Steerpike

Michelle Donelan has been no stranger to the spotlight lately. The Science and Technology Secretary was forced last week to retract the false accusations she made about an academic and pay the damages and costs. But she didn't just fire off a letter of complaint to UK Research and Innovation about its board members. Donelan also decided it would be, er, wise to publicly post the offending letter on Twitter, which itself prompted the libel action. Donelan has this morning admitted that she ‘could have sent the letter in confidence’, telling the Lords’ science and tech committee: ‘I do apologise for not having done so’.

Oh dear. The Tory party’s biggest donor Frank Hester is under fire for remarks he made about Diane Abbott in a 2019 meeting. The West Yorkshire businessman is facing intense criticism for unprofessionalism at work after it emerged he had told colleagues that looking at Abbott makes ‘you just want to hate all black women because she’s there’ and that ‘she should be shot’. Hester has since apologised for his 'rude' remarks and a statement from his business says that the donor has attempted to contact Abbott directly to say sorry. A number of Tory MPs backed Hester's apology on Tuesday morning while admitting that his remarks were 'wrong'. Lord William Hague called the remarks 'racist' on Times Radio, but said: 'He's deeply sorry. So I think we should accept the apology.

Kensington Palace made headlines on Sunday night — but not in the way officials hoped. A photo that was meant to quell conspiracies about Kate Middleton’s absence from public life on health grounds has only spurred further speculation as to what is really going on with the Princess of Wales. The picture showing Kate surrounded by her three young children was released this morning, in a nod to the Cambridge’s annual Mother’s Day tradition. It appeared on William and Kate’s official Instagram page and was used by a number of outlets, including Sky News and the BBC, which excitedly published the ‘first official photo’ of the Princess of Wales since she underwent abdominal surgery in January. On closer inspection, however, queries were raised about the royal photo.

In these tumultuous times, it’s difficult to be certain of anything for too long. But one thing that’s never going to change is Alastair Campbell’s ever-inflating ego.  The former Labour spinner spoke to BBC journalist Kirsty Young this week for her BBC podcast Young Again, where she dissects the lives of her guests, quizzing them on what they’d do differently. For Campbell, you'd think there would be a fairly obvious, um, Middle East-shaped issue he'd spend most time on… Instead, Tony Blair’s ‘Rottweiler’ used a not insignificant portion of the interview to harp on about how he only wishes he could have done more to save the world.

A rich irony today at the ‘Restitch’ conference. A pro-Palestine protestor was forcibly removed from the stage as she attempted to derail Security Minister Tom Tugendhat’s speech with questions about Israel — at Restitch, ‘The Social Fabric Summit’. What better example of how ragged the community cloth of Britain has become, eh? The conference saw think tanks across the political spectrum unite, as Onward, Labour Together and Create Streets invited delegates to Coventry to enjoy a series of talks on social cohesion. As Tom Tugendhat walked to the podium, he was joined by an unexpected guest — in the form of a face-masked woman grasping a Palestinian flag.

In a few hours, Joe Biden will deliver what could be his final State of the Union address as President. And the man who hopes to make that happen in November was quick to get his side of the story in first, releasing a 'prebuttal' before Biden even appeared in the Senate. Donald Trump blasted the man he calls 'crooked Joe' in a three-minute clip, slamming Biden’s immigration and economic policies and casting the upcoming speech as a 'sad excuse.' He told supporters: Joe Biden is on the run from his record and lying like crazy to try to escape accountability for the horrific devastation he and his party have created – all the while they continue the very policies that are causing this horror show to go.

Jeremy Hunt failed to raise many laughs with his Budget gags – but his quips went down particularly badly with Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner. After picking on Keir Starmer with a rather crude jibe at his weight, Hunt then turned the guns on Rayner, who has recently been reported to the taxman over allegations she may have failed to pay thousands when selling her old home, a former council house. ‘I have also been looking at the stamp duty relief for people who purchase more than one dwelling in a single transaction, known as Multiple Dwellings Relief,’ adding: ‘I see the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party paying close attention given her multiple dwellings!’ Cue the laughter — and the wrath of Rayner, whom almost jumped out of her seat.