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
There’s nothing Mr S likes more than a clash between two monumental ministerial egos. And they don’t come much bigger than Ben Wallace, the Forces’ Flashheart, and Johnny Mercer, the veteran thorn in No. 10’s backside. Both men serve in posts at the Ministry of Defence: Wallace as Secretary of State and Mercer in a
It seems the wokest paper in all the west has blundered once again. Last Wednesday the Guardian published a leader column on ‘Labour and antisemitism’ in which the bastion of right-on liberalism opined on the party’s record under Jeremy Corbyn. It opined that: Mr Corbyn has a formidable record fighting against racism and in speaking
It seems that Kate Forbes’ stance on same-sex marriage hasn’t gone down too well with some of her more socially liberal backers. Within 24 hours of announcing her candidacy, the Finance Secretary’s campaign has actually gone backwards, managing to lose four MSPs following an interview in which she said that she would not have supported
It’s less than 24 hours since the SNP leadership election became a three horse race but already there seems to be a disproportionate focus on LGBT issues. Ash Regan was out of the blocks first, saying she would dump Nicola Sturgeon’s Gender Recognition Reform Bill if she replaced her as First Minister. Then this afternoon
It’s day one of Kate Forbes’ bid to be First Minister and she is certainly making headlines. The Finance Minister has done a round of media interviews today, with much media attention focusing on her stance on social issues. Forbes is a member of the Free Church of Scotland, a bastion of unrepentant Christianity. And
Another day, another Labour politician embroiled in a trans tangle. Keir Starmer and Lisa Nandy have both had their awkward moments over Scotland’s controversial prisoners policy and the Gender Recognition Reform Bill. And yesterday it was the turn of the party’s attention-loving deputy leader Angela Rayner. ‘Our Ange’ is being groomed by Labour spinners as
At the beginning of the SNP leadership race, the two favoured candidates to succeed Nicola Sturgeon were Kate Forbes and Angus Robertson. Today the former has declared while the latter has declined to stand. But has Robertson decided to forego the race with a not-so subtle pop at his rival? Mr S couldn’t help but
It seems that Boris Johnson’s interventions in the Sunday papers haven’t gone down too well with some members of his party. Tory grandee George Osborne appeared on the Andrew Neil Show on Channel 4 today to issue a scathing rejoinder to his longtime rival. The former chancellor questioned the sincerity of Johnson’s commitment to Northern
A spectre is haunting Downing Street – the spectre of Boris Johnson. The former Prime Minister has been largely content to keep his head down in recent months, quietly cashing millions on the speaking circuit and preparing his Partygate defence. But today the ex-Tory leader has chosen to send a barely-concealed warning to his successor
It’s the issue vexing millions of voters. Forget war, pestilence, famine – it seems the real horror facing the good people of Wales is… meal deals. Yes, that’s right: those fiscally prudent prandial packages are the real scourge bedevilling the Land of My Fathers. For the Welsh government in its infinite wisdom is mulling a
If we hadn’t heard enough about ‘the Dumb Prince and His Stupid Wife’ – not Steerpike’s words – now South Park has dedicated an entire episode to mocking them and their faux pleas for privacy. Throughout the 20-minute episode, the long-running animated comedy’s writers really stuck the sword into Harry and Meghan, who have found themselves the
Once, TikTok was the weapon of choice for any aspirant Tory. Whether it was Dehenna Davison lip-syncing or Nadine Dorries dancing at the Euros, the addictive video-sharing app was all the rage. But a recent string of revelations about its Chinese parent company ByteDance mean that is no longer the case. Alicia Kearns, the chairman
Reading some of the tributes from English luvvies yesterday, you would have had no idea that Nicola Sturgeon was anything less than perfect. The great and the good in the media world were tripping over themselves to call her a stateswoman, praising her tone, grace and composure rather than her lack of substantive achievements. Still,
Another day with more Starmer drama. Sir Keir yesterday told a press conference that Jeremy Corbyn will be barred from standing as a Labour candidate at the next election, a decision that hasn’t gone down very well with the magic Grandpa. Corbyn has now released an angry statement, accusing the man who replaced him as
Where there’s death, there’s life. And the departure of Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister after eight years means there’s a vacancy as top dog in the Scottish parliament. Who could replace her? One Panelbase poll conducted last week shows there’s an overwhelming favourite among the various pretenders: ‘don’t know’ took a whopping 69 per cent
Oh, Jeremy Corbyn. The onetime Labour leader is this morning contemplating the end of his political career after his successor declared he would not be standing as a Labour candidate at the next election. At a press conference to welcome the Equalities Commission’s decision to take the party out of special measures for anti-Semitism, Sir
Labour has been talking a lot about taxpayers’ money in recent days, following the release of their much-hyped ‘GPC files’ about government procurement cards. There’s been much criticism about the use of luxury hotels, fine art and branded merchandise. All good, worthy stuff. But in the interest of balance, Mr S thinks it’s worth reminding
Partygate claimed many victims in Westminster, not least Boris Johnson’s premiership. But one consequence of the relentless focus on the shenanigans of 2021 meant that 2022 proved to be a far less festive occasion than some in the great ministries of state had hoped. Officials have grumbled to Mr S that there was a certain
Ah parliamentary renovation: they talk of little else in the Red Wall. For more than a decade now, Westminster has been obsessed with the subject of our crumbling Commons, with staff forced to dodge falling masonry, leaking pipes and impudent rodents as they navigate the estate. Last month, Dame Meg Hillier of the Public Accounts
Stop press: Fleet Street is officially full of sewage. Flicking through the papers this morning, Steerpike was intrigued to see water pollution feature prominently on the front page of both the Times and the i newspapers. ‘Water firms to be spared threat of £250m fines’ roared the former; ‘Sunak facing Tory rebellion over sewage in
