A meeting between the National Union of Journalists’ chapel and a senior executive of Express Newspapers broke up on Tuesday in rather amusing circumstances.
The editorial director, Paul Ashford, was called away suddenly to accompany his boss, Richard Desmond, to meet David Cameron. Supposedly.
It appears there was a misunderstanding by the NUJ about the nature of the meeting. The union’s chapel father, Richard Palmer, thought it was in Downing Street and that the prime minister wanted Desmond to explain why he was about to donate £300,000 to Ukip.
Good story, of course, but I am given to understand, not true. In fact, Desmond was attending a meeting of a parliamentary group, the Conservative Friends of Israel. It is unknown whether Cameron turned up there or not.
Attempts to discover if he did were thwarted by No 10’s press office, which never comments on the PM’s diary. (That’s open government for you).
So, if my understanding is correct, Palmer’s email to Ashford - sent today - lacks the bite he intended. However, whether or not a Desmond-Cameron meeting took place, he did score some hits along the way.
Palmer was polite but his message was laced with sarcasm. After noting that he and his negotiating team had hoped to discuss their 4% pay claim with Ashford on Tuesday, he continued:
“Unfortunately, you had to leave our meeting to go off to see David Cameron to explain the proprietor’s reported pledge to give UKIP £300,000.
You didn’t say, but Richard Desmond was spotted returning to the office with you so I am assuming that both of you went to meet the prime minister to tell him that the money has not been handed over yet.
Before you left our meeting, I think you described the reported cash pledge as ‘an investment in a fairer and better Britain’”.
He followed up with more of the same:
“I am not clear how giving no pay rises to your entire workforce for seven years is evidence of a belief in creating a fairer and better Britain, but political reporters will no doubt enjoy questioning Nigel Farage and his colleagues about how Mr Desmond’s actions - including reportedly avoiding corporation tax by shifting money out of the UK to Luxembourg and Ireland - equate with Ukip’s world view...
Perhaps political reporters will also ask the prime minister what he thinks after his recent praise for Mr Desmond and his business empire at the Norwood annual dinner.”
Palmer referred to staff on the Daily and Sunday Express, Daily Star and Daily Star Sunday as being “demoralised and angry about the current redundancy process.” (Around 200 posts are being cut, but only about 110 staff had agreed to take voluntary redundancy as of 5 December. According to Palmer, a further 20 casuals have since volunteered to go).
He concluded: “Those of us left here need something to cling to in the wreckage to give us some hope that there is a future with Express Newspapers.”
Palmer included the email to Ashford in a circular to his own members, telling them what they already know: “It has been a miserable five months for everyone at Express Newspapers.”
But he ended on a festive and conciliatory note: “I would like to wish all colleagues, including the proprietor, a Merry Christmas.”
