Steerpike

The Tory leadership contest is heating up and, from today, members can vote for their favoured candidate. Just hours before her appearance on tonight's GB News leadership show, Kemi Badenoch has sparked discussion by declaring that she would give renowned writer and women's rights campaigner JK Rowling a peerage. Praising the Harry Potter author, Badenoch said, after being asked whether she would make Rowling a peer in an interview with TalkTV, that: 'I would. I don’t know whether she would take it, but I certainly would give her a peerage.

Dear oh dear. Science Secretary Peter Kyle has certainly had better days in office. Despite Kyle insisting in the Commons today that his party 'raises standards in public life', it has now emerged that the Science Secretary, er, failed to declare his own gifted Taylor Swift tickets in time. Talk about hypocrisy... Members of parliament have 28 days to register gifts – yet Kyle registered £584 worth of Eras tour tickets almost 50 days after receiving the extravagant donation. The Science Secretary received the tickets from the Football Association on 15 August, however it took him until 3 October to log the perk. How curious.

Sir Keir Starmer's investment summit may have concluded, but the row over its invite list certainly has not. Now Nigel Farage has taken to Twitter to lambast the Labour lot for not inviting US tech billionaire Elon Musk to its big business bash. In a video post on the platform, the Reform leader questioned: 'Why was the world's richest man Elon Musk not invited to Labour's UK investment summit?' Going on, the Clacton MP raged: A huge investment summit going on Labour government and businesses all over the world. But they’re all big corporates. They don’t really invite entrepreneurs and the one person they have’t invited is the world’s most amazing guy Elon Musk.

Heartfelt tributes were paid to the late Alex Salmond in the Commons today. A number of politicians from across the house shared memories of the former first minister of Scotland in a series of points of order, with the SNP's Westminster leader Stephen Flynn first to speak on the 'most talented, formidable and consequential politician of his generation'. Scotland Secretary Ian Murray joked that the Scotland Office had brought Salmond and his wife Moira together, while Conservative John Lamont insisted that the pro-indy politician was 'undoubtedly a giant' in politics. Next it was the turn of close friend and confidante of Salmond, Sir David Davis MP.

We are now just three weeks away from Labour's first Budget and the mood music out of the Treasury is all rather ominous. On 30 October we find out the answer to the great question of British politics: can Rachel Reeves square her spending plans with her past promises on tax? With Labour desperate to keep investors onside ahead of their big jamboree tomorrow, it was up to Jonathan Reynolds to hold the line on Sky this morning. Unfortunately for the Business Secretary, it seems he made the cardinal sin of 'committing news.' Asked whether the government would increase National Insurance for employers, Reynolds refused to rule it out. Labour promised in its manifesto that it would not raise taxes on working people, but Reynolds has said the pledge only applied to employees.

Oh dear. Keir Starmer today marks his first 100 days in 10 Downing Street, but he has little cause for celebration amid tanking poll ratings and reports of staff unease over his grip on the government. When Starmer first entered 10 Downing Street, there were predictions across the commentariat that his arrival would herald a more stable period and mean the adults were back in the room. So, how do the pundits see it now? The papers are stocked with long reads and analysis on how Starmer is doing. In short, he's not doing great. Mr S has rounded up the highlights – or perhaps more accurately the lowlights – below: The New Yorker: 'Keir Starmer’s Bafflingly Bad Start as the U.K.’s Prime Minister'The good news: Starmer is being noticed across the pond.

Back to Labourland, where there's more trouble afoot. It emerged today that some rather careless comments made by a Cabinet Minister have cost the government an, er, one billion-pound investment deal. Ouch. Transport Secretary Louise Haigh delivered some stinging remarks this week about P&O Ferries, after it emerged that the company had let go hundreds of agency staff it hired in a cost-cutting bid following mass lay-offs two years ago. But Haigh's ill-advised commentary has sparked tensions between the government and DP World, of which P&O Ferries is a subsidiary – with the organisation now planning to boycott an investment summit next week.