Andrew Neil asks Harman:

“What’s the logic of say the online site of the New Statesman coming within this regulation? A site which has no great influence in Westminster, whereas the Guido Fawkes, probably the most influential site in Westminster, should not?”

A free press doesn’t fear the government’s stick…

The Guardian is reporting that Luke Bozier was arrested on Friday after his former business partner reported him to the police following the mysterious hacking of his email account:

“Bozier, 27, was arrested at 1pm on Friday at a central London police station and released on bail until a date in early February. He was questioned by Metropolitan police detectives on suspicion of viewing or possession indecent images of children and released on bail later on Friday.”

Careful how you Menshn it now, given it’s being handled by the police. 

It has been a month to be proud of our globe-trotting former Prime Mentalist. Not only did he manage to make it a year since he last spoke in Parliament but he has also declared over £300,000 in December’s Register of Members’ Interests, all held by the Office of Gordon and Sarah Brown and not going into his own pocket, of course. While Kirkcaldy goes unrepresented those lucky enough to have Gordon grace them with his presence include the Chinese, Koreans, Americans and Ukrainians. The total £305,037 declaration for the last month is for sixteen hours’ work, or £19,064-an-hour. More than many of his constituents earn in a whole year.

A letter has gone out from the Tories to Ed Miliband calling for the Labour leader to sack his former boss. Brown is jet-setting around the world, refusing to speak up for those he is paid £65,000-a-year of taxpayers’ money to represent, while earning vast sums of money that is being “held” by his company to “support (my) ongoing involvement in public life”. Surely it is time for that “public life” to be lived away from the House of Commons…

Another godless card from our political elite.

Not exactly exciting but at least a fairly festive effort from the Chancellor.

And you can’t go wrong with throwing Freya into the mix…

Pic via Joe Murphy

Well the Tom Watson re-branding exercise didn’t last very long. Having lit the touch-paper for incorrect Tory paedo-outings and then running away, Watson has been keeping a rather low profile of late. That did not escape the notice of one Tory MP though, as reported in yesterday’s Daily Star Sunday:

LABOUR bruiser Tom Watson was surprisingly absent during the Prime Minister’s statement about the Leveson Inquiry on the day the report into the Press was published. Backbench Tory MP Andrew Bridgen remarked on the large Watson-shaped hole on the Labour benches during the debate. When on Monday morning they came face to face in the cloisters around Parliament, Bridgen chirpily said: “We missed you on Thursday, Tom.” At which point Watson, “shaking with rage”, jabbed his finger at Bridgen and menacingly told him: “You’re going to f**king regret that.”

What’s that thing about leopards and spots?

The rest of Guido’s Sunday column, including Harriet Harman’s “bit of rough”, an update on Euan Blair and Sally’s disappointment, is now online.