A swell party

Last night, The Spectator celebrated its (modern) birthday, July 5, 1828, and its move to the heart of Westminster with the magazine’s annual summer party. It isn’t for me to speak for others but, as host, I had a fantastic time. Inclement weather meant the elevation of a marquee in the garden of 22 Old Queen Street – or, rather, a Big Tent, which was able to accommodate the Prime Minister and other members of the Cabinet, as well as an A-team of top Tories led by George Osborne. Gordon walked over from Number Ten and revealed that he is still finding rooms in the building he did not know existed. We talked – as you do – about the respective merits of Gertrude Himmelfarb and Linda Colley, as well as the success of Britain’s Got Talent. David Miliband was probably our tallest guest, rivalled only by Geoff Hoon, and Alan Duncan always gives Mary Killen a run for her money at the other end of the spectrum.