Steerpike

In this week's issue of The Spectator, Nick Timothy writes exclusively about why the Tory campaign was a failure. Theresa May's former chief of staff says that nobody in CCHQ was prepared for the exit poll which predicted a hung Parliament. He recounts how Lynton Crosby said the party would ‘do well’ while Jim Messina's modelling suggested they 'would win 371 seats, giving us a majority of 92'. So, Mr S was curious to read a piece in today's Evening Standard. The paper – which is edited by George Osborne – paints a rather different story.

Oh dear. Although Conservative MPs are supposed to be rallying around their beleaguered leader as Theresa May attempts to form a minority government, not everyone has received the memo. Step forward Tim Loughton. The Conservative MP – who ran Andrea Leadsom's short-lived leadership campaign – has taken to social media to vent his frustration that the Queen's Speech has been delayed until Wednesday. Given that the new date means Her Majesty will have to miss Ascot, Loughton laments that it was bad enough the 2017 Conservative election campaign isolated the majority of pensions without adding the Queen to the list: https://twitter.com/timloughton/status/875369294904909824 Let's hope the Queen takes a more forgiving view on the change of date...

Parliament is back - but already some MPs are bored. One Tory backbencher was snapped glancing at his phone during the opening session in the Commons this afternoon. Yet the picture of the MP watching a clip on his mobile - which was tweeted out by Anna Soubry - raised a bigger question: what on earth was he watching? The unnamed MP appeared to be watching a racy video on his phone, with rumours flying around about what exactly was keeping the politician so occupied. Mr S. isn’t sure - although he can't help but think that whatever the honourable member was up to, it doesn’t look to be Parliamentary business… https://twitter.com/Anna_Soubry/status/874624713145933825 Update: It seems the MP may be a fan of showgirl art https://twitter.

Although Theresa May's premiership is now looking anything but strong and stable, the Prime Minister will be pleased to learn that one MP at least is still sticking to the script. After we learnt this morning that the Queen's Speech may be delayed as the Government tries desperately to thrash out a deal with the DUP, May's 'coalition of chaos' attack line is coming back to haunt her. While a number of Tory backbenchers have come forward to criticise her since the result, happily one MP still has her back. Step forward Alan Mak. He has been valiantly re-using May's election lines today in a bid to reassure people that things were still very much strong and stable. Mak popped up on BBC News to say that: 'Our job is to make sure that we form a strong and stable government.

George Osborne has been enjoying himself in the last few days - no more so than on the sofa of the Andrew Marr show this morning. The former Chancellor, who was sacked by Theresa May, revealed for the first time the PM's parting words to him when she gave him the boot: 'She said I needed to get to know my party better. So..' Osborne didn't stop there with dishing up revenge for the PM. Here's his analysis of how long May has left in Downing Street: George Osborne says Theresa May is a "dead woman walking" — and it's just a question of when she will gohttps://t.co/YtRxj7tGtH #GE2017 pic.twitter.com/HxDgilFpwn— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) June 11, 2017 'Theresa May is a dead woman walking, it's just a question of how long she's going to remain on Death Row.

Jeremy Corbyn may have lost the election, but in many peoples' eyes he's still the big winner. After the Labour leader surprised pollsters and pundits alike by securing over 40pc of the vote, Corbyn's position looks more secure than ever. Over the weekend, Mr S understands Corbyn took a well-deserved break from politics and headed to his allotment to tend his vegetables. While there, an excited Corbyn chatted to fellow gardeners about the election. Buoyed by the result, Steerpike understands Corbyn suggested he could have another go at winning power come September. Let's see what the Tories make of that...

When the Prime Minister called the general election, Katie Perrior stood down as No. 10 communications chief. An odd decision: why walk away from such a prestigious job after only nine months? She has never really explained: until now. Writing in the Times, she reveals that her ‘painful’ time in No. 10 was made all the more painful by Lady Macbeth and Rasputin – aka Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy, Mrs May’s joint chiefs of staff. The portrait she paints is extraordinary: a Prime Minister who is more captive than master, someone who has seemingly employed two lunatics and can’t rein them in. The team at No10 could have done great things together, Perrior says. ‘But there was no together. Her closest advisers put paid to that.’ How so?

According to the exit poll, the Conservatives are on not on course for a majority, instead a hung Parliament is predicted. Given that Theresa May called this election to strengthen her hand and increase the Tory majority, her gamble looks to have backfired spectacularly. Now the polls could be wrong but this doesn't mean May's enemies aren't enjoying the moment. Step forward George Osborne. The former chancellor – who May fired when she came to power – appears particularly revitalised by the news. Following the projection, Osborne – who now edits the Evening Standard – was quick to suggest May's time could be up. Appearing on ITV, he predicted that Theresa May won’t ‘survive’ if the ‘catastrophic’ exit poll comes true.

Last night, Diane Abbott used an appearance on Sky News to insist that she had not been sidelined by the Leader's Office in light of her recent interview performances. However, in that same interview she went on to generate more negative headlines when the shadow home secretary appeared to have little to no knowledge of the Lord Harris report on improving London’s terror preparedness. So, Mr S was curious to learn that today Abbott has mysteriously dropped out of a scheduled appearance on Woman's Hour – with Emily Thornberry being lined up to replace her. While one Labour source tells Steerpike that Abbott has been 'spoken to' following her disastrous interview last night, Mr S fears that today's absence signals the return of ‘the migraine’.

With Theresa May on the back foot today over Tory cuts to police numbers, CCHQ can count their lucky stars that Diane Abbott has been doing the media rounds this evening. The shadow home secretary was interviewed by Dermot Murnaghan this evening on Labour's position on terrorism measures following Saturday's attack. However, Abbott soon hit a problem when Murnaghan asked her about the 2016 Lord Harris report on improving London’s terror preparedness. It soon became clear that Abbott was not familiar with its contents – not that she was willing to admit this: DA: I think we do need to revisit that report DM: Which part of it?

Given that Theresa May hasn't performed one of her customary 'strong and steady' U-turns for over a week, it was about time she changed her mind on something. So, Mr S was relieved to read her interview with City AM editor Christian May. While the Prime Minister promises to defend the City in EU negotiations, it was the quick fire round that caught Steerpike's attention. May is asked to pick which restaurant out of Coq D'Argent or Simpson's Tavern she prefers: CM: Coq D'Argent or Simpson's Tavern? TM: Simpson's Tavern. When May plumps for Simpson's Tavern, the editor lets her know this is also Nigel Farage's favourite: CM: When I point out this is Nigel Farage's favourite City haunt, the PM changes her mind.