Steerpike

Flick Drummond’s campaign to win a Conservative seat in Portsmouth South has hit a bump in the road. Word reaches Mr S that plans for a set of campaign posters for Flick had to be revised after the Conservatives realised that from a distance the poster could be misread as  -well, another word starting in F. The issue appears to be with one particular set of Conservative election posters which has the candidate's name all in upper case and white font. [caption id="attachment_8965352" align="aligncenter" width="520"] The most recent Tory campaign poster from the Rochester by-election[/caption] When you put Flick Drummond’s name in this format, as Mr S did in the mock-ups shown, there is a rather unfortunate effect if viewed from a distance...

Ed Miliband's popularity may be at an all time low, but the leader of the Labour party is at least now moving in A-list circles. The Telegraph reports that Miliband recently enjoyed a supper at the mansion of Geoffrey Robertson QC, the human rights barrister, which both George and Amal Clooney attended. Mrs Clooney is a barrister at Doughty Street, Robertson's chambers. While the quality of Miliband's general dinner party chat remains unknown, he is thought to have discussed with the Hollywood couple proposals for 'fresh sanctions on Vladimir Putin's regime' following the case of Sergei Maginitsky,  the Russian whistleblower who died after months of beatings in prison.

After Nick Hewer announced last month that he will not return for the eleventh series of The Apprentice, Lord Sugar ought to take care that he doesn't end up having to recruit two new sidekicks. When Steerpike last caught up with Karren Brady, the recently appointed Baroness Brady of Knightsbridge would not confirm her return for the next series. Instead, she suggested that her seat in the House of Lords would factor into her decision. ‘Ah well, I just have to check my availability and my schedule. I’ve now joined the House of Lords,’ Brady told Mr S. The 45-year-old businesswoman took her seat in the House of Lords in November when she was introduced to the House by Lord Sugar, the Labour peer.

There were very few smiles at Downing Street this afternoon as a mustard clad Angela Merkel spoke of a 'moving moment'. Yet that steely resolve had to crack eventually and with the final question at her joint press conference with David Cameron, the German Chancellor's perma-frown turned into an impish grin for just a split second. Scolding ITV's Tom Bradby, Mrs Merkel announced that she 'never answered speculative questions' and she certainly would not be starting today, danke very much. 'I think the policy of not answering speculative questions will make all press conferences much shorter in the future', piped up David Cameron, seeing a chance to wrap things up. 'Another excellent German invention'.

Mr S is inclined to believe this is a piss-take, lest it be clear the Guardian completely disappeared up its own bottom. Apparently enjoying HP Sauce basically makes you some sort of quasi-racist, Ukip-voting, little-England philistine: 'Created in the late 1800s, brown sauce reads, tastes and smells like the idle creation of some Phileas Fogg-type, just back and hugely, over-excited about his adventures in the British empire. Dates! Molasses! Tamarind! Cloves! Cayenne pepper! It is not so much a recipe as chauvinistic flag-waving, a smug, muscle-flexing case of: “Look at the size of our spice cupboard.” Said exotic ingredients were combined, moreover, with all the sensitivity of the period.

How will Prince Andrew proceed with his official duties, given that he is named in court papers in which he is accused of abusing an under-age 'sex slave'? The Daily Mail reports today that the Duke of York is expected to host a reception on behalf of the British government for foreign ministers at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland later this month. However, Mr S can reveal that Prince Andrew will not represent the government in any such way. While a final announcement is yet to be made regarding his attendance at the event, word reaches Steerpike that any reception will be hosted in a personal manner, and not on behalf of No.10. A Palace spokesman states that there was never was to be a government reception.