Mick Lynch and Chris Philp
(Picture: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire; Isabel Infantes/AFP)RMT boss Mick Lynch has claimed he had a furious row with Tory minister Chris Philp off-camera after their testy exchange on the BBC this summer.
Lynch says then tech minister Philp told him to “f**k off” after they were on Newsnight together in June. Philp told us this morning he denies swearing at Lynch. The Union chief repeatedly called Philp a “liar” on air for claiming he had walked away from talks with politicians about strikes.
Lynch told The Political Party podcast that presenter Kirsty Wark “was very upset” by the incident. He added that Philp is “the most annoying person” and he “can’t stand him”. “If he’d been in the boozer with me I would have said ‘You’re a f**king liar’,” he added.
"Ordinary taxpayers are going to pay the price"
— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) June 20, 2022
Conservative minister Chris Philp says the wage increases called for by the RMT would lead to further inflation#Newsnight pic.twitter.com/MoDCw8WzKW
Philp is now the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, effectively Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s deputy. He has been out again on TV and radio defending the government’s controversial growth plan. He was reportedly involved in the now-scrapped decision to cut the 45p higher rate of income tax, though denied it was his idea.
Lynch became a public figure in June after a number of clips from his TV interviews defending the RMT rail strikes went viral. The encounter with Philp, where Lynch accused him of lying over a dozen times, was one of them.
PM’s biographers in a pickle
It’s fair to say Liz Truss is having a turbulent start to the job. So spare a thought for her biographers, who are finishing a tome about the still new PM and her rise to power this week. Journalists Harry Cole and James Heale are set to send Out of the Blue to the printers in the next few days, and it’s planned to come out in December. We’re told there has been no change to the publication schedule, but it’s been hard to know how to finish the last chapter.
Trump backs Truss
DONALD Trump has been a fan of Liz Truss for some time. When she was trade secretary, the then president gave the now PM a copy of his book The Art of the Deal, an ex-Truss aide has revealed. A hand-written dedication read: “To Secretary Truss, lets get a great deal, Donald”. Trump praised Truss’s watered-down tax cuts on GB News last night, saying: “I have a feeling she might be right.”
Restaurant tips from Ken Hom
It’s a hard time for London restaurants, which are facing rising bills. Legendary Chinese chef Ken Hom tells us they can survive by making savings. “Slim your menu down, concentrate on all your best dishes, and then have a daily special,” he told us at the Golden Chopstick Awards in Mayfair recently, advising venues to “look in their bin” to work out a margin of profit. “If we work together we’ll get out of this.”
Last night in town
COMIC Jack Whitehall and his model partner Roxy Horner dressed up for the wedding of their fashion designer friend Joshua Kane last night. Kane tied the knot with his partner Lottie Archer in a very public bash at the Syon Hotel. The couple cut the cake with a sword. Dame Joan Collins sparkled at the Hello! Inspiration awards at the Corinthia Hotel. She was joined by Radio 1’s Vick Hope and presenter Anita Rani, who served as one of the judges this year.
