I’m here for Keir
Ricky gives Keir Starmer the Royle seal of approval in leadership bid
ROYLE Family actor Ricky Tomlinson has backed Keir Starmer to be leader of the Labour Party.
The Shadow Brexit Secretary got the left-wing star’s endorsement for his support of 24 Shrewsbury workers.
They were prosecuted for conspiracy to intimidate, unlawful assembly and affray after taking part in construction strikes in 1972.
Mr Tomlinson, then a plasterer, was jailed along with five others.
The trade unionists insist they were innocent and had been set up by the political establishment.
The actor served 16 months before making his TV breakthrough in Brookside. Mr Starmer provided probono legal advice on how to overturn the convictions – an ongoing battle.
Ricky, 80, said Labour had taken “just a terrible drubbing” at the last election and Mr Starmer was the candidate to reverse it.
In a video released to the Liverpool Echo, he said: “All the contestants are worthy people, but I’ve got to throw my weight behind Keir Starmer. I’m going to ask you to do the same.
“We can’t make any more mistakes. We’ve got to overturn this Government run by Boris the buffoon.”
His endorsement came hours ahead of a clash today where all five candidates to replace Jeremy Corbyn will go head-to-head in Liverpool for the first of 12 official leadership hustings.
The BAFTA award-winning actor has backed the Hillsborough 96 campaign and is a regular on picket lines. He supported Jeremy Corbyn and Andy Burnham for Labour’s top job in 2015.
But he has previously expressed support for Arthur Scargill’s Socialist Labour Party, most recently for the 2009 European Parliament elections.
Mr Starmer had a second brush with popculture yesterday when he was asked about a rumour that Bridget Jones’s Mark Darcy was based on him.
He said: “Everybody asks me this question, when they should be asking her [author Helen Fielding].”
Asked if he would be flattered if it were true, he said: “Of course I would.” It came as a survey of Labour members showed he had increased his lead. The YouGov poll for The Times showed he would beat his closest rival, Rebecca Long-Bailey, in the final round by 63% to 37% if the contest were held today.
As she prepared to launch her official campaign, Ms LongBailey hinted she has taken illegal drugs in the past. The Shadow Business Secretary revealed details
of a plan to replace the House of Lords with an elected Senate in the North.
Asked whether she had taken banned substances by website JOE, she replied: “Ooooh. Well, I’ve been to Amsterdam. That’s all I’ll say.”
Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry’s campaign is struggling with polls putting her in last place among the contenders, who also include Lisa Nandy and Jess Phillips. ■ ALL five candidates have vowed to “defend and extend” abortion rights, including a pledge to oppose any bid to shorten the 24-week time limit.
No more mistakes.. We must topple Boris the buffoon’s government
RICKY TOMLINSON ON PARTY’S ELECTION WOES
He should support her, not exploit her as a potentially useful cash cow
WELL, I don’t know about you, but I was certainly under the impression that if it feels like the whole world is against you, you can always depend on your family – especially your parents – to get you through.
As long as your name isn’t Meghan Markle, that is.
We all know that you can’t choose your parents, but your mum and dad usually do choose to have you, albeit not knowing what’s going to pop out, kicking and screaming, nine months later.
And whatever does, it’s an unspoken rule that parents fall head over heels in love with their brandnew puce-coloured arrival in a way they’ve never loved before, despite its mewling and bawling. A dart, straight to the heart. Pow! And that’s it, smitten for the rest of your life.
A life during which your children’s welfare is the most important thing, no matter if they’re four or 40. But the loving must be done quietly because the second most important thing in the mission to be a perfect parent is never to be an embarrassment. Embarrassing. Parent. They are not happy bedfellows.
Thomas Markle seems to be blissfully unaware of this. Seemingly blind to the fact that being a dad is for life, not just for the cute infant years, he uses every opportunity to ruin his daughter’s life by soiling her reputation.
Right now he’s preparing to appear in the witness box in a legal battle between the Duchess and The Mail on Sunday.
Who needs enemies when you’ve got a dad who seems to relish attention at the expense of his daughter’s happiness and wellbeing?
What a guy!
You can’t choose your parents, but this particular parent should surely have chosen to support his daughter, to make her feel loved rather than being exploited as a potentially useful cash cow.