The release of the first partygate video, in which Tory staffers are seen dancing and knocking over wine glasses in Conservative Party HQ while the rest of the country weren’t allowed to socialise, has caused red cheeks for the ruling party yet again.
But why has it come out now, 18 months after details of the bash were first revealed, and two and a half years after the “jingle and mingle” Christmas party itself?
The Londoner hears that it’s because of the ongoing race to be the Tory candidate for mayor. The video has been particularly bad for surprise candidate Mozammel Hossain, as both his campaign manager Ben Mallett, and Malin Bogue, who has been doing media for him, are featured. Bogue is in a red dress, dancing with staffer Jack Smith. Insiders are confident the video was leaked by staff for one of the other candidates, Daniel Korski, or Susan Hall, who are both in the last three to take on Hossain.
“As long as we’re not streaming that we’re, like, bending the rules” pic.twitter.com/ncBNKQ7pfS
— John Stevens (@johnestevens) June 17, 2023
When we called Korski this morning, he said the idea that he had leaked the video was “for the birds”. Hall also denied any involvement. If it was a blue on blue attack, it’s backfired, damaging all of the Tory party and reminding voters of the Partygate scandal. You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off...
Sir Ben makes a tough podcast guest
Sir Ben Kingsley has lived up to his reputation as a nightmare interviewee, as a US podcast host has detailed how hard it was to chat to him. Marc Maron, of show WTF, had Sir Ben on his show this week, but said that from the start he seemed “intensely aggravated”, and had a “‘what the f**k am I doing here?’ vibe”. In the introduction to his show, Maron says he kept finding Sir Ben “staring daggers at me”, and “stiff arming me with stink eye”. Maron considered giving up, thinking “I don’t need this shit”, but went on, and they chatted about Shakespeare. The American got his revenge, as Sir Ben talked reverently about being given a knighthood for services to drama: he famously insists on using his title. But WTF didn’t use it, calling him only “Ben Kingsley”. That will sting.
Cleverly and his OnlyFans
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly spoke at the ConHome summer party last night, recalling that last year a Tory race to be PM had just begun. “Nobody is expecting tonight’s speech to be the starting gun of a leadership campaign,” he said. Cleverly urged activists to help in one of the “many” by-elections this year, and tried some jokes. “I look across and all I see is Only Fans,” an odd reference to the porn-sharing platform. “I don’t know what you’re laughing at, that wasn’t a gag.”
Where’s Boris?
Where was Boris Johnson during the vote banning him from the House of Commons? Across town giving a speech, of course. On his birthday, Johnson spoke at International Democratic Union, watched by some loyal MPs. According to Tortoise Media’s Cat Neilan, the ex-PM called the committee that felled him “biased and wilfully ignorant”, saying optimistically there’s “always another innings”. Has he been watching too much of the cricket?
Chicken Shop Date presenter gets fried
Presenter Amelia Dimoldenberg decamped to Lucca in Italy over the weekend for a friend’s wedding. But the Chicken Shop Date creator seems to have forgotten to pack the factor 50 sun cream. The result was a nasty looking bout of sunburn, pictured. Amelia wrote in a caption: “weddings > getting burnt”, and friends sent their sympathy. With the heavens opening, at least there’s no danger of that in London today.
