Dan Hodges

How the 'freebies and cronies' row that has rocked Sir Keir Starmer's fledgling administration has upset Labour's plans to reform the House of Lords

DAN HODGES: To the Prime Minister's credit, he did finally act. But Sir Keir Starmer's appointment of Sue Gray was a catastrophe, one that casts serious doubt on his personal judgment.

The parliamentary Conservative Party are lunatics. They had one job in this leadership election: to demonstrate to the British people they had heard them.

Morgan McSweeney, newly appointed Chief of Staff to Sir Keir Starmer, isn't really a fan of 'the vision thing'. 'Morgan's attitude is you win elections council estate by council estate,' I was told.

Many years ago I was speaking to someone who had just returned from a reception at Tony Blair's Downing Street. 'How was it?' I asked. They laughed. 'Same as always.'

Most people in Westminster have regarded the Tory leadership contender as a solid but unremarkable middle-ranking minister with an interest in housing.

Finally, we get to see Chris Kaba . Not the myth, or the martyr. But the real man. In fact, Kaba was a vicious criminal who had been issued with a 28-day domestic violence order.

Rishi Sunak thinks Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves are setting a trap. 'We've had a series of Budget leaks for days,' a Sunak adviser told me. 'But we're just not buying it.'

In the run up to her Budget, Rachel Reeves set a trap for the Tories. And today she sprung it. A flurry of leaks indicated she was set to break an election pledge. But it was all a political feint.

So, in the end, the Conservatives' loyal membership came through for Kemi Badenoch. Her margin of victory was comfortable, 57 per cent to 43 per cent. This is what I think she must do next...