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
In a strongly worded editorial on Tuesday, the Guardian newspaper did not hide its contempt for what it called Boris Johnson’s ‘tasteless newspaper column joke’ which compared women in burqas to letterboxes. ‘Baroness Warsi was absolutely correct to call Mr Johnson out on this on Tuesday when she called the remarks “dog-whistle Islamophobia”‘, it thundered.
Oh dear. Of all the figures to come out against Boris Johnson over his comments comparing women wearing the full face veil to ‘letterboxes’, Ken Livingstone is perhaps the most audacious. Despite his penchant for talking about Hitler and zionism at every broadcast opportunity, Red Ken has today declared that Johnson has gone too far
In case you were wondering where the Boris burqa row had left to go, Cressida Dick, the head of the Metropolitan Police, has waded into the debate. Despite no one actually coming forward to report a crime, Cressida decided to ask her ‘very experienced officers’ if Boris Johnson’s comparing of women in burqas to ‘letter
As the Boris burqa row continues to dominate the news agenda for the fourth day on the trot, the former Foreign Sec’s enemies are still queuing round the block for the chance to stick the boot in. It’s hard to say though if many are actually offended by Johnson’s comments, or simply using the opportunity
Boris Johnson appears to be getting it from all sides today as the row over his burka comments hits day four – and he graces the front page of six newspapers. So, perhaps some light relief could be found on Channel 4 news. In a discussion on right wing populism and Johnson’s comments, Labour’s Rupa
As Cabinet ministers and Tory MPs line up to attack Boris Johnson over his burka comments, some are wondering if another politician would merit such a backlash. Right on cue, Johnson’s former PPS Conor Burns has popped up to take a pop at his colleagues. Burns says some of his colleagues don’t even seem to
Boris Johnson graces the front pages of not one but seven newspapers this morning as the row over his burka comments rumbles on. It’s not gone unnoticed in eurosceptic circles that Remain Tory MPs have been the quickest to pile in on the former foreign secretary over his letterbox comparison. This has led to suspicion
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism, which Labour refuses to adopt in full, is very clear about one thing. That denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination constitutes discrimination. In the past though this fact appears to have been lost on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Footage has emerged of the leader, speaking
Whether Labour moderates are planning a coup in a Sussex farm house or simply getting together to discuss policy, it’s clear that they are unhappy with the way Jeremy Corbyn is running Labour. Since they failed to oust Corbyn as leader in 2016, Labour’s centrists have generally kept a low profile. But for some, keeping
Former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell took to social media last week to lament the loss of reasonable discourse in politics. After speaking on Iain Dale’s LBC radio show he praised the host, saying: Good chat with @IainDale @lbc on Brexit just now. I always feel he is one of those people with whom I
Boris Johnson has found himself in a spot of bother today over an article in the Telegraph. The former Foreign Secretary uses his column to say that he disagrees with the Danish government’s decision to ban burkas. However, he has been criticised for also saying that Muslim women wearing burkas ‘look like letter boxes’. A
While David Cameron has reportedly busied himself of late telling friends how his old mate Michael Gove is ‘mad’ and behaved like a ‘lunatic’ during the EU referendum, his comrade George Osborne appears to take a rather different view. Rather than hold a grudge, the former Chancellor was spotted on holiday with Gove last month.
You have a tight deadline and if you miss it there will be trouble. Only it’s a Friday and you’ve got plans so you do a slapdash job and copy and paste from a previous piece of work hoping no-one will notice. This at least appears to be what happened to Jeremy Corbyn on Friday.
Oh dear. The Today programme has been in the news this week for the wrong reason after new data showed that the BBC’s flagship current affairs radio show had lost nearly a million listeners in the past year. The show’s editor Sarah Sands has been quick to go into damage limitation mode – arguing that
While the likes of Owen Jones are finally realising that it might not be a wise idea to back Peter Willsman following his rant about anti-Semitism, the same can’t be said for all prominent Corbyn supporters. Step forward, Chris Williamson. The Labour MP is doubling down on his endorsement for Willsman, in defiance of calls
Jeremy Hunt started his new job as Foreign Secretary with a bang on Monday with a gaffe that rivalled those of his predecessor Boris Johnson. On a visit to China, Hunt told his hosts that his wife was Japanese. The problem? She is Chinese: ‘Erm, my wife is Japanese. My wife is Chinese, sorry. That
Labour’s anti-Semitism problem isn’t going away. But it seems Jeremy Corbyn is hoping it will do. When the Labour leader was asked whether he was the man to patch things up between the Jewish community and the party, Corbyn was somewhat lost for words: Reporter: ‘Are relations between the Labour leadership and the British Jewish
With Theresa May’s Chequers proposal unpopular across the board, there are many politicians and would-be politicians now asking themselves: could I do a better job? For quite a lot of these people, the answer is ‘yes’. However, this afternoon Leave.EU’s Arron Banks offered a reminder that sometimes the basics are harder than they look. The
CCHQ’s attempt to latch onto ITV2’s Love Island fanbase by releasing a number of Love Island-themed water bottles with Conservative attack lines hit a bump in the road after it transpired that they had not been given permission to use the reality show trademark. Nevertheless, Mr S suspects that one Cabinet Minister is particularly thrilled to
Labour’s latest anti-Semitism row has gone from awful to even worse thanks to a recording leaking in which veteran left-winger and NEC member Peter Willsman dismisses some of Corbyn’s critics in the Jewish community as ‘Trump fanatics’, suggests critics could ‘falsify social media’ and questions whether his colleagues had actually seen anti-Semitism in the party. While Labour