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
Sajid Javid has just taken a pop at Boris Johnson following his departure from the cabinet earlier today. The ex-chancellor said no ‘self-respecting minister’ would have been able to accept the terms presented to him by the PM if he wanted to stay in the job. He told the BBC: ‘The conditions that were attached…I
Oh dear. Nothing seems to be going right for the SNP these days. Not only has Nicola Sturgeon lost her finance secretary after he sent inappropriate texts to a teenage boy, but her party is now facing a police investigation in Belgium. The naughty Nats appear to have caused a diplomatic incident after they decided
How would you define bullying? Perhaps it involves aggression or intimidation? Or perhaps bullying might include name-calling or the use derogatory language? But according to Labour’s would-be deputy Dawn Butler, bullying goes quite a bit further than that. During an interview with Sky’s Sophy Ridge this morning, Butler told the presenter that she thought the
Ever since leaving parliament, George Osborne has been piling up jobs almost as fast as he piled up the national debt when in office (nine, at the last count) But he might soon have an easier balancing act, with his editorship of the Evening Standard in question. The rumour from Derry Street is that the
Iain Dale was joined this morning by Corbynista Grace Blakeley on Good Morning Britain. The pair were there to discuss reports that an autistic teenager who threw a young boy off the Tate Modern’s viewing platform had warned his carers beforehand that he planned to push someone off a building in London. Blakeley of Tribune
Oh dear. While most of us will have had an embarrassing IT cock-up at some point in our lives, most of us don’t have a Prime Minister for a son. So it was with some sympathy that Mr S saw the news that Stanley Johnson had mistakenly emailed details of a private meeting he had
After Claire Perry O’Neill was unceremoniously dumped as the president of the COP26 UN climate change summit in Glasgow, it was revealed today that Boris Johnson had been casting his net wide in search of her successor. It has been reported that Boris asked none other than David Cameron to take Claire Perry O’Neill’s place,
Some ministers prefer to jump before they’re pushed. Take Philip Hammond, who opted to walk away last year before the inevitable happened. So Mr S. can’t help but wonder whether Geoffrey Cox is soon to follow suit. Reports have already emerged that Cox is planning a return to life as a barrister. And who can
John Bercow has come under renewed fire this week over allegations he bullied members of staff while working in the Commons. Former Black Rod David Leakey came forward to claim that Bercow – who denies the allegations – ‘brutalised Commons staff’. And Lord Lisvane, a former chief clerk of the House of Commons has also
Keir Starmer has complained to the head of the civil service after a spat between political journalists and Downing Street. The row broke out after No. 10 insisted that only ‘senior, specialist members of the lobby’ could attend a briefing with Brexit negotiator David Frost. Several journalists decided to walk out of No. 10 as
It’s finally Brexit day, but while some are celebrating, others are finding it hard to get into the mood. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Britain’s departure from the EU isn’t going down well in Oxford. As well as flying an EU flag over the Town Hall today, the city is also holding a candlelight vigil for the EU
No. 10’s relationship with the media has been frosty at times, with ministers reportedly banned from appearing on shows like the Today programme. Boris Johnson has now taken that antipathy a step further. The PM has been caught on Sky News talking to a school children about one of the biggest long-running news stories of
It’s been more than three years since the Brexit referendum, and we’re only a day away from actually leaving the EU, but it appears that some of the UK’s residents are still struggling to come to terms with the country’s exit from the European Union. Today, the pollster YouGov released a survey of Remain voters
Last night, the veteran ITN news presenter Alastair Stewart announced that he was stepping down, after he was accused of racism when he quoted a Shakespeare passage to a member of the public online. In a statement following his departure, ITN said Stewart had made ‘errors of judgment in his use of social media’. The
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