Parliamentary watchdog the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) doubled the taxpayer cash losing MPs would receive last year. Golden goodbyes shot up as losing MPs are now paid for four months after departing the Commons, as opposed to two. IPSA claimed this was to ensure the payouts were “fair and provide the appropriate support to MPs and their offices when leaving Parliament”. That’s something in the region of £21,180 per MP…

MPs already have redundancy packages at twice the amount enjoyed by regular workers. Seeing as 175 incumbent Tory MPs got the boot in July, the taxpayer is in the process of forking out £3,706,500 in golden goodbyes. Cheers, Rishi…

Rishi Sunak is to limp on as Leader of the Opposition until the Tories select their new one in November, an arduous and slightly humiliating task considering he led the Party into historic defeat. Still, he doesn’t seem to be struggling too much…

After his pity party at PMQs over two weeks ago, Sunak has gone into hiding, only making two public appearances since. One was at a local school in Yorkshire (very charitable) and the other…in a Beverly Hills Michelin Star restaurant. The Mirror managed to pap the Sunaks mustering up the strength to dine at the California hotspot this week as riots raged back in Britain. No shock there that Rishi jetted straight back to the States at the first opportunity. At least he doesn’t have to pretend to run along the Gold Coast on a Peleton anymore…

While Sunak refuses to put up opposition to the Labour government, on LinkedIn he says he’s still pootering along as Prime Minister. Got to get to that two year mark…

The ex-PM is still posting the occasional political content on the platform. He welcomed the interest rate cut today and said his “concern now is that Labour’s inflation-busting public sector pay rises have put further cuts at risk.” If only he’d been in a position to have it differently…

The events of yesterday afternoon rolling into today have opened up Labour to numerous seriously punchy attacks. If only there was a functioning opposition…

Those attacks, in just this 24-hour cycle, include:

• Reeves destroying her credibility with thin spin on a made up “black hole” in public finances.
• Labour teeing up disastrous growth-killing tax rises.
• Huge oncoming fallout over January’s private school VAT imposition.
• Labour’s blatant hypocrisy over the Winter Fuel Allowance.
• Diverting billions of taxpayer funds to union-favoured public sector pay hikes and misleading on its true cost.

Apart from one tweet, Leader of the Opposition Rishi Sunak has been silent – no broadcast appearances either. Hunt did his best in the Commons and has written a letter, but without a leader it’s not enough to break through. Waxing lyrical in PMQs is all well and good – it doesn’t provide a counter narrative…

Guido hears employment contract non-renewals swept through CCHQ earlier this month. The campaign team is now a skeleton crew. Months of crickets to come…

Sunak took the opportunity of a rather dull first PMQs under the new Labour government to make yet another self-deprecating remark about leading the Tories into historic defeat. Wishing the GB Olympic team well, he lamented:

“I have no doubt that after years of training focus and dedication they’ll bring back many gold medals although to be honest I’m probably not the first person they want to hear advice from on how to win…”

Prompting a few laughs and many mocking “awwws” across the House. Burying the Tory party isn’t exactly a record of which to be proud…

Sunak seems to be loving defeated life. In a light-hearted preamble to his soft response to the King’s Speech, he summarised his career in reference to Labour’s Florence Eshalomi:

“Now The Honorable Lady will have been picked to second the loyal address because the Whip’s office have got her down as one who will go far. If I may offer some words of advice to members opposite on the government benches: life comes at you fast. Soon you might be fortunate enough to be tapped on the shoulder and offered a junior ministerial role. Then you’ll find yourself attending cabinet, then in the cabinet, and then, when the Prime Minister’s position becomes untenable, you might you might end up being called to the highest office. And before you know it you have a bright future behind you and and you are left wondering whether you can credibly be an elder statesman at the age of 44.”

He’s not wrong…