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
Earlier this month Mr Steerpike noted that here might be some domestic troubles in one Westminster household, after MP Jack Lopestri came out in support of May’s Brexit deal – unlike Andrea Jenkyns, his Brexiteer wife. Now it appears that Number 10 were paying attention too: today they announced that Lopestri has joined the government,
When Gary Lineker isn’t talking about football there is another subject that he likes to bang on about: Brexit. Lineker has backed the ‘People’s Vote’ campaign and is calling for a second referendum. As the Chancellor Philip Hammond unveiled his Brexit forecasts this morning, Lineker was spurred into action on Twitter: The only problem? That
Once again, it’s been another eventful year in Westminster, with 14 Cabinet resignations, a seemingly endless negotiation process with the EU, and more than one attempted coup. After making it through mostly unscathed, politicians headed en masse this evening to the Spectator’s Parliamentarian of the year awards, to celebrate their achievements – or lack thereof. Liz
If Jeremy Corbyn makes it to No.10, then Diane Abbott will be Home Secretary. In that role, Abbott will be ultimately responsible for the police. But the Labour MP isn’t doing much to win over the affection of the thin blue line. In a tweet yesterday, Abbott had a pop at police officers for knocking
In a strident editorial yesterday, the Guardian newspaper made the case for hiring people from a wider range of backgrounds: ‘Divisions between academic and vocational education are symptomatic of our class-ridden society’ the left-wing paper preached from its pulpit. The article then tutted that ‘Four out of the last five education secretaries went to the
Theresa May has managed to anger quite a few MPs in recent weeks with her withdrawal agreement, but none more so than the DUP, who are livid that it creates regulatory barriers between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. And judging by the reaction of one DUP MP in the chamber today, it doesn’t look to
Oh dear. Over the weekend No.10 came under much criticism after it emerged that John Hayes had been awarded an impromptu knighthood. Unkind souls were quick to suggest that the motivation for giving the long time Tory Eurosceptic the honour was less than pure. With the crunch Brexit deal vote coming up the track, Tory
On Friday evening, Philip Hammond headed to DUP conference in a bid to win over Arlene Foster’s party after they went on strike over the Irish backstop. With Foster telling the BBC that the DUP’s confidence and supply agreement could be over permanently if Theresa May’s deal is voted through, the future does not look
With the DUP currently refusing to vote with the Tories following grievances over the proposed Irish backstop, Theresa May’s party is having to try out life as a minority government. Piling on the pressure, DUP leader Arlene Foster has told the BBC that her party would have to revisit its confidence and supply deal with the
Diane Abbott has a stark warning for those clamouring for a second referendum: be careful what you wish for. The Labour MP’s warning won’t go down well with those from the ‘People’s Vote’ campaign, who desperately need the support of the Labour party if their wish is to come true. On Nick Robinson’s podcast, Abbott
Theresa May is back on the radio flogging her Brexit deal to a sceptical public. Unsurprisingly, few of those who phoned in to BBC 5 Live seemed impressed by what the Prime Minister had to offer. One listener asked the PM to tell him, without any ‘political waffle’, whether her deal is better than staying
Readers may be familiar with the ultra-Corbynite MP Chris Williamson for many reasons. They may have heard about his campaign to deselect his fellow MPs. Or his frequent appearances on Russia Today. Or his hostile reaction to any suggestion that Labour might have an anti-Semitism problem. But who knew that Williamson had a modest streak
Since Nigel Farage stepped down as the head of Ukip in 2016, the subsequent leaders have, to put it mildly, struggled to stay in power for very long. First there was Paul Nutall, who stepped down after nine months following a disastrous election showing – and some questionable claims about his involvement in the Hillsborough
Granted, it’s not another 40 horrors list but Mr Steerpike was struck by Paragraph 79 of the EU/UK Political Declaration: ‘The future relationship must ensure open and fair competition. Provisions to ensure this should cover state aid, competition, social and employment standards, environmental standards, climate change, and relevant tax matters, building on the level playing
Theresa May is in the Commons attempting to convince MPs to back her Brexit plan. But it isn’t going well. Iain Duncan Smith was particularly critical of the PM’s backstop blueprint, telling May that while he appreciated her efforts it wasn’t good enough. Here’s what he said: ‘For all of the effort and work, the
This week, Theresa May’s government teetered on the point of collapse over her proposed Brexit deal. The withdrawal agreement between the UK and Brussels led to Dominic Raab and Esther McVey resigning in protest. However, May’s remaining ministers have since attempted to rally around her at least in the short term. Speaking on Friday, Liam
One of the least popular MPs in the Conservative Party at the moment has to be Michael Gove. As the attempt to oust the PM gained pace late last week, Gove disappeared for the day, annoying those who wished him to remain loyal to May, and then refused to resign, annoying those who wished to
Clive Lewis is no stranger to controversy. The Labour MP was forced to apologise last year after he was caught on camera telling someone to ‘get on your knees b****’. Now, Lewis has surpassed himself, by appearing to pretend to shoot himself while sitting on the Labour frontbench in the House of Commons. The Corbynista
Brexiteers are trying to put on a brave face over the lack of 48 letters needed to trigger a confidence vote in the Prime Minister. Having begun the week certain that they would trigger a vote, they now claim they are giving May time to reconsider and they may move in December. So, what’s the
It’s been a rough start to the week for Brexiteers in the ERG, as they failed to reach 48 no confidence letters over the weekend, and are now being forced to explain why their coup (sorry, ‘democratic process within the Conservative party’) against Theresa May has been such a disaster. It was Nadine Dorries’ turn