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
Philip Hammond’s jokes struggled to raise many laughs during his Tory conference speech. But it wasn’t only the Chancellor’s sense of humour at fault today. Hammond started his speech by telling the audience in Manchester: '40 years ago this week, here in the north-east…’ Mr S.
Conservative party conference offers many things to many people – as well as a selection of souvenirs to take home afterwards, so as to remember the good times. So what to choose? Perhaps a lanyard or a tote bag? A mug? A pashmina for your better half? Mr S was intrigued to discover an alternative on offer: tribal masks. Amongst the various stands, the above artefacts are on sale in the main exhibition room. A fitting souvenir to the tribal state of British politics?
This year's Tory conference is a sedate affair compared to last year. With no Tory majority, the fringe events are filled with soul-searching on what went wrong for the Conservatives in the snap election. However, some members of government are managing to find the positives to the situation the party is in. Speaking at an SMF panel on how the Conservatives can win over young voters, Phillip Lee acknowledged the shortcomings of the campaign – but said there were still some positives. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice said that the vote share – 43pc – the Tories won is something David Cameron could only have dreamed of back in 2010. And what kind of dream would that have been?
It's been a tough few months for Patrick McLoughlin. After the disastrous snap election, the party chairman has found himself in the firing line – with much blame for the campaign's failings pushed in his direction. In a recent ConHome survey of the cabinet, McLoughlin was ranked last. So, Mr S was pleased to see him getting back into the swing of things at Conservative party conference. After delivering his conference speech in the hall, McLoughlin went on to speak at the Women2Win reception. However, before he could get on stage to commend the work of the group which helps women become MPs, McLoughlin hit an obstacle. The stage was too high and proved insurmountable – the party chairman proceeded to trip and fall flat. A sign of the times?
Liam Fox answered the question on everyone’s lips today. No, it wasn’t what he thought of Boris Johnson’s Brexit interventions (although he did say the Foreign Secretary was no different from him in expressing himself in ’his own colourful way’). Instead, he revealed what it is he does all day. Given that for as long as Britain remains in the EU, the UK cannot sign any free trade deals, it’s a legitimate question to ask of the international trade secretary. So what is it Fox actually does? At a fringe event at Tory conference, Fox said that he’s been keeping very busy, thank you very much, and that he spent most of his time ‘looking at opportunities’ for British exporters.
Will Tory MPs unite behind Theresa May? That's the big question at this year's party conference - but for Boris Johnson, there is also another pressing issue: can Cyprus reunite? The Foreign Secretary arrived in Manchester – and immediately joined a welcome reception for the Conservative friends of Cyprus. He revealed to the audience the talks he has been privy to over the past year: We have not in the last 12 months achieved quite what I wanted to do. And there was a meeting in the Swiss resort called Crans Montana where we all tried to get together to resolve the Cyprus problem and we all went up to about 15,000 metres above sea level, roughly speaking, and we could see the summit figuratively, and indeed, literally.
After a lacklustre policy announcement on tuition fees followed by a disappointing turn on the Marr show, Theresa May's Conservative conference has not got off to the best of starts. However, as MPs fume about their leader's failings, members are at least managing to get excited about one Tory politician... Step forward Jacob Rees-Mogg. This afternoon Moggmentum hit Tory conference. Eager conference attendees started queuing for a Jacob Rees-Mogg fringe event on Brexit an hour before it began. With half an hour to go, the queue was so long it blocked the entrance to the conference centre. Security staff then had to bend it so that the fire exit was not blocked by Mogg's many admirers. Unfortunately the room was too small to cater for the sheer demand for Mogg.
Conservative party conference kicks off today and already a few common themes are beginning to emerge: how to win back younger voters, May's vulnerable position and Boris-bashing. After Ruth Davidson used an interview with the Times to suggest that the Foreign Secretary needed a reality check, her Scottish comrade David Mundell has today joined in on the fun in a fringe event. Speaking on a panel of Scottish Conservative MPs discussing how the party could better connect with young voters, Mundell was asked whether BoJo could be the answer. His reply? 'I do recall that Boris Johnson once stood as rector of Edinburgh university. You can look at the results of that.
It's Theresa May's birthday and the Prime Minister is set to spend it in Manchester where Conservative party conference kicks off today. Alas, rather than celebrate, May finds herself in a perilous position – as MPs on all sides on the party go on the offensive whether it's over Brexit, tuition fees or Boris. To add to the Tories' woes, they are been given a less than friendly reception in the land of the northern powerhouse. On top of a banner calling for Tories to be hung, anti-Tory protesters have today descended on the area surrounding the conference centre. Here are some of the delights on display: https://twitter.com/Mike_Fabricant/status/914094055428063233 https://twitter.com/pplsassembly/status/914455353630347264 https://twitter.
This year's Labour party conference saw a more radical approach adopted by the leadership. In his leader's speech, Jeremy Corbyn called for an end to neo-liberalism – describing his party's pitch as 21st century socialism. So, how best to bring an end to neo-liberalism? Happily, Paul Mason – the Channel 4 journalist-turned-left-wing-revolutionary – was on hand at Momentum's festival to offer some tips on how to put a stop to the scourge of neo-liberalism: talk to Pret A Manger workers. 'I think everyone in this room could imagine a small way to action that you have in your life. I try and talk to Pret workers and talk to McDonalds workers because they're supposed to be nice to me but if you talk to them it humanises the situation.
At Conservative party conference next week, expect a lot of soul-searching over what exactly went wrong for the Tories in the snap election. Happily, the Prime Minister has kicked proceedings off early – telling the House magazine that the big problem was that the Tories just weren't ready for an early election: 'I think the other issue was the need to have, in a sense, a less centralised campaign. You obviously need to have a central focus in the campaign. But I think that an awful lot of people out there in the party worked hard on the ground, and there is a feeling that there wasn’t the ability to do what they wanted to do. There weren’t the links with the centre that there should have been. That’s one of the issues we need to look at.
John McDonnell has never had an easy relationship with big business. The shadow chancellor thinks there is a 'lot to learn' from Karl Marx and says one of his favourite pastimes is 'fermenting the conditions to overthrow capitalism'. McDonnell is hoping his latest charm offensive to woo businesses will help them to forget those remarks. But the shadow chancellor might have to try a bit harder to win them over. The Labour Business Fringe Reception at the party's conference last night was a chance to do just that. A smattering of businesses, including Microsoft, were there. The only problem? John McDonnell was nowhere to be seen. After waiting over an hour for the shadow chancellor, many of those attending took the hint and decided to move on elsewhere. Mr S.
This year's Labour conference has been largely overshadowed by a row about anti-Semitism. At a Labour Friends of Israel event on the final night of the party’s conference, Jeremy Corbyn had a perfect opportunity to send a message of support to worried Jewish Labour members. Instead, he didn’t show up. Labour MP Joan Ryan, who was chairing the event, said she was 'disappointed' Corbyn didn’t come. Some in the crowd were not happy either at the Labour leader's decision to stay away, with cries of 'Where is he?' and 'Why is he not here?
Despite admitting in an interview in this morning's edition of the Morning Star that he was ‘no bloody expert on Venezuela’, Chris Williamson, the Labour MP for Derby North, made it quite clear this afternoon who he believes is to blame for the socialist country's problems – and it most certainly isn't Maduro's socialist government. Speaking at a Solidarity with Venezuela fringe event at Labour conference, Williamson described how the country – a place where women now exchange sex for nappies for their babies and where the capital city is the most murderous city on earth – was undoubtedly witnessing ‘difficult and tough times’ and that ‘mistakes had been made’.
Venezuela’s crisis shows no sign of stopping: protesters have been gunned down, opposition leaders rounded up – and the country recently unveiled a plan to combat food shortages by telling people to eat their rabbits. The country’s situation ‘ain’t perfect’, admits Labour’s Chris Williamson. In an interview with the Morning Star - where else? - the Corbyn ally is still keen to look on the bright side though: ‘I accept that Venezuela has its problems still...But look at where they’ve come from and where they’ve got to’ Admittedly, Williamson is angry at the ongoing situation.
Labour’s anti-Semitism row spills on to the front pages of today's papers. ‘Labour is the real nasty party’, says the Daily Mail, following up remarks made at an event on the fringes of Labour conference. The party votes today on rule changes aimed at sending out a message that Labour will not tolerate anti-Semitism. But at another event at Labour’s conference last night, a speaker suggested that many of the charges of anti-Semitism levelled at the party were simply ‘politically motivated’. Speaking at the launch of Jewish Voices for Labour, Oxford Professor Avi Shlaim told the audience that: ‘I shall argue that many of the charges of anti-Semitism that have been bandied about during this period (the last two years) are politically motivated.
In recent months, North Korea have fired missiles over Japan, tested a hydrogen bomb and boasted of expanding their nuclear programme to the extent that they could destroy parts of America. So, with that in mind, Mr S was grateful for the chance to hear the sound figures at Stop the War discuss ethical foreign policy at a fringe event on Monday night. Andrew Murray – Corbyn's close ally and Unite official – spoke (in a strictly personal capacity) at the event. he used his appearance to blast a leader who 'could plunge the world into unimaginable catastrophe'. Only he wasn't talking about Kim Jong-Un.
After a conspicuous one year absence, Keith Vaz’s 'Diversity Nite' has made a comeback at Labour’s conference. Vaz kept a low profile at last year’s party gathering in the wake of allegations surrounding a pair of rent boys. This year, Vaz's big conference bash - which involves members of the shadow cabinet dancing while Vaz presides on stage - made a return. Behind Vaz flashed up pictures of the likes of Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Rosa Parks, as guests munched on Leicester's finest Biryanis. On stage, Jeremy Corbyn was presented as the guest of honour by Vaz to chants of 'Oh, Jeremy Corbyn' from the crowd. Here’s a video of Jez’s arrival: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPcp2E1qNyM Diane Abbott also joined in the fun.
Big business is back with a vengeance at this year’s Labour conference. Twelve months ago, in the wake of Jeremy Corbyn’s re-election as Labour leader, the party’s gathering was largely shunned by corporate firms. The likes of Google - who had exhibited in 2015 - stayed well away. But in the wake of the party’s relative success at the general election - and with no sign of Corbyn going away any time soon - the companies are back. Google are among those exhibiting at the conference. Microsoft are here, too. And so are BP. But it seems like their efforts might have been in vain.
Labour is gathering in Brighton but it seems that simple fact is news to some of those taking to the stage at the party's conference. Shadow Scottish Secretary Lesley Laird kicked off her speech by doing her best to endear herself to those in the audience. The only problem? She told those in the Brighton centre that it was a 'pleasure to be here in Bristol'. She then attempted an exercise in damage limitation: Only 200 miles out...