This week: Black Friday, Charles in Paris and a hitch for Osborne

WAKE UP TO PIERS

The idea of Piers Morgan’s face being one of the first you see each day won’t be particularly appealing to everyone, but today marks the former Daily Mirror editor’s first day as a co-presenter on Good Morning Britain.

The breakfast show has been losing viewers at a rate of knots and this will be its second revamp in a little over 18 months. Time will tell if opinionated Piers is the right man to turn it round.

IN OUR DEFENCE...

David Cameron will today set out what security chiefs believe is the most important statement on Britain’s defence strategy since the Cold War. The Government’s Strategic Defence and Security Review will shape the British armed forces for the next five years. The threat from Islamic State and Russia’s land grabs are likely to dominate the decision-making.

ON THE FIDDLE

A self-styled former child prodigy at the violin posed as the Duke of Marlborough and ran up huge bills at luxury hotels in a case similar to that of a classic Fawlty Towers episode.

Alexander Wood, 33, who will be sentenced tomorrow, stayed in luxury suites and splashed out on expensive rounds of drinks for fellow guests before trying to do a runner. It recalls the time Basil Fawlty was taken in by a conman posing as an aristocrat in the timeless BBC comedy.

AUTUMN BLUES

Many, including the man himself, may have expected George Osborne’s Autumn Statement to see a mass outbreak of self-congratulatory backslapping as the Conservatives’ “Iron Chancellor” set out his spending review.

Instead, October saw public sector borrowing rise by more than £1bn compared to a year ago, meaning the deficit is at its highest since 2009.

The figures suggest George will miss his borrowing target, which in turn would dent the image of a man many consider to be a Prime Minister in waiting.

GOLDEN OLDIES

IT’S said, with no little justification, that society not only neglects its older people but often doesn’t even notice they’re there. It’s no doubt why older people’s charity Independent Age, in collaboration with Gransnet, the social network for the UK’s 14 million grandparents, decided to launch the Older People in the Media awards.

Previous winners include Dame Judi Dench and Anne Reid for her portrayal of the character Celia in Last Tango in Halifax. A new batch will be named this Friday.

GREY FRIDAY?

Last year it was the cue for the unedifying sight of hordes of shoppers trampling over one another to get their hands on a cheap flatscreen TV and even the occasional bout of fisticuffs.

Perhaps it’s no wonder then that some big names are scaling back their plans for this week’s Black Friday – a US import that lures shoppers in through heavy discounting. Leeds-based Asda has washed its hands of the idea completely, but other retailers are expected to offer heavy discounting online and in stores ahead of the festive period.

PRINCE IN PARIS

England’s footballers and the nation as a whole have stood shoulder to shoulder with those across the Channel in the wake of the terrorist attacks on Paris. On Sunday, the Prince of Wales will also show solidarity, arriving the French capital for a three-day visit.

He will speak at the opening ceremony of the UN Climate Change Conference and is sure to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the Friday the 13th atrocities. Needless to say, expect security to be tight.