Steerpike, Author at The Spectator

Friday

1 July 2022

Neil Parish attacks Chris Pincher

The Tories are in crisis, standards are in peril. So who do you turn to for ethical advice? Step forward Neil Parish, the tractor-loving, porn-perusing former MP for Tiverton. Parish, whose constituency is now, er, represented by a Liberal Democrat thanks to his resignation, was asked for his views this afternoon on Christopher Pincher. Barely concealing his resentment, Parish piled in on the former deputy chief whip who, incidentally, was part of the team which took the decision to suspend him from the Tories in April. Asked if the whip should now be removed Pincher too, Parish replied: Definitely from Christopher Pincher. The first thing they did to me, and I made a huge mistake, is they withdrew the whip.

Steerpike

Boris’s awkward Erdogan encounter

Boris Johnson has never been afraid of expressing himself but he might well have regretted his verbosity yesterday when he had a rather awkward encounter at the Nato summit in Madrid. As Johnson sat at the summit table, a tall figure loomed over him and gripped the Prime Minister's back. Johnson turned around to be greeted by Turkish President Recep Erdogan, with whom he, er, has some previous history. For back in 2016 when Boris was a humble backbencher, The Spectator ran an offensive limerick competition. Its aim was to poke fun at Erdogan who, at the time, was trying to prosecute a German comedian over a rude poem. Johnson submitted his suggestion and won the £1,000 prize. His five line effort went as follows: There was a young fellow from Ankara, Who was a terrific wankerer.

Thursday

30 June 2022

Steerpike

Tory deputy chief whip resigns

Oh dear. It looks like Pestminster 2.0 is rumbling on. On Thursday, Chris Pincher, the deputy chief whip quit after allegations were reported in the Sun. The newspaper reports that the MP, first elected for Tamworth in 2010, has written to Boris Johnson, claiming that: 'Last night I drank far too much. I’ve embarrassed myself and other people which is the last thing I want to do and for that I apologise to you and to those concerned.' The Sun adds that he was at the Carlton Club, home of Tory MPs for more than 100 years, and that he is now accused of having 'assaulted two fellow guests'. In his resignation later to the Prime Minister, Pincher said: I think the right thing to do in the circumstances is for me to resign as Deputy Chief Whip.

Steerpike

Labour love-in with Russia supporters

Sir Keir Starmer is very keen these days to prove that Labour can be trusted on defence and foreign policy. Tweets, statements, Union Jacks galore: nothing is too over the top in the party’s efforts to distance itself from its recent Corbynista past. So Mr S was intrigued to see what one of his backbenchers was up to earlier this month when she was billed to appear on a panel with a range of foreign politicians and activists with, er, some interesting views. Liverpool’s Kim Johnson MP helped organise a conference three weeks ago with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Western Sahara, on which she serves as vice-chairman.

Steerpike

Foreign Office slashes China centre funding

Liz Truss has been in Madrid this week, talking tough on Taiwan. In the face of continued Chinese aggression, Truss is keen to support the island republic, such as by boosting arms sales there. Yet when pressed this morning on LBC, Truss struggled to add more detail, suggesting that 'the defence that Taiwan need is already being provided through commercial providers by a variety of nations.' It comes after a mixed performance at the Foreign Affairs committee on Tuesday, in which Truss appeared baffled about reported delays to the UK's China strategy, which was supposed to be passed to the cabinet last week. Her top official, Sir Philip Barton, claimed it was almost finalised but that he couldn't remember when he last saw it.

Steerpike

HS2 seeks a new narrative

What with Covid, Ukraine and the levelling-up agenda, fiscal probity is somewhat old-fashioned now in Westminster. So it's unsurprising then that the billion-pound boondoggle of HS2 carries on winding its way through the political process, despite mounting costs and time delays. Having dragged on for more than a dozen years, the, er, high-speed rail project has acquired something of a reputation for mismanagement. So it's perhaps unsurprising then that the company between the scheme, HS2 limited, is now hiring for a new 'narrative manager' to develop and maintain the 'core HS2 story' on a salary of up to £45,000. Looks like the 'story' will have a happy ending for the lucky hire at least.

Steerpike

Captain Tom’s charity gets probed

Oh dear. We all remember Captain Tom, KBE, beloved national icon and centenarian philanthropist. In the depths of Covid, the second world war veteran raised Britain's spirits with his 100 laps of his back garden to raise oodles of cash for the NHS. But now the charity set up in Moore's memory could be in a bit of a jam. For the foundation is facing a formal inquiry into its set up following concerns about the way in which it is spending its funds. Whoops! Earlier this year the Charity Commission started probing the foundation amid concerns about the way it is governed. But now that has escalated into a full inquiry after fresh evidence emerged of potentially serious misconduct.

Wednesday

29 June 2022

Steerpike

Holyrood spends thousands on the National

Nicola Sturgeon's latest independence wheeze might have received a near-universal panning but there's one organ she can always count on for stellar support: the National. 'SAVE THE DATE' screamed its front page today, replete with ten pages of Pyongyang-style praise for the Dear Leader and her latest, brilliant move that will almost certainly fall short of legal reality. Still, at least the National get something in return for such fealty. For the Scottish Government under Sturgeon has spent thousands in recent years on purchasing hundreds of copies of the newspaper – even though it is available online or via a (cheaper) digital subscription.

Steerpike

Matt Hancock enjoys a ‘Permissionless Experience’

Ah, Matt Hancock: the man who makes Gavin Williamson and his manoeuvrings look subtle. The former Health Secretary marked the anniversary of his fall from grace by going out to bat for the government's Protocol bill in the Times (hint, hint Bozza). But until he gets recalled to his rightful place in the Cabinet, the West Suffolk MP has a new way of occupying his time: making the case for crypto in the corridors of power. Karen Bradley, whose spell at the Northern Ireland Office involved a fair amount of ups and downs, got three tickets and 'fastrack passes to Alton Towers Theme Park'. It's been a rough old time for the industry in recent months, with Non-Fungible Token trades more than halving in number since the beginning of April.

Tuesday

28 June 2022

Steerpike

Sunak hits back at his critics

To Policy Exchange, the chameleon think tank that changes with the seasons. The summer party was well under way by the time Mr S rocked up, with Gavin Williamson and Sajid Javid clutching glasses in the shade of Westminster Abbey. But Pimms and canapés weren’t the only things on the menu tonight, as Rishi Sunak took to the stage to deliver the keynote speech at one of Westminster’s hottest summer receptions. The Chancellor has been smarting in recent weeks from the stinging criticism that followed his Spring Statement. And his mood can’t have been helped by the introduction he was given by Policy Exchange’s chairman Alexander Downer, the former Australian High Commissioner.

Steerpike

Simon Case’s mea culpa

It's supposedly illegal to die in the House of Commons, but Simon Case gave it a good try this afternoon. The Cabinet Secretary endured a torrid time before the Public Administration Committee, being grilled on everything from Partygate and public standards to Carrie Johnson and civil service cuts. For 107 minutes, Britain's top mandarin was metaphorically pummeled around the Jo Grimond room, looking at times as though he'd prefer the fate of Jeremy Thorpe's Rinka. It was difficult to pick a lowlight from this session, though Mr S shall give it a try. Having begun the meeting in his best Sir Humphrey mode – 'the government of the day is not remotely afraid of controversial policies' – it all quickly went south from there.

Steerpike

Sturgeon plans to sue herself

Here we go again then. Nicola Sturgeon has finally anounced her great Scexit wheeze: after years of making claims about another independence referendum, she's finally announced a timetable at last. Thursday 19 October 2023 is now Scotland's divinely-ordained date with destiny (according to the First Minister at least) with Sturgeon prepared to use the courts to achieve this, given the UK government's continued intransigence. To do this, Sturgeon says she asked the Lord Advocate to consider referring to the Supreme Court the position of her referendum bill with regards to reserved matters; in effect, suing herself. She confirmed that the Lord Advocate has agreed to make a reference to the court, with papers being filed in London this afternoon.

Steerpike

Will any Tory MPs defect to Labour?

Parliament is ablaze with gossip and rumour this morning. There's only one question on anyone's lips: will any more MPs defect to Labour? Such speculation has been fuelled by something of a collective Fleet Street guessing game: the Sunday Times has predicted that up to six Tories might make the jump while today's Telegraph merely suggests three. The Guardian conservatively suggests that one Tory MP is in 'advanced discussions' about defecting while a second is in talks with a Labour MP about the possibility of doing so. Such talk has been fuelled by the case of Bury South backbencher Christian Wakeford, who crossed the floor in January.

Steerpike

Steve Baker reveals his next move

Back in February, Mr S pointed out that Steve Baker was on manoeuvres. The ‘Brexit hardman’ is returning to the playbook which won the war over vaccine passports by teaming up with Covid Research Group consultant Ed Barker. It’s part of a planned relaunch next month of the moribund Conservative Way Forward, at a suitably tactical Westminster location. Given his track record in masterminding both the CRG and ERG, Baker is sure to have a more successful launch than the last time the Thatcherite pressure group was re-started. That was in July 2018 at a dinner that was somewhat overshadowed by the leak of Boris Johnson’s disparaging comments about Theresa May.

Monday

27 June 2022

Steerpike

May gives Boris a taste of his own medicine

Oh dear. Is Boris Johnson's bid to rip up the Northern Ireland Protocol over before it really began? First, Simon Hoare, the chair of the Northern Ireland Select Committee, lobbed a grenade at Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, asking whether her support for the government's bill was merely 'a muscle flex for a future leadership bid?' When the camera panned to Truss on the frontbench, she had, er, left her seat. And then, in the words of King Louis XV, 'Après moi, le déluge.' For shortly after Hoare sat down, it was Theresa May's time to rise to her feet.

Steerpike

Ministers make a royal mess of Jubilee books

Speak to any disaffected Tory these days and the conversation quickly turns to one of leadership. Who should be next to wear the Conservative crown? Rishi? Damaged goods. Liz? Always self-promoting. Jeremy Hunt? Come off it. With question marks hanging over each of the main contenders, one name increasingly doing the rounds is that of dark horse Nadhim Zahawi, the millionaire businessman whose supporters bill him as the man who gets things done. The case for Zahawi goes as follows: he came to this nation an immigrant child yet built the hugely successful YouGov polling firm. After years of being overlooked for high office, he oversaw the successful vaccine roll-out at health before cleaning up the hapless Gavin Williamson's mess at education.

Steerpike

Lords gear up for new by-elections

They're the by-elections all of Westminster is talking about. No, not the race for Tiverton and Wakefield in the Commons but the battle to replace two vacant seats in Lords. For, following the retirement of Lord Brabazon of Tara and the death of Lord Swinfen, hereditary peers who take the Tory whip are gearing up to decide who among their number shall take their place. These contests are held every time one of the 92 hereditary peers still in the Upper House die or choose to leave the chamber. Some 42 places are reserved for Conservative members. Each candidate submits a brief manifesto statement with previous highlights include the Earl of Limerick using a, er, limerick to support his case.

Saturday

25 June 2022

Steerpike

Milifandom founder joins Starmer’s army

It's not just Ed Miliband making a comeback under Sir Keir: now the former Labour leader's biggest fan has signed up to join the Starmer army too. Back in 2015, 'Milifandom' briefly swept the internet when it looked like the Doncaster MP could defeat David Cameron in that year's general election. The cult movement was started by then 17 year-old Abby Tomlinson, who became quite a star during the campaign, following a spat with Louise Mensch and a number of opinion pieces written about her strange obsession. Now in her mid-twenties, she has since finished school and university and done stints at Hope not Hate and left-wing news site JOE, which had a run-in with Labour HQ during the Batley by-election last year.

Steerpike

Memo to MPs: Britain is not America

Goodbye then, Roe v Wade. The US Supreme Court’s decision this week to overturn its ruling on abortion will effectively ban the practice across swathes of America. Millions of Americans are angry; politicians have been quick to proclaim their shock and dismay. But this is Britain, home to some of Europe's most liberal abortion laws, where self-aggrandisement and West Wing syndrome mean that our own virtue-signalling politicians can't resist shoehorning themselves into the debate. Thus far only one elected politician appears to have publicly expressed any kind of support for the decision: Scott Benton, the unorthodox MP from Blackpool South.

Steerpike

Tory rebels plot a 1922 takeover

The Conservative party has a rather funereal air about it this morning, following this week’s two bruising by-election losses in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton, which saw the party get walloped in both the 'red wall' north and true blue south. And since the losses it appears that Tory animosity towards the PM has been building up. Two former Tory party leaders, William Hague and Michael Howard, have now said that cabinet ministers should pressure Boris Johnson to leave No. 10, with Howard telling the World at One that: ‘The party and more importantly the country would be better off under new leadership. Members of the cabinet should very carefully consider their positions.