An action-packed week as farmers descended on Westminster, Burghart's breakout PMQs performance, and Rachel's CV regrets!
Read all about it in this week's Who's Top Who's Not
Top - Alex Burghart
Step aside, old guard! It seems Alex Burghart has appeared out of nowhere, bursting into the spotlight with a feisty and assured performance at PMQs, standing in for Kemi Badenoch against Labour’s Deputy Leader Angela Rayner.
Previously the quintessential backbencher—brains, pedigree, but little visibility—Burghart has finally proven he’s more than just a policy wonk with a history PhD. Some even claimed he had been more effective than Badenoch, whose early performances with Sir Keir Starmer have been mixed.
His punchy critique of Labour, accusing them of “broken promises” and a “war on farmers,” startled Rayner. Those veteran MPs saying Alex who? will certainly have taken notice. Some MPs even whispered leadership potential. Future PM or beginner's luck?
Middle - Jeremy Clarkson
The farming rebellion loomed large over Westminster on Tuesday as 10,000 farmers descended upon Parliament Square. No pitchforks, but a sea of Barbour jackets campaigned against changes to inheritance tax.
Jeremy Clarkson joined the protest against the inheritance tax changes, introduced in Labour's recent budget, which imposes a 20% tax on agricultural assets above £1 million. Clarkson argued the tax harms farmers, calling the policy rushed and a "cock-up." Despite recent heart surgery, he attended to support struggling farmers and criticised the government’s disconnect from farming realities.
However, just like the yearly harvest, it wasn’t without its challenges. During an interview, he clashed with BBC's Victoria Derbyshire, who grilled him over his claims that he bought his own farm to avoid inheritance tax. Despite his appearance, the government appears to currently be holding firm despite the protests. Time will tell if Clarkson’s appearance helped or harmed the farmers’ case against the government.
Bottom - Rachel Reeves
Rachel Reeves remains under scrutiny over accusations that she ‘massaged’ her previous banking experience. Some parts of her CV on LinkedIn have been amended and remarks about her economic credentials may have overstated her experience and achievements.
For example, after press reports about her time in the private sector, her LinkedIn profile changed the description of her time at HBOS (Halifax Bank of Scotland) Group in 2006-09 from “Economist, Bank of Scotland” to “Retail Banking, Halifax”. That’s now said to be a misrepresentation of her actual activities which included “running a small administrative complaints department that also dealt with IT matters”.
Similar to “freebiesgate”, for a Labour politician who has made much of her opponents’ dishonesty, it is not a good look. The hostile reaction to her Budget has undoubtedly added fuel to the fire and provided a much higher level of scrutiny for the Chancellor. Reeves has had a challenging week as businesses and farmers continue to treat her Autumn Budget as a declaration of war, which certainly hasn’t helped.
She’ll be hoping for a ‘farmistice’ and that future economic growth will prove that the government made the correct decisions to stabilise the economy. But, the position the Labour government inherited isn’t a good one, and if the volatile electorate has shown us anything, it is that time is not on politicians’ side.