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

Friday

Steerpike

Channel 4 hit back at Reform over ‘actor’ activist claims

From our UK edition

When you're in a hole, stop digging. It seems that those words of wisdom aren't being heeded by Reform as the party battles to handle the fall-out from last night's Channel 4 exposé. The broadcaster released an undercover report into the party's campaign in Clacton, featuring examples of anti-migrant rhetoric, homophobia and one canvasser called Andrew Parker 'making racist and offensive remarks'. Parker was swiftly booted out of the party but attention has now focussed on his professional background as a part-time actor. Both Reform's leader Nigel Farage and party chairman Richard Tice have been quick to jump on suggestions that this might explain his comments in the programme.

Steerpike

Fact check: how many of Biden’s debate claims stack up?

From our UK edition

Most presidential debates tend to be underwhelming but last night certainly was not one of them. Much of the subsequent coverage focused on Joe Biden's hesitant, stumbling performance, prompting Donald Trump at one stage to remark that ‘I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either.’ But Mr S was more struck by the sheer number of times that Joe Biden seemed to make statements that were either misleading – or simply downright untrue. Below are eight of the worst instances... Trump ‘bleach’ comments on Covid Biden began the debate by accusing Trump of not taking the coronavirus pandemic seriously, saying Trump told Americans, 'It's not that serious. Just inject a little bleach in your arm.

Steerpike

Biden’s descent: the five worst debate moments

From our UK edition

Can Joe Biden cling on? That’s the question being asked in Washington DC after a painful performance from the US President in the first debate of the contest. While there’s still plenty of time between now and the November election debate, even dedicated Democrats are struggling to shrug off Biden’s performance. There’s already talk that the upcoming Democrat convention in August could provide on opportunity to change course. So, how bad was it? To let readers decide for themselves, Mr S has compiled Biden’s five worse debate moments. Warning: painful viewing ahead. 1. Medicare JUST IN: Trump seizes the moment after Biden completely froze on stage.Biden: "What I've been able to do with the, with, with, with the covid, excuse me.

Steerpike

Full list: every controversial Reform candidate

From our UK edition

After storming out of the blocks at the beginning of this campaign, polls suggest that Reform's support has now tailed off slightly in the past week. So what's the reason for this? Nigel Farage himself suggested to ITV yesterday that he had been 'wilfully misinterpreted' over his Ukraine comments but added that: 'I think the other thing that's perhaps had a bigger impact is we've just had too many candidates who've said stupid things. I think that's perhaps the reason that we've dropped off a little bit.' So who are these candidates saying 'stupid things'? Mr S has started pulling together a handy guide of Reform's nominees across the party who have all found themselves in the headlines in recent weeks.

Steerpike

‘That was painful’: Democrat pundits mourn Biden implosion

From our UK edition

Oh dear. The Democrats are reeling from Joe Biden’s disastrous performance in the first presidential debate of the election. After the US president stopped and started, looked puzzled and struggled to answer questions, commentators are out in force suggesting Biden is not fit for a second term. Yet this time something has changed. It's not just the usual critics. For a sense of how this time, Biden is in real trouble take a look at what Democrat pundits are saying. The CNN debate panel was a case in point. The US broadcaster is known for being the channel for Democrats – and against Donald Trump at all costs. Yet during and after the debate, there was a funereal feel to proceedings. Joe Biden’s former director of communications could not hide her disappointment.

Wednesday

Steerpike

Green candidate advocates ‘Climate Nuremberg’

From our UK edition

The Greens like to portray themselves as the party of hope and change. But what exactly does that entail? An enlightening answer perhaps comes from Joe Taylor, the Green candidate for Battersea. In his zeal to save the planet, he advocates using legal action against those whom he holds responsible for climate change. But not just any ordinary legal action – Taylor has previously argued that ‘Conservative politicians’ have ‘already cast their die and booked their places at the climate Nuremberg.

Tuesday

Steerpike

Labour dragged into betting probe

From our UK edition

Uh oh. On the same day that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced his party would be dropping the two Tory candidates caught up in the election betting scandal, now Labour is facing problems of its own. It transpires that Sir Keir Starmer's party has suspended Central Suffolk and North Ipswich candidate Kevin Craig after the Gambling Commission launched an investigation into the Labour man. Craig was placed under investigation by the gambling regulators after he allegedly gambled against himself winning the race for his constituency. Talk about hedging your bets... The Gambling Commission is already looking into the gambling history of former Sunak aide and candidate for Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr Craig Williams – as well as Bristol North West candidate Laura Saunders.

Steerpike

Badenoch blasts David Tennant over trans debate

From our UK edition

With only nine days left until the general election, tensions are flying high and parties are under more scrutiny than ever. Labour's muddled messaging on the gender debate has ignited heated discussions on the treatment of gender-critical feminists by Sir Keir Starmer's party – namely one of his own colleagues Rosie Duffield – and has prompted the likes of renowned author and women's rights activist JK Rowling to speak out. Now Conservative politician Kemi Badenoch, who is also the women and equalities minister, has hit out at Labour – and former Doctor Who actor David Tennant.

Steerpike

Which cars are stolen most often in London?

From our UK edition

As the election campaigns continue to pick up pace ahead of the national poll in nine days’ time, Mr S has been digging into some of the problems facing voters across the country. One issue stood out: crime. Sir Keir’s party has insisted it will cut down on antisocial behaviour and has this morning pledged to ‘take back our streets’. Steerpike would also point Starmer’s lefty lot focus in the direction of car theft – as it’s a growing epidemic in Britain’s capital city… The number of stolen cars logged in London has increased at a rather alarming rate since 2021, according to figures obtained via a Freedom of Information request from the Metropolitan Police.

Steerpike

JK Rowling slams Rayner and Reeves over trans debate

From our UK edition

Following JK Rowling’s rather scathing attack on Sir Keir’s Labour party on Sunday, some in Starmer’s army have been grovelling for the author’s support since. But Rowling isn’t prepared to let them off the hook that easily… After Rowling slammed Starmer’s lot for the party’s ‘dismissive and often offensive’ approach to concerns of gender-critical feminists, Rachel Reeves got in touch. The Shadow Chancellor offered up an olive branch to Rowling, telling the renowned writer that she would meet with her to provide ‘assurances’ over the protection of women-only spaces.

Steerpike

Reform candidate slammed for pro-Putin remarks

From our UK edition

Another day, another election mishap. This time it’s Reform UK under fire after one of the party’s candidates was found to have made pro-Putin comments during a hustings. Julian Malins KC, Reform’s Salisbury candidate, was booed at a recent election event after declaring that Putin ‘seemed very good’. Oo er. Asked by an audience member at the event whether a Reform government would support Ukraine, Malins told the people of Salisbury that: We support diplomacy. We support every possible effort to reach a compromise and a settlement over the issues in Ukraine. That is what the adults in the room do. Stop the killing and negotiate a proper settlement.  I have actually met Putin and had a 10-minute chat with him and he seemed very good.

Monday

Steerpike

Watch: Sunak fumes over betting scandal

From our UK edition

'Betgate' might be giving us some laughs but there's one person who clearly isn't cracking jokes. A notably vexed Rishi Sunak gave an interview to STV this afternoon on a visit to campaign with the Scottish Conservative party. He told the broadcaster that he was 'angry' about allegations that Tory candidates put bets on the date of the election and that the Conservatives are now running its own probe alongside the Gambling Commission. Anyone want to place a wager on who the culprits are? It was left to broadcaster Colin Mackay to suggest to Sunak that he should remove Craig Williams and Laura Sanders as Tory candidates before the election day.

Steerpike

Voting Reform will strengthen the Nats, Sunak warns Scots

From our UK edition

Back to Scotland, where Rishi Sunak is attending the Scottish Conservatives’ manifesto launch in Edinburgh. Leaving the ongoing betting scandal in London, the Prime Minister walked into another controversy – about the football. Before Sunak launched into his speech he made a point of agreeing with Scottish Tory leader and linesman Douglas Ross that Scotland should have been awarded a penalty in last night's Euros match. It's certainly one way to get the Scots on side... The issue of oil and gas a key dividing line for the Scottish Tories, Sunak highlighted how the positions of other parties on new licences could cost jobs. Slamming Sir Keir's Labour lot, the PM claimed that Starmer's army would 'rather virtue signal to eco-zealots than protect jobs here at home'.

Steerpike

Badenoch blasts Alastair Campbell over Brexit

From our UK edition

Uh oh. In the latest election drama, Tory candidate for North West Essex and business secretary Kemi Badenoch has taken aim at Labour's former spin doctor Alastair Campbell. The lefty spinner has a well-documented history of Brexit-bashing and Badenoch, it seems, has had enough. Urging readers of the Daily Mail to ignore Brexit sceptics and vote for the Conservatives 'to stop us going back to square one', the minister writes in the newspaper today that voting Labour means 'enabling a strengthened Starmer to unpick Brexit'. Slamming Tony Blair's former spokesman, Badenoch tore into Campbell's claims about what leaving the EU means for Britain.

Steerpike

Green leader’s heat pump hypocrisy

From our UK edition

Oh dear. In the latest election campaign blip, it’s the Green Party in the spotlight. It has now transpired that despite the Greens long urging voters to swap out gas guzzling boilers for heat pumps, the co-leader of Green Party herself has, er, a gas boiler. Rules for thee but not for me… Carla Denyer’s party has long harped on about its goal to reach net zero by 2040 — yet its eco-zealot-in-chief admitted to ITV's The Leader Interviews that ‘at the moment I have a gas boiler’. Blaming the election for forcing her to ‘pause’ her plans to replace the contraption, Denyer told the broadcaster during the interview that: ‘I’m literally in the process of getting quotes for replacing it with an air source heat pump.

Steerpike

Jeremy Clarkson turns his guns on the Starmer army

From our UK edition

With ten days to go until polling day, all signs point to a Conservative wipeout. In such tough times, celebrity support counts for all the more. And while few stars are lining up to snap selfies with Rishi Sunak, at least one is willing to take the fight to Labour. Step forward Jeremy Clarkson, perhaps the nation's most famous petrolhead, now reborn as the face of the farming community. The former Top Gear presenter has distinguished himself this campaign with several pointed interventions at the expense of the Starmer army. First there was his response to Labour's manifesto. After Sunak released a Twitter/X video last week decrying how it had just '87 words' to 'say about British farming', Clarkson replied to his 8 million followers 'with him on that'.

Sunday

Steerpike

Now Swinney is dragged into SNP expenses row

From our UK edition

Oh dear. It seems that 'honest John' Swinney is embroiled in another fine mess, this time about taxpayer-funded election expenses at Holyrood. Strict rules state that MSPs are entitled to claim up to £5,500 per year for stationery, but it must be used only for parliamentary duties. Yet now one of the Scottish First Minister's staffers has been caught joking about the 'stamp fairy' helping with campaigning. Probably not the best quip to make when Operation Branchform is still ongoing... According to the Scottish parliament's rules, stamps and other items bought with the allowance must explicitly not be deployed for any 'party political purposes'.

Steerpike

Boris savages Farage over Zelensky spat

From our UK edition

What is Nigel Farage up to? The Reform leader has doubled down over the weekend on his claim that the west helped provoke Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Following his comments to the BBC on Friday, he then wrote a piece in the Telegraph on Saturday arguing that 'What I have been saying for the past ten years is that the west has played into Putin’s hands, giving him the excuse to do what he wanted to do anyway.' It prompted a torrent of cross-party criticism, with both Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer calling his remarks 'disgraceful.' Such was the storm unleashed by Farage that even Kyiv's leaders now seem to be getting involved. The Mail on Sunday splashed on claims that a source in President Zelensky's office has accused Farage of being infected by the 'virus of Putinism'.

Steerpike

Fourth Tory embroiled in betting probe

From our UK edition

Is there anyone in CCHQ currently not under investigation? The Sunday Times today reports that Nick Mason, the chief data officer of the Conservative Party, is now being probed by the Gambling Commission over allegations he placed 'dozens of bets' in the run up to the election being announced. With just 11 days to go until polling day, he has been forced to take a leave of absence – hardly the best look in the middle of the election campaign... Mason becomes the fourth Tory to be probed by the commission.

Saturday

Steerpike

Six Corbynites switching to other parties

From our UK edition

There's been a lot of focus on splits on the right during the election campaign – but what about splits on the left? With less than two weeks to go until polling day, Mr S has been keeping tabs on those Corbynites who are deserting their former party for greener pastures. Quite literally, as many of them have jumped ship to the Green party – or are urging voters to consider non-Labour, independent candidates instead. So who are the lefties that have turned on Labour? Owen Jones Owen Jones, former Guardian columnist, led the exodus after announcing in March that he was abandoning Starmer's Labour lot for 'We Deserve Better' – a group that backs 'socialist candidates' and has in some cases recommended voting against members of Starmer's shadow cabinet.