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
From our UK edition
It was just 18 months ago that Keir Starmer took office, pledging to 'stop the endless Conservative chaos'. How times change. Far from a politics that 'treads more lightly on your lives', it seems that every week now there is a fresh U-turn as the government totters like a punch-drunk boxer, stumbling from one crisis to the next.
From our UK edition
When David Lammy announced that the Chagos Islands were to be handed over to Mauritius, it was greeted as the moment when the sun finally set on the British Empire. But a group of hardy peers are determined to rage, rage against the dying of the light, by doing their damnedest to hold up the Chagos sell-out in the Upper House. Talk about teaching their elected equivalents a thing or two about the merits of proper legislative scrutiny... For a week after passing several critical amendments of the deal, the Lords were tonight at it again. The Upper House issued a rare rebuke of the Chagos Islands deal, passing a motion of regret that said the agreement 'creates uncertainty' over the future use of the Diego Garcia military base and 'imposes £35bn of costs' on taxpayers.
From our UK edition
During Covid, it used to be asked what Boris Johnson the journalist would make of Boris Johnson the Prime Minister. The same must be asked of Keir Starmer: what would the onetime civil liberties lawyer make of the incumbent premier? Having halved the number of afternoon lobby briefings in a bid to control the narrative, the beady eye of Downing Street has moved on to fresh targets. Now in the firing line is X, formerly Twitter. Labour MPs are horrified at what the platform's AI tool, Grok, is producing when asked by users – including images of women involuntarily clad in indecent clothing.
From our UK edition
Ello, 'ello, 'ello, what's all this then? It is a new year but the same old lines from Sir Mark Rowley, the permanently under-fire chief of the Metropolitan Police. Britain's top bobby has been copping a fair bit of flack recently, amid never-ending questions about the behaviour of London's bobbies and criticism of the capital's crime rate. But now, days after Reform UK announced Laila Cunningham as its mayoral candidate, Sir Mark has used an interview with – where else? – the Financial Times, to hit back at his critics. Who needs the 'thin blue line' when you've got the pink 'un for cover, eh? Rowley denounced 'commentators' and those who 'promote narratives that suit them', citing new figures which show the number of homicides in London falling to its lowest rate since 2014.
From our UK edition
The Dark Lord is back. Peter Mandelson has resurfaced, four months after being sacked as US ambassador for his links to the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. In his first interview with the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, the Labour peer said he never saw girls at Epstein's properties, and declined to apologise to the late paedophile's victims for maintaining his friendship with the American because he was not 'knowledgeable of what he was doing'. Somehow, Mr S does not think that will appease those demanding Mandelson lose the Labour whip...
From our UK edition
A new year and new headaches for the Labour whips' office. Karl Turner, the long-serving MP for Hull East, has not taken too well to David Lammy's plans to curb jury trials. He has been going out and about on the media airwaves, threatening all kinds of terrible trouble if the government don't drop their plans. Turner has demanded the Justice Secretary resign, castigated the Chief Whip as incompetent and suggested the PM ought to be 'ashamed'. Why don't you tell us what you really think... But today Turner has unveiled his greatest threat yet. He has told the Sunday Times that he is willing to resign and trigger a by-election, unless the reforms are scrapped.
From our UK edition
Three cheers for the House of Lords. Labour might be trying to pack Britain's second chamber with as many placemen as possible – but the noble peers are not going to take it lying down. For tonight, members of the Upper House inflicted yet another defeat on the government, this time over the deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Talk about Labour priorities, eh? Peers voted voting narrowly in favour of renegotiating the agreement, to ensure that Britain would stop making payments if the island’s use 'for military purposes became impossible.' Lord Craig of Radley, the crossbench peer and former chief of the defence staff who tabled the key amendment, said that he felt the issue should be 'sorted out before we get into formal ratification'.
From our UK edition
It's all kicking off in the Commons tonight. The smash-and-grab assault on Caracas continues to dominate conversations in Westminster, with left-wingers furious at the Starmer government's silence. And tonight, one of the Socialist Campaign Group's most stalwart members, has decided to voice his irritation loudly and proudly. In response to the Foreign Secretary's statement on Venezuela, Labour MP Richard Burgon told the House that his own leader was taking a 'cowardly, craven approach' by failing to condemn Donald Trump's 'disgusting attack on Venezuela': It was the Prime Minister that decided to disregard the UN Charter when it came to Trump's bombing, killing and kidnapping of a head of state.
From our UK edition
Oh dear. It seems that all is not well in the party of good comrades. The Americans' stunning snatch-and-grab operation in Venezuela has divided opinion among Labour MPs. Jeremy Corbyn may no longer be running the show – but it seems some still mourn the ending of Maduro's regime. Among them was Richard Burgon, Jezza's onetime business spokesman. The hard-of-thinking socialist reacted with fury to Keir Starmer's mealy-mouthed statement, tweeting that: The Prime Minister should respond to an illegal bombing and kidnapping by Trump in exactly the way he would if Putin had carried it out. Either Keir Starmer believes in international law - or he doesn’t. You can't pick and choose. Time to stand up to Trump’s gangster politics!
From our UK edition
So. Farewell then 2025. The Chinese Zodiac calendar called this 'The Year of the Snake' – and my goodness Westminster has had more than its fair share these past 12 months. Such is the level of one-way traffic from the Tories to Reform that even the Labour party press office struggles to keep count of the number of defective, sorry, defector, onetime Tory MPs now changing sides. Abroad, hurricane Trump has blown through the world, hurling tariffs aplenty, sending Europe into a spin, refashioning the Middle East and upending elections in Canada and Australia too. At home, we have endured the continued flounderings of our less-than-inspiring PM, whose plummeting approval ratings were the one constant for Labour in 2025. Surely, it can't get any worse next year?
From our UK edition
It is the season of goodwill to all men. So, in the spirit of brotherly love, Reform staff have today made a kindly Christmas gesture to their Tory rivals. Two removal vans rocked up at Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) with an offer to help Kemi Badenoch's staff move out ahead of their expected departure from Matthew Parker Street in 2026. Unsurprisingly, the Tories are yet to take up Nigel Farage's team on such a generous offer... The 'Reform Removals' vans are billed as offering a 'premium removals service' for struggling political forces. 'Major movers for minor parties' is the slogan emblazoned on both sides of each van.
From our UK edition
Once, the Liaison Committee was a must-watch in the House of Commons. But the Starmer super-majority means that the thrice-yearly gathering is much more of a snoozefest than it used to be. Two thirds of the 31 members are card-carrying Labour MPs, elected when the PM was at the (short-lived) height of his power in the heady days of summer 2024. Yet there are a few wise old birds who are ready to give Sir Keir a semi-decent grilling. Today it was the turn of Alistair Carmichael, the longtime Liberal Shetlands survivor, who chairs the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee. Picking up the baton from Labour's Cat Smith, he asked Starmer about why his changes to agricultural property relief were 'targeted' at family farmers.
From our UK edition
Good old Dale Vince is at it again. The eccentric eco-millionaire seems to be plagued by a bout of foot-in-mouth-disease – as evidenced by his response to the tragedy at Bondi Beach, in which at least 15 people were killed. The green energy tycoon – who gave Keir Starmer's party more than £5m last year – said after the attack that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 'wants anti-Semitism to be a thing' and 'acts to make it so'. So much for 'be kind' eh? Vince initially made no other comment on the shooting in which a Holocaust survivor was among those killed. But, don't worry, an hour later, he did find time to express his sympathies about another tragedy. 'Ten million turkeys are killed every year to celebrate Christmas', he wrote. 'It's a Turkey Holocaust.
From our UK edition
Another day, another bad poll for Sir Keir Starmer's Labour party. With less than six months until the Scottish parliament election, pollsters are ramping up their research north of the border. The latest Holyrood voting intention poll to have dropped is from Ipsos Scotland, carried out between 27 November and 3 December, which shows the gap between SNP and Scottish Labour has widened further. Constituency voting data shows that the Nats are consistently picking up more than a third of the vote on 35 per cent – while Labour has dropped seven points since June to sit 16 per cent. Crikey! And that spells good news for Reform UK – whose Scottish outfit is continuing to pick up support across the country.
From our UK edition
Labour MP Stella Creasy is hiring for a senior campaigns manger, and the job specifications are quite something. The Walthamstow parliamentarian is looking for someone who can help her ‘make change happen’ (where have we heard that before?), is opposed to ‘rage bait TikToks’ and understands why politicians have their ‘flaws and frustrations’. Handy knowledge if you’re planning to work for a Labour MP, eh? The rather bizarre advert is offering a salary of between £45,000-£50,000 a year for a ‘creative and campaigning’ worker who enjoys using Canva. The description lists the following attributes as desirable: An understanding of why ragebait tik tok videos are no substitute for evidence and passion when it comes to social justice.
From our UK edition
December is a time for spirits aplenty. But has the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come visited early this year? Over in Cardiff Bay, it seems that a deal has been struck to pass a budget in the Welsh parliament. After a humiliating thumping in the Caerphilly by-election, the incumbent Labour government currently lacks a majority to push through its legislation. But now Plaid Cymru has ridden to the rescue. The two sides are believed to have sketched out an agreement, which should mean Labour avoids a defeat when their spending plans are put to a vote in January. This is a likely precursor to what we can expect next May.
From our UK edition
Christmas is nearly upon us – but there is no sign that Kemi Badenoch is ready to enjoy a rest. The Leader of the Opposition this morning held her second London press conference in as many days. The reason? A big pitch on welfare – just, er, a fortnight after her last such speech. But party spinners insisted that Badenoch had Some News to commit. And it turns out, excitingly, the Tory leader has, at last, found the dead weight dragging down Britain: young people. Well, it’s one way to get the 18 to 24-year-olds on side… Badenoch delivered some tough love for the nation’s youth whom, she suggested, were responsible for Britain's stagnation.
From our UK edition
To Huw Edwards, who has resurfaced on social media to post a professionally shot black-and-white portrait in what some assume is a bid to rehabilitate himself. But it will take the former BBC star more than a new headshot to convince people he has changed: the family of a teenager groomed by Edwards has blasted the ex-presenter as ‘shameless’ over the photo. Edwards was handed a six-month prison sentence last year – suspended for two years – after admitting three counts of making indecent images of children. He posted the picture to just under 500 followers, some of whom left nice comments underneath, with one reading: ‘Hope you are enjoying a different life.
From our UK edition
You're either in front of Mr S or you are behind. It was just six weeks ago that Steerpike reported that staff within Tory HQ were expecting to soon leave their longtime base on Matthew Parker Street. With the party's lease up next summer, a new headquarters is needed. And today, the Conservatives have told their members that they have bought and now own a home outright. In an email seen by Mr S, Kemi Badenoch writes that: No rent. No lease. A permanent base in Westminster we can call our own. Our new home is a sign we are moving forward, putting our finances on a stronger and more sustainable footing... This new headquarters will be more than an office. It will be a campaign engine for councillors, candidates and activists across Britain.
From our UK edition
To Falkirk, where Nigel Farage has flown ahead of the Holyrood elections – to announce another big name member of Reform UK. Now Lord Offord has jumped ship to Reform – and he intends to stand for election in Scotland next year. The businessman was given a peerage in 2021 by Boris Johnson and even served as a minister of exports from 2023 until the election the following year.
