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Is Jean-Luc Mélenchon the man to save Julian Assange? Pamela Anderson thinks so. In her latest blog post, the ex-Baywatch star and close friend of Assange writes of her hopes that hard-Left French socialist Mélenchon, surging in the polls, might win the presidential election. If so, he might give the WikiLeaks founder asylum — and even a prize.

“[Marine] Le Pen and Mélenchon both have been spied upon by the US — and both have agreed to grant Julian Assange asylum/citizenship,” writes Anderson in her latest missive. “There has even been mention of the Legion of Honor by Mélenchon, a fellow animal crusader, climate change champion and believer in Justice for all.”

Pam has faith in the French desire for vérité. “I feel the French especially understand how important it is to seek the truth,” she writes. “How wonderful it would be to reunite Julian and his young family in France.” She doesn’t elaborate on this. “Mr Mélenchon for President!” she continues before adding politely: “S’il vous plait.”

Assange has been in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London for almost five years — he had a request for asylum in France rejected in 2015. His status in the embassy has been in question for some time.

Last year Mélenchon said he planned to meet Assange, and praised him and Edward Snowden for their work exposing secrets. While the Légion d’Honneur is primarily awarded to military heroes, previous illustrious foreign recipients include Arnold Schwarzenegger and Financial Times editor Lionel Barber.

Mélenchon had been an outside challenger for the presidency, but since a top performance in a TV debate this month his polls are as high as 20 per cent, close to Emmanuel Macron and Le Pen.

Will Pam and Julian become the new star couple of the French Riviera?

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We thought Jacob Rees-Mogg wanted to take us back to the Fifties but we were wrong: it’s the Victorian era he pines for. The Tory MP is writing a history of the period and tells us he plans to show “how much good they did”. The book will be published in 2019, 200 years after the birth of Queen Victoria. It’s also when we deliver Brexit. Rees-Mogg is sure Victorians would be up for Brexit. “They’d have had confidence in the nation state,” he said.

Turkey: Istanbul or constant ignoring?

Will Theresa May be following Donald Trump’s line in calling President Erdogan today? The controversial Turkish leader was victorious this weekend in a referendum that will expand his powers, and Trump has already rung to congratulate him.

Mrs May has, after all, already met him this year, shaking hands and cementing a £100 million deal for new fighter jets, but also warned that he had human rights obligations to uphold.

We asked Downing Street if the PM had put any time aside for the call but she seemed to be rather busy this morning. So it’s cold Turkey then.

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Quote of the day: ‘I spoilt my ballot. I opted to go with the will of the people, being genuinely undecided. If anyone is disappointed in me for that, fine’

Cook Jack Monroe comes out as a ballot-spoiler, nine months after the referendum. Cue fury from from all sides.

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Freudian slips off at Bella’s birthday bash

Designer Bella Freud has long made up for her ancestor Sigmund’s obsession with undressing the soul by covering up London’s most stylish people in expensive jumpers. So a fitting tribute from two of her fans yesterday as she turned 46. Artist and director Sam Taylor-Johnson and her husband, actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, did a striptease, revealing 20 layers of Freud garments including her distinctive 1970 pullovers. Sam knows a thing or two about disrobing — she directed Fifty Shades of Grey — but Aaron showed more flair. A Full Monty remake, please.

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DAISY Buchanan launched her book How to Be a Grown-Up with a party at Waterstones on Tottenham Court Road. Buchanan’s younger sisters, twins Maddy and Dotty, eight years her junior, applauded it. “It’s really genuine advice,” said Maddy. “To an extent she shielded us from things... she had a whole life before we were born.” Had she reached the rather intimate section on self-love? “I haven’t got to that chapter yet,” she said nervously.

Posh Bisto for Burnham

A new proposal over the weekend from Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who is reportedly considering an initiative that will allow young EU nationals to move to Britain on a two-year visa without permitting benefits claims. It’s been nicknamed the “barista visa”, as it will afford our European cousins the pleasure of short-term jobs in coffee shops and cafés. Labour MP Andy Burnham, right, isn’t impressed.

“Bit bizarre hearing these Right-wing calls for a ‘barista visa’,” the mayoral candidate for Greater Manchester tweeted yesterday. “God forbid the idea of people waiting longer in the morning for their posh coffee.”

Burnham’s disdain isn’t surprising. He has long separated himself from the metropolitan elite in interviews — when asked what his favourite biscuit was he said that he preferred chips and gravy — and Alex Wickham of Guido Fawkes says that the proud northerner only drinks Bisto. So we have a solution: high-street café chain Pret offers warming bone broth, basically a posh Bisto.

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Tweet of the day: “I continue to worry about the lack of variation in French election polls. Polls shouldn’t be this consistent unless there’s massive herding.”

US polling guru Nate Silver begins to smell a rat in the lack of range in the polls just a week before the French vote.

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Beckham ruffles feathers again

Footballers are more known for dives than ducks but David Beckham this weekend posted this snap of himself with an adorable duckling. We hope it stayed unplucked — his designer wife Victoria has used many a feather in her fashion line.

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Analysis of the day: Alastair Campbell, viewing a photo of Donald Trump on the phone at his desk, is concerned. “I’m all for tidy desks,” he tweeted, “but beginning to wonder if he can read.”

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