God, what a mess.
Labour's Attorney General just pulled one of those moves that makes you wonder if politicians have any functioning brain cells left. Lord Richard Hermer - yes, that's his actual title - decided it was brilliant to compare Tory and Reform MPs to Nazi ideologists. Over wanting to leave the European Convention on Human Rights, of all things.
Now he's doing the classic political backpedal dance, claiming his words were "clumsy" and he "regrets" the comparison. Right. Because accidentally invoking the Third Reich is just a whoopsie moment we've all had at work meetings.
The Ivory Tower Strikes Again
Here's what actually happened: Hermer gave a speech Thursday where he warned about the "siren song" of MPs wanting Britain to break with international law. Fair enough - that's his job. But then he had to get all academic and reference Carl Schmitt, a leading Nazi ideologist from the 1930s, suggesting today's politicians are singing the same tune.
One Labour MP (who clearly has more sense than their Attorney General) called it "pathetic, childish and out of touch." Another party insider was even more direct: "What planet was he on when he thought pressing the Nazi button was in any way appropriate?"
Honestly, I feel stupid even having to explain why this is problematic.
Even His Own Team Is Furious
The Tories called his comments "appalling" - which, broken clock and all that. Reform said it showed him "unfit to be Attorney General," and for once they might have a point. But the real damage is coming from inside the house.
Labour MPs are privately seething. One told reporters: "It's beneath our politics. It's one of those go-to comparisons for anybody that disagrees with someone. You see it all the time on social media but it's much worse when it comes to a politician."
There's also this gem: "There is a whiff of ivory tower about it. It's a philosophical outlook that doesn't always respect the reality on the ground for people."
Translation: your fancy barrister background is showing, and it's not a good look.
Why This Matters (Beyond the Obvious)
Lord Hermer isn't some backbench nobody - he's literally the government's top legal advisor. He's also Keir Starmer's mate from their human rights barrister days, which makes this even more awkward for Number 10.
And this isn't his first controversy either. He's previously caught heat for representing Gerry Adams and fighting to block migrant deportations. So there's already a pattern of... let's call it "tone-deaf political positioning."
The forced apology came this afternoon through a spokesman (because of course he couldn't even own it directly): "He rejects the characterisation of his speech by the Conservatives. He acknowledges though that his choice of words was clumsy and regrets having used this reference."
That's not an apology - that's a non-apology wrapped in legal speak.
The Real Problem Here
Look, I get it. Politicians say dumb things. It happens. But when your Attorney General starts throwing around Nazi comparisons over policy disagreements, you've crossed a line that shouldn't exist in serious political discourse.
It's lazy thinking. It's inflammatory for no good reason. And it shows a fundamental disconnect from how normal people process political arguments.
Poor Starmer is probably updating his crisis management playbook as we speak.
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https://hellofaread.com/politics/so-the-crispin-blunt-saga-finally-ends-sort-of
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