Revealed: how Jeremy Corbyn caused a scene at the China state banquet

Last week Jeremy Corbyn appeared to be on his best behaviour when he attended the state banquet at Buckingham Palace in honour of China’s President Xi Jinping. While he opted to attend the event solo, the republican Labour leader did manage to don white tie, and appeared to successfully make small talk with both the Royal family and members of the Chinese delegation.

Alas, word reaches Steerpike that Corbyn’s efforts during the dinner were not so well received. Mr S understands that he actually broke one of the most basic rules of dining etiquette during the lavish do: no mobile phones at the dinner table. Party guests were surprised to spy the Labour leader texting on his phone during the dinner. ‘Let’s just say, Corbyn’s time on his phone did not go unnoticed,’ Mr S’s well-placed mole confides. ‘It was the talk of the party.’

With the Labour MP Simon Danczuk claiming over the weekend that Corbyn said the event was one of the most boring nights of his life, it’s safe to conclude that he failed to hit it off with Mark Carney, who sat next to him for the dinner.