When Sir Keir Starmer purged Jeremy Corbyn from Labour yesterday — announcing he would never again be allowed to stand for the party in Islington North — we awaited a deluge of outrage from Corbyn’s top supporters. It never came. To date, his closest lieutenants have kept schtum, among them his shadow chancellor John McDonnell, chosen successor Rebecca Long-Bailey, young hope Zarah Sultana and chief attack dogs Richard Burgon and Barry Gardiner.
None has said a word on record about Starmer’s announcement. Why? Perhaps because, if they step out of line, their fate will be the same as Corbyn’s. Only his oldest ally, Diane Abbott, has displayed loyalty. She has taken to Twitter and the airwaves to attack Starmer. Will she pay a price for sticking by Corbyn?
Liz Truss: ‘you can’t read me like a book’
As part of her attempt at a comeback this month, shortest-serving prime minister Liz Truss sat down for an interview with The Spectator magazine. One of their journalists, James Heale, moonlighted last year as Truss’s biographer, co-writing Out Of The Blue, an account of her “unexpected rise and rapid fall”. But with a sudden shed-load of free time on her hands since leaving office, has she read it? According to Heale, Truss airily dismissed the question, saying she doesn’t bother with “fiction”. Ouch.
Friend or foe? Lead actor cast in James Joyce biopic
Rupert Friend will play James Joyce, author of Ulysses, in an upcoming biopic. But does the actor know what he’s getting himself into? The last big name to play Joyce was Ewan McGregor in the film Nora. The performance dwelt on Joyce’s foul-mouthed side, and was slammed by relatives claiming it damaged his reputation. Joyce had a colourful life, so how much will make the cut this time?
Fitzdares move upstairs... above a pub
Elite sports club Fitzdares is still on the hunt for a permanent home. The “world’s poshest bookies” was recently kicked out of Mayfair by landlord Grosvenor Estates. Members of the £600-a-year club tell us they are currently slumming it in the upstairs room of a pub in Belgravia. Their famous beef wellington and claret suppers feel a little incongruous there. There’s still hope: they could win big at Cheltenham.
To Bourdon, to toast Baftas
Last night some of the biggest talents in British TV and film chillaxed at Bourdon House, a Georgian pile in Mayfair. Dunhill, which now runs the house as its flagship store, was hosting a pre-Bafta dinner and party. Former Journey’s End co-stars Sam Claflin and Asa Butterfield sipped drinks and Gugu Mbatha-Raw MBE posed for a picture with Charlotte Riley from Peaky Blinders. Nathaniel Curtis of It’s A Sin also attended, bending black-tie rules. Nearby at Curzon Mayfair, Yasmin Finney and Milly Alcock enjoyed a Miu Miu Women’s Tales Screening.
