Why is former Mirror/Mail political editor suddenly on Michael Dugher’s staff?

Periodically, MPs’ staff members who hold a Westminster security pass have to publish details of their ‘interests’ – ways in which they might benefit from their privileged access – in a similar way to the ‘Register of Members’ Interests’ published by MPs.

This information is published in the REGISTER OF INTERESTS OF MEMBERS’ SECRETARIES AND RESEARCH ASSISTANTS’.

A browse of this register has turned up some interesting information.

Vincent Moss is former political editor of the Daily Mirror. In 2015, he left the position and last summer he joined forces with a former News of the World counterpart to form Erudite PR, a PR firm “specialising in crisis PR and public affairs advice“.

In the latest version of the register, published last week, Mr Moss’ name appears listed – as a staff-member of one Michael Dugher MP:

It’s not known whether Mr Moss is still with Erudite, but nothing is listed in the ‘relevant employment’ section and it’s hard to image that Erudite would not stand to gain by his ‘privileged access’.

The exact date of the appointment cannot be ascertained from the information available, but he was not in the previous version of the register.

Michael Dugher is Labour deputy leader Tom Watson’s right-hand man and was appointed by him to head Watson’s ‘fake news’ enquiry:

He and Mr Moss have apparently been on good terms for years. When Moss ‘left’ the Mirror amid a string of redundancies and departures, Dugher’s praise was fulsome:

All the best @vincentmoss – a big loss to the Mirror, one of the last of the great pro’s in political journalism & a very fine man indeed.

Dugher is also an occasional columnist for those most odious right-wing rags, the Sun and the Daily Mail – and, God knows, needs help with his public image:

Mr Moss’ history with the mainstream media and latterly in public relations raises interesting questions, not least would be whether the appointment is connected to Dugher’s ‘fake news’ inquiry on behalf of Watson. Certainly, Moss was only recently commenting on that inquiry in a way that suggests he is on board with its aims:

Fake news must be exposed. The Labour party inquiry is a start | Michael Dugher https://t.co/582xvcIBWd

— Guardian news (@guardiannews) January 13, 2017

If he is working for Dugher in connection with the inquiry, it also raises the question of whether Dugher’s intention is to look closely at the mainstream news outlets or – as many have suspected since it was announced – that the inquiry will be giving them a free pass on their steady stream of fake and misleading news in order to target ‘inconvenient’ independent news by smearing it as ‘fake’.

Watch this space – and if you have pertinent information, email the SKWAWKBOX in the strictest confidence.

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