Steerpike

Donald Trump's second son Eric made a visit to Scotland this weekend, for a round of golf and a rather interesting media interview. While Eric Trump insisted that the Trumps have 'tremendous respect' for the country, the ex-president's son was, however, a little less complimentary about David Lammy... The Foreign Secretary has a history of making rather, um, heated remarks about the former president – even calling Donald Trump a 'neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath' as a backbench MP in 2018. That wasn't the only criticism Lammy levelled at the presidential candidate. In 2017, Lammy slammed Theresa May's invitation to Trump and his wife to the UK, writing: 'A state visit to suck up to president Trump? Not in my name, no way.

Protests are spreading across the UK. In Hull, protesters gathered outside a hotel housing asylum seekers and chanted ‘stop the boats’, and in Belfast a Syrian cafe owner had his business targeted. Now the action has spread to Rotherham. This afternoon, a mob has set fire to a hotel, used to house migrants. Footage appears to show masked rioters assembling outside a Holiday Express as they clashed with police. It comes after earlier demonstrations in the area from a mix of anti-racist and anti-immigration supporters. On Thursday, Keir Starmer used a Downing Street press conference to address violent disorder following the Southport stabbing attacks.

To West Sussex, where spectators are enjoying the sun at the Goodwood Racecourse. But it hasn't necessarily been the most pleasant experience for everyone – least of all a former prime minister who seems unable to reap the benefits of her short-lived stint in office... ITV was quizzing excited race-goers about the day and the interviewer stopped next to one gentleman to inquire about his pre-race thoughts on the stallions of the day. After a rather quick Q&A the presenter bid his farewells before moving onto the next interviewee – which wasn't the woman in white also in frame, much to her disappointment. Former PM Liz Truss – in the top job for all of 49 days – smiled expectantly during the interview, waiting for ITV to ask what the woman who once ran the country thought.

To the Olympics, where a rather contentious boxing match has come to an abrupt end. The sport came under the spotlight after it emerged that Algerian boxer Imane Khelif had been allowed to compete in the women's boxing category in 2024 Paris Olympics despite, um, being thrown out of the women's world championships after failing a sex test. Good heavens... Today, Khelif was allowed to fight Italy's Angela Carini – but the match didn't even last a minute. After receiving a harsh blow to her face, Carini asked for time out – before abandoning the match altogether just 46 seconds in. Breaking down in tears after the referee signalled that Khelif had won, Carini went on to give an emotional statement to reporters.

Dear oh dear. The news that ex-BBC presenter Huw Edwards has pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children has come as a shock to a nation which spent years watching the veteran TV star fronting the public service broadcaster's biggest stories. And it will serve as a warning to those journalists who were rather quick to make sweeping judgements on Edwards' innocence. Mr S has been looking back at some past remarks made by a certain group of stars – and it's rather awkward for all involved... First was the ever-online Owen Jones. The Graun columnist slammed the idea that Edwards might have done anything wrong, tweeting furiously that Edwards was a 'vulnerable man', and that 'we know now there was no criminality'.

Ding ding ding! The Tory leadership race is heating up, with the final six candidates now declared. But with Kemi Badenoch currently the bookies’ favourite to win, the Guardian has tonight published a story claiming she was guilty of ‘bullying and traumatising’ behaviour when running the Department for Business and Trade. The paper cites sources who accuse her of being ‘toxic and intimidating’ in the role, thanks to her ‘mercurial’ moods. The Graun also claims that at least three officials found her behaviour so difficult that they felt they had to leave. One ‘insider’ is quoted as claiming Badenoch had people she would ‘single out’, alleging she was ‘passive-aggressive’ and subjected colleagues to ‘sustained bullying’.

Back to the case of ex-BBC presenter Huw Edwards, who has this afternoon been charged with making indecent images of children. Edwards was suspended by the Beeb in July 2023 after the Sun reported allegations that he had solicited explicit images from a young man. He subsequently resigned from the Corporation in April this year, citing medical reasons. Now Edwards faces three charges over alleged indecent activity, linked to shared WhatsApp images according to the police, dating between December 2020 and April 2022. It transpires that after being arrested by the Metropolitan police last November, Edwards was formally charged last month. And on Wednesday this week, the former presenter will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court.

The Tory leadership race is hotting up and there's lots of familiar faces featuring this time around. Kemi Badenoch, Priti Patel, Tom Tugendhat – it's like the 2022 contest never ended! But one candidate who sadly isn't running is Suella Braverman, the onetime standard-bearer of the Brexiteer right. She has penned a piece for Monday's Telegraph, declaring that she will not throw her hat in the ring – even though she claims to have had the backing to hit the necessary threshold before the 2.30 p.m deadline. 'Although I'm grateful to the 10 MPs who wanted to nominate me for the leadership, getting on to the ballot is not enough,' she writes.

As the third week of Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government comes to an end, there’s certainly been a lot of change in town. From the party's tone shift on private jets to the Culture Secretary’s volte face on the culture wars, the Labour party has proven it still has a penchant for U-turns. And in Westminster more specifically, with a parliamentary party of over 400 members, Starmer’s army is rather concerned with a change in MP discipline too. Steerpike has spent the last few weeks speaking to political newbies about how they’re getting on – and there have been more than a few grumblings… Whipped into shape Seven MPs have already had the Labour whip removed this week after supporting an SNP amendment to the King’s Speech over the two-child benefit cap.