Jeremy Corbyn is still thinking about whether to run for mayor as an independent next year. We met a sphinx-like JC at the premiere for Ken Loach’s film The Old Oak in Leicester Square last night, and asked the question many are wondering: could the exiled ex-Labour leader run for office? “No comment... at this stage,” he replied.
A recent forecast said if Corbyn runs, he would split the Labour vote, letting Tory candidate Susan Hall in. Corbyn also wouldn’t say if he would run as an independent MP in Islington North, where Keir Starmer has said he can’t run for Labour. This morning, Corbyn told us he would continue to “campaign for a redistribution of wealth and power” like he’s done for 40 years.
It was a Left-wing reunion last night, as Corbyn and his ex-Labour sidekick John McDonnell supported Loach, who Corbyn called “a legend”. Both are now in exile from the Labour Party. Loach didn’t mince his words with his contempt for the current party leadership, saying “If we show solidarity, we can defeat Sunak and his fellow Tory: Starmer.” The Old Oak has been billed as Palm D’Or winner Loach’s final film, but he hinted at more: “Never say never”.
Art scene continues to bare all
There’s no room for prudes on London’s art scene at the moment, where you can’t move for naked bodies. Performance artist Fyodor Pavlov-Andreevich launched his show ANTIFURNITURE at the Design Museum yesterday. Highlights include a three-storey chair, where the artist sits buck naked in the middle. We noticed that sculptor Sir Antony Gormley clambered up to the top seat for a snap.
Meanwhile, over at The Royal Academy, visitors to the Marina AbramoviÄ retrospective must squeeze through a pair of naked performers in a narrow doorway to access the exhibition. The performers have reported that visitors have been typically British, apologising profusely as they pass them by. There is a separate entrance for the gymnophobes (people who are afraid of nudity), but where’s the fun in that?
The struggle for Claridge’s
Could Claridge’s success in a hotel awards prove expensive for its Qatari owners? Last week, the hotel, a favourite of the late Queen’s, was named 16th in the Top 50 Hotel Awards, the highest UK entry.
The Qatari royal family is locked in an arbitration dispute with businessman Paddy McKillen over four hotels in the Maybourne Hotel Group, which McKillen spent £800m renovating. He claims they are worth billions, and insiders think the awards could help his case.
A hotel industry insider told us: “The owners have been crowing about the awards. But it’s strange they don’t seem to be prepared to pay what they owe to the man who helped reinvent one of the world’s best hotels.” McKillen and The Maybourne Hotel Group declined to comment.
Bienvenue à Paris
The stars have decamped from Milan to Paris for the final leg of an exhausting fashion month. Hailey Bieber said she felt “delusional and jetlagged” after touching down in the City of Love, but Selena Gomez was all smiles outside her hotel. On Sunday, Gomez watched PSG football team with pals Nicola and Brooklyn Peltz-Beckham. Last night, Rainey Qualley, Princess Olympia of Greece, and Poppy Delevingne glammed up for a Bulgari Serpenti Icon event. Delevingne, 37, is dating Greece’s younger brother, Prince Constantine, 24.
