Sir Keir Starmer looks UN impressed

Starmer apparently has his eye on a top job at the United Nations Tom Nicholson/Getty Images W estminster gossip continues to swirl over Sir Keir Starmer’s next career move, but a clue to his loyalties came at the Law Society in Chancery Lane on Tuesday. The former prime minister dropped in on the Crown Prosecution Service’s 40th anniversary bash and crossed paths with his successor Stephen Parkinson, who once told The Times Starmer was “an average DPP”. Party moles told a diary elf the two were surprisingly relaxed in each other’s company. Time heals all wounds, though with rumours mounting that Starmer fancies a top United Nations posting, any future bench is far more likely to be in the Hague than the Royal Courts of Justice. Pound devalues music ban Andy Burnham’s crackdown on passengers who play loud music on buses will fall on deaf ears, worries the former Labour MP Stephen Pound. “A massive person listening to some booming rap noise on their mobile — I’m not going to go up to them and say, ‘Would you mind turning that down?’ Basically you’re cruising for a bruising,” he said. Pound is doing his bit to clean up public transport: “I actually carry newspapers on the train, so that, as they put their feet up on the seat, I can slip the newspaper under their great grubby feet.” A noble act of recycling but one hopes Pound reads his copy of The Times before putting it to a higher purpose. Most commented 1 The Horses review — lunch with an influencer, Topjaw’s Jesse Burgess Food & Drink 92 comments 2 Tripsnacking? Finally a travel trend I can get on board with Advice 55 comments 3 My father’s Facebook posts about ‘our special angel’ make me cringe Parenting 32 comments 4 Bill Bailey: A heckler told me to get a haircut — I refused for 40 years Theatre & Dance 34 comments 5 Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall: ‘My kids tell me to back off when they cook’ The Sunday Times Magazine 21 comments Whips may need convincing that modernising the House of Commons won’t make their jobs harder. In Portcullis House on Wednesday, parliamentary staff advertised a feature allowing MPs to add their names to bill amendments directly via the online legislation hub. This new function promises a more efficient process, saving members a trip to the Public Bill Office or an email. A forgiving transitional period will remain for less tech-savvy MPs — though whips hoping to stave off rebellions will pray familiarity takes time. Eyeing the display, one whip groaned to a diary elf: “Bloody hell, that’s going to be the bane of my life.” Rankin and the exorcist Sir Ian Rankin, while making a Channel 5 documentary on the nature of evil, spent time interviewing Father Gabriele Amorth, then the chief exorcist of the Diocese of Rome. After asking Amorth how many times he had met the devil (“seven or eight”), the author was offered a cleansing of his soul. “The sash went around my shoulders, the holy water was sprinkled on me, and I had to kiss a crucifix,” Rankin recalled. “I said to him: ‘If I kiss that crucifix, there are bars in Glasgow where I can no longer go.’” Top stories 1 Tripsnacking? Finally a travel trend I can get on board with Advice 2 Belgium’s most stylish autumn weekend break — and it’s not Bruges Belgium 3 17 of the best cruise lines for solo travellers Cruises 4 This cosy hotel is perfect for an autumnal trip to the Lake District Lake District 5 How to see the northern lights: 15 top tips Adventure Jack’s story on Tuesday about the former Tory minister Johnny Mercer mishearing a constituent prompted the former MEP Robert Evans to recall a similar linguistic mix-up on the doorstep. Some years back Richard Corbett, his then colleague in the European parliament, was out canvassing on the campaign trail in Liverpool when a curious voter asked where he lived. “Brussels,” Corbett replied cheerfully. The woman turned to her friend in open-mouthed astonishment: “Hear that, Mabel? He lives in brothels!”