Steerpike

For the past month Britain’s roads have been held hostage by Insulate Britain (IB), the direct-action group spun out of Extinction Rebellion (XR). The favoured tactic of the eco-warriors is to initiate roadblocks at which activists glue themselves to roads to make them inaccessible to vehicles. The device has inspired much anger among motorists, with polling suggesting that most of the public believe it only serves to turn voters off IB and its green demands. Now it seems many within the XR movement are themselves growing sick of IB’s road-block methods, amid scenes of ambulances being detained in their traffic jams.

When did you know the pandemic was over? For Mr S it was when Sadiq Khan began accepting freebies again. Safely returned to office in May, the Mayor of London has since resumed making full use of complimentary tickets, according to his latest entry in the Greater London Assembly's register of 'gifts and hospitality.' Some 13 items were declared in 16 weeks – including a free pair of £100 Ray-Bans which Khan picked up at the All Points East festival in August. Indeed, given some of his pronouncements throughout the pandemic about the perils of mass gatherings, the Mayor seems to have not merely welcomed the return of normalcy but embraced it with relish.

China's lamentably poor 'wolf warriors' have given Mr S many laughs in recent months. Diplomats and functionaries within President Xi's regime are seeking to use Twitter to act as propaganda outriders by amplifying the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s belligerent messages to the outside world – a task at which they currently fail miserably. It's not just mainland apparatchiks who try to prove their fealty to the CCP via shrill posts on social media. In Hong Kong, craven legislators have only been too keen to do the bidding of Beijing and jump on the Twitter band wagon. One such example was provided this week by Regina Ip, chair of the pro-Beijing New People's Party (NPP).

The name of Mike Hill doesn't count for much in Labour circles these days. The former MP for Hartlepool was forced to quit the Commons in March after breaching Parliament’s sexual misconduct policy, triggering a by-election which saw the Tories take the seat for the first time since 1959.  Then four months later he was reported to be facing a possible criminal inquiry after an employment tribunal ruled that he repeatedly sexually assaulted and harassed a parliamentary staff member before victimising her when she refused his advances. Now there's one final sting in the tail for Hill's long-suffering constituents.

Whether it's reports of fire, asbestos, falling stonework, creaking sewers or dodgy electrics, the dilapidated state of the Palace of Westminster is all too well known. After years of dither and delay, work has belatedly begun on a Restoration and Renewal programme to bring Parliament into the twentieth century – and thereafter (hopefully) into the twenty-first. Among the projects currently being undertaken is an overhaul of the notoriously unreliable parliamentary lifts. Slow, creaky and installed well before existing safety legislation, the elevators are being replaced as part of a two phase strategy which will see £5.05 million spent on refurbishing 11 lifts identified as a priority by the end of 2022 and then a further estimated £35.

'If you want a friend' growled Michael Douglas in Wall Street 'get a dog.' Gordon Gekko's words about the fierce world of finance could just as well apply to the dog-eat-dog world of Westminster, where young pups and old hounds scrap to be top dog. And it seems quite a few MPs have followed the example of the fictitious banker, judging by the number of entries to this month's Westminster Dog of the Year competition. The much-loved award is hosted by the Kennel Club and Dogs Trust and aims to highlight the 'unique role dogs play in society' and provide MPs with the opportunity to raise canine-related issues.

So that’s it. The end. Tory conference wraps up today with Boris Johnson delivering a policy-light leader’s speech to close the four day Conservative jamboree in Manchester. Surrounded by campaign placards like a traditional electoral rally, Johnson made an hour long speech peppered with talk of ‘building back better.’ And in traditional Boris style, there were, of course, jokes - ones which fortunately landed better than some of the more laboured ones he’s been making at evening receptions. Below are five of the PM’s best moments from his address to the Tory faithful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Vj0kdN08dg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn7TgiJHMPc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqdaZAG2l68 https://www.youtube.com/watch?

It’s the final night here at Conservative party conference. The booze is flowing and events are coming thick and fast. But the one reception which was guaranteed to pack out tonight was the LGBT+ Conservatives night with Carrie Johnson – the only event at which the Prime Minister’s spouse was scheduled to speak. Watched on by her husband standing at the back, Mrs Johnson delivered an unambiguously pro-LGBT+ rights speech in front of a packed audience of eager hacks and passionate activists. The intervention by the former CCHQ director of communications received widespread interest, in light of the government’s stance on issues such as trans rights and gay conversion therapy. You can watch the full speech below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?