Lord Bethell muses on the politics of the rave, Greggs releases the new must-have City: catch up on the latest City gossip in this week’s edition of The Capitalist
The Cabinet shuffle
When footage emerged of Deputy PM Angela Rayner dancing in an Ibiza club last week, some joyless souls suggested her jaunt wasn’t appropriate. One figure that sprang to her defence was Tory grandee Michael Gove, himself no stranger to the Balearic club scene. When asked recently about the reaction to her 4am rave, Rayner said: “I’m working class, I like a dance.” Don’t we all? The sentiment was shared by another top Tory, Lord Bethell, who said he loves Rayner’s “raver vibes” but questioned whether “you have to be working class to like to dance”.
Lord B has skin in the game, having founded the Ministry of Sound alongside fellow peer of the realm Lord Palumbo. Maybe they should all go clubbing together. The question is, Whites or Fabric?
(Sausage) rolling in bling
Speaking of class politics, City boy accessory of choice, the signet ring, just got an update, with bakery titan Greggs this week unveiling a 22-carat gold-plated Greggs logo version as part of its new ‘Baked in Gold’ jewellery line. Yours for just £48, the Greggs signet ring, complete with the steak-beak chain’s iconic four-square logo, is “a serious statement piece”, according to the press release.
If you don’t want to offend daddy by discarding the family ring though, fear not, the range also includes the more subtle ‘Jammy Heart Locket Necklace’ along with two pastry-themed earrings: ‘The Greggs Sausage Roll Stud Earrings’ and the Greggs Vegan Sausage Roll Stud Earrings’. The difference? Undetectable to the philistine but blinding to the connoisseur: the markings of their pastry counterparts. “The classic sausage roll has those straight, angled markings, quite spaced out and the vegan one has the lining that are more closely etched together and intertwined,” a sausage roll spokesperson confirmed to The Capitalist.
HBD TPA
That Taxpayers’ Alliance is celebrating its 20th birthday and, as noted by chief executive John O’Conell, its legacy has been clear: “Since the TPA was formed taxes have tumbled, spending has been slashed and the blob has been banished for good,” he noted at an intimate dinner at the Institute of Directors this week. Irony was clearly the order of the day, with defenestrated Tory MP Miriam Cates inviting guests to join her in “mourning the loss of a low-tax Conservative government”. If the TPA has yet to win the argument that people spend their money better than politicians, it can at least reflect with pride on two decades of making it forcefully – or being, as founder, Matthew Elliott called it, “the Milllwall of think tanks: no one likes us, we don’t care”.
Closing remarks of the evening were given by former City A.M. editor Allister Heath, otherwise known as “the Millwall of the commentariat”. Never one to be mistaken for a ray of sunshine, Heath warned that under Labour “people will pay 100 per cent tax on their income and what’s left of the city will shrivel”. In the sarcastic spirit of the night, the Capitalist says cheers to that.
King of Zoom
Despite the loud laments of some City grandees, it seems Sky’s Business Live is set on relocating its studio from the Square Mile to the Sky News HQ in West London, otherwise known as Skyberia. The producer of the show has taken to Linkedin, urging City businesses to invest in high quality remote camera kit to facilitate interviews. Looks like the start of a long distance relationship.
A senior moment, Indeed
Aged over 55? Best throw the towel in now, according to job site Indeed, who, in a handy dandy infographic of the ‘five career stages’, last week labelled those aged 55-65 as in the ‘decline’ phase and didn’t even bother with a category for those aged 66+. “You may have fewer opportunities for advancement, but you can enjoy tasks like mentoring younger employees,” the post reassured the declining individuals. Tough luck for quinquagenarian Indeed CEO Chris Hyams.
Unsurprisingly, the advice was not so gratefully received from all fronts. “Downright irresponsible and ageist [poo emoji],” over-50s champion Lyndsey Simpson described on Linkedin to much support, after which the post was quickly taken down by the job site. “We are committed to our mission to help all people, of all ages,” Indeed wrote in an apology.
Getting Leary
When high-pitched crooner James Blunt asked his followers on X whether he should add a Dublin gig to his upcoming Back to Bedlam tour, the Ryanair account responded with a simple “no”. Well, yesterday Blunt announced some Dublin dates with his own simple message: “f**k you, Ryanair”. We’re sure plenty of the airline’s passengers have expressed a similar sentiment from time to time, whether they’re fans of You’re Beautiful, or not.
Our pied piper of the snobby
The Capitalist may be no stranger to ruffling feathers, but it was glad to see its City A.M. colleague on the lifestyle desk take the reins instead last week with a review of Wetherspoons’ newest Waterloo Station branch. “Probably the snobbiest, most sanctimonious review article I’ve ever read. And that’s saying something,” one reader gushed. “The pied piper of the snobby,” alleged another. The uppity editor in question took the feedback on the chin. “I DO believe I am too good for Wetherspoons but only insofar as we are ALL too good for Wetherspoons,” he remarked, chewing on a Greggs cheese and onion bake, when approached for comment.