There is a fairly incredible editorial in this morning’s Telegraph that challenges the Prime Minister to fire his Chief Whip:

“It is, of course, unfair that a successful ministerial career should end thanks to an intemperate outburst. Certainly, Mr Mitchell is entitled to feel aggrieved at the role played by the Police Federation. Whether or not its officers were complicit in the row first becoming public, they have done everything possible to stoke it since, as part of a wider campaign against the Government’s police reforms. Yet that – like the question of what was actually said that day – is almost beside the point. In the end, it is not so much a matter of principle as of politics. If he stays, Mr Mitchell can do little good, and much damage. For the sake of his party, he should do the decent thing and stand down.”

Guido suspects such demands from the press might stiffen the Prime Minister’s resolve. If Mitchell does go this afternoon, questions are likely to be asked about who is really running the show…

The big media move today sees the Telegraph set up its new girls-only Wonder Women feature. Promising “sassy, irreverent and intelligent content about politics, business, family, life and sex”, the new women’s section has attracted an array of talent. Edited by tech hack Emma Barnett, Wonder Women’s star recruitments include comedian Katy Brand and Cathy Newman from Channel 4 News. Former high class call girl Belle de Jour, now known as Brooke Magnanti, will be talking sex and entrepreneur Emma Sinclair is giving business advice.

They’re only available online…

Media Guido understands that Romilly Weeks, who currently covers Westminster for ITV News, is set to become their full time Political Correspondent. The Telegraph’s Home Affairs Editor Martin Beckford is joining the Mail on Sundayin the same role.

Who else is on the move? Email Media Guido.

Telegraph Blogs readers have been enjoying the musings of Willard Foxton over the last seven days, with the former HuffPo contributor sharing his views on sexy Instagram photos amongst other things. Now Damian Thompson has pinched his second HuffPo blogger in two weeks, as Luke McGee joins the team on Monday.

The phrase brain drain comes to mind…

Sketchwriter Andrew Gimson may have lost his age discrimination case against the Telegraph after they traded him in for younger model Michael Deacon, but there was still one gem at the tribunal that brought a smile to Guido’s face. After former editor Charles Moore penned a piece for the Speccie backing Gimson, the Telegraph‘s current top dog Tony Gallagher emailed a colleague: “Gimson’s moving or fired. Moore is a tw*t“. Classy Gallagher…

The Sunday Telegraph’s Patrick Hennessy has gone big today on his mate Damian McBride’s confirmation two weeks ago of the truth of a Guido story about a secret email system dating back from 2007.

Hennessy’s rival John Rentoul over at the Sunday Indy mocks the vintage of the story:

Nice one @PatJHennessy! A news story soc.li/STlOz8l out of a @DPMcBride blog from 2 weeks ago dpmcbride.tumblr.com via @blairsupporter—
John Rentoul (@JohnRentoul) July 14, 2012

Truth will out. Eventually.

Sad to have left NYC but delighted to be starting new job today as Online Pol Ed for Daily Telegraph. Great to be back in Westminster.—
Rosa Prince (@RosaPrinceUK) July 02, 2012

They’re all bloggers now…

Guido noted last year that the Telegraph’s Peter Oborne turned on David Cameron, having previously said he could go down in history as one of the greats, he later went on to write a diatribe against him saying he was in the “sewer”. It seems he’s had an equally dramatic change of heart about Lord Ashcroft.

In 2010 Oborne wrote:

“The image of Lord Ashcroft as a sinister svengali figure in Conservative politics has always been a little unfair.”

What a change of heart then in yesterday’s Telegraph:

“The Tory peer has secured his reward for establishing himself as the most powerful proprietor in the emerging world of online publishing and political intelligence, where he is so dominant that last week he became subject to an investigation by the Competition Commission. The Tory peer uses his other properties, including the widely read PoliticsHome website, to establish what Lord Justice Leveson would call a “megaphone presence” in the online media.

They have undermined trust in the Coalition and stirred up Conservative hostility against the Liberal Democrats, while giving a platform to some of the most vicious opponents of the Prime Minister. In recent months Lord Ashcroft and his small but beautifully placed army of editors, columnists and pollsters have started to push David Cameron around. 

Lord Ashcroft, a brutal critic of the Coalition from the start, could do no more than fume impotently with rage as Mr Cameron and Nick Clegg signed up to their agreement. But the Conservative peer Lord Ashcroft, who has been against it all along, looks like getting his way.”

Sounds like a “sinister svengali figure in Conservative politics” to Guido…

Have immense amount of respect for Peter Oborne & @TimMontgomerie, can't understand why former thinks latter's influence illegitimate.—
Media Guido (@MediaGuido) June 28, 2012

Both Peter and Tim write for billionaire backed publications that influence Tory politics intensely.—
Media Guido (@MediaGuido) June 28, 2012

Guido spoke to Peter and he said the point he was making was that Tim Montgomerie’s blog claims to represent grassroots conservatives and the Telegraph is a national newspaper. Not sure how significant these factors are, in reality both publications speak to their owner’s and editor’s prejudices. Where is the fun in owning or editing a publication if you can’t use it to settle scores, eh?

The Sun has been receiving much adulation this morning following its Pink Floyd-inspired headline lambasting Barclays boss Bob Diamond.

A classic of the genre…

However before they could take all the credit Twitter helpfully pointed out that the Sun had nicked it from Telegraph sketch-writer Michael Deacon, who tweeted yesterday:

If #Barclays boss Bob ends up on the dole, we could have Sign On, You Crazy Diamond #barclaysheadlines—
Michael Deacon (@MichaelPDeacon) June 28, 2012

Someone better tell Brian…

UPDATE: The baboon is crediting the Sun:

What Shall We Do Now? Sun headline writer turns to Pink Floyd | Media Monkey bit.ly/NJgrHT—
Media Monkey (@mgmediamonkey) June 29, 2012

The Telegraph has been noticeably ahead of the pack on one particular story this week. It would appear their very own Richard Spencer is flavour of the month over at Albert Embankment:

“‘We have various ways of keeping track of this ship and that is what we are doing,’ a source told The Daily Telegraph.”

“…with no insurance covering the ship security sources say it may now have to return to port.”

“…a move which a Western defence source said was intended as a powerful signal that Russia would not tolerate foreign military intervention.”

“Russia was particularly unnerved after William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, and other Western officials compared the slaughter in Syria to the civil war in Bosnia in the 1990s, the Western defence source said.”

“…the deployment also signalled that Russia was hedging its bets, according to the source.”

Spooky…