Steerpike

As if Starmer Chameleon hadn’t done enough U-turns this year. Ahead of his party conference in Liverpool, the Labour leader has defended his decision to write for a newspaper despised in Liverpool and across swathes of the North West of England. Speaking to ITV Granada yesterday, Sir Keir spoke passionately of his collaboration with the Sun newspaper: I have to make sure that what we have to say is communicated to as many people as possible in the time that we’ve got available. That is why I’m very happy to work with the Sun, to write for the Sun, to do interviews with the Sun… How very odd. Mr S could have sworn that when running for leader in January 2020, Starmer said the exact opposite at a hustings in Liverpool.

Irony was pronounced dead this morning after Time magazine proclaimed Humza Yousaf as one of its top ten 'trailblazers' around the world. According to the august Bible of liberal America, the flailing First Minister of Scotland is one of the 'next generation leaders' who will 'shape our future'. God help them all. In the simpering, sycophantic prose that Mr S has come to expect from the underwhelming over-educated writers who staff such magazines, Yousaf is praised for his age and ethnicity rather than, er, any substantive achievements from 11 years in public office. The choice of Time cover star is all the more remarkable given that the magazine acknowledges his disastrous record.

It’s been a mixed fortnight of fortunes for GB News. Their party at Tory conference attracted a galaxy of right-wing stars, with Liz Truss and Priti Patel among those toasting the self-proclaimed ‘People’s Channel.’ But as the Manchester meet-up draws to a close, the thorny question of the Ava Evans scandal has reared its head once again. Two of the three not-so-wise men at the heart of it have today been sacked: presenters Laurence Fox and Calvin Robinson were unceremoniously axed, while Dan Wootton remains suspended. In a statement the upstart channel said blandly that: Laurence Fox and Calvin Robinson were both suspended last week pending internal investigations that have now concluded.

Dogs bark, cows moo and Lee Anderson shoots his mouth off. The firecracker that is the Tory deputy party chairman took to the ConservativeHome stage on the Tory conference fringe this afternoon, and he certainly didn’t hold back. Speaking to Anand Menon, director of the think tank UK in a Changing Europe, the plain-talking Anderson fired off his thoughts on a number of topics, ranging from how he went from Labour to Tory and from hating to loving Margaret Thatcher, to his famous moniker ‘30p Lee’. Asked whether he would ever consider rejoining the Labour party, Anderson branded it a ‘ridiculous question’. He didn’t stop there though: ‘The working classes for the Labour party –  we were useful idiots.

Fresh from mingling with Bully XL owners, 'Stop Brexit Man’ Steve Bray has popped up again – this time at a conference fringe event asking 'Can the Tories win?'. Mr S thinks he knows what Bray's answer to that question might be. During the event, Bray stood up to unveil his ‘Stop The Tories’ top. But before he could yell ‘BREXIT’, one of the crowd decided to take matters into his own hands. The delegate tackled Bray into the corner before attempting to wrestle him out of the room. ‘This is assault,’ screamed Bray as security rushed to intervene. ‘Losers!’ he bellowed as he was hustled from the room. ‘No, you’re the loser mate,’ retorted an elderly gentleman to delighted laughter.

Rishi Sunak’s first Conservative party conference as prime minister is off to a roaring start. Never one to miss a chance to stick it to his opponents, he marked the occasion by ribbing his opposite number Keir Starmer.  This evening in Manchester Sunak was guest of honour at the 1922 committee and ConservativeHome’s drinks reception. Taking to the podium, the Prime Minister couldn’t resist the opportunity to poke fun at the Labour leader.