Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner crossed the political divide yesterday as she let her hair down at the Parklife music festival in Manchester. Rayner ran into I’m A Celebrity winner Georgia “Toff” Toffolo and took a selfie.
Toff is one of few TV names who stills shouts about her Conservative leanings. She’s not just a Tory voter but a party activist, often seen in Chelsea with party chairman Greg Hands leafleting for the Government. Toff captioned the snap with Rayner: “Never kissed a Tory x”.
There’s debate in Labour on if it’s OK to get intimate with the other side. Both Sir Keir Starmer and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves say they’ve kissed Tories, something others vow they would never do. Rayner herself caused a ruckus in 2021 when she described the Conservatives as “scum” at the Labour conference. With this chummy festival encounter, is she turning over a new leaf?
Odey moves on from Crispin era
Last week we revealed rumours that scandal-hit financier Crispin Odey is not welcome in members’ club 5 Hertford Street. Over the weekend, he was dropped from the City fund he founded 32 years ago, after 13 women made sexual misconduct allegations against him. He denies them all. Last night, the company wrote a letter to clients saying “we plan to announce a complete rebrand”. They need it, as the missive had a huge letter-heading reading: “ODEY”.
Uxbridge is on the horizon for Danny
The Labour candidate trying to win Boris Johnson’s old seat has spoken of his “whirlwind weekend” getting ready for a suprise by-election. Johnson resigned as the MP from Uxbridge on Friday night after being told he’d be suspended from Parliament for more than 10 days over Partygate. It leaves Danny Beales, the Labour candidate, left, hoping to win the vote. “It wasn’t how I envisioned my weekend,” he told us from a pub in between door-knocking yesterday. Beales will have to move house, as he’s currently still a councillor in Camden. Party leader Sir Keir Starmer sent Labour members an email on Friday, and Beales a text. “I’ve not had a conversation with him but he sent me a nice supportive message,” he said.
Could this man be the next Mayor?
Over the weekend former political adviser Daniel Korski emerged as a favourite to be the Tories’ London mayoral candidate: he made the shortlist of three and he’s even got Michael Gove’s support. But Korski has had bad luck of late. One of his jobs is serving as a director of London’s Jewish Museum. Last week the museum announced it is closing after heavy losses. A Jewish News writer called it “an embarrassing shock”.
Kaluuya’s back in Camden
He’s Hollywood famous now but actor Daniel Kaluuya is returning to London, at least part time, to be the new associate artistic director of the Roundhouse in Camden. His main preoccupation will be running a youth theatre company at the venue. “I attended some of my first drama classes as a teen right here,” the Oscar-winning star of Get Out says. Welcome home.
