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
Members of the European Parliament voted this afternoon to pass Boris Johnson’s Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, ensuring that Britain will leave the EU on 31 January, with a Brexit deal in place. The passing of Boris’s deal also heralded the close of Britain’s participation in the European Parliament, ahead of Brexit day on Friday. And, as
After the departure of Laura Pidcock from the House of Commons, many hoped that Labour had finally gotten over its factionalism and refusal to cooperate with politicians across the aisle. Apparently not though, judging by the behaviour of one of its MPs today. The party’s new MP for Coventry South, Zarah Sultana – who came
There’s nothing like a period of reflection after a historic election defeat. It offers those involved a chance to look at issues afresh and seek out difficult answers. Alternatively, if you are say Ian Lavery or Andrew Gwynne, it offers a chance to confirm everything you had already thought. The Financial Times reports that the
There are many characteristics that make a good leader. Honesty, eloquence, and charisma are traditionally high up on the list. But Labour’s leadership elections have shown that one attribute is now prized above all else – loyalty to Jeremy Corbyn. Almost all of the candidates have tried to present themselves as Corbyn’s natural successor. The
Love him or hate him, you can’t deny that John Bercow had an outsized political impact in 2019. The former Speaker was instrumental in the battles to block Brexit through legislation and parliamentary procedure, and his decision to delay his departure probably changed the course of British history. So it was perhaps unsurprising that Bercow
Even by recent standards, 2019 was an eventful year in Westminster. It began with deadlock in Parliament and it was unclear whether we would ever leave the EU, and ended with a Brexit breakthrough, a new prime minister, and even a general election – with mass defections, serial resignations and all the usual machinations along the
Prime Minister Boris Johnson won The Spectator’s much-coveted Parliamentarian of the Year award at a ceremony in London last night. The former Spectator editor was sadly unable to attend the event but sent a pre-recorded message in which he thanked the publication, calling it ‘the greatest magazine in the English language’. The video also featured
Last night Penny Mordaunt was the guest of honour at the Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year awards. Below is an edited transcript of her speech. When Fraser first contacted me about presenting tonight, I have to say I wasn’t convinced. I said, ‘who, with a glittering Cabinet career ahead of them would ever be so
Boris Johnson is a big fan of Mohammed bin Salman. But why? Back in 2018, the then-foreign secretary was keen to sing the praises of the Saudi Crown prince. In an article for the Times, Boris was clear that MBS was good news: ‘I believe that the crown prince, who is only 32, has demonstrated
*According to Labour party members. Research carried out by the polling company YouGov reveals the surprising fact that party members rank the absolute boy as the absolute best Labour leader of the last hundred years. When asked whether members had a favourable or unfavourable view of each of the last 13 leaders, JC came out
Who should be able to celebrate Durham’s proud legacy of mining? Maybe those who represent the miners’ constituencies in Westminster? Not according to the man who organises the annual miners gala, which takes place every July. Durham Miners president Alan Mardghum told the BBC: ‘To paraphrase Johnson, I’d rather be found dead in a ditch
After Labour’s catastrophic showing in the 2019 general election, most sensible people in the party decided that now was the perfect time to reflect on the result, and try to understand why it had lost so many voters in its former heartlands in the North and Midlands. Well, for Ian Lavery, the bellicose Corbynite MP
When the actor Laurence Fox appeared on Question Time last week, and laid into the growth of identity politics in the UK, it’s fair to say he didn’t make many friends online. The actor has since been bombarded with abuse for refusing to apologise for his comments and was even denounced by the actors’ union
Keir Starmer has clearly decided that in order to win over the membership he must appear sympathetic to Corbyn and Corbynism. His campaign launch video was a masterclass in repositioning, presenting the soft-left Starmer as some kind of socialist stalwart. Indeed, speaking at the Fabian Society conference this afternoon, the frontrunner was asked by the
Leading members of Labour’s left-wing met on Thursday evening to rally the troops and reflect on what went wrong in the election. ‘I’m sure we’ve all had a good time to mourn and analyse what went wrong and why we didn’t win the election,’ uttered the chair opening the event. ‘I think there were many
‘Let’s be really clear about what this is,’ said a Question Time audience member of Meghan’s treatment by the press: ‘let’s call it by its name: it’s racism’. Not so, said Laurence Fox, who was on the Question Time panel. ‘It’s not racism. We’re the most tolerant, lovely country in Britain,’ he insisted. But that
This afternoon, the newly elected Conservative MP for Bishop Auckland, Dehenna Davison, delivered her first speech in the House of Commons. The northern MP, the first ever Tory to take her Durham seat since it was formed in 1885, has already caused a bit of a stir in Westminster, and been at the forefront of
When Jeremy Hunt made it to the final two of the Conservative leadership contest, many presumed this meant he had secured at the very least a senior job in Boris Johnson’s Cabinet. Alas it wasn’t to be. When Johnson won, the then-foreign secretary was swiftly offered the role of defence secretary. He declined – insisting
After the election, when discussions turned to Boris Johnson’s inevitable cabinet reshuffle, most pundits were certain Julian Smith was destined for the door. The Northern Ireland secretary had made himself unpopular with No. 10 following several cabinet table outburst – the most notable being over Johnson’s decision to prorogue parliament. So when it was announced
When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced last week that they were stepping down as ‘senior’ members of the royal family to ‘carve out a progressive new role within [the royal] institution’, plenty of eyebrows were raised at the couple’s suggestion that they would work toward financial independence as well. After all, how will
