ANDREW PIERCE: Boris Johnson gets everything from mom (painting, that is)

When photos of Boris Johnson appeared on an easel board while on vacation in Marbella, critics were quick to laugh.

Labor MPs accused him of imitating his political hero Winston Churchill, who was an accomplished artist.

But Boris, who wrote a well-received book on Churchill in 2014, was actually channeling his mother, Charlotte Johnson Wahl, who died last month at the age of 79.

Charlotte, who divorced Boris’ father Stanley in 1979, was an acclaimed painter whose subjects included Joanna Lumley and Jilly Cooper.

In every political office Boris has held over the past decade, he has given pride of place to a painting his mother – whom he once described as the “supreme authority” of the family – gave him in 2012 This is the view of Tower Bridge and the Thames. heading east that Boris, when he was mayor of London, could see from his office.

A friend of the Prime Minister said: “Boris loves him because his mother painted it for him. He likes to tease visitors and ask them if they can name the artist. Most people are very surprised when he says, “Wrong! It’s my mother”.

Labor deputy chief Angela Rayner is on the warpath after reports the Tories will eliminate a backbench bill to ban ‘dismissal and rehire’, when people will be sacked and reinstated at a lower rate of pay.

“Fire and re-employment are immoral, economically damaging, and have absolutely no place in our society.” Well, she should know. She was removed from her post as Labor Party chair in a reshuffle by Chief Sir Keir Starmer in May, then appointed to an even larger portfolio. But has she suffered a pay cut?

One of the most moving tributes to Sir David Amess from the benches of Labor came from Cat Smith, the MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood, who said: ‘Taken to do what he loved, in the service of the people of Southend . The cheeky smile, always a stopper to make Southend a town, and a real constituency MP. ‘

A portrait of MP David Amess before a service at St Michael’s Church of Chalkwell in Leigh-on-Sea

This is the same Cat Smith who pointed out Sir David last year to Kathryn Stone, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, after plugging her book Ayes & Ears: A Survivor’s Guide To Westminster to the Prime Minister’s Questions.

Smith alleged in his complaint that Sir David could potentially benefit personally from the intervention which would be against the rules. The proceeds from the book had, in fact, gone to charity.

Britain’s gas reserves amount to four or five pitiful winter days. Our main gas reserve was closed in 2017 due to maintenance costs and upgrades which made it financially unsustainable.

At the time, industry leaders warned the government of potential problems ahead. But the then business secretary dismissed those fears.

And the culprit? Step forward Greg Clark, chairman of the Commons Science and Technology Committee who last week slashed the government for being ill-prepared for the Covid crisis.

Those in the glass houses ..?

Consistently at the top of the Conservative Home website ministerial rankings, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is increasingly seen in some circles as the next woman leader of the Conservatives.

Truss draws inspiration from his heroine Margaret Thatcher’s book with plans for a high-profile trip to the Falkland Islands, which of course was visited by the then Prime Minister after their liberation by British troops from invading Argentina in 1982.

Truss also changed her hairstyle, which begins to look eerily like the distinctive “do” of the Iron Lady. Too bad she can’t give a speech like Maggie.

A fan club has been created on Facebook for the former president, that pompous pipsqueak John Bercow. It’s called ORDER! The Sir John Bercow Fan Club. In his dreams. He is still quite simply Mr. John Bercow, the first president in over 200 years not to be automatically elevated to the House of Lords.