Spineless Hunt under pressure (From Worcester News)

Spineless Hunt under pressure

5:41pm Friday 25th November 2011 in The Source By David Paine, @davidpaineWN #worcsnews

IT really is spectacular, even for a politician, to turn an event at which you’re handing over a cheque for £1.5 million into a personal PR disaster.

But that is exactly what Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt managed to do when he visited Worcester on Wednesday.

After talking with journalists about the cash grant he was handing over for the university’s Arena, sport in general and the Olympics an attempt was made to ask the Conservative MP about his cuts to local radio stations and his plans to set up local television stations and the impact it might have on local newspapers like this one.

But a whiny staffer swiftly stepped in, told him not to answer, lectured us and dragged him away.

“But it’s the Culture Secretary,” we protested, however the spineless Hunt failed to assert his authority over the wannabe Alastair Campbell.

It’s embarrassing at best and a sackable offence at worst if the man at the very top of a department cannot be trusted to answer questions on what he is doing in Government.

• SURPRISE, surprise city councillor Joy Squires has been chosen as Labour's prospective parliamentary candidate for Worcester.

This column has noted in the past how many male members in the party assumed the process was geared towards her winning by pointing to an all-women shortlist in which she was able to market herself as the only city-based candidate after fellow councillor Pat Agar was unceremoniously dumped from the process in the early stages.

Coun Squires did, however, get more than double the number of votes of second-placed Trudie McGuinness and talking to me Tuesday night she said she’d received many messages of support.

“This is a party that is happy with its choice,” concluded Coun Squires.

Only today (FRI) we reveal former Labour leader David Barlow has quit in protest while at least a handful of others have already told me they will be putting as little effort possible into her campaign.

That campaign, by the way, has been labelled “Joy for Worcester”. How ironic.

Do you have a story for David? Call 01905 742248, e-mail dp@worcesternews.co.uk, or follow me on Twitter @DavidPaineWN