Editor’s Notes: End of the road as Bell Pottinger shuts up shop, Jeremy Corbyn’s Venezuela shame and Old McDonnell had a strike
For staff at Bell Pottinger the weekend probably can’t come soon enough.
The disgraced PR firm’s fall from grace and into likely administration has been breathtakingly fast. For the 200 UK employees, the vast majority of whom had nothing to do with the scandal that sank the company, an uncertain few weeks await them.
Some senior figures are already splintering off to launch their own ventures, and others could be “sold off” as part of the administration. The fact they may not even be paid for September tells you something of the state of the company. Job losses are always regrettable and seasoned PR practioneers are avoiding the schadenfreude. Instead, industry insiders point to the effectiveness of the sector’s self-regulation, with the trade group’s unprecedented sanction effectively sealing Bell Pottinger’s fate.
Corbyn’s Venezuela shame
Westminster hosted two Venezuelan visitors yesterday: Antonieta Lopez and Julio Borges. The former is mother of imprisoned opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez and the latter is president of the elected (and oppressed) National Assembly. The pair met Theresa May in Downing St, in a move which will infuriate Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.
The PM tweeted a picture of the group, saying the UK “stands firm in support of Venezuela democracy and human rights”. Meanwhile, the leader of the Labour party, probably Westminster’s foremost expert on Latin America politics, ignored the visit. I’m told that his office never even sought a meeting. Perhaps he was too busy preparing for the Labour party conference, where Maduro’s official ambassador will speak alongside Corbyn’s top team at a “Hands off Latin America” event. What an absolute disgrace.
Ian Livingston: An exemplary trade minister
At the start of this week David Cameron’s former deputy head of policy at No 10, Dan Korski, suggested in these pages that we should stop making CEOs junior trade ministers and start making them ambassadors instead. It was a thoughtful argument, following the departure of former Waitrose boss Lord Price from the trade brief. It’s true that not every business leader slots well into the machinery of government, but I was reminded of the time I accompanied Ian Livingston, the former BT chief exec, on a trade mission around Eastern Europe. He had been a trade minister for a matter of weeks and his trip wasn’t expected to prove too demanding. Then, just days into the mission, Russia annexed the Crimea, and he found himself the most senior representative of the British government in the region. He had to address a bank of TV cameras and reporters with very little notice, and he did so with great skill, diplomacy and clarity. If only he’d stuck around in government.
Cheesegrater abseil
If you’re strolling past the Leadenhall Building (aka the Cheesegrater) this morning and you hear the odd wail of panic, do not be alarmed – it’s probably just City A.M.’s proprietor, Lawson Muncaster, abseiling off the top of it. Last year Lawson and I abseiled down St Lawrence Jewry church (where I’m getting married next year) but the Cheesegrater is considerably taller, at 225m. Alas, I can’t take part myself as I shall be en route to Exeter to celebrate my grandfather’s 90th birthday. But I shall be with you in spirt, Lawson.
Communism or Fascism?
Pollsters YouGov have come up with a question that sounds as if it belongs in a drinking game, asking the public: If you HAD to choose between communism and Fascism, which would you choose? Leave supporters and Tory voters struggled with the choice – with most opting for the safe bet: “don’t know”. For Lib Dem and Labour voters, Remain supporters, the Scottish & 18-24 year-olds it was much easier, with the vast majority in each category opting for Communism.