Steerpike

Steerpike

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

Thursday

Steerpike

Manchester University scraps the word ‘mother’

Universities have traditionally played an important role in preparing young people for a life outside academia. These days, though, it appears that many institutions are more interested in lecturing their academics than teaching students – especially when it comes to using the right kind of language. That perhaps explains why the University of Manchester released on Wednesday a new ‘Guide to inclusive language’ for its staff, made by its ‘equality, diversity and inclusion team’.

Steerpike

The NYT’s royal blunder

Trebles all round at the New York Times after another dose of anti-British bile. Mr S last week noted that the Gray Lady's news reporting of Covid in the UK mixed misrepresentation with outdated figures. This week the newspaper has followed this up with the inevitable crowing comment piece to follow Harry and Meghan's Oprah interview. Titled 'Down with the British Monarchy' it mocks the Queen as 'some utterly random rich wastrel' and claims her own 'claim to legitimacy' is being 'the child of the child of the child of someone who was, centuries ago, the nation’s biggest gangster.

Wednesday

Steerpike

Revealed: Labour councillor’s role in party NHS film

Oh dear. Following up this afternoon's PMQs at which Keir Starmer led on the issue of nurses' pay, the Labour Party have tonight tweeted a new attack ad featuring a nurse in her branded lanyard. Calling the proposed one per cent pay rise 'a complete slap in the face' she says 'we feel completely betrayed' adding 'We've cared for this country along with millions of other key workers and we deserve better than this. We deserve to be looked after ourselves.' https://twitter.com/UKLabour/s... It turns out the nurse in question is Sarah Barber, an elected Ipswich Labour councillor – a fact which is not made clear in her party's tweet that simply claims 'Here's what this nurse thinks of the Government's pay cut for nurses.

Steerpike

Coming soon: No. 10’s vaccine home movie

'Extraordinary. Unexpected. Fantastic' is the tagline for the latest drama out of No. 10 Downing Street. Only this time the stars are not Carrie and the Vote Leave crew but Patrick Vallance, Chris Whitty, Kate Bingham, Jonathan Van-Tam and the other civil servants behind the UK's vaccine programme. A brief 51 second clip was released this afternoon on the official Downing Street Twitter account and has already gone viral. https://twitter.com/10DowningStreet/status/1369663017890222084?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Billed as 'A Beacon of Hope: The UK Vaccine Story', details of the homemade docu-drama have so far been scant.

Steerpike

Watch: Boris hits back over Brussels vaccine jabs

Britain has sunk into a vicious bout of 'vaccine nationalism' — that is, at least, according to European Council president Charles Michel who made the bizarre claims last night.  Those in Westminster have been less than impressed by the Eurocrat's bold claims that the UK is undermining the bloc's vaccine plans, with Dominic Raab ordering EU officials to explain themselves to the Foreign Office. Responding to Michel earlier today, Boris Johnson told PMQs: 'Let me be clear we have not blocked the export of a single Covid-19 vaccine, or vaccine components.' Strong words by a clearly irritated PM.

Steerpike

Tories mask up in battle to save the Union

First there was the Union Unit, then there was the Internal Market Act. Now Mr Steerpike can reveal the latest weapon of Tory MPs to fight the Scottish Nationalists: Union Jack face masks. A number of the new 2019 intake have been seen proudly sporting the emblems in the chamber to counter SNP members wearing the St Andrews’ cross opposite. West Dorset MP Chris Loder is the man responsible, purchasing them from a shop near Waterloo station. He told Mr S: 'I was looking across the benches sometimes and seeing these pretty ghastly masks from the opposition benches especially the SNP which are all about the politics of division. The one thing for me the Union flag is about is unity and no better time was there to demonstrate that.

Steerpike

Did Meghan Markle get Piers Morgan sacked?

PA Media are now reporting that the Duchess of Sussex did formally complain to ITV over Piers Morgan's comments on GMB amid concerns that his comments may affect others attempting to deal with their mental health problems. The Good Morning Britain co-host quit last night, with a spokesman for ITV subsequently refusing to deny that the pregnant royal had submitted a complaint. His decision on Tuesday came after a difficult morning for Morgan who stormed off set after fellow presenter Alex Beresford accused him of ‘absolutely diabolical’ treatment of Meghan Markle (Morgan had said he did not believe the Duchess of Sussex's claims in Monday's interview).

Tuesday

Steerpike

UK summons EU officials over ‘false’ vaccine claims

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has blasted claims by a senior Eurocrat that the UK is hampering the bloc's vaccine rollout, calling the questionable assertions 'completely false'. Charles Michel, president of the European Council, initially argued that Britain had imposed an 'outright ban on the export of vaccines or vaccine components' leaving the country in an EU blog on Tuesday. (Michel then subtly soften his claim after commentators pointed out there was no such 'outright ban', instead he said there were 'different ways of imposing bans or restrictions on vaccines'.) But London was having none of it.

Steerpike

Covid kids’ book pulped after China complains

World Book Day was last Thursday and now a leading German publisher has belatedly marked the occasion by pulping copies of a children’s picture book. Its crime? Saying something that is almost certainly true: that Covid-19 originated in China. 'A Corona Rainbow for Anna and Moritz' was published to help kids understand the impact that Covid-19 is having on their lives. Based on scientific advice from a medical institute in Hamburg, it featured the fictitious protagonists’ father saying: 'The virus comes from China and has spread out from there across the whole world.' Offensive? Hardly. But it seems not everyone agreed. The Chinese consulate lodged ‘stern representations’ with Carlsen publishing house.

Steerpike

Watch: Piers Morgan storms off his own show

Oh dear. Things got rather heated in the GMB studio this morning when discussing Harry and Meghan’s bombshell Oprah interview, which aired in the UK last night. On the show, presenter Alex Beresford laid into Piers Morgan for his treatment of Meghan, and suggested that his behaviour had been ‘absolutely diabolical’. This appeared to get under Morgan’s skin, who ended up storming off his own show. Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

Monday

Steerpike

Fact check: did Harry and Meghan have a secret wedding?

Oh dear. Not content with having claimed that baby Archie was denied his rightful title, last night’s interview with the Sussexes saw them boast of having conducted a secret marriage with the Archbishop of Canterbury three days before the public ceremony in May 2018. Meghan told Oprah: 'You know, three days before our wedding, we got married. No one knows that. We called the Archbishop and we just said "Look this thing, this spectacle is for the world but we want our union between us".'  She added that they exchanged personal vows during a backyard ceremony in the grounds of Kensington Palace – 'just the two of us'. Prince Harry meanwhile sang 'Just the three of us,' Harry to the tune of the 1980 hit 'Just the Two of Us'.

Steerpike

Revealed: Nigel Farage’s Brexit dividend

He may be leaving the political stage but new figures show Nigel Farage won’t be short of a bob or two. Just hours after announcing his retirement from frontline politics on Saturday night, the former Brexit party leader said he was joining fan video app Cameo — where viewers pay celebrities to record personalised video messages. With 141 members of his ‘fan club’ and a price of £75 per vid, Farage looks set to rake in the takings for his burgeoning media empire under the auspices of Thorn In The Side Ltd. But should his Cameo career take a while to come together, Mr S suspects Farage will do just fine. https://twitter.com/Nigel_Farage/status/1368625149264748545?

Steerpike

Minister’s Sussex snub

What does No. 10 think about Harry and Meghan's Palace intrigue? Perhaps we can glean some insight from the comments of environment minister and close friend of Boris and Carrie.  Zac (now Lord) Goldsmith is the first minister to publicly criticise the spurned royal couple, tweeting that 'Harry is blowing up his family'. https://twitter.com/ZacGoldsmith/status/1368946238188621831?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw The Duchess of Sussex also comes in for criticism — with Goldsmith writing 'What Meghan wants, Meghan gets'. Mr S wonders who ever else could that sentiment apply to? Update: A message of support from Truss? https://twitter.com/trussliz/status/1368970391331409935?

Steerpike

Fact check: why isn’t Archie a prince?

Viewers watching Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah last night were treated to a host of bombshells on everything from the couple’s secret marriage to the gender of their new baby. Allegations levelled by the pair include claims that a member of the royal family made racist comments about Archie’s skin colour and that the firm stopped Meghan from getting help for her mental health. One claim that can be rebutted however is the issue of why Harry and Meghan’s son Archie does not have the title of prince like Prince George or Princess Charlotte. In her interview, Oprah Winfrey asked Meghan if her son was denied the title of prince because he is mixed-race amid Palace concerns that Archie would be 'too brown'.

Steerpike

Meghan and Harry’s interview: Seven bombshell claims

The Royal Family is waking up to a series of allegations set to rock the monarchy following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's tell-all interview with Oprah. The two-hour show aired in the United States overnight – and will appear on ITV this evening. But with the main lines set to dominate the news agenda all day, Mr S has rounded up the biggest bombshells so far from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. 1. Meghan claims Archie was subjected to racist comments The most shocking moment in the interview was Meghan Markle's claim that a member of the royal family made racist comments about Archie’s skin colour.

Thursday

Steerpike

Watch: Lib Dems say UK should have joined EU vaccine scheme

It’s pretty hard to dispute that the EU’s vaccine procurement scheme has been nothing short of a shambles this year, with the bloc failing to strike deals quickly enough with pharmaceutical companies, leading to dosage shortages for member states. The disaster has led to even the Continent’s most ardent Europhiles, from Guy Verhofstadt to the German press, praising the UK’s post-Brexit vaccine procurement. Amazingly though, it appears there are some in the UK who still feel that Britain should have joined the EU’s woeful vaccine scheme. On Politics Live today, Layla Moran, the Lib Dems’ Foreign Affairs spokeswoman, suggested instead of striking out on our own, we should have used our negotiating expertise to help the EU strike better deals.

Wednesday

Steerpike

Caroline Lucas finds Rishi Sunak’s weak spot

Rishi Sunak's Budget has been greeted fairly favourably. The Chancellor has succeeded in avoiding sparking uproar on the Tory backbenches. And Labour's response was muted. But not everyone is happy. Step forward Caroline Lucas. The Green party MP, beamed in to the Commons from Brighton (where else?), found a fatal flaw in Sunak's announcement: 'I say in all seriousness, our nation's health and prosperity would be better served by a Chancellor who cared rather more about hedges and hedgehogs and less about hedge funds' Mr S is glad to finally hear MPs sticking up for the issues that matter...

Steerpike

Galloway backs the Tories

Gorgeous George, the born-again Unionist north of the border, has had a revelation. In order to knock the SNP down a peg at the May elections, the Caledonian firebrand is going to have to do something that goes against every fibre of his socialist being. George Galloway is voting Tory.  https://twitter.com/georgegalloway/status/1366644619983880193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Once he was teaming up with Jeremy Corbyn to take on New Labour's hated war in Iraq. Now he's joining forces with Ruth Davidson to take on the Scottish Nationalists.  An odd turn of events, perhaps, but not without precedent. In 2019 Galloway backed Nigel Farage's Brexit party at the European elections, so incensed was he with the failure to carry out the referendum result.

Steerpike

Five questions Nicola Sturgeon needs to answer

After the government published emails showing it continued a doomed legal fight with Alex Salmond despite warnings from their own lawyers that they would likely lose, Nicola Sturgeon is facing calls to resign. While the Scottish Conservatives are calling for a no-confidence vote in the First Minister, an SNP spokesperson has hit back – saying it is 'utterly irresponsible' to do so before hearing a single word of evidence from Sturgeon who is due to give evidence to a Holyrood inquiry looking into her government's 2018 harassment investigation of Salmond. So, with Sturgeon's job on the line, what does the First Minister need to say in order to cling on? Mr S has compiled a list of the questions Sturgeon must answer: 1.

Tuesday

Steerpike

The Scottish government’s brutal legal advice

Today – after the deputy First Minister John Swinney was threatened with a no-confidence vote in the Scottish Parliament – the SNP finally agreed to release its legal advice from Alex Salmond’s challenge against the government. Mr S can see why Nicola Sturgeon wanted to keep the advice hidden... The documents concern Salmond’s successful legal challenge against the Scottish government, after it botched an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct made against him (Salmond was later acquitted of these charges in a criminal court). In January 2019 he won his case and the Scottish government was forced to pay out half a million in costs.