Congratulations are in order, Media Guido hears, for 47 year-old former Sunday Mirror editor Tina Weaver and 51 year-old former Mirror editor Richard Wallace who are expecting a child together. Seems they’ve been busy since their joint sacking in May. How about Brian for a boy?

First it was Pickles’ biscuits and now Michael Gove’s department have spent £17,000 on three “beverage areas”. The National College for School Leadership  is enjoying the luxury of three brand new fully kitted-out self-service watering holes. The department has also been refurbishing its Cambridge office. The cost? A cool £159,000. They tell Guido the move will save money. Bottoms up…

Grant Shapps triggered much debate in the Guy Newsroom earlier appearing on telly in a what looked like a suspiciously expensive shirt. Surely he hadn’t gone back on his famous M&S promise?

@MrHarryCole happy to confirm the shirt is an M&S special pack of three. Usually around £25 for the lot. Tie £4 from same retailer at time.—
Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) January 04, 2013

The tie is a lovely shade of green…

News arrives of some welcome Sunday competition:

Talking of January signings, I can confirm I'm joining……..the Sunday Mirror as its new columnist! #sundayprezza—
John Prescott (@johnprescott) January 04, 2013

Guido hears it’s a high five figure sum…

UPDATE:

Prezza Joins the Sunday Mirror: guyfawk.es/ZjLnsL >> along with a dozen sub editors presumably—
Adam Boulton (@adamboultonSKY) January 04, 2013

UPDATE II:

RT @adamboultonSKY Prezza Joins Sunday Mirror along with a dozen sub editors presumably< No & unlike Boulton & Co I'll have a 3.6m audience—
John Prescott (@johnprescott) January 04, 2013

Seconds out…

Employees from arms dealers and defence firms that have recently signed huge government contracts are currently working at the MoD. Guido has learned that BAE Systems and Rolls Royce, who have been awarded billions of pounds worth of MoD contracts over the last few months, have five employees inside the department. The MoD is also employing a staffer from Babcock, who were awarded a £65 million contract in December. The full list of MoD employees on secondment from private firms that have recently signed multi-million pound contracts with the department is below:

• 3 BAE Systems employees- £1.2 billion contract signed in December
• 2 Rolls Royce employees – £1 billion contract signed in June
• 1 Babcock employee – £65 million contract in December
• 1 Carillion employee – £45 million deal last year
• 1 Lend Lease employee – £17 million deal in June
• 1 GVA employee- appointed to identify contractors for Deepcut relocation in July

Intriguingly, the MoD is refusing to disclose the employers of a further ten staff members currently working in the department. It wouldn’t be the MoD without a cosy relationship between ministers, taxpayers’ cash and private defence interests…

The Crown Court at Reading

Daily List for Friday 4 January 2013 at

READING CROWN COURT AT OLD SHIRE HALL
Court 6 – sitting at 10:00 am
THE HONOURABLE MR JUSTICE SWEENEY

Not Before 12:00 pm
For Hearing
U20120475 PRICE Vasiliki & HUNHE Christopher T20127076 SOUTHWARK CROWN COURT CASE
DEFENDANTS PRICE AND HUNHE NOT REQUIRED TO ATTEND

UPDATE:

Hacks searching Court lists yesterday to find Huhne and Pryce hearing were thwarted by their names being mis-spelt order-order.com/2013/01/04/it-…—
Media Guido (@MediaGuido) January 04, 2013

Remember Jenny Jones? The Green Party candidate for London mayor doesn’t get much airtime these days, but she popped up yesterday after gleefully falling for a hoax . Having received an email Christmas card from “Nig@UKIP” – how inventive – claiming to be from the UKIP leader and bearing a Holocaust-denying cartoon by the infamous Sylvia Stolz, Jones asked:

Seen the Xmas card from 'Nig' (aka Nigel Farage) @UKIP? 2 men. 1: Do you still believe in holocaust? 2: Do you still believe in Father Xmas?—
Jenny Jones (@GreenJennyJones) January 03, 2013

Guido hears the Guardian fell for the Most Obvious Hoax of the Century hook line and sinker as well, chasing the party for a comment before being laughed off the telephone. No apology from Jenny yet. Guido wouldn’t recommend she reads any emails asking her to urgently send money somewhere…

UPDATE: Jones admits her naivety, still no apology though:

https://twitter.com/GreenJennyJones/status/287162291332468736