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

Saturday

Steerpike

Is Zac Goldsmith too posh to run for Mayor of London?

Given that Zac Goldsmith once likened the possibility of himself running for City Hall to 'a suicide mission', it comes as little surprise that not everyone in the Tory camp is ecstatic about the Richmond Park MP's rumoured London mayoral bid. Mr S understands that there are concerns that after Labour increased its control of the capital in the general election, the Old Etonian, who is currently the odds-on favourite to be the Conservative candidate, may be viewed as too posh to appeal to the more diverse London boroughs. As a result, Steerpike hears that there is growing support in the Conservative camp for Syed Kamall to go for the top job.

Friday

Steerpike

A very bard spelling mistake

‘Perhaps the most superb work in the language’ said Thomas de Quincey of Shakespeare's rarely-performed The Two Noble Kinsmen. It's a shame then that the 'Instant Classics' theatre company, who are putting the work on at the White Bear Theatre in South London this summer, do not have the same grasp of the English tongue. In a press release announcing the show they managed to spell William Shakespeare incorrectly: 'Shakespears Two Noble Kinsmen comes to the White Bear' Mr S is not sure this bodes well for the performance.

Steerpike

Milifan turns the air blue on Daily Politics

Just in case you missed the memo, the reason Ed Miliband lost the election has now been revealed. Labour supporter and founder of the Twitter account @cooledmiliband, Richard Biggs, appeared on the Daily Politics to discuss the future of the Milifandom now their beloved leader has returned to the backbenches. Revealing his disgust at the result of the general election, Biggs declared that Miliband is simply 'too good for this f---ing country'. An interesting take, but given the fact he turned the air blue, Mr S can't see the Milifan being invited back by the BBC anytime soon.

Thursday

Steerpike

Has Mhairi Black been trespassing in George Osborne’s office?

Since the 56 SNP MPs entered Parliament, they have taken to 'rebelling' against the establishment in a number of ways. So far they have focussed their time on trying to nab Dennis Skinner's seat, going against Commons' etiquette by clapping in the chamber, and purchasing white roses for the Queen's Speech. Now they also appear to have had enough of corridors. Stewart McDonald, the SNP MP, claims that the Commons' youngest MP Mhairi Black has come up with a shortcut through Parliament that involves walking through the Chancellor of the Exchequer's office: https://twitter.com/StewartMcDonald/status/606421503027101697 And there was Mr S thinking that Black was beginning to prove the naysayers wrong.

Steerpike

Alex Salmond tells Anna Soubry to ‘behave yourself, woman’

Alex Salmond's reintroduction to Parliament has hit a few bumps in the road this week. He was criticised on Tuesday when he appeared to use Charles Kennedy's death as an opportunity to push Scottish independence. Now, Salmond has told Anna Soubry, the small business minister, to 'behave herself, woman'. During a House of Commons debate last night on devolution, he stopped his speech and scolded Soubry for her behaviour in the chamber: 'Luckily the honourable lady is on the front bench so therefore won't be standing for chair on one of these select committees, otherwise she would have done her chances no good whatsoever.

Steerpike

Doggy Dispatch: Marriage problems afoot between Osborne and Gove

Could there be trouble in doggy paradise? Sarah Vine has previously revealed that their family dog Snowy (a Bichon 'ish' dog, who was the runner up in the Westminster Dog of the Year, 2015) is 'married' to Lola, George Osborne's bichon frise. But could it be that Lola has been forced into this canine partnership? Word reaches Steerpike that Osborne's pedigree pup is having difficulty interacting with other dogs. Mr S's newshound says that she is regularly spotted being taken for walks in St James's Park, where it has been noticed that Lola has a fear of other dogs. Perhaps it's best not to expect a litter of Tory puppies any time soon.

Steerpike

Tea is back on the menu at the Guardian

Last week the Guardian's food police turned their attention to tea. After the publication declared war on HP sauce in January, they have now vetoed tea. The writer Joel Golby claims that liking tea is ‘the worst possible English trait, up there with colonialism and the class system’. All very... Guardian. Only the tea memo has yet to reach the Guardian shop, which is selling t-shirts for any of their readers who still love tea: Be wary before purchasing though. Mr S suspects it could be an elaborate trick to whittle out 'undesirables' from their readership.

Wednesday

Steerpike

Can Twitter not cope with a slightly fruity poem?

Something incredible happened today: the Twitterati - used to passing mob justice on telly, celebs and politics - turned their attention to poetry. More specifically a poem in the London Review of Books by Craig Raine. How Mr S's heart leapt as he saw Raine's name trending up there with Andy Coulson and #NationalRunningDay, could it be that an English poet was proving more popular than the Kardashians? Alas not. There had not been a significant boost in the cultural tastes of the keyboard warriors. Instead they were raging after poetry critic Charles Whalley tweeted Raine's poem 'Gatwick', describing it as 'grim'. The poem describes his attraction to a young woman. It includes the line 'I want to say I like your big bust': https://twitter.

Steerpike

SNP and Conservatives find a common cause

Ever since the 56 SNP MPs arrived in Parliament, their main focus seems to be battling Dennis Skinner for his seat. Happily, the Scottish Nationalists appeared to have a night off from pestering the 83-year-old MP yesterday, with Angus MacNeil teaming up with the Conservatives to take on the Lords in Macmillan Cancer Support's annual Parliamentary Tug of War: [caption id="attachment_9147112" align="alignnone" width="510"] Angus MacNeil, the SNP MP, helps his team to clinch victory against the Lords[/caption] Although the battle was close, the Commons men, captained by Mike Penning MP, came out on top over the Lords, who were led jointly by Lord Dobbs and Lord Collins of Highbury.

Steerpike

The war of Skinner’s seat: SNP allow Dennis to stay

The first PMQs of the new Parliament will kick off shortly and Commons watchers will be looking to see if Dennis Skinner remains in his usual spot. The socialist firebrand, along with fellow members of Labour's so-called awkward squad, has previously occupied the second opposition front bench — until the SNP’s 56 MPs came along and attempted to oust him. But it appears that peace has broken out. The Sun’s Kevin Schofield reports that an agreement has been done to allow Skinner and Father of the House Gerald Kaufman to remain on the front bench, alongside SNP members. Other members of the awkward squad are not so lucky. As one nationalist MP informs Mr S: ‘Dennis Skinner isn't the one we're targeting -- we have huge respect for him.

Steerpike

Report by BBC journalist that the Queen is in hospital just a ‘silly prank’

Given that the Queen looked in such good health last week during her speech, Mr S was surprised to hear 'breaking' news that she was being treated in hospital this morning. The BBC journalist Ahmen Khawaja took to Twitter to tell her followers exactly that. However, Buckingham Palace has since confirmed that the Queen was in hospital, but just for her 'annual medical check-up'. Khawaja has now deleted her tweets: https://twitter.com/AhmenKhawaja/status/606020611907973120 Yet now - after several users criticised her - she has changed her story and claimed her phone was used by someone else as a prank: https://twitter.com/AhmenKhawaja/status/606022870939140096 All very curious indeed.

Tuesday

Steerpike

Will Sepp Blatter ‘unresign’ like Nigel Farage?

After mounting public pressure, Sepp Blatter has today announced he will resign as Fifa president. This comes after the 79-year-old was re-elected last week in the role, despite being embroiled in a corruption scandal. Blatter's decision to resign, even though he seemingly remains popular with his colleagues, has struck a chord with one UK politician. Jim Murphy, the former Labour leader, says it all sounds familiar: https://twitter.com/JimForScotland/status/605783367380959232 But is Blatter set to continue in the way of Nigel Farage and 'unresign'? With Betway currently offering 5/1 odds that Blatter will do exactly that, Mr S suspects it's not a suggestion to be scoffed at.

Steerpike

Labour politician provokes anger with Charles Kennedy tweet

This afternoon Alex Salmond faced a public backlash after he appeared to use a television appearance to push his own politics, while paying tribute to the late Charles Kennedy. The Scottish Nationalist claimed on air that Kennedy, who passed away yesterday, was never really a true supporter of the Better Together campaign. Now Jenny Rathbone, the Welsh Labour and Co-operative politician, has also risked the ire of the public with a tweet claiming that the 55-year-old's passing is a 'sad end to demise of Lib Dems': Many were quick to suggest that it was wrong to use his death as material for a political shot, and Rathbone hastily deleted the tweet: https://twitter.

Steerpike

Lynton Crosby vs. Lord Ashcroft round two: ‘he’s not a pollster’

Those hoping one of Westminster's most entertaining ongoing feuds would cool after the election will be disappointed. As the dust settled on David Cameron's majority, his 2010 confident and in-house polling guru Lord Ashcroft let rip in the New Statesman at the Tories' victorious 2015 election strategist Lynton Crosby: 'By and large, on balance, we can all agree that it has not been a great election for the pollsters. But there is (or so we read) one notable exception. The private polls commissioned from the Tory bunker by the campaign chief Lynton Crosby and the US guru Jim Messina got the result ­absolutely right, at least according to, well, Lynton Crosby and Jim Messina. If they say so, I’m sure it must be true. But why leave any room for scepticism?

Steerpike

Coffee Shots: Scottish Parliament reinvents the ‘deep-fried Mars Bar’

Who ever says that the Scots aren't healthy needs to rethink their stereotyping. While Scotland may be famous for creating the culinary delicacy that is the deep-fried Mars Bar, under the SNP it has evolved into a 'healthier' version. Jim Murphy, who was ousted from his seat by the SNP, has been reacquainting himself with the national favourite in the Scottish Parliament. Alas instead of being deep-fried it is now just wrapped in pastry. However, this change to the recipe still appears to mean that the pudding has too many calories to mention: https://twitter.com/JimForScotland/status/605716170851938304 Mr S commends Parliament for doing their bit in combatting the country's high blood pressure rates.

Steerpike

BBC sent Robert Peston on course to ‘iron out his eccentricities’

With the BBC up for charter renewal next year, increasing attention is being paid to the manner in which the corporation conducts itself. Things weren't helped last week when a BBC historian claimed that Lord Howard, the chairman of the BBC governors from 1980-83, paid for a prostitute on the Orient Express with an expenses claim. Now Robert Peston says that the BBC splashed out on a team of specialists to help him overcome his 'eccentricities' when he joined the corporation. 'They sent me off for training to iron out my eccentricities,' he tells the Radio Times.

Monday

Steerpike

Team Burnham (finally) distance themselves from Dr Éoin Clarke

Oh dear. The love in between Dr Éoin Clarke and aspiring Labour leader Andy Burnham appears to be over. Mr S's colleague Sebastian Payne noted last week that Burnham has attracted 'an online army of fans' which includes Dr Eoin Clarke: 'Part of [Burnham's] nascent leadership campaign is an online army of fans who are promoting his cause and attacking his opponents. Twitter and Facebook are going to be key battlegrounds for each of the contenders — offering an easy way to spread a message without the filter of the media.' These e-cheerleaders have subsequently been christened 'Fandies'. Queen bee among the 'Fandies' remains Clarke - a man armed with nothing more than a PhD in Irish feminism and Microsoft Paint.

Steerpike

Labour leadership race touches a sore spot for Andy Burnham

Andy Burnham may be the odds-on favourite for the Labour leadership but that doesn't mean it's all plain sailing for the politician. Mr S notes that Burnham has been sporting a bruised lip of late. When a hack spied him in the Strangers bar recently, they asked him whether the Labour leadership race had become physical with a punch-up. Happily, it appears that, despite Burnham having a barmy online army behind him, punches are yet to be thrown. Instead it's a cold sore which Burnham put down to 'stress'. Still Mr S can't help but wonder how he will cope if elected leader if he is this stressed already. Is Andy Burnham's upper lip tough enough? Hell no. Latest odds for next Labour leader — via Ladbrokes: Andy Burnham: 10/11. Liz Kendall: 13/8. Yvette Cooper: 9/2.

Steerpike

Lucy Powell: the campaign genius behind the ‘Milibrand’ interview

Lucy Powell's list of PR blunders reached epic proportions through the course of the election campaign, with the Labour campaign chief messing up several media appearances: However, Mr S understands that one of her biggest cock-ups remained unknown until this weekend. Writing in the Sunday Times, Tanya Gold revealed that it was Powell who helped organise Russell Brand's much mocked interview with Ed Miliband. 'The deal was brokered by Lucy Powell, the now equally discredited vice-chairman of the election campaign, and Mr Eddie Izzard.