Steerpike, Author at The Spectator

Monday

27 April 2015

Tristram Hunt: I am hugely in favour of yummy mummies

After Gordon Brown was famously forced by Mumsnet members to reveal his favourite biscuit, Mr S was intrigued to see that Tristram Hunt had agreed to a Mumsnet chat of his own this lunchtime. Brown was so thrown by the chat back in 2009 that he had to take a 24-hour break after he was asked 12 times to name his favourite biscuit. Hunt seems to have held his nerve better. The chat began above board, with parents asking Hunt what he would do to ensure teachers stay in the profession. He promised to 'cut down on the bureaucracy getting in the way of teaching' in order to guarantee that teachers 'regain their love of the job'.

Saturday

25 April 2015

Steerpike

Video: David Cameron bizarrely switches his football allegiance to West Ham

The Prime Minister's claim that he supports Aston Villa has never been quite believed by football fans. And today, it seems, he has changed his allegiance - telling an audience (above) that they should support West Ham. CCHQ has not, as yet, come up with an explanation as to why he didn't say Aston Villa (other than the fact that he's no more a Villa fan than Gordon Brown was an Arctic Monkeys fan - his biography has plenty references to villas, but none to Aston Villa). But when the explanation comes, Mr S will update. UPDATE: The Prime Minister may have been exaggerating his attachment to football. Here are some quotes, before he became party leader:- @paulwaugh @MarinaHyde @GaryLineker from Hansard in 2001. Admits not a football fan pic.twitter.

Friday

24 April 2015

Steerpike

Labour is pledging a £1m handout to Scottish foodbanks. Why not English ones?

Gordon Brown is saying some strange things. He is being chased out of Fife by the nationalist genie that he pulled out of the bottle, but snarling at the SNP as he does so. He made an extraordinary pledge yesterday when speaking in his soon-to-be-abandoned home of Kirkcaldy. ‘We can’t wait beyond May 8 so within 24 hours a Labour Government will trigger an emergency plan to tackle hunger in Scotland and immediately pay £1 million to ensure food banks across Scotland are better stocked. This is odd: why not give cash to English ones too? Or can they wait beyond May 8 because they're, em, English? Mr S has asked about, and there seems to be no plan to do this in England.

Steerpike

Has the BBC painted its website red?

Dare Mr S suggest the BBC election website is a little skewed towards the red corner? Miliband's foreign policy foray leads the hub, yet fails to give much coverage of the fact that his 'attack' has been criticised from all sides. Of all the top stories, only one could be construed as vaguely supportive of the Tories, while a call from a minor Welsh nationalist to organise an 'anti-Tory' coalition is considered more important by the editors than the launch of the first-ever English manifesto by David Cameron and William Hague. And one does wonder why 'the abuse case' peer's party allegiances are not deemed headline worthy? For the record, he's Labour...

Steerpike

Paul Dacre: The free press is the last genuinely free aspect of modern Britain

Northcliffe House was host to a Fleet Street reunion last night, for the launch of Mail executive Robin Esser's memoir 'Crusaders in Chains'. After sixty years a newspaper man, Esser's tome takes us from the glory days to the 'chilling' Leveson Inquiry. With inky old-timers Les Hinton, Dame Ann Leslie, Richard Kay and Eve Pollard all tucking into the white wine, Mail editor Paul Dacre took to the microphone for some rare public speaking. He did not disappoint, giving a searing defence of a free press and raging against the 'authoritarian' British state: 'The book's title could not be more apt. All newspapers, from the so called 'qualities', to the 'red tops', have had their own great crusades for the good of society, and I like to think the Mail has had more than most.

Steerpike

Joan Collins celebrates her damehood with an old frenemy

With the Queen's birthday honours fast approaching, future awardees can take inspiration from Joan Collins on the suitable number of events required to celebrate one's damehood. Writing in this week's issue of The Spectator, Collins reveals that she attended not one but seven events in total. However, things got off to a questionable start when her husband Percy forgot his photo ID, which was required to get past palace security for her investiture ceremony: 'We averted a potential disaster when, at the gates, Percy confessed to having left his photo ID behind. ‘Will you vouch for this gentleman?’ the helmeted bobby inquired. ‘Well, I’m not sure if I’d go that far, but he is my husband,’ I joked.

Steerpike

Coffee Shots: Liberal Democrats struggle with the small print

As the Liberal Democrats fight for survival in the general election, word reaches Mr S that things in the yellow camp may be even more dire than first thought. Mr S received this Lib Dem leaflet from one of his sources, the small print of which seems totally incomprehensible. Surely things can't be so bad that the party can no longer afford spaces between words? As you can see, it's pretty hard to read: Even when you get closer: And closer: Mr S is getting election fatigue just looking at it. Maybe it's just best not to read the small print.

Thursday

23 April 2015

Steerpike

Confirmed: Ukip would let St George into the country

It's St George's Day so to celebrate Ukip held a press conference where they gifted red and white jester hats adorned with St George's flags to journalists. Talk soon turned to the real crux of the matter: as a foreigner of alleged Turkish descent, would Ukip have allowed St George entry into the country? Patrick O'Flynn was on hand to answer the pressing immigration query: 'If Ukip were in power in the third century then yes I suppose St George would be allowed in the country. He is a skilled migrant, he could slay dragons.' A Ukip party spokesman has since gone one step further and suggested that St George would even be allowed into the country in the present day were Ukip in power, as 'a points based system' would look fondly on his case.

Steerpike

David Cameron: ‘The selfie will come, the selfie will go’

Given that David Cameron posed for a selfie alongside Barack Obama at Nelson Mandela's memorial service, Mr S was surprised to hear that the PM has now tired of the trend. Speaking to Mr S's colleagues James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson in an interview in this week's issue of The Spectator, Cameron says that the selfie lacks longevity, claiming 'the selfie will come, the selfie will go': 'It is an extraordinary phenomenon and it sometimes makes part of the process of politics quite difficult. Everyone wants a selfie rather than to have a conversation, and sometimes that’s a bit frustrating, particularly with your party activists. I want to know what they are finding on the doorsteps, but actually you are too busy having your picture taken.

Steerpike

Image from Islington: Lib Dems troll Emily Thornberry

It’s St George’s Day today, and presumably Labour’s Emily Thornberry is out looking for ‘amazing’ houses draped in English flags. To help her out (in a way), her Lib Dem rival in Islington Terry Stacy has decided to put this about as his election address: Mr Steerpike is very keen for any other election candidates showing off quite how comfortable they are with flags.

Wednesday

22 April 2015

Steerpike

Exclusive: UKIP donor already organising South Thanet victory party

Nigel Farage has fought off accusations that he's an invisible candidate in South Thanet, claiming to have held more public meetings than all of the other candidates put together. But are Ukip getting ahead of themselves in the ultra-tight race on the Kent coast? Mr S hears that invitations are already circulating for an election night party in the constituency, hosted by fun-loving donor Arron Banks. Organising the victory party two weeks out from polling day looks complacent at best. Sources familiar with party planning have revealed to Mr S that the multi-millionaire tycoon has invited people to join him in the constituency on election night and drinks will certainly be served. Yet Ukip spinners stonewalled when asked to 'confirm or deny' that the event was taking place.

Steerpike

Alex Salmond: I’m writing the Labour party budget!

Ed Miliband might not like to talk about an SNP-Labour coalition but the SNP aren't so shy. In fact, they seem to be revelling in the Tory message of 'Vote Labour, get the SNP'. Alex Salmond, the former leader of the SNP, has been filmed saying that he is going to be 'writing the Labour party budget'. And where did Mr S see this amusing video? In a tweet from David Cameron, natch. This footage will shock you: Alex Salmond laughs & boasts he’ll write Labour’s budget. Vote Conservative to stop it. https://t.

Steerpike

Revealed: Why the Tories have a big London problem

This afternoon something rare will happen in this election campaign. David Cameron will campaign in London. While bus-ing and jetting all around the four countries that make up the United Kingdom, the capital has all but been forgotten by the Prime Minister during the short campaign. Like so many aspects of this general election campaign, Wednesday's event will be closed to journalists. So what's going on? Tory worries in the capital are growing. Polls have Labour out ahead by double digits, and many of Miliband's expected gains will likely come from greater-London marginals. Mr S is repeatedly hearing complaints from Tory activists that the data they have in London is massively skewed by 'the Boris factor'.

Tuesday

21 April 2015

Steerpike

Paddy Ashdown: Grant Shapps is ‘fine man’ who’s ‘never done anything dodgy’

You have to hand it to the Liberal Democrats: they know how to put out a press release. Following accusations in the Guardian that Grant Shapps or someone ‘under his clear direction’ has been editing Wikipedia pages of his rivals, the Lib Dems have put out a press release dripping in sarcasm from Paddy Ashdown: ‘Grant Shapps is a fine man and has never done anything dodgy’. Here is the full text: Grant Shapps is a wonderful human being, a literary great and has in no way ever brought his party or politics into disrepute, the Chairman of the Liberal Democrat General Election Campaign said.

Steerpike

Brian May questions Russell Brand’s revolution

Tonight Russell Brand took part in a live Q&A to celebrate the launch of his new documentary The Emperor's New Clothes. The film looks into the effects of capitalism and it has been widely noted that its release is timed conveniently close to the election. During the Q&A Brand was surprised and initially very pleased to find that Brian May from Queen was in the audience. May, who began by professing his love for the comedian, even had a question for the revolutionary: BM: I have a campaign called Common Decency which is about trying to change the system radically from within. I'm proposing that we form a strategy on May 7th and I think my strategy is so good that I'm even going to persuade you to vote but we shall see.

Steerpike

Boycie: Nigel Farage ‘sounds nothing like me’

Nigel Farage may see himself as the quintessential British politician, but is he modelling himself on a national comedy treasure? Mr S's colleague Sebastian Payne noted that in Lord Ashcroft’s latest focus groups, voters reckoned that the Ukip leader ‘would only watch British comedies’ in his spare time, such as Only Fools And Horses. One respondent even said 'he models himself on Boycie’. Judge for yourself: But Boycie is not happy with the comparison. John Challis, who plays Boycie in the series, told SunNation ‘Farage sounds nothing like me; he’s going to have to try harder.’ But Challias did find one similarity. ‘I noticed he wears a warm, British coat like mine, but no moustache'.

Steerpike

Estate agents find elections may be good for business

Last week the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors warned that uncertainty over the mansion tax has caused property prices to rise as fewer homes are put on the market until the election outcome is known. Still, it's not all bad news for estate agents. In a brazen ‘Good Luck in the Election’ email sent to all parliamentary candidates standing in May, one London estate agency are wasting no time in trying to churn up some business after the election: ‘As the election edges closer we wanted to wish you all the best of luck in your campaign and to let you know that MyLondonHome are here to help! Depending on the outcome of the election, you may need to permanently relocate to London.

Steerpike

Sam Cam’s sister criticises Ed Miliband for standing against his brother

Given that Samantha Cameron and her sister Emily Sheffield have both forged successful careers of their own in varying fields, sibling rivalry is unlikely to have ever been an issue for the pair. This could explain why Samantha's sister has taken offence over the manner in which Ed Miliband became leader of the Labour party. After the Guardian's political editor Patrick Wintour tweeted that Ed Miliband had claimed David Cameron 'will say anything and stop at nothing,' Sheffield was quick to respond and remind people that Miliband ran against his brother for the leadership. The deputy editor of Vogue replied to Wintour's tweet, claiming that Miliband must have been talking about himself, as 'even his brother meant nothing'.

Steerpike

Dragons’ Den star: Why I didn’t sign business letter backing the Tories

Last month over 100 British business leaders signed a letter backing the Conservatives' economic policies. The letter, which was published in the Daily Telegraph, was seen as damaging to Labour as it claimed that the Tories' business plan was working and any change in that plan could put the UK’s economic recovery at risk. Miliband can take heart, however, that not every retail tycoon is against his party's business proposals. Speaking at the relaunch of Ghost, the recently appointed Dragons' Den investor Touker Suleyman tells Mr S that he was originally approached to sign the letter: 'I didn't sign the letter. I was approached but I am apolitical. I am a people's person and especially with my position on Dragons' Den I think it is best to stay apolitical.

Monday

20 April 2015

Steerpike

Andrew Marr admits the BBC misquoted David Cameron on foxhunting

After Mr S's colleague Camilla Swift wrote of the Twitterstorm that engulfed David Cameron after Andrew Marr claimed on air that the PM had declared foxhunting to be his favourite sport, the presenter has now come clean about the interview. Marr has admitted to The Spectator on Twitter that he was wrong to claim that Cameron told Countryside Alliance magazine that foxhunting was his favourite sport: https://twitter.com/laidmanr His confession comes after the BBC press office failed to respond to calls for comment from The Spectator.