Steerpike

Awkward scenes in the Commons just now where Conservative MP James Duddridge has called for a debate on John Bercow’s replacement as speaker. After being picked by Bercow, the Tory MP told Parliament: 'Given your manifesto commitment to go by the 22nd June, can we have a debate…about what we want from a speaker, what type of speaker we want before we move to a secondary discussion about who we want to replace you.' His comments did not go down well with Bercow's chums on the other benches, with one MP calling the intervention 'ridiculous'. Unsurprisingly, too, Bercow – who was sitting slumped down in his chair – was not impressed either. He told Duddridge: 'I...

Tory Brexiteers and Remainers might share the same benches in parliament but they don't always see eye to eye these days. Which makes Mr S pleased to see the likes of Crispin Blunt and Ken Clarke find common cause this afternoon. So what did they finally manage to agree on? Blunt and Clarke – as well as outspoken Brexiteer Peter Bone and the Remainer Tory MP Dominic Grieve – rebelled against the government by voting in favour of Leveson 2. It's just a pity that they were all on the losing side...

Poor old Theresa May. Last week, a portrait of the Prime Minister was unveiled at Oxford University as part of their 'wall of geography women'. But the PM's time on the wall at her former university has been short-lived. A group calling themselves 'Not all Geographers' is claiming success after May's portrait was taken down following an outcry from angry students. A spokesman for the group had told Oxford student paper Cherwell: 'The main, and most basic, issue comes with the celebration of a sitting Prime Minister. Should a department align itself with the power of the day, when there are those who actively challenge it? It is unprecedented to celebrate state power in such a way (regardless of one’s political affiliation).' https://twitter.

Happy Karl Marx day. To mark the 200th anniversary of the revolutionary philosopher's birth, a statue of the revolutionary philosopher (funded by the Chinese, natch) has been erected in his German hometown Trier to protests, Owen Jones has tweeted a picture of his cat reading Das Kapital and a range of pieces have been published across the media on his legacy. Only some articles are more gushing than others. Take for example, the Financial Times essay on new Marx biography 'A World to Win: The Life and Works of Karl Marx'. The glowing piece sees the journalist offer a rather selective account and verdict of Marx's life and legacy.

In the flurry of excitement over the local elections, Chi Onwurah’s Question Time appearance has been cruelly overlooked. Happily, Mr S is on hand to right this wrong. The Labour MP's attempt to criticise the Tories over student loans backfired last night. The Labour MP spoke of her apparent fears that a working-class student could be put off university by the amount they would have to pay back. But Onwurah didn't account for a furious Martin Lewis, who was also on the Question Time panel, taking her to task for her comments: Astonishing scenes on #bbcqt as a furious moneysaving expert Martin Lewis destroys Labour’s Chi Onwurah over her attempts use student debt as a political football.... Lewis brings the house down.

As voters head to the polls today, the Conservatives are hoping their reputation for bin management will trump any concerns over the government's Brexit plans. However, Mr S suspects not all of the Tory literature used will have the desired effect. In Ilford Town, a leaflet went out to residents listing four reasons to vote for the area's Conservative candidates. Only a printing error meant that these 'reasons' consisted of dummy text – rather than any achievement: 'Three lines of text about what issues/projects/policies you've already fone or are doing or will be doing in your ward/area.' Readers are welcome to enter their own suggestions in the comments below.