In the general sadness and shock at Ken losing the Mayorality (and Boris winning) comrades may have missed a couple of things. First of all there were swings TO Labour in several places and we won an extra GLA constituency (Brent and Harrow, Navin Shah).

Why doesn't someone make a formal complaint about Ashcroft? He apparently isn't on the electoral register anywhere, his companies are a web of international intrigue (some British, some not British) and the Tories appear to be lying about his tax and residence status.

Ashcroft's ill-gotten gains which may have been illegally donated to the Tories are funding nasty, personal attacks against some of our brightest and best candidates.

Plus he's paying millions in to the Tories nationally.

If someone is the majority (or outright) owner of a company and therefore has the power to direct that company to make a political donation, surely that should be seen in the same way as Abrahams' donations via proxy or Hain's imaginary think tank.

Otherwise why doesn't everyone who wants to make a secret donation just register an imaginary company and make the donations through that...

HOLD ON A MINUTE - THAT'S JUST WHAT LOTS OF THE TORIES HAVE DONE....
 

David Davies' outburst today against Gordon Brown is a smokescreen to hide the Tories hurried scrabble to get out of the Derek Conway row.

Look at this: last week Cameron announced his FRONT BENCH would have until April to declare if they employed family members - ie: were guilty of the same misappropriation of taxpayers money as Derek Conway. That gave them two months to stop doing it and put their houses in order.

Today he changed his mind and said they would have until JULY to do it. Remember this is front benchers not back benchers, he isn't asking them to declare anything at all.

It looks to me like one of the Tory Front Bench is being protected from having to delcare something embarrassing - let's see if we can find out who it is.

GB's reshuffle continues

Paul Murphy has been appointed Secretary of State for Wales. Again.

It is not yet clear whether this is a stand-alone appointment given that for the last few years Wales has been a part-time role given to toher cabinet Ministers.

Murphy was Northern Ireland and Wales Secretary when he was taken ill and stood down from Government a couple of years ago.

At least he's really Welsh . . .

Peter Hain resigns
James Purnell becomes new Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Andy Burnham becomes new Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport
Yvette Cooper takes over as Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Caroline Flint replaces her as Housing Minister

Andy Burnham has been appointed Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport as GB's reshuffle continues.

Burnham was Special Adviser in the Department under Chris Smith as recently as 2001 - is six years from SpAd to SoS a record???

He was appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury in June 2007.

James Purnell is the new Secretary of State for Work and Pensions moving from Culture, Media and Sport, as GB starts a mini-reshuffle following Peter Hain's resignation.

Yvette Cooper, Paul Murphy, Caroline Flint and Charles Clarke have been speculated as possible movers.

We've remade Back to the Future. As a Party Political Broadcast. In Bexleyheath.

No, really.

Here's the trailer if you don't believe me . . .

BEX TO THE FUTURE 

I have been thinking about what makes a good chancellor and actually looking back I think it's something to do with eyebrows.

In Hazel Blears' latest video, you can meet her campaign team including some of the MPs who are backing her.

This afternoon the executive of shop workers' union USDAW met and nominated Hazel Blears for deputy.

The Union also endorsed Gordon Brown for Leader.

In a speech to local activists and to members of Labour Friends of Bangladesh on Sunday, Hazel set out some of her motivation behind standing for Deputy Leader.