Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike
Boris Johnson was all probity and contrition on Wednesday when it came to the small matter of the Privilege Committee’s integrity. He oozed praise on the ‘distinguished’ panel of MPs and assured them, in his most sincere tones, of his believe that it isn’t a ‘kangaroo court.’ But it seems that not all of his
Whether it was No. 10 parties or Chris Pincher’s misconduct claims, Tory MPs grew used to having defend Boris Johnson in various scrapes and scandals in office. Now though he’s gone but even six months on, some Conservatives seem unable (or unwilling) to kick the habit. A case in point is provided by Scott Benton,
‘Too clever by half’ was the verdict of many pundits when it was revealed that Sir Keir had been tapping up Sue Gray as his chief of staff. And it seems that the Labour leader is at it again, holding a big press conference today to talk about his ‘mission’ to tackle crime – less
It’s a good day to bury bad news. After months of stalling, No. 10 have chosen today of all days to publish Rishi Sunak’s long-awaited tax bill – slap bang in the middle of Boris Johnson’s evidence session at the Privileges Committee. The records show he paid more than £1million in UK tax over the
The king of spin is at it again. Fresh from bailing out his boss Gary Lineker from another self-imposed Twitter mess, Alastair Campbell is now laying the mantle of ‘defender of the BBC’ to pick up another instead: Boris Johnson lockdown truther. Campbell, a former director of communications in No. 10 no less, must be
It’s all getting a bit spicy in Westminster. Barely an hour after Boris Johnson and Liz Truss announced that they would not vote for Rishi Sunak’s Windsor Framework, out came serial rebel turned ultimate loyalist Steve Baker to savage their decision. The Northern Ireland minister launched an astonishing attack on the former Tory premiers saying
Hell hath no fury like a mandarin scorned. What with Richard Sharp and Dominic Raab, Simon Case is still living with the legacy of Boris Johnson’s premiership. And the Cabinet Secretary – who endured a torrid two years under Johnson – clearly takes exception to his former boss’s endless claims that Covid rules and guidance
‘Cuts’, ‘retrenchment’ and ‘savings’ are very much the buzz words over on King Charles Street. There’s lots of talk about ‘fierce and draconian’ reductions in foreign aid spending with James Cleverly warning that ‘money is tight.’ So Mr S was surprised to discover that the Foreign Office will spend at least £2.5 million on the
Quick, nurse, they’re at it again! Boris Johnson’s evidence to the Privileges Committee today has re-started the longest running war in Westminster, after a temporary cessation of hostilities. Johnson savages his former No. 10 advisor Dominic Cummings in his submission, referencing the Vote Leave guru and his infamous Substack no fewer than ten times during
It wasn’t so long ago that the Conservatives won a landslide on Boris Johnson’s pledge not to put up income tax, national insurance or VAT. But four years on, and after 13 years in office, it seems the Tories have lost their hard-won reputation for low taxes. Mr S has done some polling and last
It seems to be all going to pot for the SNP. The party’s chief executive and its top spinner are heading for the exit as the ongoing shambles of a leadership race continues to claim more scalps than a Scorsese flick. And it seems the pressure is getting to some of the SNP’s grandees, judging
In her eight and a half years at Bute House, Nicola Sturgeon has never been one to show much in the way of grace towards ministers down in London. There were the Brexit debates, where she endlessly sought to undermine those involved in negotiations with Brussels. There were the Covid crises, where she sought to
Well, well, well. It’s been a tumultuous time for the SNP recently, and no one knows that better than their own spin doctor Murray Foote. But it all seemed to prove too much this evening as he announced his shock resignation. Standing down after four years of spinning for the party, Mr Foote issued a
It’s a big week for Boris Johnson as he prepares to give evidence before the Privileges Committee next Wednesday. So it will have been to some relief tonight that he easily won re-adoption as the candidate for the Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat which he currently represents in parliament. The association have now released the
Cometh the hour, cometh the Humza. Once again the hapless health minister has struck again, this time on a visit to a group of Ukrainian women in Edinburgh. After a photo call, Yousaf turned to the group of women and asked loudly ‘Where are all the men?’ There was polite and awkward laughter before the
It’s Thursday so you know what that means: another chance to watch Penny Mordaunt demolishing the SNP from the despatch box. Today’s Business Questions to the Leader of the House saw Mordaunt face off across sometime soap star and full-time grievance-monger Deidre Brock. The Scottish nationalist gave a rather tedious speech lambasting Jeremy Hunt’s Budget,
Mick Lynch strikes again! The tough-talking general secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) was out on the airwaves again this morning to defend yet another day of train strikes. True to form, Lynch couldn’t quite get through the broadcast round without getting into a spat with the journalist interviewing
It may seem like a bizarre question but it’s the one that is obsessing much of the left: is Rishi Sunak simply Enoch Powell in a better suit? Stephen Flynn, the SNP’s Westminster leader, made the comparison in parliament last week when he asked the Prime Minister ‘from whom are his Government taking inspiration, Nigel
Labour has greeted the Budget with its now-familiar trick of accepting 90 per cent of its changes and then railing against one high-profile measure to attack those beastly Tories. This time, it’s Jeremy Hunt’s abolition of the £1.07 million lifetime tax allowance on pensions from April to prevent doctors going into early retirement. The party’s attack
It says a lot for the SNP’s commitment to transparency that even its leading lights don’t trust its electoral processes. Ash Regan and Kate Forbes have today written to the party’s chief executive Peter Murrell asking for information about the party’s membership and the leadership ballot. Regan, in a letter which was sent with the
