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
The last few days have seen a rapidly coarsening Labour debate over who is ultimately responsible for the party’s historic election loss. Corbyn-sceptics have criticised the leadership’s perceived failures while supporters have been flailing around in a desperate attempt to blame anyone but the leader himself. One such Corbyn cheerleader is Andy McDonald, who spoke
At 10:10pm last night, the shadow chancellor began the inevitable firefight against claims that it was Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour leadership itself that lost the party this election. John McDonnell told Andrew Neil: ‘We knew it would be tough because Brexit has dominated this election… As I say, I think this was a Brexit
Ken Loach is loyal to Jeremy Corbyn to the very end, even after the Labour leader led the party to its disastrous defeat overnight. The ‘Kes’ filmmaker said Corbyn has been the victim of a ‘torrent of abuse that has been off the scale’. Loach said Corbyn was: ‘A man of peace who has been
Jeremy Corbyn was roundly defeated in yesterday’s general election, so what lessons have been learned? Not many, if his interview just now on ITV News is anything to go on. The Labour leader defended Momentum, insisted his party’s manifesto was popular and vowed not to walk away from the party for the time being. On
You wouldn’t know Labour had suffered a dismal night in the polls from Lloyd Russell-Moyle’s acceptance speech. The arch Corbynista and MP for Brighton Kemptown channelled Winston Churchill as he vowed to take the fight to the Tories. Russell-Moyle launched into an explosive rant as he reacted to news of Boris’s big win: ‘The Conservative party
Labour has had a dreadful night. The party has lost 59 seats overnight, handing the party its worst result since 1935. But some Corbynistas are taking a different view of what took place at the election. Pro-Corbyn commentator Grace Blakeley insisted that, however badly the party did, Labour’s policies were not at fault. She told Good
The Beast of Bolsover is no more. Dennis Skinner has lost his seat to the Tories – winning 16,492 votes to the Tories’ 21,791. The red wall has been demolished overnight. Skinner has been the MP for Bolsover since 1970, in a constituency which has never elected anyone other than a Labour MP. Tonight, that
‘Corbyn was a disaster on the doorstep. Everyone knew that he couldn’t lead the working-class out of a paper bag.’ After what looks to be a disastrous night for the Labour party, it appears that Alan Johnson is not happy with the Corbynite wing of his party. The former Labour Home Secretary absolutely tore into the
Tonight’s exit poll has predicted that the Conservatives are heading for a bumper majority of 86 – a remarkable result. And while the exit poll is still just a prediction at this stage, that hasn’t stopped Labour’s various Corbynistas melting down at the result. Here are the best reactions so far: I’m so, so sorry
Jeremy Corbyn held a small rally last night in east London, telling supporters to go and spread the message of ‘socialism, which is about hope’. Many British Jews will have woken up this morning feeling anything but hope. They have seen a Labour party led by a man who many consider to be a harbinger of left-wing
The actor Steve Coogan has started his traditional round of election broadcasts, supposedly in an attempt to whip up support for Labour. Unfortunately for Steve, he had a bit of an Alan Partridge moment earlier today when he told Sky News that Labour is ‘encouraging prejudice’. Mr S would sadly have to agree. You can watch the clip
Vote Corbyn, says Corbyn. That is the unsurprising message from the Labour leader’s brother Piers in a video filmed at Speakers’ Corner in London. But while Piers backed his sibling over accusations of anti-Semitism and Labour’s position on Brexit, it wasn’t an entirely ringing endorsement. Piers Corbyn, who has previously said ‘man-made climate change does
Jonathan Ashworth has been caught out this morning after a leaked tape emerged of the shadow health secretary talking about his fears for Britain’s national security if Jeremy Corbyn becomes PM. Ashworth said the civil service would need to ‘pretty quickly move to safeguard security’ if Labour wins on Thursday. Ashworth also gave his verdict on…
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon bagged the 8:10am slot on this morning’s Today programme but it didn’t go quite as she might have planned. Scotland’s first minister was asked whether it was appropriate for her to be attacking the Conservatives on the NHS when her party’s own record was so woeful. Responsibility for the health service was
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