Dale Exclusive: Ministers Do Constituency Speeches

Iain Dale has this "hedging your bets" exclusive:

Ann Keen is a loyal woman. She's also PPS to the Prime Minister in waiting Gordon Brown. It's safe to say that she doesn't breathe without his say so. So it's all the more interesting to learn that she has invited David Miliband to speak to her Brentford & Isleworth Constituency Labour Party in May. Well, as Talleyrand might say, I wonder what she means by that...

Phew! Hold the front page. But what about this one, spelling corrected:

Labour North West Gala Dinner with special guest Rt. Hon David Miliband MP Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
April 2007 (venue hush hush) ...
I am delighted that the Environment Secretary, David Miliband MP has kindly agreed to be our guest speaker. The dinner will be hosted by Salford MP and Chair of the Labour Party, the Rt Hon Hazel Blears MP.

Went to one of these in 2005. McCartney hosted - it was in Wigan. (This new one may be in Salford). Brown was Guest of Honour. Blears facilitated access to Brown for your blogger without having to pay the premium for Platinum tickets.

It was a day after Pope John Paul II died and Brown scrapped his political speech and was fantastic on support for developing countries. Without notes. More frightening was a complete lack of raffles and auctions out of respect for a dead pontiff. Very strange. They still had the Beetle Drive at the Vatican Cardinals Social Club after all.

What next Iain? "Blears seen in same room as Brown, Miliband, Johnson, Hain, Prescott and Harman?" and "Blears Backs Prescott for Crown".

If you got Hazey in a room with McDonnell - other than the chamber at the HoP - or Cruddas I'd be more impressed.