PUBLISHED: 00:41, 23 September 2024 | UPDATED: 01:02, 23 September 2024
Always a major publishing event, Jeffrey Archer's latest novel An Eye For An Eye arrives in the shops tomorrow.
Inside the cover of the latest in the William Warwick detective series is a reference to the former Tory deputy chairman's formidable wife Dame Mary Archer.
An accomplished chemist and former chair of the Science Museum Group, she is described as the chair of the Royal Parks. These glorious areas of green space in the capital date back to the reign of Henry VIII, and include Hyde Park, Bushy Park and Green Park.
Trouble is, the cover, printed weeks ago, is out of date. Last week the Labour Government spitefully cancelled Dame Mary's unpaid appointment, announced by the previous government in May.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said that Loyd Grossman, the former TV chef, who has held the post since 2016, would carry on in the role instead. There was no reference to Dame Mary, who had actually held a convivial meeting with Grossman to discuss the transition.
Sir John Major's grey image belies a taste for strong cocktails. The former PM told the BBC's Amol Rajan that his guilty pleasure is 'lemon drop martinis, preferably in the plural'. When Rajan said he'd never heard of the tipple,
Sir John replied: 'Then your life needs to be enhanced.'
No one can accuse new Green MP Carla Denyer of lacking ambition.
'While I'm not chomping at the bit to be Prime Minister, I can imagine a future where that seems like the most useful thing I can do,' she tells Vogue in a glossy profile.
She is styled in a Vivienne Westwood turtleneck and Sezane trousers for the photoshoot.
Enough to make Lady Starmer jealous.
Labour veteran Diane Abbott, who saw off an attempt to deselect her at the last election by the party leadership, said on the podcast How To Fail With Elizabeth Day: 'I've never had a nice chat with Keir Starmer. Never.'
Newsflash: Former Tory MP Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg was spotted lunching with an older woman at one of London's top hotels.
On closer inspection it turned out to be Sir Jacob's nanny, Veronica.
He took her to Claridge's to celebrate her completing 59 years with the family. What a gent.
Angela's not top of the togs
With Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner under fire over £2,230 worth of free clothes from the luxury brand ME+EM, the veteran former BBC broadcaster Liz Kershaw speaks for many when she says of one outfit: 'I'd refuse this even if it were free.'
On BBC's Strictly on Saturday night, blind contestant, comic Chris McCausland, gave as good as he got to judge Craig Revel Horwood, who is known for being mean to contestants.
Chris quips: 'I will drive you home tonight!'
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