Steerpike

Oh dear. This morning Diane Abbott appeared on the Andrew Marr show to discuss – among other things – Labour's Brexit position. Given that the party's official EU stance appears to change on a daily basis, viewers were intrigued to hear the shadow home secretary claim that the Labour Party 'doesn’t support a second referendum': 'We’ve never supported it, we don’t now' https://twitter.com/BBCNews/status/942327167567806464 If only the memo has reached... Diane Abbott.

This week the 'stop Brexit' campaign went into overdrive after the government suffered its first defeat on the EU withdrawal bill – with 11 Tory rebels voting to back an amendment calling for a meaningful vote on the final deal. The whips now have their work cut out trying to prevent a second rebellion next week on Theresa May's own amendment to put the exit date in the bill. However, should Chief Whip Julian Smith's charm offensive fail again, perhaps the government could look to last night's Question Time for back-up.

Although the 11 Tory rebels who led the government to defeat last night night on Dominic Grieve's amendment calling for a meaningful vote have been lauded as heroes by Remain groups, they are receiving a different reception within their own party. While some Conservatives – such as Nick Boles – say they respect the decision made by their colleagues, others have seen red. Take for example Nadine Dorries. The Leave-backing MP took to social media to suggest Grieve's disloyalty meant he did not deserve his prestigious role as chair of the Intelligence and Security committee. Only one of the Tory rebels took issue with Dorries tweet. Sarah Wollaston replied to tell Dorries: 'Get over yourself'.

Ever since the EU referendum, Boris Johnson has found his local neighbourhood in Islington turn a little bit frosty. Residents in the Remain-voting borough have taken on occasion to heckling him over his pro-Brexit stance. Happily, the Foreign Secretary has since managed to find a safe space – even if it is a little far away. Speaking at the Foreign Office Christmas reception in Lancaster House, Johnson was lauded by government officials for proving Britain's global reach by receiving a warm reception on the streets of Tehran, on his recent trip to Iran– to try and free Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. Johnson proceeded to joke to a room full of diplomats: 'I think my reception on the streets of Tehran was in fact better than what I sometimes get on the streets of Islington.

With two new polls putting the Conservatives ahead of Labour for the first time since the snap election, there's reason for Christmas cheer in No 10. However, despite this, the result of the disastrous election remains a sore point in government. So, Steerpike was curious to see Sajid Javid make a joke at the expense of Theresa May and her election campaign in a speech to the Federation of Master Builders. Talking about the work the FMB does, the Secretary of State for local government said that not even Winston Churchill was immune to 'shoddy workmanship' – before going on to suggest May was: 'After all, none of us are immune from the kind of shoddy workmanship the FMB protects against. Even Winston Churchill.

Working out Labour’s position on the single market is no easy task. Jeremy Corbyn has said Brexit will mean Britain leaves it. So far, so simple. But not everyone in the party – including Corbyn himself, who has since guaranteed access to the single market – appears to agree. Diane Abbott, the shadow home secretary, suggested that it would be better to stay put as a member of the single market. But that stance is news to shadow trade secretary Barry Gardiner, who could not have been clearer when he told Sky News: ‘We will not be members of the single market’.

As Theresa May attempts to keep her party on side over the terms agreed in stage one of the government's Brexit negotiations, leading Brexiteers have been sent out to praise the deal so far. Michael Gove began the day on the Today programme – praising the Prime Minister – and Steve Baker has been tweeting his support. Keen to prove that the Foreign Secretary is behind May's plan, the Chief Whip thought it would be helpful to share picture of the two meeting in the early hours ahead of May flying to Brussels. By doing this there is an implication that Johnson must be signed up to May's plan – along with a promise for 'full alignment' with the customs union and single market if no other solution to the Irish border problem is found.

With Jeremy Corbyn too anti-establishment to speak to the Parliamentary Press Gallery over lunch, George Osborne was hauled before lobby hacks today as the alternative opposition. The former Chancellor didn't disappoint with his address. The former Conservative politician – and now Evening Standard editor – accused the Tories of ignoring the 48pc Remain voters in the country, said Labour would be 20 points ahead of the Tories if they had a competent leader rather than Jeremy Corbyn and hinted at a comeback to politics – saying 'never say never'.

Theresa May’s Brexit red lines were intended to keep her backbenchers happy, reassuring them that there would be no backsliding on Brexit. The approach worked. But at PMQs today there were signs that some Brexiteer Tory MPs are starting to worry. Jacob Rees-Mogg told the Prime Minister he was concerned her red lines were ‘beginning to look a little bit pink’. He urged her to ‘apply a new coat of paint’ before she next goes to Brussels.

Unfortunately for Theresa May, her working lunch on Monday with Jean-Claude Juncker didn't work when it came to agreeing 'sufficient progress' with Brussels. However, as the Prime Minister works to solve the negotiations deadlock with the DUP – and subsequently the EU, she can at least find some light relief in the abundance of Maybot sketches now doing the rounds. In a sign that Theresa May is making an impression on Americans, May made a special appearance on Saturday Night Live over the weekend – with Kate McKinnon doing her best Maybot impression: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WMMSmwzOTg Should that one not appeal, Tracey Ullman's Theresa May is also a strong contender for best Maybot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?

Nowadays Brexit is blamed for a lot of things – in fact when good news does occur it's often accompanied by the phrase 'despite Brexit'. But up until now Mr S didn't realise the dark force of Brexit had spread to a different time continuum. Steven Moffat, the creative force behind Doctor Who, has revealed the reason that it is only now a female has been cast as a Time Lord: Brexit voters. Asked why he never cast a woman as the Doctor, Moffat tells the Radio Times that he had to be mindful of viewers who voted for Brexit: 'This isn’t a show exclusively for progressive liberals; this is also for people who voted Brexit. That’s not me politically at all — but we have to keep everyone on board.' One to add to the list...

At this year's Labour conference, John McDonnell went somewhat off message when the shadow chancellor announced at a fringe event that his party was 'war-gaming' for a 'run on the pound' if elected. Given that this hardly signs like a desirable outcome for a party of government, the shadow chancellor has since tried to retract his comments – claiming there will not be a run on the pound. But that hasn't stopped them 'war-gaming'. On today's Sunday Politics, Richard Barbrook, a key member of the McDonnell's Treasury 'war-gaming' team, made an appearance to explain how he is helping prepare the party for power.

Spare a thought for Damian Green. As the Cabinet Office investigation into whether or not he broke the ministerial code over allegations of inappropriate behaviour continues, the Secretary of State is in the news once again. This time, a former Scotland Yard detective has told BBC News that he was 'shocked' by the amount of pornography viewed on a computer seized from Green's Commons office, during a 2008 inquiry. However, Green has made clear that he himself never watched or downloaded pornography on the computer. This isn't the first time someone in Parliament appears to have caused havoc in Green's name online. Back in 2015, Green had to deny involvement with the adultery website Ashley Madison after his private email address was found among millions leaked by hackers.