She is one of a number of eminent former Labor officials who are taking legal action against the party, allegedly causing the party to spend more money defending itself than it spends on political campaigns.
But that struggle has not stopped Emilie Oldknow, former Labor director, from taking decisive action on another front.
She is, I hear, divorced from her husband, Labor MP and Work and Pensions front bencher Jonathan Ashworth.
The couple, who married former Prime Minister Gordon Brown among the wedding guests in 2010, won’t comment, but a Westminster mole tells me their estrangement is the talk of the town in the tea rooms.
The Labor power couple married former Prime Minister Gordon Brown among the wedding guests in 2010
Ashworth, right, seems to acknowledge that on social media too, describing himself as the MP for Leicester South and as ‘proud father of Gracie and Annie’, but leaving his wife, left, unmentioned
Ashworth, 43, seems to acknowledge this on social media, describing himself as the MP for Leicester South and as ‘proud father of Gracie and Annie’, but leaves his wife unmentioned.
“Emilie is a major player in the labor movement,” said a source. “It will mean a split of loyalties for a lot of people.”
Perhaps this will give Oldknow, who left Labor to become assistant general secretary of union Unison, more time to focus on her protracted legal battle to force the party to disclose who has leaked an internal report on its handling of allegations of antisemitism.
Last year, Oldknow was allowed to take her case to the Court of Appeal. She hopes that it will determine that the identity of the leaker must be revealed, after which she plans to press charges for defamation and misuse of private information.
Ranganathan on rejection – even after 13 years of marriage
Although he has been married for 13 years, TV star Romesh Ranganathan says he is still concerned about being brushed off by his wife Leesa. “The craziest thing is that I still experience rejection in my marriage,” admits the 44-year-old comedian.
“I’m not talking about sexual rejection—I’m not even asking—but I’m talking about eating out. You know, like rejecting a date.
“I get a little nervous if, when I’m off for lunch, I just say to Leesa, ‘Um, I was wondering if you might want to go out with me?’
Busy with Anne is looking for a diary wizard
Can you keep up with Princess Anne? Last year she was named as the hardest-working royal, and now she’s looking for a £32,000-a-year program manager to run her busy schedule.
Candidates for the role must “prioritize a diverse and busy workload, often requiring them to manage multiple assignments in a day”
The Queen’s 71-year-old daughter, who carried out 387 official assignments in 2021 – two more than her brother Prince Charles – placed an advertisement on the royal website warning that candidates “should give priority to a diverse and busy workload, involving often several assignments in one day’.
It said its office “consists of a small, flexible and busy team responsible for managing the Princess Royal’s official programme.” The advertisement explains: ‘You will provide full program and administrative support, with specific responsibility for the arrangement of Her Royal Highness’ British and overseas assignments.
“You will also undertake pre-visit explorations, usually in the UK but occasionally abroad, and prepare supporting court circulars.”
Rent crunch fears from hat star Treacy
His client list ranges from the Duchess of Cornwall to Hollywood stars like Demi Moore (far right), but hatter Philip Treacy fears leaving his shop near Buckingham Palace.
The hatter, 55, has been based in the same Belgravia building for 28 years but says he is threatened by rent increases, leaving only major retail chains able to afford to stay in the area.
He says his store “adds a flavor to the street, and now we may be pushed out.”
Staying in Prince Charles’ Birkhall home is like staying in a zoo
Staying at Birkhall, Prince Charles’ Aberdeenshire home, is like visiting a zoo, according to conservationist David Mills, who was invited there with his actress girlfriend, Dame Judi Dench.
“The Prince has a special fondness for red squirrels,” explains Mills, 78, who runs a wildlife center in Surrey.
“I saw him encourage them with nuts to his study, where they ran up the curtains.” Pity the poor soul who has to clean up afterwards…
Russian soprano scolded for ‘painful’ blackface role
She survived the controversy that followed her refusal to expose Vladimir Putin, but Russian opera superstar Anna Netrebko has faced worse criticism for going black for the title role in Aida.
Russian opera superstar Anna Netrebko is criticized for turning black for the title role in Aida
She has also been criticized in the past for not exposing Vladimir Putin
The 50-year-old soprano plays the Ethiopian princess in Verona, Italy.
“Netrebko’s use of blackface is very painful for the black community,” said a fellow soprano.
“If we claim that we are moving forward as an industry, we have to expose the behavior.”
The Royal Opera House announced in 2005 that white singers would no longer wear blackface paint when playing black characters. “It’s not working,” said a spokesperson. “It’s racially insensitive.”
American soprano Tamara Wilson criticized the blackface she had to wear to perform the same role in Verona in 2019. She didn’t sing in the third performance and was replaced instead by Maria Jose Siri, who did turn black.
The Speaker of the House of Commons has many attributes – but he is NOT a woman
HOUSE of Commons chairman Sir Lindsay Hoyle has many qualities, but being a woman is not one of them. However, this was lost in Tony Blair’s office when he was Prime Minister.
‘I was a Blair Babe,’ says the Labor MP.
“I was a Babe because I’m Lindsay. I had this great request. They said, “Would you like to come to the Women’s Group?” I was like, “Okay.”
“They said, ‘Would you like to send a picture while we’re making a book for all the newly elected female MPs?’ I sent a photo and haven’t heard anything further.’
Gadabout Tom honors new lady Donna
Tom Cruise has made his London presence known this summer, from schmoozing at the Royal Box at Wimbledon to rocking out at the Rolling Stones in Hyde Park.
The last stop on the 60-year-old star’s tour of the capital was Scott’s seafood restaurant in Mayfair, where he dined with Donna Langley, 53 (far left), president of Universal Pictures, the first British woman to own a major Hollywood studio.
They celebrated her femininity, which she collected from Prince Charles at Windsor Castle this week.