Steerpike

Another day, another drama over at the Beeb. The BBC has apologised to ex-Reform MP Rupert Lowe and his Rape Gang Inquiry, acknowledging that it should have given the parliamentarian more time to respond to reports that he was being probed for not registering donations in time. Lowe was cleared of breaching MP rules In a statement released on its website, the corporation described how it ran an article on the investigation by parliament's standards watchdog into whether Lowe had not registered donations in time and therefore breached the MPs code of conduct. It noted: The BBC approached Mr Lowe for comment and published an article reporting the investigation before receiving his reply, which was judged appropriate since the fact of an investigation was in the public domain.

Uh oh. Protests have broken out outside an empty Canary Wharf hotel after claims began to circulate that migrants were being relocated to the venue from Epping. In response to the rumours spread by controversial figures like Tommy Robinson, protestors have over the last 24 hours turned up to the hotel in the centre of London's financial district and tied England flags to posts outside. While the Home Office has indeed reserved over 400 beds at Canary Wharf's four-star Britannia International Hotel – at an agreed cost of £81-a-night for every migrant that moves in – the department has stated that there are no asylum seekers or guests inside the venue at present.

Well, well, well. It would appear the former Unite the Union boss Len McCluskey is not immune to the temptation of free gifts. An internal report has revealed that the trade unionist enjoyed private jets and freebie football tickets arranged by a company in charge of building a multi-million pound hotel for the organisation. Alright for some! The Unite report notes that the Corbynite 'overruled' advice from staff and union lawyers when he signed the contract with the Flanagan Group firm – which is run by the former union boss's 'good friends' – with the company going on to overcharge Unite at least £30 million for the Birmingham hotel and conference centre project.

Reform UK has dominated headlines this morning, as the party kick off their six-week campaign on crime. During a central London presser this morning, Nigel Farage told journalists that his party will halve crime in Britain if it gets into government – insisting that all foreign criminals will be deported and serial offenders would have life sentences imposed. Strong stuff, eh? But one right-winger in particular remains pretty unimpressed with the party's latest law and order policies. Rupert Lowe, formerly of the Reform parish before he was ousted earlier this year, has taken aim at Farage on Twitter – attacking his ex-party leader for their use of the police force over his suspension.

The big guns of parliament were out in force this morning. The annual cross-party Commons v Lords shooting match has long been a fixture in the annual political calendar. After last year’s contest was dominated by the shadow of the general election, this year was a much more relaxed affair. Peers and MPs descended on Ruislip to see which of the two Houses came out on top. And in the true spirit of the Parliament Act, it was the elected Commons who (narrowly) triumphed today… The final scores from an enjoyable morning of shooting proved to be 245 for the Commons versus 212 for the Lords. Captain Greg Smith, who stepped into the breach left by Bill Wiggin, received the silver cup, heroically rescued from the Bishops’ Bar in the House of Lords.

The 2024 election was something of a disaster for the Tories. Two in every three MPs departed the Commons last July, with many cut down while only in their thirties and forties. Consequently, a disproportionate number are keen to return to parliament next time. But, it seems that their hopes have been dashed, according to an email which has gone out this evening from the CCHQ candidates’ team to those who are on the list… It begins thus: ‘As a former Member of Parliament, the Party thanks you for all your hard work and public service during your time in Parliament.’ It goes on to detail the hoops necessary to jump through for a seat next time.

Well, well, well. It was only a fortnight ago that the government was forced to gut its own welfare reform in the face of a full-blown backbench rebellion, leaving Rachel Reeves with a £5bn black hole to cover up. And now, fresh from their self-inflicted bloody nose, the Department for Work and Pensions revealed on Tuesday that the number of people receiving Universal Credit has soared within Labour’s first year by, um, over a million. The DWP also acknowledged that over a million recipients are foreign nationals – in the first time the immigration status of benefit claimants has been published. 7.9 million people are currently on the dole. That’s a 16 per cent increase from the 6.8 million in the dying days of the last government, with the vast majority (6.