The Londoner: Julian Assange closer to a journey home …

Staff at the Ecuadorian Embassy have cause for celebration today with the news that they may finally be rid of their long-term house guest Julian Assange.

The Australian government has confirmed that the WikiLeaks founder has a new Australian passport after years without one, and could now return to his home country.

An official at Australias department of foreign affairs and trade confirmed yesterday that Mr Assange does have an Australian passport. The timing is good: last year he said that he feared Ecuador was seeking to end his asylum. He has been holed up in the embassy in Knightsbridge since the day he walked in, breaking his UK bail conditions, in 2012.

The Londoner called the embassy this morning and asked for a response to the news of the new passport. A member of staff initially said no comment but then added: He has the right to do whatever he wants, but he doesnt move on. He could stay here for ever.

Now, in another boost, Assange has the support of Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters, who described him as a hero of mine and called on Australians to rally for him.

We live in strange and dark times and we need journalists and others, activists of all kinds, to shine light into the dark places, Waters told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Waters is not his only high-profile backer. Assange has also entertained figures such as Pamela Anderson. Nigel Farage was seen there in March of 2017 but said he could not remember the reason for his visit.

Assanges passport had been held up by wrangling over whether it could be issued to him given that a warrant is still out for his arrest in the UK.

His UK lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, reportedly applied for a fresh passport halfway through last year.

Greg Barns, Assanges Australian lawyer, gave credit to former foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop for her role in securing the new document.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported Barns thought she had gone to great lengths to ensure Mr Assanges rights as an Australian citizen were upheld by being granted a passport.

On nodding terms

David Natzler, the outgoing clerk of the Commons, took his row with the BBC up a notch yesterday by bringing up the Jimmy Savile inquiry when asked about the Newsnight investigation into bullying in the Commons.

Natzler tells this months House magazine that it must have been quite upsetting for the BBC to learn of its internal scandal.

But Christopher Cook, the journalist who worked on the story, hits back: I was hired as part of the aftermath of the BBCs attempts to fix that. Because, you know, the BBC tried to fix it, rather than nodding along.

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After Piers Morgan branded the Duchess of Sussexs baby shower an orgy of opulent extravagance, former royal chef Darren McGrady proposes that Meghan should invite Piers around for lunch and charm him the way Princess Diana did, adding: I remember her coming into the kitchen after hed left and saying what a jerk she thought he was.

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Audiences at the Bush Theatres The Trick on Wednesday were left sobbing by the moving story of a woman mourning her late husband. Unfortunately, as they exited via the foyer, they were greeted by Queens Another One Bites the Dust, playing as part of the Bushs main show, And The Rest Of Me Floats.

Olivia, everyone's Oscars favourite

Olivia Colman (Getty Images)

The Oscars take place on Sunday and Britain is hoping for success. Olivia Colman and her film The Favourite have some impressive fans. It is the best movie of the year, Oscar-winning actor Jared Leto tells us. Hes also backing Free Solo, which is up for Best Documentary.

Asked who she wants to win, actor Tuppence Middleton was resolute: Olivia Colman. Harry Potter actor Jason Isaacs is backing Richard E Grant for his role in Can You Ever Forgive Me?.

I absolutely adore him, he tells us. I have my fingers, legs and toes crossed that he wins. Grant has taken Hollywood by storm by posing for selfies with the A-list and sharing effusive posts online.

Its incredibly endearing that hes not pretending to be cool, Isaacs says. He never did. Hes a refreshingly, searingly honest person. He taught me a lot of unrepeatable things.

SW1A

Emily Thornberrywatched as her local party voted in favour of a second referendum last night. Delighted at the attendance numbers, she says she will take their views on board, thus increasing pressure on Jeremy Corbyn. Reports suggest that dozens of MPs are prepared to either join the Independent Group or resign the whip if he rejects plans put forward by backbench Labour MPs.

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The arrival of Andrea Leadsoms third child didnt stand in the way of her aspirations to be an MP. I remember giving birth to her at home at 2.30 in the morning and going to a final selection meeting for Reading West that evening, she tells the Women With Balls podcast. People thought I was mad.

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Jeremy Corbyn was seen alighting the Eurostar at Brussels Gare du Midi yesterday, missing Tory Brexit team Stephen Barclay and Geoffrey Cox by seconds. Carry On, Brexit.

It's all about Gillian at an X Files reunion

The truth is out there... Gillian Anderson was reunited with David Duchovny, her X-Files co-star, last night. The American actor, who played Mulder to her Scully in the beloved sci-fi series, visited her backstage at the Nol Coward Theatre, where she is starring alongside Lily James in the stage adaptation of All About Eve.

Despite their sometimes turbulent working relationship in the Nineties, the two are firm friends and returned for the 2016 revival of the show.During contract discussions, Anderson was offered less money than Duchovny but fought for equal pay. Those negotiation skills may come in handy for her next job: she has been cast as Margaret Thatcher in the next series of The Crown.

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The Londoner: Julian Assange closer to a journey home ...