Steerpike

So. Farewell then 2023. Twelve months of strikes, strife and struggle – though (mercifully) fewer occupants in No. 10. In Britain, the year ends as it began, with Rishi Sunak struggling in the polls. There is, however, a new King on the throne after the Coronation back in May. Abroad, the Ukraine war continued to rage, with the conflict over Gaza flaring up in October after the atrocities committed by Hamas. Joe Biden entertained and disappointed in equal measure with yet more gaffes and missteps, ahead of a likely rematch with Donald Trump in next year's presidential contest. Below is a round-up of Steerpike’s most read articles from 2023, touching on some of those stories.

It may be the the last First Minister’s Questions before Christmas, but no one in Scottish Parliament is in the festive spirit. After the SNP announced a winter budget that would make even Scrooge seem upbeat, it’s no surprise that hapless Humza got a grilling today. Douglas Ross appeared to be enjoying himself, with the Scottish Tory leader mocking a recent claim made by an SNP cabinet minister that ‘world leaders were lining up’ to get advice from the Scottish government. With 2023 being the year of the motorhome jokes, Ross continued mischievously: Now, it got me wondering: who is this that’s been calling for their advice? Has Justin Trudeau been on the phone looking for a camper van?

Congratulations to the SNP, which has today given new meaning to the phrase ‘slow and steady wins the race’. Members of hapless Humza’s government have announced today that they will complete dualling of Scotland’s ‘most dangerous road’ by 2035 – a decade later than first planned and a rate of construction that works out at, er, four miles a year. A perfect analogy of Scotland’s progress under the SNP… So far there have been 121 deaths on the treacherous road since 2009, two years after Alex Salmond promised to fix the death trap. Transport Secretary Mairi McAllan assured the Scottish Parliament today that the upgrade would be finished within the original £3 million budget ‘when adjusted for inflation’.

Merry Christmas, Rishi Sunak. With parliament rising for recess, some in No. 10 might have been hoping to put their feet up, now that the PM's Liaison Committee grilling is out of the way. But tonight an unwelcome gift has been dropped at Sunak's feet: his party will shortly be facing a by-election in the Northamptonshire seat of Wellingborough. The reason? Another Tory MP accused of behaving badly. Back in October, Peter Bone was suspended from the Commons for six weeks for committing ‘many varied acts of bullying and one act of sexual misconduct’ against a member of his staff way back in 2012 and 2013. The suspension of more than ten days triggered a recall petition, which his Wellingborough constituents have only been too keen to sign.

'When you're in a hole, stop digging.' It's a famous mantra known to all; everyone that is, except for Michelle Mone. The lingerie tycoon has spent most of the past 24 hours railing against critics on her Twitter/X account, following her disastrous interview with Laura Kuenssberg in which she admitted she lied when denying involvement with a company that won UK government deals to provide personal protective equipment during the pandemic. Having criticised moderators for inserting a 'reader added context' note in one post about PPE Medpro's contracts, she suffered the indignity of having another added in her follow-up complaint about it being 'very biased and factually incorrect'. But now 'Baroness Bra' has a new target in her sights: the Prime Minister.

Oh dear. Labour's biggest loser has done it again. Poor old Eddie Izzard has a pretty poor track record when it comes to backing political campaigns. Among the comedian's greatest hits include Yes2AV, backing Gordon Brown, Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn in successive general elections, endorsing the Euro and Remain in 2016 and bidding to end restrictions on Westminster street performers. Such a track record has not discouraged Izzard. On the contrary, the longtime luvvie has recently begun to branch out from national campaigns to standing for high office himself. Thus far, this has included failed tilts for Labour's National Executive Council and the party's Sheffield Central selection.

Kemi Badenoch isn't exactly known for beating around the bush, and her spat with a Labour MP at this evening's Women and Equalities Select Committee was no exception. After Kate Osborne accused the Business Secretary of using ‘inflammatory language’, and likening ‘children and young people coming out as trans to the spread of a disease’, Badenoch didn't hesitate to hit back, saying: KB: I never said that. That is a lie. KO: Well... KB: That is a lie. And I think you should withdraw that statement. That is a lie. You are lying. You are lying. KO: I’m not lying to you… KB: You are. I have never used the word disease. And this is exactly what I’m talking about. You are making a statement in a select committee that are untrue.

Oh dear. For a while now, Danny Kruger has established himself as one of the more troublesome Tory MPs from No. 10’s perspective. The 2019 MP served as political secretary to Boris Johnson before entering parliament. Yet in recent months he has tended to adopt positions that cause Downing Street a headache. He helped found the 'New Conservatives' - a Tory caucus largely made up of 2019 intake MPs in red wall seats. While Kruger's seat is very much in the blue wall category, he has warned repeatedly that Sunak must keep the 2019 election coalition of voters alive. This morning, Kruger was one in a group of 'New Conservatives' to have breakfast with the Prime Minister as Sunak tried to convince them to back the Rwanda Bill.