Lots of new guests are in Liverpool for the Labour party conference this year. Right-of-centre magazine The Spectator held its first ever party at the event last night, and shadow cabinet heavyweights Rachel Reeves, Wes Streeting and Angela Rayner turned up.
Editor Fraser Nelson said this was “terra incognita”, but he wants to have a bash every year from now on. “When the Corbyn era was here our party would have probably been more of a firebomb target than a place of hospitality,” he joked. Nelson said he and his journalists had designed “a politically sensitive drinks menu”, with no champagne, for the Labour crowd. Instead, the bar served Guinness and cocktails including a “Keir Royale” after the Labour leader. Reeves had one, but Rayner and Streeting didn’t. One guest told us hers tasted a little bland.
Boris Johnson used to edit The Spectator, and it has often been called a “Tory bible”. But Nelson isn’t happy with the name, saying the mag is full of “all sorts of things”. Plenty of Labour bigwigs seem to agree. Even Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff Sue Gray was there, who was once a civil servant who investigated Partygate. “She knows a good party when she sees one,” Nelson laughed.
Around the corner, ex-leader Jeremy Corbyn addressed a The World Transformed event, defending “grassroots music venues”. It seems a long time since he was in charge.
It’s party time for birthday boy Sadiq
Sadiq Khan celebrated his 53rd birthday with a marathon round of appearances at Labour conferences yesterday. One was at the New Statesman magazine’s party at the Museum of Liverpool, where the London Mayor struggled to be heard above the din. Khan seemed to encourage Labour to get behind HS2, saying the lesson to be learned from the success of the Elizabeth line was “build it and they will come”. “If anybody here... wants Keir to make any spending commitments, this is the time … he’s in a good mood because Arsenal are top of the table,” he joked (they are actually second behind Tottenham, but never mind). He also praised Sir Keir’s response to the war in Israel, saying it would have been “I suspect very different if Keir Starmer hadn’t been our leader”. After a long day, Khan got a rousing happy birthday at Dawn Butler’s Jamaica party, which went on late into the night.
Let’s get together, Gareth
The new run of Dear England, James Graham’s play about Gareth Southgate and the England team, opens tonight at the Prince Edward Theatre. The show’s star Joseph Fiennes, right, gave the Evening Standard Theatre Podcast a backstage look at his prep for the role, describing not just the waistcoat and false teeth he has to wear, but also the hours spent studying interviews with Southgate to get his voice right.
Fiennes spotted Gary Lineker and Ian Wright in the audience during the last run, but the England manager hasn’t yet come along. The pair had arranged a meeting but, said Fiennes, Southgate pulled out at the last minute without explanation. Fiennes now thinks Southgate “should allow himself to be celebrated” by coming to the play.
Susannah Reid’s night shift
Bravo to Good Morning Britain presenter Susanna Reid, who was on sparkling form at last night’s Pride of Britain Awards and still turned up for work at the crack of dawn. Also at the awards were England footballer Leah Williamson, presenter Anita Rani and Michael Sheen, who attended with his partner Anna Lundberg.
