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
Ed Miliband may have held his seat in Doncaster North for over 14 years, but the Conservatives seem to think the former Labour leader might be vulnerable this election campaign. In the 2016 Brexit referendum, 72 per cent of Doncaster North’s residents voted Leave, which stands in stark contrast to Miliband’s own pro-Remain Brexit stance,
Labour’s election strategy has been to go on the attack against Britain’s billionaires. Today one of them responded. Phones4U founder John Caudwell quizzed shadow chancellor John McDonnell on Labour’s economic policy today and it’s safe to say he wasn’t impressed. Caudwell warned McDonnell that his party’s plans could lead to an exodus of wealthy taxpayers
Oh dear. Channel 4 News is in hot water this morning after posting a video clip of Boris Johnson speaking at a campaign rally. In the clip, the broadcaster added subtitles claiming Boris Johnson said: ‘I’m in favour of having people of colour come to this country, but I think we should have it democratically
Boris Johnson has so far refused to take part in an election interview with Andrew Neil. Jeremy Corbyn, Jo Swinson, Nigel Farage and Nicola Sturgeon have all had their turns. But not the Prime Minister. At the end of his interview tonight with Farage, Andrew Neil sent a message to Boris Johnson: ‘We have been
One local in Beaconsfield has thought of a novel way to get back at his prospective MP, Dominic Grieve, who is standing as an independent this election. Ian Caldwell, who runs Timberstore in the area, has decided to launch a giant blimp which now hovers over Grieve’s constituency, calling for the pro-Remain candidate to be
The UK’s relationship with the Chinese telecoms company Huawei has been under intense scrutiny this year, as a fierce debate has waged inside government over whether it should be able to build the UK’s 5G infrastructure. Hawks inside government are said to be wary that the company could pose a security threat. Boris Johnson too
Jeremy Corbyn was caught out yesterday pretending he watches the Queen’s Speech, only to be rumbled when he said he watches it in the morning (it’s actually broadcast at 3pm). But while the Labour leader’s blunder has made the front pages of today’s newspapers, he does still have some loyal defenders. Step forward, Angela Rayner.
Could Sir Mark Sedwill’s time as cabinet secretary be coming to an end? There were reports earlier this year that Sedwill might be in line to be replaced if Boris Johnson were to win the Tory leadership election. That proved to be unfounded and in the months since, the Prime Minister and Sedwill appear to
‘Do you sit down to watch the Queen’s Speech, Mr Corbyn?’ It’s a simple question, but one the Labour leader appeared to struggle with during his interview on ITV. Corbyn responded by saying: ‘It’s on in the morning, usually we have it on some of the time.’ The only problem? As Julie Etchingham pointed out,
Jo Swinson’s campaign ground to a halt this morning in Brixton after climate change activists dressed as bees stuck themselves to the front of the Lib Dem battle bus. The party has gone big in its manifesto on tackling what it calls the ‘climate emergency’, vowing to ensure Britain leads ‘the world in tackling’ the
During this year’s general election campaign, Labour has attempted to repeat their 2017 strategy of costing each commitment made in their manifesto. Given the sums involved, it seems only fair expect the party to lay out – in detail – what they are planning to spend and how they are planning to pay for it.
Air Force One touched down at Stansted Airport last night for the annual Nato summit, held just over a week before the British public go to the polls. So far, Donald Trump has avoided becoming embroiled in the campaign. He told reporters: ‘I’ll stay out of the election’. Spectator USA editor Freddy Gray took to the
The Lib Dems unveiled their secret weapon to revive their flagging election campaign this week. The party managed to win the backing of actor Hugh Grant, who joined Lib Dem candidates Luciana Berger and Chuka Umunna on the campaign trail to plug a so-called ‘Remain Alliance’ between several parties to keep the Tories out of
Jeremy Corbyn has finally said sorry for anti-Semitism within the Labour party. The Labour leader was asked five times by This Morning presenter Phillip Schofield to apologise to worried Jewish people. Finally, he backed down and said he was ‘obviously very sorry for everything that has happened’: Schofield: ‘Here is your opportunity now to apologise
One of Labour’s key messages throughout this election has been the future of the NHS. The party has used confidential US-UK trade documents to drive home their message that Boris Johnson wants to sell off parts of the health service to American businesses. But last night, social media experts told Reuters that the leak of these sensitive
A big part of Jeremy Corbyn’s election pitch is claiming that the Tories want to flog the NHS to the United States. That’s nonsense, says Donald Trump. The president told reporters in London that even if the NHS was ‘handed to us on a silver platter, we want nothing to do with it’. He said:
Is the Labour party starting to panic? After a YouGov forecast this week suggested that the Tories could win scores of seats in the North of England, the Labour party appear to have made a rushed attempt to address regional inequality today. Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell announced this morning that not only would his party have
Charles Walker, the former chairman of the influential Conservative 1922 Committee, took to the airwaves last night in an attempt justify Boris Johnson’s growing list of TV no shows. The interview followed a Channel 4 leaders’ debate on climate change in which the public service broadcaster decided to replace Boris Johnson with a melting block
The Conservatives have launched a new party election broadcast that ran for the first time this evening on BBC One and ITV. The video (which you can view below) is made up of lots of different voters explaining why they’re backing Boris Johnson. But what does this advert tell about the Tories’ overall election strategy?
Elections are a frantic time for parliamentary candidates, as they scrap for a place in the House of Commons. Nonetheless, one of the few things you expect from them is to know the seat they’re actually standing in. Apparently not though. Step forward John Nicolson, who was the SNP MP for East Dunbartonshire before he
