The Londoner: BBC stars flock to the People's Vote

In the scramble of celebrities coming out in favour of another vote on Brexit, the Londoner spies a large number of actors, comedians and presenters with links to the BBC.

Gary Lineker has already had a kicking for his involvement in the movement — which is demanding another vote on the referendum before Brexit is finalised. Senior figures at the BBC “didn’t like it”, we understand, but the corporation issued a statement saying: “Gary is not involved in any news or political output for the BBC… His personal political views do not affect the BBC’s impartiality.”

But last night Tracey Ullman, whose political sketch show Tracey Breaks The News is a hit, added her support. “I rarely speak out myself on political issues,” she said. “But in this case I feel it’s too important.”

Other BBC satirists joining the call for a vote include Armando Iannucci, writer of The Thick of It, and Steve Coogan, the creator of Alan Partridge (who also spoke in favour of Jeremy Corbyn last year), as well as BBC sports broadcaster Gabby Logan and Dragons’ Den’s Duncan Bannatyne and Deborah Meaden.

“There is nobody in news and current affairs that has come out,” says one insider. “In its broader remit the BBC employs people with different views.” Another source said it was “not great”, that so many supporters had links to the corporation — including James Corden, currently hosting a chat show in the US — “The BBC is the most powerful media platform in the UK and they are famous because of it. In that sense people might be annoyed.”

Among others backing a vote are: Eddie Marsan, David Mitchell, John Oliver, Sir Patrick Stewart and Matt Forde. Asked if they were worried about the celebrity count, our source replied: “As we gather momentum more people are backing it.” For the past month they featured a video a day of Leave supporters switching to the People’s Vote.

Corbyn’s ex-wife is no longer on side

Speaking of the People’s Vote, Tom Baldwin, its communications chief and former Ed Miliband adviser, was signing copies of his book Ctrl Alt Delete after a talk at Daunt’s in Hampstead last night. A blonde lady at the front of the queue was heard to announce to a baffled-looking Baldwin: “Hi, I’m Jane. I used to be married to Jeremy Corbyn. We voted together in 1975 against remaining in Europe. I am no longer a Corbynista and I am very keen that we get another vote.” The rest of the crowd were, we are told, were “reassuringly pro-Jeremy”.

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THE Barbican emailed members yesterday to alert them to the fact that new film Christopher Robin is out this week. The email’s subject? “Nothing beats a good Pooh.” “I’m disappointed in the Barbican,” one recipient responded. “Too crude and too coarse.”

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Rapper Professor Green has a column for the online blog The Book of Man. “I’m not quite the male Carrie Bradshaw, but it’s in that vein,” he says. “It’s a lot of life lessons and stuff I’m going through now”. It will include his musing on subjects such as “eccies” (ecstasy). Carrie Bradshaw meets Irvine Welsh?

Lily and Grimmy take some time out by the seaside

Now that the heatwave has ended its grip on London, many have chased the sun to the continent. Actor Lily James, who has had an exhausting promotional tour for her latest film, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, is relaxing in Italy.

She was in Tuscany last week and now she’s in Positano on the Amalfi coast enjoying the sea air: she has been sailing and doing yoga.

Nick Grimshaw’s holiday appears to be slightly more raucous. The DJ, who has just stepped down from his role as host of Radio 1’s Breakfast Show, is celebrating his new-found opportunity to enjoy a lie-in and has been taking a holiday with friends including model and presenter Alexa Chung and singer Pixie Geldof, daughter of Bob. The group has been enjoying a week of swimming, drinking and taking bathroom selfies.

Grimshaw has more than one cause for celebration: it was his 34th birthday on Tuesday. Last night he was captured running around with a wastepaper basket on his head while carrying a plant.

SW1A

Madonna becomes a sexagenarian today and the tributes are rolling in. Tom Watson, the deputy Labour leader famous for ‘dabbing’ in the Commons, is getting into the groove. “Happy 60th birthday Madonna,” he tweeted this morning. “[I’m] dancing around the kitchen to Vogue.” Sadly there’s no accompanying video.

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A new campaign and website launched overnight to call for Labour MP Kate Hoey to take charge of the Conservative Party. The pro-Brexit MP faces deselection in her Vauxhall constituency, an overwhelmingly Remain area. “Her constituency Labour Party has repeatedly told her to uphold the wishes of her constituents and local members,” the release reads. “But this has never stopped her from voting with the Government on the most important issue of the day.” Luckily for the Conservative Party, it is a very slick parody.

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Maid of honour

REMAIN activist Gina Miller recalls her time working as a chambermaid at the Grand Hotel in Eastbourne. “That’s when I found out money doesn’t buy you manners and it definitely doesn’t make you a nice person,” she says. The experience has proved formative and she vows her offspring will grow up to become polite hotel guests. “I will try and make my children write a little note of thank you in the bedrooms. My husband says, ‘Gina, you do know we have paid and that’s their job’,” she tells Elizabeth Day’s How to Fail podcast. “And I go, ‘Yes I know that but you can still say thank you’.”