE: Sky's Niall Paterson broke the story HERE, where you can read a copy of the leaked Welfare Reform paper.

The Empty Vessel That is James Purnell

James Purnell is often seen as the 'coming man' of British politics - in some ways an unenviable position, as John Moore would no doubt testify. I rather like him as an individual (not that I have ever met him). He seems, well, rather normal for a politician. So it was with some degree of interest that I opened my copy of the New Statesman this evening to find a two page article by him which purported to show how Labour can get off the floor "because our ideas are right". Except it did nothing of the sort.

Far from being a clarion call to the left to revitalise themselves and freshen their policy platform, all it was was tired rehash of some good old Tory bashing. Indeed, sad git that I am, I counted no less than fourteen mentions of the word Conservative or Tories (used pejoratively, natch). It just shows how it is the Conservatives who are now setting the political agenda and making the political weather, leaving a very tired Labour Party trailing in its wake.

James "No Mates" Purnell's Dodgy Letters

Last week, one of James Purnell's assistants, Mike Doherty, was caught writing letters to the press under a false address to the Tameside Advertiser. No Mottram Bypass, a local anti bypass blog has found more letters from the past in their latest article. Barbara Chalesworth, one of the writers of the letters, is Purnell's assistant. Her husband is the political assistant to Tameside Council leader Roy Oldham.

Another of James Purnell's little friends is also doing his best to help. "Tameside Ted" is a regular commenter on the Manchester Evening News website and has just been exposed by Tameside Eye as none other than Labour Councillor Sean Parker-Perry, who .... cue drumroll... is also an assistant to James Purnell! It's a small world, isn't it?

Can it really be that these three people just happened to think to themselves: "Let's write in supporting dear old James"? Or was James Purnell so hard up for support that he dragooned his staff into writing these letters? Purnell's new nickname should be Jimmy No Mates.