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<\/p>\nAngela Rayner\u2019s chances of ascending to No 10 have been dealt a possibly fatal blow: she\u2019s been endorsed by Jacob Rees-Mogg. The former MP told Politics Inside Out that the ex-deputy PM would be the leader the Tories fear most. \u201cShe has something about her that appeals to voters,\u201d he said almost apologetically, knowing that his compliments are Kryptonite for left-wing firebrands. The Mogg once told a Labour frontbencher that he was impressive and that the Tory was singing his praises to all and sundry. \u201cI know you are,\u201d the Labour man replied. \u201cI wish you\u2019d shut up because it\u2019s very unhelpful.\u201d<\/p>\n
The perma-suited Mogg also dispensed some fashion advice. \u201cCasual wear,\u201d he says, \u201cmeans probably a tweed coat rather than a suit coat, but certainly always a tie.\u201d However, he\u2019s made one concession to the modern world. \u201cI don\u2019t quite have the courage to broadcast my GB News programme at 8pm in black tie.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Jacob Rees-Mogg<\/p>\n
LUCY YOUNG FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the Lords work<\/p>\n
Peers are going to have to get used to working on a Friday. The advent of the weekend is often a day off for lords, but the battle over the assisted dying bill has now seen the upper house scheduled<\/a> to sit on eight Fridays between January and April. This will wear out the red benches as they wade through the more than 1,000 amendments<\/a> which have been laid down, mainly in an attempt to filibuster the bill. \u201cIt\u2019s murder,\u201d said one aghast bishop, but they did find an ermine lining to this cloud. \u201cThe extra attendance money will help foot our newly increased tax bill.\u201d<\/p>\n Service with a song<\/p>\n Our servicemen and women keep the nation safe through careful judgment, valorous conduct and, it appears, the ability to sing the hits on a boozy night out. The former first sea lord, Lord West, says that his service in the Far East was very much dependent on his skills at karaoke. \u201cYou would go to a really big formal thing with the head of the host\u2019s navy and then you would be expected to sing \u2014 it was quite extraordinary,\u201d West told the House of Lords Podcast. His chosen song was House of the Rising Sun<\/a>. One wonders if that title means something different in Japan.<\/p>\n Lord Robertson, the former secretary-general of Nato, says that a sense of humour is necessary to survive in the job. It helped the Scot to break the ice with Americans, joking about the difference between the mafia in New York and Glasgow. \u201cThe New York mafia make you an offer you can\u2019t refuse. The Glasgow mafia make you an offer you can\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n Underdressed for success<\/p>\n