Steerpike

TFL's decision not to renew Uber's licence in the capital has gone down like a cup of cold sick with many Londoners – including a good chunk of the 40,000 drivers who will soon be out of work. However, over at Labour conference in Brighton, the decision has proved very popular. It's been praised at the fringe events, by Labour politicians and just today Tim Roache –  the General Secretary of GMB – has spoken at conference where he called on all Labour members to boycott the taxi firm. Alas Mr S thinks his words may have fallen on deaf ears. So far, several conference attendees trying to get an Uber to or around the centre have found themselves hit by a surge charge.

It's that time of the year again. As Labour conference kicks off in Brighton, the annual event has managed to attract a range of interesting characters – all with a common aim: true socialism. With Labour leading in the polls, Mr S has been touring the conference centre and World Transformed festival to get a glimpse of what life would be like under Corbyn: [caption id="attachment_9940392" align="aligncentre" width="520"] Bye bye Sun[/caption] [caption id="attachment_9940542" align="aligncentre" width="520"] (Credit: Lucy Fisher)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_9940342" align="aligncentre" width="620"] A World Transformed display[/caption] [caption id="attachment_9940402" align="aligncentre" width="520"] Labour – a party for workers?

Although Theresa May did manage to prevent a revolt breaking out after her speech in Florence yesterday, that's not to say anyone in Cabinet is particularly pleased by her words. The Prime Minister did buy herself more time – but failed to clearly say where she what direction she was planning to go in that period. On the backbenches, Conservative MPs have less reason to hold their tongue over such concerns – as Jacob Rees-Mogg demonstrated on Newsnight.

Sarah Champion could hardly be blamed for bearing a grudge against Jeremy Corbyn. The Labour MP was among those who nominated Corbyn in his original bid to become Labour leader. Yet it’s likely that she regretted that decision when she was forced out of the shadow cabinet for her comments on Pakistani grooming gangs. Now, it seems, support for Champion’s decision to nominate Corbyn is being quietly deleted from Twitter. A message retweeted by Sarah Champion during Corbyn's 2015 leadership bid was taken down this morning. Here’s what it said: @SarahChampionMP top move nominating @Corbyn4Leader … you’ve done democracy a service, much love Is Sarah Champion regretting nominating Jeremy Corbyn?

The Conservatives have had a difficult few days. After Boris Johnson published his 4,000 word Brexit blueprint in the Telegraph, the Cabinet is feuding, Theresa May's authority is under strain and backbenchers have taken to the airwaves to call for the Foreign Secretary to be sacked. But fear not, help is on its way. Tomorrow Tory MPs are upping sticks and heading onto the M4 to make their way to Tory Glastonbury. Officially called the 'Festival of Ideas', Conservatives are expected to do some soul-searching – on everything from helping the young to boosting productivity – at the one-day event organised by George Freeman.

Oh dear. It was a case of bad timing for George Osborne last week when the day after the paper he edits offered Theresa May an olive branch, a profile appeared in Esquire magazine claiming the former Chancellor had told hacks he would not rest until the Prime Minister was chopped up in bits in his freezer. Since then Osborne has been widely condemned by both Tory MPs and women's action groups against violence. So, it was only a matter of time until an apology came. This apology appears to be lurking in a leader in today's Evening Standard.

Oh dear. Since Jeremy Corbyn became Labour leader, he has had an at times difficult relationship with the 'Mainstream Media'. From hacks being booed at press conferences to Corbyn avoiding questions, it's safe to say that the media feel a little bit unloved. Now, it seems Labour's high command is keen, too, that party members have limited interaction with the MSM. At this year's party conference in Brighton, the press will not be granted access to the floor. Instead journalists will have to watch proceedings from the balcony. This means that the media will be away from the action - and unable to interact with delegates on the floor.

Okay, it’s a rainy Sunday, but surely the new chief of the UK Statistics Authority has better things to do than send angry tweets to the Foreign Secretary? Alas not. Today Sir David Norgrove, the newish chairman of the UK Statistics Agency, tweeted out a letter declaring himself 'surprised and disappointed' that BoJo has 'chosen to repeat the figure of £350 million per week, in connection with the amount that might be available for extra public spending when we leave the European Union'. He says that this 'confuses gross and net contributions…. It is a clear misuse of official statistics'. https://twitter.