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
The China hawks were out in force last night. Over at the Walkers of Whitehall tavern, it was the turn of Alicia Kearns to charm the Onward think tank. To a packed audience, the Rutland and Melton MP was hailed as ‘the youngest select committee chair, the first female Foreign Affairs committee chair and the
Justin Trudeau might be the self-anointed king of elite liberal opinion but it appears his methods find little favour with Beijing. Cringeworthy footage has now been released of President Xi Jinping dressing down the Canadian premier on the side-lines of the G20 conference. The two leaders were caught on camera having an, er, lively discussion
‘It’s coming home!’ England fans may cheer next week in Qatar but there’s one thing Commons’ bosses don’t want coming back with them: malicious viruses that could put parliament’s internet system at risk. Security chiefs on the Westminster estate have issued strict guidance to those football fanatics heading off to the oil rich Arab country
First it was Suella Braverman, then it was Gavin Williamson, now it is Dominic Raab. Three ministers have been in the crosshairs of Westminster’s press pack these past three weeks. The first survived, the second resigned and now it is the turn of the Deputy Prime Minister to experience life at the centre of a
Another week and another minister under pressure. But rather than hand in his resignation notice like Gavin Williamson, Dominic Raab has chosen to come out swinging against his critics. Facing questions about his conduct, the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (as he likes to be called) has drafted a
It used to be said that political parties were Eurosceptic in opposition, but Europhile in government. The same perhaps could now be said of China. Back in July, Rishi Sunak was keen to talk tough on the Beijing behemoth, which he called Britain’s ‘biggest long-term threat’. He tweeted that ‘China and the Chinese Communist party represent
With just three days to go until the awful Autumn Statement, Westminster is agog to find out just how truly terrible it’s going to be. Taxes? Up! Cuts? Aplenty! Growth? Flatlining! So, as we await with morbid fascination to see what the new season of Jeremy Hunt’s Fiscal Drag Race has in store for us,
Cast your minds back sixteen months ago. Back then, Boris Johnson was in his pomp, having narrowly missed out on winning the Batley by-election. The vaccine roll-out was underway, with the UK leading the world out of Covid. And in the Labour party, there was much excited talk of a challenge by Angela Rayner to
Dominic Raab likes to refer his six-week spell away from the Ministry of Justice as a ‘sabbatical’ but for many of his staff it was more of a respite. The Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary (as he likes to be called) was restored to the MoJ last month by Rishi Sunak, after
Westminster tuned in last night for another episode of I’m a Celebrity. There’s no winner yet but one obvious loser, as this year’s subplot appears to be Matt Hancock versus everyone else. Having been mocked on the first night for his Covid record, attention has now moved on to the reason why Hancock had to
Relations between London and Brussels haven’t always been cordial in recent years. But red-faced staff in Whitehall’s Foreign Office will be grateful for local police in the Belgian capital after they recovered a collection of stolen historic paintings that were stolen from the British Ambassador to Nato’s official residence. Four pieces of art that belong
‘Mr Hancock, I presume?’ was the reaction our former Health Secretary presumably hoped to elicit upon entering the jungle last night. Unfortunately, it was a wall of hysterical laughter which met him instead as comedian Seann Walsh as the comedian doubled up in hysterics at the sight of Hancock tottering his way across the rope
As the dust settles after the recent reshuffle, those lucky politicians who survived the Sunak cull will be engaged in self-congratulation and reconciling themselves with the new regime. For some, there is high office, with all its fruits and delights: for others there is disappointment, dismay and the consolation prize of a sinecure. How, for
It seems these days that the blessed Starmer can do no wrong. Cruising in the polls, fêted by his party, the Labour leader has become the toast of the media with election victory now seeming assured. But is Sir Keir all that he appears? The Labour leader opted to lead on the allegations against Gavin
It’s the biggest issue facing British politics: what to do about parliament’s catering? An army marches on its stomach and our legion of lords and legislators is no exception. For months, Mr S has heard grumbles about standards slipping in the Commons canteen. And now, finally, we have the proof, for today parly bosses admitted
These days, the Duchess of Sussex’s ambitions are a little more grandiose than that of a mere English county. Now, the recalcitrant royal seems to have her heart set on being the voice of all women everywhere, unconfined by the constraints of mere geography or taste. For in the latest edition of her egomaniacal Archetypes
They were the dynamic, priapic premiers who guided their country through a pandemic – and the comparisons between Boris Johnson and David Lloyd George don’t stop there. For no man has done more to advance the cause of Lords reform since the days of the ‘Welsh Wizard’ than Johnson. In his seemingly ongoing quest to
For the first time since Covid, it’s the question all of Westminster is asking: where is Matt Hancock? Within the next 72 hours, the former Health Secretary is due to make an appearance in the I’m A Celebrity jungle, with Hancock set to receive a reported £400,000. Not bad work if you can get it.
Ah Gavin Williamson – the man with more lives than Larry the Cat. Having been sacked as Defence Secretary for alleged leaking in 2019, then sacked again as Education Secretary for poor performance in 2021, Williamson is now facing his third dismissal in three years following fresh claims about his conduct. On Friday it emerged
Former Manchester United player Gary Neville has been enjoying something of the political limelight in recent months. At the beginning of the year the footballer became a card carrying Labour member and in September joined Keir Starmer on stage for a pally conversation at the party’s conference. In interviews last year, Neville said that he
