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
With Parliament in recess, David Cameron is able to use this week to focus on the upcoming EU referendum. To do this, the Prime Minister was scheduled to visit Brussels tomorrow morning where he would appear at the EU Conference of Presidents. Alas it appears that Cameron has now had a change of heart about
This month saw the release of Rosa Prince’s biography of Jeremy Corbyn. While Corbyn refused to assist the former Daily Telegraph hack with the unauthorised tome, Prince spoke to a number of his close friends and family for Comrade Corbyn. While the book depicts Corbyn as a kind hard-working man, it also includes a number of
After MPs claimed last month that the Kids Company’s closure was down to a ‘catalogue of failures’, the charity’s founder Camila Batmanghelidjh appeared on Woman’s Hour in an attempt to defend her honour. Alas things soon took a turn for the worse when she was asked why Kids Company had used charity money to send a youngster in
When Seumas Milne — the Guardian associate editor and columnist — was hired as Jeremy Corbyn’s director of communications, Labour released a statement in which they made it clear that Milne would remain on ‘indefinite leave’ from the paper while he worked for the party. The arrangement raised eyebrows at the paper and proved to be a point of contention
John Humphrys gave Today show listeners cause to splutter into their cornflakes this morning. The BBC anchor attempted to rap to grime music, following a segment on the Brit awards: Mr S suspects he ought to stick to the day job.
This week Twitter has announced the launch of a new Trust & Safety Council measure which aims to prevent users from being subject to ‘abusive, hateful or unpleasant blather’. However, critics have claimed the council is really a censorship tool which will be used to stop unpopular viewpoints being aired — with Mr S’s colleague Brendan O’Neill
Since Jeremy Corbyn’s election as Labour leader, the party has been dogged by rumours that George Galloway could rejoin the party. The Respect party leader — who was expelled in 2003 following his outspoken comments on the Iraq war — has called for his expulsion to be rescinded. Corbyn has refused to rule out such a move,
As Labour peers prepare to join forces with Liberal Democrat peers this week to challenge the trade union bill in the House of Lords, Jeremy Corbyn is doing his bit at PMQs. The Labour leader has taken the bold step of wearing a ‘heart unions’ badge. It’s in support of an official ‘Heart Unions’ week, which
Emily Thornberry has not had an easy few weeks since her appointment as shadow defence secretary last month. On Monday she received a frosty reception at a meeting of the PLP, when Labour MPs heckled her as she discussed the party’s Trident policy. With members of her own party now against her, perhaps it’s only natural that
Ruth Davidson has been previously tipped as a front-runner in the Tory leadership race. The Scottish Conservative leader has proved popular with both the public and her own party, with the Tory MP Heidi Allen even naming Davidson as her preferred choice for leader in an interview last year. Alas, those hoping that Davidson has what
Last night politicians and celebrities dined with the super-rich at the annual Tory Black and White ball. While press are banned from the event, Mr S managed to infiltrate the lavish do and bring readers a live-blog of the event. Alas the evening saw a downturn in David Cameron’s fortunes as his donors failed to dig as deep at
The Conservatives have their black-tie billionaire-laden black-and-white ball tonight – an event shrouded in secrecy. So your spy, Mr Steerpike, is live-blogging it. I’ve already noticed a porn baron or two amongst the guests. But for all of the jolity, where is the cash? The commodity/emerging market crash seems to have hit the pockets of the bidders
When Samantha Cameron appeared on the BBC’s Sport Relief bake-off last month, she managed to charm the nation — with even the Daily Mail‘s Jan Moir singing her praises: ‘Yes, she bakes like a dream and went on to beat the three other celebrity contestants to win her heat — but what was really important was that
Spare a thought for Ed Vaizey. Although he is now the longest serving arts minister in British history, the Conservative politician still struggles to blend in with the luvvies at arts events. At last night’s Evening Standard Film Awards, Mr S hears that Vaizey attracted the attention of the night’s host Simon Amstell. Introducing the arts minister, Amstell said
This morning Jeremy Hunt appeared on The Andrew Marr Show to defend his growing feud with the junior doctors. While Marr took the health secretary to task over the junior doctors’ strike — reading out a number of hostile letters from those affected, Hunt responded with an interesting form of defence. Discussing his health reforms, Hunt argued that the hostile
Since Jeremy Corbyn was elected Labour leader, the party have had a fair few run-ins with dictators of the past. After John McDonnell quoted Chairman Mao during the budget, Corbyn then cited Enver Hoxha at the Labour Christmas party — while his director of comms Seumas Milne has questioned just how many deaths Stalin actually brought about.
Although Jeremy Corbyn has only been Labour leader since September, there has been much talk from various fractions of the party about who might succeed him. While many Blairites hope someone like Dan Jarvis or Chuka Umunna will be next, Ken Livingstone has now offered his prediction. In an interview with Sam Delaney — on Russia Today
Free speech isn’t what it used to be. From safe spaces to trigger warnings, university campuses have been hit particularly hard by today’s trend for increased censorship. Now these Stepford students have a new target in their sights: free speech societies. A student at the London School of Economics has submitted a motion to ban the university’s
As the oldest living peer in the Lords at the grand age of 100, Baron Hutchinson of Lullington has a name that commands respect. While the QC stood as the Labour candidate in the constituency of Westminster Abbey in 1945 during which he canvassed 10 Downing Street, Jeremy Hutchinson is known for his illustrious career as a criminal barrister
To Simpson’s-in-the-Strand for the annual Oldie of the Year awards. This year a panel including Gyles Brandeth, Libby Purves, John Lloyd, Craig Brown, Roger Lewis, James Pembroke and the magazine’s editor Alexander Chancellor were responsible for awarding the gongs. Perhaps the most controversial choice for an award was Germaine Greer. The ardent feminist made headlines last
