The Tories rebuttal unit went into overdrive at the weekend, trying to parry Labour’s partygate attacks by re-upping the 2021 Sun article that revealed Starmer himself potentially breached Covid rules sharing a beer with by-election campaigners. The Telegraph went big with it on Friday, followed up by the Mail on Saturday and this Monday. Starmer has categorically denied claims of rule-breaking, refuting that it’s on par with No. 10’s crisis…

Despite the Tories’ clear desire to push this counterpoint, they will be disappointed to learn the person who snapped the incriminating footage – James Delingpole’s son, Ivo – is just as angry with the Tories as anyone else. Taking to Instagram yesterday he reacted to the Mail’s splash with pleasant surprise:

“Bit strange to have a video I filmed… on the front cover of a newspaper. I didn’t make any money from it and didn’t sent it to them, but glad the hypocrisy was outed nonetheless”

However he followed up:

“It was last year and just outside my university house… I hope this in no way helps the Prime Minister defend himself from critics, and that he gets no respite from the questioning and criticism [he] deserves”

Back to the drawing board for No. 10’s rebuttal unit…