Tomorrow sees a Scottish council by-election up in Gilmerton following the death of councillor Tom Buchanan. The SNP’s leafleting tactics are somewhat interesting:

Guido is all for freedom for Scotland, but telling voters it is an “SNP by-election” and that they have to “find a replacement SNP councillor” is surely a step too far…

Surely Stephen means “carrier pigeon” and not “pigeon carrier”. Stay after class…

UPDATE:

.@WikiGuido 'ee by gum Lynton lad, champion pigeons these #Gove #Twigg http://t.co/Op5uvlwCXp—
Nick Boles (@GeneralBoles) June 19, 2013

It’s all kicking off between Tim Walker of the Telegraph’s Mandrake diary and Sarah Sands, Standard editor, over the Charles Saatchi / Nigella Lawson assault or gentle tiff, depending on your viewpoint.

Should be noted that Saatchi is an occasional Standard columnist.

Never has man got such great PR from assaulting his wife. For the 3rd day running, Standard runs another pro-#saatchi piece @sandsstandard—
Tim Walker (@ThatTimWalker) June 19, 2013

Sure, you are leading the coverage, as #saatchi's mouthpiece. Interesting, too, that you allow him to speak for her @sandsstandard—
Tim Walker (@ThatTimWalker) June 19, 2013

"@mrevgenylebedev Incidentally, did you by any chance have dinner last night at 34 in Mayfair with Charles #saatchi ? @sandsstandard—
Tim Walker (@ThatTimWalker) June 19, 2013

And in joins Louise Mensch:

A female editor of a major British paper, @sandsstandard, owned by Independent group, has just said admitted assault is business of couple—
Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) June 19, 2013

I would love @sandsstandard to explain why admitted assault is only #domesticviolence if the victim complains #Saatchi #Nigella—
Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) June 19, 2013

Interesting that Walker’s dinner question went unanswered…

Four pages long, Gove’s withering letter to Stephen Twigg this afternoon is well worth a read. Painful.

“I am sure your speech was the result of a well-thought-through reflection on schools policy and all of the above questions were considered, and fully addressed, in preparation for your announcement and so you will be able to reply promptly”

That’s just mean…

The smallest of mini-reshuffles announced at PMQs, with BT chief executive Ian Livingston replacing Stephen Green in December. Livingston will be trading his £9.1 million pay package, chauffeur rides to work and holidays to Martha’s Vineyard for a seat in the House of Lords. He is hated by the Communication Workers Union, though one detail will please the Tory backbenches in particular:

New trade minister Ian Livingstone, just announced by Cam at #PMQs, is strong Eurosceptic, I am told—
Patrick Hennessy (@PatJHennessy) June 19, 2013

According to the This is Money back in 2008:

“His commute now is by chauffeur-driven car. He is picked up at 6am for delivery to BT’s HQ near St Paul’s at 6.40am. He eschews the business lunch and tries to avoid all but the most important of evening engagements. He will do business breakfasts ‘so long as they start promptly at 7.30am’”

He’s in for a surprise moving to the public sector…

If one can judge an expenses piggy by the company she keeps, it’s telling that Joan Ryan’s friends in high places include Tom Watson and Margaret Hodge. Ryan has even tapped up Hodge to write to residents in Enfield North, Hodge helpfully describes her as “a great campaigner with strong values” and ” a first-rate MP”. Obviously forgetting that she was kicked out last time after claiming £4,500 for work on her second home and having to pay back over £5,000 in mortgage interest. Now former Enfield Labour leader Jeff Rodin has pleaded with Hodge to withdraw her endorsement in a letter seen by Guido:

“All the good work that has been done by the Labour Borough Campaign Team in raising the profile and standing of Labour in the whole of Enfield would be undermined by the selection of Joan Ryan… Of the 5 candidates, it is my view that she is the one whose selection would most please the current Conservative MP and his campaign Team, and also would be most likely to damage the prospects for Labour in the Borough both for the 2014 Local Election as well as the next General Election… I have no doubt that there is more that the Conservatives plan to reveal if she is selected.”

As if that were not enough, local Labour councillors Derek Levy, Don McGowan and Ozzie Uzoanya are complaining to the party’s head office accusing Ryan of sending “misleading” leaflets to constituents. “Such behaviour is unacceptable as it is misleading to members. We will be notifying Labour Party Head Office”, they say.

Selection is on Sunday. The knives are out…

See also: Labour Accuse Candidate of ‘Tower Hamlets-Style’ Stitch Up, Tom Watson Fingered Over Plotting Dinner, Voters Warn Labour Expenses Piggy Not to Run, Labour Expenses Piggy Tries to Run Again.

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When the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change isn’t telling newspapers what they can and cannot write relating to his brief, he just goes for out and out abuse of his opponents. Here is not so liberal or democratic Ed Davey today:

“Of course there will always be those with a vested interest in the status quo who seek to create doubt where there is certainty. And you will always get crackpots and conspiracy theorists who will deny they have a nose on their face if it suits them.”

Davey himself would never have a vested interest, other than last year declaring that his brother works for City law firm Herbert Smith, lawyers to eco-spivs, of course. Some might say going after conflicted climate change sceptics in the week after Tim Yeo was jettisoned and replaced on the Energy and Climate Change select committee by a man with shares in Shell is a bit brave. His entire brief is rotten to the core with MPs with vested interests…

Nigel Evans MP – Deputy Speaker – has been further arrested on suspicion of 3 further indecent assaults—
lucy manning (@lucymanning) June 19, 2013

“A 55 year old man from Pendleton in Lancashire has today answered his bail following his arrest in May on suspicion of rape and sexual assault. He has subsequently been further arrested on suspicion of three further offences of indecent assault. He will be interviewed about these allegations at a police station in Lancashire during the course of the day.

These offences are alleged to have been committed in Blackpool in Lancashire and London between 2003 and 2011. The rape and indecent assault offences are alleged to have been committed in Pendleton between July 2009 and March 2013.”

They are piling up…

UKIP’s efforts to do battle online are clearly paying off. According to analysis done by UK General Election 2015, the party is gaining Twitter followers and Facebook likes at a considerably greater rate than its opponents, with the Tories in particular falling way short. By way of comparison, over the same period @GuidoFawkes gained some 7,000 followers and now has 109,745 followers – more than any UK political party. Social media campaigning will have a big part to play over the next two years, so these stats make interesting reading…

UPDATE: Just noticed that LetBritainDecide.org seems to redirect UKIP.org. Not to be confused with CCHQ’s LetBritainDecide.com, or rather it is…