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
Oh dear. It seems that Martin Lewis, the self-styled ‘Money Saving Expert’, has come a bit of a cropper in his attempts to prove that he is the smartest one in the room. Kemi Badenoch was out on the airwaves this morning, promoting the Tories’ plan to cut the interest on student loans. But Lewis
Happy birthday to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. He has today been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, after photos showed cars arriving at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk earlier this morning. Thames Valley Police have previously said they were assessing a complaint over the alleged sharing of confidential material by the former prince with late
We have a new cabinet secretary! After a shambolic week in which Downing Street were forced to admit to the lobby that they did not know who was running the Civil Service, today we finally get our answer. Antonia Romeo is the first woman to rule Whitehall, taking over from the somewhat plodding Chris Wormald.
Just what is happening in Washington? It was only yesterday that the State Department was trying to merrily wave through Keir Starmer’s great Chagos sell-out, issuing a glowing statement suggesting that ‘The United States supports the decision of the United Kingdom to proceed with its agreement with Mauritius concerning the Chagos archipelago.’ Nothing more to
It is Robert Jenrick’s big day out today. The newly-minted Reform ‘Shadow Chancellor’ is making his first speech since his appointment, with plenty of soothing words to calm the jitters of the bond markets. Sporting a snazzy pair of specs, he was, in the words of one Tory, every inch ‘reassuring Rob’. But the top
The Chagos deal is set to return to the House of Lords after recess. But a group of islanders are determined to do all they can to avert the handover, by protesting right up until the point of surrender. On Monday, a four-man landing party landed on the archipelago to establish a permanent settlement, more
You wait years for a right-wing party – and then a veritable fleet comes along at once. After Advance UK, Heritage and Reclaim, now we have Restore Britain. It is being fronted by Rupert Lowe, the Great Yarmouth MP who currently sits as an independent. He initially set up Restore Britain as a ‘political movement’
It was the think tank which made Keir Starmer leader – but now Labour Together is struggling. The Sunday Times yesterday splashed on the news that the institute had commissioned covert research on two of its journalists in order to undermine their coverage of the organisation. In response, Alison Phillips, the new CEO of Labour
The SNP might be heading to another victory – but all is not going swimmingly for the nationalists. The party’s former chief executive Peter Murrell – best known as Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband – is in the firing line over more allegations concerning the party finances. Murrell is facing a charge of embezzling £459,000 from
When a PM is in crisis, what do they do? Sack the head of the civil service. Having lost both his Chief of Staff and Director of Communications at the beginning of the week, Keir Starmer resolved to make it a hattrick by dispensing with the services of his short-serving Cabinet Secretary. Poor old Chris
Just stop Doyle! It was another bad Prime Ministers’ Questions this week for Keir Starmer today. Once again, one of those mysterious appointments for which the Prime Minister is never responsible came back to haunt him in public. After Peter Mandelson last week, this time it is Matthew Doyle, Starmer’s former comms chief who was
This is Keir Starmer’s worst week in politics – and it is still only Tuesday. The constant flailings of the embattled Labour PM never cease to shock, amuse and entertain. But having successfully quelled the immediate revolt against his premiership, Starmer has, once again, pulled defeat from the jaws of victory. For tonight the main
Will the last person out of No. 10 please turn out the lights? First, it was Morgan McSweeney; then, Tim Allan. Tonight, Chris Wormald, is the latest name being about to depart the heart of government. It was just 14 months ago that Sir Chris was appointed Cabinet Secretary – the most senior official in
Oh dear. It really does seem like the end of days for Keir Starmer now. The Prime Minister has lost both his chief of staff and his director of communications in less than 24 hours. And while he continues to insist he is in control, others are preparing to take matters into their own hands.
It’s a tough time for the nation’s finances – but don’t worry, one man is doing ok. Lord Mandelson received a taxpayer-funded payoff worth tens of thousands of pounds – despite being sacked as US ambassador over his links to the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The Sunday Times reports today that Mandy secured an exit payment
Oh Mandy. You came and you took and kept taking. For it is not just the Labour party wrestling with the fallout from the Peter Mandelson scandal. Global Counsel – the lobbying firm which he co-founded in 2010 with his former aide Benjamin Wegg-Prosser – is battling to cope with the wave of bad PR
It’s all gone a little bit Pete Tong for Sir Keir and the gang in No. 10. No acts of seppuku have yet been committed – but it is surely only a matter of time before heads are offered up on chargers. Currently, it is Morgan McSweeney, the Downing Street chief of staff, who is
With 91 days to go until the Senedd elections, Reform are polling second – so it’s probably about time that they actually unveiled their leader. At a press conference in Newport this morning, Nigel Farage produced not just one rabbit but two. First, there was the long-awaited defection of James Evans after his expulsion from
It’s Wednesday so that means another ritual humiliation for Keir Starmer at PMQs. As his government limps towards the May elections, the weekly spankings by Kemi Badenoch often seem to blur into one. But this week’s session will stand out in the annals for the sheer torrent of criticism directed at Starmer over his decision
It’s been a pretty terrible start to the week for the government. Amid mounting revelations from the Epstein files, the police are now probing claims that the former British ambassador Lord Mandelson committed misconduct in public office. Despite Mandy’s links to the disgraced sexual predator being already well-known in late 2024, Keir Starmer nevertheless still
