ANDREW PIERCE: Lindsay Hoyle’s royal approval for flying the flag

For the first time in nearly 50 years, the Commonwealth Day service in Westminster Abbey, attended by the Queen, the Prime Minister and faith leaders, has been cancelled.

But I’m told Her Majesty is delighted that the Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, is flying the flag for the Commonwealth, which she heads, in a special ceremony at the Commons.

Commonwealth Day falls on the second Monday of March, so next week three soldiers will unfurl the Union flag, the Commonwealth flag and one to mark International Women’s Day, which is on the same day, in Westminster’s New Palace Yard, the main entrance for official visitors.

Her Majesty is delighted that the Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle (pictured) is flying the flag for the Commonwealth, which she heads, in a special ceremony at the Commons

The Speaker is a long-standing champion of the Commonwealth, unlike his predecessor John Bercow, who was a constant critic, and planned next week’s televised event, the first of its kind, even before the abbey service was cancelled due to the pandemic. 

Three 26ft flagpoles have been installed for the occasion.

Hoyle’s determined to build stronger links with the Commonwealth, which will please a Government aiming to forge post-Brexit trade deals with the 53 other countries in the bloc.Glad to see the Speaker, unlike pipsqueak Bercow who tried to wreck Brexit, do his bit to help.

■ Meanwhile, Bercow will not be able to enjoy his taxpayer-funded, gold-plated £1 million pension in peace. Tory MP Andrew Bridgen has asked the House of Commons Commission to investigate Bercow’s pension entitlements. Does the pompous windbag now regret accusing Bridgen of ‘sheer nastiness’ in a furious bust-up on his last day in the job?

 Rishi’s jedi dream

Rishi Sunak said he never thought he would be chanceller because, ‘mainly because I wanted to be a Jedi’

Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who delivers the Budget on Wednesday, admits he had a rather different career path mapped out at school, thanks to his love of the Star Wars films: ‘Growing up I never thought I’d be in this job, mainly because I wanted to be a Jedi.’

The Green Party, confident of making gains from Labour at May’s local elections, begins its spring virtual conference today. 

Perhaps its members can finally get round to endorsing the internationally recognised definition of anti-Semitism. 

The Greens are the only mainstream party still refusing to back the wording that caused such grief for Jeremy Corbyn when he was leader of the Labour Party.

Broadcaster Jeremy Paxman, who says that lockdown has been like a jail sentence, tells Saga magazine he asked a man digging his garden why he was looking so happy, expecting him to say that crocuses always cheered him up. ‘Instead, he replied: “My wife’s a divorce lawyer”.’ 

Covid? It’s chocs that matter

The perils of home working. Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth was gravely intoning about Covid on a Zoom interview for BBC News last April when suddenly his two daughters, aged six and eight, bounced into the same room vying for his attention. 

BBC presenter Reeta Chakrabarti tried to stifle her laughter, as the girls interrupted him. ‘Their grandma has sent them some money for Easter,’ said Ashworth.

The hilarious sequence has now made it on to ITV’s blooper show It’ll Be Alright On The Night. He has been paid £250 for his daughters’ starring roles — just in time to buy more Easter eggs.

Shadow minister Rachel Reeves declared a £25,000 donation for ‘writing services’ in the MPs’ register of interests. 

She should send it to her boss Sir Keir Starmer. 

He needs all the help he can get after his relaunch speech.

Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt once broke his elbow while out running and, as he was being patched up in hospital, was warned that he might no longer be able to do press-ups. 

Fortunately, this accident didn’t happen before he married his wife Lucia in her home city of Xian, China, in 2009 — because, as he explains in his local paper, he had to do 25 press-ups to prove his suitability during the wedding ceremony.