It’s remarkable how many people, journalists especially, seem to have a Peter Mandelson story they’ve kept to themselves for years if not decades.

Mostly it’s allegations of offhand or boorish behaviour. I’ve never met him so I have nothing to add on that score, but I do have a Peter Mandelson story, of sorts.

I’m sorry to hear that novelist and journalist Allan Massie has died.

I only met him once, in 2018, but it was a big occasion (for me if not for him!) because he was our special guest at a private dinner at the National Museum of Scotland.

Good luck to Reem Ibrahim who starts work today at the Reason Foundation in Washington DC.

Her move to Washington DC is well timed because there has been something of a British invasion in recent years.

I watched the launch of Reform UK’s Save Our Pubs campaign yesterday.

Announced by Lee Anderson MP, who ran through the ‘fiscally neutral’ five-point plan as if he had a train to catch, the MP for Ashfield then handed over to party leader Nigel Farage who took questions from journalists in his usual ebullient style.

Yesterday evening I spotted a Facebook post by our old friend Nick Hogan.

Nick is the former pub landlord who was jailed after he allowed customers to smoke in his pub, and today he is attending the launch of Reform’s new ‘save the pub’ campaign.

Sorry to hear that actor Donald Douglas has died, aged 92.

You may not have heard of the former Poldark star but for 18 months in the mid Eighties I was his tenant and he was my landlord.

Went to Stamford Bridge yesterday to watch Chelsea Women play Arsenal.

Chelsea lost 2-0, which was disappointing, but the official attendance was 30,000 including 3,000 away fans who were in good voice throughout. At one point my wife turned to me and said, “Have Arsenal brought a choir?”, which wasn’t as silly as it sounds.

I had lunch with Ranald Macdonald, MD of Boisdale Restaurants, this week.

The Macdonald restaurant at Boisdale of Belgravia was pretty much full, which I didn’t expect because January is normally the quietest month of the year for restaurants.