Steerpike

Theresa May came under fire last year when she appeared to dodge a question on whether – if there was a referendum tomorrow – she would now back Brexit. Since then, the Prime Minister managed to set tongues-wagging once again when asked in a Q&A after her big Brexit speech whether Brexit was worth it. May swerved the question – opting to confirm that she will deliver the will of the people. So, Mr S nearly choked on his tea this morning when the Eeyore-esque Chancellor appeared to enthusiastically say that Brexit was worth it, on the Andrew Marr show: AM: Is it worth it? PH: Yes.

Although the BBC has earned a reputation for leaning towards Remain, tonight's Question Time shed light on the various political allegiances at the BBC. Prue Leith – the Great British Bake Off judge and Spectator writer – told the audience that she had backed Brexit in the EU referendum: ‘There was a life before we were in the EU. I ended up voting for Brexit but I dithered and dithered for ages because there were really good arguments on both sides, and really intelligent people on both sides, it’s such as pity we have everyone fighting.’ With GBBO fans taking to Twitter in dismay at their heroine's revelation, Mr S hopes that viewers will take Leith's advice on board going forward.

It's safe to say that Boris Johnson is not having a good day. As well as finding himself in a row over whether or not he suggested England could withdraw from the World Cup in Russia, the Foreign Secretary has received a ticking off from John Bercow. The Speaker took issue with Johnson after he arrived late for an Urgent Question on the suspected poisoning of a Russian double agent.

Here we go. Last night Gary Oldman came away victorious at the Oscars – picking up the best actor gong for his depiction of Winston Churchill in the Darkest Hour. The film follows the attempts within government in 1940 to make a peace treaty with Hitler and Churchill's refusal to do so. Only not everyone was cheered by the news of Oldman's success. Jeremy Corbyn's former adviser Steve Howell complains that Churchill had many dark hours and so he will 'pass on any film glorifying a man who British voters rejected at the first opportunity'. Setting aside the small issue of Churchill's legacy (see what The Spectator said in 1965: 'We live as free men, we speak as free men, we walk as free men because a man called Winston Churchill lived.

John McDonnell's business credentials took another hit on Friday when the shadow chancellor struggled to name a single one of his 'business heroes' in an interview with the Financial Times. The pause was so long that McDonnell's press adviser eventually came up with a suggestion for him – 'Vince Dale', the renewable energy entrepreneur: Only there's a problem. There's no renewable energy entrepreneur by the name of Vince Dale. Instead, the person in question goes by the name of... Dale Vince. Mr S suggests the pair learn the entrepreneur's name before going in for a business endorsement...

What says ‘Theresa May’ more than a comic speech at a boozy dinner for a room full of journalists? That was the question the Prime Minister found herself asking a room of well hydrated hacks at last night's Westminster Correspondents Dinner. May took a break from the Irish border to regale journalists with a speech poking fun at her former colleagues, current colleagues, the lobby and ... Theresa May. To some surprise, May cracked several – successful jokes. She even found time to praise the Spectator's James Forsyth. Alas, not everyone was in such a jolly mood – Labour's Barry Gardiner was overhead muttering warnings to the press about what will happen to them (spoiler: not good) come PM Corbyn.

With the Irish border problem rearing its head once again this week, Sir John Major has popped up with an intervention Theresa May could probably have done without. In a speech today, the former prime minister urged May to keep Britain in 'a' customs union for the sake of the peace process. He went on to say MPs should be given a free vote on whether to accept or reject the final Brexit deal and that this should include the option to decide on a second referendum. However, Mr S can't help but sense a whiff of major hypocrisy in the air. Firstly, Major did not practise what he is preaching when he was Prime Minister. During his premiership, MPs were not given a free vote on the Maastricht treaty – it was whipped.

Oh dear. This week the Daily Mail published the findings of an investigation into the 'racist and thuggish' past of ex-Formula One boss Max Mosley. The paper asked whether Mosley – who donated more than £500,000 to Tom Watson, lied at his orgy privacy trial. Under oath at the High Court, Mosley denied a leaflet allegedly published by him on 'coloured immigrants' existed. However, the Mail claims to have tracked it down in a historical archive. The pamphlet says 'coloured immigrants' spread 'tuberculosis, VD and other terrible diseases like leprosy'. It says they should be sent 'home' because 'coloured immigration threatens your children's health'. Mosley denies the claims and appeared on Channel 4 news to try and defend himself.