Tory peer Zac Goldsmith has told BBC HARDtalk he would be “very tempted” to back the Labour Party at the next election if they showed “a real commitment” to “protect[ing] the natural world” as part of their green agenda. While he still has “concerns” about Labour, Goldsmith laid out the conditions upon which he’d back Sir Keir anyway:

“The simple truth is there is no pathway to net zero and there’s no solution to climate change that does not involve nature, massive efforts to protect and restore the natural world.

“And at the moment, I’m not hearing any of that from the Labour Party if I do, if there’s a real commitment now the kind of commitment, frankly, that we saw when Boris Johnson was the leader, then I’d be very tempted to throw my weight behind that party and support them in any way I could.”

Goldsmith quit as Rishi’s climate Minister just two months ago, penning a scathing resignation letter which accused Rishi of being “simply uninterested” in green politics. Rishi claimed he’d actually demanded an apology out of Goldsmith for his attacks on the Kangaroo Court, and Goldsmith stood down when he refused. Either way, it looks like the rift between the pair hasn’t closed much since…

Labour’s 2024 business conference is set for next February, and top firms across the UK are already seeing invitations land in their inboxes. Given it’s one of the last opportunities for companies to hobnob with the Shadow Cabinet before the General Election, which could be just a few months later, Labour are charging through the nose for those who want top seats at the table. Rachel Reeves did promise “Labour is back in business”, after all…

‘Headline Partners’ – the deluxe, all singing all dancing package – costs £50,000 (plus VAT). There are three spots available for those with the cash to splash. Here’s what you’ll get if you fancy forking out the big bucks:

• Full branding on invitations sent out to over 2,000 potential attendees
• A full-page advert in the business conference magazine
• Full branding at the event Six complimentary tickets to the conference with reserved seating
• Opportunity for your CFO to introduce one of our keynote speakers
• Invitation for three guests to attend a pre-conference welcome dinner exclusive to partners

One of this year’s keynote speakers was then-Tesco Chairman John Allan, who later resigned in light of multiple harassment allegations – so results may vary. If £50,000 is too steep, the £35,000 Networking Drinks partnership is available for those looking for a more affordable champagne socialism experience…

The dam has burst over allegations against now-independent MP Geraint Davies. After losing the whip this morning following multiple harassment allegations published in Politico, both a Labour MP and a peer have accused Davies of bringing sex workers into Parliament to “show them off” on the Terrace. Apparently, it was a “well-known” habit of his…

A Labour MP has told Sky News Davies was “always standing too close and being weird“, and often “boasted” about taking prostitutes into Strangers’ Bar:

“It’s a well-known secret in Westminster about who to avoid and the parties need to act on these rumours before the perpetrators drag everyone down with them… He would openly boast about bringing escorts and prostitutes onto the terrace and show them off.”

The Labour whips’ office reportedly knew about this months ago, yet did nothing in the absence of a formal complaint. Now they’ve been bounced into suspending him based on the press coverage. Meanwhile the likes of Stephen Kinnock are also admitting they heard “rumours” about people like Davies yet said nothing. The exact sort of behaviour he criticised the Tories for after the Pincher saga…

Neil Coyle has had the Labour whip restored this afternoon over a year after losing it for a drunken sinophobic rant in Strangers’ Bar. He has since undergone unconscious bias training and claims to have been sober for over a year. Now he’s back in the Labour camp, despite having two allegations of bullying and harassment upheld against him by the Independent Expert Panel…

A new Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll conducted after the local elections has Labour on 41%, a drop of five points since the last survey. The Tories have gained one point to reach 29%. The 12-point gap is the lowest since Rishi walked into Number 10 last October…

The party with the most to cheer will be the LibDems: their support has surged by 4 points to 16% of the vote. Their highest numbers since the 2019 general election.

While Rishi might take comfort in the narrowing national poll lead after the bruising local election results on Friday, his personal approval rating has dropped by 2 points since last week, now sitting at -7. Starmer’s, meanwhile, is +10. Starmer is now also leading across all leadership characteristics, including on trust with the economy…

Keir Starmer insists Labour has finally developed a “very clear position” on women’s rights ahead of the next election, having spent the better part of two years prevaricating on what is a woman and claiming he’s committed to “introduc[ing] self declaration for trans people”. Now, having watched Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP implode over the same topic, Starmer has seemingly been reprogrammed into a gender-critical feminist. He tells the Express today:

“What we learned from Scotland is that you don’t make changes that you can’t bring the public along with, which is why in Scotland they should reset the situation. I think there are lessons from Scotland and the primary lesson is that changes which don’t carry public confidence are almost certainly not the right changes… I do feel very strongly about this, which is we have made real and significant progress when it comes to women’s rights and we must not roll back or retreat from any of that, and one of them is safe spaces… we cannot roll back on that.”

So having promised to make it easier for people to switch gender just two years ago – in a similar mould to Sturgeon this year – Sir Keir has U-turned now the prevailing winds blow in a different direction. Who’d have thought? He’s also in front of the cameras later today to set out Labour’s plan to tackle crime… on the same day it’s revealed violent offenders carried out more crimes in Britain after he campaigned for them to stay.