When Angela Rayner underpaid £40,000 in stamp duty, Richard Tice said it was "morally completely indefensible” and she should resign if she had “any moral decency”.
Now we learn he set up four shell companies that let him avoid paying £100,000 he owed in tax and to then transfer the cash to Reform
Two are great fun
Second football match of the day is Chelsea V Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. After a dismal time at Plough Lane this afternoon I'm expecting something similar here, tbh.
They lost to Plymouth today, I should have said
Saw AFC Wimbledon concede three goals for the third game in a row leaving them precariously two points off relegation with two games to go. But we did see them score for the first time in several weeks, the joy of which gave us a brief reminder of why we keep going back to games.
I've had a fun and interesting week. I hope you have too.
Margarita #cocktail, pistachios, and an interesting book in the Friday garden sunshine. A good way to ease into the weekend.
Saw the BBC Singers perform a wonderful concert of songs of love at St Peter's Church in Eaton Square in Chelsea. It's a fine way to spend a Friday afternoon.
He was in The Beano. First appeared in 1964
Comic triva: who's this? (you need to be British and of a certain age to know, I reckon)
It"a a lovely night for League One football as AFC Wimbledon take on Stockport County at Plough Lane
Are influencers just grifters? Some seem to be so and, as their victims point out, exposure doesn't pay bills www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04...
#blackandwhitefilm of the month: Nouvelle Vague, 2025. I loved Richard Linklater's film about the making of Godard's 1960 A Bout De Souffle (Breathless). I didn't expect it to be so funny and entertaining and joyous. If you're any kind of cinephile, it's worth a look.
youtu.be/UufRzKVFseg?...
The job search continues.
My trial at the ice factory didn't last long. I was hoping to crush it, but I froze.
Postcard from #London. Seeing some of the sights in the distance under a bridge
#blackandwhitefilm of the day: The Lady Eve on Film4 at 2.55pm. Brilliant 1941 screwball comedy sees Barbara Stanwyck and Charles Coburn as cruise ship crooks, looking for victims, including unsuspecting Henry Fonda. But she falls for him, leading to hurt feelings and laughs
youtu.be/ZeVAJre7PWU?...
Postcard from #London's South Bank - skateboarders just out of sight
That was an unforgettable experience!
Whispering Bob Harris is 80 today. Happy birthday Bob. The Whistle Test was a huge influence on a lot of people my age youtu.be/ZVgLUGfdW1U?...
Tonight's slightly chilled garden #cocktail is a warming Old-Fashioned, made with bourbon, rye, Demerara and bitters, according to Tom Savano cocktails. It's a pleasing pre-mix to which I added a couple of Maraschino cherries, which have sunk to the depths of the drink. Pip pip!
I saw Summerfolk at the Olivier Theatre. A little over-long but some amusing moments in a play that covered the pointlessness of privileged lives in Russia at the start of the 20th century with some heavy-handed portent of the revolution to come. It runs until 29 April.
Saturday's matinee #theatre treat is Summerfolk at the Olivier at the National. It's a modern version of an old Gorky play set in 1905 about class, privilege and denial. It comes highly-recommended by pals, so I'm full of theatrical anticipation.
I've had a fun and interesting week. I hope you have too.
Sounds very dodgy indeed
I don't know anything about this. Are they chasing you for her rental debt?
I saw Teeth 'N' Smiles at the Duke of York's theatre. It's a 50 year old play about women in rock music that still seems totally relevant. It has a fiercely magnificent central performance by Rebecca Lucy Taylor and a pleasing Phil Daniels as a sleazy manager and great music. It runs until 6 June.
Thursday matinee #theatre ticket is Teeth 'N' Smiles at the Duke of York's in St Martin's Lane. It's a revival of David Hare's 1975 musical play about a rock group problems, which should be right up my street. However the last plays I saw at this theatre were disappointing (Stereophonic and Elektra)
I reckon this is the first early evening garden #cocktail of the year. It's a classic Margherita, accompanied by plain crisps, and an entertaining book, written by the brilliant Len Leighton, who died last month aged 97. Pip pip!
We saw the BBC Singers perform a service of choral evensong at St Paul's Church in Knightsbridge. It's a wonderful setting for some brilliant voices, but my main takeaway from their songs is that as a sinner I'm going to be consumed by the earth. Oh well, as long as I have more enchanting times.
Silly me. It is sold all over Norfolk, hence my error