Steerpike

Oh dear. David Cameron's speech to the Confederation of British Industry got off to a shaky start today after he was heckled by Brexit protesters. While the CBI had opted to leave members of the Vote Leave campaign off of the invite list, two protesters managed to sneak in and get their own anti-EU message across. As the Prime Minister gave a speech in which he said that he could work with business leaders to keep 'Britain in a reformed Europe' after a successful renegotiation, protesters held up a banner and shouted that the CBI is the 'voice of Brussels': https://twitter.

Over the weekend James Cleverly made the news after he admitted to smoking marijuana and watching porn in his youth, during an interview on Radio 5 live. The newly elected Tory MP also gave a surprisingly honest answer when it came to a game of 'snog, marry, avoid'. Cleverly said he would choose to snog Theresa May, marry Yvette Cooper and avoid Isabel Oakeshott, the co-author of Call Me Dave. While Cleverly's admissions don't appear to have done his career much harm yet, Steerpike understands that one of his answers did come back to haunt him when Cleverly came face-to-face with the Home Secretary at Wednesday's meeting of the 1922 Committee. Theresa May was speaking at the meeting, with Cleverly sat a mere four rows away from her.

After a year of surprises across the board from the Tory majority to Labour's new leader, Westminster's rebels and insurgents descended on the Savoy Hotel to celebrate The Spectator's Parliamentarian of the Year awards. With the awards presented by Alex Salmond — last year's winner of Politician of the Year, the former First Minister of Scotland made sure to put Scottish independence firmly on the menu, namechecking his country's struggle several times in his speech. With Jeremy Corbyn unable to be there in person to collect his gong for Campaigner of the Year, it fell on his fellow comrade Diane Abbott to do the honours. The Labour frontbencher found time in her tribute to warn audience members not to underestimate the size of Jeremy Corbyn's mandate.

George Galloway is currently campaigning to be the next Mayor of London, on behalf of his Respect Party. However, given that bookies are giving 50/1 odds on him succeeding, Mr S suspects it is for the best that he also has a business venture up his sleeve. In an interview with the Evening Standard, Galloway discusses his love of vintage clothes, including his 'trademark' fedora. He reveals that he is planning to open his own vintage clothes shop, having bought the lease on a vintage shop near Portobello Road, which lies in the centre of Notting Hill -- one of London's most expensive neighbourhoods: 'Galloway spends a fortune on vintage clothes, buying from shops such as Victory in Whiteleys and Rokit in Covent Garden.

After the actress Sienna Miller became subject to vitriol over the weekend for failing to wear a remembrance poppy during an appearance on the Graham Norton Show, politicians and celebrities alike are now doing their best to show off their poppies at any opportunity. Today 10 Downing Street even changed their Facebook profile photo to one of David Cameron sporting a poppy. However, Cameron's remembrance efforts have since been questioned as Number 10 have been accused of photoshopping a poppy onto an old photo: https://twitter.com/dylanhm/status/661228417803755520 The original photo from July had no poppy: https://twitter.

Oh dear. The SNP are so powerful in Scotland at the moment that some of the party's elected representatives might be forgiven for thinking it can defy the laws of gravity and time. Take Angela Constance MSP, who today thought it might be possible to re-do a live interview. In an interview with the Sunday Politics, she found herself saying 'twenty thousand and twelve', rather than 2012, and asked the presenter if she could start the interview again. He agreed, but then rather gently pointed out that the programme was live. https://twitter.

After Harriet Harman stepped down from the frontbench earlier this year after 28 years, she was asked by Andrew Neil on the Daily Politics which Labour leader had been her favourite to work under. While Harman had praise for Neil Kinnock, Tony Blair -- who was nice even when he sacked her -- and Gordon Brown, she failed to mention her most recent boss Ed Miliband. So perhaps the MP for Doncaster North will be emitting a bead of sweat on hearing that Harman is in the process of writing her memoirs. The outspoken Labour MP has tweeted a photo of a censored screen as she begins to recount her days on the frontline of politics: https://twitter.

As stormclouds gathered over London, the most politically connected pooches in the country assembled by the House of Lords for the most eagerly anticipated event of the year – the Westminster Dog of the Year competition. Among the familiar faces – including Alec Shelbrooke's Maggie and Boris, and David Burrowes' Chomeley, Steerpike spotted a number of novice entrants. Baroness Masham had left her pack of seven dachshunds at home in Yorkshire, and had instead brought with her the soft-coated Wheaten Terrier, Theodora (aka Teddy). Having bonded with her lookalike, Hugo Swire’s cockapoo Rocco, the pair made firm friends, and proved that cooperation between the Commons and the Lords is actually possible.

After Heidi Allen gave a barnstorming maiden speech last week criticising her own party over tax credit cuts, the Tory MP has found herself in the firing line within her own party. Mr S's colleague Isabel Hardman writes in today's Times that a number of Tory MPs are even refusing to speak to her over concerns that 'her careless talk could cost them their majorities'. Now to make matters worse, it appears that even journalists are struggling to work out which side Allen is on. Word reaches Steerpike that a producer for a national radio station -- thought to be one of the BBC's radio stations -- contacted the Labour party to ask if they would put Allen forward to speak on tax credits...