Politicos’ karaoke choices in Playbook: Nigel Farage- “New York, New York” Jeremy Corbyn- “American Pie” Zack Polanski- “Don’t Stop Me Now” Mel Stride- “Break My Stride” George Osborne- “Last Friday Night” Robert Jenrick- “Islands in the Stream” Angela Rayner- “Don’t Look Back in Anger”

Most appearances on the ministerial broadcast round in 2025: 🥇Bridget Phillipson (12) 🥈Wes Streeting (11) 🥉Steve Reed (10) Via LabourList

Alex Burghart on a bank holiday in 2027 to mark 1,100 years since Athelstan’s unification of England: “We will all be celebrating hard. I'm not sure that Athelstan will want us to take a day off work, but I hope that everyone around the country gets the chance to raise a glass to his late majesty.”

Politicos given gongs in the new year’s honours list: -Anneliese Dodds gets a damehood -Sarah Clarke, ex Black Rod, a damehood -Jon Ashworth given a CBE -Adam Ingram a knighthood -Chris Ruane an OBE

After last year’s projector stunt, Reform UK has today parked two removal vans outside CCHQ. Source: “Reform surpassed the Tories in every possible metric during 2025 - bring on 2026.” It comes ahead of the Conservatives’ looming move out of Matthew Parker Street.

Had lots of fun doing the Christmas quiz with @matildamartin.bsky.social @tomscotson.bsky.social Harriet Symonds, @jaheale.bsky.social and @zoegrunewald.bsky.social 🎄🔔🎁 (I blame the 10am Baileys for mine and Tilda’s team name being PolHoes…) Listen here: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...

Tough media round for him

Many politicians have hungered after the premiership; most never get there. William Waldegrave on how the birth of his first child and seeing greatness up close made him realise he would never become Prime Minister:

Thinking again of Priti Patel’s Christmas Playbook answer on what got her through lockdown:

Winter fuel, the welfare cuts, now IHT changes - HM Treasury caused a lot of pain for little gain in the first year of the Starmer ministry

Big farming news via @shippersunbound.bsky.social: Government set to announce the IHT threshold allowance will rise from £1m to £2.5m, so family farms will be spared. If there is a spouse the limit rises to £5m - that’s on top of the spousal transfer change announcement from the Budget

Amid the ongoing expulsion of the last hereditaries, "The Lord's Tale" has now been reuploaded to YouTube It covers the removal of 600+ peers and features a wonderful array of characters youtube.com/watch?v=KhFLxlTsOrI&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fx.com%2F&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE

A poll by Lord Ashcroft in today's Mail on Sunday has the Tories just three points behind Reform UK REF - 25 per cent CON - 22 per cent GRN - 19 per cent LAB - 18 per cent LDs – 10 per cent Polling of 5,195 voters between 11 and 15 December

Excited to be writing a book on Reform UK with Harper Collins, out 2027

Will Starmer and Allan succeed where Johnson and Cain failed? t.co/3BfNiphbwF

No. 10 plans to instigate a series of morning conferences in Downing Street open to the lobby, sector journalists and content creators. Will raise questions over whether access will be granted to the burgeoning independent sphere on both left + right

The UNISON election result is bad news for Starmer - for multiple reasons spectator.com/article/keir...

Welsh Labour in dire straits according to a new YouGov/Cardiff Uni Senedd poll - Plaid Cymru - 33% - Reform UK - 30% - Labour - 10% - Conservatives - 10% - Green - 9% - Lib Dem - 6% In seats: Plaid Cymru - 39 Reform UK - 34 Labour - 10 Conservatives - 6 Green - 4 Lib Dem - 3

Lot of anger tonight from rural groups at Sir Keir’s seemingly callous response to Qs about the impact of inheritance tax relief changes today. One in the farming community says: “The PM’s brainless comments have added fuel to a totally unnecessary war on the countryside.”

Keir Starmer tells the Liaison Committee 'I have taken action' on past leaks including the 'removal of individuals'. Who might he have in mind?

Superb anecdote about Charles Stourton, 26th Baron Mowbray – the oldest of the 92 elected hereditaries in 1999

Absolutely tremendous stuff from this week's Popbitch

Christmas column on a remarkable year in British politics. As 2026 dawns, May will be the pivotal moment. For the first time, the UK could have three nationalist First Ministers in Holyrood, Stormont and Cardiff. www.spectator.co.uk/article/will...

New - Bonnie Blue nails her colours to the mast, writing in The Spectator: “Reform has sensible positions on immigration and inheritance tax, so I stand with Nigel Farage.”

Over lunch at 5 Hertford Street, Nigel Farage told Jordan Bardella today that he would instruct the Royal Navy to turn back small boats crossing the Channel Bardella's approving comments have been seized upon by Reform: www.spectator.co.uk/article/fara...

New: Welsh Labour understood to have agreed a Senedd budget deal with Plaid Cymru. Polls suggest a Plaid First Minister, backed by Labour, is a likely outcome post May. Reform Wales source: "Labour are up shit’s creek and Plaid have just handed them a paddle."

New: senior Labour MP Karl Turner on revolt over plans to abolish jury trials - “I’m confident there enough of us to stop this utterly ludicrous proposal. Numbers are growing from those that are not considered the “awkward squad”.“ 1/2

🔥 Starmer in The Observer: "The Green party thinks it’s all right to sell drugs and there should be no restrictions. So somebody could sell drugs outside my children’s school but, if you’re a landlord, it should be unlawful. That’s nuts. They’re dangerous."

New: Tories are getting a new home The Conservative Party Foundation has spent £14.3 million on a new five-floor building at a Castle Lane location, half a mile from Parliament The move out of £1m-a-year Matthew Parker Street comes as lease ends summer 2026

New: Lord Offord will work with Danny Kruger on plans for the ‘size and shape’ of a future Reform government. Senior aide: "At the heart of this is a plan to make ministers directly responsible for what their departments do." www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-...

New: A second sitting Tory frontbencher in Westminster defects to Reform, three months after Danny Kruger. Lord Offord quits the shadow team in the Upper House to become Reform's first peer. He intends to stand for Nigel Farage's party at next year's Holyrood elections.

The first three guests on the Liz Truss show tonight are Matt Goodwin, Alex Phillips and Peter McCormack – striking that all three have strong ties to the Reform party

New: Liz Truss will tomorrow premiere the first episode of The Liz Truss Show. Billed as "A bold new programme in a media landscape dominated by groupthink and timid consensus". Truss: "The Deep State tried to destroy me but now I'm back and excited to launch this show."

New: Lady Rothermere, wife of the owner of the Daily Mail, gave Reform UK £50,000 in Q3. A potential indicator of where the Tory press could go at the next election.

New: Reform UK top the Q3 donations for 2025, with £10m - thanks to a £9m sum given by Christopher Harborne. The Tories raised £4.8million in Q3, Labour £2.2million. Within Milbank Tower, there is delight at the figures, given how much Kemi Badenoch’s team have made of their fundraising efforts.

Starmer used his Guildhall speech last night to roll the pitch for his China visit. But will it actually yield any results? www.spectator.co.uk/article/star...

They think it's all OBR... it is now: www.spectator.co.uk/article/rich...

Breaking: Richard Hughes quits the OBR post-Budget leak report "It is in the best interest of the OBR for me to resign as its Chair and take full responsibility to the shortcomings identified in the report"

Jonathan Gullis has today become the latest former Tory MP to join Reform. In a low-key announcement, he wrote on his Facebook page that Britain requires “bold, radical ideas” and criticises the Conservative failures on Net Zero and migration.

Zack Polanski looks to be the obvious winner from Liverpool: www.spectator.co.uk/article/zack...

Intriguing piece by the PM’s biographer observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

In this week's Spectator both Michael Simmons and I make the case for restoring a great Budget tradition: www.spectator.co.uk/article/brin...

Exc: Reform UK spend £1 million on a Budget blitz 📰 Some £700k spent on newspaper ads featuring Nigel Farage's 'letter to the nation' 💰Insiders bullish about tide of new donations 📈 Aim is to prove to biz community they can handle economy best www.spectator.co.uk/article/insi...

Nine of the ten constituencies most hit by the 'mansion tax' are held by Labour MPs, via Bradshaw Advisory As I say on Coffee House Shots, the London borough elections next year could be interesting

Jolly decent of the OBR to oblige early. Pub?

Jeremy Hunt on how his ancestor George Ward Hunt – a fellow Chancellor of the Exchequer – invented a key Treasury tradition in 1868: “He delivered one budget but forgot his speech and had to dash back to Number 11 to fetch it. MPs were furious... 1/2"

The Culture Select Committee has had more than its fair share of fireworks over the years. But tomorrow’s hearing on the BBC could be one for the ages. Keep an eye on the two Lib Dems, given that Ed Davey has called for Robbie Gibb to resign…

David Cameron reveals to the Times that he has had prostate cancer, after his wife Samantha urged him to get tested. Following successful treatment, he says he is using his platform now to encourage more men to get tested.

NEW: Daily Mail have signed £500m deal to buy the Daily Telegraph with RedBird IMI The Rothermeres finally get the broadsheet they always craved

Lloyd Russell-Moyle and others will take great joy in inflicting revenge on a Labour leadership which drummed them out the party. It's not just business – it's personal too. From August: www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-...