Steerpike

Steerpike

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

Wednesday

Steerpike

Labour infiltrate Tory election campaign

Oh dear. Although Labour have had a lacklustre campaign so far, things are beginning to look up. While the shadow home secretary might not be able to get her figures right on bobbies, the party is still capable of a good old-fashioned stunt. Today hacks are gathered at a venue in Westminster to hear Philip Hammond and David Davis speak for the first time in the Conservative campaign. The message on the screen is that Corbyn would mean 'no bombs for our army' but 'one big bombshell for your family'. However, the event has gone off message thanks to a Labour activist who managed to sneak her way into the event. The activist handed attendees pamphlets which claim to expose the 'Tories' false claims about Labour's plans'.

Steerpike

Watch: Dithering Labour frontbencher Jon Ashworth hounded by Piers Morgan

If Labour ever does make it to No.10, it’ll be Jeremy Corbyn with his finger on the nuclear button. The Labour leader has been famously wishy-washy on whether he'd retaliate in the event of a nuclear attack. And it seems Corbyn isn't alone on the Labour frontbench in dithering on the subject. Following his performance during an interview on Good Morning Britain today, Mr S hopes that Labour MP Jon Ashworth isn’t involved in the decision-making process in the event of a nuclear strike. Ashworth was repeatedly asked by Piers Morgan what he would do if another country launched an attack on Britain. Here's what he said: When @piersmorgan asks a question, Piers Morgan makes sure he gets an answer... pic.twitter.

Tuesday

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Standard hit job on May

Today George Osborne has begun his new job as the editor of the Evening Standard. Given that the paper's proprietor previously claimed the former chancellor would provide the real opposition to Theresa May, it should come as no surprise that Osborne has wasted no time in turning his ire on the Prime Minister. In today's leader, Brexit is branded 'an historic mistake': 'The British people were asked last year whether we should remain in or leave the European Union. Although the majority of Londoners wanted to remain, the country — by a small but clear margin — voted to leave. This paper respects that democratic decision, even though it continues to believe it to be an historic mistake.

Steerpike

Listen: Diane Abbott’s car-crash interview on Labour’s plan for extra policemen

Is there something in the water today? First Nick Clegg lost his temper on Good Morning Britain, and now Diane Abbott has gone and outdone him with an awkward LBC interview on a policy she is supposed to be advocating. The shadow home secretary has been doing the rounds unveiling Labour’s plans for putting more bobbies on the beat. The problem: Abbott seems to have no idea how she'd pay for the 10,000 extra police officers. At first she said it would cost £300,000 - working out at £30 an officer. Her interview just got worse from there. Here it is:- Nick Ferrari: ‘So how much would ten thousand police officers cost?

Steerpike

Watch: Nick Clegg vs Piers Morgan – ‘you’re so pompous!’

After the bank holiday weekend, politicians are back on full campaign mode today -- and already we've had a contender for 'most bad-tempered interview' of the day. Nick Clegg appeared on Good Morning Britain to explain why it's the Liberal Democrats the public ought to vote for come June 8. However, the interview soon took a turn for the worse when Clegg took issue with Piers Morgan's line of questioning. The breakfast host suggested that perhaps Clegg and the Liberal Democrats were not best placed to lecture about cynicism in politics: PM: These are bold words from you. There's a lot of students in the country who would look at you and think 'that was a pretty cynical move to promise the end of tuition fees and then treble them'.

Steerpike

Karen Danczuk’s bid to be an MP fails

When the snap election was called last month, it presented an opportunity for many keen politicos to try and nab a seat. Self-proclaimed ‘selfie’ queen Karen Danczuk hoped to do exactly this — announcing that she had her sights set on becoming the Labour candidate for Bury North. At the time, Mr S reported that her bid had received a lukewarm response, with one Labour source claiming Danczuk had 'no chance'. Alas this has proved correct. Danczuk has failed in her bid to become Labour's Bury North candidate, with James Frith picked instead. It's not turning out to be a good time for Danczuks all round -- Karen's former partner Simon Danczuk has been barred from standing for Labour in Rochdale following his suspension for sexting a 17-year-old.

Monday

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John McDonnell makes his own Labour attack ad

Oh dear. With Labour currently trailing the Conservatives in the polls, the party looks set for a disastrous showing come June 8. With that in mind, Labour's top command need to make the most of the opportunities the election campaign offers. So, it was a curious choice of John McDonnell to speak at today's May Day rally. The shadow chancellor joined anti-austerity campaigners for the march  through central London. However, there were some unfortunate shots of him giving his speech. Rather than a backdrop of Labour posters, communist hammer and sickle flags (along with a Syria flag used by the Assad regime) appeared in the background as he spoke: https://twitter.com/Roh_Yakobi/status/859125633363980290 https://twitter.

Steerpike

Corbyn’s celebrity backer calls for a coup

Although many of Jeremy Corbyn's initial celebrity backers have deserted the beleaguered Labour leader in recent months, a few stalwarts remain. Step forward Maxine Peake. The Silk actress has been a long time supporter of Corbyn -- previously describing him as 'our only beacon of hope to get the Labour Party back on track, get the electorate back in touch with politics and save this country from the constant mindless bullying of the vulnerable and poor'. So, with an election looming, surely Peake is confident that Corbyn's appeal will prove a success at the polls? 'I am an eternal optimist, and I had a surge of excitement when the election was announced,' Peake tells the Guardian.

Saturday

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Introducing the Oedipus election

With the result of the snap election already looking to many like a done deal, can the election taking place across the English channel offer more excitement? That was the question asked at The Spectator's 'French Revolution: Le Pen vs Macron?' panel debate, at the Royal Geographical Society, this week. While Emmanuel Macron is on course to become the next president of France, Dominique Moisi -- founder and senior advisor at the Ilfri -- said there was still reason to mark the French election out as particular dramatic. Moisi told Andrew Neil that thanks to its two protagonists -- Le Pen and Macron -- the election race had taken on the character of the Oedipus myth. The reason?

Friday

Steerpike

Labour’s only MP in Scotland gets off to a bad start campaigning

Oh dear. As the only Labour MP left in Scotland, Ian Murray has a fight on his hands come June to retain Edinburgh South. So, luckily he's got his campaign material out early. Only there's a problem. Murray's constituents have been sent a letter detailing why he is planning to stand for re-election. In a bid to impress them, he says he has listed 'just some of my achievements' on 'the reverse of this letter': So, what's on the other side? Precisely nothing. 'I'd believe that,' remarks one unimpressed constituent. Update: At least Murray has managed to see the funny side. https://twitter.

Steerpike

Watch: Ukip deputy leader Peter Whittle chased by protesters at chaotic campaign launch

Poor old Paul Nuttall. Today was supposed to be a fresh start for Ukip as the party launched its election campaign event in the run-up to June 8. Instead, it's descended into chaos. A group of protesters from 'Stand up to racism' have gatecrashed the launch event, waving banners and shouting and screaming moments before Nuttall was due to take to the his feet. The demonstrators were booted out of the room in which the event was taking place. But they refused to leave the building: meaning that a group of journalists were left trapped outside. The show has gone on anyway, with Nuttall doing his best to spell out the party's election pitch. Outside the hotel, the protesters are refusing to budge and the hotel is on lockdown. It just wouldn't be a Ukip event without a spot of drama...

Steerpike

Watch: Giles Fraser’s awkward Corbyn interview

Oh dear. With few MPs in the Labour party keen to take to the airwaves and wax lyrical about the pros of their leader as PM, Jeremy Corbyn must have thought he'd got lucky when Giles Fraser appeared on BBC's This Week to do exactly this. In an interview with Andrew Neil, the Church of England priest tried to explain why only Corbyn could offer real change. "I think he is the person that can do it...there is not anybody quite like Jeremy Corbyn, I don't think" @giles_fraser tells @afneil #bbctw pic.twitter.com/6WYtOCPytd — BBC This Week (@bbcthisweek) April 27, 2017 AN: Where has Mr Corbyn's brand of socialism worked? GF: Err... well I hope it's going to work here. AN: But where has it worked elsewhere? GF: Well, I think it's a brand for the future actually.

Thursday

Steerpike

Boris Johnson’s sister joins the Lib Dems

Well, this is a bit awkward. The Johnson family has a long history of Conservatism. This holds true today, with Boris Johnson is the Foreign Secretary and his brother Jo is a Conservative MP. Up until now, their sister Rachel was broadly supportive of the party -- voting 'nothing but Tory' in general elections as 'a matter of family duty'. So, it's slightly embarrassing for Boris that his sister has now jumped ship. Despite her brother's big role in shaping the country's future, the Mail on Sunday columnist has joined the Liberal Democrats. As a Remain campaigner during the referendum, Johnson is thought to have made the decision over concerns about Brexit. A second rumour swirling round Westminster is that Johnson is being lined up for a seat, perhaps Bath or Yeovil.

Steerpike

Watch: Jeremy Corbyn forgets to face the camera

Boris Johnson has stolen the show this morning by calling Jeremy Corbyn a ‘mugwump’. But the Labour leader is making a pretty miserable attempt at trying to recapture the limelight. During a campaign speech in Essex, Corbyn had a golden moment to set out Labour’s pitch to voters. The Sky News camera was rolling, with hundreds of thousands of viewers watching at home to hear what Corbyn had to say. The only problem? Corbyn started his speech with his back to the camera. Thankfully, an aide stepped in to put Jezza right before people got bored of the sight of his back. His blunder might have slightly undermined his introduction to the audience as ‘the future Prime Minister’ though.

Steerpike

Corbynites left out in the cold in Hull

Oh dear. With Jeremy Corbyn's future as Labour leader looking, at best, a challenge after the snap election, it ought to come as little surprise that some of his comrades are hoping to trade the struggle for a safe seat come June 8. Alas the Corbynistas have been thwarted once again. With a Labour safe seat now hard to find, both John Prescott's son David -- who helps Corbyn with speech writing -- and Sam Tarry -- Corbyn's former leadership campaign director of 'Traingate' fame -- had their sights set up on Alan Johnson's old seat, Hull West and Hessle. Alas they have been left disappointed. Last night, Emma Hardy, a local former teacher, won the selection.

Steerpike

Food bank charity complains over Momentum campaign methods

Oh dear. When Jeremy Corbyn announced this week that a Labour government would focus on the issue of food banks, Mr S is pretty sure he didn't imagine what would follow. On Tuesday, Mr S revealed the curious tactics of Momentum activists in Hove. Kate Knight — the Hove Momentum and Hove CLP executive officer -- took to Facebook to boast of her latest campaign tactic: sticking ‘Jeremy Corbyn’ stickers on all food bank donations. As Steerpike pointed out, the questionable method could also go against election ‘treating’ rules -- which dictate that it is a ‘corrupt practice’ for any person to provide food, drink or entertainment to win votes.

Wednesday

Steerpike

Liberal Democrats’ unlikely alliance: vote Tory, Ukip (or Lib Dem) to defeat Labour

Earlier this month, Tim Farron appeared to cast doubt on the idea of forming a 'progressive alliance' where the Greens, Labour and the Lib Dems work together to stop the Tories. The Liberal Democrat leader said that (while he held the Green Party's Caroline Lucas in high regard) 'the only plausible route of any kind towards the Conservatives not winning a majority is a Liberal Democrat group'. But was Farron's issue simply that the suggested alliance was with the wrong parties? Mr S only asks after being passed Lib Dem campaign literature from the Tees Valley mayoral race.

Steerpike

Sadiq Khan’s speech at Sarah Sands’ leaving do – Corbyn’s plans for No 10 and Farron’s big act

Last night, politicians including Boris Johnson, Nick Clegg and Sadiq Khan put their party political differences to one side for the night as they came together to bid Sarah Sands farewell at her Evening Standard leaving do. Speaking at party at The Ned, the Mayor of London paid tribute to Sands for her work as editor at the London paper -- and wished her luck in her new role as the editor of the Today programme. However, Khan also couldn't resist a few digs at his political rivals: 'Tonight also gives many of us gives us a night off from the general election campaign. It means Tim Farron has a night off from pretending he has any chance of being the next Prime Minister.

Tuesday

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David Ward stages a comeback

Today Tim Farron attempted to put a stop to questions over his Christianity, as he declared that he does not think gay sex is a sin. However, just a few hours later and the party have been plunged into another row. David Ward has been selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate in Bradford East, where he lost his seat at the last election. The former Liberal Democrat MP is an interesting choice given Farron has said he wants his party to be a 'warm home' for Jews left alienated by Labour’s anti-semitism scandal.

Steerpike

News from Labour: Corbyn held ‘transition’ talks with Whitehall

Of late, Labour's press releases haven't offered much cause for amusement. But today's was a turn up for the books. With Labour currently predicted a catastrophic defeat come June 8, a spokesperson for Jeremy Corbyn emailed to say the Labour leader had met with Sir Jeremy Heywood to discuss the transition to government if Labour wins the General Election: 'The Labour Leader, Jeremy Corbyn, today met the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Jeremy Heywood, to discuss the transition to government if Labour wins the General Election. The meeting, with the support of staff and colleagues, was detailed and productive, and will now be followed by departmental discussions.