Steerpike

Nigel Farage has kicked off the first day of Ukip party conference at Doncaster Racecourse with a speech claiming that anti-EU groups are united and ready to push for a UK exit from the European Union: 'We are together, we are united, and we believe that the tide has turned. I believe that we are on course to win the most historic and the most important political victory in any of our lifetimes.' United as they may be, perhaps one of the brains at Ukip ought to have done a bit more research regarding their conference venue before going ahead with the booking. For all their preaching about the need to leave the EU for the good of the country, it turns out that Doncaster Racecourse hasn't done too badly out of Britain's membership; the racecourse is in part paid for by EU money.

While luvvies have been busy worrying about the future of the BBC in recent months, it appears that Channel 4 may actually be the broadcaster in the government's firing line. According to Steve Blacks, the Downing Street photographer, an unknown man was snapped heading into 10 Downing Street with an 'official' document concerning the future of Channel 4. Close up the document appears to suggest the government should consider 'extracting greater public value' from Channel 4 by 'focusing on privatisation options': https://twitter.com/PoliticalPics/status/647064721280139264 In July it was reported that the government were considering proposals to privatise Channel 4 as it could raise £1bn for deficit reduction.

While Number 10 has refused to comment on the claims made in Lord Ashcroft's David Cameron biography, the Prime Minister did manage to make a small reference to the book at a dinner last night at the Carlton Club. James Landale, the BBC's deputy political editor, says that Cameron appeared to acknowledge his old foe Ashcroft's book -- which includes accusations of drug taking and intimate relations with a dead pig -- during a speech at a Conservative fundraising dinner at the London club: 'He told the 300 guests that he had had to go to hospital earlier in the day for a bad back, the result of some over-energetic wood chopping in his constituency at the weekend. The surgeon told Mr Cameron that he would need an injection and asked him to lie on his front.

With the Downing Street press office declining to comment today on allegations from Lord Ashcroft involving the Prime Minister and a dead pig, Labour has also stayed quiet over the claims. However, members of the Labour press office were unable to resist ignoring the alleged incident completely, with press officers giving out sweets to hard-working lobby journalists. The choice of candy? Percy Pigs, of course.

Ahead of the Labour leadership election result, David Cameron warned that Jeremy Corbyn would take Britain back 'to the days of Michael Foot and Arthur Scargill' if elected. Well, a week into Corbyn's leadership of the party -- and several gaffes later -- it turns out that there is one small snag with regards to Cameron's premonition; Corbyn is just not left wing enough. Arthur Scargill -- who founded his own Socialist Labour Party after the party changed the wording of Clause IV -- says Corbyn is 'not left wing enough to lure people back to Labour'. https://twitter.

Mhairi Black won millions of fans with her maiden speech in Parliament criticising George Osborne over his cuts to the welfare system. However, today she has offered the nation a glimpse of her softer side, professing her love for Titanic. In a somewhat bizarre interview with Jon Snow, Black plays My Heart Will Go On -- the theme from the blockbuster film -- on a piano which just happens to be in the interview room: “I’ve always been obsessed with Titanic…it's one of the few areas of my life there's not politics". The SNP’s Mhairi Black MP spoke to Jon Snow on the anniversary of the Scottish independence referendum.

Jeremy Corbyn's first PLP meeting as the leader of the Labour party got off to a shaky start as MPs failed to applaud him. Happily, the attention was soon taken away from him, as a row erupted between his shadow international development minister and a Labour backbencher. Diane Abbott attempted to scold the newbie Labour MP Jess Phillips for asking a 'sanctimonious' question about why all the top four shadow cabinet jobs had gone to men. With Phillips telling Abbott to 'f--- off', Corbyn has since been criticised for not stepping in to stop the argument. Today's Times suggests that Corbyn's romantic fling with Abbott back in the 70s could have played a factor in his decision.