On yer bike! How Soames roams the corridors of power

SIR Nicholas Soames has been causing chaos at Westminster during his efforts to lose weight. The senior Tory – grandson of Sir Winston Churchill – has taken delivery of a new bike and was pictured, right, testing it out in the corridors of Portcullis House, where MPs have offices. Unfortunately, Sir Nicholas will not be burning too many calories because the £1,000 Amps bike comes with an electric motor. But at least the MP will not be involved in any scandal. When I dared to ask if it was a freebie, he shot back: ‘Of course not! I paid for it.’

THE Norman invasion of 1066 is blamed for a lot of things – and now the release of James Blunt’s 2005 hit You’re Beautiful can be added to the tally. James took to Twitter on Friday – the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings – to make a point about migrants. ‘Today is the 950th anniversary of my family’s arrival in England as illegal immigrants,’ he wrote. ‘And I still don’t feel welcome.’ Blunt, 42, whose real name is James Blount, is a descendant of Robert le Blount, who commanded William the Conqueror’s fleet. James has his own military history, of course, serving as an officer in the Life Guards before leaving the Army in 2002 to embark on a pop career.