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
Cast your minds back sixteen months ago. Back then, Boris Johnson was in his pomp, having narrowly missed out on winning the Batley by-election. The vaccine roll-out was underway, with the UK leading the world out of Covid. And in the Labour party, there was much excited talk of a challenge by Angela Rayner to
Dominic Raab likes to refer his six-week spell away from the Ministry of Justice as a ‘sabbatical’ but for many of his staff it was more of a respite. The Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary (as he likes to be called) was restored to the MoJ last month by Rishi Sunak, after
Westminster tuned in last night for another episode of I’m a Celebrity. There’s no winner yet but one obvious loser, as this year’s subplot appears to be Matt Hancock versus everyone else. Having been mocked on the first night for his Covid record, attention has now moved on to the reason why Hancock had to
Relations between London and Brussels haven’t always been cordial in recent years. But red-faced staff in Whitehall’s Foreign Office will be grateful for local police in the Belgian capital after they recovered a collection of stolen historic paintings that were stolen from the British Ambassador to Nato’s official residence. Four pieces of art that belong
‘Mr Hancock, I presume?’ was the reaction our former Health Secretary presumably hoped to elicit upon entering the jungle last night. Unfortunately, it was a wall of hysterical laughter which met him instead as comedian Seann Walsh as the comedian doubled up in hysterics at the sight of Hancock tottering his way across the rope
As the dust settles after the recent reshuffle, those lucky politicians who survived the Sunak cull will be engaged in self-congratulation and reconciling themselves with the new regime. For some, there is high office, with all its fruits and delights: for others there is disappointment, dismay and the consolation prize of a sinecure. How, for
It seems these days that the blessed Starmer can do no wrong. Cruising in the polls, fêted by his party, the Labour leader has become the toast of the media with election victory now seeming assured. But is Sir Keir all that he appears? The Labour leader opted to lead on the allegations against Gavin
It’s the biggest issue facing British politics: what to do about parliament’s catering? An army marches on its stomach and our legion of lords and legislators is no exception. For months, Mr S has heard grumbles about standards slipping in the Commons canteen. And now, finally, we have the proof, for today parly bosses admitted
These days, the Duchess of Sussex’s ambitions are a little more grandiose than that of a mere English county. Now, the recalcitrant royal seems to have her heart set on being the voice of all women everywhere, unconfined by the constraints of mere geography or taste. For in the latest edition of her egomaniacal Archetypes
They were the dynamic, priapic premiers who guided their country through a pandemic – and the comparisons between Boris Johnson and David Lloyd George don’t stop there. For no man has done more to advance the cause of Lords reform since the days of the ‘Welsh Wizard’ than Johnson. In his seemingly ongoing quest to
For the first time since Covid, it’s the question all of Westminster is asking: where is Matt Hancock? Within the next 72 hours, the former Health Secretary is due to make an appearance in the I’m A Celebrity jungle, with Hancock set to receive a reported £400,000. Not bad work if you can get it.
Ah Gavin Williamson – the man with more lives than Larry the Cat. Having been sacked as Defence Secretary for alleged leaking in 2019, then sacked again as Education Secretary for poor performance in 2021, Williamson is now facing his third dismissal in three years following fresh claims about his conduct. On Friday it emerged
Former Manchester United player Gary Neville has been enjoying something of the political limelight in recent months. At the beginning of the year the footballer became a card carrying Labour member and in September joined Keir Starmer on stage for a pally conversation at the party’s conference. In interviews last year, Neville said that he
The winds of change are blowing through the corridors of 4 Matthew Parker Street. Having turfed team Truss out of No. 10, it seems that the Sunak ascendancy has now coincided with a clear out in CCHQ. The past fortnight has seen a number of high-profile departures including chief executive Darren Mott, political director Ross
The new series of I’m a Celebrity airs on Sunday and the producers have done a decent job of making sure all of Westminster will be watching. Some contestants bring laughter to the jungle; others have star power. Matt Hancock though will be bringing his humility, judgement and expertise in national humiliation when he appears
Oh dear. It seems that another hard-of-thinking Corbynista has shown themselves up again. Labour has been enjoying the chance to make political capital out of Suella Braverman’s current woes, with the Home Secretary on the ropes amid an avalanche of questions about her judgement and competence. But never doubt the ability of Sir Keir’s barmy
Tory MPs often like to talk a tough game on China – but is it Labour who are now making the running? While the Conservatives are often at pains to wrap themselves in the flag and bang the drum for King and country, Mr S can’t help but notice in recent weeks how frequently members
Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. So what are we to glean from Matt Hancock’s latest comeback initiative under a third successive Tory premier? According to The Sun, the Casanova of the Commons has signed up to appear on the upcoming series of I’m A
It’s not just Suella Braverman and Dominic Raab who have got their old jobs back. Following the Truss interregnum, normal service has been restored in Whitehall, with Michael Gove being handed another post in his fourth Conservative administration. The erudite Aberdonian has returned to the Department of Levelling Up – the ministry he left just
Dogs bark, cows moo and the Home Office leaks like a sieve. Unfortunately, this time the finger of suspicion has fallen on Suella Braverman, the Secretary of State for the most malfunctioning ministry in all of Whitehall. Braverman has reportedly been dubbed ‘leaky Sue’ after repeatedly sending official documents to her personal email – the