Steerpike

In the last Parliament, Philip Davies received a lot of flak after he was elected on to the Women and Equalities Committee. As Davies has vigorously campaigned for men’s rights to be given a better hearing and raised doubts about the intentions of some feminists, some questioned his intention. However, at least Davies remains committed to the committee – which is more than can be said for most Conservative MPs. Davies has the dubious honour of being one of only two Tory MPs (the other being Kirstene Hair) to put their name down for the committee. This means there is no contest and there remains two Tory vacancies for the committee.

Trouble in paradise? After the DUP voted with the government last night to ensure they won a crucial vote that gives the Tories a majority on key committees which scrutinise legislation, today the Conservatives got a taste of what it's like to really be in the minority. In the opposition day debate on NHS pay, the DUP boldly backed a Labour motion demanding the Government give public health workers a 'fair pay rise'. The Tories, aware that they didn't have the numbers to win this vote, abstained. While it's slightly embarrassing for the government to lose a vote, the motion was not binding – and it did not breach the £1bn Tory-DUP deal.

Since taking on the editorship of the Evening Standard, George Osborne has discovered that revenge is a dish best served daily – rarely missing an opportunity to attack Theresa May and her government. So, Mr S was surprised to see that today's edition of the paper, not only doesn't attack the Prime Minister – but actually praises her work. It appears that the paper's proprietor Evgeny Lebedev is keen to find common ground with May. He has tweeted out today's front page – which reveals the paper's annual special investigation is focussed on modern slavery – an issue May has led the way on: https://twitter.

Although the Labour party has managed to put on a more united front since the snap election, there have been signs to suggest Corbyn's allies aren't yet ready to forgive the moderates who tried to oust their dear leader just last year. From refusing to let the Mayor of London have a speaking slot at Labour conference to flirting with the idea of mandatory re-selection, moderates worry they are being left out in the cold. Appearing on Pienaar's Politics on Sunday, Len McCluskey attempted to put an end to such reports. Corbyn's close ally insisted that forgiveness was on the menu for anyone – so long as they now get behind Corbyn. However, does that offer of forgiveness apply to his old flatmate Tom Watson? Perhaps not.

Before David Cameron became Prime Minister in the 2010 election, he was dealt a setback when his old chum Ed Vaizey suggested that Cameron's wife Samantha might be voting Labour. Although Cameron's team were quick to pour cold water on the suggestion – and Vaizey in turn backtracked – the rumour persisted over the years. Now that the pair are out of No 10, Sam Cam has finally set the record straight in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph. The fashion designer tells the paper that she never went so far as to vote Labour – but she did sometimes vote Green: 'But I didn’t always vote Conservative – sometimes I went Green.

Keith Vaz kept a low profile at last year’s Labour party conference. In the wake of allegations surrounding a pair of rent boys, Vaz had to call off his annual ‘diversity’ shindig. Now, a year on he is returning to the limelight – and his ‘Diversity Nite’ is back on.

Although Jacob Rees-Mogg recently topped a ConHome poll as the number one choice to be the next Tory leader, few believe he has the mainstream appeal to lead the party to victory in a general election. However, Rees-Mogg can take heart that he has just secured enough votes to win a prestigious place on the Brexit select committee. With 14 Tories vying for the 10 available seats on the Exiting the EU Committee, the Brexit bunch have proved triumphant: Peter Bone Chris Chope Stephen Crabb Jonathan Djanogly Richard Graham Andrea Jenkyns Jeremy Lefroy Craig Mackinlay Jacob Rees-Mogg John Whittingdale Alas Anna Soubry hasn't been so successful – the Remain MP missed out on a place, again.

During the snap election, Boris Johnson was given reason to blush when his sister Rachel came out for the Liberal Democrats. Despite having always voted Conservative previously, the Mail on Sunday columnist said the party's Brexit stance had meant she had no choice but to defect. Since then, Johnson has written in The Spectator of the need for a new centrist party – ideally headed up by Gary Lineker, the people's snowflake. However, is Johnson actually considering another political defection? Mr S only asks after his mole reports a curious exchange between Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn at last night's GQ Men of the Year awards. At the champagne-fuelled bash at the Tate Modern, Johnson made a b-line for Corbyn – who was there to present an award to Stormzy, the grime artist.

Although Jacob Rees-Mogg likes to insist that he is an unsuitable candidate for the role of Prime Minister, he still manages to fit in an impressive number of media appearances, public speaking engagements and constituency visits for your average backbencher. Tonight Rees-Mogg descended on the Boothroyd room in Portcullis House for a Conservative Voice event to share his thoughts on the state of his party. He criticised CCHQ for taking power away from local associations, praised the work of volunteers in the election campaign and called for a manifesto at the next election that would not be met with surprise by Tory members.

Since Labour's surprise victory in the People's Republic of Kensington, new MP Emma Dent Coad has been quick to make her mark on Parliament. As well as saying her predecessors are not 'hard acts to follow' and calling for the monarchy (many of whom are her constituents) to be abolished, Dent Coad made the news after she said Sir Martin Moore-Bick should be replaced as head of the Grenfell Tower inquiry because he does not ‘understand human beings’. So, Mr S was curious to tune into Dent Coad's appearance on today's Pienaar's Politics where the backbencher was asked whether she has ever done anything illegal.

For once, theres’s no vacancy in the shadow cabinet but when one inevitably comes up, Mr S would like to put forward his pick for promotion: Jared O’Mara. The Labour MP popped up on Channel 4 News last night to criticise the Tories for their spending on benefits. Inevitably, the dilemma of how it would be paid for came up. While that question might have troubled some, O’Mara had an answer: Britain has ‘loads of money’ to spend, he insisted. The Labour MP’s insight didn’t stop there though, as he also revealed where the much talked-about ‘magic money tree' is: 'If you want to know where this magic money tree is…well, quite simply, it’s in tax evasion woods and tax avoidance forest.

David Davis is in Brussels today, but the Brexit secretary isn't the only big name politician in town. Joining Jean-Claude Juncker for what is being described as a 'regular catch-up' is none other than...Tony Blair. And while there is no love lost between Juncker and most British politicians, the same can't be said for his feelings towards Blair. When the pair met this morning at the European Commission headquarters, Juncker planted a kiss on the former PM's cheek before giving him a hug. Captions in the comments below...

Jeremy Corbyn did better than many expected in the general election, but while some of his allies might not like it, he still lost. Or at least he did unless you’re looking at things from where Labour frontbencher Chris Williamson is sitting. Fresh from coming under fire for suggesting women-only train carriages were a good idea, the Labour MP has now been claiming that Corbyn won a landslide election victory on June 8th. Here's what he told the Guardian's Rowena Mason in an interview today: Mr S would be interested to know where Williamson is getting his numbers from...

This week, Laura Pidcock made a name for herself after the new MP declared that she would never (ever) be friends with a Tory. The Labour politician said she would not 'hang out with Tory women' as they were 'no friends of mine' and 'an enemy to lots of women'. Although her comments provoked much criticism, her Labour comrade Richard Burgon did at least come to her defence. The Labour frontbencher said it was a fair enough outlook – after all, it never did Dennis Skinner any harm. However, is the real issue here that Pidcock didn't go far enough? The Grauniad have published an article titled: is it OK to be friends with a Tory?

It's safe to say that Chris Williamson is not the most popular MP in his party right now, after the Labour frontbencher suggested women-only carriages were a good idea – in order to stop women falling victim to sexual assault on public transport. Since then, several Labour MPs have criticised his comments – with Jess Phillips suggesting Williamson was taking tips on feminism from Saudi Arabia. Now one resident of the Palace of Westminster has taken matters into their own hands. A notice has been placed on the door of Williamson's office in response to his suggestion: 'Woman? Sexually harassed at work? How about working on your own floor?' https://twitter.com/paulwaugh/status/900361676863700992 The next PLP meeting should be fun...