Val Savage plugs Tena Ladies weekly

1. Val Savage writes a weekly column in the Daily Mirror newspaper (“Val’s week”).
2. Last week she plugged yet again Tena Ladies. Because of the increasing frequency of her doing so, I asked whether the columnist will promote the brand every week (see 24 October 2020 post).
3. A week later and today’s (31 October 2020) column contains a further unnecessary mention of Tena Ladies, under the headline “Mess with my essentials at your peril” (screen shot in Figure 1). Ridiculous.

Figure 1. Val plugs Tena Ladies in her column on 31 October

Jake Berry MP: Another ex-northern powerhouse minister joins Squire Patton Boggs

1. Former Tory MP James Wharton was the first northern powerhouse minister, under prime minister David Cameron (see 27 December 2018 post). Now Lord Wharton of Yarm, he’s an “adviser” to, among others, law firm Squire Patton Boggs (SPB), according to the register of lords’ interests.
2. SPB recently recruited another ex-northern powerhouse minister: Jake Berry, Conservative MP for Rossendale and Darwen (screen shot in Figure 1). Before being appointed northern powerhouse minister by prime minister Theresa May in June 2017, MP Mr Berry had another paid job – as a “consultant” with SPB from September 2016 until June 2017. Welcome back!

Figure 1. Squire Patton Boggs announces appointment of Jake Berry MP on 21 October 2020

3. In February 2020, Mr Berry stepped down as northern powerhouse minister, leaving Boris Johnson’s government. The backbencher now leads the new Northern Research Group, a group of northern Tory MPs whose name clearly echoes the European Research Group of pro-Brexit Conservative MPs.
4. The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) gave its blessing to the MP taking up the new appointment with the law firm. Published on 5 October 2020, the ACOBA advice letter dated June 2020 says to Mr Berry: “You stated you did not have any contact with SPB whilst you were in ministerial office”. Yet this is false: as northern powerhouse minister Mr Berry continued to speak at events in Manchester sponsored by the law firm he also worked for as an MP.
5. The register of MPs’ financial interests shows as of 17 September 2020 Mr Berry receives £3.5k per month from SPB in Manchester to “provide strategic corporate advice”. The “expected commitment” is “15-20 hours a month”.
6. On 15 January 2017, I exclusively revealed the MP, who is a solicitor, spoke at an event in Manchester on 10 November 2016 sponsored by SPB – while also working for the law firm. Back then SPB paid Mr Berry £2.5k per month. (Clearly, it pays to have ministerial experience!) Mr Berry speaking as an MP at the event constituted a conflict of interest (see 15 January 2017 post). Worse, it was an avoidable conflict of interest.
7. Neither the MP nor SPB responded to requests for comment before publication of the 15 January 2017 post.

Figure 2. Northern powerhouse minister Jake Berry speaks at Squire Patton Boggs event on 3 November 2017

8. No longer on SPB’s payroll, as northern powerhouse minister Mr Berry popped up on 3 November 2017 at another Manchester event sponsored by the law firm, “M60 Breakfast Reaching for the Skyline” (screen shot in Figure 2). A year later the minister spoke at its “The Power of the North” event, which took place at SPB’s offices in the city on 12 October 2018 (screen shot in Figure 3).

Figure 3. Northern powerhouse minister Jake Berry speaks at Squire Patton Boggs event on 12 October 2018

9. There’s a reasonable concern about minister Mr Berry’s decision to continue his link with SPB in Manchester this way.
10. The ongoing link risks the perception that, as a former employee, Mr Berry is giving special treatment to the law firm. Such actual, potential, or perceived special treatment by a minister is unacceptable.
11. In December 2018, I emailed the minister twice for comment. He didn’t respond.
12. Back to the ACOBA advice letter dated June 2020 to Mr Berry. Another problem is it refers to the MP’s role with SPB as “legal consultant”. Yet on the register of MPs’ financial interests Mr Berry says he “provides strategic corporate advice” to the law firm, which suggests he’s an adviser. For the avoidance of doubt, there the MP doesn’t disclose his job title at SPB. Further, the law firm announced on 21 October 2020 the MP’s new role as “senior advisor [its spelling] in its public policy team” (Figure 1).
13. Then there’s the fact “the Committee noted this is not directly related to your time in office, and is you returning to your former career, in law”. Really? Someone should tell SPB.
14. The law firm’s announcement states Mr Berry “will work with the firm’s partners on the provision of strategic advice and support to clients on a range of issues, including Brexit and international trade, as well as providing his insight on Northern Powerhouse initiatives.” (Figure 1)
15. Nothing to do with his old ministerial job, then.

Figure 4. Jake Berry MP chairs Squire Patton Boggs event about northern powerhouse on 8 September 2020 – top

16. What’s more, the MP appears to be particularly keen to get cracking on the northern powerhouse with his new employer: on 8 September 2020, Mr Berry chaired an SPB event entitled “Progressing the Powerhouse: The Next Phase” (screen shots in Figure 4-5). Just days before the start date Mr Berry discloses on the register of MPs’ financial interests, therefore.

Figure 5. Jake Berry MP chairs Squire Patton Boggs event about northern powerhouse on 8 September 2020 – bottom

17. Employed again by SPB, the event on 8 September 2020 raises the same question about the capacity in which Mr Berry participated – my unanswered question to the MP about the law firm’s event in Manchester on 10 November 2016 (see 15 January 2017 post). In other words, was the former northern powerhouse minister there as MP for Rossendale and Darwen – or as an employee of SPB (soon-to-be or not)? Mr Berry is again conflicted.
18. There’s no suggestion Mr Berry has done anything illegal.
19. Mr Berry didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The Mail on Sunday: “Don’t worry, Ben, we’ll give you the Low-down”

1. On 25 October 2020, The Mail on Sunday newspaper’s Anna Mikhailova referred to the outcome of the inquiry by the House of Lords Commissioner for Standards into Ben Rich, sole staffer to former health secretary Lord Lansley at the House of Lords (screen shot in Figure 1).

Figure 1. The Mail on Sunday (25 October 2020)

2. It was my complaint to the Commissioner that prompted her to open the inquiry (see 23 October 2020 post).

Another Val Savage column, another plug for Tena Ladies

1. Yet another plug for Tena Ladies by columnist Val Savage in the Daily Mirror newspaper today (24 October 2020).
2. Ms Savage shares her thoughts on “visible G-strings”, before finishing with the inevitable plug (screen shot in Figure 1).

Figure 1. Val plugs Tena Ladies in her column on 24 October

3. It was only two weeks ago the columnist last plugged Tena Ladies (see 10 October 2020 post). Will Ms Savage promote the brand every week?

House of Lords Commissioner for Standards upholds my complaint about the conduct of Lord Lansley’s sole staffer

1. On 19 October 2020, the House of Lords Commissioner for Standards, Lucy Scott-Moncrieff, upheld my complaint about the conduct of Benedict (“Ben”) Rich.
2. Mr Rich is former health secretary Lord Lansley’s sole member of staff at the House of Lords, according to the register of interests of lords members’ staff (see 29 July 2020 post).
3. Here’s the Commissioner’s report: https://www.parliament.uk/globalassets/documents/lords-commissioner-for-standards/report-on-benedict-rich.pdf.

Yet more hidden gambling advertising by Sam Quek on Twitter

1. Olympic hockey gold medallist and BBC sport presenter Sam Quek is plugging another gambling firm on Twitter, without disclosure of interest.
2. On 15 October 2020, Ms Quek tweeted about her latest appearance on “The Punt”, a weekly social video series from bookie 888sport about American football (screen shot in Figure 1). 888sport is “the NFL’s official sports betting partner in the UK & Ireland”. The sports star included a tweet from the gambling company within her own.

Figure 1. Sam Quek tweet about 888sport dated 15 October 2020

3. Yes, the 888sport tweet is obviously identifiable as a marketing communication from the gambling firm.
4. Nevertheless Ms Quek’s tweet of 15 October 2020 mainly contains her own editorial content, where she says she “enjoyed filming this with the guys”. The sports star then tells her followers to “check out the 6 min chat here”, providing a link to the 888sport video on YouTube. Yet it’s unclear from Ms Quek’s tweet that the gambling firm published the YouTube video.
5. Ms Quek fails to label her tweet as an ad: she doesn’t use the label “#ad”, for example.
6. On 12 May 2020, I revealed Ms Quek was plugging gambling company The Pools (The Football Pools Limited) on Twitter, without disclosure of interest – even after my two upheld complaints to advertising regulator the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). Both The Times and Daily Mail newspapers reported my exposé (see 14 May 2020 and 15 May 2020 posts).

Eamonn Holmes plugs Heineken on social media, without disclosure of interest

1. Broadcaster Eamonn Holmes plugged alcohol company Heineken on social media, without disclosure of interest.
2. Mr Holmes was paid to promote Heineken at the time of his posts.

Figure 1. Heineken launches “A Pint with Eamonn and the Gaffers” podcast on 18 November 2019

3. On 18 November 2019, the alcohol company announced on its website launch of its weekly “A Pint with Eamonn and the Gaffers” podcast (screen shot in Figure 1). Each episode the broadcaster interviews a well-known football manager in a different Heineken pub, where the pair drink the beer. The alcohol firm’s official YouTube channel hosts many videos derived from the beery interviews (screen shot in Figure 2).

Figure 2. Heineken UK YouTube channel at 25 May 2020

4. It’s disappointing the Heineken UK YouTube channel isn’t age-restricted (at date of publication). In other words, under-18s can access the content it publishes on the video-sharing platform. Heineken could easily age-restrict its content, of course. It chooses not to.
5. Yet alcohol is supposed to be marketed in the UK only to those aged 18 and over.
6. The broadcaster has 1m Twitter followers (@EamonnHolmes).
7. There, in November and December 2019, Mr Holmes promoted the podcast, without disclosure of interest. The tweets are unclear and misleading: none is clearly identifiable as an ad. Mr Holmes omitted to use the hashtag #ad.
8. Here I show six tweets (screen shots in Figure 3-8). For the avoidance of doubt, this is a selection of Mr Holmes’ problematic Heineken tweets, not all of them.

Figure 3. Eamonn Holmes tweet about “A Pint with Eamonn and the Gaffers” dated 18 November 2019

Figure 4. Eamonn Holmes tweet about “A Pint with Eamonn and the Gaffers” dated 22 November 2019

Figure 5. Eamonn Holmes tweet about “A Pint with Eamonn and the Gaffers” dated 25 November 2019

Figure 6. Eamonn Holmes tweet about “A Pint with Eamonn and the Gaffers” dated 8 December 2019

Figure 7. Eamonn Holmes tweet about “A Pint with Eamonn and the Gaffers” dated 9 December 2019

Figure 8. Eamonn Holmes tweet about “A Pint with Eamonn and the Gaffers” dated 20 December 2019

9. All the tweets include a photo or video prominently showing Heineken – both the brand logo and beer.
10. His tweets, too, are accessible to under-18s (at date of publication).
11. “A Pint with Eamonn and the Gaffers” is produced by podcast production company 11-29 Media Limited (screen shot in Figure 9). Mr Holmes is a shareholder in the firm, according to Companies House records.

Figure 9. 11-29 Media Limited website at 26 May 2020

12. The broadcaster now calls his podcast simply “Eamonn and the Gaffers”, as his Twitter biography attests (screen shot in Figure 10).

Figure 10. Eamonn Holmes Twitter biography at 13 October 2020

13. Mr Holmes didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Val Savage’s incontinent plugging

1. As soon as I saw the headline in Val Savage’s latest column in the Daily Mirror newspaper today (10 October 2020), I knew what she’d say – or rather plug.
2. The last item in her column is entitled “My essential supplies dry up” (screen shot in Figure 1). There the mum of football pundit and fellow Mirror columnist Robbie Savage plugs Tena Ladies, a range of women’s incontinence products. Tena is the manufacturer.

Figure 1. Val plugs Tena Ladies in her column on 10 October

3. This is only the latest instance of Val promoting the brand in her Mirror column (see 29 August 2020 post). Some might call it incontinent plugging of Tena Ladies.

Can we trust the accounts of Momentum’s service company?

1. A recent donation from Momentum’s service company to former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn MP raises questions about the accuracy of the firm’s accounts.
2. Styling itself as “a people-powered, vibrant movement”, campaign group Momentum “aims to transform the Labour Party, our communities and Britain in the interests of the many, not the few”. Momentum, an unincorporated association of individual members, uses two incorporated companies to organise its activities. One of these is service company Momentum Campaign (Services) Ltd, a private company limited by guarantee.
3. The register of MPs’ financial interests shows Mr Corbyn received and accepted a £50k donation from Momentum Campaign (Services) Ltd on 24 September 2020. There it says: “This was previously an unsecured loan, received and accepted on 12 July 2016. It was converted to a donation on 24 September 2020.”
4. Meanwhile, I refer to the accounts for Momentum Campaign (Services) Ltd made up to 31 December 2017. These are for the period 1 July 2016 to 31 December 2017. Therefore, these accounts should show the £50k loan to Mr Corbyn.
5. But they don’t. Debtors are £7.5k.
6. Further, the latest accounts are made up to 31 December 2018. There debtors are £24k.
7. Sam Tarry, the Labour MP for Ilford South, is a director of Momentum Campaign (Services) Ltd, having been appointed on 10 December 2015.
8. I asked Mr Tarry in emails to explain why both sets of accounts fail to show the £50k loan to Mr Corbyn. The Ilford South MP didn’t respond within a reasonable time.