Kishwar Desai | Amid smoker fury, PM faces pub ‘ban’; Maggie’s portrait retires from No. 10

He wanted to become a farmer. So off he went to start a farm — but being Jeremy Clarkson that became a successful reality show series on Amazon. He then set up a shop on his farm called Diddly Squat which has had hordes of eager shoppers dropping by. But above all he wanted to be a village publican catering to the farmers around.

Now he has set up The Farmer and His Dog pub in the beautiful surroundings of the Cotswolds. Once he had found a pub and got the various permissions the question was, will anyone come? Well, they turned up in their hundreds with their children and dogs to enjoy a drink in a rural pub with a lovely garden. You can get Hawkstone beer as a speciality of the House. If you happen to be a farmer yourself, there is a separate room for you with free beer. Anyone can go but Jeremy has announced he does not want Sir Keir Starmer in his pub.

Hmmmm… the Prime Minister is unlikely to face a bigger problem in his tenure in Downing Street…

However, it’s not just Jeremy …almost all pub owners are up in arms against the Labour government’s new idea of banning smoking in all public areas. This has caused deep consternation and worries that it will impact pub income as so many beer quaffers stand or sit outdoors — a cigarette in one hand. As per the present rules smokers spill onto the streets on a balmy summer evening, and it is a jolly sight. Rain or shine — they gather for a puff and a pint. So pub owners are shattered by the thought that this ban will restrict smokers from coming. There have been angry letters in the papers, pained articles by suffering journalists, anguished cries from addicts — but there is a belief within the government and health specialists that this will deter smoking in the future which remains a major cause of concern. Smoking kills an estimated 80,000 each year in the UK.

But we know that the smokers lobby is a powerful one and they are defending their last bastion of freedom with great gusto. Though it may all end up in ashes for them.

Many are finding out, Sir Keir Starmer is not for turning…

And now he has struck another blow against Tories by removing the portrait of the Iron Lady, Mrs Margaret Thatcher, from the “Thatcher Room” at Number 10, Downing Street. The portrait by artist Richard Stone was commissioned by an anonymous donor and hung up during the time of another Labour PM, Gordon Brown.

But the lady who was not for “turning” either has disappeared from the walls of Number 10. Reports suggest that Sir Keir found her portrait unsettling. Ghosts of PMs past probably are mumbling and grumbling — but the fact is that the incumbent of No 10 is entitled to refurbish the space as per his desire and can choose from any of the 15000 artworks that are available.

Of course, it is these gestures which sometimes lead to many accusing ruling parties, everywhere, of rewriting history or ignoring the contributions of past leaders — but frankly, I empathise with Sir Keir who may not want a steely look from Mrs Thatcher every time he sits down to think — at least for the next five years! Unlike the White House which is enormous and portraits can be re-shuffled into dingy corners, Number 10 is actually quite small and so each piece of work needs to be to the taste of the incumbent — no matter what message may be read into “the mystery of the disappearing portrait”.

But the fact is that Labour has returned to power after 15 years, and so there will be renewed scrutiny on each act by the government, and on each MP. To the party’s embarrassment, a newly elected Sikh MP from Ilford South, Jas Athwal, has been accused of renting out flats full of mould and ants to lower income groups. Appalling images of these flats — and disgruntled voices of anonymous tenants complaining of how their children are covered with ants at times have been splattered across the media — and this is not a good sign for a party that wants to put social housing in the heart of their proposed changes to create a more equitable Britain. It is also a sad awakening for the British Asian community that we still need to be more careful of how we live and impact society — and how well we integrate with it, with values that matter.