Is historical past repeating itself within the row over Sir Keir Starmer’s voice coach Leonie Mellinger?
In spite of everything, she shouldn’t be the primary one who has coached a first-rate minister to be caught in political controversy.
After the Tories demanded a police probe, are there echoes of the row over Tony and Cherie Blair’s “lifestyle coach” Carole Caplin?
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir defended assembly Ms Mellinger throughout lockdown in 2020, claiming “I was working” whereas the Tories have been “partying”.
Picture:
Leonie Mellinger. Pic: Alan Davidson/Shutterstock
The Conservatives then stepped up their assaults, asserting that chief Kemi Badenoch needs a police investigation into whether or not legal guidelines have been damaged.
That’s not going to occur, nevertheless. The Metropolitan Police stated that as a result of the alleged offence was greater than three years in the past, no motion will probably be taken.
However have we been right here earlier than with a political row a couple of Labour prime minister receiving specialist teaching?
Within the Nineties, earlier than and after he grew to become PM, Ms Caplin coached Sir Tony and spouse Cherie, advising him on health and his spouse on fashion.
And so, because the Tories proceed making an attempt to embarrass Sir Keir over “Voice Coach Gate”, are there similarities between his voice coach and Ms Caplin?
Please use Chrome browser for a extra accessible video participant
10:10
Earlier on Wednesday – PMQs
It has been urged, for example, that each have a racy previous. Now 65, Ms Mellinger, an actress, was as soon as married to the star of the “Confessions…” motion pictures, Robin Asquith.
In her appearing profession, she appeared in Channel 4’s political comedy The New Statesman because the leather-clad spouse of a Conservative MP.
She additionally appeared within the 1981 movie of the awful Doris Lessing novel Memoirs Of A Survivor, which additionally starred Nigel Hawthorne, later star of TV’s Sure Minister.
Carole Caplin, a former dancer who as soon as dated Gary Numan and Adam Ant, hit the headlines in 1994 when The Solar revealed topless photographs of her underneath the headline “Secrets of Blairs’ Girl Friday”.
To make issues worse, it occurred on the very second the then Labour chief, elected earlier in 1994, was celebrating a profitable social gathering convention speech.
However a lot worse was to observe. In 2002 it emerged that Ms Caplin’s boyfriend, Australian Peter Foster, was a conman with a conviction for conspiring to produce a weight-loss drink that turned out to be tea.
The issue was that Foster had helped Cherie Blair purchase two flats in Bristol when their eldest son Euan was at college there. The consequence was one of many largest controversies of Sir Tony’s premiership.
Picture:
Kemi Badenoch questioned whether or not a voice coach was a key employee
Greater than 20 years later, it’s now Sir Keir’s flip to face questions on his personal teaching.
Within the Commons, Tory MP Gagan Mohindra challenged the PM: “Can he repeat his assurances that all rules were followed while the country was in tier 4 lockdown in December 2020, not just by him but his team as well, but also his voice coach Leonie Mellinger?”
Although he didn’t repeat the declare he made in Brussels on Monday that no guidelines have been damaged, a livid Sir Keir hit again: “In December 2020, I was in my office working on the expected Brexit deal.
“With my staff we needed to analyse the deal because it got here in at velocity, put together and ship a stay assertion at velocity on probably the most essential points for our nation in recent times. That is what I used to be doing.
“What were they doing? Suitcases of food into Downing Street, partying and fighting, vomiting up the walls, leaving the cleaner to remove red wine stains. That’s the difference: I was working, they were partying.”
However a spokesman for the Tory chief responded: “The key question here is: is a voice coach a key worker who can travel from Tier 4 to Tier 3 during lockdown?
“It does not matter in case you’re a part of a core staff, that’s the query. Now, Keir Starmer stated that lawmakers cannot be lawbreakers. It’s virtually unimaginable to disagree that that was a transparent breach of the COVID guidelines.”
And requested if Mrs Badenoch thought police ought to examine, he stated: “Yes, she does.”
Some years after the Carole Caplin controversy, Sir Tony wrote in his memoirs that she was “a good friend and reliable confidant” for his spouse, however he ought to have acknowledged in the beginning that she was working for them.
And as for Sir Keir, the specter of a police investigation into allegations of breaking lockdown guidelines didn’t final lengthy.
“We can confirm we have received a report,” stated a Met Police spokesperson. “The specific legislation that would be used by police forces dealing with offences during COVID has a three-year deadline for initiating proceedings.
“As this alleged incident falls outdoors of this timeframe, no motion will probably be taken.”
