Steerpike

To the Commons, where Prime Minister's Questions has this afternoon taken place. Sir Keir Starmer was asked a ranged of questions, from energy to aid to the economy. But while the Labour PM appeared to enjoy his to and fro with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, on the Chagos Islands he was a little more cagey… When Conservative MP Kieran Mullan quizzed Starmer on whether the deal to cede sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago would be funded from the Ministry of Defence's budget, the Prime Minister did not have a straight answer – despite the straightforwardness of Mullan's question.

Uh oh. Sir Keir Starmer made a big statement in the Commons today on raising defence spending – but before the Prime Minister could get started, his party faced a rather big telling off from the Speaker about following the ministerial code. As Lindsay Hoyle explained to parliamentarians, texts of ministerial statements should be provided in advance to the opposition and the Speaker. Slamming the party of government for first redacting parts of the text, the Speaker then attacked Labour over reports that 'some of the redacted information was provided to the media' and called for a probe into the matter. Oo er. Starmer was quick to apologise, insisting to Hoyle: Mr Speaker, can I begin by giving my word to this House that this was not given to the media?

Happy freedom day! Yes, that's right – after more than a month closed, the Strangers' bar in the Palace of Westminster has today finally re-opened. Peers and MPs piled in to celebrate the return of their beloved watering hole. But, alas, already there are reports that Strangers' will no longer be the fleshpot, following allegations of a spiking incident. First, there was PoliticsHome reporting that new rules means that the bar will now have a maximum capacity of 50 with a doorkeeper using a tally counter and unaccompanied guests being kicked out after 15 minutes. And this evening Mr S brings more sad news: pass readers are going to be positioned on the bar for the purpose of identity verification for those purchasing drinks for MPs and those buying drinks. Heresy!

Parliament may be in recess – but for Reform UK the work does not stop. This morning Mr S noticed a bit of transfer activity on the party's Companies House page. Both Nigel Farage and Richard Tice were no longer listed as 'persons with significant control'; in their place was Reform 2025 Ltd, as of yesterday. And today, the party claims it has now officially democratised, with the new constitution coming into effect. In a statement, Chairman Zia Yusuf said: As promised, Nigel Farage has handed over ownership of Reform UK to its members. Reform UK is now a non-profit, with no shareholders, limited by guarantee. We are assembling the governing Board, in line with the constitution.This was an important step in professionalising the party.

To Oxford, where William Hague was today admitted as the university's 160th chancellor. In an hour-long ceremony, the onetime Tory leader was welcomed by Jonathan Katz, Oxford's Public Orator. He reflected on Chris Patten's decision to retire as Chancellor, noting that 'there are precedents' – indeed, to use 'academic terminology', 'the great Creator himself took a sabbatical – the first, indeed, after a busy week one of his term.' Reflecting on how political office had prepared Hague, Katz wondered whether he would find the role to be more of a 'poisoned chalice' or a 'holy grail' – 'I predict more confidently that many will be those among us who wish to offer you the best of what they have, correctly passed, naturally, in the right direction around the table.

Well, well, well. Gender is back on the agenda in Holyrood again after the ongoing Sandie Peggie v NHS Fife case sparked outrage across the country. Scottish politicians held off on declaring their support for the female nurse, who took her health board and transgender doctor Dr Beth Upton to a tribunal over harassment allegations, until the weekend when Scottish Tory and SNP MSPs began to tweet that they 'stand with Sandie Peggie'. Scottish Labour, however, remained rather quiet on the issue. That is, until now… Speaking to the Holyrood Sources podcast today, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and his party's deputy leader Jackie Baillie have finally pledged their support for nurse Peggie.