Kuenssberg avoids Tory-Grindr security fiasco to focus on the never-landing Angela Rayner scandal

This week saw the reveal of a scandal so shocking that it’s hard to believe it’s real. Think Grindr. Think William Wragg – because Kuenssberg might not have been:

🔴 William Wragg admits involvement in Westminster honeytrap sexting scandal.

The vice chairman of the 1922 committee handed over contact details for colleagues to a man he met on Grindrhttps://t.co/LIuncloHO0

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) April 4, 2024

Given the severity (and – let’s be honest – hilarity) of this scandal, you’d expect the BBC‘s flagship political show to give it some attention.

At least you would if you had zero familiarity with the BBC anyway:

Kuenssberg going out of her way to ask David Lammy about the Angela Rayner non-story as she completely ignored the William Wragg honey trap story when talking to Tory MP Oliver Dowden#bbclaurak

— David (@Zero_4) April 7, 2024

Losing his Wragg

So what happened with Wragg exactly? According to Sky News:

Mr Wragg told The Times on Thursday he was “manipulated” into giving personal phone numbers of colleagues to a man he met on a gay dating app, after he had sent intimate pictures of himself.

It’s not ‘victim blaming’ to call Wragg out, and thankfully everyone seems to realise this (doing a Twitter search, we found only one misguided soul making that argument).

The chief reason is that MPs are wired into the country’s security apparatus, and as such they’ve been briefed on the fact that foreign adversaries are constantly trying to get compromising materials on them. The Soviets called it ‘kompromat‘, and back then it was hard to come by – it didn’t simply show up in your inbox.

The second reason why it isn’t victim blaming is that the compromising materials on Wragg must fall into one of two camps:

• Embarrassing.
• Illegal.

If the images of him are simply cringe, he should have just let them come out; if they pictured him breaking the law, he should be in prison.

In summary, Wragg is a total fuck-up who should be booted out of office and possibly locked up.

That in itself should have made it discussion worthy on Kuenssberg, but what really tips it over the edge is that prominent Tories are arguing that Wragg is actually a “courageous” smol-bean who’s simply out there doing his best:

Let it be saved on Twitter for all eternity that Jeremy Hunt described William Wragg's apology as "Courageous and fulsome."

RT to pin Hunt's shame. pic.twitter.com/siDQqI1A99

— BladeoftheSun (@BladeoftheS) April 5, 2024

Good. It was a mistake. He apologised. Let’s learn some lessons and then move on. https://t.co/gONrHzvPOs

— Bob Seely (@IoWBobSeely) April 5, 2024

Seeing red

So what happened with Angela Rayner?

Err… she sold her house or something?

The ‘scandal’ has been rolling on for weeks and weeks despite never landing. New ‘evidence’ came out this weekend, but that seems to have been instantly debunked too:

Your statement here is not correct. Married couples have one main residence for CGT purposes. Whether *she* lived in Vicarage Road during the marriage isn’t terribly relevant to the tax.

I set out the analysis here https://t.co/ln3k8I15un pic.twitter.com/Sb4IdfSE1a

— Dan Neidle (@DanNeidle) April 7, 2024

Doesn’t change the tax. Married couples get one main residence for CGT purposes. Seems clear that wasn’t hers (unless they made a joint election).

— Dan Neidle (@DanNeidle) April 7, 2024

I think you’re making the mistake of assuming she got the tax law right. She actually got the tax law wrong.

I don’t want to keep saying “read my summary”, but please do read my summary. It starts with her error and then explains the actual position. https://t.co/ln3k8I1DjV

— Dan Neidle (@DanNeidle) April 7, 2024

Some more context from Neidle’s piece:

Ms Rayner’s statement suggests she may have misunderstood the law. In some scenarios that could mean she failed to pay CGT of up to £3,500, but potentially less or zero. The amount of tax involved is therefore small but, in the interests of transparency, it would be helpful for Ms Rayner to clarify the position.

Three and a half grand.

Given that the media routinely ignores tax scams worth billions, do you seriously think anyone in the British media gives a fuck about £3.5k, even if it was a genuine scam?

Hilarious coming from a tax dodging newspaper

You are funny Nadine

Funny but dim

What first attracted dan hodges snd 78 year lord NON lord tax dodging Ashcroft to the lovely Angela ?

Is it because she’s a true northerner and could beat them both hands down ? https://t.co/22DgkMdPGI

— Spanish Dan 💙 conservative CORRUPTION (@SpanishDan1) April 7, 2024

Angela Rayner's alleged tax avoidance on her house sale was half of what Esther McVey claims for rent *every single month* on a flat just one mile away from a property she jointly owns

— David__Osland (@David__Osland) April 7, 2024

Also, do you seriously think they care about lying?

They should care, of course, but these tabloid stooges are only bothered when it benefits their lying, tax-dodging owners.

What scandal, asks Kuenssberg?

Context out of the way, you can understand why people had reactions like the following:

You found time to ask questions about Angela Rayner selling her council house but not the time to ask questions about William Wragg sending dic pics and providing MP's phone numbers to a stranger he met online.

Could you explain that please.

Thanks.

— ZippiddyDo (@ZippiddyD) April 7, 2024

https://twitter.com/gegsy1955/status/1776895854156112121

You, boy!

Did Laura Kuenssberg question Oliver Dowden about William Wragg?#bbclaurak pic.twitter.com/A0fIiQDt4P

— paulusthewoodgnome 🇺🇦💙 (@woodgnomology) April 7, 2024

Grindrs creepers

Controversial opinion, perhaps, but as long as the nuclear codes aren’t getting leaked via Grindr, we here at the Canary are all in favour of Tory MPs doxing one another to their anonymous sex friends. Largely because it’s funny, but also because fuck ’em.

We’re also in favour of the following:

• MPs being sacked in disgrace.
• MPs resigning in disgrace.
• MPs remaining in position in disgrace, and in doing so calling the validity of their disgraceful party into question.

What we don’t like is the BBC turning a blind eye while any of the above are going on.

Given the national broadcaster’s record, however, it’s far from surprising.

Featured image via BBC