Steerpike

As Jeremy Corbyn made his speech to conference, Labour's new frontbench did their best to put on a united front on the front row. As for the frontbenchers of Labour's past? Well, it could hardly be described as a show of solidarity. Both Chuka Umunna and Tristram Hunt were nowhere to be seen at the speech, with ITV's Chris Ship reporting that they had already left Brighton on a train: https://twitter.com/chrisshipitv/status/648805512826503168 While Hunt did at least tweet supportive messages to Corbyn during the speech, Umunna has maintained a radio silence.

The New Statesman holds the best party of the Labour conference - but Chuka Umunna was the guest of honour and no sign of the leader. Where was Jeremy Corbyn? Toasting his success with his new comrades? Striking a new alliance with the editor of the Daily Mirror? Mr S understands that the Labour leader shunned the more glitzy parties on offer at his first conference as leader in favour of a quiet meal with his friends at Jamie's Italian. Corbyn was joined for his Italian dinner by John McDonnell and a couple of close aides.  With no flunkies or security guards in sight, the group feasted on pizza and tap water away from the hustle and bustle of conference.

Given the criticism that Jeremy Corbyn received when he failed to sing God Save the Queen at a Battle of Britain memorial service, the Labour leader faces a new dilemma when he is sworn into the Privy council. Although it is custom to get on bended knee and kiss the Queen's hand, the republican politician is said to be undecided over whether to adhere to this. However, according to John Prescott he may already be spared from one part of the ceremony. Speaking on the Sunday Politics,the former deputy Prime Minister told Andrew Neil that the ceremony does not actually require any kneeling, instead it consists of a fair amount of hopping: 'When I was first asked to join the Privy Council by John Major I said I didn’t want to do it, he said why?

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.