Steerpike

Oh dear. Although the SNP like to pride themselves on being the 'real opposition', they tend to struggle when on the receiving end of criticism. And so it was the case today at PMQs as Theresa May responded to a question from Angus Robertson over the government's Brexit plans: AR: Will the Prime Minister confirm today to the country whether the UK is likely to leave the EU customs union post-Brexit, yes or no? TM: The right honourable gentleman doesn't seem to understand that the customs union is not just a binary decision. But let's put that aside, let's look at what we need to do which is to get the best deal for access to for trading with and for operating within the single market.

Although Theresa May is adamant that she will trigger Article 50 come what March, today's Times splash suggests otherwise. A 'leaked' memo from Deloitte to the paper claims that the government is behind schedule with Brexit preparations and is heavily short-staffed -- requiring another 30,000 civil servants in order to get the job done. So, what are the current batch of civil servants getting up to? Well, over in the Department for International Trade, Mr S understands that reading is high on the agenda. Word reaches Steerpike that Liam Fox has instructed his civil servants to read Rising Tides: Facing the Challenges of a New Era -- a book that aims to explain 'how to meet the challenge of the new global reality'.

Once upon a time Labour was seen to be the party of the working class while the Conservatives that of the Old Etonians. However, in recent years the Labour party has been accused of losing touch with its working class voters. So, Mr S was intrigued to see Philip Davies and Tristram Hunt debate one another on the Victoria Derbyshire show. Although the pair were set to talk about Trump's victory, it soon turned into a class war as Davies accused the Labour MP of being a member of the metropolitan elite. While Hunt claimed Trump was a 'dangerous character' who was 'dangerous to trade because of his views on trade', Davies responded that he was actually most dangerous to the metropolitan elite.

This week reports emerged that Nigel Farage was being lined up to act as a go-between for the government and Donald Trump. However, Downing Street sources were quick to deny the claims, suggesting that Ukip's interim leader was an 'irrelevance' to the UK's relationship with the US. However, it appears that keeping Ukip's interim leader on side might not be such a bad idea after all. On Saturday night, Farage -- who shared a platform with Trump during his presidential campaign -- visited Trump Tower to talk 'freedom and winning' with the president-elect. Farage used the opportunity to suggest a bust of Sir Winston Churchill should be put 'back in [the] Oval Office'.

Once upon a time, ITV was the darling of the Corbynistas. In fact, it was Mr S who disclosed that Seumas Milne -- Corbyn's director of communications -- had been overheard discussing the pros of the broadcaster over the Beeb, back in January. Alas, things have since taken a turn for the worse. The problem? An ITV reporter dared to ask the Labour leader whether he would be happy if Theresa May called an early election. After Libby Wiener asked the question at a conference organised by Class, Corbyn claimed he was being 'harassed'. https://twitter.com/itvnews/status/794876532799848448 Now Richard Burgon -- the shadow justice secretary -- has described the incident as 'a bit of pre-prepared false controversy'.

Things are looking up for George Osborne. Not only have bookies slashed his odds of making a political comeback, the former Chancellor is adapting nicely to life on the backbench. According to the latest register of interests, Osborne has managed to trouser almost £100,000 from giving just three speeches across the pond. So, what did he talk about for the fee? At the SIFMA event, he is reported to have told attendees that when the UK makes decisions like Brexit 'that make us more remote from our European partners, we will pay a price for that'. He also is reported to have 'grieved deeply about the impact on the economy of the Brexit surprise' but at least conceded there would be opportunities to 'get the decisions right' moving forward.

Given the number of people Theresa May managed to offend at last night's Parliamentarian of the Year awards, the Prime Minister's decision to accept her gong from George Osborne wearing the former chancellor's hard hat and high-vis jacket was pretty low-ranking. Nevertheless not one to be easily outdone, George Osborne has hit back today. The MP for Tatton has shared a photo of him in his infamous attire, with the caption 'back with its rightful owner'. https://twitter.com/George_Osborne/status/794218401510150144 However, Osborne doesn't have much to worry about -- Mr S can't see May returning to the attire anytime soon.