Steerpike

Boris Johnson has come out of hiding but it seems he is still doing his best to dodge scrutiny. On LBC this morning, Boris was quizzed repeatedly about how a picture of him in the Sussex countryside with his girlfriend Carrie Symonds found its way into the media. And 26 times, he refused to answer. Here is how the exchange unfolded: NF: Why the picture today? BJ: Newspapers will print whatever they are going to print. NF: Where did the picture come from? Boris Johnson, where did the picture come from? BJ: The longer we spend... NF: Where did the picture come from? BJ: The longer we spend on things extraneous... NF: Is it actually you or is it Ed Sheeran? ... NF: Did you know the picture was being put out there Mr Johnson? BJ: There are all kinds of pictures of me put out there...

There are few stranger relationships in Westminster than the close alliance of Boris Johnson and the campaigner, author, and self-described 'Chief Fanny defender' Nimco Ali. According to Ali, she first met Boris Johnson in Putney eight years ago when they bumped into each other on the high street, as she was campaigning about FGM. She asked him for a meeting and the rest, as they say, is history. The pair went on to take part in several anti-FGM campaigns and, as Ali put it: 'he and his team at City Hall went on to work with me over several years.' Johnson and Ali seem to have become particularly close since he officially declared that he was running to become the next leader of the Conservative party.

Britain has become rather used to hysterical prognostications about the threat of a no-deal Brexit from our MPs ever since we voted to Leave in 2016 – with some parliamentarians suggesting that supermarkets will be left empty and drug supplies will vanish if we don't get a deal or extension by October 31. But Labour's Rupa Huq set a new bar today on doom-laden predictions, when she suggested there could be a breakout of scurvy on Britain's streets if we left without a deal.

After the second round of voting in the Tory leadership race earlier today, which saw Dominic Raab booted out of the contest, it seemed as if renegade challenger and International Development Secretary Rory Stewart had all the momentum heading into the televised BBC leadership debate tonight. But, while Stewart may be winning over his colleagues in the Commons, it appears that he might need to do more to win back Tory voters who have defected to the Brexit party. As part of a series of questions asked by ordinary members of the public, James from Oxford explained that he'd reluctantly left the Conservative party recently to vote for the Brexit party, and asked all the candidates in the studio what they would do to lower the tax burden for people like him.

It seems like half of Twitter has fallen in love with Rory Stewart and his whirlwind campaign to become prime minister. But recently, it's not just centrist swing-voters who've been swept off their feet by the International Development Secretary. Certain figures on the pro-no deal side of the Brexit divide now seem to have fallen under Stewart's spell and are issuing full-throated endorsements of him. Nigel Farage invited Stewart onto his LBC show yesterday and hailed him for having 'set alight' the Tory leadership process, and praised his 'terrific campaign'.

When you consider that Theresa May's unwise decision to campaign for a 'dementia tax' almost single-handedly cost her the general election in 2017, you would think that the current Tory leadership candidates would be very careful about alienating older voters ahead of any upcoming membership vote. Jeremy Hunt, though, seemed to take the opposite tack following the television leadership debate tonight. While the Foreign Secretary tried to make the point that more should be done to protect the oldest in our society as they approach their final days, in practice, he seemed instead to call for a cull of anyone with a bus pass. In a social media banner advertising his policies, Hunt quoted himself saying that: 'Every older person should die with dignity and respect.

For the past week they've been exchanging side-glances, passing on compliments, and making excuses to spend time together. Now they've made it official. Yes, late last night Chuka Umunna finally made his move and joined the Lib Dems. In an interview with the Times announcing the new relationship, the former Labour MP revealed that he was 'really grateful to Vince' Cable for keeping the door wide open for him to join, and had been made 'to feel incredibly welcome' by his new party.

You might think that things couldn't get any worse for the group of breakaway MPs, Change UK. First, the group was widely mocked for its poor branding and confusing name-change soon after its launch. Then, it had a disastrous showing in the European elections. And finally, earlier this month the party split and half of its MPs defected, leaving ex-Tory Anna Soubry in charge. But unfortunately, it appears that things are still going downhill for the ragtag bunch. When the group of MPs first changed its name to Change UK from the Independent Group, it was quickly pointed out that the petition website, Change.org, might not be happy with the similar branding. Sure enough, the petition site soon launched legal proceedings against the MPs, which now seems to have been successful.