This evening SamCam will take her husband out for a birthday curry in Birmingham, with excited bookies going as far as taking bets on what they’ll be having. Sauces close to the Prime Minister, as the (terrible) joke doing the rounds goes…

Earlier Dave’s people bravely bought him a set of “I love Boris” cufflinks, presented just after the Mayor of London’s rabble-rousing speech. Guido hears the stallholder even chucked in an “I love Dave” pair for free. Meanwhile the Speccie reports that the PM was the lucky recipient of an framed Conservative Research Department staff list dating back some 25 years. Apparently it says a certain David Cameron was “arriving soon”…

Pic via @jimwaterson

Launched yesterday thousands have downloaded the app already:

This afternoon research group NIESR reports that the UK economy grew by 0.8% in the last quarter, all but bringing an end to the double dip recession:

“Our monthly estimates of GDP suggest that output grew by 0.8 per cent in the three months ending in September after growth of 0.1 per cent in the three months ending in August 2012. This is the most robust rate of growth since the three months to July 2010.”

The overall growth forecast is remains poor. Still, handy timing for Dave…

Damian Green on his ministerial colleagues…

“Theresa used to lock ‘em up and Ken let them out. Now Theresa locks ‘em up, Chris throws away key.”

New lobbying reform minister Chloe Smith is certainly throwing herself into her new job. Paxo’s Newsnight victim is responsible for overseeing the government’s new statutory lobbying register as part of Dave’s promise to clean up “the next big scandal waiting to happen”.

Interesting that Chloe chose to dine last night in the glamorous surroundings of Strada in the Tory conference secure zone with Nicola Bates of lobbying industry recruitment consultancy Elwood and Atfield.

A lobbying lobbyists who places people in spin jobs. Guido wonders what she had to say about lobbying reform…

The NUJ square up to the Guardian over potential sackings:

“We do not expect this to be resolved by compulsory redundancies.”

This is all we are allowed to report.

UPDATE:  Office for Judicial Complaints statement:

“The Lord Chief Justice and Lord Chancellor have suspended Constance Briscoe from the judiciary pending the outcome of the police investigation into the allegations against her. It would be inappropriate to comment further whilst the investigation is active.”

Eric Pickles has just announced that Frankie Maude’s reforms to Whitehall Pilgrims are to be recommended across all local government. Speaking as the first ever Cabinet minister to address the fringe Freedom Zone, Pickles highlighted a poster found in his department as an example of just why taxpayers’ money shouldn’t be going to unions:

“I don’t mind the idea, I like the tumble of politics. I even like idea of trade unions – my family were all trade unionists. But what they did, is they paid for it themselves.”

Fox joined in the fight, with a rousing bashing of the principle that the taxpayer should ever pick up the tab for a public sector worker not to do their job.The clock is ticking. It is the Pilgrims’ eleventh hour…

UPDATE:

Liam Fox tells fringe event that Labour kept trade union subsidies "beautifully hidden". He adds: "This is corrupt and it needs to stop."—
  (@politicshomeuk) October 09, 2012

Unions will still receive more than 500m in government subsidy under a Conservative government, trade union reform campaign claims.—
Patrick Wintour (@patrickwintour) October 09, 2012

Note Dave’s completely unforced smile: