The Leader of the Commons took to Lord North Street last night as guest of honour at the IEA’s Christmas Party. It’s been an eventful year for both the speaker and her hosts…

The main thrust of Penny’s speech involved a detailed parody of It’s a Wonderful Life, imagining a world in which Ed Miliband had won the 2015 election; Boris didn’t seek re-election, leaving London with an arsenal of water cannons; and Michael Gove would be found running Level Up, “Not a think tank, it’s a nightclub in Camden”. She foresaw “in this alternative reality the Ed Stone is on the 4th plinth of Trafalgar Square”. Not a bad idea given the current display…

As the speech drew to a close, Penny listed off Conservative achievements from the last 7 years, before announcing that “I am sticking around, to fight the next election”. By coincidence Guido was then lucky enough to hear the same speech again up the road at Conservative Home’s party in Mayfair…