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

Sunday

Steerpike

Boris Johnson receives a special delivery

With Boris Johnson set to back Brexit, the Mayor of London has received a special delivery from Vote Leave ahead of his announcement. Vote Leave's Cleo Watson arrived at his address this afternoon to drop off some Brexit merchandise: https://twitter.com/theousherwood/status/701432205659217920 Watson says she 'hopes it's something he'll find useful in the next couple of months': https://twitter.com/C4Ciaran/status/701430896122011652 Meanwhile not everyone is so excited by Johnson's support. Labour's Jess Phillips has suggested that BoJo's involvement may not be such a coup for the Out camp. https://twitter.

Friday

Steerpike

Straight talking, honest politics? Damian McBride is hired as Lady Nugee’s media adviser

Back in 2009 Damian McBride had to step down from his role as Gordon Brown's advisor after leaked emails revealed that he had been part of a proposed sex smear campaign against the Tories. The emails showed that McBride was embroiled in a plot to damage the reputations of senior Tories with smears relating to their private lives. While Ed Miliband took steps to distance himself from McBride during his time as Labour leader, it appears there is a space for the disgraced spinner in Corbyn's 'straight talking, honest politics'. McBride has been hired as Lady Nugee's media advisor. The Huffington Post reports that the disgraced spinner applied for the job serving Emily Thornberry in her role as shadow defence secretary after spying the vacancy online.

Steerpike

Watch: Richard Branson on Brexit – ‘I’m a bit distracted by space’

Richard Branson briefly came down to earth this morning to give his thoughts on the EU summit in Brussels. The Virgin tycoon was asked on Sky News what he thought about the possibility of Britain leaving the European Union. Unfortunately Brand seemed not all there as he admitted he was a 'bit distracted by space' -- thanks to the launch of his new space rocket later today: 'Umm... yeah... I'm sort of a bit distracted with space at the moment, but I think it would be a very, very, very, very sad day if British people voted to leave.' The billionaire also insisted he loved Great Britain, warning that Brexit would mean the start of the break-up of the European Union. He added: 'I think it would be very, very damaging for Great Britain.

Thursday

Steerpike

Trigger warning: NUS students try to no platform Hope Not Hate founder

Earlier this month Mr S brought you the news that students at LSE were attempting to ban a free-speech society. Now some lovely folk at the National Union of Students have a new target in their sights: Hope Not Hate. Yes, the founder of the advocacy group -- which claims to campaign 'to counter racism and fascism' -- claims he has been accused of... Islamophobia. Nick Lowles -- who previously edited anti-fascist magazine Searchlight -- says that NUS students are campaigning against a plan to invite him to speak at an anti-racism event on the basis that he is 'Islamophobic'. Given that the Hope Not Hate founder claims to have worked to tackle bias against Muslims, the accusation of 'Islamophobia' appears particularly bizarre.

Steerpike

June Sarpong misses the mark on Question Time

It's not been a great week for the In campaign in terms of 'celebrity' endorsements. On Tuesday Emma Thompson unexpectedly got the remain camp in the news when the Nanny McPhee actress explained that she was pro-EU because Britain alone is just 'a cake-filled misery-laden grey old island’. They then seemed to have a royal endorsement after hacks thought Prince William hinted that he was a Europhile in a speech to the Foreign Office. Alas Kensington Palace were quick to put out a statement denying this was the case. So the In campaign must have been hoping it would be a case of third time lucky on Question Time. June Sarpong -- the Britain Stronger in Europe board member -- appeared on the current affairs show to offer a pro-EU perspective on the panel.

Wednesday

Steerpike

Is Russell Brand thinking about going to university?

During Russell Brand's brief foray into politics, the comedian struggled to be taken seriously by members of the establishment. On one such occasion, Peter Hitchens hit out at the BBC for inviting the comedian to discuss drugs policy on an episode of Newsnight. The incident irked Brand so much that he later asked for the scene to be omitted from a documentary charting his career. So Mr S is intrigued to learn that Brand may be taking steps to bolster his academic credentials. Word reaches Steerpike that Brand has been spied looking around the School of Oriental and African Studies -- part of the University of London -- which counts Aung San Suu Kyi among its almuni.

Steerpike

Godfrey Bloom puts his foot in it over Emma Thompson row

Yesterday saw a turn in fortune for the Out campaign after Emma Thompson declared her intention to vote to remain in the EU. The Nanny McPhee actress managed to upset those on both sides of the debate when she explained that without Europe, Britain is simply 'a cake-filled misery-laden grey old island'. Quite rightly a number of Brexit activists called her out on her negative comments, while even supporters of the In campaign seemed less than thrilled by the declaration. Alas, one Eurosceptic appears to have gone a step too far.

Tuesday

Steerpike

Kensington Palace in a flap over Prince William’s ‘pro-EU’ speech

The Duke of Cambridge caused much excitement today with a speech he gave to British diplomats at the Foreign Office. In the speech, Prince William spoke about the importance of uniting with other nations: 'In an increasingly turbulent world, our ability to unite in common action with other nations is essential. It is the bedrock of our security and prosperity and is central to your work. Right now, the big questions with which you wrestle – in the UN, Nato, the Middle East and elsewhere – are predicated on your commitment to working in partnership with others.' Story hungry hacks took his words as a hint that the royal is backing the In campaign in the EU referendum.

Steerpike

Lib Dem rising star quits party in ‘gendered abuse’ row

The Liberal Democrats' track record with female party activists has suffered in recent years after Lord Rennard was accused of sexual harassment. While the party have done their best since then to deal with the claims against the Lib Dem peer, they now face accusations of 'gendered abuse'. Steerpike understands that one of the party's rising stars has stepped down from her role on the Federal Executive -- the governing board of the Liberal Democrats -- claiming that the party is not currently a safe place for women of colour. Kavya Kaushik has written a post on her personal blog explaining her reasons for quitting the party.

Steerpike

Emma Thompson backs the In campaign: ‘Britain is a cake-filled misery-laden grey old island’

David Cameron has been accused of adopting a 'Project Fear' approach as he tries to convince members of the public to remain in the EU. While this tactic has attracted criticism, take heart that the Prime Minister has at least refrained from adopting the Emma Thompson approach of being plain rude. During a press conference for her new film Alone in Berlin, Thompson was asked about the upcoming referendum. At which point the Nanny McPhee actress took a swipe at old Blighty for being a 'cake-filled misery-laden grey old island': 'A tiny little cloud-bolted, rainy corner of sort-of Europe, a cake-filled misery-laden grey old island.' As for the right approach to remaining in the EU?

Monday

Steerpike

Nicholas Soames takes Robert Peston to task over his dress sense

Since Robert Peston departed the BBC to join ITV as their new political editor, he has taken a relaxed approach when it comes to workwear. Earlier this month he raised eyebrows when he wore a cap and a faux fur coat for a news broadcast. Now the Tory MP Nicholas Soames has called him out over his casual fashion sense. The incident occurred after Peston attempted to compliment Soames on a disparaging tweet the Tory grandee had written about John Redwood, the Conservative MP: https://twitter.com/Peston/status/699254208785162241 Alas Soames -- who is Winston Churchill's grandson -- wasn't having any of it, and soon replied telling Peston to 'get a haircut, put on a tie and generally smarten up': https://twitter.

Steerpike

Has Nigel Farage got David Cameron running scared?

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 the event which would have seen him come face to face with his old foe Nigel Farage. The Ukip leader says that although he received official documentation confirming he would meet Cameron at tomorrow's event, he has now heard that Cameron may not attend: https://twitter.com/Nigel_Farage/status/699212961068535808 https://twitter.

Steerpike

Comrade Corbyn takes a swipe at Rosa Prince over ‘inaccurate’ biography

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 previously unpublished stories including the claim that Corbyn 'showed off' a naked Diane Abbott to his Labour friends back in his youth. However, Corbyn has not taken kindly to Prince's work. In an interview with the Islington Tribune, Corbyn has hit out at the author, accusing her of a lack of courtesy: 'I’m pleased she notes my politeness. I wish she had shown the same politeness to me. She might care to adopt that characteristic herself.

Friday

Steerpike

The Kids Company cure for ‘dangerous people’? A trip to Champneys

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 their care to Champneys spa. The luxury spa chain is popular with a host of celebrities from Cherie Blair to Kylie Minogue. Defending the decision, Batmanghelidjh said the luxury spa was the only option open to them after an NHS hospital wouldn't take the child in question: 'This individual ended up in that spa because he was actually very psychotic. The NHS hospital wouldn't take him.

Steerpike

Is Seumas Milne’s Guardian ‘leave’ coming to an end?

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 as Milne has made it clear that he takes issue with the Guardian's political coverage. Now it appears that things are coming to a head. The Times reports that senior executives at the Guardian are to urge Milne to step down from his role. They want him to take voluntary redundancy, as they seek to make 100 journalists redundant in a savings strategy.

Thursday

Steerpike

Does Big Brother Watch need to keep an eye on Twitter’s Nick Pickles?

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 writing on Coffee House that the 'Orwellian' safety council 'makes a mockery of free speech'. Defending the measure is Nick Pickles, Twitter's UK head of policy. He has done his best to explain the proposals in a piece for the Guardian: 'If there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s that the internet’s growth has brought into the open some challenging, even upsetting, viewpoints.

Steerpike

Is John McDonnell distancing himself from George Galloway?

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, while Galloway claims that he speaks to Corbyn's director of comms Seumas Milne -- who he describes as his 'best friend' -- on a regular basis. However, in a sign that not everyone may be so on board with such a move, Corbyn's close comrade John McDonnell has made a hire that is unlikely to sit well with Galloway. The shadow chancellor has appointed Naz Shah as his Parliamentary Private Secretary. https://twitter.

Wednesday

Steerpike

Coffee Shots: Jeremy Corbyn’s badge of honour

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 aims to 'promote the positive work and role of trade unions in workplaces and in the wider community'. While Mr S is yet to spot any more 'heart unions' badges being worn in Westminster, staff at the Morning Star -- Corbyn's paper of choice -- are at least fully involved. They took to Twitter yesterday to show off a similar look. https://twitter.

Tuesday

Steerpike

Nicholas Soames teaches Lady Nugee a lesson

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 she has sought counsel elsewhere. The Sun reports that Thornberry's assistant contacted Nicholas Soames to ask if the Tory grandee would meet her so she could hear 'any insights' Soames has to offer on Labour's defence review. Alas, Soames will not be taking Thornberry up on the offer anytime soon. It turns out that Winston Churchill's grandson is not all that keen to contribute to the Labour's defence policy.