Ephraim Hardcastle
DEMOTED by Jeremy Corbyn from her defence brief to become shadow secretary for culture, media and sport, Maria Eagle MP feels she always comes off second best when competing with higher-ranking twin sister Angela, Labour’s shadow first secretary of state. This happened even when the 54-yearold Eagles played chess for England in their youth. Maria said in a joint interview: ‘I didn’t feel like she’d want to beat me,’ but Angela (younger than Maria by 15 minutes) added gleefully: ‘But I did!’ Perhaps they’ll join forces against Corbyn one day soon.
OLDIE editor Alexander Chancellor, 76, has appointed comedian Barry Cryer, 80, to host the magazine’s monthly literary luncheons at Simpson’s-in-the-Strand. ‘Alexander doesn’t relish the task,’ admits Cryer. Chancellor’s predecessor, Richard Ingrams, 78, who enjoyed running the event, says: ‘I heard Alexander fell asleep and toppled out of his chair during one of his lunches.’
CHANCELLOR George Osborne gave his ‘image consultant’ a 42 per cent pay increase in December, Labour MP Kevin Brennan reminds the Commons. (A reference to Thea Rogers, 32, pictured, now his chief of staff, having had her salary raised to £98,000.) Poor Thea is blamed for Osborne’s ‘Mockney’ accent, ‘Caesarstyle’ haircut and 5:2 diet. And, by implication, for him being third (behind Boris Johnson and Theresa May) in Tory leadership polls. How unfair. George alone is responsible for his accent, haircut and diet. Also for his latest unpopular choice – dumping the inquiry into questionable banking practices.
DAVID Cameron taunts Jeremy Corbyn over the Labour leader’s chaotic reshuffle, deploying amusingly Shakespearian references such as ‘Comedy of Errors’, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ and ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’. The PM’s no Shakespearean expert, but he learnt a lot as a ‘confident’ eight-year-old playing a rabbit in the Heatherdown School, Ascot, production of Toad of Toad Hall.
WHILE comic David Mitchell, 41, presents Behaving Ourselves, a Radio 4 breakfast series on manners, pantomime dame Ann Widdecombe, 68, the retired Tory MP, explores the same subject, four hours later, on the same station, in The Etiquette Guide. Isn’t it bad manners for the BBC to waste our money in this way?
TAXPAYERS’ Alliance chief executive Jonathan Isaby posted my item about him losing seven stone – having once eaten a dozen Dunkin’ Donuts at one sitting – on his Facebook page. Which inspired a former journalistic colleague, Justin Gayner, to respond unkindly: ‘You’ve come on a long way since polishing off the 60-piece Ferrero Rocher pyramid sent to all of us as a gift.’
WHEN Valerie Singleton, 78, presents her first Audience With show at the Gala Theatre, Durham, this month, she’ll draw on her 1980s TV interviews for anecdotes, saying: ‘I asked Kingsley Amis about his intentions as a writer, which ended “or do you just enjoy having a gentle poke occasionally?” He looked at me and replied, “Oh, I don’t know, I think a gentle poke occasionally is quite fun, don’t you?” I went absolutely scarlet.’