Last night’s annual kebab awards was a relatively understated affair. Keynote speaker Sadiq Khan made a dig at Lee Anderson, saying antisemitism or Islamophobia should “not be given a free pass for electoral gain.” Nadhim Zahawi opted for a less contentious route, conceding that “kebabs are like politicians, best enjoyed with a pinch of salt and a good spin,” while tipping his hat to the toilers of the kebab trade, without whom, the “doner could’ve been a goner“. Needless to say, the audience preferred Zahawi’s speech…

Last to the stage was Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell, who – more than one attendee noted – had taken advantage of the free booze. Aside from bashing GB News for not “grilling” their guests enough, she also made a dig at the Tories: “I’m surprised the Tories aren’t up for an award tonight, they’re just so good at skewering! Skewering themselves, obviously“. Side splitting stuff…

More intriguingly, she hinted that a Labour government might introduce cuts to VAT. She repeated that “we hear you” on calls for cuts to VAT, though claimed she couldn’t make commitments: “if you know the Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves, I’m absolutely not allowed to tell you that, but we hear you”. Could it really be the case that Labour would put the Tories to shame on VAT…