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
Theresa May’s reshuffle is imminent. Although Cabinet’s big beasts are thought to be safe, Justine Greening and Greg Clark are among those in the hot seat. As for promotion, Jeremy Hunt is tipped to be appointed First Secretary of State. If this were to happen, a new Health Secretary would be needed. There has been
It’s reshuffle day – and the ministers thought to be in the danger zone include Justine Greening, Greg Clark, Patrick McLoughlin and Andrea Leadsom. So, with that in mind, one has to admire the decision by Leadsom to write an article for today’s Times’ Red Box on her priorities as Leader of the House of Commons
The furore over Toby Young’s appointment to the board of the Office for Students (OfS) shows no sign of dying down. The Mail on Sunday splashes on a series of ‘sexist and obscene tweets’ sent by Young – reporting the Prime Minister’s apparent ‘distaste’. Now it seems that some can’t even accept Young’s work in education which contributed
It’s fair to say that Michael Wolff’s explosive biography of Donald Trump has caused a stir ahead of its publication. It’s a struggle to find a news site that isn’t splashing on its claims – from Trump’s supposed desire to lose the election to Steve Bannon’s comments on Russia. Despite the US President’s lawyer has issued
After Tony Blair’s call for a second referendum (and maybe even a third if that one didn’t work out) fell flat on Thursday, the campaign to stop Brexit looks on shaky ground. However, Newsnight have put forward an argument that could be just the thing to put life back in the campaign. In a film for
Oh dear. Over the past few years, the National Union of Students has found itself in the headlines over the union’s relationship with Jewish students. When Malia Bouattia was elected NUS president in 2016, three vice presidents of the NUS accused their president of ‘anti-Semitic rhetoric’ – with Bouattia referring to Birmingham University as a
As expected, Tony Blair’s latest Brexit intervention has proved universally unpopular. Brexiteers have hailed his criticism as the best advert for leaving the EU in weeks, while Corbynistas have gone on the offensive over his harsh words concerning the dear leader. Despite all this, Tony Blair can at least still count on one man to
Oh dear. Coming back to work after the Christmas break is hard going at the best of times. So, spare a thought for Tom Bradby, who had a bad day at the office yesterday. The ITV News at Ten presenter was forced to cut the nightly broadcast short after the fire alarm went off. Bradby
With the death toll in Iran thought to sit at 21 following a series of clashes between protesters and security forces at nationwide demonstrations, many politicians have been quick to express concern over the regime. However, Jeremy Corbyn has intriguingly gone quiet on Iran. Happily, some on the left have proved more willing to comment.
Although we’re only three days into 2018, the Guardian has put in an early contender for the coveted title of most Grauniad article of the year. Proving that Brexit misery can be found in pretty much anything so long as you look hard enough, the paper has published an intriguing review of McMafia, the BBC’s
It’s safe to say that Chris Grayling’s trip to Qatar hasn’t exactly gone to plan. The Transport Secretary has been accused of ‘going into hiding’ in the Middle East following his decision to be out of the country on the day train fares are revealed to have their biggest rise in five years. That announcement
With nine more people reported to have died overnight in Iran following clashes between protesters and security forces, the death toll is thought to sit at 21 following a series of nationwide demonstrations. Several politicians – including Boris Johnson – have been quick to express concern over the situation. However, despite an active Twitter feed, Jeremy Corbyn
When he isn’t jetting around the world making huge sums of money, Tony Blair now dedicates himself to the cause of blocking Brexit. The former Prime Minister has warned that leaving the European Union will do ‘profound damage’ to Britain, and last month, Blair confirmed he is working to stop the UK leaving the EU.
Oh dear. Lord Adonis brought Theresa May’s Christmas holiday to an abrupt end yesterday with the news that he is resigning as the government’s infrastructure tsar, citing the Prime Minister’s Brexit direction and the government bail-out the Stagecoach/Virgin East Coast rail franchise. Not one to go quietly, Adonis penned a rather eccentric resignation letter – or
This month an investigation – by EITF and Channel 5 – found that bullying and sexual harassment are prevalent across the TV industry, with more than half of people surveyed, experiencing sexual misconduct in the workplace. But what constitutes sexual harassment? That’s the question Kirstie Allsopp, the Location, Location, Location presenter, has been grappling with
Although Christmas is supposed to mean peace on earth and goodwill to all men, this goodwill appears not to extend to the Liberal Democrats – or Vince Cable anyway. The Lib Dem leader has become the topic du jour for political journalists over the December dry season – with both the Guardian and Times publishing scathing
Christmas – the season of goodwill, turkey, tinsel and general over-indulgence. Except that is, if you work at the Guardian. With just two days to go until Christmas day, the paper has produced a late contender for most Grauniad article of the year. Writing for the paper, Saskia Sarginson shares her Christmas dilemma: can one permit traditional
The news that Damian Green has resigned this evening as First Secretary of State following an investigation into his conduct has taken many by surprise. However, Mr S suspects that one Westminster hack may be the most surprised of all. Just this month, ITV’s Robert Peston reported that not just one but three well-placed sources
Oh dear. Given that Jeremy Corbyn is reported to have told Glastonbury organiser Michael Eavis this summer that he would be in Downing Street by Christmas, time is running out for the Labour leader. Perhaps that’s why he has downgraded his prediction to a definitely maybe. Grazia – the weekly glossy – has snagged the
Since arriving in Parliament in 2015, Mhairi Black has caused a stir in Westminster. The 23-year-old SNP MP rarely misses the chance to criticise the place – whether it’s the ‘old and defunct’ systems and procedures or the ‘sociopaths’ that inhabit it. Now it seems that not even her own party is beyond criticism. In
