Steerpike

This weekend, Jeremy Corbyn was full of beans during an appearance on the Andrew Marr show. As well as frank comments on immigration and student debt, the Labour leader found time to turn his ire on the BBC over the gender pay gap. Discussing the disclosure that two thirds of the corporation's highest earners are men, Corbyn said the Beeb needs to 'look very hard at itself' – adding that a Labour government would insist on a pay audit of every organisation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL1pvY_Tbmc Strong words indeed. But is Corbyn just repeating empty platitudes? This time last year, Corbyn made a similar pledge.

On Thursday, Diane Abbott came unstuck in an interview with ITV News after she failed to explain how Labour would pay for its policy to put 10,000 more bobbies on the beat. The shadow home secretary's confusion was particularly telling given that she struggled with the same policy during the general election campaign – with a car crash interview on LBC. Abbott has since said that it was the broadcaster who was at fault for daring to ask her to go into specifics on a party policy. But have the powers that be taken a different view? Mr S only asks after the line-up for Radio 4's Westminster Hour was changed last minute. On Friday, Abbott was scheduled to join: https://twitter.

Although Theresa May's former co-chiefs of staff – Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill – both swiftly exited No 10 following the disastrous election result, there are some Conservatives who fret that her Rottweilers still hold influence from afar. So Mr S was curious to come across the latest offering to Eye Spy MP. A follower claims they spied Timothy enjoying a pint with none other than Michael Gove on Thursday night: https://twitter.com/eyespymp/status/888350069296156672 Surely it was just a case of two old friends catching up?

Here we go again. During the General Election campaign, Diane Abbott came under fire when it became apparent in an LBC interview that she had no idea how her party would pay for its policy of 10,000 extra police officers – at one point saying it would cost £300,000, working out at £30 an officer. So, surely the shadow home secretary has learnt her lesson? Apparently not. In an interview with ITV news on rising crime figures, Abbott came unstuck once again on the policy as she attempted to explain how Labour would pay for its plan for 10,000 extra officers: 'What we have is we would find the money to recruit the ten thousand police people by cutting the.... we would find the money because we would look at capital gains tax.

After weeks of Tory backstabbing, briefing and plotting at summer parties, Damian Green had to stage an intervention on the Marr show and warn his colleagues to lay off the 'warm prosecco'. So, the Secretary of State will be relieved to know that one Cabinet minister has managed to resist the temptation to secretly brief hacks at a booze-fuelled bash. At the Policy Exchange summer party last night, Michael Fallon cut to the chase and took to the mic to share his thoughts on his party's current woes.

For months now, it's proved a daily challenge trying to work out what exactly Labour's position on Brexit is. While the 2017 manifesto said the party wanted to retain the benefits of both the single market and the customs union, a lot of confusion follows when one tries to pin down whether that means staying a member of both or leaving them. This morning, Rebecca Long-Bailey attempted to set the record straight. In an interview with Andrew Neil on the Sunday Politics, the shadow business secretary said what Labour wanted was to... have their cake and eat it: 'We want to maintain the benefits that we currently have within the customs union... but you know, we want to have our cake and eat it.

Wimbledon wouldn’t be Wimbledon without strawberries and cream, Pimms and…John Bercow in the Royal Box. The speaker of the House of Commons has been something of a permanent fixture over the last few years indulging his love of watching the tennis among the great and the good. Since 2015, he’s managed to get his mitts on £8,000 worth of free tickets to Wimbledon. Today, he’s back in his second favourite seat - watching Jo Konta crash out of the championships while deputy speaker Eleanor Laing filled in for him in the day job in Parliament. Somewhat awkwardly for Bercow though, also in the Royal Box was his old adversary David Cameron.

Politicians have been busy swapping horror stories of the unacceptable abuse dished out to MPs and candidates running for Parliament. Fortunately for Labour frontbencher Jack Dromey, he appears to have escaped the worst of the vitriol. But when talking on the Daily Politics about his own experiences, Dromey resorted to some very unparliamentary language. Here's what he said: 'I personally don't get, if you excuse the language, that much shit. But the shit I get comes overwhelmingly from the right' Dromey's language has not gone down well on Twitter, where at least one parent complained that her child heard him swear. Mr S thinks Dromey doesn't really have a leg to stand on: after all, his swearing came at least eight hours before the watershed...

Theresa May's decision to announce plans to launch an inquiry into the contaminated blood scandal on the day she 'reboots' her leadership, has been read by many as a sign of her growing weakness. With no Tory majority in sight, the Prime Minister today issued a plea to other parties to contribute – before giving way on an issue that the opposition parties are united on. But before one gets too carried away by the new power wielded by the likes of Labour, is it actually just the same old? Mr S was intrigued to note that the DUP earlier in the week backed an inquiry into the scandal. This meant – that with the confidence and supply agreement not applying – May had no choice but to cave, or face defeat in the House. https://twitter.