IF you are a UK politician and you find yourself uttering a sentence that would sound more natural coming from a life coach on the California coast, you almost certainly do not mean what you’re saying.
Take for example the Prime Minister himself, who last month insisted he was "completely in control".
Starmer’s insistence that he was in charge came as his Downing Street descended into chaos, with negative leaks about his hand-picked chief of staff Sue Gray eventually forcing out of office.
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Taking a leaf out of his boss’s book, MP Chris Murray has been mocked after uttering a similarly “insecure” affirmation – insisting that his Scottish Labour colleagues are “powerful” and “numerous”.
“Excellent meeting at @10DowningStreet with my powerful (and numerous) Scottish Labour colleagues talking about the change Scotland needs to see,” Murray wrote on social media.
“Great to speak for our communities right at the heart of government.”
'Powerful' doing a lot of heavy-lifting here ... it looks more like a school outing https://t.co/sOJ6W0SI9t
— BELLA CALEDONIA (@bellacaledonia) October 17, 2024
Responding in a similar tone, one user wrote: “Yeah? Well my dad is bigger than your dad.”
Others noticed that Murray’s insistence that he is “powerful” almost certainly means he is completely irrelevant.
“‘My powerful colleagues’ is sending me,” one user wrote. “Absolutely batsh** thing to write that can only come from the absolute certainty that you and said colleagues have actually no power or influence whatsoever.”
A third added: “‘My powerful (and numerous) colleagues’ is the most insecure thing I've seen a politician post for a while.”
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SNP MP Stephen Gethins told the Jouker: “It's all very well having tours of Number 10. But that’s not the point of it, the point is to have influence and to make the case for Scotland and your constituents.”
He added: “I think there's a significant question as to whether or not Scottish Labour MPs are using their time at Number 10 to make the case for Scotland or simply another photo opportunity.”
It was also striking that Murray’s odd post came on the same day as the UK Government slapped down a Scottish Labour MP after he wrongly suggested they were looking at creating a bespoke Scottish visa system.
So powerful.
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