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

Corbyn campaign website sends a mixed message

From our UK edition

With Owen Smith now Jeremy Corbyn's official challenger in the leadership election, the pair will spend the summer campaigning ahead of the September vote. Thankfully Corbyn has a shiny new leadership website titled 'Jeremy4Leader' to help him do exactly this. However, judging by the main photo one could be forgiven for thinking it was a site for the Socialist Workers Party. Although the site is designed to 'help get Jeremy re-elected as Labour leader', in the photo -- from a march in support of Corbyn -- there are several SWP placards as well as a charming sign with a picture of Hilary Benn -- and the caption 'chat sh--, get sacked': The chances of uniting the party after the leadership election look slimmer by the day.

Meet Jeremy Corbyn’s new Question Time champion – the Vote Leave campaigner

From our UK edition

After Jeremy Corbyn faced a vote of no confidence from Labour MPs over his lacklustre effort in the failed Remain campaign, a leadership contest is now underway. Corbyn and his challenger Owen Smith will spend the summer campaigning against one another for the leadership. However, in order to have a vote supporters only have until 5pm today to cough up £25 to join the party as a registered supporter. In order to encourage his supporters to do exactly this, Jeremy Corbyn has today tweeted a video of his new star supporter Michelle Dorrell. Michelle will look familiar to many.

Watch: Theresa May ridicules ‘unscrupulous’ Corbyn over Labour job insecurity

From our UK edition

In recent weeks, Jeremy Corbyn's popularity has hit a new low with the Parliamentary Labour Party. Things are so bad that he is unable to assemble a full Shadow Cabinet -- instead having to assign some people with more than one position. So, it was an interesting move of the Labour leader to bring up job insecurity and difficult bosses at today's PMQs. Corbyn suggested that Theresa May had much work to do when it came to making employment rights fairer. Alas, the Prime Minister was unimpressed with Corbyn's complaints.

Osborne’s ally: ‘In mafia terms, George has been disrespected’

From our UK edition

Theresa May is midway through her first session of Prime Minister's question time, and it's a very different look. She and Philip Hammond look like siblings in the front bench, but Mr S was struck by the sight in the backbenchers. Look at the above screen: who's that in the bottom-right corner? There's the newly-sacked George Osborne, making clear that he isn't going anywhere. The new Spectator is going to press right now, and a line in James Forsyth's political column jumped out at Mr S. Here's a sneak preview: Allies of George Osborne are particularly irritated by his treatment, and feel that he was denied the chance to leave office with dignity. One former Cabinet Minister close to him complains that the new Prime Minister ‘dressed him down’ when she sacked him.

Angela Eagle’s leadership campaign ends with yet another gaffe – ‘porridge!’

From our UK edition

Today Angela Eagle has announced that she is dropping out of the Labour leadership race. Her decision comes after a campaign that has seen Eagle struggle to catch a break since it first kicked off -- with hacks walking out of her campaign launch to attend Andrea Leadsom's. So, perhaps it's fitting that her campaign ended on a similar note. In an interview with Sky News, Eagle performed a routine sound test in which the producer checked the audio quality by asking her what she had had for breakfast. However, the broadcaster actually went live while this was going on. This meant viewers saw the former shadow business secretary repeatedly shout the word 'porridge' live on air, before she went on to explain why she was dropping out.

Watch: John Kerry bangs his head on No.10 front door

From our UK edition

When David Cameron hummed a bizarre tune last week as he walked through the door of No.10, there was much mystery about what the tune meant. Thankfully, his former communications director later cleared things up -- revealing Cameron hummed because he was worried no one would open the door. Whilst everyone laughed at Dave at the time, it seems that he was actually onto something. Today John Kerry emerged from the famous black door this morning to give everyone a big wave. Alas the US Secretary of State hit a snag on his return. After the door failed to open on Kerry's return, he hit his head on the closed door... and they say Boris Johnson is the foreign secretary we need to worry about.

David Cameron’s Mr Darcy moment

From our UK edition

It's been a difficult month for David Cameron, who has gone from holding the most powerful office in the country to being a backbench MP. Happily Mr S understands that he is now able to look back fondly on his greatest achievements so far from his time in politics. One of which involves being a Conservative heart-throb. Speaking at the 30th anniversary celebration of Patrick McLoughlin’s time as an MP last week in Chatsworth, Cameron recalled 'the nicest thing' that any woman has ever said him.

Did Melania Trump just out herself as a Democrat?

From our UK edition

There's no love lost between Donald Trump and Barack Obama. And yet for Melania Trump, the President's wife Michelle appears to be a source of great inspiration. That much seemed clear from the Trump's wife's speech to the Republican Convention last night when she channeled Michelle Obama's address from 2008. Here's what Trump said: 'From a young age, my parents impressed on me the values that you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond; that you do what you say.' And here's what Michelle said: 'Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: like, you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond; that you do what you say you're going to do.

Owen Smith: I’m normal… I have a wife and children

From our UK edition

Oh dear. With nominations for the next Labour leader set to open in a matter of hours, now is not the best time for either leadership hopeful to suffer a PR disaster. Alas, this is exactly what has happened to Owen Smith thanks to an interview he gave to Sky News. In the interview, Smith appears to claim that he is normal because he has a wife and children: https://twitter.com/SuperRetroid/status/755049835938611205 Given that his leadership rival Angela Eagle is a lesbian with no children, his comments are not going down well with liberal Labour supporters. Many have taken his words to show prejudice towards the childless as well as the LGBT community.

Power or revolution? Revolution, says Jeremy Corbyn

From our UK edition

As Jeremy Corbyn is forced to fight for the Labour leadership, one of the main criticisms from his opponents is that he is more interested in turning Labour into a protest group, than a party that can win an election. This sentiment has not been helped by his Momentum comrade Jon Lansman recently claiming that 'winning' was for political elites. However, it turns out that Corbyn may actually be on the same wavelength as Lansman. On Friday night Mr S made his way to the Royal Festival Hall to watch Corbyn in conversation with Ben Okri, the writer. Here, Okri made the Labour leader answer some quick-fire questions: BO: Poem or novel? JC: Poem BO: Dance or yoga? JC: Yoga BO: World peace or world prosperity? JC: Peace BO: Mountain or sea?

Coffee Shots: Seumas Milne gets in Corbyn’s way

From our UK edition

With Labour in turmoil, Owen Smith and Angela Eagle have both spent their Sunday explaining why they should be the one to challenge Jeremy Corbyn for the leadership.  So with a leadership contest looming, how has Corbyn spent the weekend? Catching Pokémon, it turns out. In a short film for the BBC, the beleaguered Labour leader can be seen trying out Pokémon Go, the new phone app currently taking over the world. Unfortunately Corbyn hits an initial bump in the road after Seumas Milne -- his director of strategy and communications --  stands in the way of Corbyn's phone. Happily, they overcome this and his efforts are soon rewarded when Corbyn manages to catch the character Krabby; 'our work this morning has not been in vain'. Vive la Revolution!

Rod Liddle’s Freedom Dinner speech: Labour’s Jew-bashing, the anti-Brexit mob and Tim Farron

From our UK edition

This week, Mr S made his way to Boisdale to watch his Spectator comrade Rod Liddle give the key address at the fifth annual Freedom Dinner. Hosted by Forest, Liddle stayed on-message at the libertarian bash -- speaking freely on a range of topics from his Labour suspension to the Guardian's Comment is Free section. Here is the speech in full: Many thanks for inviting me here tonight. I have been told that I was picked to deliver this address from among a very large list of people, solely because I have children and am a mother. This gives me great empathy and understanding and also the right to amend my CV whenever the feeling takes me. That was a star which rose and fell rather speedily, wasn’t it? Before we even learned how to pronounce her name.

Theresa May’s purge of the posh

From our UK edition

It's not a great day to be an ambitious Tory who attended a private school -- let alone Eton. After Theresa May promised to work to build a society with a focus on helping the working class rather than the rich, she has started by implementing this approach in her Cabinet. George Osborne, Nicky Morgan, Theresa Villiers and Oliver Letwin are among the privately-educated politicians to face the axe today. Meanwhile, the majority of the high profile briefs have gone to state school educated politicians. Alongside May, the Chancellor -- Philip Hammond -- and the Justice Secretary -- Liz Truss  -- attended a state school. Meanwhile Justine Greening has made history by becoming the first ever Education Secretary to attend a comprehensive.

Liam Fox celebrates his new job

From our UK edition

While today's political climate might not be great for the country, the watering holes of Westminster are certainly doing okay out of the tumult. Mr S hears that Liam Fox was in a celebratory mood on Wednesday night after being appointed Secretary of State for International Trade. Steerpike is informed that the MP stayed close to a table loaded with the House of Commons' finest fizz. What's more Mr S hears a whisper his good old pal Adam Werritty was on hand to help Fox celebrate. At a time when too many politicians are gloom-mongering after Brexit, Mr S is pleased to hear the good doctor has lost no time in his new job: raising morale in his party, toasting the health of the new Prime Minister and telling the world that Britain has plenty to celebrate.

Has Philip Hammond just blurted out Theresa May’s decision on Heathrow?

From our UK edition

In his interview on the Today programme this morning, Philip Hammond said nothing memorable - which Mr S finds a relief. It's about time that this job went back to being that of a finance minister, not a poseur itching to move to No10. The Today programme is listened to by six million people; by the end, Hammond had probably sent at least two million back to sleep. Mishal Hussein decided to try some quick-fire questions, to see if that would solicit something more interesting. Her gambit worked. What will he do about runways? 'Well, on the decision about the location of London's third, arm, London's additional runway that will be a decision now for the new government to make and it will have to make a decision collectively. Obviously we haven't discussed it yet.

Lily Cole’s £200,000 government grant fails to pay off

From our UK edition

What will be David Cameron's legacy? The former Prime Minister is keen to be remembered for his social justice reform, but it's more likely he'll be remembered for taking Britain out of the EU. However, it's some of his financial decisions that continue to trouble Mr S. Take, for example, the £200,000 of taxpayers’ money the Cabinet Office has gifted Lily Cole since 2013. Under the Innovation in Giving fund, the millionaire model received the money to fund her 'sharing economy' website Impossible. The site launched with the aim to match people with requests for help with those who have the skills to assist. So, a good use of taxpayers' money? Perhaps not.

Watch: Cameron makes Corbyn squirm with email predicting Labour’s disunity

From our UK edition

Today's PMQs have proved to be a lively affair as David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn traded jibes at the despatch box for the last time. While the Labour leader found time to praise the Prime Minister's time in power, Cameron was less obliging when it came to Corbyn. As well as ridiculing Labour for its ongoing row about the leadership rules, he took a leaf from Corbyn's book by reading out an email he had received from a member of the public. The email -- from a woman by the name of Judith -- had been sent ahead of Cameron's first ever PMQs with Corbyn. In it, she warned Cameron to not go hard on his opponent, as if Corbyn left things would look worse for the Tories: 'She said "please, please keep dignity and not triumphalism at the first PMQs with Jeremy Corbyn".

Place your bets! Bookies reveal favourites for Theresa May’s Cabinet

From our UK edition

As Theresa May prepares to move into No.10 today, Britain's next Prime Minister has a united party behind her. Since Andrea Leadsom dropped out on Monday, Conservative MPs have done their best to put any differences behind them and rally behind their new leader. However with a Cabinet reshuffle looming, that could all change very quickly indeed. Given that there have been little to no leaks regarding the impending reshuffle, it's anyone's guess who May will pick for her front bench. Happily, the bookies are at least on hand to offer their list of politicians to watch. In a move that is likely to worry Out-ers, Paddy Power have Remain-er Philip Hammond -- who has claimed Brexit could take six years -- as the odds-on favourite (2/7) to be the next Chancellor.