Understand that Sir Iain Duncan Smith - a staunch critic of the Chagos deal - has just got back from a week in Washington where he has been lobbying on this issue. The Tory MP met with figures from the White House, National Security Council and Departments of War and State.

Jenrick: "As a signal of intent, today, Reform is changing our policy on the two-child cap for Universal Credit. The policy was well-meaning. We want to help working families have more children. But right now, we just cannot afford to do so with welfare. So it has to go."

Exc: James Orr is Reform’s new Head of Policy, with Zia Yusuf focusing on his new Home Affairs brief Will work closely with friend Danny Kruger on getting ready for government + focus on developing talent pipeline spectator.com/article/at-t...

Vintage quote in Tina Brown piece. After lunch with the-then Prince Andrew, Boris commented, “I’m the last person to be a republican, but fuck. If I ever have to spend another lunch like that, I soon will be.”

Reform’s new shadow cabinet team: Leader: Nigel Farage Chancellor: Robert Jenrick Home: Zia Yusuf Business, Trade & Energy: Richard Tice Education & Skills: Suella Braverman Chief Whip: Lee Anderson

Mix of “Weakest Link” & “Take Me Out” vibes to the Reform presser set up. New Shad cab team are introduced, get a spotlight on them and then it gets turned out when their time is up.

New: Greater Manchester Police confirm that the investigation into the Reform leaflet missing an imprint has concluded. Spox: “We have contacted all interested parties... to provide advice and guidance about promotional communications going forward.” No suggestion of further action.

Penny for Owen's thoughts:

Long way from “a hard rain on Whitehall”

🔥 "Government source" to The Times hits back at Simon MacDonald over Antonia Romeo: "This is a desperate attempt from a senior male official whose time has passed but spent their career getting Britain into the mess it finds itself in today."

This week's @thespectator1828.bsky.social column on how the Tories are using parliament: 🗣️How Brexit-era veterans used Humble Address against Starmer ✉️ Why the 1922 chair isn't rushing to buy a new safe 🕵️But Reform in talks with at least 3 Tory MPs about defecting spectator.com/article/we-k...

An excoriating read from Tim: 3,500 words with every quote from a Labour source. Where did it all go wrong for Keir Starmer? t.co/DSOH5vDinb

Ed Davey channels Lady Bracknell: "To appoint one paedophile supporter cannot be excused as misfortune. To appoint two shows a catastrophic lack of judgement."

Kemi Badenoch: "We weren't the ones stuffing government with hypocrites and paedophile apologists"

Keir Starmer: "Matthew Doyle did not give a full account of his actions"

New: at Political Cabinet this morning, the Prime Minister thanked members for their support and said they were “strong and united.”

Some 37 seconds of applause for Keir Starmer when he walks into the PLP. Nothing but respect for the MP who’s turned up wearing a huge BIRTHDAY GIRL badge

Labour MP acknowledges "terrible mistake" of Mandelson appointment but says cool heads must prevail: "The PM still has a huge majority in the Commons and three years of his term to run. Everyone needs to calm the fuck down and focus on the job we came here to do.”

Starmer to No. 10 staff re McSweeney: "We have run up and down every political football pitch that is across the country. We've been in every battle that we needed to be in together. Fighting that battle. We changed the Labour Party together."

Labour MP says “staff going are one thing” but question among their colleagues is “who will be the first minister over the top?”

New: Tim Allan quits as director of No. 10 strategic communications after just five months

‘I’m not a genius now,’ Isaac Levido said after the 2019 landslide, ‘and I won’t be an idiot when we lose.’ @ShippersUnbound on McSweeney and the fickle nature of politics and power spectator.com/article/morg...

Senior Reform source reacts to Morgan McSweeney’s exit: “Labour promised change - yet they’ve continued the Tory chaos we suffered for years. Is it any wonder both parties are tanking in the polls? Will the last Starmer loyalist leaving No. 10 turn the lights off?”

New: Morgan McSweeney quits “I remain fully supportive of the Prime Minister. He is working every day to rebuild trust, restore standards and serve the country. I will continue to back that mission in whatever way I can. It has been the honour of my life to serve.”

Next Sunday marks 15 years since Larry the Cat was appointed Chief Mouser. A pillar of continuity in a transient political age.

Deeply weird behaviour. And good on Henry, who was first to report on this at Business Insider

Email from Archie Norman, GC's chairman: "Benjamin Wegg-Prosser, founder and CEO of Global Counsel, has decided to step down. The Board has asked Rebecca Park to take on the leadership of GC."

Tory MP on Starmer: "He's a dead man walking – the only question is how much more walking."

The Mandelson scandal could not have broken at a worse time for Labour in Gorton and Denton. Postal votes go out this week and the party is desperate to define its distinct brand of 'Manchester Labour.' Dispatch from the seat here: spectator.com/article/itll...

Tory source gets in touch… “Given that PM’s argument is that it was ok for Mandelson to be friends with a paedophile but the "scale and extent" crossed a line, will the Cabinet Office be publishing guidance on acceptable relationships with paedophiles. Coffee ok but not dinner?”

If only there was some clue that he was like this.

New: Peter Mandelson quits the Labour Party

Robert Hardman in the Mail notes that the Gorton and Denton constituency has two claims to fame – as the birthplace of the Gallagher brothers and the phrase 'mad as a hatter'.

Chatting to a fair few Tories, suspect the immediate future of the British right looks more like Prosperity than Prosper

Very encouraging report in the Telegraph on Britain's economic prospects – and potentially Labour's hopes too

Mala Tribich addressed Cabinet this morning, the first Holocaust survivor to do so. Liberated from Bergen-Belsen, she asked ministers to do more to tackle antisemitism following the Manchester and Australia attacks

Remarkably quick by election in Gorton and Denton - due to be held in five weeks’ time on Thursday 26 February. Cue a mad scramble for candidates.

Farage to me on Braverman: “I think she’s reached the view that actually the centre right of British politics needs to unify around Reform - or if you like Ruth Davidson - you pays your money and you take your choice.”

New: Nigel Farage unveils Suella Braverman, former Home Secretary, as his latest defector

Danny Kruger at Veterans for Reform: “Nigel Farage basically saved the Chagos Islands last week… I don’t know how he did it but he went to Davos and he got the Chagos Islands back.”

David Miliband out and about in Westminster this morning. Shock return on the cards?

Matthew Charles Hellyer, the new president of Veterans for Reform, at its launch: “I see my friends in the dock, I don’t see generals and I don’t see lawyers. They are the people who wrote the laws and enforced the laws that we followed. And now it’s us who are facing court.”

NEW: The decision to block Burnham will delight Nigel Farage, who wants to unveil a big name candidate in coming weeks. Reform has canvassed the seat since Oct. As a minister notes “the polls there don’t take into account what they will throw at this” spectator.com/article/the-...

Hmmmm. Statement from the Labour party on 'blockgate':

Kemi Badenoch’s choice of Desert Island Discs. For her luxury she picked the 22 ‘Marvel universe’ superhero films. Her book is Thackeray’s ‘Vanity Fair.’

Interesting what Labour big beasts are saying about Burnham –Sadiq Khan, Lucy Powell and Ed Miliband all lining up at the Fabian Soc conference today saying they want him to stand, with Streeting criticising anti-Burnham briefings spectator.com/article/andy...

NEW: Andy Burnham confirms - he’s running

Lovely quote from a minister on whether Burnham should stand: “There are rules against Kings entering the Commons for good reason. This way ruin lies.” Via Newsnight

The Chagos pause is a microcosm of the battle on the right – both the Conservatives and Reform claim credit for different reasons: spectator.com/article/star...

NEW: Understand Scott Bessent and Nigel Farage discussed Diego Garcia and Chagos during their dinner at Davos. US Treasury Sec believed to have credited Farage for getting this issue in the President’s in-tray and subsequent Trump stance.