Latest news with #JoCoburn
Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Times
William Hague's sage advice for Ed Miliband on handling defeat
Ten years ago Ed Miliband was licking his wounds after a bitter defeat in the general election, but it turns out there is a support group for vanquished leaders of the opposition. 'I saw William Hague,' Miliband tells The Rest Is Politics, adding that the former Tory leader had a key bit of advice: 'Carry on being the person you are because you'll find people's attitude towards you transforms and they'll say, 'Where was that person before?'.' Miliband did as he was told and won new admirers, though he did find that some still needed clarification on which person he was. At Holborn Tube a few months later, a man saw him and recognised the big loser in the election. 'Oh my God,' the fellow said. 'It's Nick Clegg!' A state of affairs A baffling job advert has come up at Angela Rayner's ministry of housing, which has said that it is looking for a 'Head of public affairs'. This usually means a lobbyist, though the meat of the ad suggests that they meant to say 'external affairs'. Or maybe Rayner's decided that the best way to get Keir Starmer onside with her bold economic ideas is to exert public pressure until he U-turns. It's a tried and tested method. Coburn's close call When Politics Live returns on Monday, it will be without Jo Coburn who has hosted the show since it began in 2018. Speaking to Westminster Insider, she recalled how the job saw her break news and break up fights. On one edition, the commentator Will Self and the Tory MP Mark Francois (two names to have rarely troubled lists of dream dinner party guests) squared up on air over the issue of Brexit. 'The editor said to me 'Jo, they look like they're going to hit each other, what are you going to do?',' Coburn recalls. If the clip is rewatched, Coburn can be seen indicating the two glasses of water in front of them and then nodding towards the camera. It's not clear whether the would-be pugilists noticed this threat, but both men regained control and the programme did not become an absolute shower. Crown rinse Some actors begin preparing for a role by finding their character's shoes but, as she prepares to play the late Queen on a national tour, Anne Reid started at the other end of the body. 'I've talked to her hairdresser,' Reid tells The Bath Chronicle. 'I had to ring him and say, 'She talks about having permed hair. Did she have permed hair?' ' Apparently, Her Majesty got the full Kevin Keegan at least three times year. True to stereotype, the hairdresser also proved good for gossip, telling Reid that the Queen was once mid-investiture when a new dame's phone went off. 'Should you get that?' the monarch said. 'It might be important.' Gaffe in the gents You never know who you are going to bump into in parliament, and small talk must be approached with caution. Lord Lee of Trafford had an awkward moment recently when he found himself next to someone in the gents who was dressed brightly, with stockings, baggy trousers, bodice and a fancy hat. The wine from dinner gave him the courage to ask, 'Are you a Morris dancer?' This is a bold question when uncertain of the reply, and so it proved when this chap took it badly. 'No,' he replied. 'This is the national dress of Norway.'
BBC News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Newscast Are Israel's Allies Turning Against Them?
Today, we discuss the Foreign Secretary suspending trade negotiations with Israel over its 'cruel and indefensible' blockade of Gaza. The UK, France and Canada previously said they'd 'take further concrete actions' if Israel doesn't stop its latest offensive and allow aid in, as Palestinians face more strikes and starvation. The BBC's international editor Jeremy Bowen joins Adam in the studio. And after 28 years at the BBC, the legendary Jo Coburn is stepping down from presenting Politics Live. She joins on Adam and Chris to reflect on her career. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast'. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Shiler Mahmoudi and Julia Webster. The technical producer was Ben Andrews. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.
