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Diane Abbott, shadow home secretary and long-time ally of Jeremy Corbyn, is in favour of a “people’s vote” — a referendum on Theresa May’s deal versus No Deal and Remain — The Londoner has learned.

Abbott, who has kept her cards close to her chest on Brexit publicly, is said by senior Labour sources to be vociferously supportive behind closed doors of what has been branded “People’s Vote”.

The news marks an interesting shift within Labour’s top team, a number of whom have been moving gradually to the view that another referendum might be easier to achieve than Labour’s stated policy of wanting a general election.

They include John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, who told the BBC a second vote looked “inevitable”, and Keir Starmer, Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary, who was reportedly in favour of this course in a shadow Cabinet meeting earlier this month. However, their view has been strongly rebuffed by Karie Murphy, Corbyn’s chief of staff. Murphy, often described as Corbyn’s “gatekeeper”, “enforcer” and “really quite terrifying”, is adamant that a second referendum will happen “over my dead body”, says the source.

Abbott is believed to have come to a more strident view in recent weeks, seeing opportunity following May’s mishandling of the negotiations with Europe, the withdrawal agreement and the fact that time is running out to vote on the deal before the March 29 deadline. In November, Abbott, the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, told Nick Robinson’s Political Thinking podcast that she thought another referendum was not “off the table” but that those advocating it should “be careful what they wish for” as it would probably deliver a Leave result yet again.

Diane Abbott told us this morning: “I am not commenting on second referendum stories.”

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Piers Corbyn, Jeremy’s big brother, certainly knows when to weigh in and help. Yesterday, as Jez executed more U-turns than a lost Uber over whether, or not, Labour would table a no-confidence vote, Piers tweeted breaking news from YouTube: “The Greatest Lie Ever Told! Nasa Admits We Never Went To The Moon.” There followed the ramblings of a self-confessed “Moon-landing denier”. Except Nasa admitted no such thing. “Citizens!” Piers pleaded. “Don’t get so upset (those of you who did). [It] might have something interesting in if you watch it.” As one Labour MP sighed: “No wonder they collect conspiracy theorists.”

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Nick Timothy has an identity problem. Bitcoin enthusiasts are mistaking Theresa May’s former adviser for Timothy C. May, a prominent cryptographer. Nick Timothy’s picture adorns Timothy C. May’s Bitcoin Wiki page, and more troublingly for the politico, online news reports yesterday of the death of “cypherpunk legend”. Wrong Timothy: though his stock has crashed like Bitcoin.

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Dominic West compares acting with Olivia Colman, who he stars alongside in the BBC’s Les Misérables, to “top-level sports”. “It’s how frivolous you can be up to ‘Action!’ and then be amazing.” He describes her as “really f*****g good” ... “way, way, way better than me”.

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Gemma Arterton goes way back with her Watership Down co-star John Boyega — but doesn’t think he’ll remember.

“He interviewed me once when he was starting out,” she says.

“I think it was for his school magazine or something like that.

“I remember he was so sweet because I was doing a play and he came to meet me beforehand and gave me some flowers.”

Boyega has since gone on to appear in the Star Wars franchise.

“He’s such a huge star,” Arterton reflects. “It’s funny. I wonder if he remembers that — I bet he doesn’t.”

SW1A

Labour MPs are backing a Citizens’ Assembly to sort Brexit. After Blur’s Damon Albarn yesterday launched the campaign for a group of citizens to answer the big Brexit question, Stella Creasy (below) said it would “strengthen democracy”. Lisa Nandy sees a way out: “We either adapt and change or we will be erased.”

The meetings between Cabinet Office minister David Lidington and Labour MPs to gauge whether there’s a possibility of them voting for the PM’s Brexit plan were said to be “secret” when reported over the weekend. Not quite. Ben Bradshaw stepped out of one in the Cabinet Office two weeks ago and talked all about it on TV.

An untold story from behind the scenes of Labour’s back and forth over the no-confidence vote: a source says Labour chairman Ian Lavery was trying to stop the motion going down because he feared it would “unite the Tories for the first time in ages”. Looks like he was right.

Provoked, attracted and seduced ... Idris head to Mouret's

Actor Idris Elba and his fiancée, Sabrina Dhowre — a model and former beauty queen — made quite a pairing last night as they showed their support for Roland Mouret. The fashion designer held a party at his store in Mayfair to launch of his new book, Provoke, Attract, Seduce. A few days ago Elba was applauded for an interview in which he weighed in on those who say the #MeToo campaign has made it harder for men in the industry. “It should only be a struggle to be a man in Hollywood if you have something to hide.” He and Dhowre got engaged earlier this year. At an event presented by Unit London at the Saatchi Gallery, model Lily Cole and actor Daisy Lewis posed with Philip Colbert, the artist famed for his “neo pop surrealist” works. Colbert came in suitably on brand attire, dressed head-to-toe in holly-berry red.

Quote of the Day

‘It turned out I had a sliver of a personality’

Ed Miliband on his post-Labour leadership podcast success