After nearly five years at The Times, Quentin Letts is returning to the Daily Mail as its Parliamentary sketch writer when recess ends next month. The Mail is Letts’ spiritual home – he revived the paper’s sketches on the instruction of Paul Dacre and wrote there for years before departing in 2018. As for why he left the Times, Guido hears it was something of a financial decision…

Guido asked where this leaves incumbent Mail sketch writer Henry Deedes. He says “I already do bits and bobs around the office – writing leaders and features which for the time being is keeping me busy in quite month of August”. 5 years is long enough in Westminster for Deedes…