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
From our UK edition
We’ve all been there. Having to ask someone to repeat themselves because you couldn’t understand them is embarrassing enough. Spare a thought then for Sir Paul Beresford. In the Commons just now, the Tory MP failed to understand the Glaswegian accent of the SNP’s David Linden. Twice. Luckily for Beresford, deputy speaker Lindsay Hoyle eventually stepped in
From our UK edition
It’s fair to say that it’s been a tough couple of weeks for Theresa May. As the Brexit negotiations have stalled and her Chequers plan crumbles before her eyes, the PM could be forgiven for deciding that she’s had her fill of leading the country and packing up her bags and going. No 10 certainly
From our UK edition
With the Brexit negotiations hitting an impasse, Theresa May is under pressure from Brussels to make yet more concessions. Meanwhile, the ‘People’s Vote’ campaign is keen to tell anyone who will listen that public opinion has changed and Remain is now the mood of the country. Only as far as Mr S can tell the vast
From our UK edition
Ever since the Brexit referendum, it’s been a fact of British political life that the most important decisions, that will have the profoundest impact on society, will not be decided by politicians, but by the people. Therefore it made perfect sense when politicians questioned Westminster’s favourite curry house’s decision to update its menu, that the
From our UK edition
Here we go again. It’s no big secret that these days the New York Times isn’t so fond of Blighty. The American paper frequently publishes gloomy articles about what’s gone wrong in the UK – whether it’s mistaking a newspaper sketch writer’s joke about the French for Brexit bias, factually incorrect articles about London’s once ‘mutton-filled’ culinary
From our UK edition
In recent months, there has been speculation that John McDonnell has leadership ambitions – and a rift has formed between the shadow chancellor and his one-time comrade Jeremy Corbyn. So, it won’t have gone unnoticed by the Leader’s Office that McDonnell today embarked on a charm offensive of the MSM – also know as the
From our UK edition
Labour MPs like to see themselves on the front line when it comes to protecting women’s rights and creating safe workplaces for everyone. In fact, the slightest sign of impropriety in the Conservative Party or society at large is usually enough for them to call for sackings and public apologies. So you would expect after
From our UK edition
It’s been a curious day in Parliament after Labour MPs en masse came to John Bercow’s defence amid a damning report into bullying in Parliament. Despite the report concluding that the Speaker is among those who should consider their position, numerous Labour MPs have said that he should stay in place. It seems that treating
From our UK edition
John Bercow is under growing pressure to step down over the report into bullying in the Commons. But while the Speaker has been all too eager to take a stand in the past – saying, for instance, that Donald Trump was not welcome in Parliament – he isn’t taking the hint when it comes to
From our UK edition
Last week, Mr S pointed out that many (possibly all) of the celebrities who featured on a People’s Vote video pushing for a second Brexit referendum, had in fact not changed their minds’ about Brexit, but voted Remain all along. And it seems as though Mr Steerpike’s article has touched a nerve. In order to
From our UK edition
Today, Theresa May stood before the Commons to update MPs on the state of the Brexit process. At this critical juncture in the negotiations and in her career, the Prime Minister tried to convey a solemn and statesmanlike appearance as she spoke about her dealings with the European Union. Unfortunately for her, the statesmanlike approach
From our UK edition
With only weeks to go until a Brexit deal is put to parliament, the Conservative party is showing no signs of coming together over Theresa May’s Brexit plan. In fact, if tensions online are anything to go by, the party’s internal war between Remainers and Brexiteers may even be getting worse. The latest spat occurred
From our UK edition
Will Theresa May’s government find a way out of the Brexit maze? As the Prime Minister’s backstop plans are deemed a dead end by her colleagues, it looks as though Downing Street are fast running out of options. But could inspiration be found in Jeremy Hunt? The Foreign Secretary took to social media to boast
From our UK edition
No one has their finger on the pulse in the House of Commons like the government’s chief whip. To make sure every bill gets through parliament unscathed, the whip has to understand exactly how every MP in the party plans to vote, what they’re thinking about the government – and work out how they can
From our UK edition
Today marks the marriage of Princess Eugenie to Jack Brooksbank. Although the BBC didn’t jump at the chance to air the royal nuptials, ITV happily took up the offer. The broadcaster was rewarded with a star celebrity turnout – from Kate Moss to Robbie Williams. However, the part that caught Mr S’s attention relates to
From our UK edition
Oh dear. This year’s Labour conference was notable for the fact that the big dispute was not between the moderates and the Corbynistas but instead the trade unions and Momentum. With the majority of Labour moderates now resigned to defeat on the direction of the party, it’s fallen to the various Corbynista hard left factions
From our UK edition
With Theresa May’s Brexit proposals looking increasingly difficult to get through Parliament, the so-called ‘People’s Vote’ campaign has stepped up its efforts to bring about a second referendum… sorry, ‘vote on the final deal’. The campaign group runs on the idea that the facts have changed so it’s only fair that there’s another vote. In
From our UK edition
The government was thrust into chaos last night as the DUP teamed up with the European Research Group and threatened to vote down key legislation if the PM did not propose a satisfactory Brexit deal. The moves have made the Prime Minister’s tenure at the top look increasingly risky. Theresa May can therefore be thankful
From our UK edition
Labour frontbenchers are no strangers to getting their numbers in a muddle, but Mr S. would still expect better from the shadow treasury minister. Anneliese Dodds has just popped up on Politics Live to talk about today’s GDP figures. But when she was asked how much Britain’s economy grew by in the last three months,
From our UK edition
Oh dear. In a sure sign that tensions are flaring as the Brexit deal is finalised, Tory MP Ken Clarke has taken a leaf out of Ken Livingstone’s book when it comes to making Nazi comparisons. Speaking today at Prime Minister’s Questions, the ardent Remainer struck a hysteric note as he asked Theresa May how