Steerpike

Oh dear. According to a recent poll Jeremy Corbyn could win the Labour leadership. This news has brought joy to left-wing activists and Tories alike, though granted this is for two very different reasons. A lot of the swing towards Corbyn has been attributed to the #ToriesForCorbyn campaign, which has seen Conservatives sign up as supporters of the Labour party in an attempt to sabotage the party's leadership election. With more than two thirds of Labour's new recruits reportedly supporting Corbyn, the Telegraph have tried to boost the leader hopeful's chances even further by publishing a step-by-step guide on how to sign up and 'condemn Labour to years in the political wilderness'.

When Martin Freeman endorsed Labour ahead of the election, his credentials were called into question after Steerpike reported that Freeman was a former supporter of Arthur Scargill's far-left Socialist party. So Mr S was curious to hear Burnham last night reveal his own admiration for Scargill - who formed the Socialist party because he was so angry that Labour had ‘abandoned any pretence of being a socialist party'. As the Tories raised a glass to Lynton Crosby at the election strategist's bash in Kensington, the Labour leadership hopeful was across town setting out his brand of self-titled 'aspirational socialism' over at Soho House, the £1400 private members' club.

Last week the SNP MP Phil Boswell made a 'depravity' gaffe in his maiden speech. Happily, his colleague - and Parliament's youngest MP - Mhairi Black had more luck today when she gave her first speech in the House of Commons. The 20-year-old SNP MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South began by praising her predecessor Douglas Alexander, Labour's election strategist. 'Firstly in my maiden speech I want to pay tribute to my predecessor Douglas Alexander, he served the constituency for many years.

Yesterday Nick Robinson confirmed reports that he is leaving his role as the BBC's political editor to join the Today programme. Now the race is on to find a worthy successor. Helpfully Ladbrokes have released a rather intriguing list of favourites for the job. Robinson's deputy political editor James Landale is the favourite for the role at 5/2. David Cameron's revelation to Landale that he wouldn't 'serve a third term' if re-elected became one of the big stories of the elections. While this ought to win him favour upstairs, Landale has two problems: (a) he is not a woman (b) he is an Old Etonian. It's thought that -- in the interests of equality and diversity -- Tony Hall is keen that a woman is given the plum job.

Although George Osborne was on the front page of every paper this morning following his Budget announcement, it was Iain Duncan Smith who came the closest to breaking the internet yesterday. The Work and Pensions Secretary became the subject of ridicule after he was filmed in the Commons vigorously fist-pumping following Osborne's National Living Wage announcement. So when IDS appeared on LBC this afternoon to speak to Iain Dale, the host couldn't help but ask a question George Osborne had avoided in an interview this morning: Was Viagra to blame for Iain Duncan Smith's excitable appearance in the chamber? The Conservative politician replied that not only had he not taken it, he has never taken it: 'I didn’t no.

After George Osborne delivered today's budget, Harriet Harman responded by telling the Chancellor of the Exchequer that he should focus less on his own Prime Ministerial ambitions and more on the good of the country. However, if Osborne had hoped today's performance would boost his chance of being the next leader of the Conservative party, it appears that he still has some way to go. As online users discussed the budget on Twitter, it was the wrong name that trended, with many tweeters taking his surname to be Osbourne, rather than Osborne: Perhaps it's time the Chancellor reconsidered his education budget.