Theresa May says she will write a chapter on the Windrush controversy in her book on political scandals, after speculation that she would dodge the subject. While the synopsis of The Abuse Of Power mentions incidents such as the Grenfell Tower fire and the unsolved murder of Daniel Morgan, the topic of Windrush is absent.
During May’s time as Home Secretary and Prime Minister, hundreds of black Britons whose families arrived as Commonwealth migrants were threatened with deportation after the government said they could not prove their “right to remain” — 83 people were deported. It is estimated that nine in 10 victims of the policy have not yet received compensation. A spokesperson for the former PM says she will reflect on Windrush and her role in it.
Trump, a pain in Lady Diana’s rump
As Donald Trump prepares to publish Letters To Trump, a book collecting his correspondence with famous figures, he has been talking about those included with characteristic grace. He reportedly said Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth II “kissed my ass” in their letters. But Charles Spencer, Diana’s brother, says his sister met Trump and “viewed him as worse than an anal fissure”.
Joe Lycett takes credit for Truss downfall
Joe Lycett jokes that he “single-handedly brought down the Truss government” with his “searing wit” after he appeared on the Laura Kuenssberg Show with the shortest- serving PM. The comedian ribbed Truss a few days before she entered Number 10. Lycett says: “Only I, through satire, was able to show the public she was unfit for the job. Thank God for me.” Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Paul Mescal throws shapes to escape handshakes
After a stratospheric rise from the small screen to Hollywood, actor Paul Mescal says he negotiated the “awkward handshakes” of the Oscars afterparty circuit with a simple trick: dancing. Mescal was sensationally nominated for Best Actor for Aftersun only a few years after his breakout role in Normal People.
Private views and face tattoos
Last night a private view of Sassan Benham-Bakhtiar’s Age of Energy exhibition proved popular. Artist Nettie Wakefield was there with her new partner Owen McGinnity. Model Zara Martin went too. Radio 1’s Big Weekend launch drew DJ Clara Amfo and Lottie Moss, sporting her new “lover” face tattoo. And at Flare, the BFI’s LGBTQ+ film festival, directors Kristen Lovell and Zackary Drucker promoted their documentary The Stroll.
