Steerpike

The Liberal Democrats has long been home to some of Britain's most unorthodox political thinking. But even Mr S was surprised by the radical suggestion of one former top aide on how to address intergenerational inequality. Speaking on the Times Radio election podcast, former Nick Clegg advisor Polly Mackenzie gave her thoughts on what constitutional reforms would benefit the country. One such initiative would be to, er, give babies the vote. The punchlines write themselves. Mackenzie told her fellow podcasters Lords Finkelstein and Mandelson that: I'm just going to say something that you probably will all think I'm joking but I'm deadly serious which is that I think people should get votes from birth.

Who'd want to be a Scottish nationalist, eh? The SNP's poll ratings are tanking faster than their Ferguson Marine ferries fleet, with Humza Yousaf proving to be as adept at First Minister as he was at transport, justice and health. After 17 years in power, the party's record on crime, spending and drug deaths is finally getting the attention it deserves. But with the Holyrood press now turning on them, at least the SNP can count on one uncritical media outlet for support. Step forward, the National – the self-identifying newspaper in breach of the Trade Descriptions Act. In their ceaseless zest to turn attention away from Michael Matheson and his five-figure phone bill, the craven hacks there have stumbled on an ingenious wheeze. Why not run a story suggesting that all MSPs are at it?

If the Scottish Labour party are keen to get one message across at their Glasgow conference, it’s that they are the party of change. ‘That is what change means. That is why change matters,’ riffed Anas Sarwar throughout his keynote speech – 14 times, to be precise. But while more specifics about Scottish Labour’s ‘change’ agenda wouldn’t have hurt, the party hardly needs to convince the public that they are committed to it – they’ve changed their position on, er, just about everything.  Perhaps it’s no surprise then that Labour remains in a muddle about its stance on Gaza. While Sarwar used his conference speech to call for an ‘immediate ceasefire’, Ian Murray MP was not quite as clear.

Irony alert up in Scotland. Conference season is upon us again, with Anas Sarwar’s Labour party hosting their three-day soiree in Glasgow. It’s significantly busier — and bigger — than last year’s event, with one veteran declaring to Mr S: ‘This looks like a party preparing to win an election.’ And it was in that spirit that Sarwar gave his keynote speech this afternoon, with the Scottish Labour leader taking aim at the SNP’s recent U-turns. He told the party faithful: ‘It’s hard to keep track of their strategy. First it was “the general election will be a defacto referendum”. Then they scrapped the de facto referendum. Then it was back on the table. Then it was a majority of votes. Then it was about a majority of seats. Then it was the most seats.

How much longer can Sir Keir Starmer's local survive under the ever-blundering regime of Sadiq Khan’s City Hall? As every Westminster obsessive knows, Starmer’s favourite pub is The Pineapple in Kentish Town – a site ‘woven into the fabric of the community since it was built in 1868.’ Yet the battle-class boozer is struggling to survive: all thanks to the incompetence of Transport for London, responsibility for which sits with the capital’s Mayor. Kentish Town station has been shut since June to fix two escalators and carry out ‘wider work’ on the station. But sadly, the effect on local business has proved to be catastrophic.

David Cameron is currently in the States, urging politicians there to back support for Ukraine. Currently Washington DC is ensuring a stalemate over £75 billion of aid for Kyiv's struggle against their Russian invaders. The Foreign Secretary used an article in the DC website the Hill to urge Congress to support Ukraine with more funding. He wrote: I believe our joint history shows the folly of giving in to tyrants in Europe who believe in redrawing boundaries by force. I do not want us to show the weakness displayed against Hitler in the 1930s. He came back for more, costing us far more lives to stop his aggression.

As Keir Starmer flounders over Rochdale, Rishi Sunak is enjoying the delights of County Durham this evening. But speaking at the GB News 'People's Forum', the Prime Minister was confronted by one voter who certainly wasn't willing to stay on script. An audience member used his opportunity to speak to Sunak to angrily raise qualms held about the Covid jab, demanding he 'look him in the eye' as he made an impassioned address: We have been left with no help at all. I know people who have lost legs, I know people with heart conditions like myself, Rishi Sunak. Why have I had to set up a support group in Scotland to look after the people that have been affected by the Covid-19 vaccine?

Oh dear. It seems that the all-conquering Labour by-election machine might have come unstuck in the treacherous terrains of Rochdale. Following the death of veteran MP Tony Lloyd on 17 January, the party quickly moved the writ to elect his replacement to the House of Commons. The ensuing by-election is due to be held on 29 February, with Labour plumping for a six-week campaign for fear that a longer contest would benefit an outside challenger. Almost a third of the Rochdale electorate is comprised of Muslim voters; many of them are angry at Keir Starmer's stance over Gaza. But in their undue haste to replace Tony Lloyd, it seems that Labour have blundered badly. For the candidate they chose to replace Lloyd – a man respected on both sides of the House – is none other than Azhar Ali.

Happy new peerages’ day! These auspicious occasions seem to roll around quicker now. Rishi Sunak has clearly learned something from the rows over resignation honours for his two predecessors: stagger the names, slip out a list in recess and then hope that no-one notices. Thirteen new peers have been ennobled in the latest drive to boost ermine sales, with eight to the Tories, four to Labour and one to Plaid Cymru.  So who are this baker’s dozen of lifelong legislators? Well perhaps the most intriguing name is the Welsh nationalists’ sole nominee. At just 27, Carmen Smith will become the youngest ever life peer, smashing the record of Charlotte Owen set last year. Can’t beat a trailblazer eh?

Another twist in the ongoing TV wars. After nearly two years of competing with GB News, TalkTV's biggest star last night dropped a bombshell: Piers Morgan is taking his daily Uncensored show off the terrestrial network to focus on its YouTube channel. The former Mirror editor says that television schedules had become an 'unnecessary straitjacket' and that moving online will allow him to conduct longer, more in-depth interviews. Though hopefully in a format more riveting than last night's Tucker/Putin snoozefest... Speaking to the Times, Morgan said that greater numbers of people were watching his show on YouTube and that 'you can't defy audiences or tell them how they should be consuming'.

In most countries, it would be a major scandal if foreign hackers successfully mounted a major cyber-attack on the national library. Unfortunately, the UK does not seem to be one of them. On 28 October, the British Library suffered a major incident which has brought the venerable body to its knees. Yet you would scarcely know that one of the largest such institutions had been crippled, judging by the rather-muted response in parliament and beyond. Still, Mr S has done his part to shine a light on this unedifying episode, firing off Freedom of Information (FOI) requests at every turn. Initially staff told Steerpike that 'we will not be in a position to action or respond to your request until our systems have been fully restored'. Happily though, the systems have since recovered somewhat.

Back in the far-flung days of 2019, the Tories won plaudits for their unconventional use of social media in their landslide electoral triumph. Five years and two leaders on, it's looking like a tough ask to turn it around this time. But in Rishi Sunak, the party at least has a leader who has never been afraid of embracing novel forms of social media, from hand-signed graphics to Home Alone spoofs. And tonight Mr S hears that an innovative tactic is being trialled by the bright young things of CCHQ. Sunak is releasing a new party political broadcast in which he stands before a whiteboard and improvises his set speech. Normally, such PPBs are heavily scripted and dependant on flashy graphics. So does it work? Steerpike will leave it to his readers to be the judge of that...