The Middle East ignites

Good Wednesday morning. This is Dan Bloom, still in Birmingham and aided by the caffeine- and fizz-fueled Playbook team.
WAR TAKES OVER: The Tory beauty parade here in Birmingham feels like a sideshow today compared to the threat of all-out war in the Middle East. Israel’s first ground invasion in Lebanon since 2006 was followed by Iran launching a barrage of around 180 missiles at Tel Aviv and elsewhere last night — dragging the RAF into the conflict once more. Events are now escalating with the speed and ferocity that many in Whitehall have long feared, and it’s impossibly hard to predict how they will play out in the coming days.
Jetting in: Defence Secretary John Healey landed just before midnight at a base in Cyprus, where today he will meet U.K. troops who helped with last night’s operation. He is also due to meet his Cypriot counterpart and record a pool clip.
Confirmation … came around 10.30 p.m. that British forces “played their part” alongside the U.S. in helping Israel shoot down Iran’s missiles, just as they did in April. Details were scant but Playbook is told it likely involved RAF jets based in Cyprus. There is some suggestion U.K. radar capabilities may have been used, but the MoD should make things clearer in the next few hours.
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Clean sweep: U.K. involvement was confirmed only after the first editions of the newspapers went to press last night, but Iran’s firing of at least 180 missiles still earned front-page splashes in the Sun, Times, Express, Mirror, Mail, Independent, Guardian, Telegraph, i, Metro and FT. 
Terrible timing: U.K. officials still hope the first British government charter flight out of Beirut will depart as planned today. So far Israel has not chosen to target Lebanon’s only functioning commercial airport, as intelligence does not currently suggest it is being used by Hezbollah. Prime Minister Keir Starmer gave a televised statement at 8.30 p.m. in which he told British nationals in Lebanon: “You must leave now.”
Everything everywhere all at once: Iran’s missile attack (the day before the start of the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah) and Israel’s Lebanon offensive are of course separate threads — but they’re part of the same tangled web of Middle East tensions involving Israel, Iran and its proxies. The BBC has a good nuts-and-bolts explainer here. Starmer added: “I am deeply concerned that the region is on the brink and I am deeply concerned about the risk of miscalculation.” 
On paper … the U.K.’s response is the same everywhere — pleading for deescalation from all sides — but last night’s assault shifted Starmer’s emphasis back toward standing by Israel’s right to defend itself. That’s a rather different emphasis to when Israel is sending its troops into Lebanon. The Board of Deputies welcomed him saying that.
Missile diplomacy: Starmer chaired a ministerial meeting early Tuesday afternoon with Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Defence Secretary John Healey, Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Attorney General Richard Hermer. The PM then spoke to the leaders of Jordan, France and Germany along with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu — with whom he was on the phone when Iran’s missiles started arriving. Starmer reiterated calls for a cease-fire in both Lebanon and Gaza (serious-looking handout photos here). Lammy also spoke to his Iranian counterpart.
Less diplomatic: U.S. presidential hopeful Donald Trump said the U.S. Democratic administration was “leading us to the brink of World War III.”
SO WHAT NEXT? “One would expect Israel is going to go after the launch site of these missiles,” says one U.K. official, though it’s hard to know how it’ll ultimately play out. Both Israel and Iran are threatening further action, while Israel’s promise to mount only a limited operation in Lebanon has prompted skepticism. AFP has video of a fresh Israeli air strike on Beirut overnight. My colleague Jamie Dettmer notes that Israel’s attack on southern Lebanon in 1982 morphed into an 18-year occupation.
Tit for tat: Netanyahu said Iran made a “big mistake” and “will pay for it” … White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said it was a “significant escalation by Iran” … and Iran’s mission to the U.N. wrote on X: “Should the Zionist regime dare to respond or commit further acts of malevolence, a subsequent and crushing response will ensue.”
On the ground: An Israeli security official said while many of Iran’s missiles were intercepted by the Iron Dome, “several hits were identified.” Reports overnight suggest the IDF was not aware of any casualties (via CBS). Oil prices rose on Tuesday (via Reuters).
And in Birmingham: The sight of Tory conference attendees stopping in their tracks by the GB News stand to follow live coverage brought home the dissonance with world events. All four leadership candidates defended Israel to the hilt. Kemi Badenoch said “if our enemies want to escalate, we will be faced with no choice” … Robert Jenrick said “there can be no more appeasement” of Iran … Tom Tugendhat told a reception “the Middle East’s one LGBT-friendly country is being attacked by a country that murders LGBT people” … and James Cleverly called it an “attack on an ally” by a “country that wants to wipe it off the map.”
A swipe at Labour: Badenoch, who had oversight of arms restrictions when she was business secretary, accused Labour of “being very political with the legal system” after banning some arms sales to Israel. “There was all of this stuff about Israel breaking international law,” she told a Spectator Q&A. “The legal advice that I saw was not saying that.”
DING DING: After three days of shadow boxing, the main event is finally here. The four candidates for leader of the opposition will each pitch for the hardest job in politics this morning, in a series of big speeches to Tory members that they hope will either dramatically change the narrative — or keep their precarious top spot intact.
Their big moment: The quad’s up from 10.45 a.m. on the main stage in Birmingham, and Tom Tugendhat, Kemi Badenoch and James Cleverly should all have interviews running on the Today program this morning too (Robert Jenrick was quizzed Tuesday). Tightly controlled choreography means each candidate is allowed a two-minute video, a “voice of God” introduction and a 20-minute speech.
Ruh-roh: But things are looking tricky for Jenrick. Playbook is told the new frontrunner lost his voice last night, a bit a la Theresa May in 2017. He was substituted by his wife — who privately refers to herself as the first lady — at fringe events and was being given lemon and honey in the hope of a rapid recovery. At least you can’t be handed a P45 for a job you haven’t got.
What they’ll say: The Telegraph has dutifully done a full preview of each speech — Tugendhat, Cleverly, Jenrick and Badenoch. However much they’ve been over-exposed in recent days, the tightening of the race — especially between Cleverly, Jenrick and Badenoch — means today could actually be a game-changer. Playbook has attempted brief summaries of the overnight trails below. Timings are rough and could slip.
TOM TUGENDHAT (10.45 a.m.): The center-right ex-security minister will promise to make people “proud to vote Conservative again” by ending “empty promises, cheap rhetoric or government by management consultancy.” Aides say he’ll talk up his military service in Iraq and Afghanistan, attack “selfish and greedy” Labour and call for a “New Conservative Revolution” (yes, it’s capped up). 
JAMES CLEVERLY (11.10 a.m.): The “unifier” former home secretary will say the Tories should stop being the “grumpy party” and “sell the benefits of a Conservative government with a smile.” Aides are bigging up his “empathetic” personal speech as a chance to talk about his mother coming to the U.K. from Sierra Leone to work in the NHS. He’ll also say the Tories should not wear Reform UK’s spots: “Reform didn’t cut immigration, I did.”
ROBERT JENRICK (11.35 a.m.): The centrist-turned-right-winger will set out five changes for a Blair-esque “New Conservative Party” (yep, also capped up) — rejecting mass migration, focusing on oil, gas and nuclear energy, getting Britain building, a “small state that works” and a “more united country.” The Tel’s Ben Riley-Smith hears he’ll speak without notes, like David Cameron in 2005.
KEMI BADENOCH (noon): Aides say the anti-culture-warrior ex-business secretary will “tell the truth” that “the left never left” the institutions of the U.K. despite 14 years of Conservative rule, and promise to “dismantle the Blair and Brown framework of ever-increasing social, economic and legal control.” She’ll also talk about productivity and how wealth is good.
First reviews: More in Common will have a live focus group of 2019 Tory voters at 7 p.m., on which journalists can earwig here.
THEY ALL WANT TO EMULATE … David Cameron, whose 2005 conference speech pledging “modern, compassionate conservatism” swung him decisively into the lead. “It was over by the time David Davis got to the stage,” one misty-eyed Cameroon ex-Cabinet minister reminisces. 
But but but … the presence of four candidates, not two, means it’ll be harder to cut through — and risks people being remembered for screwing it all up instead, as shown by the gaffes and blue-on-blue briefings this week. A shadow Cabinet minister admits 2005 has become so totemic that “everyone will be trying so hard to have their Cameron moment. It could easily fizzle out.”
Back to Blair: The former PM has some advice for the four contenders, urging the party to “unite behind a clear vision” under a new leader. Asked which Tory leadership contender would be best at leading the party, Blair joked on POLITICO’s Power Play podcast: “There’s no point in me condemning the poor candidate I would choose.” Write-up here.
THE RACE TURNS: The conference is awash with talk from some senior Tories that Kemi Badenoch’s blunt comments on maternity pay, minimum wage and the like damaged her standing with MPs, who hold knockout rounds next week. One former minister who backs a rival tells Playbook: “She f*cked up on Day One.” A senior Tory accuses her of “gaslighting” MPs by blaming the media for over-interpreting her. A backer of another rival adds: “Every time she opens her mouth it gets worse for her … The longer the contest the better it is for everyone else.” Bloomberg’s team hear similar grumblings/jubilation from Tory MPs.
On the other hand: Supporters of Badenoch are arguing it would be wrong of MPs to exclude her if she’s in the lead with members (albeit a lead that tightened in Tuesday’s Sky poll). Her abrasive style is also a good thing, one senior figure insists — “we need someone who cuts through with the public and who people actually listen to.”
THE LATEST “MISQUOTE“: Badenoch is getting loads of pick-up for her claim that, while a 10th of civil servants are “magnificent,” there are “about 5 to 10 percent of them who are very, very bad — you know, ‘should be in prison’ bad.” Aides say she had her tongue firmly in her cheek, but the FDA union ain’t happy, the PCS is accusing her of a “personal feud” and Labour’s Pat McFadden had a pop as well. This Guardian article from July is making things rather awkward, too.
View from the room: Your Playbook author was in attendance at the Spectator Q&A last night where Badenoch made the comments. A show of hands revealed a large proportion of the audience was still undecided on how to vote in the leadership contest.
Blue on blue: Badenoch also took a dig at her rival Jenrick for talking so much about the European Court of Human Rights: “You cannot be a one-trick pony, or you’ll fall at the first hurdle.”
FOR HIS PART … Jenrick made jokey comments last night that may not go down too well either, Playbook’s Stefan Boscia texts to say. He told a European Research Group (ERG) reception that he was in favor of a “dukedom for David Starkey.” This is, of course, the historian who was accused of racism (including by senior Tory MPs like Sajid Javid) for saying that American slavery wasn’t an example of genocide because “so many damned Blacks” survived.
Meanwhile on policy: Badenoch told the Speccy event “I would not be increasing tuition fees” and she doesn’t want young people to face more of a burden than when she was 23. Aides later insisted she was not, in fact, pledging to cut fees to £1,000 a year as they were when she was 23. 
She also said … we should “stop messing around talking about football regulators” while war rages to our east … refused to say whether she prefers Kamala Harris or Donald Trump … and said she was “extremely frustrated” by Rishi Sunak’s national service election policy.
Kerching: Badenoch accepted £1,360 of free Ed Sheeran tickets from the Premier League, which opposes plans for a new regulator, the Mirror reports.
ELSEWHERE IN GAFFES: There’s more backlash from military figures at Jenrick’s video claiming British special forces are “killing rather than capturing terrorists.” A source in a rival camp tells the Times Jenrick was “making up lies about something he knows nothing about to appeal to racists.” Yikes. So much for that yellow card anti-briefings system!
Twisting the knife: Jenrick’s rival Tom Tugendhat told Newsnight some of the footage of soldiers that Team Jenrick used in the offending video included people Tugendhat knew serving in Afghanistan … one of whom “died shortly after that film was taken in an accident.” The somber-as-hell clip was being forwarded excitedly by Tugendhat allies on WhatsApp last night. The Mirror did a 2 a.m. write-up.
One to watch: A shadow Cabinet minister tells the i’s Kitty Donaldson: “[Jenrick] has promised me he will turn to the center. I suspect he has told other people the same.”
Another one to watch: Former West Midlands Mayor Andy Street is privately threatening to quit the Tories if Jenrick or Badenoch take the party to the right, Andrew Pierce writes in his Mail diary.
Don’t forget us! Jenrick and Badenoch are getting almost all the flak thanks to their frontrunner status, but the Mirror’s Mikey Smith has raised questions over Cleverly’s Territorial Army record too. Smith reports he hasn’t declared any payments for qualifying days of service since 2015 and refused to confirm the date of his last active volunteer service. 
SO WHAT NEXT? The rows over Jenrick and Badenoch are generally viewed to have opened the race a bit. But many attendees still reckon Tugendhat will be knocked out by MPs next week, with either a Jenrick-Badenoch or a Jenrick-Cleverly final two. 
But but but … one shadow Cabinet minister last night reminded Playbook of the “20 percent are lying” rule for MPs. Readers will be well aware of the tricks they’ll pull to get their favorite into the final two. A second shadow Cabinet minister was kinder about this — a bit. “I’m sure some of my colleagues have Baldrick-like cunning plans,” they said. “But I believe more in cock-up than conspiracy.” 
Meanwhile in another beauty contest: All the candidates are still desperate to bag the big-name endorsements — with scurrilous whispers of secret deals and shady job offers. Playbook hears Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has been approached by all four candidates and had multiple frontbench jobs mooted with him. But he is not backing anyone yet — despite Tugendhat taking him for a very conspicuous coffee at the ICC Starbucks on Sunday, where a phalanx of cameras appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
WE ARE SO BACK! Despite all the backbiting, a strange feeling has stalked Tory conference — erm, optimism. My colleague Esther Webber writes that Conservatives seem to be taking comfort from Labour’s halting start, including former 1922 committee Chair Graham Brady, who reckons “there’s no earthly reason” why the Tories can’t return in 2029. A former SpAd told your author: “It’s so cathartic to see them trying to do government and realizing that, you know what, it’s really, really hard.” Another former SpAd adds: “We’re a chirpy bunch! We’re like cockroaches — we always come back.”
Although … Michael Gove warns Esther “the exasperation that people felt with us at the election won’t evaporate overnight.” And a campaign aide moans to Stefan Boscia: “Everybody here is delusional. Everyone is drinking and having a good time and pretending like we didn’t just lose 300 seats and get annihilated. People need to get a grip and realize how much we need to change.”
Case in point: “Right now you have people who bought their passes before the election, and a full media pack because there’s a leadership contest,” says one shadow minister. “Imagine in November — it’s going to be a lot harder for us to get noticed.”
(DON’T) GO WEST: Rishi Sunak has “no intention” of quitting British politics and moving to California, a former Cabinet ally tells the Independent’s David Maddox. Worth bookmarking.
Hope springs: Playbook accidentally ended up in one late-night conversation between a leadership contender and an ousted MP who immediately, vehemently pitched their desire to return as an MP in the same region. “There will be retirements,” the candidate assured them, soothingly. “There are seats there we never should have lost at all.”
Hope springs eternal: Another ousted MP told Playbook with a glint in his eye: “I want to come back to parliament.” Good thing Labour isn’t fulfilling its promise to scrap the Lords any time soon …
TODAY ON THE MAIN STAGE: Tory Chair Richard Fuller and Chief Whip Stuart Andrew address members (10.30 a.m.) … followed by all four keynote speeches by the leadership candidates.
BACK IN THE GOVERNMENT: Keir Starmer’s big trip to Brussels today could prove far more significant than the Tory leadership contest — even if it’s a lot less fun. It’s to kick-start Labour’s EU “reset,” including Starmer’s goal for closer trading terms and all the politically toxic trade-offs this could entail. Downing Street will be crossing fingers and hoping it’s not overshadowed by war.
The timings: A 1 p.m. meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen … 3 p.m. with European Council President Charles Michel … 4 p.m. talks with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola … plus a joint written statement and brief Starmer Q&A with hacks in Brussels around 5 p.m. (all U.K. times).
On the table: A No. 10 trail said Starmer would be focused on “delivering a broad-based security pact” and “tackling barriers to trade.” Officials hosed down any sense of a big agreement now — they said these are “talks about talks” and a detailed discussion can only start once European Commissioners take up their posts in December.
But but but … The Times has a decent readout of the emerging demands on the EU side already, including — crucially — a youth mobility scheme that would allow young EU citizens to work for a set period in the U.K. and vice versa.
The other demands: The EU is also reported to want a deal on fishing (long-term access to British waters after 2026) and migration (a returns deal that would require the U.K. to accept limited quotas of asylum seekers). A “government source” says there’s a landing zone on a “narrow returns agreement” and possibly an option for unaccompanied children to join families in the U.K. The FT team has similar themes.
The elephant in the room: It’s been clear for weeks that Starmer is not totally ruling out a landing zone on a youth mobility scheme, as long as it doesn’t violate his red lines of not returning to the single market, customs union or freedom of movement. One government official suggests it would depend on whether the EU offer is simply “another word for the return of freedom of movement,” or something different. They add: “If there is stuff they want to put on the table on youth mobility, let’s wait and see rather than commenting on hypotheticals.”
Elephant goes harrumph: Business and hospitality leaders who want a youth mobility scheme are keeping a low profile because they understand it’s politically challenging to sell. But Europhile campaign groups are not so shy, with Keir Starmer’s former biggest fans at Best for Britain saying it’s desired by “every single region, nation, and age group.”
Agent Cooper: If Starmer does want to accept a youth mobility deal Brexiteers may find an unlikely ally in Yvette Cooper. My colleagues Sam Blewett and Jon Stone write in a primer for today’s meeting that the home secretary is opposing an agreement — and believes such a plan would “not be compatible” with pledges to bring down net migration figures, they hear. 
Don’t cook the books: Some supporters and EU officials have suggested the temporary nature of such a scheme means participants should not count toward migration figures. But that’s not how the Home Office sees it. “They would still be part of the U.K. labor market,” one person familiar with Cooper’s thinking says. 
Speaking of Cooper: She is off to Avellino, Italy, today for a three-day summit of G7 interior and security ministers. The Home Office said they plan to discuss security, AI, synthetic drugs, Ukraine, the Middle East and “irregular migration,” with some kind of people-smuggling announcement in the works for later this week. The Sun picks up some positive noises from Team Cooper at the number of small boat migrant crossings in September falling to 4,190, compared to 4,729 in September 2023.
RUH-ROH: Cabinet ministers have been asked to model cuts to their investment plans of up to 10 percent ahead of the Oct. 30 spending review, the Guardian’s Kiran Stacey reports. That’s despite Chancellor Rachel Reeves hinting she’ll change fiscal rules to better reflect the benefits of investment. A Treasury official didn’t dispute the broad points but said they didn’t recognize the 10 percent figure.
FREEBIES NEWS: Reeves, Keir Starmer and Cabinet colleagues including Jonathan Reynolds and Louise Haigh have received freebies and hospitality from gambling bodies such as Entain and the Betting and Gaming Council, the Times’ Tom Witherow and George Greenwood report.
AT THE POST OFFICE INQUIRY: Post Office Chief Transformation Officer Chris Brocklesby gives evidence from 10 a.m. Tuesday’s hearing was played a recording of the call where Kemi Badenoch sacked former Post Office Chair Henry Staunton. He warned her: “I’m very jealous of my reputation, so you need to understand that.” More via the Times.SW1 EVENTS: Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in conversation with Thatcher biographer Charles Moore, hosted by Policy Exchange at 12 p.m. (stream here). 
WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING: U.S. vice presidential candidates Tim Walz and JD Vance did verbal wrestling in what looks to be the final debate of the American election campaign, POLITICO’s Emilio Casalicchio writes from across the pond. The pair grappled over topics including immigration, economics, the war in the Middle East and … more immigration. (My Stateside colleagues also have some takeaways.)
Good vibes all round: The pair shook hands and were super polite to each other throughout. There were points at which the running mates agreed and even a moment when Vance offered condolences to Walz about his teenage son witnessing a shooting. Clip here.
The most batsh*t top line was … there was no batsh*t top line. There was some chat around the whole people-eating-pets thing and Vance again refused to accept Donald Trump lost the 2020 election … but there were no new outlandish claims to flip out about. On the whole it was a debate on substance … shock! Albeit lots of unanswered questions. Not shock!
Most farcical moment: Vance cut across co-host Margaret Brennan when she noted how the Haitian immigrants he peddled pet-eating fictions about have legal status. His response to her fact-check sparked off a back and forth with Walz until the broadcasters killed the mics. Clip. 
Most awks moment: Vance smiled and narrowed his eyes more than usual as hosts read a bunch of his past quotes slagging off Donald Trump (the comparison to Hitler, etc.). But his comeback was strong — arguing he had been wrong and that Trump delivered for Americans despite even his own low expectations. Walz had his own painful moment, admitting he misspoke over a disproved prior claim about being in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. “I’m a knucklehead at times,” he accepted. Oops!
And all the while … Trump Truth-Socialed along slagging off Walz and … the hosts. Natch.  
TRAIN TALK: Shadow Transport Secretary Helen Whately announced that MP Alec Shelbrooke has been made the first shadow minister for transport in the north. It’s in the Yorkshire Post. MARINE’S ORDERS: National Rally leader Marine Le Pen warned she would topple France’s new coalition government within months if it crossed “red lines” on immigration, insecurity and the cost of living.
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No government broadcast round. 
Tory leadership candidate Tom Tugendhat broadcast round: Times Radio (8.05 a.m.) … Today (8.30 a.m.). 
Also on Nick Ferrari at Breakfast: IDF spokesperson Peter Lerner (7.50 a.m.) … former Armed Forces Minister James Heappey (8.10 a.m.). 
Also on Good Morning Britain: Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage (7.15 a.m.) … former Defence Secretary Grant Shapps (8.30 a.m.).
Also on Times Radio Breakfast: Peter Lerner (7.35 a.m.) … Retired Army officer John McColl (8.15 a.m.).
Also on Sky News Breakfast: Former RUSI Director General Michael Clarke (7 a.m.) … former Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind (7.15 a.m.) … Israeli embassy spokesperson Orly Goldschmidt (7.30 a.m.) … former Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood (7.45 a.m.) … Grant Shapps (9.20 a.m.). 
Also on LBC News: Former U.K. Defence Attaché to Afghanistan Simon Diggins (8.20 a.m.). 
Politics Live (BBC Two from 10.30 a.m.): Leadership candidates James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat (after their speeches) … Grant Shapps … ConHome’s Henry Hill … JL Partners’ Scarlett Maguire.
POLITICO UK: British government split over new-look Brexit deal.
Daily Express: U.S. threatens ‘severe’ response as Iran attacks Israel.
Daily Mail: The Iron Dome holds firm against Iran’s 200-missile blitz … now Israel vows vengeance.
Daily Mirror: Revenge from above.
Daily Star: Queen’s funeral horsey gets an OBE.
Financial Times: Iran fires missile barrage against Israel.
i: Iran missile attack on Israel sparks fears of new war.
Metro: Iran’s new blitz at Israel.
The Daily Telegraph: Iran attacks Israel.
The Guardian: Israel vows to retaliate after Iran launches missile attack.
The Independent: Israel invades, Iran retaliates, the world looks on in horror.
The Sun: Hellfire. 
The Times: Middle East erupts. 
BIRMINGHAM WEATHER: It’s stopped raining … right as we all scoot off home. Naturally. High 14C, low 5C. 
SPOTTED … With the former inHouse karaoke a mere drinks party this year, Rishi Sunak aide Jamie Njoku-Goodwin led half the Lobby in a 1.30 a.m. rendition of “Wonderwall,” “Your Song” and “Angels” on a grand piano at the Hyatt. Participants included Times print/radio hack couple Ollie Cole and Geri Scott … fellow journalists Chris Smyth, Martina Bet and  Kate McCann … GB News pol ed Chris Hope assuming the role of conductor … PolHome’s Tom Scotson also on the keys … former No. 10 aide Ruth Porter … Jenrick aide Sam Armstrong … and Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Alex Burghart. The Tories may be out of power, but some things about conference never change.
INITIATION RITUAL: Spectator Editor Fraser Nelson‘s handover speech to his successor Michael Gove was full of mutual praise at his mag’s legendary conference party … apart from, er, when he threw Gove under the bus. Nelson talked about the Speccy’s past journalistic digging into Gove. “We found so much,” he said, as the former minister raised his eyebrows and ceased his clapping. “Including the lockdown parties I knew he was having but we never managed to prove …”
Also spotted … at the Speccy party, drinking Pol Roger at the Hyatt: Shadow frontbenchers Victoria Atkins, Jeremy Hunt,  James Cleverly and wife Susie, Andrew Griffith, Mel Stride with wife Michelle … Conservative MPs John Whittingdale, Andrew Rosindell, Mark Francois, Alan Mak and Greg Smith … former MPs Thérèse Coffey, Danny Kruger, Jonathan Gullis and Jacob Rees-Mogg … Tory peers Graham Brady and Michael Ashcroft … the Spectator’s Katy Balls, James Heale and Isabel Hardman … Badenoch aide Dylan Sharpe … UnHerd CEO Freddie Sayers … Guido’s Paul Staines… former No. 10 SpAd Jamie Njoku-Goodwin … Robert Jenrick’s wife Michal Berkner … former SpAd Stephanie Schwarz … pol eds Harry Cole, Kate Ferguson, Chris Hope, Hugo Gye, Steven Swinford, Gary Gibbon and Pippa Crerar.
Also spotted … dancing to one-time GB News presenter Peter Andre‘s greatest hits at UK Music and TikTok’s end-of-conference party in the Mooncat bar: Shadow Trade Minister Mike Wood scrolling through his phone and nursing a beer … former MP Jacob Young punching the air and boogying with fellow ex-MP Peter Gibson … Dylan Sharpe … former Culture Secretary John Whittingdale … veteran Tory MP Martin Vickers refusing to join in with any whooping and dancing … former environment secretary and karaoke aficionado Thérèse Coffey — who grabbed the singer and danced with  Jamie Njoku-Goodwin … CCHQ’s Marcus Natale … the i’s Chief Political Commentator Kitty Donaldson, who Andre sexy-danced with … Tory MP David Mundell … Marie Le Conte, whose face Andre gyrated very close to … and TikTok’s Giles Derrington, who Andre asked take his shirt off during “Mysterious Girl.”
Also spotted … Partying the night away at the LGBT+ Tories’ closing party in the Reflex nightclub: Shadow Health Secretary Victoria Atkins … MPs Matt Vickers, Stuart Andrew, Andrew Bowie, Blake Stephenson, Richard Holden and Ben Spencer … former MPs Jacob Young, Lee Rowley, Ben Howlett, Ben Everitt and Tom Randall … former SpAd Henry Newman … LGBT Tories Chair Luke Black and Deputy Chair Freddie Downing … Tory peer Stephen Parkinson. 
Also spotted … at the Irish Embassy’s reception in the Hyatt Sonata room: Former frontbencher Thérèse Coffey, who gave an impromptu speech … Tory MPs Peter Fortune, Jerome Mayhew, Harriet Cross and Richard Holden … Tory peers John Fuller, Simon Murray, Lilian Neville-Jones and Francis Maude … Former MP Stephen Hammond and James Grundy … Guido’s Paul Staines … the Irish Embassy’s Jamal Alkayed … Centre for European Reform Director Charles Grant. 
Also spotted … man-of-the-people BBC Political Editor Chris Mason wolfing down a Wagamama’s shortly after the Iranian missile barrage.
JOKE OF THE NIGHT: Tom Tugendhat told the LGBT+ Tories reception: “I thought it was an environmental reception. I was told there would be lots of bears and otters!”
Stand-in of the night: At the same reception, Robert Jenrick’s wife, Michal Berkner, spoke to answer questions about, er, her hubby’s hobbies … which include gardening and being a dad … though that’s not something he’s had “the pleasure of indulging in recently.” OK then.
Also spotted … several leadership candidates taking turns to drop in at a dinner hosted by the party treasurer, tucked away in the corner of the conference center. 
TMI: Speaking at a Bright Blue reception, Shadow Health Secretary Victoria Atkins encouraged anyone who is “feeling romantically inclined” to go forth and prosper — as she was born a few years after her parents met at Tory conference in Blackpool.
IN MEMORIAM: Michael Ancram, the Conservative peer and former deputy leader, died aged 79 after a short illness. Paying tribute on X, Labour MP and former Lobby hack Paul Waugh said “his politics was like his legendary acoustic guitar playing: as gentle as it was deceptively adept.” 
NOW READ: Adam Hart’s Times op-ed on being the son of former Tory frontbencher Simon Hart, worrying about the family’s safety and hiding from his uni mates to avoid explaining who his dad was.
WRITING PLAYBOOK PM: Andrew McDonald.
WRITING PLAYBOOK THURSDAY MORNING: Sam Blewett.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: Birmingham Hodge Hill MP Liam Byrne … Times Radio’s John Pienaar … former YouGov President Peter Kellner … the Times’ George Grylls … Newsnight presenter Victoria Derbyshire … former Labour SpAd Collette Bird … Sadiq Khan spinner Sarah Brown … Times columnist and Reaction founder Iain Martin … former Health Secretary Matt Hancock … former Telford MP Lucy Allan … former South West Devon MP Gary Streeter. 
PLAYBOOK COULDN’T HAPPEN WITHOUT: My editors Zoya Sheftalovich, Jack Blanchard and Alex Spence, diary reporter Bethany Dawson and producer Dean Southwell.
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