Question Time 30th January 2025
The Panel:
James Murray (Labour)
Kieran Mullan (Conservative)
Helen Morgan (LibDem)
Zia Yusuf (Reform UK)
Alison Phillips (Journalist)
Venue: Melton Mowbray
They’re doing me out of a job. Early to the fray, the Melton Times published their review days before this week’s edition of QT broadcast. So early you might even call it a preview. The northeast Leicestershire Thunderer bellowed of the kudos and opportunity the Fake Fiona Bruce bandwagon offered the good people of the pork pie manufacturing metropolis.
However, constituency Tory MP Edward Agar expressed disappointment the BBC never invite the local MP to appear, but all the same stated this a great showcase for the ‘wonderful town of Melton Mobray’. Mr Agar hoped important local issues such as the bypass might get national attention. Wouldn’t bet on it, Edward.
The Labour leader of Melton Borough Council, Councillor Pip Allnatt, took a more worldly view, “I was brought up on BBC radio’s Any Questions. I find Question Time trivial and over-simplistic. Too many platitudes and everyone trying to be on message.”
As the truth bombs rained down upon the QT Review HQ atrium, Pip continued,
“I do not watch it any more. International, national, and local issues blend into one. Idiot politicians from President Trump to ex-Prime Minister Truss and Nigel Farage all denying climate change while the people of Twyford and Long Clawson suffer its effects. So, questions on climate change are the most relevant.”
I have agenda changing news for Councillor Allnatt. According to the Google Weather forecast, today’s temperatures in both Twyford and Long Cawson vary between 1C and 6C. Via the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website, we learn the long-term average daily January temperature range for Leicestershire is from 1C and 7C.
Reference to aerial photography shows that Twyford and Long Cawson are little places surrounded by empty countryside. If this were the Third World, the natives would be busy digging diversionary trenches. It would take a couple of days, cost nothing and they would save the villages from flooding for all time.
Perhaps useless point-scoring councillors like Mr Annatt are responsible for the problem rather than the unchanging weather?
QT Review often complains about the same old, same old on Question Time, despite lots of new MPs joining the House at the 2024 general election. This week, like arriving buses, we have two fresh faces on the panel. Be careful what you wish for. The downside being I have to do some research instead of just copying and slapping from a previous unread piece. Every silver lining has a cloud.
In spite of looking 12 years old, James Murray was born on July 13, 1983, in Hammersmith, and is the current Labour MP for Ealing North. His prior series of over-paid public sector non-jobs included Islington councillor from 2006 to 2016 and Deputy London Mayor For Housing from 2016-2019, after which he became an MP.
As for the other new face, Dr Kieran Mullan, I’m thrilled he is the new 2024 general election MP for Bexhill and Battle. However, deflated upon reading he’d been parachuted in from Crewe and Nantwich which he represented for the Conservatives between 2019 to 2024. Before entering politics, Mullan pursued a medical career, studying at the Leeds School of Medicine and working as an emergency doctor.
These days he prescribes himself jollies and free money. From 6 to May 10, 2024, Dr. Mullan participated in a £3,000 ‘fact-finding delegation’ to Washington D.C., funded by the Coalition for Global Prosperity. On August 4, 2024, he registered a £5,000 donation from the interesting Barbara Yerolemou.
Also a donor to the Liz Truss leadership campaign, Mrs Yerolemou is a one-time Ealing Conservative Councilor and the wife of Tony Yerolemou, co-founder and former chief executive of Katsouris Fresh Foods. Cyprus-born Mr Yerolemou came to Britain in 1960 and made his money supplying Cypriot food to shopkeepers before expanding into the restaurant trade and selling ready meals to supermarkets.
In 2000 he sold his manufacturing business to an Icelandic group for a mouthwatering £110 million and put the winnings into Aspida Capital, a vehicle for investing in property on behalf of the Yerolemou family. According to the Aspida Capital website, Mr Yerolemou invites co-investors to send him their money. I bet he does!
Interstingly, Tony became a director of the Icelandic bank (Kaupthing) that financed the loan which paid for the takeover. The Guardian newspaper revealed that later Yerolemou became the fourth largest borrower from Kaupthing’s Luxembourg subsidiary, receiving loans of €157m (£136m). Prior to Kaupthing’s collapse in 2008, Honest Tony was also a shareholder in the bank with those shares being pledged as collateral against Kaupthing loans. Hmmm.
These are the people who own the Tory party.
Helen Morgan is the LibDem MP for North Shropshire having replaced Conservative lobbying fraud Owen Paterson in a 2021 by-election. From Stone in Staffordshire, Ms Morgan graduated in history from Trinity College, Cambridge prior to embarking on a corporate career in chartered accountancy at KPMG. From there the climate crank moved to carbon emitters British Gas and Centrica before the 47-year-old’s experience of the real world reached its apotheosis at Grocott Developments, the portable buildings for hire people.
Zia Yusuf (NHRN, Muhammad Ziauddin Yusuf) attended London’s private Hampton School and is a graduate of the London School of Economics. His degree in International Relations took him to Meryl Lynch and to becomming an executive director at Goldman Sachs.Yusuf made his money developing and selling on an app, Velocity Black, which connects cash-rich/time-poor clients with providers of luxury services and products while taking hefty commissions and charges from all involved. Mr Yusuf’s share of the winnings is said to be a cool £31 million. In June 2024, when still a member of the Conservative Party, he donated a substantial sum to Reform and became the party’s largest benefactor during the election campaign. Following the election, Yusuf succeeded Richard Tice as party chairman.
Essex girl Alsion Phillips comes from the posh end of the county and is an old girl of the Hertfordshire & Essex High School for Girls in Bishop’s Stortford. Armed with a degree in International History & Politics from Leeds University, the 55-year-old began a Cook’s tour of local papers as she trained to be a journalist, ending up at the Daily Mirror. A 23-year-long spell led to her becoming both the Red Top’s editor and deputy editor-in-chief of parent company Reach plc. Leaving last year as job and budget cuts ran throughout Reach, she is now a freelance communications strategist, broadcaster, senior advisor to MHP Group and a member of the board of trustees of the woke National Trust.
***
Question one: growth or green — are they mutually exclusive? A reference to a new runway at Heathrow. “We can have both,” began James. “There is a plan. The two are compatible.” He quoted the unbelievably expensive Net Zero green energy nonsense, which is holding back the economy, as if an example of growth. Dear me. The ‘Carbon Budgets’ take into account a third runway at Heathrow. What is that supposed to mean? James talked a load of tripe, even by UK ruling-class standards.
The questioner spoke as a mum and grandmum. She wanted short-term growth that doesn’t change the climate. It was like listening to dogs bark; I had no idea what they were on about. Bruce’s endless interruptions didn’t help. Plus, the panellists chanted their cribbed briefings too quickly and obviously didn’t understand what they were saying.
“All very London-centric,” mentioned an audience member. “Why not expand Manchester and Birmingham airports?”
“In general,” began Helen, “a new runway would only add 0.43% to GDP by 2050. How on earth can anybody know that? There is an elephant in the room — the red tape connected to trading with the European Union. The EU’s crap then, Helen? Thank goodness we’ve left. Is that what she meant? No, the exact opposite — rejoin the red tape-tangled monstrosity across the Channel to increase GDP by more than a runway might. Renegotiating with the EU would only take a couple of years, she added, to total silence even from a carefully selected BBC audience.
Zia Yusuf was disappointed that building things here takes so long. The Chinese and Isambard Kingdom Brunel built things so much more quickly. He didn’t reckon the runway would be built at all unless there was a Reform Party government. Alison wanted growth, but through people feeling better about themselves. She wasn’t so keen on extra tarmac and sheds. The crucial thing is we all feel the benefits. At the moment, GDP increases go to a tiny number of people who have all the money.
Question two: Given Donald Trump’s abandonment of DEI, should ours be abandoned too? Trump had blamed the FAA’s equality, diversity and inclusion recruitment in relation to a fatal plane crash in Washington DC earlier that day. Keiran thought we should wait until the findings of the crash enquiry. “There is room for equality initiatives, but there’s a danger it becomes disproportionate.”
Zia’s thoughts were with the victims. He didn’t think it appropriate to make political points. La Bruce tried to get the Reform chairman to contradict The Donald. Zia, having worked in big organisations, wasn’t keen on DEI. “You either judge people by merit or by immutable characteristics.” He preferred merit — to light applause.
La Bruce confused The Donald with Musk, wrongly claiming The Donald didn’t think Farage capable of leading Reform. Zia corrected her. A loon in the audience said Trump was out of his mind. Somebody else mentioned Auschwitz as a good reason not to make decisions based on diversity.
James wasn’t keen to comment on the crash but wanted everything to reflect everybody. “There’s value in having an inclusive approach to a workforce.”
“What about quotas? Surely they’re anti-merit,” pointed out an audience member. On this topic: the only reason La Bruce got the QT gig is because she’s female. Should have gone to Andrew Neil. Presently she’s keeping the seat warm for a Clive Myrie and Alison Hammond double act.
Speaking of diversity, two distinct tribes emerged in the Question Time studio: those who call it EDI and those who call it DEI.
An instructor with the emergency services, formerly with the military, mentioned that people are pushed ahead in the system for the wrong reasons. La Bruce muttered to him about unconscious bias.
Alison was disgusted, but confused about what by. She thought Trump was blaming the people on the aircraft and helicopter that collided and crashed into the Potomac with the loss of all on board. He wasn’t — he was blaming the Federal Aviation Authority for compromising air safety.
“If you have an organisation that doesn’t represent its customers, DEI is absolutely vital,” said Alison, whose readers deserted The Mirror by the million while she was editor. Helen mentioned ‘talent pools’. The poor old middle-aged white man got a few mentions too. Nobody wants quota systems. Hang on — they have them at the BBC.
Keiran noted a lack of competition in medical school because people from some backgrounds were underachieving. He also mentioned the Labour Party’s sexist all-women shortlists.
The next question was about a big housing development in Melton Mowbray, around the new bypass! Yay! But what about new schools and extra policing?
Helen had a small village in her Shropshire constituency with extra houses but no new sewer — just septic tanks. “What’s going wrong?” asked La Bruce. “Don’t developers pay local authorities for such things as part of the planning process?”
Quite.
Zia wanted to zoom out. He played the second-generation immigrant card before highlighting the scale of population increase through mass, uncontrolled immigration. Fewer hospital beds but six million more people during the time of the Tory government. So much for planning and zoning, for the next few years, we must freeze immigration. Reform is the only party being honest about this.”
Where will we get the people to build the required infrastructure? wondered La Bruce. We’ll do it, Fiona, says I. Suggesting we are incapable of doing such things for ourselves is, frankly, a bit racist. Fiona was adamant that to build infrastructure, you have to import people. Zia disagreed.
James was keen on infrastructure — particularly the NHS and reservoirs. “There’s more focus on infrastructure from this government than the previous one.” Oh well, that’s all right then. James was ‘very direct’ about this. What does that even mean?
© Always Worth Saying 2025
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