Labour Candidate Takes Unpaid Leave Amid Greenpeace Stunt Row

By Glen Owen

Updated: 19:09 EDT, 26 August 2023

The drama unfolds as the Labour candidate steps onto the stage, following the exit of Nadine Dorries. Alistair Strathern, a 33-year-old with a Bank of England job, takes a bold move – an unpaid leave from his post, under the shadow of a Greenpeace controversy.

Picture this: Strathern, painted in the hues of defiance, stands by a makeshift gravestone. It's all part of a protest against the Public Order Bill, a fiery display outside the Home Office last November.

Strathern, an Oxford grad, boasts on LinkedIn about being the Bank's 'climate lead' for insurance. This rouses Tory MPs, demanding Bank Governor Andrew Bailey to poke around.

Enter Danny Kruger, a Treasury Select Committee member. He fires questions at Bailey in a letter – did Strathern leave his job midday for this stunt? Did he defy the Bank's neutrality guidelines?

Trouble brews further as eco-warriors scale Rishi Sunak's rooftop, brandishing Greenpeace banners. It's like a movie script gone wild.

The Bank of England keeps mum, but insiders whisper – Strathern's on unpaid leave. Kruger claims Strathern's action breached neutrality, urging Bailey to dig deep and assess the mess.

Strathern's been a borough councillor for nearly a decade, weathering the London storms. He grabs leave to champion the by-election, a move needed to align with the Bank's code.

Labour's got its own quirks, with eco-champion Dale Vince dropping a cool £1.5 million. The party vows to halt new North Sea oil and gas projects if victory dances its way.

All eyes on the polls – Strathern aims to dismantle Dorries' 25,000-strong fortress, scripting history with a potential by-election earthquake.

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