Mail On Sunday - Pants On Fire

Such is the blind loyalty that some in our free and fearless press are prepared to show to alleged Prime Minister Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson that they are prepared to peddle propaganda on his behalf, even if it is not true. And one of those prepared to go that extra mile is the odious flannelled fool Master Harry Cole, at present pretending to be a real journalist, and deputy political editor of the Mail on Sunday.

But they tried anyway ...

Master Cole’s is the first name on the by-line of today’s MoS front page lead, the headline thundering “As PM tells Cummings he’s on his ‘last chance’, we reveal witness who alerted Police broke lockdown rules HIMSELF - and another admits he INVENTED story … YOU COULDN’T MAKE IT UP!” But here a series of problems enter.

One, the witness who “admits he invented story” was merely echoing what had already been reported. His admission does not invalidate the fact that Cummings went for a day out to Barnard Castle, and has admitted it. Two, a claim that the information about Dom’s trip to Durham was “passed on by a Remainer peer” is irrelevant. At this rate, we’ll be reduced to “Which way to the station”, followed by “Yeah but did you vote Remain?”

... Courtesy of Guess Who ...

Three, Cole and his pals are flat-out lying with his claim of lockdown breach. Here’s what the article says: “A retired teacher who reported Dominic Cummings to the police for allegedly breaking lockdown rules has admitted driving 250 miles to collect his daughter … Robin Lees drove from his home in Barnard Castle, County Durham, to pick up his student daughter, Elizabeth, who had been self-isolating at her boyfriend’s home in Ascot, Berkshire, after returning from an extended study trip to Canada”. There is more.

“The Mail on Sunday can reveal that just days before speaking to the police, Mr Lees broke lockdown regulations himself by making a 526-mile round-trip to collect his daughter”. Straight accusation of breaching lockdown. But, as Pippa Crerar of the Mirror has pointed out, this isn’t true, and she quotes Government guidance.

... and he had a homework fail (again)

“If a student is opting to change their primary residence for the purpose of the emergency period to live back at their family home, this is permitted”. The MoS was lying. Worse, the paper has clearly undertaken an aggressive and bullying act of doorstepping on Robin Lees, for which he should be contacting lawyers. Then come Four, Cole’s Polecat claims.

Bozo gave Dom the hard word. Well, allegedly. “A No 10 insider said: ‘The Prime Minister has made it absolutely clear Dominic cannot be the story again. He will not tolerate it. If it happens again, he’s out.’” That’s either Cole taking dictation, or making it up himself.

There is more. “According to one official, the PM ‘unsurprisingly had more than a few words to say to Dom behind the scenes’ … Another added: ‘I don’t expect there’ll be any blog posts or media appearances by Dom for a very long time. He’s been firmly put in his place.’” And that’s just Cole taking dictation. Which is the extent of his abilities.

The sum total of this series of aggressive and confrontational doorsteppings, lies about the lockdown rules, and creative retelling of quotes handed down by Downing Street spinners is that a ham-fisted attempt to make Bozo look less bad has fallen flat.

All that has been achieved is that we now know the press is prepared to lie for Bozo.

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