Corbyn’s university challenged

WATCHING University Challenge for Channel 4’s Celebrity Gogglebox, Comrade Corbyn heard Jeremy Paxman ask: ‘Against which city state did Rome fight the three Punic Wars in the third and second centuries?’ Corbyn confidently answered: ‘Sparta.’ Jessica Hynes, star of BBC spoof W1A, sitting beside him on the sofa, convulsed in a fit of giggles. An embarrassed Corbyn then said: ‘Oh third century? I got the wrong century. Of course, Carthage, of course.’ The perils of live television.

Silence from labour over the unravelling of the reputation of Kevin Spacey, who was the star turn at the party’s conference in Blackpool in 2002. ‘Spacey was a really fun guy who turned up with Bill [clinton] for northern night, and did a brilliant impersonation of him,’ recalled Blair. What else did Spacey get up to on Blackpool’s Golden Mile?

THERESA May had to withdraw at short notice from presenting The Spectator magazine Parliamentarian of the Year Awards to deal with the enforced departure of Sir Michael Fallon as Defence Secretary. Last year, when she went on stage to receive the Parliamentarian of the Year award, she dressed in the hard hat and high-vis jacket combination that became synonymous with George Osborne, the former Chancellor, who was presenting the prizes. Osborne never forgave May, and has been taking his revenge in the columns of the evening Standard, which he now edits, ever since.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: ‘I came here for the free food.’ Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner reacting to winning the Spectator’s Rising Star of the Year award.