ANDREW PIERCE: George Galloway has 'Red Queen' Angela Rayner in his sights

You may think she'd be dancing in the streets after the Tories suffered their worst local election results in 40 years, but Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner is worried.

Not only is she continuing to feel the heat over whether she broke the law with her living arrangements in 2015, but now it also seems she may be in line for her very own 'Portillo moment'.

Last week's results revealed a clear threat to her 4,200-strong majority in Ashton-under-Lyne .

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer's stance on the war in Gaza led to the loss of neighbouring Oldham Council, and back in February, George Galloway and his 'Workers Party' won the by-election in nearby Rochdale.

Galloway's party has already nabbed former cricketer Monty Panesar as a candidate in the next General Election. 

 Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner is continuing to feel the heat over whether she broke the law with her living arrangements in 2015, but now it also seems she may be in line for her very own 'Portillo moment'

Ominously for the 'Red Queen', Galloway tells me: 'We will be the challenge to Keir Starmer's Labour party at every turn.' Watch out Angela — George is out to get you.

PS: Panesar backed Tory MP Zac Goldsmith in the 2016 London mayoral election. Then he hoped Labour's 'Sadiq Khan would pass the baton to me as Mayor of London'. 

Now he insists: 'My aspiration is to become Prime Minister.' Sounds like Monty spent too much time fielding at silly point.

 

Former Labour defence secretary Lord (George) Robertson is one of the few public figures who can recall when Vladimir Putin had a sense of humour. 

'I gave him an English language book as a gift,' he tells the New Statesman. 'An antiquarian book, Gossip In The Tsar's Court.'

He told Robertson: 'I practise my English by reading out loud. So now my dog is a perfect English speaker.'

Former Labour defence secretary Lord George Robertson (pictured) is one of the few public figures who can recall when Vladimir Putin had a sense of humour

 

Liz Truss's well-nourished aide Jonathan Isaby shared pictures (on Facebook) of food he devoured while accompanying the former PM on her recent trip to the U.S. 

It included a large plate of alligator meat. Liz is clearly serious about draining the swamp. 

 

No wonder Dan Poulter MP, who defected to Labour last week from the Tories, is quitting Parliament at the next election. 

For his work as a psychiatrist, which he carried out while he was an MP, he was paid £7,237 a month in addition to his £90,000 MP's salary, which adds up to about £100 an hour. 

 

A Tory MP who is standing down at the General Election has revealed he was caught naked by a former female Cabinet Minister. 

Robert Halfon, 55, MP for Harlow, underwent a number of operations — and his nurse was none other than Mail columnist Nadine Dorries. Halfon, who says being an MP was his dream job since childhood, adds: 'I can legitimately say she is the only MP to see me in my birthday suit.' 

 

Remember long-ago when conversations between the monarch and politicians were confidential? David Cameron notoriously bucked the trend, bragging about how the Queen 'purred' down the phone after the Scots voted against independence in 2014.

Now former Labour culture secretary Ben Bradshaw has shared that the Queen was concerned for Gordon Brown's welfare after Labour lost the 2010 election. He says: 'I'm not supposed to talk about it, but everyone else does.' So that's alright then.