Barbs out for Labour’s Jess

A FUNNY tale from Jess Phillips after days doorstep canvassing as she defends Birmingham Yardley for Labour. ‘I was given a huge cactus by one voter — and five days later I’m still picking tiny barbs from my arms.’ She’s convinced the plant was a ‘present’ from a supporter of her Lib Dem rival. Veteran tory John redwood, who first stood as an MP 35 years ago, seems trapped in a timewarp. In a questionnaire delivered on his behalf, voters are urged: ‘thinking of May 9, 2017, who would you prefer to be prime minister — theresa May or Jeremy Corbyn?’ May 9? that was almost two weeks ago. Surely he means June 9? TRUISM OF THE WEEK: While Theresa May rejects suggestions that her bold and honest vision for Britain should be coined ‘Mayism’, Jeremy Corbyn is also in denial — that his hard-Left manifesto is ‘Maoism’. SULKY Tory Remainer Anna Soubry has clearly been wrestling with the problem of how to portray herself as she fights to be re-elected in the seat of Broxtowe in Nottinghamshire. There’s no clue to voters — who were pro-Leave in last year’s EU referendum — that she’s been a pro-Brussels, rebel anti-Brexiteer. Equally, the word ‘Conservative’ has been consigned to the bottom corner of ‘Vote Soubry’ posters. Instead, the phrase ‘Standing with Theresa May’ is given most prominence. Is this being two-faced, or just that Soubry has been forced to eat a lot of humble pie, considering that Mrs May sacked her from the government last year?