"We want more Haribo!" Yvette Cooper told journalists on Thursday.

It's the kind of statement that can make spinners nervous.

Do they need to put out supportive quotes saying the shadow home secretary is "sweet enough as she is"?

The quote turned out to be a slightly unusual rallying cry to stay in the EU (there is a sweet factory in Cooper's constituency).

As a slogan it might need more work. But it's got something.

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Former Ukip MEP Godfrey Bloom - no shrinking violet, he - has claimed that Patrick O'Flynn, Nigel Farage's former press chief and now a Ukip MEP, is known as 'Pinky O'Flynn' within the party. The right-wing former Daily Express columnist is seen as a dangerous lefty within Ukip's ranks, it seems.

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A ticking off for Gordon MacDonald, the SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands at the Scottish Parliament's education committee this week.

Mary Scanlon, the Scottish Conservatives education spokeswoman, was asking a range of school experts whether current regulations made it too difficult to recruit teaching staff from outside Scotland when Mr MacDonald began to provide her with an answer. "Gordon is answering my questions. Would he mind if the witnesses answered?" she told him brusquely.

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Kezia Dugdale, the Scottish Labour leadership hopeful, is launching her campaign today with a public grilling and Q&A session hosted by journalist and broadcaster Kevin McKenna. A brave choice, felt some, as Kevin's recent columns have revealed a rather greater fondness for the SNP than Labour. A brave choice or a desperate one. Unspun hears at least two hacks turned down the job before Kevin was approached.

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Motor neurone disease campaigner Gordon Aikman managed to round up all the main Holyrood party leaders for a photo call at the parliament. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was first to congratulate him on being awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen's birthday honours. Had he brought the gong with it? "I've not even seen it yet," he said glumly.