Publicly railing about the evils of capitalism and class privilege while privately exploiting the system has always been a hallmark of Labour politicians.
Think Tony Blair and Peter Mandelson, who professed to be working for ‘the many not the few’ yet used their positions to amass enormous personal wealth.
Or that implacable class warrior Diane Abbott, who (in common with several colleagues) happily junked her socialist principles to send her son to a prestigious fee-paying school.
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner now looks to have become the latest in this long and ignominious line of hypocrites.
In an interview last year, she said the right to buy council homes, a flagship Tory policy of the Thatcher years, should be reviewed so tenants would no longer get ‘loads of discount’ to purchase their homes.
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner. Ms Rayner now looks to have become the latest in a long and ignominious line of hypocrites. According to a new book by Lord Ashcroft, she bought her council house in 2007 at a 25 per cent discounted price of £79,000 and sold it eight years later for £127,500 – a gross profit of £48,500
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair with Peter Mandelson. Both professed to be working for ‘the many not the few’ yet used their positions to amass enormous personal wealth
Yet, according to a new book by Tory grandee Lord Ashcroft, she bought her own Stockport council house in 2007 at a 25 per cent discounted price of £79,000 and sold it eight years later for £127,500 – a gross profit of £48,500.
After the Mail on Sunday’s Glen Owen broke the story, Ms Rayner defended her actions, saying buying her council house had been a proud moment: ‘I worked hard, saved and bought it by the book.’
And that is exactly the point. Through ambition and hard graft, Ms Rayner was able to improve her lot in life. So why now does she want to make it harder for others to do the same?
Like most politicians accused of double standards, she sought to blacken her accuser, saying Lord Ashcroft was prejudiced and that his interest in her private business was ‘unhealthy’.
But as a prominent public figure she should expect scrutiny – from opponents as well as allies.
While the new book by Labour cheerleader Tom Baldwin on Sir Keir Starmer sometimes verges on the hagiographical, Lord Ashcroft was always going to cast a more critical eye on his subject.
Instead of blaming the messenger, Ms Rayner should cherish and protect all ladders to aspiration – not pull them up behind her after reaching the top.
Medicalising life
Are we in the grip of a mental health epidemic, or have the young simply become less able to cope with the inevitable ups and downs of life?
New analysis says 570,000 of those aged between 18 and 24 are on anti-depressants, a rise of 31 per cent since 2015, and that psychological issues are a major cause of soaring worklessness.
Isolation due to Covid lockdown is understandably said to have played its part, as are online bullying, cuts to therapeutic services and a greater willingness to discuss mental health issues.
A sign warning people to maintain social distancing during the Covid pandemic. Isolation due to Covid lockdown is understandably said to have played in the mental health epidemic (stock image)
But the main driver, according to eminent sociologist Frank Furedi, is ‘the medicalisation of everyday life’.
What were once regarded as the existential problems of the young – relationship breakdowns, exam stress, career disappointments – are now packaged into syndromes and casually treated with pharmaceuticals rather than talked through and overcome naturally.
This is often done for compassionate motives but can be debilitating. We all must learn from our trials and mistakes, and hopefully become stronger and wiser as a result. It’s called growing up.
Airstrikes
Airstrikes against Houthi rebels attacking shipping in the Red Sea benefit all the world’s trading nations. So why do the UK and US invariably foot the bill?
Each Sea Viper missile we use to destroy a Houthi drone costs upwards of £1million. Why should the British taxpayer bear that cost, rather than those in Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands, Ireland…