Steerpike

One of the biggest criticisms of the Conservative snap election campaign is that it failed to make the most of the Tories' economic record. Since then, former minister Rob Halfon has said the party ought to correct this by rebranding as 'the Workers Party'. But is Theresa May actually putting people out of work? Mr S only asks after bumping into Rory Bremner at the inaugural fundraising dinner of the Petra Stunt Foundation – in aid of PS Place – this week. After a tumultuous few weeks with little reason for cheer, the impressionist lamented that May's recent antics meant that it was harder than ever to come up with original material: 'So, here's the thing, part of my job is to make politicians more ridiculous than they really are.

Following the disappointing snap election result, Theresa May has had to relax her approach to government – gone are the days when Cabinet members are kept off the airwaves. As a result of the new regime, lobby hacks today finally had a member of the government speak at a press gallery lunch. Doing the honours was David Gauke, the new Work and Pensions Secretary. The former 'tax personality of the year' set the cat among the pigeons as he hinted that the pensions triple lock could be scrapped in ten years. However, it was Gauke's jokes that caught Mr S's attention. During his time in the Treasury, George Osborne – then Chancellor – regularly opted to 'uncork the Gauke' when he found himself in a sticky situation.

Oh dear. Although Theresa May has managed to make it through the Queen's Speech today, the real test will come next week when MPs vote on it. With the Prime Minister's authority already weak, talk has turned to who will be her eventual successor. So, it was a helpful coincidence that the frontrunner to be the next Tory leader just so happened to be doing the press rounds today. Boris Johnson appeared on Radio 4, where he was interviewed by Eddie Mair on his party's sparse legislative plans for the next two years. Unfortunately for Johnson, the interview did not go to plan. Asked how his party's plan would help deal with the 'burning injustices' in the UK, the Foreign Secretary bumbled and blustered.

The new BBC documentary Brexit Means Brexit: The Unofficial Version lifts the lid on what has gone on behind the scenes since EU referendum result last year. While a host of Westminster stalwarts – including Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage and Anna Soubry – have contributed to the programme, it's Alan Duncan's appearance that has caught Mr S off guard. The Foreign Office minister appears to have forgotten what discretion means – opting to dish the dirt on everything from his direct boss to the government in general. Proving Theresa May's decision to put Duncan in the Foreign Office – even though he does not get on with Boris Johnson – was not a great idea, the minister takes the opportunity to needle his boss.

Although it's been said that revenge is a dish best served cold, George Osborne seems to take the approach that it is best served daily. Since the former Chancellor left politics to edit the Evening Standard, he has taken great joy in making Theresa May's day a little bit worse with each issue. Today is no exception. Osborne has taken it upon himself to personally tweet out Tim Montgomerie's Standard op-ed calling for Theresa May to go. https://twitter.com/George_Osborne/status/876780242613882880 It's clear that Osborne would like May – the woman who sacked him – to be shown the door. In fact, Tory sources say Osborne is set on her demise. The problem comes when conversation turns to who ought to replace her. The former MP for Tatton is anti-Boris.

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...