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
Although Theresa May’s former co-chiefs of staff – Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill – both swiftly exited No 10 following the disastrous election result, there are some Conservatives who fret that her Rottweilers still hold influence from afar. So Mr S was curious to come across the latest offering to Eye Spy MP. A follower
Here we go again. During the General Election campaign, Diane Abbott came under fire when it became apparent in an LBC interview that she had no idea how her party would pay for its policy of 10,000 extra police officers – at one point saying it would cost £300,000, working out at £30 an officer. So,
Oh dear. Although there has been much excitement this week at the news that Jane Austen will feature on the new ten pound note, some appear to have got a bit carried away in their celebrations. Speaking in the Chamber this morning, Andrea Leadsom shared her personal joy at the news: ‘I’m delighted to join
Oh to be a fly-on-the-wall at BBC Broadcasting House this morning. The broadcaster has had to publish the salaries of its top earners – and it makes for an interesting read. Gary Lineker – the people’s champion who recently boasted of his loyalty for staying at the BBC when he could earn more elsewhere –
After weeks of Tory backstabbing, briefing and plotting at summer parties, Damian Green had to stage an intervention on the Marr show and warn his colleagues to lay off the ‘warm prosecco’. So, the Secretary of State will be relieved to know that one Cabinet minister has managed to resist the temptation to secretly brief
Although Boris Johnson, David Davis and Philip Hammond have all been on the receiving end from the Conservative party over their jostling to become the next leader, this has not put off other contenders from entering the fray. Last night, Andrea Leadsom appeared to make her own ambitions for No 10 clear, in a Commons exchange with
Although an MP is supposed to act in the best interests of their constituents, Emma Dent Coad appears to have missed the memo. The new MP for Kensington appeared at an anti-monarchist Republic event over the weekend – where she wasted no time in laying into the residents of Kensington Palace. The Labour politician said
For months now, it’s proved a daily challenge trying to work out what exactly Labour’s position on Brexit is. While the 2017 manifesto said the party wanted to retain the benefits of both the single market and the customs union, a lot of confusion follows when one tries to pin down whether that means staying
Wimbledon wouldn’t be Wimbledon without strawberries and cream, Pimms and…John Bercow in the Royal Box. The speaker of the House of Commons has been something of a permanent fixture over the last few years indulging his love of watching the tennis among the great and the good. Since 2015, he’s managed to get his mitts on
After David Lidington complained about ‘warm prosecco’ fuelling Tory leadership plotting, the Cabinet stepped things up a gear on Thursday as they made their way to 22 Old Queen Street for some chilled champagne at The Spectator summer party. After a difficult few months which saw Theresa May lose her majority in Parliament, the Prime Minister
Politicians have been busy swapping horror stories of the unacceptable abuse dished out to MPs and candidates running for Parliament. Fortunately for Labour frontbencher Jack Dromey, he appears to have escaped the worst of the vitriol. But when talking on the Daily Politics about his own experiences, Dromey resorted to some very unparliamentary language. Here’s what
During the election campaign, Tory MPs were queuing up to be snapped with Theresa May and the Prime Minister’s face was plastered all over Conservative party leaflets up and down the country. Now, though, it seems May has become something of an embarrassment to the Tories. The Prime Minister might be just about managing to
This week, Jeremy Corbyn got himself into a spot of bother when photos emerged of the Labour leader enjoying a pizza alongside a pro-Assad campaigner. Marcus Papadopoulos, who denied genocide in Srebrenica, shared a picture of the pair – praising ‘a wonderful dinner and discussion’: I'm having a wonderful dinner and discussion with hopefully the next Prime Minister
If you just listened to Corbynistas, one could be forgiven for thinking that (a) Labour won the snap election (b) the party increased its popularity among the working class. Last night offered a perfect example of Labour’s contrary rhetoric. Speaking at an Open Labour event, Clive Lewis boasted of how far the party had come
Theresa May’s decision to announce plans to launch an inquiry into the contaminated blood scandal on the day she ‘reboots’ her leadership, has been read by many as a sign of her growing weakness. With no Tory majority in sight, the Prime Minister today issued a plea to other parties to contribute – before giving way on
Oh dear. This morning, Rebecca Long-Bailey risked alienating the three million people who use the Uber taxi app, when she said that it was ‘morally unacceptable’ to do so. While the shadow business secretary cited concerns with the gig economy as her reason for doing so, it seems not everyone in her team agrees. Somewhat
Thinking of hopping into an Uber today? Think again. At least that’s the message from Labour frontbencher Rebecca Long-Bailey. The Corbynite MP – who has been widely tipped as a possible successor one day to Jezza – said she doesn’t use Uber because she doesn’t think it’s ‘morally acceptable’ to do so. Here’s what she told
When the Conservatives aren’t busy plotting against one another over a warm glass of prosecco, they are taking the struggle public in the select committee chairmanship elections. While young MPs Johnny Mercer and Tom Tugendhat attempt to usurp the older generation in the defence and foreign select committees, the two frontrunners for chair of the Treasury
Is Theresa May’s working majority about to get even smaller? After the Prime Minister called out unacceptable abuse directed at MPs, Theresa May is having to contend with bad behaviour from one of her own. The Huff Post UK has obtained a recording of Anne Marie Morris, the MP for Newton Abbot, using the N-word during an appearance on
With a recent YouGov poll giving Labour a six-point-lead over the Conservatives, it’s little wonder that Jeremy Corbyn is keen to pitch his party as a government-in-waiting. In this vein, the Labour leader has been visiting Tory marginals on weekends. On Saturday, Corbyn was in Hastings & Rye, where the Home Secretary clung onto her