From Reggie to Dessie: It’s Mike Penning as Father Christmas – and carols led by Dr Coffey on a karaoke machine
Plus: Boris’s party is raided by the Vice and Drugs Squads. The Home Secretary says it was “a police operational decision”
Posts Tagged: Simon Burns MP
Knighthood for Simon Burns included in The Queen’s Birthday Honours
Cllr Peter Golds is honoured with a CBE.
Andrew Gimson’s Commons Sketch: Good humour reigns on the Tory benches
But there were the first signs of animosity between Labour and the SNP.
From Reggie to Dessie: Let’s raise a glass to the real architect of our victory – Nicola Sturgeon
So we are back at the Palace of Varieties with far more MPs than expected – and relatively few casualties.
From Reggie to Dessie: My encounter with the Conservative Ministerial Women’s Breakfast Club
The next day, I went to deliver leaflets in Rochester. We kept being delayed by Simon Burns insisting on showing passing punters his Hillary Clinton watch.
Profile: John Bercow, one of the best Speakers of modern times, but also by far the rudest
The case for Bercow as a great reformer tends to be obscured by his astonishingly bad manners.
Andrew Gimson’s PMQs sketch: hostilities suspended as Cameron and Miliband unite in the face of terrorism
Only the points of order raised against John Bercow by three Tory MPs struck a partisan note.
Iain Dale’s Friday Diary: Ed Miliband should apologise to Andrew Mitchell
Also: Meeting Princess Michael. My old friend Simon Burns. Alastair Campbell, my stand-in. And: off to Dubrovnik and “the odd Ann Widdecombe pussy joke”.
WATCH: Eleanor Laing and Simon Burns make their pitches to be Deputy Speaker
An awkward question for Burns – which MP called John Bercow a “stupid, sanctimonious dwarf”?
Streeter shines at ’22 Deputy Speaker hustings
He seems to have been the most impressive performer – “very professional”, said one source. “Surprised on the upside” said another.
Laing favourite for Deputy Speaker as hustings loom today
She’s keen to stress that she isn’t Cameron’s candidate. And there may be an element of women-voting-for-women on the Labour side.
What might the reshuffle look like?
Watch out for Sajid Javid, Esther McVey, Liz Truss, Nicky Morgan and Karen Bradley.
WATCH: Simon Burns resigns to stand as Deputy Speaker. Here’s his view of his possible future boss
No Minister serves forever, and I suspect that Burns will have gazed ahead to the coming reshuffle and looked sideways at the Deputy Speaker post.
Jim McAuslan: Ministers should ally with trade unions like mine to battle shoddy EU rules
Conservatives can find supporters in the trade union movement – why won’t they listen to them?