Steerpike

George Osborne became the subject of much mockery over the weekend after Rohan Silva let slip that the former chancellor had only decided to apply to be editor of the Evening Standard editor after friends had come to him for help with their own applications. While Mr S has since advised readers not to approach the MP for Tatton for career advice (unless one is sure Osborne would not be interested in the job for himself), it may be best to avoid going to Osborne for help full stop. Mr S couldn't help but recall an interview the Tory politician gave to the Mail on Sunday, in which he revealed how he met his wife Frances.

Spare a thought for Boris Johnson. Ever since the Brexit vote, the Foreign Secretary has struggled with the often hostile reception he now receives in London from angry remain-ers. Now it seems things have got so bad that he can't even enjoy a quiet night out at the theatre. Thandie Newton -- the Crash actress -- tells the Sunday Times that her teenage daughter, Ripley, spotted Johnson in the audience on a recent trip to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Palace Theatre. Alas Ripley doesn't hold such a high opinion of the Conservative politician and she proceeded to seek him out to alert him to this fact: 'She went over to say: “Hello, Mr Johnson, my name is Ripley Parker and I just wanted to tell you you’re a c---. I hope you enjoy the show.

Lesson No.1: Never ask George - 'six jobs' - Osborne for career advice. Or at least, never ask the former chancellor for career advice if you think it's a job he could be tempted by. On the Today programme this morning, Rohan Silva -- the former No 10 SpAd -- took to the airwaves to try and defend his one-time boss's decision to take on the role of Evening Standard editor while also continuing as the MP for Tatton and as a £650k per annum advisor to BlackRock. Alas, despite his best efforts, Mr S suspects that Silva may have actually made the situation worse.

Following the announcement that George Osborne is the new editor of the Evening Standard, the BBC's media editor Amol Rajan was quick to brand the appointment 'a remarkable move that will dazzle the worlds of politics and media'. But -- as dazzling as it may or may not be -- did Evgeny Lebedev only turn to George Osborne after the editor of London's rival free sheet rebuffed his advances? Word reaches Steerpike that it was City AM's Christian May who was first approached -- but decided to stay put in his current role rather than jump ship. While May has not responded to Mr S's request for comment -- should Osborne need any advice on his new role, Steerpike hopes he will prove more forthcoming.

Theresa May's omnishambles of a week is showing no signs of improvement. As the Budget U-turn and expenses probe play out, many have been left asking: is this a government that is ready for Brexit? But fear not -- they have a plan. In fact, Theresa May has even had a website built so she can share her 'Plan for Britain' with the nation. Only there's a snag. The website isn't working. On the day of its launch, it's down as a result of technical issues. Visitors to the page are told that it 'isn't working' -- much like Theresa's government at the moment.

Following the Copeland by-election defeat, many in Labour have been left wondering whether Jeremy Corbyn is the right man to lead them into the next election. However, could it all really be the fault of the Parliamentary Labour Party? Mr S only asks after Kate Osamor -- a key Corbyn ally -- gave an interview to the Huffington Post, suggesting that many safe seats had been 'neglected' by long-serving MPs. The MP for Edmonton says that it's up to the Parliamentary Labour Party to go knocking on doors, at least once a week, for an hour; 'every MP should be doing that.' Alas her comments have gone down like a cup of cold sick with the majority of the PLP. 'She's hardly leading by example,' murmurs one disgruntled figure.

Since Donald Trump was elected President of the United States, few critics have been more persistent than Louise Mensch. The former Tory MP -- and Heat Street journalist -- has regularly become the ire of Trump supporters over her reports and theories relating to the relationship between the new leader of the free world and Russia. Today Mensch appeared on the Sunday Politics to discuss her claims. Alas, when asked by Andrew Neil what evidence she had to prove that Trump's team were complicit with the Russians, Mensch appeared to come up short: LM: There's a mound of evidence. You could start with him saying 'hey Russia, if you're listening please release all of Hillary Clinton's emails. AN: That's not evidence. LM: I think it rather is actually.

On Thurday's Question Time, there was one politician notably absent from the panel. For a second time, John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, had to cancel his appearance -- this time putting it down to train delays. And whose fault is this? Well, the Conservatives obviously -- as if Labour were in power the trains would be nationalised: https://twitter.com/johnmcdonnellMP/status/839912841503199232 However, there's a problem. First, those flights sold out after Mr McDonnell had been booked on a flight - but he arrived at the airport too late and the gate was closed. So you can't really blame privately-owned railways for that. More importantly the delays in question were caused by a train caught up in overhead lines, and being left there for far too long.

The Chancellor has awoken to a slew of bad headlines today following his decision to row back on a 2015 Tory manifesto pledge and raise National Insurance for the self-employed. In an attempt at some damage limitation, Philip Hammond has been doing the usual post-Budget media rounds this morning. Alas his interview with Sky News didn't go quite to plan. Challenged repeatedly on the broken Tory manifesto pledge, an uncomfortable Hammond was accused of being a liar: Sky News: Were you lying when you stood on that vote, was the manifesto wrong -- or have you just decided to renege on it? PH: The manifesto presented a package of measures and we implemented those measures through legislation straight after the general election.

As politicians and hacks alike turn their ire on Philip Hammond this afternoon over his decision to row back on a 2015 Tory manifesto pledge, you'd be forgiven for thinking not much else is going on. So, Mr S was curious to learn that today is the day George Osborne's salary as an advisor to BlackRock has been revealed. The latest register of interests shows that Osborne is bring in a cool £162,500 a quarter, which would mean an impressive £650,000 annually. Surely the former Chancellor didn't mean to bury the news?