Londoner's Diary
Labour had a swanky Christmas party at County Hall last night, laid on by campaign group Labour Together and the Daily Mirror.
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper joked the Government had “sent more home secretaries than asylum seekers to Rwanda” and said opposite number James Cleverly thinks the plan is “batshit” and the Tories have gone “apeshit”. How erudite from the possible next Home Secretary.
Angela Rayner, above, turned up late, raided the canapés, and showed us the “live, laugh, love”-style quote she has on her bedroom wall, which reads: "Today will never come again, be a blessing be a friend, encourage someone, take time to care, let your light shine and remember, you are someone's reason to smile". She assured us Keir Starmer is not boring, just serious. One of Starmer’s senior advisors told us anyone who thinks he is dull should see him on a 5-aside pitch, hollering and swearing at his teammates – they have a friendly team in the office. Is he competitive? Very.
The party was spread across two rooms. There was a huge third room intended to be a disco, with a slightly mournful looking DJ playing noughties bangers to a crowd of zero – save for Wes Streeting having a hushed conversation in the corner with Keir’s right-hand man, Morgan McSweeney.
On the other side of the river there was a rival Tory drinks bash held by think tank Onward. Cleverly, below, spoke up in favour of the PM’s Rwanda strategy and against the Right-wing so-called “Spartans” threatening to block it. A confused classical analogy followed, as Cleverly said the Government “need to have the resolve, the determination, of those Spartan warriors. This time I’m determined that, unlike the struggle of Thermopylae, we are not going to be destroyed — we are going to be victorious.” A failed attempt, perhaps, to channel Boris Johnson?
Putting the Tory in Victorian
Keeping up to date with the latest sartorial trends has never been this government’s primary concern. But our sights have now turned from Rishi Sunak’s ankle-grazing trousers to the current predisposal for the down-and-out Victorian gentleman look.
Michael Gove pitched up to Parliament yesterday sporting a bushy pair of sideburns, which stole the limelight from his speech on housing reform. Meanwhile Devon MP Geoffrey Cox gave an interview wearing a curious assortment of garments reminiscent of David Copperfield on a shooting weekend. Around his neck was a cravat of the Dickensian style. He paired this with a Schöffel (those gilets that people in the home counties wear), beneath an old Barbour jacket, with the tartan lining complimenting his paisley cravat in a most eye-catching way. Come on lads, you might still have a year yet.
Quizmas is coming
There was a merry atmosphere at the Kings Arms pub in Bermondsey last night for the inaugural Ultimate Christmas Quiz in aid of Children with Cancer. Comedian Rob Brydon was quizmaster for the night, and gave his own soaring renditions of Christmas classics for the music round. Team captains included Spice Girl Emma Bunton and presenter Laura Whitmore. Sarah, Duchess of York, who has just finished cancer treatment, also played along with writer Sarah Standing. Whitmore’s team won.
