The unifying (to coin a phrase) theme of the day was Unity behind Theresa ME.
We saw an appeal to supporters of other parties to give ME the strongest (and presumably the most stable) negotiating position possible. Speaking in Leeds East (currently held by Richard Burgon for Labour with a majority of 12,500) she told voters to put aside traditional allegiances and vote “in the national interest”, and we know what that means.
Of course she was addressing another invited audience and, as at her earlier visit to an eerily empty factory in Derby, there was no danger of her coming into contact with anybody real (or be seen to rely on however many security officers are travelling with her).
The EU27 held a meeting on the Brexit negotiating mandate they will hand formally to Michel Barnier. To the apparent astonishment of the UK government (and nobody else) there was unity of purpose. The EU commission's vice-president Frans Timmermans argued that the size of the UK's new government's majority would be irrelevant to the negotiations. Angela Merkel reiterated the message that no country outside the EU could have "exactly the same benefits" as those inside. She observed that some within the UK (no names) had "illusions" about the way things would go.
Theresa ME appeared to exhibit astonishing naïveté in reacting to these developments, but whether she really was surprised or not, she'll be attempting to turn it to her single project of getting the largest possible mandate in this Brexit election. The line was "Our opponents are already seeking to disrupt those negotiations – at
the same time as 27 other European countries line up to oppose us.”
Perhaps our strong and stable leader needs a new, more educational slogan - "Other side of the negotiating table Means Other side of the negotiating table". Or perhaps she could fall back on a Carry On line.
— Steve Fx ©2017 (@bitgit) April 27, 2017
The afternoon's Whitehall incident, with a man arrested while carrying knives, seems likely to be grist to the unity mill. And the ranks of the Daily Mail's Saboteurs will be swollen by the whole of the EU27.
It had been supposed to be Johnsonday, after his little outpouring in the Sun (Corbyn might be amusing but he's dangerous, and everything will be wonderful with me and ME running the show). Most of his "interviews" were the usual waffle-with-no-answers, but he did manage to tell us that it would be "difficult to refuse" a request from the US to join an attack on Syria in the event of a chemical attack. There might be no need for parliamentary approval (that had to be "tested").
The BBC's Laura Kuenssberg observed that we're entering a few weeks when there's no parliament around to be consulted anyway. (She also pointed out later that he'd said something similar in the Commons on the day the election was called.)
One of his favourite themes was a trade deal with the US, which would have to wait until the 2020 presidential election process is well underway but would necessarily be wonderful. As usual he had a couple of idiosyncratic examples (though not necessarily of high value to the UK or particularly relevant to his case).
A great benefit of such a deal (still the pretence that a single deal will suffice), thought Johnson, would be removal of the US's ban on haggis, which is of course a purely UK-US affair and nothing to do with the EU for a change. Similarly he wants better access to India for sales of Scotch. The EU has a complaint in at the WTO that high Indian tariffs on spirits break the rules. A lone UK might have to start that one again from the beginning.
Johnson's first day on the campaign trail was so successful that his sister joined the LibDems, and we had a tiny insight into head office's editing of his article.
Instead of mugwumps, today could have all been about Corbyn "shooting blanks". Boris's innuendo gag in his article for us cut by CCHQ.— Tom Newton Dunn (@tnewtondunn) April 27, 2017
Oh, and the great diplomat's deliberations on travelling to commune with the great men of Russia came to light for a moment.
Whitehall source tells @nicholaswatt No 10 made Boris Johnson cancel Moscow trip because of fears he would mess up #Newsnight— Ian Katz (@iankatz1000) April 26, 2017
One thing Johnson blustered through in more than one interview was the old "£350 million for the NHS" lie, though the morning's was a version I can't remember hearing from him - "£350 million which we have no control of". How much of that "money we don't control" is the rebate which we do control, I wonder?
Corbyn was down to deliver a housing speech, trailed by John Healey, who as usual sounded supremely confident but not entirely in command of exactly the facts being quoted against him.
The housing headline was "a million homes in five years [a very familiar figure from all sides], half of them council houses". As more was said it became "100,000 new affordable homes each year to rent and buy [my emphasis, and more familiar still], with councils playing a big part in that". What will matter is how much, if at all, Labour would change the current definition of "affordable".
Paul Nuttall has finally confirmed his intention to stand, but not where. UKIP’s north-east regional chairman, Steve Turner, has defected to the Tories, saying his old party is riddled with “infighting and poor organisation”. He said Nuttall wouldn't fight Hartlepool, because losing there would be fatal for the party. Expect an announcement when Nuttall visits the town on Friday... that he's standing.
Meanwhile UKIP face critism for selecting as a candidate a Pegida activist who's praised Wilders and le Pen and called Islam "evil". Tim Farron jumped in, perhaps wisely, perhaps not, after his dealings with David Ward on Wednesday. More significant was the disquiet within the party itself, perhaps among those (including James Carver, who resigned as a spokesperson) who were uncomfortable with the "integration agenda" earlier in the week.
Tony Blair was out again, saying the same old same old - we need a strong oppostion, though we know who will be PM, and what matters is fighting against the blank cheque and for the single market.
George Osborne has dumped one of many lucrative speaking roles as he realises that newspaper editors actually have to do some work. Only another three or four jobs to go.
The Northern Ireland inquiry into the failed renewable heat initiative has opened. This will embarrass the DUP on the door step. Might it also make it difficult for them to reach agreement with other Unionist parties not to stand against each other? Minister James Brokenshire has confirmed that attempts to restart the Stormont executive are off until after the UK election, wth a latest deadline of 29 June.
Theresa ME will be on Robert Peston's ITV show this Sunday.
In answer to today's last question to ministers before parliament was prorogued, DExEU minister David Jones reasserted that "we" would be willing to walk out with no deal at all if necessary.
Parliament reconvenes on 13 June, with the state opening on the 19th. It'll be limousines not coaches, and curtailed flummery. The Queen has had to cry off a church service for Knights of the Garter, and the ceremonial calendar including trooping the colour may have had to be adjusted. So thoughtless Mrs ME!
The Work and Pensions select committee has warned that universal credit implementation is stikll pretty bad. Claimants are waiting 12 weeks or more for their first payments, with the most vulnerable claimants often struggling to adapt to monthly payment schedules, making them reliant on food banks and pay day lenders; and landlords warning that universal credit was adding to problems of rent arrears, with at least a quarter of tenants on universal credit running up debts. No surprise there then.
A High Court judge has told the government that election "purdah" is no excuse not to publish its air quality plan, which might well be represented during the campaign as an attack on diesel drivers.
I see many crowdsourcing appeals to finance the campaigns of various parliamentary candidates, none of them so far for Tory hopefuls (my echo chamber is broad enough, I hope, to have at least a chance of seeing some if they were there). Instead the party has put out a call for £19 million, after a sharp decline in income after the EU referendum. Apparently pro-Remain donors and friends of David Cameron are keeping their cheque books shut.
So many more Saboteurs to add to the list.
