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
Huzzah! The momentous day has arrived at last: finally Britain can reap the Brexit benefits and enjoy some delicious free-trade Tim Tams. For today is the day the UK’s trade deal with Australia comes into force. Unfortunately it seems that not all our friends down under aren’t, er, quite so sold on the mutual benefits
Oh dear. It seems our beloved national broadcaster has slipped up again. Flicking through the channels last night, Mr S was perplexed to see Newsnight interviewing notorious TikTok ‘star’ Mizzy. His ‘fame’ comes various ‘pranks’ he commits on the video-sharing app, such as entering people’s homes without their consent, stealing a pensioner’s dog, jumping on
President Biden continues to project strength ahead of the 2024 election — by tumbling on stage at the US Air Force Academy Graduation. The 80-year-old commander-in-chief fell today while handing out diplomas to graduating cadets in Colorado. Rest assured, he was quickly helped up and escorted off stage by three Air Force officials. The White
Labour has been clapping themselves on the back today after suspending backbencher Geraint Davies following claims of ‘completely unacceptable behaviour.’ It followed a report by Politico, which claimed the Swansea West MP had subjected younger colleagues to unwanted sexual attention. Politico said it had spoken to more than 20 people who worked with Davies in
Nominations for the Tory mayoral race closed last week, with a final shortlist of two or three expected to be published a week on Sunday. So far nine candidates have declared their interest in taking on Sadiq Khan, with Paul Scully, the Minister for London, the early favourite. But Mr S wonders if the real
Talk about going down to the wire. With today’s deadline fast approaching, the SNP Westminster group has made, at the eleventh hour, a significant announcement: they have finally submitted their audited accounts. Had the group been unable to do so, they would have missed out on £1.2 million of public funds, so-called ‘Short money’, making
Oh dear. It seems the dreaming spires are having a nightmare. Professor Kathleen Stock is addressing the Oxford Union tonight, but not all students approve. One trans activist, Riz Possnett, glued themselves to the floor of the Union in protest before Stock even began speaking. Wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the words ‘No More Dead
Come one, come all! Applications to stand as the Tory candidate in Henley are now open, following the decision of the local MP John Howell to retire. And with such a vacancy comes the inevitable speculation about the return of Boris Johnson, who proceeded Howell as Henley’s MP from 2001 until 2008. Polls suggest Johnson
Saturday saw Celtic lift the Scottish Premiership trophy after a 5-0 victory over Aberdeen. Fans crammed into Parkhead, in Glasgow’s east end, to watch goals from Kyogo Furuhashi, Hyeon-Gyu Oh and Carl Starfelt. By way of celebration, Hoops supporters painted the town green — and then some. Ten people were arrested on suspicion of assault, police assault
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again. The scandal surrounding Phillip Schofield shows no sign of going away, with the disgraced star expected to cost ITV millions in lost advertising revenue and a reduced share price. And Schofield is doing his best to deflect and defend by issuing various statements, including
Much has been made about the BBC’s new Verify service, launched last week. According to the Corporation’s glutinous press release, the 60-strong team represents a ‘new brand to address the growing threat of disinformation and build trust with audiences by transparently showing how BBC journalists know the information they are reporting.’ But does such diligent
And so the extraordinary Phillip Schofield row rumbles on. Earlier this week it was announced that Schofield was steeping down from the TV show This Morning, amid reports that his relationship with his co-host Holly Willoughby had collapsed. Now Schofield has admitted that he had an affair with a ‘younger male colleague’ and has resigned from ITV
Throw a right-wing political shindig these days and you’re guaranteed to make a splash. Last week it was Suella Braverman at the National Conservatism conference; before that it was Priti Patel at the ‘Borisfest’ in Bournemouth. And now Mr S has two more dates pencilled in his diary for potential mischief-making: the Northern Research Group
There was drama in Whitehall this afternoon after a car smashed into the gates of Downing Street, prompting the closure of half of SW1. Police cordoned off the area after a small hatchback was seen at the entrance to the famous street, besides the great iron gates erected during Margaret Thatcher’s era. The Met Police
Boris Johnson is back in the news this week, with Partygate rearing its ugly head once again. And it’s in that spirit of 2021 that Mr S returns to the ill-fated animal crusade which Johnson embraced during his premiership, as part of his bid to rebrand Brexit as an eco-cause. There was the Animal Sentience
Talk about a power failure. Ron DeSantis finally unveiled his long-awaited 2024 bid to become president last night in a glitch-riddled Twitter announcement plagued by technical difficulties. The Florida Governor filed a declaration of candidacy with the US federal electoral commission on Wednesday and then announced his move in an online chat with Twitter head
Another week, another angry ticking off in the House of Commons by speaker Lindsay Hoyle. Today it was Conservative MP Paul Bristow who felt the full might of Hoyle’s wrath after being singled out for heckling Labour leader Keir Starmer during Prime Minister’s Questions. Standing at the despatch box, Starmer had challenged Rishi Sunak’s grip
Ron DeSantis is expected to announce his 2024 presidential bid during a Twitter Space with the app’s ‘chief Twit’ Elon Musk in the next few hours, according to NBC News. At 11 p.m. UK time Wednesday, DeSantis will appear in a discussion with Musk – perhaps part of a bid to make the governor seem less
These days, it would be news if the Scottish nationalists were actually getting along. The latest row today is part of an unfolding scandal about former SNP North Lanarkshire Council leader, alleged ‘sex pest’ Jordan Linden, who quit his position in July after accusations emerged that he had groped and assaulted a teenager at a
Just when Boris thought the worst was over with Partygate. The former Prime Minister has today been referred to the police by the Cabinet Office over fresh claims that he broke Covid lockdown rules. According to the Times, Johnson’s ministerial diary from 2020 and 2021 has revealed visits by friends to Chequers during the pandemic.