Steerpike

Where public opinion goes, Sir Keir follows. Tony Benn used to divide politicians into two categories: the Signposts and the Weathercocks, with the Labour leader falling decidedly into the latter group. As public attitudes on women-only spaces and elite sport have hardened in recent years, the Leader of the Opposition has slowly, painfully followed suit, often to the chagrin of Labour's LGBT+ factions. Below is a timeline of Sir Keir's shifting stance over the past three years of his leadership... November 2020 – Five months after being elected leader, Starmer posts on Facebook that ‘Trans rights are human rights, and your fight is our fight too. The Labour Party stands proudly with the trans community.

It's less than a week since Humza Yousaf triumphed in the SNP leadership election by less than 2,500 votes and already his tactical wizardry is bearing fruit. Yousaf's first decision on taking at Bute House was to humiliate Kate Forbes, the woman who took on and almost defeated the entire party machine, by offering her the job of Rural Affairs – a significant demotion from Finance Secretary. She instead quit the government with her replacement, Shona Robison, rubbing salt in the wound by suggesting Forbes told Yousaf that she wanted to spend more time with her family. Such suggestions have clearly irked Forbes, who has come out fighting in an interview with the Holyrood Sources podcast.

The Yousaf terror has begun and already the new regime isn't off to a great start. Day one saw his calls for another referendum brushed aside by No. 10. Day two brought the refusals of Kate Forbes and Ivan McKee to serve in his government. And now on day three, the Privileges Committee have handed Margaret Ferrier a 30-day suspension from parliament, potentially triggering a by-election in her seat of Rutherglen and Hamilton West (majority: 5,230). What joy will day four bring? Ferrier of course is the hapless halfwit who admitted travelling down to London after developing Covid symptoms.

It's a hard life in No. 10 – so it's no surprise that Prime Ministers need to relax. Margaret Thatcher had her whiskies; Harold Macmillan went 'to bed with a Trollope'. But for Rishi Sunak, it seems his trusty Peloton is how he takes his mind off the job. He likes to get up at 6 a.m to get on the bike with his favourite instructor Cody Rigsby, a 35-year-old New York dancer, who describes himself to his 1.3 million Instagram followers, as an 'opinionated homosexual'. In 2021, Sunak eulogised Rigsby's classes, telling the 20 Minute VC podcast that 'You do have to listen to a lot of Britney. But you know, no bad thing in trying to get you motivated, I guess.' It seems though that while Sunak is a fan of Rigsby, the celebrity fitness guru is less enamoured with the world of politics.

Dear oh dear. It seems the newly-elected gaffe-prone First Minister of Scotland has blundered once again. Shortly after announcing that former social justice secretary - and Sturgeon’s old chum - Shona Robison would be his deputy, Humza Yousaf spoke to Kate Forbes about her place in his new cabinet. Widely expected to give her a top job, if only for appearances, the former finance secretary was said to be less than happy when he proposed to, er, demote her to rural affairs. She was so displeased in fact that she reportedly told the FM ‘where to stick it’, and promptly quit the government thereafter. So much for party unity. Yousaf’s questionable decision-making hasn’t escaped the scrutiny of shrewd political commentators or even his own supporters.

How touching. Several weeks after Gary Lineker’s sporting colleagues boycotted the BBC in solidarity during a row over his tweets, the Match of the Day presenter has revealed the whole affair moved him to tears.  Lineker, who is, he says ‘still bewildered’ by the scandal, revealed his reaction in a cosy chat with former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell and ex-Tory MP Rory Stewart on their podcast The Rest is Politics: Leading. (The podcast is produced by Goalhanger Podcasts, owned by none other than Lineker himself – a story for another day perhaps.)  The row, which pushed the Beeb to the brink, saw Lineker suspended for three days after he made comments comparing the Tories’ language on immigration to that of 1930s Germany.

To Buckingham, where a tribe of true believers met on Saturday to attend the Margaret Thatcher Freedom Festival. Suella Braverman was the star turn in the evening, with Sir Iain Duncan Smith amusing attendees with his tales of Eurocrat meetings. But it was Steve Baker – the onetime arch-rebel turned Northern Ireland minister – who most intrigued Mr S with his pitch to activists on the need for compromise. Speaking three days after the vote in the House of Commons on Rishi Sunak's Windsor Framework, Baker said that his decision to back the deal was based on his concerns about the government's fate if he did not support it: It would be too bashful of me to pretend that I wasn’t pivotal in this journey with the Windsor Framework, as anyone can see on the TV onwards.

Even out of office, she's still causing chaos. Details of Liz Truss's resignation honours list have been leaked to the Sun this afternoon, with the newspaper reporting that the former Tory leader is considering awarding at least four peerages to mark her 49-day premiership. The names in the frame for Britain's shortest-serving prime minister are allegedly Mark Littlewood of the Institute of Economic Affairs, Matthew Elliott of Vote Leave, Brexit donor Jon Moynihan and Ruth Porter, Truss's former No. 10 deputy chief of staff. Talk about a Tufton Street mafia... The suggested names are being billed by Truss's allies as a 'modest' resignation honours list despite calls for her to forgo the traditional handing out of gongs.

Whether it was No. 10 parties or Chris Pincher's misconduct claims, Tory MPs grew used to having defend Boris Johnson in various scrapes and scandals in office. Now though he's gone but even six months on, some Conservatives seem unable (or unwilling) to kick the habit. A case in point is provided by Scott Benton, one of the more enthusiastic members of the 2019 intake. He has been a consistent supporter of Boris Johnson throughout his, er, challenges and has clearly taken umbrage at the Privileges Committee's ongoing investigation into whether the ex-premier lied to the House. So angered was Benton by yesterday's evidence session that he took to that great organ of Middle England opinion – the Daily Express – to vent his spleen at his fellow parliamentarians.