Steerpike

D:Ream’s Things Can Only Get Better was the song of choice in the Labour campaign that saw Tony Blair win the 1997 general election. Alas, Ed Miliband won't be able to use the tune this time around. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmwqEg-06Ww Professor Brian Cox, who played keyboard with the band, before becoming a TV scientist, says in an interview with the Evening Standard that he would not let Labour use the tune in this election. 'I’d probably say no to Labour using the song — there are immense pros and cons to all the parties and I can’t quite see a clear direction. It’s very different now than in ’97. In ’97, it was obvious that everybody supported Blair.

Last year Simon Danczuk was accused of disloyalty by his fellow Labour party members after he was photographed meeting Nigel Farage for a pint. Ed Miliband's troupe can, however, breathe a collective sigh of relief as judging by a recent incident relations between Danczuk and Ukip members are far from friendly. The Labour MP for Rochdale has accused his Ukip opponent of dirty tactics. Danczuk claims that Mohammed Masud, the Ukip PPC for Rochdale, was thrown out of a local mosque after he tried to badmouth him. Just hearing that my UKIP opponent has been thrown out of a Rochdale mosque after trying to address the congregation & clumsily attack me!

It's not the narrative we have come to expect: a bunch of people who really like Ed Miliband. Yet Mr S was surprised to find such group exists. EM4No10 may sound like a dodgy chemical used to make sweets, but it's actually the rallying banner for a unique clique of Labour Party devotees who think Ed is bloody brilliant. This loyal clan spend all day sharing supposedly inspirational quotations on social media, each trying to outdo one another with their photoshopping skills and love of the dear leader: https://twitter.com/hashtag/EMForNo10?src=hash https://twitter.com/hashtag/EMForNo10?src=hash https://twitter.com/hashtag/EMForNo10?src=hash https://twitter.com/hashtag/EMForNo10?

Reports have emerged of a new row that has engulfed parliament: where and where not to vape? After complaints of people using e-cigarettes near the chamber, the House of Commons authorities are mulling over how to treat the craze. Some MPs are pushing for a revival of the traditional Smoking Room so they can puff away on their new-fangled devices in a convivial setting. Alas Mr Steerpike hears that they are likely to be disappointed, as officials have proposed banning e-cigarettes in 'enclosed areas'. Furthermore, with so many policies in this place, the idea looks like having an unexpected and expensive side effect for the taxpayer.