This week it was confirmed that legendary Clifford Chance (CC) senior partner Stuart Popham would be staying on for another glorious term after apparently seeing off all-comers in a blisteringly dramatic uncontested ballot.

Insiders suggest the great man swept to victory after sensationally unveiling a radical election manifesto, which The Diary can hereby bring you in full:

Popham Senior Partner Re-election Manifesto

Introduction of new ‘salaried senior-partner’ role, allowing all partners called Stuart Popham increased voting rights over what tie to wear to work, unsupervised access to the stationery-cupboard and profile- raising tea-making mandate;

senior partner to play key role inidentifying firmwide global strategy,-just as soon as David Childs has decided what the findings will be;

introduction of so-called ‘Popham-House rules’ prohibiting senior partner-from making any public comments about CC, US mergers or ‘that Tower bloke’;

senior partner to spend a minimum of 23 hours a day inside sensory-deprivation ‘think-tank’ to aid blue-sky planning deprivation

er…

…that’s it.