The spirit of last night’s Pride in London Gala Dinner was “protest, not party”. The dinner, which was held at the Grand Connaught Rooms in Holborn and was attended by guests including Vogue editor Edward Enninful, trans activist Munroe Bergdorf (right) and actor Mark Gatiss, emphasised Pride’s legacy as a political movement.
In recent years, some activists have complained that Pride has become too corporate, seized upon by brands trying to appear “woke” by aligning themselves with LGBTQ+ rights.
Last year, a movement called Reclaim Pride argued that the Parade — which this year takes place on July 6 — had lost its true spirit. High-profile campaigners included Peter Tatchell, who called it “increasingly regimented, commodified and straitjacketed”. This year’s gala dinner, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of Pride with a royal jubilee theme, was sponsored by Citi and Prudential.
In a speech to the audience, Munroe Bergdorf said: “Stonewall was a riot! It wasn’t a rainbow flag on a sandwich.”
Pride’s co-chair Ali Camps added: “I am not a f***ing party organiser. Pride is a political protest.”
The general mood of the evening was jubilant though. Host Stephen K Amos kept the audience perky, saying: “What a long way we’ve come in 50 years.”
Gatiss offered an original artwork as one of the prizes on offer on the night, although there was a hitch. “Ian [his partner] was supposed to bring it but he forgot.” The sword of Gryffindor – which featured in the Harry Potter films — was also auctioned off.
Other attendees shared stories about how Pride represented a political awakening. Vogue’s editor Enninful recalled his first Pride parade in London in the late 80s.
“Aged 16, I’d never met another gay person,” he told the audience.
“Then I found fashion. I walked around [my first Pride] in a Katharine Hamnett T-shirt and cycling shorts and boots. I felt like I’d waited my whole life to feel this free.”
Civilised suggestion
Kenneth Clark, the historian who fronted the BBC series Civilisation, once argued in favour of the Elgin Marbles returning to Greece. Clark was the director of the National Gallery in London when he penned a letter in 1943 to the director of the National Gallery of Ireland that read: “I am, quite irrationally, in favour of returning the Elgin Marbles to Greece, not to be put back on the Parthenon, but to be installed in a beautiful building on the far side of the Acropolis, which I think the British Government should pay for. I would do this purely on sentimental grounds, as an expression of our indebtedness to Greece.”
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Sadiq Khan attended the opening of Rohan Silva’s latest Second Home co-working space in London Fields last night, hours after the latest Tory leadership results came in. Michael Gove was knocked out, after his campaign failed to recover from revelations about his cocaine use. “People keep asking me: all these Tories, what are they on?” Khan quipped. “Now we know.”
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TfL has placed an order for 250 new trains as part of its “Deep Tube upgrade programme”. Unfortunately, The Londoner hears most of the trains are slightly too wide — and don’t leave space between the carriages and the platform’s edge. Is this the end of “mind the gap”?
A Streep learning curve for Pugh
Actor Florence Pugh is currently shooting her part as spoilt brat Amy in Greta Gerwig’s gilded production of Little Women, co-starring Saoirse Ronan, Timothée Chalamet, Emma Watson, Laura Dern and Meryl Streep. Working with Streep is intimidating, she admits: “It’s not like I’m bowing down to her on set. Mentally I am, but not literally.” She adds that there is a Little Women WhatsApp group. “It’s called Big Chicks and it’s filled with photos of us in our funny costumes.”
Alexa poses the questions at the capital's gliziest pub quiz
Alexa Chung celebrated the launch of her new collection with Barbour with a riotous quiz at the Albion pub in Islington last night. Guests who turned out to heckle the quiz master included pals Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw, designer Henry Holland, model Daisy Lowe and TV presenter Rick Edwards. Jessie Ware pitched in a few answers, and magician Dynamo was spotted doing card tricks in the corner (Holland had a front-row spot). Meanwhile, at Protein Studios in Shoreditch, Benefit threw a millennial pink party to celebrate its new Hello Happy House.
Molly Moorish was in a strawberry sundress by zeitgeist brand Realisation and Alice Dellal was spotted with pal Sascha Bailey. Singer-songwriter Rose Dougall was on the decks.
SW1A
Stella Creasy (above) says she was once accosted by a woman “who shouted traitor at me in the street — and she was with her kids”. The Labour MP stopped, she tells Sophy Ridge’s podcast, and said: “I’m really happy to talk about this but do you think this is the right thing for your kids to see?” The woman later wrote to Creasy to say “yeah, that was probably out of order, but you are still a traitor”.
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Another day, another Tory drug revelation. “If I looked rather spaced out in the Chamber earlier,” Michael Fabricant says candidly, “it’s because I am high. My nose is throbbing.” All, though, is not quite what it might seem. “Got an awful summer cold,” the Lichfield MP tweets, saying he’d been maxing out on “Sudafed and paracetamol”. Oh, the glamour.
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Equalities Minister Penny Mordaunt was also at the Pride Gala Dinner last night. The Londoner hears she invited herself and asked to give a speech. “She’s the ultimate hag”, said one partygoer.
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